Last-minute travelers saved Songkran for Pattaya’s hotel operators, with many travelers waiting to see how fast the latest coronavirus outbreak was spreading in Chonburi.
Phisut Sae-khu, president of Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter, said April 15 that hoteliers were surprised to find that they lost less than 30 percent of early bookings due to the new Covid-19 surge.
They also were caught off guard by the number of domestic tourists who booked the same day they arrived or just walked in.
The busiest days were April 13 and 14 with 70-80 percent occupancy reported across Pattaya, Phisut said.
He speculated that many people watched news reports about new daily cases of Covid-19 in Pattaya before deciding to come. Had cases sourced higher than the 100 or so cases reported in the province each day, they likely would not have come.
Most of the last-minute travelers were from Bangkok, where the situation is several times worse, Phisut noted.
