Officials Bracing For Long New Year Holiday

[Lite Beer]

Officials Bracing For Long New Year Holiday

The government′s decision for 5-days off during New Year season has alerted officials to prepare for large numbers of tourists during the long vacation.

The Cabinet announced the decision to make 30 December an official holiday, topping days off during New Year festival to 5 days in total, said Sunisa Lertphakawat, deputy spokeswoman of the Office of the Prime Minister.

It is believed that the long holiday should stimulate the country’s economy, particularly in tourism and transport sector.

Apart from native tourists, officials also plan to welcome more foreign tourists, especially from China, after a recent report revealed the growing numbers of tourists the world’s fastest growing economy.

However, the recent change in Chinese tourism law which curbs on travel agencies forcing tourists to buy extra services during their stays in Thailand might decrease the number of arriving Chinese in the next 3 months, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

However, in transport sectors, both coach and rail services providers, the Transport Co.Ltd, and State Railway of Thailand (SRT), expressed confience that the demand for transport during New Year’s is under their control.

Deputy Minister of Transport, Mr. Phong Cheewanant, said that the Transport Co.Ltd., a state enterprise, had prepared enough coaches for its passengers′ demand during the season. The Deputy Minister also said that the maintenance team was ordered to make every coach ready, and drivers were ordered to take enough sleep.

“Having insufficient coaches is less problematic than providing unsafe service” said the deputy Minister, “we are working closely with other related authorities; Police, Department of Land Transport, to clear up loopholes in our plan for New Year”.

“Our officers will also be informing every passenger to fasten their seatbelts” said Mr. Pong, referring to the announcement of Ministry of Transport and the Transport Co.Ltd. to restrict every interprovincial Transport Co.Ltd. coach to be equipped with seatbelts from 15 October onward.

He added, “Safety is non-negotiable”.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wutthichat Kanlayanamitr, Managing Director of the Transport Company, said that the demand for coach travel in this year should remain as much as last year 1 million passengers. However, the company had provided 700 coaches for the substitution.

“We believed that no passengers would be left to wait at the terminal” Mr. Wutthichart assured.

State Railway of Thailand (SRT) deputy director, Mr. Thanongsak Phongprasert, said that the SRT’s marketing team is analysing last year demands, and calculating the this year’s supply figure.

“SRT had prepared extra carriage to be used during New Year’s festival, and ordered maintenance team to fix more carriages” said Mr. Thanongsak, “last year we added extra carriages to 10 main routes, particularly on the north and northeastern routes.”

“In total we ran 34 trains a day, and we planned to add a lot more to this year schedules and believed there will not be insufficient transport problem.” Mr. Thanonsak said.

The cabinet also wishes to launch another 7 tourism courts by New Year’s Day. The government has reportedly allocated an estimated budget of THB 17 million for the Ministry of Justice, to establish and develop the tourism court in 7 districts, including Chiang Mai district court, Phuket provincial court, Sa Mui provincial court, Krabi provincial court and Bangkok’s Dusit and Pathumwan district Courts.

“We should establish a fast and just legal service for the tourists to create confident in our tourism sector, particularly as we are becoming ASEAN Economic Community in 2015” added Sunisa, the deputy spokeswoman of the Office of the Prime Minister.

Source: http://www.khaosod.co.th/en/view_newsonline.php?newsid=TVRNNE1Ua3lOREV5TkE9PQ==&sectionid=TURFd01BPT0=

--KHAOSOD English 2013-10-16

[Pib]

You can tell this is a staged picture because everyone has seatbelts on. Expect the photographer had to tell everyone what the seatbelts were and how to put them on.

[jbrain]

Thailand the hub of holidays .

Are there any working days left yet to add a few more next year ?

[ChrisY1]

He added, “Safety is non-negotiable”.

We'll see.....hope he's right!!

[PattayaPhom]

Buses at that time of year have extra plastic chairs in the aisleways and another 20 crammed in standing. Really isnt worth venturing anywhere, pretty much like Songran without water.

[Torrens54]

Of course it will STIMULATE The ECONOMY!

How many extra people will die on Thai Roads? Just think of all the extra revenue for those who make money out of this kind of thing.

[jaltsc]

The unofficial photo of a bus during the holiday.

[chainarong]

What a great team this PTP are, more holidays to make everybody happy, vote buying at the expense of the bottom line, the PTP must be congratulated on making the most out of being in and staying in power, the only winner in this will be the coffin makers, the amount of road fatalities alone should send warning signals , the PTP simplistic approach to everything brings them to account and criticism every time , unfortunately, not everyone will start the new year on a happy note.

[NongKhaiKid]

I would suggest very little extra money will be spent despite the extra day and the official propaganda that people will be rushing out to throw money around.

Foreign tourists will not alter their plans in any way and the Thais who travel, in the main, do so to visit family which doesn't include a spending spree.

I suppose my local municipality will, a la Songkran, set up road safety tents on the dual carriageway at the top of my soi which seem to serve no purpose other than allowing staff to earn lots of lovely overtime. Any time I pass the officials manning the tents are reading, sleeping, talking and of course eating but no one ever seems to be doing anything constructive.

From a motorists point of view I cannot see any reason to stop unless lost but can easily get directions from anyone. I am unlikely to go in and ask if i need to wear a seat belt, can I drink and drive etc. The whole thing is nothing more than an unnecessary, expensive show.

[kuifje]

Again only a populist move from this government, but not smart as with most of there decisions. In most countries in the world, New Year holidiay is restricted to 'one' paid holiday. If you want more holidays, you take it from your own time or take a unpaid holiday.

The message from this government should be work harder, work more to help the economie.

[Robby nz]

Who is getting these holidays anyway?

Obviously not the bus or train drivers nor anyone in the transport or service sector like hospitals and emergency services.

Market vendors, farmers or self employed don't get paid holidays.

Seems to me there is only a small percentage of the population who actually get these holidays, no doubt including the officials who are valiantly bracing themselves for the event.

[Scott]

A lot of people working in banks will get a holiday -- at least part of it. Most office workers will get a holiday, schools will get a holiday, teachers will have a holiday and a lot of factory workers will get a holiday. I am not sure about the %, but there are a lot of factory workers.

A lot of businesses which support travel and tourism will not get a holiday.

[oldsailor35]

I can envisage passengers un- buckling their seat belts soon after doing them up..........who will know ?

On a recent trip to UK i took the National Express Coach from London HR to Bournemouth.

The driver announced that someone had not buckled up and that the Coach would not move until it was done. Shortly after the driver announced "Thank you, now we can proceed with all seat belts kept engaged. So there must have been some kind of a signal from all seats back to driver !

Does anyone ever expect this kind of technology will be used here in Thailand ?