Lively Chinese New year tourism seen in Thai South

BANGKOK, January 20 (TNA) - Lively tourism is being observed in the Thai South, as local people and foreign visitors appear to have kicked off their celebrations of the Chinese New Year 2012. In Surat Thani Province, for instance, chief of a southern office in Surat Thani of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Panu Woramit acknowledged on Friday that a large number of international tourists from Europe, the United Kingdom, Germany and Asian countries are flowing into Surat Thani for their Lunar New Year celebrations, leading to some 70 per cent of hotel rooms on Samui, Pa Ngan and Tao Islands in the province to have been booked. Panu said there have also been a number of direct charter flights from China and Taiwan landing in the Surat Thani Airport, with around 3,000 tourists arriving each week, resulting in active tourism at major provincial tourist attractions, namely Kao Sok National Park and Rachaprapa Dam and Chiao Lan Reservoir, where tourists compare its striking scenery with a world-famous Kuilin in China. According to the TAT senior southern official, Surat Thani's tourism industry is expected to earn some 500 million Baht during the ongoing Chinese New Year 2012 celebrations. Meanwhile, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Director General Wiboon Sanguanpong told reporters that his department is integrally coordinating with Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and provincial authorities concerned to prevent, or even contain, any outbreak of deadly H5N1 bird flu in the country during the ongoing cold weather in several areas and the Chinese New Year festival, when market demand for poultry is normally high. Wiboon noted that teams of officials have been sent to collect fowl samples for assessments in order to adopt appropriate and timely operation plans, urging people who find sick poultry to also immediately report to authorities concerned in their respective areas. (TNA)