Ranong tourism flourishing since travel restrictions were lifted on May 1
With the government removing travel restrictions at the country’s land borders on May 1, Ranong has witnessed 8,108 people travelling in and out of the province, most being via the Grand Andaman Pier, which provides ferry services to a casino at Grand Andaman Hotel on Myanmar’s Thathay Kyun Island.
Thathay Kyun is called Koh Son by Thais. Besides the casino, the island features hotels, a golf course, restaurants and duty-free shops. People can travel to the island via speed boats, which depart every 30 minutes, from 8am to 11.30pm.
“Many tourists have visited Ranong as a gateway to the casino, helping generate income for local tourism businesses, including hotels, restaurants and public vans,” Ranong Chamber of Commerce president Nit Uitekkheng said on Wednesday. “Meanwhile, the Covid situation in the province is also gradually improving, with more people dining out after disease control measures on establishments were eased.”
Ranong Governor Somkiat Srisanet said this week that 90 per cent of the province’s population had received two shots of vaccine, or more than 470,000 doses.
“To prepare for the transition to the endemic stage of the disease, we aim to provide booster shots to more than 60 per cent of people in risk groups within July,” he said.
“Ranong residents can now walk into any of 46 public hospitals in the province and get vaccinated for free,” he added.
