Thailand is trying to revive a completely collapsed tourism with safety instructions and quick tests. Tailor Mark Swain, who finally opened his shop in Khao Lak, also says tourists have changed.
The waves of the Andaman Sea hit the shore forever. The evening is as warm, the sky as bright as before. Still, something is missing. On the popular Bang Niang beach in Khao Lak, Thailand, there are few walkers. Tailor Mark Swain may be almost alone on his evening walk.
No entrepreneur at the time, and no one else, would have guessed that the Mark One Tailor business would stay closed for more than two years.
– Somehow I’ve been uprooted, I had more cars, little land and savings. I just haven’t been able to pay the staff. So I said being like a family, sharing what it is, explains Indian-born Swain now in February over the phone.
One of the movement’s workers went abroad and has not yet returned due to restrictions. Tourism is the lifeblood of Thailand. Asian tourist destinations were already sighing with relief towards the end of the year, until the self-transformation closed the security gates that were open.
Thai tourism collapsed completely. In 2020, there were about six million arrivals, down more than 80 percent from the peak years.
“Everyone rushes to the beach”
Swain says that in addition to quantities, the behavior of newcomers has also changed.
– People are careful and quiet. Others bargain even more, someone even tries not to pay. Others want to pay extra to support an entrepreneur, he says.
Tourists come to the Phuket area, especially from Europe, Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries. Winter workers, teleworkers pigeon at the kitchen table, close-ups working close-up behind a mask.
– Everyone wants oxygen, people go to the beach right away.
The teleworking of Europeans is also reflected in the payroll of a tailor working in Thailand.
– Only a few order suits or work clothes. They have not been needed. Evening outfits are also ordered less often.
Swain doesn’t want to drop prices, but neither does it. He wants to build customer relationships for long-term trust. There is no shortage of fabric in Khao Lak, deliveries come from Bangkok, part of China. And once the business is closed, there will be plenty of fabrics and variety in advance.
Many of the designs and formulas are classics, but something has also changed in customers ’color tastes.
– Now we are asking for brighter colors and showy patterns.
Khao Lak has experienced a tsunami and a pandemic
However, Swain is hopeful, even though a new cloud is overshadowing Europe. Russia’s threat in Ukraine is also a reflection in the Andaman Sea.
– Yes, a touch of happiness is needed here now, and no more new sorrows. Is there really a war coming? Now you should walk on the beach, just about everyone.