Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke debunked as fake news on social media reports that Cha-am Beach and Amphawa Floating Market are being abandoned by tourists, saying tourists can still be found at both as usual, and at least 50% of local hotel rooms are usually occupied.
A viral video showing a quiet Cha-am Beach in Phetchaburi on a Sunday was recently posted online, along with social media news stating that Samut Songkhram's Amphawa Floating Market is short of visitors nowadays, even at the weekend due to a recession.
Following the social media posts, Mr Chai posted on X to condemn those sharing fake news while stating that the truth differs from these reports.
"People are trying to distribute fake news on social media nowadays to damage the image of Thailand's tourism," he said.
He also attached to his X post a link to a news story about the president of the Thai Hotels Association and local entrepreneurs at Cha-am Beach, confirming the beach is still visited by tourists.
In another post, Mr Chai revealed that officers of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) have visited Cha-am Beach and found that the beach was not as quiet as viral posts had made out.
The Thai Hotels Association's president and local hotel owners also came out in defence of the current tourism climate, revealing that 50-60% of hotel rooms are always booked, with 70-75% of the rooms having been booked in advance for the upcoming long holiday, he said.
Meanwhile, TAT Samut Songkhram Office officers visited Amphawa Floating Market on Saturday and found many Thai and foreign tourists enjoying visits to the attraction.
Krittaya Meetawee, mayor of tambon Amphawa, admitted that the number of visitors to the floating market was lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he said the market was still visited by a fair number of tourists, adding that apart from Thai tourists, the attraction is visited by many foreign travellers, especially Chinese.
Mr Krittaya attributed the fall in the number of visitors to the fact that some shops and tour businesses at the floating market were closed for a while due to economic hardship.
These shops and businesses are now back open, he said.
As for the viral video showing the lack of tourists at the floating market, Mr Krittaya said the video was filmed outside the tourist hotspot in another area of the market.
Cha-am Beach