TRAT: A large number of visitors flocked to the island of Koh Chang over the three-day holiday this weekend.
Polwaree Buchakiat, chief of Mu Koh Chang National Park, said visitors had crowded the island for the holiday, connected with King Chulalongkorn Day today and the waning part of the school break.
This month alone, Mu Koh Chang National Park office collected entry fees from visitors worth over 1 million baht, which was considered high for the period.
Most visitors were Thais and Europeans, as Chinese tourists have yet to show up en masse, Mr Polwaree said.
"The weather is promising. The sea is beautiful. The water is crystal clear and it is sunny. So, visitors can enjoy swimming too. It rains sometimes but that is not an obstacle," the park chief said.
Saksit Moongkarn, former chairman of the Tourism Council of Trat, said 25,000 visitors came to Trat during this long weekend following a daily average of about 600 arrivals in tour groups over the past week.
The number of tourists also increased in other areas over the period.
About 3,500 tourists visited Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai, of whom 2,833 were Thais and 661 were foreigners.
The lowest temperature at Doi Inthanon was 10 degrees Celsius while the weather forecast said it would be cloudy and foggy in the morning.
Meanwhile, as temperatures drop at Phu Kradueng National Park in Loei, almost 2,000 tourists visited the park over the three-day weekend holiday despite the chill in the air.
Park chief Adisorn Hemthanont said most of the tourists were keen young hikers who enjoyed the challenge of the cold weather. The temperature dropped to around 17.5 degrees Celsius yesterday morning.
Close to Phu Kradueng National Park is Phu Ruea National Park where the number of visitors also grew. With a temperature of 16C, many chose the mountaintop to watch the sea of clouds at sunrise.
Another popular spot for this long holiday was Thi Lo Su Waterfall in Umphang district of Tak province.
Umphang district chief Thanpawat Puriwattanametha said that over 3,000 visitors had come to see the water feature, leading to fully booked hotels and packed camping grounds.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, people flocked to Wang Nam Khieo district where the temperature dropped to 22 degrees Celsius yesterday.
Following the arrival of the cold season, Flora Park in the district is preparing for its annual flower tour, which is slated to begin on Nov 1.
