Business
Phuket Lighthouse Market back by popular demand

PHUKET: Building on its success last year, the Boat Lagoon Lighthouse Market is preparing to launch a redesigned layout at its venue as it continue to provide island exposure for local vendors and big-name luxury goods dealers.
“We want to create an outdoor theater concept. Something similar to ‘theater in the park’ or ‘cinema in the park’, which are both very popular community builders in the United States and elsewhere,” explained Kanittha Prasopsirikul, from ‘By Kanittha’, the company behind the market.
The redesign of the layout will have an impact on the experience, as there will also be more seating areas for visitors to eat, lounge and listen to live music.
In order to make the extra space, the number of shops will be limited to 60. However, Ms Kanittha points out that a larger space will be provided for the vendors to prepare their dishes or ply their goods.
During the four occasions that the Lighthouse Market ran from January to May last year, the number of vendors and sponsors on site steadily increased from 65 to 88, with the average being about 76.
The first event saw the Phuket community march in with a head count of 1,437 people, excluding vendors, joining the event. The numbers dwindled slightly in February, but spiked when a total of 1,676 people joined the extended three-day event in May. On average, about 1,312 people joined the market each time, matching the standard daily traffic in the Boat Lagoon, which fluctuates between 1,000 and 1,500 visitors.
Though the market will hold on to its original concept of combining the wonders of traditional Thai markets with the class and quality of Boat Lagoon, it will slightly shift gears in 2016 to focus more on the concept of creating a ‘chilled out, social’ destination for Thais, tourists and expats, Ms Kanittha said.
“We will be more selective about which vendors we bring on board to ensure that we create a truly unparalleled atmosphere, where quality products and activities are delivered into the hands of the Phuket community,” she says. “We want our visitors to have a wonderfully unique experience, as live music and light shows create the perfect ambiance.”
The Lighthouse Market will return on January 29 and is scheduled to run every month until April 9, when the ‘green season’, also touted as the ‘cruising season’, is ushered in with the southwest monsoon.
— Isaac Stone Simonelli
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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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