A Brand New Patong Beach in Phuket

A Brand New Patong Beach in Phuket

Remember Patong Beach in Phuket as the busy and colourful beach with beautiful people and lines of rental umbrellas? Not forgetting also food hawkers, massage huts and also illegal vendors? Well, things have changed lately and Patong Beach is no longer the same.

(This how Patong Beach looks like before the new ruling)

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is pleased to inform international tourists and the travel industry partners that the famous Patong Beach in Phuket has now regained its natural beauty, following a clean-up operation on 9 July 2014 under the supervision of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

(Remember these benches which you need to pay a fee to use them? All of these are gone now)

The NCPO, currently overseeing the administration of Thailand, has ordered eviction of food hawkers, massage huts, beach lounger and umbrella rental businesses and other illegal vendors in order to return Patong Beach to its natural state.

(Patong Beach without the benches and the food stalls)

The move is as part of the council’s plans to restore the image of the kingdom as one of the world’s best tourist destinations. It also followed recent series of measures and developments by the NCPO in an aim to help improve the experience of travellers and tourists visiting the kingdom. They include a clampdown on illicit control of taxi operations at Bangkok and Phuket Airports and a clear-out of Pattaya Beach as well as Surin, Bang Tao, Laypang and Layan Beaches in Phuket.

(Thank you Woranis for passing us the pictures)

Thailand is always ready to welcome tourists with a friendly smile. Visitors planning to visit the kingdom need not worry about the country being under the administration of the NCPO as that has had no impact on Thailand’s tourism at all.

Thailand remains a safe tourist destination, offering a wide variety of tourist attractions, ranging from unique culture, abundant natural beauty and remarkable variety of activities, including soft-adventure, spa, shopping and medical tourism.

TAT is also working on a series of tourism marketing and promotion activities to attract tourists to the kingdom during the remainder of this year as well as the years to come. Among the strategies is the plan to reiterate the charms of Thai culture and heritage.

Wilson Ng