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Infinito helps hotels in Thailand with revenue management
Maximising revenue and profit–isn’t that the ultimate goal for every business in the hospitality industry? If you run a hotel, you might have heard that revenue management is an effective way to boost your top-line revenue. It involves using data...
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Phuket Poll: Are our roads killing us?
PHUKET: The highways and byways of Phuket have been much in the news recently. It seems that as soon as authorities plan and build new roads, existing ones deteriorate. In the latest Phuket Gazette online poll, we ask our readers to what extent does the state of the roads in Phuket contribute to the number of accidents in the province.…
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Jurgen Zack gives training tips for the Phuket Triathlon
PHUKET: Coming to Phuket for the first time as an athlete 14 years ago had me quite excited. I did not have to worry about cold weather. I could leave my shoe covers and my arm and leg warmers at home. I could work on my physical fitness and my tan. Having been here for awhile, I now recognize the…
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Round-up of Phuket sporting action
PHUKET: The cricket season in Phuket got underway with a friendly between last year’s Island Furniture league champions, Patong CC, and new boys the Thanyapura Tigers (TT) at Cherng Talay. It was a baptism of fire for TT with Patong batting first and posting a score of 214 for 4 after 20 overs. In reply, TT scored 39 runs in…
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Phuket’s Jaray Jearanai made history at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii
PHUKET: Jaray Jearanai of Phuket has reached a new high in his athletic career after completing the pinnacle of endurance events, the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, in a time of just over 11 hours.This was an outstanding accomplishment for the Laguna Phuket marketing executive considering that it was his first attempt at the full Ironman course, and only weeks…
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Phuket gets its hooks, lines and sinkers at the ready
PHUKET: Phuket’s seventh International Sport Fishing Tournament has event organizers gearing up for another big catch of participants from around the world. The event takes place from November 23-26. The island’s premier fishing competition has already reeled in 80 fishing enthusiasts who comprise 20 teams, with entries still being accepted via the tournament’s website. The tournament practices “catch and release”…
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French rugby hits puberty
PHUKET: “Yesterday we had the same players out there as in Wellington against Tonga, except that they grew a big pair of balls.” Marc Lievremont, coach of the French national rugby team remarks on their performance after defeating England at the quarter final stage of this year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. A fortuitous France side will play home…
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Phuket Landslide Update: Patong Hill slides continue
PHUKET: Efforts by Phuket authorities to shore up Patong Hill road took a turn for the worse today, when the dirt foundation under a recently “repaired” section of road slid away, taking the breakdown lane with it. The latest slide, from beneath a section that had been covered with blacktop just days before, exposed more soil and increased the chances…
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Tonight: Phuket gets its comedy fix
PHUKET: Tonight, tonight, an Englishman, an Irishman and a Kiwi walk into a bar – and the punchline? The Punchline Comedy Club at the Holiday Inn Resort in Patong is hosting the geographically disparate trio this evening, with doors opening at 8pm – the laughs are scheduled to start at 8:30pm. Englishman Gorden Southern, Irishman Ian Coppinger and Kiwi Andre…
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Paris beckons Beckham
PHUKET: “I like Leonardo a lot, he is a great manager. I’m honored to know that he wants me to join PSG. It’s exciting, great things are happening in France. Leonardo has arrived, there’s a lot of money.”36-year-old David Beckham is being courted by French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint Germain (PSG), as his contract with LA Galaxy will finish…
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Phuket tourism riding high despite Thai floods
PHUKET: While many broad areas across Thailand are suffering from serious flooding, tourists are still heading to Phuket in droves, with the island registering 8.2 million* passengers passing through Phuket International Airport since the beginning of the year. In announcing the news today, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha said, “Many places in the country are suffering from serious flooding, but Phuket…
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Phuket’s new-look Sarasin Bridge already needs a clean-up
PHUKET: The popularity of the new-look Sarasin Bridge as a tourist attraction is forcing local authorities to address the growing number of mobile vendors who have set up operations at both ends of the span, in Phuket and Phang Nga. Officials are also planning to replace light bulbs at the site damaged by the recent storms. Conversion of the bridge…
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Aussie expat recovers from Phuket balcony fall
PHUKET: Australian national and long-term Phuket resident Rod Palmer has been released from the intensive care unit (ICU) and is now in a general recovery room at Bangkok Hospital Phuket. Mr Palmer fell off a balcony at his home in Rawai last week. He sustained three fractured vertebrae, five fractured ribs, a head injury and other cuts and abrasions in…
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Jet-ski operators, beach vendors to protect Phuket tourists
PHUKET: Patong Police plan to recruit beachfront workers as their eyes and ears in protecting Phuket tourists this high season, in addition to installing more closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) cameras. “Usually, there are a lot of robberies during the high season. We don’t really have enough officers to take care of all the tourists during peak season,” explained Patong Police Superintendent…
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Phuket protest wins residents landslide probe
PHUKET: A protest staged by about 100 residents on Friday has resulted in the Phuket Provincial Office spearheading an investigation into construction on a steep hill in Patong. The protest, held opposite the entrance to Phra Baramee Road Soi 4, came after the third mudslide hit the Kok Makham community since construction began at the site. “Three times mud, sand…
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Phuket students to learn water survival skills
PHUKET: In a bid to save Phuket children from drowning, a new project by the Phuket Lifeguard Club, Laguna Phuket and Cherng Talay Municipality aims to teach students in Phuket’s Thalang District how to identify dangerous swimming conditions. The students will even learn how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Held over two school semesters, the project will be open to…
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Phuket students wild carded for ITF tennis tournament
PHUKET: Thanyapura Sports and Leisure Club hosted its inaugural tennis tournament, the Thanyapura Tennis Challenge, last weekend.As a result of reaching the Men’s Singles final, two 17-year-old students from Satree Phuket School have earned their places in the Chang ITF Thailand Pro Circuit 2011, which will run from October 29 to November 12, again hosted by TSLC.Thachakorn ‘Kevin’ Tonnon and…
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Thailand to lead “education export’ market?
