Phuket officials reach out to businesses hammered by COVID, denied loans

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Phuket officials are asking business operators to provide details of their dire predicament so the information can be passed upwards to ’policy makers’. Image: Screenshot

 

PHUKET: Phuket officials are calling for all businesses on the island suffering heavily from the COVID economic crisis ‒ and previously denied support loans ‒ to register their details so the provincial government can draw up plans to restart the island’s economy under B250 billion budget for “Restoration Loans”.

 

The call for business operators to provide details of their dire predicament was posted online by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) today (May 29), just over one month ahead of the planned July 1 reopening of the island to receiving fully vaccinated international tourists.

 

“Due to the Phuket Provincial Government plan to open the province on July 1, 2021 under the Phuket Sandbox model, which involves government and the private sector, we realise the importance of preparing all sectors for the opening of Phuket,” said the announcement.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-officials-reach-out-to-businesses-hammered-by-covid-denied-loans-80153.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-05-30

 

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[tokyoblond]

If businesses were previously denied loans, I am pretty sure they're already gone.

Another case of "too little too late" as has been the case with this government for a very long time.

[ukrules]

No loan for you, you go now....

[brommers]

At least the Phuket government is attempting to do something and has funds available. You should try being in Chiang Mai where the provincial and city administrations seem to be utterly devoid of any interest in seeing the tourism sector rebuild from it's current devastation. Drive around the old city or by the river at any time on any day and all you see are shuttered businesses and no people. There is not one single government initiative to help recovery.

 

[RichardColeman]

6 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The call for business operators to provide details of their dire predicament was posted online by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) today (May 29), just over one month ahead of the planned July 1 reopening of the island to receiving fully vaccinated international tourists.

Wonder if the plan is to ask them again in 2 months about their dire situation when the sandbox goes the way of the dodo

[ChipButty]

Apart from the businesses that are ticking over, I would think many people who did have a business here are reluctant to reopen would have to invest more money not knowing if and how many tourist will come,

I dont see the Jungceylon opening just yet and nobody is going to pay them rents,

Certain parts of Phuket have survived but others are like a ghost town.

Looks like my friend is not even thinking about opening her 50 bedroom hotel until next year, lets see she said

[redwood1]

Does the sand box need some tidying up? Is there cat poop in the sandbox?.........The powers that be have not lifted a finger to help small businesses in Thailand (or much of anywhere else) from the first bowl of bat soup till now....

[Deli]

This should have been made a year ago. BTW, I suggest that the Chinese and their CCP pay for it, as it was them destroying everything.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Deli

[Albert Zweistein]

11 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Apart from the businesses that are ticking over, I would think many people who did have a business here are reluctant to reopen would have to invest more money not knowing if and how many tourist will come,

I dont see the Jungceylon opening just yet and nobody is going to pay them rents,

Certain parts of Phuket have survived but others are like a ghost town.

Looks like my friend is not even thinking about opening her 50 bedroom hotel until next year, lets see she said

Don't forget the landlords come to knock on the door .................

[kynikoi]

As cynical as this sounds the businesses that are wiped out can be replaced later by those who have made piles of corruption money in this disaster. They don't need to know how to run a restaurant, hotel or speedboat just partner with others that do.

 

My wife tells me in news she's read the land/shopowners themselves are tossing in the towel and SELLING property on the gold mine known as Khao San Road. That's huge. Those Chinese been doing that thing for three generations. Given up prolly bc they know there's not going to be any return to normal...ever.

 

Here in BKK my wife has drawn her salary since lockdown for over a year. While I'm grateful for it - how can a huge corporation let alone a tiny business afford salaries with staff working 15% capacity and little or no income? With government absolutely clueless and this covid thing looking to drag out years I suspect everything will be destroyed.

 

No need for loans except to friends of government cronies. Take loan - default on loan - loan money disappears. See how that works?

Edited May 30, 2021 by kynikoi

[hotchilli]

23 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

PHUKET: Phuket officials are calling for all businesses on the island suffering heavily from the COVID economic crisis ‒ and previously denied support loans ‒ to register their details so the provincial government can draw up plans to restart the island’s economy under B250 billion budget for “Restoration Loans”.

Phuket has this strange notion that come July 1st it's going to be teeming with tourists... a few might venture there, but not in the numbers to support any real business.

You can't half-open a shop/restaurant/bar/hotel or whatever.

You have to open it fully and staff it... with a handful of tourists that isn't going to support them all.

 

[pagallim]

9 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Phuket has this strange notion that come July 1st it's going to be teeming with tourists... a few might venture there, but not in the numbers to support any real business.

You can't half-open a shop/restaurant/bar/hotel or whatever.

You have to open it fully and staff it... with a handful of tourists that isn't going to support them all.

 

 

I think that more and more, people (local Thais) are beginning to accept that, and the exodus to home provinces continues.    Sure, it will be an opportunity for past regulars to get here again if their personal circumstances allow, be certainly nothing like the numbers some are anticipating.   Much will depend upon what the hospitality environment is like for those first visitors, as a few bad reports can go global within the time it takes to do a few clicks.

[ChipButty]

13 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Phuket has this strange notion that come July 1st it's going to be teeming with tourists... a few might venture there, but not in the numbers to support any real business.

You can't half-open a shop/restaurant/bar/hotel or whatever.

You have to open it fully and staff it... with a handful of tourists that isn't going to support them all.

 

From what I can see a lot of owners are not going to bother, I know another Thai family who built a 100 bedroom hotel it's not on the coast but to me it's central to the whole of the island on the main road, I dont think they got one year out of it before covid struck, they had gone down the road of catering for the Chinese tour operators then we all know what happened after that.

They just shut the place down and as of yesterday when I went by, nothing no sign of any life.

That lot would have cost a pretty penny they had done a good job of it, 

[ChipButty]

This time around we are heading into unknown territory before in normal times everybody knew the millions coming to Phuket so all you have to do was get your idea and concept down on paper find the right spot get your place listed on the likes of Booking.com and you was good to go busy from day one,

Not no more we dont know what will happen or how many people are coming, not many is my guess maybe 2 years to build up some kind of momentum,

The government is asking people to get ready, get ready for what?

If you are the owner of a hotel/guest house imagine the work you have to do just to prepare the place, cleaning laundry maintenance it's all money that some people just dont have,

Then imagine a 100 bedroom hotel the cost to get that ready with no guarentee 

I think thats where the government could help with loans to help these places to get back up and running maybe cover all the wages and the running cost such as the electric bills,

Just my thoughts guys, who am I?

[hansgruber]

17 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Apart from the businesses that are ticking over, I would think many people who did have a business here are reluctant to reopen would have to invest more money not knowing if and how many tourist will come,

I dont see the Jungceylon opening just yet and nobody is going to pay them rents,

Certain parts of Phuket have survived but others are like a ghost town.

Looks like my friend is not even thinking about opening her 50 bedroom hotel until next year, lets see she said

Jungceylon won't be open for 18 months to 2 years. They are about to embark on a huge renovation on the site.