Hua Hin smiling again after the crisis: Tourism is back - 70% midweek, 90% long weekends, TAT

[RichardColeman]

11 people in the 'crowded' picture (including vendors) and the 2nd picture is 2 of the same people ?  Absolute back patting twaddle

[Guderian]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I live in Hua Hin and it is very busy. 

 

especially on weekends. 

 

of course the businesses geared toward white foreign tourists are still slow but that is not what this story is about. 

That sounds much like Jomtien Beach. Unless we get a long weekend of rain, it's going to be packed out this coming weekend.

[Bender Rodriguez]

as long as you don't touch sea cucumbers

[sadherbert]

There’s a glimmer of truth and a lot of hilarity in this. Public holiday weekends - packed from Bangkok. Normal weekends - mediocre. Weekdays, TAT are having a laugh. I just walked the Khao Takiab end of the main beach, past numerous hotels from Chiva Som to Suppatra. I saw 2 people on the beach and nobody in any hotel gardens, around the pool except one lonely sole at the Hyatt. Many places boarded up and closed. I went into the pool bar of one hotel for a coffee - no staff, ten minutes later I was seen by two staff who then sat on a lounger playing on their mobiles. Outside in the street was a row of restaurants and massages - 4 out of 6 massages closed and 3 out of 5 restaurants. Some just closed, some obviously moved out. God help the rest of the tourist places if HH is thriving!

[Deli]

6 hours ago, Oldie said:

So forget foreign tourists then. Much too complicated and dangerous. The others like Phuket and Samui should learn from Hua Hin. Perhaps they built the wrong infrastructure. Look at Pattaya. Thais are no sex tourists. So they suffer now with all their sex business. 

Hush hush, back to god's waiting room. Covid might be out there !

[gamini]

I was there yesterday. Blue point immigration only one person. Did my 90 day in two minutes. Food Hall about 1/3 normal . 

[PEE TEE]

Is the news on this site researched or just posted as it comes  

[agood1963]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Hua Hin smiling again after the crisis: Tourism is back - 70% midweek, 90% long weekends, TAT

What is gained by manufactured figures [ Nothing ]

[Cake Monster]

Who is this World renowned Reporter " Ejan "

What Tosh

[lucifer666]

7 hours ago, Sharp said:

Errrh!

I was there the other day and my experience bears no resemblance to this report.!

I live is Hua Hin and i completely agree. It's almost like a ghost town here.

[jimmjam]

Lies

[connda]

4 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

yes this is a problem in Hua Hin. the jellyfish are very large, between 8 to 14 inches. you will see them everywhere dead on the sand during certain times of the year. 

Peanut butter and jelly-fish sandwiches with a side of sea cucumbers.  Exotic Thai cuisine.  Tasty, tasty, tasty.  Now that should bring the tourist running. 

[LEKPHUKET]

Some people from TAT have problems with figures i guess. 

[Benmart]

So nice that the Ministry of Propoganda and Public Happiness, through various media outlets, keeps me laughing during these times.

[Brunolem]

6 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

I live in Hua Hin and it is very busy. 

 

Let me rephrase this: "I used to live in Hua Hin but now I have moved to Bangkok to find some life... and other things I can't mention here".

 

Having said that, Hua Hin has always been busy on week ends...it is to Bangkok what Long Island is to New York...one of the rare tourist destinations in Thailand that could more or less survive without foreign tourists.

 

 

[ronaldo0]

That’s why in the photos they could only find the same guy to take photos off and why they took the photos close up and in a way you can’t see the beach . Surely if it was packed they would’ve standing at the waters edge taking a photo along the packed beach for all to see ? But my guess is the group in the photo were the only people for about half a km ! ????

[from the home of CC]

7 hours ago, Poet said:

This finally proves, conclusively, that the Thai tourism industry does not need foreigners and that, going forward, domestic tourism will be more than sufficient to generate the foreign currency reserves required for Thailand to thrive.



 

the way things look with the sentiments of many (according to polls - so take with a grain) concerning the lack of enthusiasm to partake in vaccine use, we may end up living with covid for the foreseeable future. If that occurs Thailand will have to adapt (as every country will). imo Thailand will fare far better than many western nations who by their dismal track records have proven they're basically incompetent..

[CLW]

I would make a wild guess that it is full on weekends and at "Thai" places.

During the week and at businesses geared towards foreigners it's dead.

[CGW]

45 minutes ago, agood1963 said:

What is gained by manufactured figures [ Nothing ]

There would be a good few "social engineers" who would disagree with you, the masses believe anything they read, one could question the "pandemic' if the figures hadn't been manipulated? 

