Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Minister of Tourim & Sports of Thailand
PLANS by the Thai government to introduce extra public holidays in May and July this year have been welcomed enthusiastically by the travel trade.
According to tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the additional holidays will fall on May 6, a Friday, the day after Thailand’s Coronation Day, and July 18, a Monday, the day before the Asarnha Bucha festival.
This will place two new long weekends in Thailand’s calendar and is designed in part to promote domestic tourism.
“Whenever we have more long weekends, there will surely be more travelling, both domestic and outbound,” said Surapong Techaruvichit, president of the Thai Hotels Association, adding that he expects more than 90 per cent of tourists to be travelling domestically.
“It will be very good for hotels and destinations all over Thailand. I do not have any figures to support this, but hotel occupancies over long weekends are always higher than normal weekends,” he added.
