New and ‘beautified’ Khaosan Road to reopen in August

[webfact]

New and ‘beautified’ Khaosan Road to reopen in August

By The Nation

 

 

Khaosan Road is set to reopen in August after a clean-up and renovation during the Covid-19 lockdown.

 

Finishing touches are being put to renovation work in the tourist hub, said Bangkok deputy governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul on June 18.

 

"We also tasked the Phra Nakhon District Office and Drainage and Sewerage Dept with cleaning out pipes to prevent flooding in the area," he said.

 

Local authorities are currently selecting vendors for Khaosan Road in preparation for the return of foreign tourists once the flight ban is lifted.

 

"We expect to open Khaosan Road by August this year," said Sakoltee.

 

He added that Khaosan’s Kraisi Road was also set for renovation, with a design and contractor currently being sought.

 

"In the next phase, we will renovate Rambuttri and Tani Roads to beautify the Banglamphu area," he added. "On roads not frequented by vendors, we will plant more trees to offer shady spots for tourists."

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30389923

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-06-19

 

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[Thailand]

And where do they think these tourists will be coming from?

[rasmus5150]

More beautiful and 5X more expensive stuff from the vendors and restaurants.

 

This will be a hit with young Bangkok population for 2 months, and then be deserted. Surely the backpackers will find their hangout elsewhere.

[ftpjtm]

I didn't realize visitors to Khaosan Rd were looking for beauty. 

[tribalfusion001]

I doubt backpackers are the type of clientele that the gov are looking for anymore, white elephant road.

[redwood1]

15 minutes ago, ftpjtm said:

I didn't realize visitors to Khaosan Rd were looking for beauty. 

Backpackers main concerns are cheapness, coolness, and a party atmosphere...

 

And these things the powers that be dislike very much.....

 

I have a feeling the backpackers are going to have to start a new Khaosan road somewhere....

[samsensam]

 

these days khao san road is only a small part of the backpacker/tourist area in banglampu, there are some decent places to stay and decent restaurants at reasonable prices. it's also an interesting area with parks, temples, historic buildings and tourist/non tourist markets. a much more pleasant and relaxing area to stay than sukhumvit.

 

sadly there is no convenient bts/mrt station, the bma/tat missed a trick by ignoring basic transport infrastructure needs of tourists for the few decent quality sites in bkk, and locals who travel to the area for all important national celebrations ad events.

[BigStar]

8 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

these days khao san road is only a small part of the backpacker/tourist area in banglampu, there are some decent places to stay and decent restaurants at reasonable prices. it's also an interesting area with parks, temples, historic buildings and tourist/non tourist markets. a much more pleasant and relaxing area to stay than sukhumvit.

 

sadly there is no convenient bts/mrt station, the bma/tat missed a trick by ignoring basic transport infrastructure needs of tourists for the few decent quality sites in bkk, and locals who travel to the area for all important national celebrations ad events.

True. What we have here is a lot of the usual stereotyping of backpackers acquired 50 years ago. We don't like 'em and feel SO superior.

 

They'll be quite comfortable with a cleaner, refreshed Khao San. They frequent gentrified places world over. What's true is that backpackers do travel on a limited budget, so best that prices remain relatively low. They probably will in part precisely because there's no convenient BTS/MRT station nearby. Being out of the way helps protect the charm of the area.

[Bangkok Barry]

10 hours ago, samsensam said:

sadly there is no convenient bts/mrt station, the bma/tat missed a trick by ignoring basic transport infrastructure needs of tourists for the few decent quality sites in bkk, and locals who travel to the area for all important national celebrations ad events.

Just like when they built the Impact Arena which holds 10,000 people but forgot to provide any public transport other than an old local bus for concert, sports and exhibition visitors. Of course, those who are involved in the planning have no need for public transport so it would never occur to them that 10,000 people might be trying to get taxis late on a wet evening. As I've done.

[ratcatcher]

11 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I doubt backpackers are the type of clientele that the gov are looking for anymore, white elephant road.

Very good point. The present administration has voiced their preference for well-heeled foreign tourists who prefer to use high end resorts. Backpackers, by definition, are the dirty smelly, farangs Anutin has referred to in previous comments. 

Backpackers and "cheap" tourists are the kind of people that made KSR a landmark. Now when revived it will be a 5 minute wonder and then the next novelty will appear somewhere else.

