Bangkok, 3 January, 2019, at 13.00 Hrs. – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) would like to advise tourists and tourism-related operators to exercise extreme caution and stay alert as well as comply with the official instructions. This is in response to the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD)’s warning on the possible severe weather conditions caused by Tropical Storm Pabuk that is expected to affect the South of Thailand this week.
According to the TMD’s weather warning (https://www.tmd.go.th/en/index.php) issued this morning at 05.00 Hrs., Tropical Storm Pabuk will affect the South with more rain and some torrential downpours during 3-5 January, 2019. The strong winds are forecast for both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea with waves up to 3-5 metres high in the Gulf and 2-3 metres high in the Andaman Sea. People in the Gulf should beware of inshore surges. All marine vessels should remain anchored until Saturday.
The TMD has listed the affected areas as per the following:
3-4 January: Isolated torrential downpours with strong winds in Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
4-5 January: Isolated torrential downpours with strong winds in Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Ranong, Phang Nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
Thai authorities are on high alert to ensure the safety and well-being of all people.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha was quoted in local media reports as instructing the cabinet to advise all trawlers and tourist boats operating on the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea to exercise caution or temporarily cancel their operations as the storm approaches.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation has put all its Southern offices on high alert, stockpiling equipment and supplies. Meanwhile, the Royal Thai Navy has prepared the HTMS Angthong, a landing platform dock frigate to remain on standby at the Sattahip Naval Base to help in case people are affected by the storm.
Ang Thong Marine National Park, located in the Gulf of Thailand, has announced a temporarily three-day closure of the Park from today till Saturday for the safety of tourists.
All speedboats and ferry services between Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao have been cancelled during these few days of severe weather conditions.
Passengers with flight reservations to and from the affected provinces during these few days are advised to contact their respective airlines for assistance and flight status updates.
TAT is constantly monitoring the situation and strictly follows the guidelines and measures set by the concerned Thai authorities.
To get a realistic assessment of tourism conditions on the ground, tourists and tourism-related operators can contact the TAT’s local offices in Thailand as listed here.
Emergency contact numbers:
TAT Contact Centre Hotline 1672
JS100 Radio Hotline 1137 or LINE @js100
Tourist Police Hotline 1155
