Business
Hong Kong couples wooed to wed in Phuket

PHUKET: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hong Kong office will launch a pilot campaign to lure couples in Hong Kong to legally marry in Phuket.
The pilot project alone is expected to generate 124 million baht for the Phuket economy.
To introduce the concept, TAT Hong Kong office director Titiporn Manenate took a delegation of leading wedding planners from Hong Kong to meet Phuket Vice Governor Sommai Prijasilpa at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday afternoon.
Joining the delegation in support was Khanthong Nuanual, the Thai consul general in Hong Kong.
“About 65,000 marriages are registered each year in Hong Kong,” said Ms Titiporn.
“About 20,000 of those couples each year would prefer to travel abroad for their wedding. This is what we see as our full potential market in Hong Kong for this campaign.”
The pilot project aims to bring just 100 couples to Phuket by offering special wedding packages valued at HK$300,000 (about B1.2mn) up to HK$400,000 (B1.68mn).
“This would generate about 124mn baht in the pilot project this year alone,” Ms Titiporn said.
“This estimate does not include their friends paying for hotel packages and other spending for the trip.”
While in Phuket, the delegation of wedding planners will learn about the formal process of registering a marriage in Thailand.
“Couples will be legally married in Thailand, and the travel companies can have the legal Thai marriage certificate validated by officials in Hong Kong as part of the service,” Thai consul Kanthong explained.
“That way the couples will be legally married in the eyes of the law when the couples return home.”
Vice Governor Sommai warmed to the idea.
“Phuket is ready for such a campaign, We have the right hotels with the facilities to serve large or small wedding parties, and the island has the right combination of tourist attractions to make the honeymoon one to remember,” she said.
— Saran Mitrarat
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Business
Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year?
As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again.
Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats unused. Local tourists mostly skipped flights and opted for destinations within driving distance of their homes.
As for international tourism… well that still seems months or years away, even now.
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Business
Domestic air passenger numbers double those of January

Passenger numbers on domestic flights within Thailand have doubled within a month, rising from 4,000 in January to over 10,000 this month. Having nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel plummeted once more when Covid-19 resurfaced late last year.
Apirat Chaiwongnoi from the Department of Airports says 15 of Thailand’s 29 airports are now operating domestic flights, with more expected to follow. He believes the aviation sector will continue to recover further in the coming 6 months, bolstered by the national vaccine rollout.
Around 120 domestic flights a day are now operating, which is twice the number that were operating at the lowest point in the crisis. Prior to the resurgence of the virus in December, domestic passenger numbers had recovered to 30,000 – 40,000 a day, around 80% of pre-pandemic numbers.
The DoA says airports must continue to adhere to the Covid-19 hygiene measures put in place by the Health Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Samut Sakhon’s shrimp market to remain closed until February 15

Samut Sakhon’s Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of Thailand’s recent wave of Covid-19, will remain closed until February 15. The market can reopen once the overall hygiene situation at the market and surrounding area has improved, according to the province’s disease control committee.
Local officials say the shrimp market needs to remain closed until the market structure and nearby residential facilities are inspected. People who violate the order face up to a year in prison and a fine up to 100,000 baht.
More than 12,000 people in the province have tested positive for Covid-19. The increasing number of infections is a result from the active case finding to contain the spread of the virus.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World | Thairath Online
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