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a new start?
twenty year tourism plan announced for province
•A •group comprising the government of the province and tourism organisations has announced the first prachuap kiri khan
ever strategic tourism plan for the area, intended to cover the next twenty years. Udomsuk Nimcean, president of the Tourism Association of Prachuap Khiri Khan, said the group has completed the framework for the province’s strategic tourism plan for 1-4 years, 10 years, and 20 years. “The entire province is ready to move to another level. This is the first time the association has drafted a proactive tourism development plan, focusing more on the high-end segment,” he said. Official figures show that the province has 500 registered hotels with 3,000-4,000 rooms, as well as hundreds of non-registered hotels and accommodations, with the vast majority in the Hua Hin area. These figures also show up to 7 million provincial visitors in 2016, with up to 45% staying in Hua Hin. Of the total visitors, 65% were domestic travellers, while the rest were foreigners, mostly from Sweden, Germany, Australia, Russia and China. The average length of stay for tourists is 3-7 days per trip, but free independent tourists stay longer -- 2-3 weeks per trip. While there is always some doubts about the reliability of the tourism statistics, the overall concept of having a coordinated plan to promote tourism in this area is a welcome one, although so far there is only a general overview, and nothing has been announced as regards the specifics of how and where the promotion will be done, nor how it will be paid for. There also appears to be an official blind spot regarding the numbers of empty retail units that have appeared in the last few months that belie the optimism and figures being touted. What seems blindingly obvious to the majority of expats and foreigners is that far fewer western tourists are coming, due to a combination of a too strong baht, a military government and more attractive alternatives nearby, such as Vietnam.