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Published on July 28, 2007

Khao Lak has been struggling with particularly low occupancy since it was hit by the tsunami in December 2004.

The tourism and hotel business there is still struggling, despite the Phang Nga provincial and tourism authorities heavily promoting the area's recovery over the past two years.

The THA also said the overall June occupancy rate in the South was 58 per cent, against 48 per cent a year earlier.

Hotels in Krabi ran at 40-per-cent occupancy, while Samui properties were 55-per-cent full.

Meanwhile, the occupancy rate in the North was 50 per cent, against 60 per in June last year, and the rate in the eastern region was 45 per cent - also 10 percentage points down.

The bigger hotels in Bangkok came in at 69 per cent, down from 73 per cent. Hotels in the Central region were 60 per cent full, slightly up on June last year.

Prakti Shinamourpong, vice president of the THA, said business nationwide from January to June was down 10 per cent.

Suchat Sritama

The Nation