Patong businesses suffering ‘worst high season in 10 years’ Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) – Phuket Oce Director Kanokkittika Kritwutikon this week struck out at claims online that Phuket is suffering an incredibly low number of visitors during the current tourism ‘high season’.
The public scramble to reassure confidence in tourist numbers comes while Weerawit Kreuasombat, President of the Patong Entertainment Business Association (PEBA), which represents some 500 entertainment businesses in Phuket’s busiest tourism party town, vehemently disagrees – saying that this is “the worst high season in Patong in 10 years”.
Ms Kanokkittika admitted that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Phuket so far this month has dropped by 2.63% compared with the same period last year, but also pointed out that the fall in Chinese arrivals had been offset by a 3.63% increase in the number of arrivals from other source markets.
“I cannot agree that the number of tourists in Phuket has fallen,” she said. “I know the number of Chinese tourists has dropped, as confirmed by Phuket
Immigration. They have recorded 130,221 Chinese-national arrivals (at Phuket International Airport) from Dec 1-15.
