[Pictures] A relatively deserted Patong Beach

By The Nation

 

 

Patong Beach in Phuket wears a relatively deserted look in the absence of the huge number of Chinese tourists amid the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in China.

 

Along the three-kilometre-long beach, there were hardly any Chinese tourists. However, the vibrant beach is still drawing tourists from Europe, Russia, South Korea and Japan in the high season who relax by lying on the sand or swimming happily in the water amid strict monitoring by the Public Health Ministry to build confidence through this crisis.

 

 

 

 

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382225

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-02-17

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That is relatively deserted? Must have been a horrible place before.

Looks like the best thing for me to do, would be to stay well away.....holidaying in Phuket? Thanks but no thanks!

48 minutes ago, canuckamuck said:

That is relatively deserted? Must have been a horrible place before.

Horrible is all in the eye of the beholder

Not been there for at least 10 years and I only live 13km away 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

However, the vibrant beach is still drawing tourists from Europe, Russia, South Korea and Japan in the high season who relax by lying on the sand or swimming happily in the water

The beach photos don't quite resonate what's being said by the hotels & businesses?

2 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

The beach photos don't quite resonate what's being said by the hotels & businesses?

Yes I wonder what date is on the photos. Surprise they are old stock photos they pulled out of the hat. Must be difficult swimming wearing a mask.

Another 'made up' article ....

What's that floating behind the girls in the second photo?

With that amount of tourists what is Phuket complaining about.

seldom see ANY Chinese tourists on the beach ANYTIME>so whats the point of this thread?
they aren't beach goers, but shoppers and tour people and judging by the absence of tour bus's on the roads an shoppers around, I'd say the Chinese aren't really here this high season.

 

1 hour ago, legend49 said:

Yes I wonder what date is on the photos. Surprise they are old stock photos they pulled out of the hat. Must be difficult swimming wearing a mask.

I did have a good look at all the pics... not one mask is worn by anyone??

Looks pretty busy to me. I see lots of overweight, white skinned men and women.

"Deserted" my ar*e!!!! Look at any definition of the word "deserted" and you will see something like:-adjective
abandoned; forsaken:
untenanted: without inhabitants:
unfrequented; lonely:
I think that the pictures are confusing "deserted" with "overcrowded". Obviously wrongly filed ????

I have never understood the appeal of Patong. But then again I am not a fan of Disneyworld, theme parks, huge crowds, congestion, paying double for everything, and Marvel movies. 

2 hours ago, smiggley said:

With that amount of tourists what is Phuket complaining about.

They are complainig. BECAUSE THAT IS HOW IT USED TO BE.     (old picture, probably from before the Chinese)

You can bet that is an old picture and the tourism Dept. is trying 'feebly', to use it to Make non thinkers that those people are still coming.   LOL

It looks terrible

 

20 minutes ago, kensawadee said:

They are complainig. BECAUSE THAT IS HOW IT USED TO BE.     (old picture, probably from before the Chinese)

You can bet that is an old picture and the tourism Dept. is trying 'feebly', to use it to Make non thinkers that those people are still coming.   LOL

Please, if you have only fake information, don't post.

when did they start to allow the lounge vendors to operate again ? when i was there last (several yrs ago), they had banned all the loungers from the beach.  the beach was empty at that point, nothing like these photos. 

One thing about Patong is that it is not compulsory to go there. It is not a Xinjiang re-education camp.

Every year several million people from all over the planet choose to go there, to sightsee, party or just hang out on the beach.

It's not for everyone, the crowds, the noise, the ambience and the high prices associated with any popular tourist destination certainly make it one of the more full- on and expensive Thailand towns. Not everyone wants to holiday there, or simply can't afford to. For them Thailand still has quiet, cheap, rural areas, like Isaan, where people on a budget can have a good life and practice their complaining skills about places no one forces them to visit.

8 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

That is relatively deserted? Must have been a horrible place before.

Deserted? I've never seen it as busy as in this photo.

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

Please, if you have only fake information, don't post.

I do not think the statement is fake. A good point made was the deckchair mafia were thrown off the beach years ago. As a surmise I would say the photo is pre coup. The people in charge go on about fake news yet allow this. It would be nice if a expat took a real 2020 photo. 

I live here. Yep shortage of Chinese seems to be true compared to last few high seasons. Few Indians too from what I have seen.  Still see Chinese but few where I go. It seems fir the most part Chinese are not water babies and don’t flock to the sand like euros do. Definitely not the hoards and bus loads arriving and swarming Patong is a tightly packed tourist hub. I don’t like it much myself (I live 25 minutes from there).

in and out for things I need to do and my gym that’s it for me ????????

the water is dirtier in Patong and the beaches too busy for my liking.

i get how Euros from cold or very mild summers just love being able to walk there and stay half naked in the hot sun all day... they just love it.

european beaches by and large are always crowded affairs so transferring that here probably isn’t something the euro visitors even notice.

there are beaches here still that allow relative quiet and lack of tourist madness but I ain’t naming them ????

Early mornings is beaut at the 3 beaches nearby my home - quiet people free, cool clear morning water to swim in. Middle of the morning is time to vacate for moi.

 

1 hour ago, Scot123 said:

I do not think the statement is fake. A good point made was the deckchair mafia were thrown off the beach years ago. As a surmise I would say the photo is pre coup. The people in charge go on about fake news yet allow this. It would be nice if a expat took a real 2020 photo. 

 

Chairs have been back for a couple of years now. All back same way as 'pre coup' 

I have zero tolerance for the attitudes displayed by the locals towards foreigners and will NEVER go to "Pooket"! I hope they all starve to death ????

23 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Horrible is all in the eye of the beholder

Ok. I give up. Spent 20 minutes looking at this but couldn't spot Kilroy. Where is he ?

2 minutes ago, Denim said:

Ok. I give up. Spent 20 minutes looking at this but couldn't spot Kilroy. Where is he ?

Where? Oh! There he is, disguised as Wally.  

 

Why would The Nation publish an old photo? No reason.

 

I haven't been to Patong but Karon Beach is still very busy. It's mainly Russians, most of whom booked months ago and haven't cancelled. There are also plenty of Scandinavians as it's currently the time of the Swedish winter break. 

 

The difference is away from the beach where the traffic is so much better without the hordes of minibuses and hotels and other businesses that cater for the Chinese are suffering.

 

New bookings, however, are becoming a rarity. Despite popular belief, many hotels have slashed their prices and there's competition for those few tourists coming to Phuket. Plenty of three star hotels with pool and breakfast avaialable for under 1500 baht a night - unheard of for February (well since the tsunami aftermath anyway).

21 hours ago, Scot123 said:

I do not think the statement is fake. A good point made was the deckchair mafia were thrown off the beach years ago. As a surmise I would say the photo is pre coup. The people in charge go on about fake news yet allow this. It would be nice if a expat took a real 2020 photo. 

A real February 2020 photo is the topic of this thread.

7 minutes ago, stevenl said:

A real February 2020 photo is the topic of this thread.

That is the topic which as many who follow TV know photos are not always current that accompany articles. Again the deckchais give the date away.