Eerily empty, Thai tourist island Phuket desperate to reopen
The Peninsula
Phuket, Thailand: A year after one of Southeast Asia's most popular fun-and-sun destinations became an eerily quiet shell of empty resorts, and shops, residents of the Thai island of Phuket are hoping to save their economy with an inoculation programme.
For now, beach umbrellas rest rolled up on vacant hotel verandas, overlooking empty stretches of sand, while mannequins languish in dust-covered windows of shuttered shops. "We are taking the opportunity to put our system to a test", said vice governor of Phuket province, Piyapong Choowong, adding that more than 70% of Phuket's population of about 650,000 would be vaccinated by July 1, when foreign vaccinated visitors are allowed in without the long quarantines that have kept most tourists away.More Related News