Hat yai: Over 200 hotels in Hat Yai have been destroyed by massive flooding, resulting in damages amounting to more than 3 billion baht. The President of the Hat Yai Songkhla Hotel Association, Dr. Sitthiphong Sitthiphatthaprapha, is urging the government to provide immediate financial relief to prevent further harm to the local tourism industry.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Sitthiphong highlighted the extensive impact of the flooding, noting that many hotels have been severely damaged and are unable to reopen soon. The floods have also affected repair technicians, which could delay restoration efforts by an additional 2-3 months.
Dr. Sitthiphong called on Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul to consider several urgent measures to aid recovery. These include easing the repayment of existing debts and providing soft loans for hotel renovations. He also proposed waiving land and building taxes for the next year and reducing social security contributions for affected hotel businesses.
The flooding has also disrupted foreign tourists, with many vehicles stuck in the area. Customs regulations stipulate that these vehicles must be removed from the country within 30 days, or owners face fines of 1,000 baht per day, up to 10,000 baht. This issue affects approximately 10,000 tourists.
Dr. Sitthiphong expressed concern about the long-term impact on the tourism sector if the government does not act swiftly to rehabilitate and restore the city. He emphasized that the tourism image of Hat Yai could suffer, jeopardizing investment in the hotel industry if tourist numbers do not recover to target levels. He urged the government to support entrepreneurs to avoid disruptions in the investment and tourism sectors.