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Bargain holidays in Thailand available via the internet 

Using Phuket data as a gauge to Ko Chang’s tourist arrivals, an article from Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported at the weekend that, although tourism is certainly bullish, most hotels are only a few percentage points down on the previous year and that “now is the time for a cheap holiday in Thailand” as prices can be as low as half, with a raft of incentives being offered. Almost all of these cut-price bookings are being offered via the internet.

 One Berliner said he was staying in the same room he rented last year but is now paying half rate, with a free breakfast thrown in; Kata Beach Resort, together with other operators, are running from 80%-90% occupancy; and the Dragon Art Media group said many of the bigger hotels are running at around 70% occupancy rather than the normal 90%-95%, with real discounting to start around January 10th.

 So it’s not all doom and gloom for Thailand’s tourist industry, although the article did point out that some of the bigger, more expensive hotels, together with the Asian bulk-tour trade, have been hurt substantially.

 As one long-time European resident succinctly remarked: “Where else in the world can you live very comfortably from between $15-$30 a day, walk to a pristine beach for a swim, enjoy the best massages the world has to offer, eat the healthiest food and be safe?”

 Where indeed? It surely beats a dark, wet and miserable January in an inner city suburb in the West.