Business
Thanyapura to boost ‘Sports Hub of Asia’ status with B300mn investment

PHUKET: Thanyapura Phuket is looking to invest an additional 300 million baht in an expansion plan that will further strengthen its status as the Sports Hub of Asia.
To be scaled over five years, the investment will see the spectacular 23-hectare complex gain a 100-meter training pool, four tennis courts, a multi-room Wellness Center, an international school working toward becoming a United World College (UWC) with enhanced high-performance training programs and another 114 accommodation units.
The expansion will allow Thanyapura to host a new range of sports events and attract more athletes seeking to enhance their mental and physical readiness to compete in the growing number of national and regional sporting competitions throughout Asia and worldwide.
“We are committed to improve performance and health, inspire the mind, instill well-being to optimize the potential of athletes,” said Phillipp Graf Von Hardenberg, President and CEO of Thanyapura.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, the Sports Authority of Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and other authorities, associations and clubs to promote Phuket and Thanyapura as the Sports Hub of Asia. We are focusing not only on professionals, but also aspiring talent from the young generation in our high performance program.
“From now until 2017, we have 25 international, 15 national and 10 local events already planned, which will attract thousands per event of international, national and local athletes and spectators.”
Among the international events planned for 2015-2016 will be the first ‘Swim Around the Island’ competition, national and international tennis tournaments, a youth triathlon and the ‘Color Run’ event.
The 300 million baht investment will include the following improvements to Thanyapura’s facilities.
A 100m training pool with five lanes, the first in the world, will join the existing 50m Olympic size pool and 25m training pool.
Four more tennis courts will increase the total number of courts to 10, enabling Thanyapura to hold bigger national and international tennis tournaments.
A Wellness Center for the Body & Mind with seven individual spa rooms and two 100sqm large halls for carrying out yoga and mind-training programs.
Fourteen two-bedroom Thai villas to begin construction this year, and another building with 100 deluxe rooms to start next year.
Meanwhile, Phuket International Academy School is also working towards becoming a UWC, and expects to be certified by mid-2016. The high performance training academies have hired three more coaches to build its training programs to send talent to national and international competitions.
The sports facility, which first opened in 2008 and has cost 3.5 billion baht to date, comprises four centers: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club, Thanyapura Mind Center, Thanyapura Health and Phuket International Academy School. Other facilities include a 115-room sports hotel and DiVine Restaurant & Cellar and Booster Daily & Bar, where an extensive range of regionally grown organic food underpins the menu.
Thanyapura Health combines a holistic range of treatments such as physiotherapy and traditional Asian medicine plus aesthetics and rejuvenation therapies.
Health-conscious persons from China are the top source of business for the complex, generating 31% of the facility’s room-nights in 2014. Others in the top-ten list are sports persons from Thailand (15%), Australia (8%), Great Britain (5%), Hong Kong, Hungary, USA, the Netherlands, Singapore and Malaysia.
In 2013, Phuket’s average occupancy was 49% and Thanyapura 52%. In 2014, Phuket’s average occupancy and 51% Thanyapura 59%. Thanyapura’s goal for occupancy in 2015 will be 67%.
In addition to the sports facilities, Thanyapura also offers venues for a variety of events, such as meetings, team-building, product launches, weddings and receptions.
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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.
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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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Business
Domestic air passenger numbers double those of January

Passenger numbers on domestic flights within Thailand have doubled within a month, rising from 4,000 in January to over 10,000 this month. Having nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel plummeted once more when Covid-19 resurfaced late last year.
Apirat Chaiwongnoi from the Department of Airports says 15 of Thailand’s 29 airports are now operating domestic flights, with more expected to follow. He believes the aviation sector will continue to recover further in the coming 6 months, bolstered by the national vaccine rollout.
Around 120 domestic flights a day are now operating, which is twice the number that were operating at the lowest point in the crisis. Prior to the resurgence of the virus in December, domestic passenger numbers had recovered to 30,000 – 40,000 a day, around 80% of pre-pandemic numbers.
The DoA says airports must continue to adhere to the Covid-19 hygiene measures put in place by the Health Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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