PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: Hua Hin remained quiet on Tuesday after reopening to tourists, with only 10% of hotel rooms booked and those by Thai visitors. There was no influx of foreign tourists.

Rungroj Seeluangsawat, chairman of the Prachuap Khiri Khan tourism industry council, said on Tuesday that bookings for November at most hotels were slow.

Only 10% of hotel rooms were booked, and the reservations were made by Thais, said Mr Rungroj, who is managing director of Hua Hin Grand Hotel.

So far, there had been no bookings made by foreigners, he said.

 

The slow bookings might be because of confusion over travel requirements, he said. It may take time to pick up. 

Most hoteliers and staff were strictly following public health measures.

Nithee Seeprae, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said the country had reopened to vaccinated tourists from low-risk countries only on Monday, so the number arriving in Hua Hin town may not yet be high. But in a week or so he expected the number of foreign arrivals would begin to rise.

Foreign visitors must have a negative RT-PCR test for Covid-19 no more than 72 hours before travelling. On arrival in Thailand, they have another RT-PCR test again and then go hotels with Safety and Health Administration certificate, the TAT deputy governor said.

While waiting for their arrival test result, tourists must stay in a hotel within a two-hour drive of the airport. If the result was negattive they could continue their journey.

He said Hua Hin may be more than two hours away so he would propose the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reconsider the distance from the airport for the first night's stay.

Dr Wara Selwattanakul, chief of the Prachuap Khiri Khan public health, said the province on Tuesday reported 177 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths. Of the new infections, four were illegal Myanmar migrants. 

 

 

Bangkok Post