Any one else heard Nov 12th marks the return of chairs?

[LivinginKata]

Read in the PG, which sadly is no longer used as a news source on TV, that a family was banned from using their own umbrella on Patong Beach. Think the link is allowed

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Officials-scramble-resolve-ban-tourists-bringing-own/39479#ad-image-0

Now this is getting ridiculous. Is it the local authorities being over-officious as revenge for losing their scam? Are they simply being literal when the army has stated "no umbrellas"?

At the moment this may be Patong only as in Karon there are plenty of personal umbrellas on the sand.

Is there another beach in the world where they ban you from taking an umbrella? I don't know the answer to that, it's not a rhetorical question.

I've already had a number of tourists complaining about the total lack of umbrellas, many stating it as a reason for not returning and also why their friends aren't booking Phuket this year. They've all been Scandinavians, a fast-diminishing market anyway.

Tell them all to come to Kata beach. Plenty shade under the trees all the way along Kata beach. No need for umbrellas.

[NamKangMan]

Read in the PG, which sadly is no longer used as a news source on TV, that a family was banned from using their own umbrella on Patong Beach. Think the link is allowed

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket-news/Officials-scramble-resolve-ban-tourists-bringing-own/39479#ad-image-0

Now this is getting ridiculous. Is it the local authorities being over-officious as revenge for losing their scam? Are they simply being literal when the army has stated "no umbrellas"?

At the moment this may be Patong only as in Karon there are plenty of personal umbrellas on the sand.

Is there another beach in the world where they ban you from taking an umbrella? I don't know the answer to that, it's not a rhetorical question.

I've already had a number of tourists complaining about the total lack of umbrellas, many stating it as a reason for not returning and also why their friends aren't booking Phuket this year. They've all been Scandinavians, a fast-diminishing market anyway.

I read the article in your link MM.

What a sad indictment on the tourism industry here.

The petty grab for every single baht has gone beyond ridiculous on Phuket.

[beechbum]

Umbrellas ok to use at Nai Harn.

[stevenl]

No need to panic on one incident.

[NamKangMan]

No need to panic on one incident.

I don't think anyone is panicking, but it's a distasteful interaction for a tourist, especially for a tourist coming with their family.

Basically, they are saying to tourists, "You can't use your own umbrella, because we want to force you to hire our umbrellas so we can rip you off."

Not a great look, and Government sanctioned.

[steelepulse]

No need to panic on one incident.

I don't think anyone is panicking, but it's a distasteful interaction for a tourist, especially for a tourist coming with their family.

Basically, they are saying to tourists, "You can't use your own umbrella, because we want to force you to hire our umbrellas so we can rip you off."

Not a great look, and Government sanctioned.

I didn't know umbrellas were now available for hire. When did that happen NKM?

[surangw]

it wil be a mess in a few month no matter what the rules are for now

[beechbum]

There are no umbrellas for hire, they were saying 'no umbrellas allowed on Patong beach period'...until it changes and there's umbrellas for hire from the jet ski guys!

Edited November 16, 2014 by beechbum

[NamKangMan]

No need to panic on one incident.

I don't think anyone is panicking, but it's a distasteful interaction for a tourist, especially for a tourist coming with their family.

Basically, they are saying to tourists, "You can't use your own umbrella, because we want to force you to hire our umbrellas so we can rip you off."

Not a great look, and Government sanctioned.

I didn't know umbrellas were now available for hire. When did that happen NKM?

"The umbrellas will definately be provided for free, but we are looking at having people who used to work as beach vendors provide mats for tourists to rent." - let me guess, "No hire mat, no get free umbrella." It will run the same as when you hired a beach chair, under an umbrella.

Same Same as hiring the umbrella, by itself.

What a play on words, and a mess.

Edited November 17, 2014 by NamKangMan

[Leviathan]

how can a destination that caters to light skin'd people in general just the way it is who travel when its cold to were its warm to essentially do nothing but lounge n eat n relax not have chairs..

are these people this dumb? I lived in Hawaii for a decade, no chairs, no beers, no food, no massage, no soccer games, no volley ball or barely any, just people laying on mats minding there own, sure its fun if u want solace but isn't the beach scene kinda cool in Thailand in that you can take a girl to the beach and be waited on with beers, foods, massage's kinda make a day of it without getting a melanoma in 3 days, hey kata's shade is great, and I personally don't like patong as its all sexpats with ladies of the night and I much prefer kata with its long term sex pats with its girls of the night lol but even kata needs umbrellas, I was there when they didn't have them for a few weeks post tsunami and it was great but it isn't for most tourist.

nobody grasp Thai's minds, but it seems like there goal is to ruin tourism.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Leviathan

[wellred]

So umbrellas will be free but mats will be available to rent? Just to be clear what happens if we bring our own mat? 5555

Honestly this whole thing is ridiculous. There must have been more important things to target than each chairs and vendors? They could have worked something out in low season, had a while to put in place a proper plan that would keep tourists happy and ensure legal and correct protocols were being followed. Instead they pack everything up and are now struggling to organise themselves.

And all you 'locals' can get stuffed too with your "it looks so much better now". There are plenty of beaches in the south if you want the natural look. Plus It's the tourists that make that town go around not you ex pats drinking cheap ass beer on some bar down nanai.

Just out of interest has the same thing been done over on Koh samui?

[Valentine]

So umbrellas will be free but mats will be available to rent? Just to be clear what happens if we bring our own mat? 5555

Honestly this whole thing is ridiculous. There must have been more important things to target than each chairs and vendors? They could have worked something out in low season, had a while to put in place a proper plan that would keep tourists happy and ensure legal and correct protocols were being followed. Instead they pack everything up and are now struggling to organise themselves.

And all you 'locals' can get stuffed too with your "it looks so much better now". There are plenty of beaches in the south if you want the natural look. Plus It's the tourists that make that town go around not you ex pats drinking cheap ass beer on some bar down nanai.

Just out of interest has the same thing been done over on Koh samui?

Countless numbers of tourists visit Bondi beach in Sydney, one of the most popular in the world, where there are no rows of deckchairs. The main problem in Phuket, IMO, was not so much having deckchairs but the fact that they simply took over the whole beach & if you did not want a deckchair some thug would tell you to move along, not allowed to sit on the sand. Give them an inch etc. There is already plenty of evidence of everything creeping back to "normal" after the army cleaned up.

After telling all us locals to get stuffed I assume you have taken a survey amongst the tourists to determine their views. Many expat locals support the economy in many & long lasting ways & I find you abhorrent with your cheap ass beer statement.

[wellred]

Relax mate was only messing.

[Foxxster]

So umbrellas will be free but mats will be available to rent? Just to be clear what happens if we bring our own mat? 5555

Honestly this whole thing is ridiculous. There must have been more important things to target than each chairs and vendors? They could have worked something out in low season, had a while to put in place a proper plan that would keep tourists happy and ensure legal and correct protocols were being followed. Instead they pack everything up and are now struggling to organise themselves.

And all you 'locals' can get stuffed too with your "it looks so much better now". There are plenty of beaches in the south if you want the natural look. Plus It's the tourists that make that town go around not you ex pats drinking cheap ass beer on some bar down nanai.

Just out of interest has the same thing been done over on Koh samui?

Countless numbers of tourists visit Bondi beach in Sydney, one of the most popular in the world, where there are no rows of deckchairs. The main problem in Phuket, IMO, was not so much having deckchairs but the fact that they simply took over the whole beach & if you did not want a deckchair some thug would tell you to move along, not allowed to sit on the sand. Give them an inch etc. There is already plenty of evidence of everything creeping back to "normal" after the army cleaned up.

After telling all us locals to get stuffed I assume you have taken a survey amongst the tourists to determine their views. Many expat locals support the economy in many & long lasting ways & I find you abhorrent with your cheap ass beer statement.

I don't think you can compare Bondi with Phuket. Bondi is a local or more backpacker type beach. Phuket has become much more of a family beach destination where people come for the beach. The tourists going to Bondi are not going primarily to spend a week or two at the beach. And most are not family groups.

It is incredibly stupid that they have not worked out a suitable plan to allow maybe 50% of the beach area in Phuket to have chairs which could be taxed at say 10 or 20 baht per chair per day. This would still leave plenty of profit for the vendors.

I really can't see a for example Russian (as they seem to be the biggest % of tourists these days) family with young children being happy lying on a mat versus having a chair.. And are the mats really going to be 200 baht, twice the old chair price? If so then bring back the old way.

Oh, and sorry for my previous non post above. iPad malfunction or more correctly, fat fingers.

[LivinginKata]

<snip>

I really can't see a for example Russian (as they seem to be the biggest % of tourists these days) family with young children being happy lying on a mat versus having a chair.. And are the mats really going to be 200 baht, twice the old chair price? If so then bring back the old way.

Have to say that last high season at Kata beach most of the Russians shunned the seats/umbrellas and prefered to lie on a towel for free.

[Foxxster]

<snip>

I really can't see a for example Russian (as they seem to be the biggest % of tourists these days) family with young children being happy lying on a mat versus having a chair.. And are the mats really going to be 200 baht, twice the old chair price? If so then bring back the old way.

Have to say that last high season at Kata beach most of the Russians shunned the seats/umbrellas and prefered to lie on a towel for free.

Might have been the case at Kata but certainly not at Patong. At least they should be given a choice.

[beechbum]

Definetly the case at Nai Harn, the Ruskies have no problem using the sand or a mat, speaking to a couple from just out of Moscow and they loved the natuaralness.

[NamKangMan]

In some countries in Europe, their beach is rocks/pebbles/stones.

They are happy to feel the sand mould around their back/stomach, as they lay on a towel, on the sand.

In many cases, here on Phuket, they have been robbed of this, by the beach sun bed vendors.

Some want the sand, some want a beach chair - bottom line is, the beach vendors, and Phuket authorities, can not be trusted to find the balance between the two, for the benefit of tourists here.

Edited November 21, 2014 by NamKangMan

[DrDave]

I've been trying to work out how this "free umbrellas" thing will work. Somebody paid for them, and owns them. Why would they lend them out for free? I suspect that NamKangMan is correct - "no rent mat -> no umbrella".

As an aside, I saw one of the beach vendors at a SuperCheap in Patong a couple of weeks ago loading up on mats at 99 baht each, and then renting them out at 100 baht a pop couple of days later. Nice little earner!