PM Yingluck mulling extra New Year holiday

[webfact]

PM Yingluck Mulling Extra New Year Holiday
By Khaosod Online


The ever-busy Bangkok main roads are mostly empty during the New Year 'long holidays' as many residents leave the capital for vacation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has announced she is considering a plan to declare 30 December as a public holiday, in order to lengthen the New Year ′long holiday′ period and boost the nation’s tourism industry.

If the plan, originally proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, is adopted, Thailand will enjoy a streak of 5 holidays from Saturday 28 December 2013 to Wednesday 1 January 2014.

According to Mr. Kittirat Na Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister, the 5-days long public holiday will improve the national economy, particularly on tourism sector. He expressed his confidence that the cabinet would agree with the proposed plan.

Mr. Sampan Paenpat, Honorary Consultant of Thai Hotel Association, suggested that the plan could help stimulate the spending over the end of the year.

According to his estimation, the day off on the 30th December could generate 10,000 million baht spending, considering each of 2 million tourists to spend 5,000 baht per day in costs like accommodation and food.

Mr. Yutthachai Soonthornrattanawatch, President of Domestic Tourism in Thailand, also agreed with the plan, as it will greatly encourage "Thai people to celebrate the season in most fulfilling way". Nonetheless, he said, the government must simultaneously take a step to promote domestic tourism, as there is possibility that Thai tourists could end up planning their trip abroad during long holiday.

Although the cabinet has not voted on the matter, the Prime Minister said at the Government House today she is doing everything she can to enact the extra holiday.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1EY3lNall3Tmc9PQ==&sectionid=TURNd01BPT0=

-- KHAOSOD English 2013-10-03

[lujanit]

According to his estimation, the day off on the 30th December could generate 10,000 million baht spending, considering each of 2 million tourists to spend 5,000 baht per day in costs like accommodation and food.

Would tourists spend more because there is a pub hol? Or does he mean that Thai's will become tourists and spend Bt5k a day?

[Thai at Heart]

Half the country is under water, and this is an issue?

[Chang_paarp]

Given what a long holiday at Song Kran is like, I wonder if they are planning extra staff at the emergency depts of the hospitals?

[sscsamui]

More people drinking and more people dying....

[LuckyLew]

Half the country is under water, and this is an issue?

You beat me to this

Country is under water and she is trying to figure out how to make a work day a shopping day

Truely pathetic leader

[1weatherman]

Fuzzy math.

[osiboy]

just what thailand needs ,...another holiday , soon they will need more holidays to recover from the ones they already have , seems to be buhddas birthday 4 times a year .,.............why not have a national geography day so thais can learn all about the other 190 countries in the world they are not aware of, and why their holidays coincidentily clash with xmas ?!

[NongKhaiKid]

Half the country is under water, and this is an issue?

The flood waters are receeding, or so it's claimed, so that's all good and problem solved so let's move onto something else.

Everyone loves a holiday and will be so grateful they will rush out and spend B5,000 in one day.

A post asked if tourists will spend more if Dec 30 is a public holiday but that is most unlikely.

Some of my Thai neighbours do go away for New Year but it's to visit family so no accomodation costs involved and there's no way they'll be spending B5,000 for food over the whole trip let alone one day.

Living in TAT's fanatsy world is becoming contagious.

[Tatsujin]

Fuzzy math.

Perhaps, but it just goes to show where the priorities truly lie . . . and it's certainly not with helping anyone.

[JoeThePoster]

Must be end of season sale somewhere on the 30th.

[roiethome]

Many service industries, such a distribution will still have to function on 30th so all this will do is add to their costs by paying premium rates for staff to work on a 'normal' day.

This government, if you can call it that,is so out of touch !

[zakk9]

5,000 baht per day? Thai tourists? More likely to be 500. Did somebody calculate how much the country will lose from lower productivity by closing down one more day? More proof that ignorance and stupidity floats to the top

[madmitch]

Come on guys, this is actually logical.

30th December is a Monday. Schools are on holiday anyway. What is the point of two days at the weekend, then a day at work, followed by another two days holiday.

Many countries around the world will be doing the same. It'll only affect offices, banks etc anyway.

[ezzra]

How blatantly populist can this government be? more holidays? as if the Thai people don't take

more than enough holidays, day off and extended compensation days off for holidays that falls

on the weekends... can it be more holidays for this country?

[jalansanitwong]

I dont think its possible for any senior politican to go one week without talking about tourism and the money it brings in.

Its about the only business in Thailand where the money actually stays at home.

No tourism ?..... this country is finished.

