Pattaya, Thailand-
Yesterday, March 4th, 2022, two prominent business and tourism association leaders spoke with local Pattaya media to express their opinions on what was still holding back tourism and hospitality in the local area.
Mr. Provt Saekoo, President of the Eastern Thai Hotels Association, stated that the hotel association believed that to recover tourism, especially domestic, the Thai Center for Cvid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, would need to give the “green light” to tourism activities and events being allowed for Songkran, the water festival, in April, the Thai new year and generally the biggest holiday of the year for Thais.
The President stated that members understood that “cases” of Covid-19 remained high in Banglamung and Pattaya, however, data from the Chonburi Ministry of Public Health showed that currently, 99.2 percent of almost 27,500 cases were mild or asymptomatic. 0.72 percent of cases had “moderate” but manageable symptoms and only 11 cases had been considered truly serious, with pneumonia or on a ventilator. Deaths remained very low and nearly all had pre-existing conditions or were extremely elderly.
Additionally, according to Chonburi Public Health, the province remains the highest vaccinated province in Thailand, and Pattaya specifically, according to the mayor, Sonthaya Khunplume, was over 90% vaccinated, based on place of residence. Chonburi also has ample hospital capacity and resources.
As a result, the President hoped the CCSA would allow “some” Songkran activities, even if water fights were not allowed. This could include street festivals on Beach Road with vendors, shows, concerts, parades, shopping, food, and religious and cultural activities for the whole family.
The CCSA was reportedly planning to meet about Songkran rules this week, however, as of press time had still not made any decisions about the festival but were still “concerned” about high “cases” of Covid-19 and the potential to, at a national level, overwhelm hospital services if infections continued to rise, especially in provinces with less vaccination levels, more elderly and vulnerable, or with less hospital capacity. The CCSA believes, however, that by expediting the vaccination program to the elderly and vulnerable in more rural provinces and by the time Songkran arrives, about six weeks away, “some” relaxation is possible, although has poured cold water on the idea of “normal” wild water fights and parties with thousands of people.
The President, however, said that the CCSA has already “ruled out” travel restrictions for Songkran and will allow families to travel home for their biggest holiday, which is Thailand’s largest yearly movement/migration of people. The associations believed that the risk of holding events in highly vaccinated areas like Pattaya was low compared to travel and as a result, they hoped that at the very least tourism driving events would be allowed, even if water fights were banned due to concerns around people not following basic precautions like mask-wearing or social distancing if fighting with water.
Songkran was completely banned in 2020, with alcohol sales bans, travel restrictions, curfews, and more. In 2021 only religious and cultural events were allowed, with no “fun activities” like open bars, concerts, water fights, etc. but travel was permitted, which some pundits saw as spreading Covid-19 and leading to many months of restrictions and closures. However, this year the prominent virus variant is Omicron, which appears to have substantially more mild symptoms than Delta and vaccination is now widespread, whereas last year it had just been starting.
Meanwhile, Mr. Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, Secretary of the Pattaya Entertainment Operators Association, stated that although the situation had improved for entertainment businesses, it was far from preferable, with technically entertainment venues still legally closed nationwide since April of 2021. They are currently allowed to be converted “restaurants”, with a variety of rules like no dancing, no stage dancers, no pool, no karaoke, and perhaps most detrimental a legal closing time of 11:00 P.M.
Damrongkiat also acknowledged that Covid-19 cases remained high, but stressed the same information that the Hotel Association had, that the overwhelming vast majority were mild or asymptomatic and that business operators felt they could-and should-be able to legally open their venues and extend hours to at least 1:00 A.M. initially, with perhaps a gradual extension to 3:00 A.M. in entertainment zones, as was the case before Covid-19.
He also stated that nightlife operators stressed that to recover international tourism from western countries having nightlife open “late” was critical and that many tourists were discouraged from legal early closings, nightclubs being shuttered, entertainment not being allowed in some venues, and other restrictions. The association had previously noted that in many western tourism markets with similar vaccination levels this industry was now wide open and that visitors would expect the same from Pattaya, a city previously known as the city that never sleeps. Many venues, especially on Walking Street, were still hesitant to open until normal closing times could be restored, dancing could be allowed, and other restrictions eased.
Now, however, it is in bed (legally) by 11:00 P.M.
Finally, the One Voice association, which represents dozens of local business owners and organizations, has also been continually pushing to relax the restrictions, offering to make Pattaya a test zone and giving a variety of plans, proposals, and ideas to the CCSA. None, so far, have been answered or given permission to proceed. You can read more on that below:
