Floats from major tourist attractions on the island, including the recently opened Carnival Magic and Andamanda Phuket, provided entertainment, with music, dancers and performers enthusing the crowd along the route.
The parade marked the start of the ‘Phuket Carnival at Patong 2022’ festival, with Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrumam officiating the formal opening ceremony.
The festival, now underway until tomorrow night (Dec 18), will feature a tattoo contest on the beach, sexy jogging and running for exercise, fun on the beach, tie-dye making and fashion shows on the beach, symphony band performances, as well as various bands, concerts and entertainment from EDM [electronic dance music] DJs and spectacular night fireworks as well as food stalls and vendors selling many other products.
In overseeing the installation of the stages and other areas to be used during the festival, Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri noted that this year marked the 36th year that the festival had been held.
As part of the festivities in Patong marking the official start of the tourism high season yesterday was the official full reopening of the Jungceylon shopping centre under the banner ‘Welcome back Jungceylon’.
Phuket Vice Governor Anupap Rodkwan Yodrumam joined the festivities at the popular shopping mall, led by Prawit Janyasittikul, Chief Executive Officer of Phuket Square Co Ltd, which manages Jungceylon.
The reopening festivities included a stage performance titled ;The Flora Fairytale’ and a mini-concert by singer ‘Bow Melada Susri’.
“Over the years, it can be seen that no matter what problems Phuket faces, the people, the public sector and the private sector in the province have worked together overcome all obstacles, helping the provincial economy to recover quickly and continuously so things can begin to return to normal,” Vice Governor Anupap said.
“This can be seen from the Amazing Thailand 10 Million Celebrations held recently on the occasion of the arrival of 10 millionth foreign tourist arrival to Thailand. It’s a good sign that tourism in Thailand has returned to be an important mechanism for the country’s economic and social development,” he added.
Mr Prawit explained that the grand reopening of the mall marked only Phase 1 of the mall’s reopening to commerce in full.
“At the moment, we are ready to open the first phase of service, including shops in the Botanica zone on all three floors, shops in the Jungle zone on the first floor and shops around The Bay zone multi-purpose hall in the middle of the shopping centre,” he said.
“The plan in the future will gradually open more stores inside the Jungle zone more and we will open for service in the basement area during January and the area on the second floor In February 2023. Stores in other zones are expected to undergo a major renovation and will be complete and we will be ready for full service throughout the whole shopping center by December 2023 for sure,” he said.
Mr Prawit pointed out that his company has budgeted more than B15 million for promotional activities and campaigns to announce Jungceylon as the ‘Shopping Destination in Patong’.
The current promotions to mark the reopening of the mall will see B1mn in gift vouchers and prizes to be given away from Dec 16 to Jan 1, he added.
JohnC | 18 December 2022 - 10:17:24