# Phuket is quietly bringing back attractions to beaches.



## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

The spring 2014 coup d’etat brought with it an attitude in Phuket which was very unwelcoming to western tourists.

The new authorities felt helpless in being able to control the power of those that catered to tourists. So much so, these groups had “Mafia” attached to them, i.e. Taxi/Tuk-Tuk Mafia; Jet-Ski/Speedboat Mafia; Beach chair/umbrella Mafia; Beach Shop Mafia (bars, restaurants, nightclubs); and individual beach vendors. The new authorities chose to attack them all. As a result, pretty much everything that attracted western tourists, the beach chair/umbrella, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and individual beach vendors, disappeared. And, western tourism dropped around 75%. Unfortunately, they were never able to control the Taxi/Tuk-Tuk and Jet-Ski/Speedboat Mafias.

Things have quietly started to change in 2017. While various laws are still on the books, things are returning. More chairs & umbrellas, vendors, bars and restaurants. Hopefully, this trend will continue and the anti-tourism laws will be scrapped completely.


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