PHUKET: Thailand aims to position itself as a hub for international education and take full advantage of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) set to take effect in 2015, the state-run National News Bureau of Thailand reported on its website last week. Such a bold declaration, echoing similar grand policy initiatives under the government of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has triggered…
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Italian Thai boxer tourist gets Phuket smack-down
PHUKET: An Italian student of muay Thai learned the hard way last night that it’s unwise to mix beer and martial arts, ending up with 15 stitches to the eyebrow and a blow to his pride. According to a report in Siangtai Daily this morning, a group of three “bald and heavily tattooed Italians” were drinking in a bar on…
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Phuket may get a trade office
PHUKET: Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) officials have proposed building an office in Phuket as part of a government strategy to improve services for businesses ahead of the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The officials were in Phuket recently to discuss the issue with Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, who expressed interest in the proposal. Phuket is one of seven provinces…
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Phuket man murdered within inches of his wife
PHUKET: A man driving his wife home from her job at Phuket Airport was gunned down in Sakoo subdistrict last night. Thachatchai Police were notified of the murder on the Sakoo-Nai Yang Road just after midnight. They identified the deceased as 29-year-old Niphon Thaiprasert, a resident of Sakoo Village 3.Mr Niphon died from a single gun shot that entered his…
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Phuket may benefit from regional drive to target European tourists
PHUKET: The Andaman provinces announced last week a plan to launch a joint marketing campaign aimed at luring more Europeans – especially Scandinavians – and persuading them to stay longer. The Andaman Explorer campaign is the brainchild of the tourism associations in the five provinces along the coast of the Andaman Sea: Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Trang and Ranong. Ittirit…
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Design re-thinks needed for Phuket and Bangkok Hotels
PHUKET: A hotel design consultant currently working on the interior design for the Regent Phuket, which opens here early next year, says that many hotels, particularly in Phuket and Bangkok, need to rethink their aesthetics in order to remain competitive. Competition is now fierce as many thousands of new rooms are coming on the market, not only in Phuket and…
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Phuket Opinion: Landslides expose greed, incompetence
PHUKET: There is a Thai idiom, gam dai khrai gaw gam nan yawm sanawng, that has as its English-language equivalent, “You reap what you sow”. Similar maxims no doubt exist in every language because of the universal truths they contain. Local leaders throughout Phuket are grappling for ways to deal with the damage from the floods and landslides that have…
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Caution urged along Phuket airport road
PHUKET: The Highways Department office in Phuket is asking motorists to slow down and exercise caution when passing work on the airport road expansion project in Thalang. Aroon Saneh, head of the regional Highways Department that covers Phuket and parts of Phang Nga, said work on the 120-million-baht project to widen a 4.6-kilometer stretch of the road from two lanes…
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Burmese crew’s mutiny-murder run ends in Phuket
PHUKET: A mutinous Burmese fishing crewman has confessed to Phuket Police that he hacked to death the ship’s “cruel” Thai captain before attacking the vessel’s technician, who jumped overboard and is presumed dead.The crew of seven Burmese were found yesterday aboard the fishing vessel Wor Suphaporn, stranded off Mai Thon island.“Nud”, 25, confessed to Phuket Police that on October 12…
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FC Phuket take on Customs United tomorrow
PHUKET: Following a two-week break from league play, FC Phuket will host Samut Prakan Customs United (SCU) tomorrow (Sunday) at Surakul Stadium in Phuket Town. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm. The last time these two teams met was in May, when they played to a 2-2 draw in Samut Prakan. Based on season stats, the odds look to favor Phuket.…
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Phuket rain hampers towers of power move
PHUKET: The heavy rains across Phuket this week continue to hamper efforts to replace power poles leaning dangerously on Patong Hill. The poles were undermined by a mudslide on October 5 following days of incessant downpours. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Phuket office has been attempting to replace the poles. The current plan is to have the poles removed by…
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Phuket Governor transfer rumors “unconfirmed’
PHUKET: The Governor’s Office today said they could neither confirm nor deny rumors that Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha will be transferred out of the province this month. “Our office has yet to be informed of any transfer orders regarding the governor or his deputies,” Manas Nurak, personal secretary to Governor Tri, told the Phuket Gazette. “The central government in Bangkok…
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Weird World News: The Superhero of Seattle, Moss Man and Superman fan in high jinks
PHUKET: Superheroes and villains made headlines around the world this week in bizarre, botched and bone-headed acts of super silly proportions. Masked ‘superhero of Seattle’ arrested for assault IN SEATTLE, Washington, they really do have a superhero watching over the city at night. But there’s just one problem: He was arrested this week for assault. The “superhero of Seattle”, also…
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Phuket woman takes life by hanging
PHUKET: In the second suicide by hanging in Phuket in three days, the body of a local woman was found suspended by the neck from a tree near her home in Thalang this morning. Tah Chat Chai Police were notified of a suicide on Soi Nai Yang 3, opposite Wat Nai Yang in Sakoo, at about dawn today. When they…
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