The meeting of the roaming Cabinet will take place in Krabi between Nov 15-16 and local business owners are urging Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew to request continued support by staging new events and activities to help promote tourism and sustain efforts to revive the economy.
Nuttaphong Phromthongsuk, a limousine taxi driver for the Car Service Cooperative in Patong, said conditions have improved since the Phuket Sandbox model started welcoming tourists back from July 1 and especially since the official opening to vaccinated tourists from 63 low-risk countries on Nov 1.
“People’s lives are getting better,” said Mr Nuttaphong. “There is hope and light at the end of the tunnel.”
However, he stressed that in order to maintain the trend and attract even more visitors, additional activities were crucial to stimulate the economy.
In regards to the threat of COVID-19 that still lingers, Mr Nuttaphong said he is not so concerned.
“The health and safety measures that are in place now are standard,” he commented. “All foreign visitors will have been fully vaccinated and tested on arrival to make sure they are not infected, likewise the majority of residents in Phuket have already been vaccinated. Therefore if everyone follows the rules we should be able to control the situation.”
Kreetha Weerakit, a chartered boat operator in Patong Beach, agrees.
“Since the country fully reopened last week, Patong has been bustling with tourists, entrepreneurs, workers and visitors to food and beverage outlets,” he said.
“However, whereas this is obviously a positive, I would like to government to consider opening and establishing more services to provide more options for tourists when they are in the Patong area.”
Mr Kreetha is also positive in regards to efforts to control COVID-19 and confident that the regulations enforced by the province are sufficient.
“As long as everyone complies with the rules we should be fine as we do not want the country to be shut down again,” he said.
“A large number of people in Phuket are now vaccinated and are therefore ready and waiting to welcome overseas guests to the island.”