The southern Thai province of Trang has received a huge boost to its tourism development efforts, with the injection of THB20 million (US$578,000) into its tourism budget for 2009, The Nation has reported.
The province’s Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Salil Tohtubtiang, was reported saying that hotel and tourism businesses in Trang had been hit hard by the global economic downturn and the Bangkok airport closures, with tourist arrivals and receipts both dropping by 10% this month, compared with January 2008.
Salil said that of the 3,000 hotel rooms in the province, occupancy for January is averaging at 65-70%, compared with 80% in the same month last year. He added that Trang could not cut room rates in order to attract tourists because the rates were already lower than rival destinations such as Krabi and Phuket. Hotel operators will therefore have to cut other operating costs, he said.
“Trang this year is set to be Amazing Trang 2009 year. Although we have set a budget of THB20 million for stimulating tourism, the Trang Chamber of Commerce only has its own budget of THB5 million. We have therefore had to ask for support from other agencies such as the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the private sector,” Salil was quoted saying. He added that the Chamber had also started organising foreign media visits, inviting members of the Asian press to travel in the province.
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