Phuket Dead

[Ling Kae]

I am in Phuket right now on holiday from Pattaya and I can't believe how quiet it is. In Bangla Rd. some bars are not even open, why is it so quiet? Went into quite a few places, some places very expensive but no action? I wonder how can they survive.

I live in Pattaya and it's busy every night, what is Phuket bar operators doing wrong? 100/120 baht beers and no customers? Lady drinks 150 baht, rip off!

I went into VIP Asia last night, was in there until 1AM, 3 farangs and at least 25 staff.

I know it's the rainy season but very few people here, double the price and some very snobby ladies too?

Why is it so quiet and why do they charge so much?

[DragonQuest]

I get that feeling after living here for a long time as well, Its kinda of weird but there is some truth to it, Its hard to explain, I'll let other members explain. Actually today kao sarn road was dead, hardly any peolpe, but it was raining and they had something going on at sa nam luang with toxin or thai-rak-thai.

[britmaveric]

Well this time of year isnt as busy tis low season. Few people about, but nowhere as busy as Patters.

[Kimera]

I am in Phuket right now on holiday from Pattaya and I can't believe how quiet it is. In Bangla Rd. some bars are not even open, why is it so quiet? Went into quite a few places, some places very expensive but no action? I wonder how can they survive.

I live in Pattaya and it's busy every night, what is Phuket bar operators doing wrong? 100/120 baht beers and no customers? Lady drinks 150 baht, rip off!

I went into VIP Asia last night, was in there until 1AM, 3 farangs and at least 25 staff.

I know it's the rainy season but very few people here, double the price and some very snobby ladies too?

Why is it so quiet and why do they charge so much?

Yes you are right! Why? but according to the powers that be in Phuket on their last press release... the flights into Phuket are full and the hotels are 90% full.. thats it then!

[LivinginKata]

I've noticed the trend over the last 10 years for less 'party people' and more families holidaying on Phuket Island. Also a lot more Asian tourists who would not spend any time in Bangla. All the bars & discos have been struggling for years, and getting a smaller slice of the cake each year. Whereas midrange resturants seem to be doing very well, also midrange and quality hotels have good occupancy, even in the low season. So so many small guesthouses these days and they have few guests during the low season. So I believe official reports about busy flights & hotels. Don't just judge Patong/Phuket Island by how busy the night bars are.

[BKKDUDE]

Why do you care if other farangs not there? I prefer to be the only farang. Girls are there, they don't go home because each have 8 boyfriends that send them money every month.

I'm returning august, and hope no farang still around, i don't go to bars, i catch them left and right...Jump at them anywhere....streets ....resuturants....7-Eleven store....on roads on bike..... life is really good

[glaitong]

Low season and high tide.

[borracho]

Low season is great, Not much traffic.

And the tigers are hungry.

[geriatrickid]

You have just highlighted the major weakness of the Thai tourism strategy. And now for my biased opinion; Other countries are passing Thailand by and capturing tourist dollars. A good example is Costa Rica. It's just as impoverished as Thailand (if you want to use that as an excuse) but the difference is that Cost Rica embraced eco tourism and put a tremendous effort into things that ran from the high end to the low end like sewage treatment and garbage cans on beaches. When's the last time you saw a garbage can on Patong beach??? The result is that low season in Costa Rica is still busy. (I apologize to the WSJ and Economist for borrowing heavily from their articles.)

Experienced Thai tourist pros have been saying for years that there had to be long term planning. No one listened. There's lots to do in Thailand in "low season". It's a great time to see the real Thailand, but nooooooooooo. Tourism officials give the impression that they are afflicted with jet ski franchise syndrome and they play to the lowest common denominator. No other tourist destination except Cancun has a strategy so focused on the cheap bar trade as Thailand. It's outdated and useless. When's the last time you saw an effort made to promote the beauty and charm of Northern Thailand? There's so much to see, to enjoy and to experience, but you'd think the tourism folks were suckled on a whore's teat. Thailand has so much to offer and the only people it seems that can't explain it properly are the people that are supposed to promote it.

