People have cancelled their 4-day weekend trips to a Kanchanaburi district after a local school coronavirus alert. Koh Samui however is predicting the opposite. The Surat Thani southern province predicts such a huge surge of tourism that some airlines and ferries have increased their holiday services.
In Thong Pha Phum, the border district of Kanchanaburi, the mayor says several of the hotel reservations have been canceled, claiming several citizens have begun to adjust their holiday plans after a school in the district had a coronavirus risk.
Ban Kai Yae School in the district closed after three students came in touch with Burmese migrants who developed a fever after crossing the border into Thailand. The school has been cleaned up and will reopen next week. The recent increase in cases of coronavirus in Myanmar has caused much alarm in districts bordering the community. Most of the cases are in Rakhine state of Myanmar, on the west coast of the country.
Some Kanchanaburi districts also expect tourists. At the Myanmar border, the Three Pagodas Pass is open to visitors. One resort manager in the neighboring Sangkha Buri district said no one had canceled their weekend booking.
Looks like a lot of people will travel south. According to Thailand's Tourism Authority, the province of Surat Thani, which includes the famous islands Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao, is estimated to have 27,000 tourists this weekend. According to TAT bureau director Nanthawan Siriphokhapat, the tourists are estimated to spend about 124 million baht during the holiday, with a substantial portion spending on lodging.
"The government's We Travel Together campaign, which includes discounts on hotel accommodation and Koh Samui air tickets, is a factor which encourages travel."
According to the president of the Koh Samui Tourism Association, both Bangkok Airways and local ferry operators have doubled their services for the holiday weekend.
Source Thaiger
Keep updated with phanganist.com by following our Facebook page.
