Described: 16 Jul 2024 at 04: 56
Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke debunked as fake news on social media reports that Cha-am Beach andAmphawa Floating Marketare being abandoned by tourists, saying tourists can still be found at both as usual, and at least 50% of local hotel rooms are usually occupied.
A viral video showing a quiet Cha-am Beach in Phetchaburi on a Sunday was recently posted online, along with social media news stating that Samut Songkhram’sAmphawa Floating Marketis short of visitors nowadays, even at the weekend due to a recession.
Mr. Chai addressed the social media users on X to denounce those who circulated fake news while claiming that these accounts differ in reality.
” People are trying to spread false information on social media presently to harm the image of Thailand’s tourism”, he said.
He also provided a link to a news article about Cha-am Beach’s current host of tourists, the Thai Hotels Association, and other local business owners, which confirmed the beach is also popular with tourists.
In a different post, Mr. Chai revealed that Tourism Authority of Thailand ( TAT ) officials had visited Cha-am Beach and discovered that it was n’t as tranquil as the media had predicted.
The Thai Hotels Association’s president and local hotel owners also came out in defence of the current tourism climate, revealing that 50-60 % of hotel rooms are always booked, with 70-75 % of the rooms having been booked in advance for the upcoming long holiday, he said.
Meanwhile, TAT Samut Songkhram Office officers visitedAmphawa Floating Marketon Saturday and found many Thai and foreign tourists enjoying visits to the attraction.
Krittaya Meetawee, president of tambon Amphawa, admitted that the number of visitors to the floating business was lower than before the Covid-19 crisis.
Nevertheless, he said the industry was still visited by a good number of tourists, adding that apart from Thai visitors, the attachment is visited by many foreign visitors, especially Chinese.
Mr. Krittaya attributed the decline in visitor numbers to the fact that some stores and tour companies at the floating industry were temporarily closed due to economic hardship.
These shops and businesses are today back empty, he said.
Mr. Krittaya said the viral video, which showed the lack of visitors at the floating industry, was shot outside the tourist hub in another market area.
Cha-am Beach