Phuket hotels see 5% more booked rooms for Vegetarian Festival this year: TAT

[webfact]

Phuket hotels see 5% more booked rooms for Vegetarian Festival this year: TAT

 

 

PHUKET, 8th October 2018 (NNT) – The hotel room booking rate in Phuket province during the Chinese Golden Week season and around the renowned Vegetarian Festival rose by 5% from last year, with some hotels already fully booked, says official. 

The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Phuket Office, Kanokkittika Kritwutikon, said the province's upcoming Vegetarian Festival has received good interests this year, with the overall accommodation now 65% booked ahead of the festival, which is likely to see a lot of last-minute booking as the festival looms. 

She said the nine-day and nine-night festival is expected to attract 44% Thai visitors, and a higher number of international visitors comparing to the last year, as the festival this year will return to its full celebration with the parade which was suspended last year. 

The festival is expected to bring in 500 million baht revenue from Thai visitors alone. The revenue is expected to reach 14 billion baht if putting revenue from international visitors and marine tourism into consideration. It will help distribute more income to local shops and businesses as tourists will be spending money at shops and restaurants along the parade route and shrines.

The Vegetarian Festival in Phuket is a world-famous tradition held every 1st to 9th waxing crescent nights according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Observers of this tradition will during this period refrain from consuming meat products for their good fortune. 

The tourism businesses in Phuket have recently seen 50% drop of tourists, and 10% drop of Chinese tourists specifically, due to the low tourism season.

 

-- nnt 2018-10-08

[Guest]

The numbers on this article doesn't make sense. 

[Joe Mcseismic]

Why would anyone trust, or believe TAT figures. They just make them up to please their masters.....;

[Ulic]

Lots of spin in this TAT article. I got dizzy reading it. 

[blackhorse]

With a huge spike over the years in vegan and vegetarians this does not surprise me one bit

I bet most of the female CM Backpackers end up there

[digger70]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Phuket hotels see 5% more booked rooms for Vegetarian Festival this year: TAT

One can write Anything on paper that doesn't mean it's true.

[baansgr]

Im getting confused, 5% up, yesterday was 20% down, then it was 21 million visitors to Phuket airport, its all too much .....arrrggh

[madmitch]

10 hours ago, oilinki said:

The numbers on this article doesn't make sense. 

You are right but I can't remember the last tie I saw a report from the National News Bureau where the figures made one iota of sense.

 

So, 44% of visitors will be Thai and they will spend 500 million baht. The overall anticipated income is 14 billion baht, meaning that the 56% foreign visitors will spend a whopping 14.5 billion baht.

 

Does this mean that the Thais are Cheap Charlies. foreigners are prepared to spend a fortune on watching a few people with spikes sticking out of their faces or the figures are just pulled out of the air? I know what I think and I'll give a clue...........it's not the first two scenarios!

 

Also, the fact that last year's festival parades were cancelled makes the 5% increase in bookings for this year rather disappointing! 

Edited October 8, 2018 by madmitch

[blackhorse]

More city's should jump on the Veges expo gravy train. Phuket officials have nailed this event

[stevenl]

Yes, numbers don't seem to match and are confusing at best.

 

But a 5% increase in booked rooms seems very realistic, I'd have expected it to be even higher after last years subdued festivities. But with other, normal,. bookings down, 5% increase could easily be.