Phuket vendors try to outsmart beach chair ban

[Gaybutton]

I believe this part of the article is pure bullshit: "Most tourists and local residents have applauded the ban." Instead, nearly every article I've read says precisely the opposite - that tourists don't like being unable to have beach chairs and protection from the sun, don't like being unable to bring their own beach chairs and umbrellas, don't like having to sit only on a towel on the sand, and don't like being unable to bring 'unapproved' food to the beach.

The only people who seem to really like the ban are those who imposed it.
________________________________________________________________


Photo from BANGKOK POST

Sand beds wiped off Phuket beach

by Achadtaya Chuenniran

December 23, 2016

PHUKET: Local authorities on Friday ordered vendors on Patong beach to level the sand beds they have created in defiance of government policies to keep beaches clear for the public.

Local administrators and officers from the Third Fleet of the Royal Thai Navy met on Friday to discuss how to deal with vendors who have been piling up sand and spreading soft mats to woo tourists. The move violates a ban on beach chairs and umbrellas imposed with varying degrees of success at popular tourist spots throughout the country.

Most tourists and local residents have applauded the ban, as it addresses a common complaint about unsightly clutter on the beaches. Some beaches had come under the control of "deckchair mafia" groups bent on squeezing as much money as possible out of every square centimetre of sand.

Under the ban that took effect two years ago in Phuket, vendors were limited to using 10% of the space on Patong beach for their services including umbrellas, mats, food and beverage sales. Beach chairs were prohibited.

They must not place any object on the beach until a tourist approaches to seek their service. Only mats and umbrellas are allowed to be served when there are requests.

The sand beds emerged recently after a few big vendors on Patong created about 100 of the structures to rest the response.

"We want to set zero. There must not be a sand bench on Patong and other beaches. The sand must be leveled to its natural condition until district and provincial committees make a conclusion on Jan 15," Rear Adm Pisai Sukwan, deputy commander of the Third Fleet, told the meeting on Friday.

Other participants in the meeting included Phuket deputy governor Sanit Sriwihok and Patong mayor Chalermluck Kepsap.

If the sand beds continued to exist, vendors elsewhere would copy them and the beaches would not serve the public interest, Rear Adm Pisai said. The Jan 15 meeting would decide whether beach chairs should be allowed to return or whether other options could be proposed to vendors, he said.

Miss Chalermluck said she believed beach chairs were really necessary for the vendors. She also said that vendors had told her earlier that sand beds were good for tourists who had problems sitting on and getting up from standard canvas deckchairs.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tou ... demolition

[Alex]

As a tourist, I like to have a choice. Plastering the whole beach with concessions / beach chairs is bad, because it means that beachgoers are essentially forced to use them. Banning them is bad as well, because many people (including myself) actually like the service they provide. Offering both options is the only sensible approach.

[Jun]

Offering both options in proportion to demand is the only sensible option.

In Jomtien, right now, the concessions are all crammed into a smaller space than historically.
The concessions tend to be over 70% full & I expect finding a chair might be difficult in the next few days as trade picks up.
Then, on the large free space in front of each concession, no more than about 2 people on average. So about 5% of capacity utilised.
On the large clear space up from the gay section, typically several metres between each person. So less than 5% of capacity utilised.

The current policy just isn't matching supply and demand. Which is exactly what you get with centralised unaccountable state control.

In Krabi, it's worse, as despite 2 large sparsely populated beaches, there is no area with chairs.
Clearly Phuket has the same issue.

Also, if there are no loungers & parasols, most people will not spend a great deal of time on the beach due to the skin cancer risk.

Even Thai visitors tend to use the chairs, as they generally don't want to get dark skin at all.

So policy appears to be not matched with demand & there is evidently no feedback loop to assist the powers that be with their decision making.

[Gaybutton]

Which is exactly what you get with centralised unaccountable state control.

That is a very good point. Whatever genius came up with this beach chair nonsense, whoever he does have to account to, it isn't the public, the tourists, or the concessionaires.

It's really too bad the idea of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" doesn't seem to play much of a part in decision making around here. The beach system ran fine for many years. At the time of this beach chair decision, there were no serious problems that I can recall. As far as I know, it boiled down to the whim of very few people - for all I know maybe only one. The result has been beach concessionaires losing substantial business, beach employees losing their jobs, vendors losing their source of income, and furious tourists. Other than that, it's been great . . .

How many people really do prefer to sit on the sand, with no chairs or beach umbrellas allowed compared to the number of people who do want the chairs and umbrellas and don't want to end up sitting on the sand?

I think this whole thing has been a terrible mistake. The problem is the powers-that-be are unlikely to admit the mistake and let the beaches revert to the way things were prior to the ban. After all, that would mean losing face. Can't have that . . .

[Jun]

How many people really do prefer to sit on the sand, with no chairs or beach umbrellas allowed compared to the number of people who do want the chairs and umbrellas and don't want to end up sitting on the sand?

Based on evidence at Jomtien beach, where people have the choice, less than 5% of visitors want to sit on the sand getting sunburnt.

Supply of free space on the beach exceeds demand.

[jakbikeruk]

Left Patong on the 20th the beach was appalling, we sat under the trees by the Impana the rest of the beach was full of tatty mats and brollies, so we bought our own mats and umbrellas. The sea was rough and full of plastic bags, the sand was full of cigarette ends.

When the sunbeds were available the beach was relatively clean but instead of two rows of chairs as 20 years ago the vendors got greedy and filled the beach with chairs which was over the top. It shouldn't take much to license a reasonable number of chairs.

Notice the mix of tourists has definitely changed. Our hotel was virtually empty, the gay area around the Royal Paradise was virtually empty last week although it was picking up towards the end of the week. So pleased to hear the beach has been cleared up again.

[Gaybutton]

we bought our own mats and umbrellas.

I'm surprised they even let you bring those to the beach.

I don't understand what all this nonsense on the beach is supposed to accomplish. The beach concessionaires always kept their beach areas clean. Now, according to your report, nobody is bothering and the beach is becoming one big ashtray.

I remember when Phuket used to be fun - emphasis on used to be. Now everything I read about Phuket makes it seem as if it just keeps getting worse and worse. Speaking only for myself, I can't think of a reason to go to Phuket at all anymore. The way I see it, the geniuses who came up with all this have accomplished nothing beneficial at all. Instead, they've ruined it.

There are still excellent beaches in Thailand. I hope the powers-that-be will leave them alone instead of ruining them too.