At Chalong Pier, more than 2,500 tourists boarded boats to enjoy tours, reports state news agency NNT.
The Phuket Marine Office reported 119 boat trips from Chalong Pier yesterday, as well as 36 boats departing the marina area, with more than 2,500 tourists boarding the outbound boats.
The boat tours included various activities such as sailing, snorkeling, fishing or watching the sunset, with the most popular destinations being Koh Hei and Koh Racha, said the report.
Most of the passengers on the boats were foreign tourists, rather than Thai people, as Songkran for Thai people was more of a day for making merit family members, the report added.
Overall, 379 outbound boat trips departed from Phuket piers yesterday, with a total of 11,637 passengers, an increase of 25% on the same day last year, the report noted.
The number of people boarding boat tours today (Apr 14) is expected to be even higher, by as much as 1,000, the report said.
Tour boat safety was being taken seriously, the report said, with local officials taking measures to evensure boats were not overloaded, that all passengers wore life jackets while on the boats, and that all boats and captains and crews were properly registered and licenced, and that all boats had all the required safety equipment on board in fully functioning order.
Phuket Vice Governor Norasak Somboon conducted an inspection of Chalong Pier yesterday morning as part of the ‘Seven Days’ safety campaign for Songkran 2024, which includes boat safety.
So far no marine safety incidents have been reported since the campaign began on Apr 11.