Pete
- Events
The Story of Songkran – All about the Thai New Year
Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is the the largest and most famous of Thailand’s many traditional festivals. Known for huge water fights and water blessing ceremonies, it’s been celebrated for centuries and is rich in culture and tradition. Every year, the celebrations begin on April 13 and normally last three days until the 15th of April. The name was…
- Travel
City Guide: Visiting Bangkok with family? Avoid these places…
Thailand is known for both its natural beauty and local beauty with smiling faces. But not every smile is an innocent one; many tourists visit Thailand for the red light districts, especially the capital of Bangkok. While there’s something for every type of tourist, if you’re visiting Thailand with your family, there are some areas you should overlook. So here’s…
- Travel
Top activities for families in Bangkok 2023
There are thousands of things to do in Bangkok for birds of every feather and flock that visit the country. If you’re a shopaholic, you’re safe. Like to party? There are a ton of places. But what if you want to have a family-friendly vacation? To help you out, we’ve made a list of our Top 5 activities for families…
- Chiang Mai Travel
City Guide: Top 5 hotels for families in Chiang Mai 2023
Chiang Mai is one of the best cities to visit in northern Thailand, and it’s no wonder why. From the beautiful nature landscapes and a cooler climate with bountiful outdoor activities, to a small town vibe full of culture (and cafes), Chiang Mai never fails to tick off all the boxes for rest, relaxation and recreation. But with so many…
- Politics News
Thai political parties told to check candidates more carefully
After a Move Forward Party Bangkok city councillor, Arnuparb Tarntong, was accused over sexual misconduct, a number of civil groups have ramped up their demandings for political parties to strengthen the candidate screening process. Arnuparb, a councillor for the Sathorn district, came forward to the police to reject the allegations of sexual harassment made by four young girls, who are…
- Phuket News
Nearly 1,000 hotels in Phuket are currently considered “illegal”
NB: The photo of this property bears no resemblance to the content of the following story. Phuket is home to 994 small hotels which are facing closure as a result of their unauthorised use on public property. The building control laws were discovered to have been broken by about 53% of the investigated properties. Environmental laws were found to be…
- Tourism News
4 million Thais to travel during 5-day ‘long weekend’ – TAT
The main factors affecting Thais travelling during this long holiday period between July 13 and July 17 continue to be the local high inflation and expensive petrol prices (also affecting airline prices). During the holidays, it’s predicted that there will be nearly 4 million Thais travelling around the country, spending an estimated 14 billion baht. With the current spike in costs,…
- Tourism News
8 million tourists to enter Thailand by the end of 2022 – BoT
There are now about 30,000 international tourists entering Thailand every day. By the end of 2022, the total number of tourists could hit 8 million. This is 2 million above the Bank of Thailand’s prediction of 6 million if the current pattern continues until the end of this year. According to the bank’s data, the first five months of 2022…
- Crime News
Singaporean robbed of 4.5 million baht and his Porsche in Bangkok
A Singaporean man was held hostage and robbed of 4.5 million baht, including his Porsche and other items. The incident happened on June 22 but the arrest warrant wasn’t granted until July 9. Singaporean robbed The two men, known as 26 year old Tharit na Phatthalung and 44 year old Petch Boonvong were arrested on Saturday. They were caught, separately,…
- Tourism News
Thai hospitality sector opposes dual accommodation pricing
Many hotels have voiced their opinions over the government’s proposal to adopt dual pricing in the hospitality industry. They described the plan as “impractical” and asked that the government come up with promotions and campaigns to boost tourism instead. A government spokeswoman said yesterday that hotels would be expected to adopt a dual pricing system where Thais would continue to…
- Tourism News
Suvarnabhumi Airport expansion capacity up to 15 million visitors
The eastern side of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s main terminal will be modified to boost Thailand’s arrival capacity to 15 million travellers annually. The upgrades will be completed in 3 years. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Suvarnabhumi hosted 65 million passengers, international and domestic, through its arrival gates. The eastern side of the terminal will be large enough to accommodate up to…
- Politics News
Thai PM promises to speed up projects if he’s re-elected
The unofficial election campaign continues as Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha promises to accelerate existing projects if re-elected. He said that, if re-elected as prime minister after the next election he will “speed up projects.” The Thai PM has never stood for election as an MP in Thailand and won a vote for the prime ministership in a joint sitting in…
- Crime News
Stop scam calls or be charged 1 million baht per day
A daily fine of 1 million baht has been issued by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission for any mobile phone carrier that refuses to assist the government in tackling the growing problem of phone scammers. According to an NBTC survey, several people have already registered more than 5 phone numbers of phone scammers, but carriers failed to verify or…
- World News
Thai leg of the high speed rail to Laos and China will be completed by 2028
The government has stated that by 2028, it will have finished its part of a long-delayed high-speed rail system connecting Thailand with China and Laos. The 434 billion baht project’s first of two phases will be completed by 2026, according to officials. According to the director-general of the Department of Rail Transport, Pichet Kunadhamraks, 12% of the first stage is…
- Tourism News
Ferries to Koh Pha Ngan is costing 40% more (and the other islands too)
Business owners on Koh Pha Ngan are demanding cheaper ferry charges after they increased by more than 40% since the start of July, impacting businesses and living expenses. For the average car, the ferry service from Don Sak dock to Pha Ngan with the Raja Ferry increased from 620 baht to 900 baht as of July 1. The Raja Ferry…
- Tourism News
Foreigners may have to pay more for hotels than Thais