The observation about the mid range establishments being filled is so right on the target. The profit center for tourism are the well heeled types that think nothing of dropping 10,000 - 20,000 B a night. Malaysia and Singapore captured the high end tourists in "low season". Laugh if you want, but potable water was a major factor. High end asian tourists, especially the Japanese have issues about places where tap water is impure. Thailand will be playing catch up for a long time as the usual rehearsed slogans and statements are trotted out for news briefings. In the meantime some very experienced people from Thailand are being wooed away by countries like Vietnam with its Da Nang strategy. (Key projects in Vietnam's tourist development strategy are water and sewage treatment plants.) There are enough qualified Thais saying the same thing. It's time they were listened to.

[Sir Burr]

For some of us that call Phuket home, low season is a blessing and its arrival is eagerly awaited for every year.

[LivinginKata]

Those of you who welcome the low season obviously do not have a business here on the island. You forget the many residents do have a business here, and struggle through the low season. Many of those businesses add to some of the homeland comforts enjoyed by those without businesses. Comments like 'the tigers are hungry' are so shallow.

[bangkokrick]

Glad to hear that Phuket is quiet i will be coming over for 2 weeks with my kids and we are really looking forward to a relaxing holiday in paradise. Well compared to Bangkok its paradise!

Staying at Karon beach any tips form you locals. sightseeing etc

Cheers Rick

[Vincent32]

Was speaking to a friend of mine last week whose PR company was contracted to some government and quasi-government agencies. Was told that they were instructed to "Spiced up" all data and information in all Press relases and Briefings to create an illussion that things are doing well in Thailand .

In actual reality, it is anticipated that Thailand is going to get its worsts ever High season this year end.

[solo siam]

Was speaking to a friend of mine last week whose PR company was contracted to some government and quasi-government agencies. Was told that they were instructed to "Spiced up" all data and information in all Press relases and Briefings to create an illussion that things are doing well in Thailand .

In actual reality, it is anticipated that Thailand is going to get its worsts ever High season this year end.

I think I've heard that every year, and yet it just gets busier and busier - last high season it was nearly impossible to rent a villa during December/January and Hotel rooms where similarly near impossible to find.

[mikethevigoman]

I am in Phuket right now on holiday from Pattaya and I can't believe how quiet it is. In Bangla Rd. some bars are not even open, why is it so quiet? Went into quite a few places, some places very expensive but no action? I wonder how can they survive.

I live in Pattaya and it's busy every night, what is Phuket bar operators doing wrong? 100/120 baht beers and no customers? Lady drinks 150 baht, rip off!

I went into VIP Asia last night, was in there until 1AM, 3 farangs and at least 25 staff.

I know it's the rainy season but very few people here, double the price and some very snobby ladies too?

Why is it so quiet and why do they charge so much?

Yes you are right! Why? but according to the powers that be in Phuket on their last press release... the flights into Phuket are full and the hotels are 90% full.. thats it then!

Well theres the problem then, people have read that and thought ,sod it we wont go there its nearly full !

[mikethevigoman]

Those of you who welcome the low season obviously do not have a business here on the island. You forget the many residents do have a business here, and struggle through the low season. Many of those businesses add to some of the homeland comforts enjoyed by those without businesses. Comments like 'the tigers are hungry' are so shallow.

Agreed, i come from a tourist resort in england ( Torquay ) i remember locals saying " bloody grockels " , a slang term for holidaymakers, it was always the ones that werent in the tourist business ,and were almost always moaning about having no money,. in fact most business people in devon seem to have moved there as the locals dont seem to like them ( tourists )

[chinthee]

I am in Phuket right now on holiday from Pattaya and I can't believe how quiet it is. In Bangla Rd. some bars are not even open, why is it so quiet? Went into quite a few places, some places very expensive but no action? I wonder how can they survive.

I live in Pattaya and it's busy every night, what is Phuket bar operators doing wrong? 100/120 baht beers and no customers? Lady drinks 150 baht, rip off!

I went into VIP Asia last night, was in there until 1AM, 3 farangs and at least 25 staff.

I know it's the rainy season but very few people here, double the price and some very snobby ladies too?

Why is it so quiet and why do they charge so much?

Yes you are right! Why? but according to the powers that be in Phuket on their last press release... the flights into Phuket are full and the hotels are 90% full.. thats it then!

Well theres the problem then, people have read that and thought ,sod it we wont go there its nearly full !

The reason the flights are full and Bangna is dead is because there is now much more competition from Krabi, Phan-nga etc. They are simply more spread out now. Low season is always like this. Also, there are pockets of very good visitors now, such as Australian conference groups etc.. It just depends if you know how to find and capitalize on them if you're in the hospitality biz.

