The Chinese New Year-Valentine’s Day weekend drew more than 4,000 tourists to Koh Larn, a far cry from 2020, but better than some expected.
Pattaya Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai said Feb. 15, many of the few guesthouses and hotels on the resort island were full and beaches busy.
In better times, Koh Larn drew at least 4,000 people on one slow day, so a three-day weekend with only that many falls far short of sustainable-tourism levels. But as Pattaya only reopened Feb. 1, many business owners saw it as a good start.
Manote noted that Koh Larn was closed for several weeks and reopened Jan. 21, but tourism did not restart until Chonburi was downgraded to an “orange” coronavirus-surveillance zone, from red.
He expects more tourists will come to Koh Larn in coming weeks.
