Smoking on Thai beaches to be fined 3,000 USD

Smokers who violate the smoking ban on Thailand's most popular tourist beaches will be fined 3,000 USD or will be imprisoned for up to one year.

The ban follows the cleaning of nearly 140,000 cigarette buds on an area stretching 2.5 kilometres along Patong Beach in Phuket province. 

The introduction of the ban will coincide with the peak tourist season of Thailand and will be applied in tourist attractions, including Krabi, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Phuket and Phang-Nga.

Tourism is one of Thailand’s economic pillars with more than 30 million visitors to the country each year. 

Thailand has seen high growth in the number of tourists so far this year, according to Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.

She said that as of October 11, her country welcomed 26.9 million visitors and earned tourism revenue of 1.37 trillion baht (41 billion USD), a rise of 5.6 percent and 7.6 percent year on year, respectively.

Of the total number of tourists, those from China was the highest with 7.63 million, 227,648 of whom traveled to the country during the Lunar New Year, a growth of 69.04 percent year on year. 

Kobkarn said that Thailand has been ready for tourism season peak. The country will continue introducing the traditional lifestyle of Thai people and sport tourism in all areas across the country, SOURCE FROM VIETNAMNEWS.

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