[Dupont]

Those of you who welcome the low season obviously do not have a business here on the island. You forget the many residents do have a business here, and struggle through the low season. Many of those businesses add to some of the homeland comforts enjoyed by those without businesses. Comments like 'the tigers are hungry' are so shallow.

Agreed, i come from a tourist resort in england ( Torquay ) i remember locals saying " bloody grockels " , a slang term for holidaymakers, it was always the ones that werent in the tourist business ,and were almost always moaning about having no money,. in fact most business people in devon seem to have moved there as the locals dont seem to like them ( tourists )

I got a business here and am always delighted to have 4 - 5 months off a year.

Having a business should involve some planning. Any business strategy involving Phuket should have included at least 5 months of no income!

It's the ones that come here in high season, buy a bar, set up a shop etc and are blinded by their "other reasons" to be here to the fact that the party grinds to a halt in May. they are the ones that then moan the most about low/no income in the low season.

For me.. Long may it last, i love the quiet on the beaches and don't miss all those bleached blond, tattoed drunkards roaring round on high powered bikes with bored looking girls on the back.. Yes guys, if you could see how bored your little princess is looking back there on the bike and see her pouting face, you wouldn't be be showing off to the world what a great chick puller you are.

I can only remember 15 low seasons, but they were all low. Perhaps that's why it is called the low season

[Felt 35]

For some of us that call Phuket home, low season is a blessing and its arrival is eagerly awaited for every year.

Amen

[geoffphuket]

Those of you who welcome the low season obviously do not have a business here on the island. You forget the many residents do have a business here, and struggle through the low season. Many of those businesses add to some of the homeland comforts enjoyed by those without businesses. Comments like 'the tigers are hungry' are so shallow.

Agreed, i come from a tourist resort in england ( Torquay ) i remember locals saying " bloody grockels " , a slang term for holidaymakers, it was always the ones that werent in the tourist business ,and were almost always moaning about having no money,. in fact most business people in devon seem to have moved there as the locals dont seem to like them ( tourists )

I got a business here and am always delighted to have 4 - 5 months off a year.

Having a business should involve some planning. Any business strategy involving Phuket should have included at least 5 months of no income!

It's the ones that come here in high season, buy a bar, set up a shop etc and are blinded by their "other reasons" to be here to the fact that the party grinds to a halt in May. they are the ones that then moan the most about low/no income in the low season.

For me.. Long may it last, i love the quiet on the beaches and don't miss all those bleached blond, tattoed drunkards roaring round on high powered bikes with bored looking girls on the back.. Yes guys, if you could see how bored your little princess is looking back there on the bike and see her pouting face, you wouldn't be be showing off to the world what a great chick puller you are.

I can only remember 15 low seasons, but they were all low. Perhaps that's why it is called the low season

Coudn't agree more

[SamuiJens]

IT'S THE STILL BEFORE THE STORM!!!

(didn't mean to yell it)

[bangkokrick]

As previosly asked, it would have been nice to get some tips from you local businessmen as to where to go during my holiday, but no worries. You have the audacity to blame the Thais for not promoting Phuket but it appears that you are not doing such a good job yourselves.

maybe i will spend my hard earned money elsewhere.

disappointedly Rick

[sangfroid]

I am in Phuket right now on holiday from Pattaya and I can't believe how quiet it is. In Bangla Rd. some bars are not even open, why is it so quiet? Went into quite a few places, some places very expensive but no action? I wonder how can they survive.

I live in Pattaya and it's busy every night, what is Phuket bar operators doing wrong? 100/120 baht beers and no customers? Lady drinks 150 baht, rip off!

I went into VIP Asia last night, was in there until 1AM, 3 farangs and at least 25 staff.

I know it's the rainy season but very few people here, double the price and some very snobby ladies too?

Why is it so quiet and why do they charge so much?

I was in Pattaya two days ago. I was surprised how quiet it was during the day. The Walking St was not nearly as busy at 9.30pm as it was a couple of months ago. A friend manages a bar on Walking St and he says last month was their worst month for 5 years!