Dual pricing could be coming to a hotel near you. That’s if a proposal from the tourism ministry and Tourism Authority of Thailand gets the go-ahead. Yes, despite Thailand tourism officials’ express wish to attract as many foreigners to Thailand, there are plans to increase hotel prices to pre-pandemic levels to boost the recovery of the hospitality industry – but…
- Phuket News
Phuket will have a tsunami drill on July 20 following multiple small tremors offshore
There will be a tsunami evacuation drill in Phuket’s Thalang district on July 20 after a number of underwater earthquakes off the Nicobar Islands, some 500 kilometres away, increased residents’ fears of a possible tsunami. Phuket tsunami 506 kilometres away from Thailand’s Andaman coast, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were continuously hit by 4.0 to 4.9 magnitude underwater earthquakes for three…
- Tourism News
Thailand’s tourism sector is asking for an additional 1 billion baht budget
The Thai tourism sector has asked for an additional budget of about 1 billion baht to boost the Thai economy in hopes of making 265 billion baht (from inbound tourists). The tourism sector says they should be able to secure at least 80 million domestic trips, gaining 215 billion baht, alone. Then, they predict, the international market will see 1…
- Transport News
200 new electric buses will be in service in the Thai capital
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will partner with private companies to run over 200 electric buses to increase capacity so it can transport up to a million people each day. The new electric buses are also part of the city’s efforts to upgrade its old bus services and reduce Bangkok’s overall carbon footprint. The new electric bus system will rapidly…
- World News
Mobile app in Japan will delete explicit kid photos
To avoid sexual abuse and exploitation, a mobile application from Japan will automatically delete kids’ explicit photos from their phones. Kids The artificial intelligence-powered app was developed in response to the rapid rise in incidents of adults requesting children’s explicit photos on social media. The application will also send messages to the parents and delete any images it finds to be…
- Covid-19 News
Insurance companies in uproar over Covid scam by clients
In a bizarre twist of fate, insurance companies are crying wolf after being scammed out of 500 million baht from a Covid-19 insurance scheme. Evidence has emerged that thousands of people who bought the “Found, Paid, Done” Covid-19 insurance scheme submitted fake documents for compensation totalling an estimated 500 million baht. The president of the Thai General Insurance Association, Anon…
- Tourism News
Suitcases packed as Thais get ready for domestic travel
The number of locals planning their vacations is predicted to spike for the first time since the pandemic broke out over 2 years ago. The President of the Tourism Council of Thailand, Chamnan Srisawat, predicts there will be a high number of Thai nationals travelling domestically in the third quarter of 2022 thanks to the easing of restrictions and regulations…
- Technology News
Popular Thai lottery ticket app to get 2 million more tickets
With the high demand for the government’s legal lottery tickets sold online, the Government Lottery Office will likely add 2 million more tickets to its digital distribution system, Pao Tang, for the draw on August 1. The director-general of the Revenue Department, Lawaron Saengsanit, says that people are buying more tickets. “The latest sales were faster than expected and reflect…
- Cannabis News
“Khao San Road should be a cannabis hotspot to boost tourism” – local businessman
“The chance for the government to use cannabis to boost tourism shouldn’t be turned down.” The words of a local Khao San Road businessman who sees an opportunity in the government’s recent announcement to decriminalise cannabis products. President of the Khao San Road Businesses Association, Sanga Ruengwattanakul says that foreign visitors passing through the infamous party strip “could be encouraged…
- Tourism News
“Thailand should be a luxury and premier holiday destination” – Deputy PM
In the first half of 2022, Thailand welcomed around 2 million international travellers, marking a promising recovery after the Land of Smile’s tourism sector suffered from the outbreak and the restrictions imposed on entry requirements, such as the Thailand Pass. Thailand holiday Thailand holiday But rather than offering significant discounts to attract world travellers, hotels, businesses and private hospitals should…
- Crime News
Thai student caught smoking cannabis, threatened to punch teacher
A Thai high school student locked himself in a classroom during lunch break to smoke cannabis with other classmates, which was hidden in a water bottle. The teacher tried to stop the students from smoking the weed, but one of the students threatened to “punch the teacher.” A Ramathibodi Hospital paediatrician shared the story on her Facebook page. The event…
- Pattaya News
77 year old Australian separated from 20 others during hike on Koh Larn
After being lost and stranded while hiking on Koh Larn, just off the coast of Pattaya, an unnamed 77 year old Australian was eventually found and rescued. It is still unclear how he became separated from the group. There were 20 people in the hiking group. After completing the trail, the group failed to do a head count once they…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron subvariant likely to be a dominant strain in Thailand
There is a chance that the new Covid-19 sub variants, BA.4 and BA.5, will likely dominate new Thailand Covid infections, as they have already in other countries. However, they have not yet caused serious problems in the Land of Smiles. The latest sub-variants have been characterised by the increased transmissibility and immune escape – such “immune escapes” could mean more…
- Tourism News
Inflation causing a problem for airlines coming to Thailand
The Thai tourism industry is trying to recover as fewer international flights are now arriving due to inflation as prices of fuel are rising. There are also problems in both Europe and the US with flights being cancelled or with long delays, causing additional travel chaos as the world’s travel and aviation tries to recover. World inflation is also hitting…
- Phuket News
UPDATE: 19 year old Australian falls to his death at a Phuket hotel
UPDATE Phuket Police, Lieutenant Colonel Kokiat Boonplod, today confirmed there was no foul play involved in the death of 19 year old Australian Joshua Cornell. The teenager fell to his death from the 6th floor of a hotel rooftop in Phuket’s Patong Beach. The roof of a restaurant kitchen next door broke his fall. CCTV footage captured Cornell walking on…
