The sudden announcement of an extra holiday this weekend will benefit domestic tourism within the same region, but most people would still prefer to keep their savings rather than travel.
The cabinet this week approved July 31 as an extra holiday, creating a six-day long holiday from Friday until Aug 2.
The vice-president of the Eastern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) said most four- to five-star hotels in Pattaya and Chon Buri already had an occupancy rate of over 90% this weekend even before the announcement was made.
Even though the extra-long holiday was long enough for overseas trips, guests who had made bookings did not cancel their trips to Pattaya, and some of them may use the extended vacation period to travel to other provinces nearby, such as Rayong, Chanthaburi or Trat.
The vice-president said hotel operators were concerned that tourism might be stagnant due to the political uncertainty. People would prefer to save their money for unexpected circumstances, he said.
The Thai Tourism Promotion Association said those travelling during this long weekend are tourists unfazed by the high cost of living or who have no debt.
People with a limited budget are saving money for necessary living costs.
