Phuket: Ten million foreign tourists to ZERO - pictures tell a sad Bangla Road story

[webfact]

Phuket: Ten million foreign tourists to ZERO - pictures tell a sad Bangla Road story

 

Picture: The Standard

 

A report from The Standard about tourism in the Bangla Walking Street district of Patong only needed pictures to tell the story of the devastating impact of the pandemic.

 

The media said in their headline that foreign tourism had gone from 10 million visitors a year to zero.

 

The few Thais that were left were barely making a dent in requirements for businesses and people in the area. 

 

They went there early evening at the weekend noting that normally it would have taken the best part of an hour to walk the few hundred meters down to the beach through the throngs. 

 

 

Picture: The Standard

 

Now it was a lonely walk punctuated by a few desperate touts and the odd bargirl trying to drum up non-existent business. 

 

Their pictures included people looking disconsolately at their phones. 

 

Song thaew drivers who used to earn 1000 baht a day trying to scrape by with 100.

 

Picture: The Standard

 

Deserted bars with empty bar stools devoid of customers. 

 

The Phuket Model - a plan to fire up tourism - was still only mooted. 

 

The reality was that a once thriving area is now a ghost town.

 

Source: The Standard

 

 

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Pictures: The Standard

 

 

[bodga]

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

Their pictures included people looking disconsolately at their phones. 

normality for Thailand

[bodga]

4 minutes ago, webfact said:

and the odd bargirl trying to drum up non-existent business. 

That simply does  not exist in Thailand as  checked by  BIB in Pattaya

[bodga]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

Song thaew drivers who used to earn 1000 baht a day trying to scrape by with 100.

my  poor  bleeding heart cant bear it

[PatOngo]

I would expect there would be some hard to refuse bargains up for grabs!

[Matzzon]

17 minutes ago, bodga said:

normality for Thailand

That was the best insult you had today?
 

16 minutes ago, bodga said:

That simply does  not exist in Thailand as  checked by  BIB in Pattaya

They never said that bargirls does not exist.
 

15 minutes ago, bodga said:

my  poor  bleeding heart cant bear it

Wonder how you would feel is somebody mocked you like that if you lost 90% of your monthly income?

Edited September 15, 2020 by Matzzon

[Matzzon]

12 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

I would expect there would be some hard to refuse bargains up for grabs!

It´s a sad story, but I guess it´s better with some bargains than nothing for the people that lost their income.

[PatOngo]

1 minute ago, Matzzon said:

It´s a sad story, but I guess it´s better with some bargains than nothing for the people that lost their income.

Supply and demand.

[PatOngo]

Must be nice to walk up and down Bangla Road without being accosted by ladyboys!

[steven100]

same ...same .... rinse & repeat.. 

[Orton Rd]

I aint bovvered ????

[Matzzon]

9 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Supply and demand.

Goes for everything, so I guess that´s the only thing that is still the old normal. ????

[twocatsmac]

“Song thaew drivers who used to earn 1000 baht a day trying to scrape by with 100.”

 

 

The problem there was that many Song thaew drivers tried to earn nearer 1000 baht per fare. 

 

[ChipButty]

26 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

I would expect there would be some hard to refuse bargirls up for grabs!

Fixed it for you

[ChipButty]

Even the short time rooms have closed, so Im told

[teacherclaire]

New Normal fought with Old Normal and New Normal lost. It's that easy. 

 

  Let's pray. 

[darrendsd]

Another stating the obvious thread 

[Henryford]

Phuket deserved to lose every one of those 10 million.

[ChipButty]

1 minute ago, Henryford said:

Phuket deserved to lose every one of those 10 million.

No need for that

[ThailandRyan]

Walked through Pat Pong this past weekend going to Foodland, you could have fired a cannon down the road and only hit all of the ladies, or LB's, not one single person around.  One bar over by Foodland had about 3 foreigners drinking there, but obvious to me they live quite close.  Nana Plaza on Saturday night was also dead as we walked in to Hilary bar to listen to the live music.  There were over 20 staff in the bar, and the outside eating area, with only about 8 customers, we left at 11 pm and headed to Club Insanity, totally dead, and this was on a Saturday night.  Now I know there will be those that say no one had money because last weekend was a 4 day holiday.  However, we were out last weekend as well and it was fairly quiet as well.  When we were in Phuket last month and the prior to months for 5 and 8 day trips, Bangla was just a shell of a place. We even went to Big Buddha and were only 2 of 6 people at the location.  Very peaceful, but no way anyone is making money.  Phuket Town was busy but then again that's the local Thai population.

[schlog]

I adapted already to "NewNormal" on Phuket.

[bodga]

33 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

That was the best insult you had today?
 

They never said that bargirls does not exist.
 

Wonder how you would feel is somebody mocked you like that if you lost 90% of your monthly income?

depends if I saw myself a s a  vile advantage  taker, which I dont

[bodga]

34 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

That was the best insult you had today?

I  know u find the truth hard to swallow

[monkfish]

Went to Phuket last year won't be going back anytime soon the Hotel staff were very rude rooms and food expensive and was harrased by some want to be Farang Tourist Cop. There's plenty of much nicer places in Thailand.

[ChipButty]

16 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Phuket Town was busy but then again that's the local Thai population.

Phuket town is a bit different to the rest of the island we went to eat at Raya restaurant I've never seen it as full, later to a place for a few beers was busy 290 Baht a pint 

[Matzzon]

56 minutes ago, bodga said:

depends if I saw myself a s a  vile advantage  taker, which I dont

Unfortunately I do not understand what you refer to. Was that an answer to any of my questions?
 

55 minutes ago, bodga said:

I  know u find the truth hard to swallow

Your truth, which is not very credible. Below you can see a collection of your posts, that you have no proof dor at all, and still you call it truth, I assume? Right, your truth. ???? 
 

1 hour ago, bodga said:

24/7 being asleep doesnt  count though

1 hour ago, bodga said:

'FREEDOM"   ha  what a  joke

1 hour ago, bodga said:

Nah theyll pay some thugs to start it

1 hour ago, bodga said:

including cement not fresh air with gallons  of  water, as per  thai standard

 

 

[Ludo55]

2 hours ago, Matzzon said:

That was the best insult you had today?
 

They never said that bargirls does not exist.
 

Wonder how you would feel is somebody mocked you like that if you lost 90% of your monthly income?

No, they said no evidence of prostitution ????????

[ChipButty]

2 hours ago, monkfish said:

 rooms and food expensive

You booked it

[SmileyCat]

Looks like good time to visit for me. I never liked Phuket when it was loaded with tourists????

[Saltire]

Only been to Phuket once but never to return. Even a bar owner asked me why I would come to the most expensive resort in Thailand.

 

I was also put off by a girl I met there who had 3 pints of Heineken (no food) for breakfast while I ate my Full English and a pot of tea.