Business
Phuket flower shops report blooming sales

PHUKET: Flower shops in Phuket are doing brisk business today, St Valentine’s Day 2012.
Many flower shops report record orders for floral arrangements, from both inside Phuket and off-island. Classic red roses remain the most popular items among the adults, while teddy bears and chocolates are increasingly popular among teenagers.
Flower shops in Phuket Town are displaying special flower arrangements in shopfronts in order to lure in customers seeking to buy flowers for loved ones.
Pran Suppasri, owner of the “Flowers by Metha” flower shop, said business began picking up at his shop yesterday.
“We ordered most of our red roses from China. We already received 40 to 50 orders of 1,000 baht each. We also received 30 to 40 orders for carnation arrangements that start at 500 baht. Most of the people ordering flowers from us are adults,” said Mr Pran.
“Even though flower prices went up by 20 to 30 per cent, it hasn’t affected demand. We still received a lot of orders yesterday and expect more throughout the course of the day,” he added.
Another Phuket Town shop called “I am Flower” reported “very good” sales, with orders pouring in from Phuket and off-island.
“We arrange the flower into bouquets at prices starting at 600 baht. We received 50 to 60 orders yesterday, and more continue to pour in today. Our customers are both Thai and foreigners, and about 10 per cent of orders are placed from Bangkok,” said shop assistant Chayatrid Gurtsripeng.
“Red roses are the most popular flower here, with 90 per cent of our customers ordering them. White roses and lilies are also popular. I think sales are stronger than Valentine’s Day last year, but we’ll have to wait until the end of the day to know for sure,” he said.
Flowers are not the only popular items for the Valentine’s Day. While most adults enjoy roses, youngsters tend to prefer some sweets for their sweeties. Some flower shops are expanding their product lines accordingly.
The owner of the Buppha Flower Shop in Phuket Town said, “We began receiving an increased number of orders yesterday, but not as much as last year. Most adults order flowers, but the teenagers have been buying teddy bears and chocolates that we have made available as another option for our customers,” he said.
Valentine’s Day has become increasingly popular in Thailand over the years and is no less important here now than it is in the Western countries where it first developed.
Not everyone is a fan, however. American comedian Adam Carolla equates Valentine’s Day with a field sobriety test. “The best you can hope for is to not screw it up and you’ll be on your way in 20 minutes,” he told listeners on his popular podcast recently.
— Warisa Temram
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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.
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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.
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