Apparently Thai ambassadors in Europe have fired a broad side at the PM's office over endless complaints from Europeans who have lost relatives in Thailand

with no help coming from the police.

They say it is affecting the number of tourists flying to Thailand. ......Oh oh ! immediate action taken by Bangkok top brass.

This wont be in the media but Thai wives who have killed their farang husbands for their assets are going off to Bang Kwang prison in Nonthaburi.

No more 100,000 baht 'get out of jail free cards'.

As soon as you mention tourism .......... they take action.

[soi41]

Thais spending 5.000 a day on a domestic holiday??

The reality is they rent a small house in a holiday resort @ 1000 baht/night, manage to press 20 persons into the house. They leave the house in a complete mess, and just for good measure before leaving, they

dump their garbage in the street!

They eat at the cheapest "restaurants" and uses 90% of their time to take pictures of each other at local landmarks, so the can "prove" on facebook, that they have indeed been to Hua Hin !

See it every long weekend.

Average spending, 200 baht/day !!

[casindonet]

Great idea....it will make all the foreign investors happy. Too many holidays & if they want to keep production going, they would have to pay extra coz it's a holiday. Keep it up YL....Thailand loves u.

[waza]

My first though was what about the road toll, then I remebered the stunning success of Yinglucks “Zero Songkran Holiday Death” campaign", and now I believe its workable. That and the financial boom of Thai domestic tourist spending 5000 baht per day compensating for lost production and the fact its another populist policy, its all win win.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/549492-thai-govt-declares-success-in-its-zero-songkran-holiday-death-campaign/

Edited October 3, 2013 by waza

[laurentbkk]

Good idea ... but for whom ? anyway I will be away abroad so that doesnt concern me .... but one more holiday always mean more accidents and dead on roads ....

[slapout]

A Thai holiday impact on International tourist spending would probably approach 'zilch'. this of course would not factor in another no drinking day to coinside with it. Another holiday will be a shuffle of monies from those Thai on an additional day of holiday, to those Thai who will reap the additional spending.

TAT and the powers that be need to look at the difference between foreign tourist foreign currency and national tourist baht when they throw out numbers of tourist dollars and the nations coffers.

[loong]

Thailand-

The Hub of Holidays!

Is there any other country that has more holidays?

[Baerboxer]

My first though was what about the road toll, then I remebered the stunning success of Yinglucks “Zero Songkran Holiday Death” campaign", and now I believe its workable. That and the financial boom of Thai domestic tourist spending 5000 baht per day compensating for lost production and the fact its another populist policy, its all win win.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/549492-thai-govt-declares-success-in-its-zero-songkran-holiday-death-campaign/

Indeed. Just like the rice scheme, rubber city plan, money spent on flood prevention after 2011 floods, planed large spend on water management, planned hi-speed train, planned 2.2 trillion off budget government borrowing, low inflation and booming economic growth.

All win win. I bet the 48% of the voters who cast their ballot for PTP at the last election are so thrilled with the outcome. All these wonderful achievements.

[otherstuff1957]

Actually, this is not a bad idea, not because of any imaginary boost to tourism, but simply because this is recognition of the fact that many people will simply skip work on Monday, because Tuesday and Wednesday are already holidays. By making it an official day off, businesses can prepare to either shut down or arrange for overtime staff ahead of time.

[Sydebolle]

Smoke screening again. The deluges are everywhere and she is discussing the addition of an extra holiday payable by the private industry. It seems to be quite appropriate to try to get out of here while one can. Wondering how long I can afford running my business like that!

[ajarnmarc]

Lets just make every other day a holiday. Work one day,

and spend it all the next.

Thai style...

Great for Tourism too.

Give me a break.

People around the world consider Thailand poor,

and want to nothing more than donate.

But that's what made this country...donations.

They don't wish to work, and when they do, they holiday just as much.

Most shops have three times the amount of people they truly need working,

so two thirds of them can sleep while they're at work.

I have to walk around them just to get where I need to go.

Don't bother to ask them for help, they don't want to try to understand.

They are on Holiday...In their minds.

[DocN]

As hard as it may seem: maybe there is a positive aspect to this.

We (the ol' ball and chain and I) are planning to visit the family near Korat over New Year.

We will NOT stay all week, so maybe this is also a chance for the overall traffic situation too relax.

Last year we went home on 1st Jan and it was a disaster with EVERYBODY going home at the same time. With almost one full week of holiday, things might be stretching out a little...maybe...

[gemini81]

Can't wait until karma serves this show pony a cold plate of revenge.

[givenall]

Its so easy to spend ssomeone elses money. Seems this government dont really care about the businesses. Extra cost is straining small businesses

[metisdead]

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