[Burma Bill]

11 hours ago, redwood1 said:

Backpackers main concerns are cheapness, coolness, and a party atmosphere...

 

And these things the powers that be dislike very much.....

 

I have a feeling the backpackers are going to have to start a new Khaosan road somewhere....

How about Pai in Mae Hong Son Province in the North West - already established!

[Catoni]

11 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

these days khao san road is only a small part of the backpacker/tourist area in banglampu, there are some decent places to stay and decent restaurants at reasonable prices. it's also an interesting area with parks, temples, historic buildings and tourist/non tourist markets. a much more pleasant and relaxing area to stay than sukhumvit.

 

sadly there is no convenient bts/mrt station, the bma/tat missed a trick by ignoring basic transport infrastructure needs of tourists for the few decent quality sites in bkk, and locals who travel to the area for all important national celebrations ad events.

What does the acronym “bma/tat” mean? Thanks.

[digger70]

13 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

I didn't realize visitors to Khaosan Rd were looking for beauty. 

They're looking for "The Other Beauty" ????

[connda]

On 6/19/2020 at 2:23 PM, webfact said:

Khaosan Road is set to reopen in August after a clean-up and renovation during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Welcome to cleaned-up, renovated, boring Khaosan Road.
No hippies, no backpackers, no dreadlocks, no cargo pants.
Only quality tourists with the proper insurance, documentation, a 14 day quarantine, clean clothes, and loads of money to spend need to arrive. 
No drinking, no singing, no dancing, no socializing, no having fun.  Masks and social distancing mandatory. 

Enjoy your stay! 

[connda]

3 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

How about Pai in Mae Hong Son Province in the North West - already established!

They shut their province to all dirty, Covid-carrying, farangs. 
I can't say I've heard the governor or authorities state that it's been reopened to those of a different race than Kon Thai. 
That's a whole lot of mountain driving to do just to be turned around and sent back to Chiang Mai for having the wrong ethnicity.

[connda]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Just like when they built the Impact Arena which holds 10,000 people but forgot to provide any public transport other than an old local bus for concert, sports and exhibition visitors. Of course, those who are involved in the planning have no need for public transport so it would never occur to them that 10,000 people might be trying to get taxis late on a wet evening. As I've done.

The words "planning" and "Thai" are sort of mutually exclusive. 

[Venom]

On 6/19/2020 at 2:23 PM, webfact said:

He added that Khaosan’s Kraisi Road was also set for renovation, with a design and contractor currently being sought.

 

Not even found a contractor yet? 

[Acharn]

15 hours ago, redwood1 said:

Backpackers main concerns are cheapness, coolness, and a party atmosphere...

 

And these things the powers that be dislike very much.....

 

I have a feeling the backpackers are going to have to start a new Khaosan road somewhere....

Well, Soi Ngam Du Phlee (and take a left down Soi Sri Bumphen) used to be, but when Khao San Road became popular it fell out of use. I dunno, is the Miami Hotel still there? There were still some budget travellers going there ten years ago when I checked. I think they'll find a place, and it won't be the new "beautiful" (and expensive) Khao San Road.

[ratcatcher]

4 hours ago, Catoni said:

What does the acronym “bma/tat” mean? Thanks.

I believe BMA stands for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.

TAT stands for Tourism Authority of Thailand which functions alongside the MOT&S which stands for Ministry of Tourism & Sports. 

[LawrenceN]

I would really appreciate it if articles like this, describing how beautiful something is, would include more than one photo. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

[josephbloggs]

10 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Just like when they built the Impact Arena which holds 10,000 people but forgot to provide any public transport other than an old local bus for concert, sports and exhibition visitors. Of course, those who are involved in the planning have no need for public transport so it would never occur to them that 10,000 people might be trying to get taxis late on a wet evening. As I've done.

Whilst I agree with you that it can be a nightmare to get back from you can hardly blame the government.  Impact is a private company and they decided where it was situated.  The government has no obligation to build rail lines out to wherever somebody decides to build something.

Anyway, the pink line is passing by there when it is complete in the next couple of years.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

31 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

10 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Just like when they built the Impact Arena which holds 10,000 people but forgot to provide any public transport other than an old local bus for concert, sports and exhibition visitors. Of course, those who are involved in the planning have no need for public transport so it would never occur to them that 10,000 people might be trying to get taxis late on a wet evening. As I've done.

