Hua Hin to get two floating markets

Hua Hin to get two floating markets
Published: 20/06/2011 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: Life

Hua Hin has never been short of tourism attractions. Soon there will be not only one, but two new floating markets in this retreat destination.

Top right: The 40-rai Hua Hin Floating Market will be kicked off in August. Below left: The 100-rai Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market will open on July 15.

Located not far from each other, Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market and Hua Hin Floating Market can be found in Soi Hua Hin 112, a short drive from the town's train station.

Owned by different parties, both floating markets will offer tourists an array of food and shopping areas redolent with the ambiance of yesteryear.

According to Hua Hin Sam Phan Nam Floating Market general manager Anusara Dankul, the 200-million baht project occupies a 100-rai plot of land.

"We are experts in developing floating markets and we plan to have five floating markets nationwide," she said.

The market will be managed by Ayothaya Floating Market 2552 Company, which launched Ayothaya Floating Market in Ayutthaya last year. The floating market in Hua Hin is its second project and is now 90% complete.

"We chose Hua Hin because many tourists spend their vacations here and they also have a high purchasing power," Anusara said.

The daily floating market will be launched on July 15 with a traditional Siamese theme recalling the days of King Rama V and King Rama VI. The project will add a second phase within the next six months with a new market section to be built in the style of classical Greek architecture. This section will offer both domestic and international brand name products.

"Our theme will be an East-meets-West concept," Anusara said, adding that besides 200 outlets for food and souvenir shops and 40 boats offering hot meals, there will also be performances four times a day and a train service that will run inside the project as well as a reproduction of the well-known Hua Hin Railway Station.

Tthere will also be outdoor activities such as cable ski service, water screen shows and a paddle boat service to take tourists around the market.

Hua Hin Floating Market, on the other hand, is smaller in size, located on a 40-rai plot of land before its rival's location when you drive to Soi Hua Hin 112.

An initiative by local investors, the market recreates the atmosphere of old Hua Hin with colonial design buildings and will feature more than 130 shops and 30 wooden boats selling hot meals, snacks and beverages. There will also be local performances three times a day, including an elephant show by Hua Hin Safari.

The construction of Hua Hin Floating Market is scheduled to be completed next month and it will open to the public in August.