Thailand-
The following is our weekly feature in which we discuss the upcoming week in Thailand news and the hottest stories to follow for our readers.
For this week, December 18th to December 24th, 2022, Christmas Eve, we will be focusing on one main topic…is High Season finally here?
As nearly everyone is aware, the last true “normal” holiday season in Thailand was in December of 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic brought about two and a half years of closures and restrictions shutting out and shutting off tourism. The past two holiday seasons were heavily toned down with many restrictions and few international tourists due to border control measures in place to attempt to stop Covid.
2020 famously saw the nightlife and entertainment industry shut down one day before New Year’s, a decimating decision for the economy and mental health of many. 2021 was “open” but with strict border measures and officially bars and nightlife closed and starting to open as “restaurants”. Many covid rules and testing and vaccine requirements also inhibited events.
This year it is basically business as normal and many tourism heavy destinations like Pattaya and Phuket are seeing a much better economy and experience than they have seen in many years. True, Chinese tourists have yet to return but as China slowly eases Covid restrictions that may change in the near future, possibly as early as before Chinese New Year.
For our tens of thousands of expat readers the next two weeks will mean heavy traffic, lots of holiday visitors who don’t understand basic rules or prices, and perhaps some headaches. But it is important to remember that for those who struggled so greatly over the past almost three years the sense of normality and being able to earn a living is important.
We wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas next weekend and we will check in next year on how things are going as we approach New Year’s.