Whilst I agree with you that it can be a nightmare to get back from you can hardly blame the government.  Impact is a private company and they decided where it was situated.  The government has no obligation to build rail lines out to wherever somebody decides to build something.

Anyway, the pink line is passing by there when it is complete in the next couple of years.

You could have a point. Or you could say that it has taken about 15 years to build proper transport to a high-traffic area. Where I come from, London, they built the railways and people followed. In Thailand it's the opposite way around.

[josephbloggs]

4 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

You could have a point. Or you could say that it has taken about 15 years to build proper transport to a high-traffic area. Where I come from, London, they built the railways and people followed. In Thailand it's the opposite way around.

Thailand certainly lagged behind in infrastructure for a long time but they are rapidly catching up and indeed overtaking many more developed countries with the current mass transit projects.  Better late than never and what they are currently doing is very ambitious and pretty impressive.  10 mass transit lines currently under construction.

And I really wouldn't use the UK as any kind of flagship of rail. Maybe in the early 20th century but not since.  Chronic underinvestment in railways for decades and we are way way behind what is on offer in Europe.  And we build railways and people come?  Really?  Didn't Beeching do the opposite?  How far behind schedule is Cross Rail?  How far over budget is the proposed HS2?  Why does the Eurostar still go significantly faster as soon as it emerges in to France?  The railway system in the UK is miles behind that of Europe.  And more expensive.  And slower.

Rail replacement busses.  An unreliable tube system that is dirty.  Sorry, let's not pretend the UK is any kind of leader in this area.

Anyway, don't want to hijack this thread.

[Will E Vormer]

Very stupid. No one will go because thry made it another generic street. 

 

Same all over bangkok, this admin killed the soul of the city. 

[Upnotover]

7 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

I would really appreciate it if articles like this, describing how beautiful something is, would include more than one photo. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Did you see this one, doesn't look very "beautiful".

[StayinThailand2much]

On 6/19/2020 at 3:43 PM, Thailand said:

And where do they think these tourists will be coming from?

Thai tourists only... 

[StayinThailand2much]

9 hours ago, LawrenceN said:

I would really appreciate it if articles like this, describing how beautiful something is, would include more than one photo. "A picture is worth a thousand words."

And not photos from 2019 or so, before Covid-19 and the 'beautification' either...

[StayinThailand2much]

12 hours ago, connda said:

Welcome to cleaned-up, renovated, boring Khaosan Road.
No hippies, no backpackers, no dreadlocks, no cargo pants.
Only quality tourists with the proper insurance, documentation, a 14 day quarantine, clean clothes, and loads of money to spend need to arrive. 
No drinking, no singing, no dancing, no socializing, no having fun.  Masks and social distancing mandatory. 

Enjoy your stay! 

And every other shop is a 7-Eleven, Starbucks, or KFC. You won't find that anywhere else in Bangkok... ????

Edited June 20, 2020 by StayinThailand2much

[Bangkok Barry]

9 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Thailand certainly lagged behind in infrastructure for a long time but they are rapidly catching up and indeed overtaking many more developed countries with the current mass transit projects.  Better late than never and what they are currently doing is very ambitious and pretty impressive.  10 mass transit lines currently under construction.

And I really wouldn't use the UK as any kind of flagship of rail. Maybe in the early 20th century but not since.  Chronic underinvestment in railways for decades and we are way way behind what is on offer in Europe.  And we build railways and people come?  Really?  Didn't Beeching do the opposite?  How far behind schedule is Cross Rail?  How far over budget is the proposed HS2?  Why does the Eurostar still go significantly faster as soon as it emerges in to France?  The railway system in the UK is miles behind that of Europe.  And more expensive.  And slower.

Rail replacement busses.  An unreliable tube system that is dirty.  Sorry, let's not pretend the UK is any kind of leader in this area.

Anyway, don't want to hijack this thread.

Some points to discuss, but as you say off topic so I'll message you ????

[redwood1]

19 hours ago, connda said:

Welcome to cleaned-up, renovated, boring Khaosan Road.
No hippies, no backpackers, no dreadlocks, no cargo pants.
Only quality tourists with the proper insurance, documentation, a 14 day quarantine, clean clothes, and loads of money to spend need to arrive. 
No drinking, no singing, no dancing, no socializing, no having fun.  Masks and social distancing mandatory. 

Enjoy your stay! 

Good one.....

 

This post is a classic.....This post should be framed and placed at the entrance of Khaosan Road.....