Business
New Etihad Phuket airlink opens gateway to Europe

PHUKET: The new weekly direct flights between Phuket and Abu Dhabi, and on to Germany, launched last month by United Arab Emirates (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways have transformed the UAE into a portal for European tourists traveling to and from Phuket and the rest of Asia.
The new service was launched on April 15 after Etihad inked a cooperation agreement with Air Berlin earlier this year.
“This route is more popular among European tourist traveling from Europe than Middle Eastern tourists,” said Ekarat Jenkijjaroenchai, head of Etihad’s press relations in Airway Thailand.
“But with the new direct flights, we expect to have more Middle Eastern tourists traveling on this popular route,” he added.
“Phuket is one of the most popular destinations for people who travel to Thailand on our flights. Many Etihad passengers who land in Bangkok do not even stop over in Bangkok; they transit directly out from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Phuket with our code-share partner Bangkok Airways,” he said.
Passengers landing in Abu Dhabi can connect with Air Berlin flights to Dusseldorf, Berlin and Frankfurt.
To launch the new service, Etihad is offering discounted fares until the end of December, including Phuket to London return from 20,300 baht for economy class and 71,300 baht for business class.
Discounted rates are also being offered for flights from Phuket to Moscow, Istanbul, Athens, Manchester, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, Paris, Milan, Geneva, Brussels, Dublin and Johannesburg.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Governments & old media versus social media – who will win? | VIDEO

We look at the recent changes made by the Australian and Indian governments to except control over the world’s biggest social media platforms. India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social. There is now an open battle between the rise of social media platforms and the governments and ‘old’ media that have been able to maintain a certain level of control over the ‘message’ for the last century. Who will win?
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told. The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
The social media giants in battle with ‘old’ media and world governments | VIDEO

“The rules signal greater willingness by countries around the world to rein in big tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter that the governments fear have become too powerful with little accountability.”
India has issued strict new rules for Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms just weeks after the Indian government attempted to pressure Twitter to take down social media accounts it deemed, well, anti social.
The rules require any social media company to create three roles within India… a “compliance officer” who ensures they follow local laws; a “grievance officer” who addresses complaints from Indian social media users; and a “contact person” who can actually be contacted by lawyers and other aggrieved Indian parties… 24/7.
The companies are also being made to publish a compliance report each month with details about how many complaints they’ve received and the action they took.
They’ll also be required to remove ‘some’ types of content including “full or partial nudity,” any “sexual act” or “impersonations including morphed images”
The democratisation of the news model, with social media as its catalyst, will continue to baffle traditional media and governments who used to enjoy a level of control over what stories get told.
The battles of Google and Facebook, with the governments of India and Australia will be followed in plenty of other countries as well.
At the root of all discussions will be the difference between what governments THINK social media is all about and the reality about how quickly the media landscape has changed. You’ll get to read about it first, on a social media platform… probably on the screen you’re watching this news story right now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
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.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Bangkok3 days ago
Woman talks about the life of a Thai “pretty” after model’s death
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Public Health Minister gets first Covid-19 vaccine shot in Thailand
- Cannabis2 days ago
Another drug bust near the Mekong River, 500 kilograms of cannabis seized
- Chon Buri1 day ago
Bike rider killed after crashing motorbike into parked truck in Chon Buri
- Bangkok2 days ago
At least 22 people arrested at Bangkok protest, officer dies of heart failure
- Bangkok3 days ago
Royal Thai Police accused of “ticket” promotion system to buy senior positions
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
Thai PM says Covid-19 jab is safe, urges people to get vaccinated
- Thailand2 days ago
How to Wai like a Thai, with Som | VIDEO