Business News
Thailand business news, market trends, foreign investment, and economic updates—stay informed on stock market movements, entrepreneurship, and key developments shaping the economy. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for business news in Thailand.
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Sponsored 12Go introduces Japan Rail Passes to enhance travel accessibility for international travellers
For those who have travelled throughout Thailand, 12Go is a well-known provider of various trips, though the platform itself has a much wider reach. Ranging from buses to planes, 12Go is undoubtedly a leading booking platform for travel throughout the...
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Retirement is all about safety first
PHUKET: I cannot even begin to tell you the horror stories I hear from many expats I meet. Unfortunately, they’re coming to see me too late or have not been reading my columns. The first thing that many Americans or Europeans think when they move to Thailand is how cheap it is to live here. We got a lot more…
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Amari appoints new AGM based in Patong
PHUKET: ONYX Hospitality Group, which operates the well-known Amari hotel brand, has announced a restructure of its key hotel and corporate operations roles in Thailand. As part of the restructure, ONYX has promoted their talented hospitality professionals Pierre-Andre Pelletier and David Cumming to the positions of Vice President Area General Manager for Southern Thailand and Bangkok, respectively. Both veterans in…
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Grand Mercure Phuket Patong sets its sights high
PHUKET: After 13 years in the Kingdom, 36-year-old Sebastien Tronchet has risen from hotel intern to general manager overseeing the pre-opening, opening and operation of the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong. Like many general managers, Sebastien began in food and beverage (F&B) and quickly ascended the ranks. “I’m lucky to come from a little province in the South of France. We…
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Taxi finder site seeks to improve user experience
PHUKET: In the midst of the flurry of fanfare regarding the NCPO’s crackdown on Phuket’s illegal taxis and taxi mafia (story here), a small family business called Travelsnooper Co Ltd has created a website that they hope will help all. The new website, called taxithailand.info and available in English and Thai, is aiming for a target audience that includes hotels,…
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Phuket Pearl Group to promote and sell its products in overseas markets
PHUKET: Phuket Pearl Group, a large Thai cultured-pearl producer, plans to promote its “Amorn Pearl” trademark internationally. President Amorn Intorncharoen said last week that the company realizes that to become the leading pearl trader and integrated farm operator in the region – in the face of the seamless trade promised by the fast approaching AEC integration – trademarks and brand…
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Phuket Airport shops given three days to clean up, or get out
PHUKET: Owners of the stores operating inside Phuket International Airport have until Thursday to present official proof from the Airports of Thailand (AoT) that they have permission to operate, or see their shops shut down, a Navy captain has warned. “Any airport shops open past the deadline without the appropriate papers posted at the store, or found selling products not…
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Hotel investment in Thailand likely to decline on AEC opening
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Hotel investment in Thailand likely to decline on AEC opening The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Investment in new hotels in Thailand is expected to slow next year as many key players concentrate on newly opened markets to cash in on the opening of the Asean…
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Coup d’etat or coup de grâce?
PHUKET: The change in government on May 22 seems to have occasioned a very different response from inside Thailand as compared with that of the world outside. The coup may have delivered the coup de grâce to the political turmoil, which not only paralyzed public policy but also saw international investors accelerating their already significant sell-off of Thai assets. Foreign…
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Insights of a veteran hotelier
At 59 years young, Gerard Tan has some years behind him, but he doesn’t let that slow him down. “We should go out and drink one night,” says Tan as he settled down to a strong coffee in the courtyard of the Millennium Resort Patong. However, he can’t be blamed for his festive mood. After a seven-year stint as the…
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Facebook is getting less friendly
PHUKET: A few weeks back a friend of mine told me he’d seen a great band at Gig’s Jam Club in Nai Harn. It sounded like an amazing night and I was kicking myself that I missed it. Then I checked my calendar and it turned out I hadn’t been busy that night and was literally just up the road…
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Local gelato producers serve up the good stuff
PHUKET: In the high season, more than 4,000 scoops of gelato and sorbet – chocolate, licorice, durian, rice and wasabi flavors among them – are produced every day on Phuket by local ice cream makers. Though that’s nearly 10,000 kilograms a month, and does not include sales by big players such as Haagen Dazs and Movenpick, there is still room…
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Phillipp Graf von Hardenberg takes the reins at Thanyapura
PHUKET: It takes one look at Phillipp Graf von Hardenberg’s resume to understand why he was appointed the new President and CEO of Phuket’s Thanyapura. Hailing from Germany, Mr Graf von Hardenberg wears many hats: business coach, entrepreneur, financier, educator, hotelier and if that is not enough – fundraiser and philanthropist. He has turned around the fortunes of the first…
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International arrivals and hotel occupancy strong in first quarter
PHUKET: The number of international tourist arrivals to Phuket grew by 6.9% year-over-year (YOY) to 962,953 arrivals in the first quarter of 2014. An increase in direct international flights to Phuket have helped insulate it from any negative impact from the ongoing political turmoil in Bangkok, according to CBRE. The average occupancy of upscale hotels (with rates over 2,000 baht…
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The military coup is bullish for the Thai Stock Market
PHUKET: For those of us from the United States and Western Europe, it is hard to imagine a military coup occurring in our home countries. Matter of fact, I get calls from nervous friends and relatives asking if I’m okay and if there are tanks in the street. Well, for those of us that have lived here for quite some…
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Coup puts dent in Phuket hotel occupancy numbers