[geriatrickid]

As previosly asked, it would have been nice to get some tips from you local businessmen as to where to go during my holiday, but no worries. You have the audacity to blame the Thais for not promoting Phuket but it appears that you are not doing such a good job yourselves.

maybe i will spend my hard earned money elsewhere.

disappointedly Rick

That's a harsh statement. The local businesses you are so quick to shake a finger at do not have the resources or capacity to mount the campaign that is needed. That's why they pay taxes to the government at the provincial and national levels. When's the last time you saw a small resort location promote itself at the international level? Mexico doesn't, the Carribean doesn't, the Canary Islands don't. Vietnam has a national campaign highlighting tourist zones. The state of Florida promotes itself, not its individual destinations etc. etc.

They could do all the advertising they wanted, but there has to be a coordinated effort. Good example of this are flight connections from BKK to HKT. Take a look at the schedules. TG still has a mid day gap that strands a chunk of foreign arrivals in BKK. Without more appropriate flight schedules, people are discouraged from flying in.

BTW if you are staying in Karon, you picked one of the nicest and cleanest beaches. Karon is my favourite beach and I can't say enough about its quality. There are plenty of affordable restos in town. The best part of Karon is that the pace and stress levels are so much less than Patong, but its close to Patong if you need to hit carrefour for something.

[borracho]

There are many deals around. Kata is very nice too. Great restaurants.

Just be careful out swimming in the ocean. The currents can be rather strong.

[donna]

if you read any guide book, travel book etc, you will find that they say something along the lines of 'dont go to phuket from may - november as its the monsoon season'. most people read this to say 'its gonna rain non stop of you go to phuket from may to november - go to samui instead'. a little research would show you that this not the case.

bangla is quiet, apparently (dont go there often), and so is patong in general. big hotels like the holiday inn are running at 95% all year round because they have a big marketing team, and they have a world wide standard and reputation. most other stand alone places are running at around 25% and many of them have an average room rate of just 2000thb, which is dirt cheap.

so, although i live on phuket, i do agree that the low season is a great time to be here, whether you are a traveler or a local. i DO feel for those who have businesses who have to turn away people during high season, but are lucky to get ANY business in the low season. it must be difficult.

you do have to be long sighted to be able to stay here successfully.

[smartecosse]

Those of you who welcome the low season obviously do not have a business here on the island. You forget the many residents do have a business here, and struggle through the low season. Many of those businesses add to some of the homeland comforts enjoyed by those without businesses. Comments like 'the tigers are hungry' are so shallow.

well i live on Phuket and have a busniess here as well.

personally the fact that my income dips in the low season is more than made up for by the less crowded (empty) beaches, smaller numbers of "bar" tourists and being able to park on beach road

like another poster said, there is a high and low season as Phuket is a holiday location so you need to anticipate a 4 or 5 month slack period for income, once you have that organised you will enjoy the low season as a respite before the high season madness

[simon43]

At my hotel at Phuket Airport we are still busy, with about a 50% occupancy rate, which is fine for me. Also, the local beach at Nai Yang is the only safe beach to swim at during low season, (due to the offshore reef breaking the waves..).

So, I'm quite happy with this low season business

Simon

[pattyboy]

Apart from it being the rainy season, I'm not surprised to hear that Phuket's a little quiet right now. I was there at Christmas time with my brother and have never seen such an unfriendly lot as the Thais that live and work there. Between the high prices and the complete lack of friendliness down there, I swore I'd never return. Perhaps people are catching on that it's not really such a great place to spend one's hard earned vacation money. I've lived in Thailand for over 7 years in the Pattaya area, and have found the Thais to be much friendlier and reasonable here (and almost every other area of Thailand, except Phuket). I think they've got to realize (in Phuket) that there are many places in the world with great beaches and friendly, courteous people who are competing for tourism money. After my last experience in Phuket, I'll never go back again, and I don't hesitate to tell people my poor impression of the place when asked. After all, word of mouth advertising is very powerful, and if too many people leave the island with the same bad memories, word will spread and Phuket's tourism industry is (deservedly) headed for a nasty fall.

[LivinginKata]

Are you sure they were Thais ?? Suspect many 'locals' you met are Nepalise, Indian, & Burmese. It's a sad fact that these immigrant workers are giving Phuket a bad name. Although it's fair to say that many Thais are becoming corrupted by the 'gravy train'.

Oh ... and let's not forget the 'charming' Tuk Tuk & Taxi drivers, all Thais. I consider them the biggest single reason that tourists leave with a very bad impression of this island.