Business News
Stay abreast of the ever-changing Business News in Thailand through our comprehensive coverage of local and international business events, market trends, and economic updates. We provide reliable analysis, in-depth features, and expert insights on the most relevant business stories, including issues affecting Thailand’s stock market, foreign investment, and entrepreneurship. Track the business world’s pulse as we inform you of crucial developments shaping Thailand’s economic landscape.
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Retirement planning is more than just investing
PHUKET: A common question that I get from potential clients is, “Why do I need a registered investment adviser? I can buy stocks on my own.” Well, retirement planning is more than just buying and selling stocks and bonds. The answer is that retirement involves not only investment planning, but it also involves tax planning. The best way to explain…
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Job applicants should not be forced to do blood tests for HIV: Rights body
PHUKET: The National Human Rights Commission has condemned businesses that require job applicants to be tested for HIV, saying the move is a “clear violation of human rights”. The NHRC said requiring people to take a blood test could adversely affect people who do this, plus their families, both economically and socially. The agency was responding to complaints from the…
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Phuket entrepreneur takes to the skies
PHUKET: Perched on a steep hillside directly beneath the watchful gaze of the Big Buddha rests the compound that houses Helicam. Owned and operated by British national Phil Clark, the media production company, which specializes in aerial photography and videography, is just about to celebrate a dozen years of operating in Phuket. The anniversary will be highlighted by the upcoming…
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THAI Smile poised for relocation to Don Mueang
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand business news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community THAI’s Smile Air poised for relocation to Don Mueang The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai Airways International Plc has prepared its budget Thai Smile Air for take-off from Don Mueang International Airport on August 8 to snatch passengers from low-cost competitors. The flag carrier…
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Thai AirAsia cuts 2014 passenger estimates
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – Thailand business news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community The Nation / Phuket Gazette PHUKET: Thai AirAsia Co has lowered its passenger projection for this year from 13.2 million to 12.6 million because of the political crisis that has hit inbound travel during the past two months. Santisuk Klongchaiya, director of commercial operations, said…
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Flipping tweets – translation service for social media savvy businesses
PHUKET: Following an extensive period of beta testing, a Chiang Mai-based tech startup’s new translation service, Fliplingo, went live on June 26. The company, also called Fliplingo, has searched out a distinct niche in the translation market by offering live translation of Twitter messages in – as of this time – up to 32 languages. That’s right, actual multilingual human…
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Mixologist explains how to keep a smooth flow behind the bar
Richard Gillam talks about bringing 5-star service to Phuket’s bars. VIDEO: PGTV PHUKET: Many bars and beach clubs in Phuket are tempted by the romance of gastronomic concoctions in the kitchen to bring the same flare to their drink menus as a way to boost profits. However, for the vast majority of them this isn’t the solution, explains Richard Gillam,…
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Thailand strives to increase organic exports
PHUKET: The Ministry of Commerce is pushing for organic products on the national agenda following growing demands worldwide, especially in the US and European markets. Permanent Secretary for Commerce Chutima Boonyapraphatson said the ministry would join hands with eight government and private organizations to promote Thai organic products which had become increasingly popular despite an economic slowdown over the past…
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Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket appoints new director of sales and marketing
PHUKET: The Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket has announced the appointment of Sanjeev Tandon as its new Director of Sales and Marketing. An Indian national, Mr Tandon holds a master’s degree in Management Studies with a specialization in marketing from the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research at Mumbai University, India. He also comes to the role with extensive experience…
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Thanyapura gives back to the community
PHUKET: “Now more than ever, companies need to demonstrate transparency. They must show they are attuned to environmental issues. They should reduce carbon emissions, promote zero waste and host CSR activities to engage the public,” said the President of International Business Affairs of The Nation Multimedia Group Pana Janviroj in the foreword of the latest issue of CSR Thailand magazine.…
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Nominations being accepted for Thailand’s first Expat Entrepreneur Awards
PHUKET: Bangkok-based publisher, The BigChilli Company, has announced that it will be hosting Thailand’s first Expat Entrepreneur Awards 2014 on September 25 in Bangkok. The accolades will be awarded in a variety of categories such as arts and culture, education, hospitality and travel to highlight the contributions that foreign-owned/managed companies have made to Thailand’s economy. The awards ceremony is jointly…
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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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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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Accor steps into high-end ring with Grand Mercure Patong Phuket
THE ACCOR Group’s latest high-end hotel in the province is aiming to quickly ween itself off the source of its current success, TripAdvisor, and use agent-sourced revenue streams to hit its 2014 goal of gross revenue exceeding 160 million baht. “Phuket is an agent-based destination. It’s the bread and butter of the business. It would be too risky to rely…
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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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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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Investment advisers: Whose side are they really on?
PHUKET: In the world of providing financial planning and investment advisory services, just about everyone claims to be, or tries to pass themselves off as, an expert looking out for your best interest. But just who is an investment adviser really serving and more importantly, who is watching over him or her? For expatriates, asking such questions is important because…
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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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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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Generating a passive income stream
PHUKET: The whole point of retirement planning is to get to a point where you no longer need to actively work to provide you with the things you need or want. This can be accomplished by saving enough money that you can draw it down slowly until you die, but the downside of this approach is that you obviously never…
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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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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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Lion Air roars into Southern Thailand
PHUKET: Regional low-cost carrier Lion Air has launched services to several new destinations in Thailand, with its Thai subsidiary Thai Lion Air, aiming to establish Hat Yai Airport (HDY) as a second hub in Thailand. Executive Managing Director of Thai Lion Air, Andi Burhan, said that the carrier’s decision to use a 72-seat ATR 72-600 prop plane, the first ATR…
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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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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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