Stories of the Phuket tourism workers hit hard by plunge in travel to Thailand amid the Covid-19 crisis
- A boat operator shut his business but can at least fish. Thousands of tourism workers in Phuket left for their home provinces with nothing, and no jobs to go to
- The pandemic has cost Thailand’s most popular holiday island US$12.8 billion, and with plans to let tourists return put on hold, 50,000 hotel jobs are on the line
Prasong Suanchai would usually be gearing up for the high season, waiting for tourists from across the globe to flock to Thailand’s most popular holiday island. This year, the Phuket boat operator has had to resort to old ways.
“For generations, the men in my family have been fishermen,” says the 34-year-old. “I was fishing since a young boy, but it was getting hard. There were less fish and less money for what we caught. It was difficult to provide for my family.” Nevertheless, he is again fishing for a living.
In 2008, Suanchai started to operate snorkelling and island- and beach-hopping cruises. His charisma and self-taught language skills earned him a good reputation and his business expanded from one boat to six, employing 24 crew.
However, as the coronavirus closed down the world and its economies, Phuket found itself in peril. Suanchai suspended operations in April. “Even when the island came out of lockdown and locals started visiting, it was not worth me starting again,” he says. “I knew I could not make enough money.”
Nevertheless, Suanchai counts himself as being among the lucky ones. He talks of many friends – cleaners, cooks, drivers, service staff, hustlers, owners of small restaurants, and other boat operators – who returned to their home provinces ahead of the island being cut off during Thailand’s strict lockdown, which ran from April 1 to July 1.