PHUKET: Hotel occupancy has taken a hit in coup-time Phuket with cancellation and booking rates falling short of last year’s numbers. Though figures vary between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office and the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA), both agencies agree that the coup has affected the tourism industry. “Booking cancellation rates are up about 10 per cent compared…
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Air bookings to Thailand plunge after coup, data shows
PHUKET: Airline bookings to Thailand have collapsed, a travel association said on Sunday, after the military took over the government on May 22, hitting the tourism sector that accounts for 10 per cent of the economy. The coup followed months of protests that weakened the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, forced ministries to close for weeks on end, hurt…
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Economic outlook positive despite coup
PHUKET: Business and economic leaders have expressed confidence in the economy despite the uncertainty surrounding the direction the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will take in the coming weeks and months. The heads of several leading property development companies, including Italian-Thai Development Plc, Sansiri Plc and Land and House Plc, all of which have large projects underway or…
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Video Report: A place to call their own
PHUKET: St James Properties has entered the foray to secure its role in Patong’s burgeoning family tourism market with the recent opening of The Kids Club, located off Soi Bangla, touted as the biggest indoor playground in Phuket. Located at the Patong Promenade shopping mall, The Kids Club is presented as a premium children’s venue, which is now fully operational…
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Jungceylon Patong sees first quarter spike in clients
PHUKET: Jungceylon Patong has announced a 20 per cent increase in clients for the first quarter this year over its figures during the same period in 2013. The increase has resulted in the daily averages at the Phuket shopping mall jumping from 45,000 – 50,000 visitors a day to 50,000 – 55,000, explained Chief Executive Officer of Jungceylon Patong Phuket…
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Rawai roasters tout Thai coffee beans
PHUKET: With the fast approaching Asean Economic Community (AEC) integration, Thailand’s coffee producers will be facing stiff competition from neighboring coffee behemoths Indonesia and Vietnam. Coffee industry experts have long been calling on coffee producers in the kingdom to bring specialty coffee products to market and move away from supplying bulk beans to instant coffee manufacturers. The high-quality beans are…
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How to choose an offshore broker
PHUKET: As an expatriate, there are a number of important aspects to consider before choosing an offshore broker or a custodian to hold your investment assets. At the same time, you will need to keep in mind that not every offshore broker will be able to offer a perfect solution for all of your needs – especially if your financial…
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Business as usual for bars, despite bans
PHUKET: Despite a handful of unexpected alcohol bans due to elections brought about by the ongoing, nationwide political protests, business seems to be barreling forward as usual in Phuket’s premier party town. The Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Anoma Wongyai, told the Gazette, “I think because the alcohol bans were short-lived, only one or two days long, they…
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Chinese vote Phuket favorite destination for students
PHUKET: Phuket has been voted the favorite destination for Chinese students. The accolade was one of six awards won by Phuket at the annual ceremony held by China’s largest Online Travel Agent (OTA), Ctrip.com, and one of nine awards won by Thai destinations in total. The “Ctrip Best Tourist Destination of the Year 2013 Awards Ceremony” was held in Shanghai…
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Leaders from paradise isles to meet in Phuket ahead of ITOP forum
PHUKET: Island leaders from around the world will arrive in Phuket at the end of the month in order to prepare for their 18th annual forum, to take place at the Laguna Phuket resort complex in August. The group, called the Inter-Island Tourism Policy Forum (ITOP), formed in 1997 after officials of Jeju, Bali, Hainan and Okinawa agreed that leaders…
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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…
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Thailand OTOP fair in Patong to breach B1bn barrier
PHUKET: The Thailand One Tambon One Product (OTOP) Fair to conclude tomorrow is expected to boost Phuket’s income from OTOP events beyond the billion-baht mark for the year. The Patong event is expected to bring the island’s income from OTOP events for Fiscal 2014 to 1.08 billion baht for the local economy, a 22% increase on sales realized last year,…
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Revamped Tesco Lotus Extra fully open from today
PHUKET: Renovations on the Tesco Lotus Extra Phuket mall, located off the bypass road in Sam Kong, were recently completed and the revamped mall is now fully open for business as of today. Tesco says that more shops, famous brands, and a new food court have been added to the mall, including Starbucks, Fuji, Giordano, Air Asia, as well as…
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Jagota sponsors three new international music and theater events in Phuket [video]
PHUKET: Phuket’s burgeoning events scene received a boost this week with the announcement that leading food supplier Jagota Brothers has signed an agreement with Events International [EI], organizer and promoter of the Phuket Gazette’s series of “Headline Events”, to sponsor three upcoming musical and theatrical performances on the island. The agreement will see Jagota as the title sponsor for these…
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Package tour purchasers beware, says TAT
PHUKET: Fifty tourists recently found themselves abandoned by a resort, without rooms to check in to, after buying low-price tour packages, prompting the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Krabi to issue a warning to tour buyers. “Several tourists booked and paid for Krabi tour packages at a travel fair in Bangkok, and even received booking confirmations. But when they arrived…
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SilkAir celebrates 25 years in Phuket’s skies
PHUKET: Full-service regional carrier SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, celebrated its silver anniversary in Phuket on Saturday, as its chief executive highlighted the company’s growth goals. Phuket was one of the five original destinations for the regional airline when it was re-branded from Tradewinds the Airline to SilkAir on April, 1, 1992. The number of destinations served by the…
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