[Crusader]

If it is said that the place is almost back to normal, does that mean that the foreign tourists did not account for much of that figure?
I guess it will be super busy this weekend - was looking at hotels online and many were almost fully booked.

[rascalman]

indeed this I can not believe! There are no fralangs coming into Thailand! With also fact many in Thailand are out of work no jobs,  no customers to speak of! I have lived here many years! Wish only the best for Thailand!

[Enoon]

25 minutes ago, CGW said:

There would be a good few "social engineers" who would disagree with you, the masses believe anything they read, one could question the "pandemic' if the figures hadn't been manipulated? 

"one could question the "pandemic' if the figures hadn't been manipulated?"

 

The figures confirming it, or the figures confirming that a certain country is "safe" (except for

those diseased, dirty, foreigners)?

 

"Gradually I came to realize that people will more readily swallow lies than truth, as if the taste of lies was homey, appetizing: a habit.
                                 Martha Gellhorn.

 

 

[NeoDinosaw]

8 hours ago, Poet said:

This finally proves, conclusively, that the Thai tourism industry does not need foreigners and that, going forward, domestic tourism will be more than sufficient to generate the foreign currency reserves required for Thailand to thrive.

 

 

From whence is this foreign currency going to come ?



 

 

[Harry Fingerling]

I have family in Hua Hin plus many, many friends who recently (last weekend) sent me pics of empty bars, restaurants and closed bars. Clearly those in TAT & cronies like to spew the recovery narrative.

[ukrules]

Hua Hin is dead, I expect a few months more of this will finish off many of the remaining commercial businesses in the entire area.

 

Even places like Bluport have been affected, the top floor is closed and they've moved a large part of the department store onto the ground floor (the electronics and home goods department) - this now occupies the space that used to be rented out to dozens of vendors - lots of them have disappeared now.

 

Places like Tamarind appear to be doing OK for a couple of days a week, the problem here is that they open for 4 days a week, 2 of which are empty on a normal weekend. They open for 4 days every weekend and charge rent with penalties to pay for vendors who don't show up.

 

This weekend will be very busy, then there will be nothing until the next long weekend.

 

It is the low season anyway and last year it was also pretty dead, if it wasn't for the Chinese tourists last year then it would have been much the same.

 

[Dap]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

marvelous present and a seemingly even better future

Impressive (?) 

[bkk6060]

I stayed there a few weeks ago mid week and was surprised by the number of people.

The Marriott was crowded don't know if there was some group meeting going on but plenty of people and families.

My favorite sea side restaurant had to wait 10 minutes for a seat.

The main mall had quite a few people and traffic on the main road was backed up.

 

So, I do not know the place that well but it seemed like mostly Thais were enjoying some holiday time.

Again, was surprised as it was mid week.

 

[Arkady]

8 hours ago, Poet said:

This finally proves, conclusively, that the Thai tourism industry does not need foreigners and that, going forward, domestic tourism will be more than sufficient to generate the foreign currency reserves required for Thailand to thrive.

It stands to reason that a lot of well heeled Thais are having to take holidays locally as they can't travel abroad.  However the stats cited don't seem quite believable.  But it must be doing better than Samui. A friend just came back from there and said many business on Chaweng, including 7/11s and McDonalds are boarded up.  

[Polaky]

7 hours ago, Saltire said:

I just got back from 4 nights break in Hua Hin on Monday. I never seen the place so deserted. Yes many restaurants and bars open but the wife and I were almost always the only customers eating and drinking. The beach was particularly deserted, the only people we seen in the sea were locals collecting shellfish.

 

There were 4 rooms occupied in our 25 room hotel. We stayed Wed Thus Fri and Sat and the weekends were no different. Saw a group of 10 same-tshirt wearing staycationers who had obviously taken advantage of the Hilton and other 5 star resorts in the government initiative.

 

The Market VIllage mall and the night market was also deathly quiet.

 

The only busy place was behind Blueport Mall where there was a festival of sorts aimed at locals. Tamarind Market was about 20% full. The Father Ted Irish bar had a (very bad) Rolling Stones Tribute Band on the Friday night, and it was packed with farang expats, but everywhere else was deserted.

 

The bar area in Soi Bintabaht was the quietest i've seen it, and there is whole row of 5 or 6 closed-down restaurants. The locals/owners we spoke to are thinking late next year for any real recovery, if they can survive till then.

 

Very sad as it is my favourite place to have a short break.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally an honest summary! ☺

[ChrisY1]

7 hours ago, sungod said:

I passed through on a Tuesday evening, couple of weeks ago. Bar area was desolate, but more normal areas seemed not so bad.

Bars are so important??