Phuket

Immigration plans big improvements

Published

18 years ago

April 5, 2002

Immigration plans big improvements | The Thaiger

PHUKET: Phuket Immigration has announced plans to radically improve its service to tourists and foreigners living in Phuket. Pol Col Apirak Hongtong, the Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette today that many foreigners who come to Phuket want to extend their stay in the country, but when their Immigration stamps expire, they do not know the correct procedure for renewing or extending. “We care about tourists and foreigners living in Phuket,” Col Apirak stressed, “and the Immigration Department is ready to advise them on the correct way to do things under Thai law.” He added that, with the government planning many projects in Phuket, such as the International Convention and Exhibition Center, the island will have more visitors, both tourists and businesspeople, and must therefore be prepared to serve greater numbers. To this end, a number of measures will be taken to ensure foreigners can get their immigration requirements met more easily. These include: * A mobile visa office to take service to popular tourist sites in Phuket, with service hours of 8 am to 8:30 pm. “We’ll need some time to prepare this because at present we have only 30 officers and we need to prepare the vehicle and set it up with computer links,” Col Apirak said. * In October a number of young women graduates will join the Phuket Immigration Department, checking passports at Phuket International Airport. “We want to improve service by having more energetic officers serving people coming to Phuket. We will also install machines to check passports, which will make the process faster,” Col Apirak commented. He added that he has put in a request for digital cameras to be installed at the airport Immigration desk to take pictures of all arrivals. These pictures will be used for comparison whenever Phuket receives requests from Interpol to check for wanted criminals believed to be on the island. When a match is made, it will be easier to track them down. * The foreign language abilities of the Immigration Department will be improved, initially with the help of volunteers. The focus will be on English, Russian and Scandinavian languages. “Starting next month, we will be seeking volunteers from among the foreigners who have lived in Thailand for more than 10 years, and who speak Thai, to help us to serve people who contact the Immigration office,” Col Apirak said. Commenting on recent bad press that the Immigration Police have received, Col Apirak said, “I never think badly of foreigners. All the actions that we have taken recently have been solely on the orders of Bangkok or of the Phuket Provincial Government. The Immigration Office has no powers to set rules or to do bad things to foreigners.” Finally, Col Apirak said that any tourist or resident foreigner who has problems with Immigration law may contact him on his mobile phone at any time of day or night. He gave the number: 01-8936767.

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News

30 dolphins greet visitors to Similan Islands

Published

2 days ago

October 21, 2019

Greeley Pulitzer

30 dolphins greet visitors to Similan Islands | The Thaiger

Tourists were treated to the sight of a school of dolphins in the Similan Islands off the Phang Nga coast on Sunday.

Tour organisers said that around 30 dolphins swam close to the boat six or seven miles offshore, creating excitement for passengers. It was the first time dolphins had been seen in the vicinity since October 15.

The Similan Islands National Park director said they were bottlenose dolphins and were among several species now returning to the area following a five-year closure of the park for environmental rehabilitation. Food is again plentiful there for them, he said.

Tourists are forbidden to feed wildlife lest the free handouts alter the animals’ natural behaviour, and the park’s waters are also very sensitive to contamination from human disease and marine debris, according to the director.

SOURCE: nationthailand.com

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Patong

Phuket hotels slashing the price of rooms

Published

2 days ago

October 21, 2019

The Thaiger

by Sophie Deviller

Hotels on Thailand’s most popular holiday island are being forced to slash prices, with rooms left vacant and beaches sparse as Thailand’s tourism chiefs struggle with a plunge in Chinese visitors caused by the US trade war and a stronger baht. Phuket was the most visited destination in the country last year, after Bangkok, and a good gauge of the state of its crucial travel industry.

Tourism accounts for 18% of Thailand’s gross domestic product and Chinese holidaymakers make up more than a quarter of total arrivals. But while 2.2 million people from the country visited in 2018, according to official figures, the numbers for January-September were down almost 20% year on year.

Claude de Crissey, the French Honorary Consul in Phuket and owner of about 40 rooms in the Patong Beach area, says Chinese tourists are usually present even during the current low season.

“That was not the case this year,” he said, adding he had to lower his prices by as much as 50%.

The problem is not only in Phuket, with hotels also struggling to fill rooms in the seaside resort of Pattaya on the mainland and on Koh Samui.

Trade tensions with the US have already made some Chinese reluctant to take holidays owing to uncertainty back home, while the Thai baht has risen about 10% against the yuan this year.

A boating disaster off Phuket’s coast that killed 47 Chinese holidaymakers in July 2018 also scared some off.

“We are worried,” said an industry insider, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic in a country where tourism provides tens of thousands of jobs. Adding to the headache is the fact that more than 3,000 new hotel rooms are being constructed on the island, raising the question of who will fill them.

“In terms of business, it’s not good,” said Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, vice-president of the association of hotels in Thailand and director of Vijitt Resort.

“Because … we have more hotels, more rooms to sell, we have more restaurants, more coffee shops.”

Still, tourism authority chairman Yuthasak Supasorn said he remained “optimistic.”

“We should reach our goal of 39.8 million foreign visitors.”

However, that is only up from 38.2 million in 2018, much less than the jump seen from the previous year’s total of 35.6 million.

Counting on India

Now hoteliers and tour package operators are targeting visitors from elsewhere, particularly India, which experts see as a huge untapped market.

A rapid expansion of the middle class in India, increased direct flights and visa-free travel have prompted Thailand to revise forecasts upwards.

It now expects two million Indian tourists this year, after an increase of nearly 25% on-year in the first seven months. But for now, the lower arrivals is evident on the streets of Phuket.

“I’ve never seen anything as bad as what it is at the moment,” said Paul Scott from Australia, who said he has been coming to Thailand for 15 years.

He mainly blamed the stronger baht for the drop-off but also the fact that Thailand wasn’t the untouched vacation paradise it once was. “Now it’s not so new … and it’s not cheap,” he said.

SOURCE: AFP

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Events

The 15th Mai Khao Marine Turtle fun run attracts more than 4,000 runners

Published

3 days ago

October 20, 2019

The Thaiger

4,000 runners from Thailand and overseas took part in the 15th Mai Khao Marine Turtle Fun Run and Half Marathon 2019 yesterday, starting from the Phuket Gateway.

The event is expected to raise 700,000 baht for the charity, now in its 15th year. The money raised goes towards to The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation, which is committed to protecting the marine and coastal environment, and ecosystems, for the wellbeing of sea turtles that nest in the Mai Khao beach and the surrounding areas.

The annual race also provides funds for thePhuket Marine Biological Centre’s Injured Turtle Rehabilitation Program and The Third NavalArea Command’s Turtle Hatchery Program.

The race was in its 15th year and runners of all ages and abilities took part in the race. The morning’s racing was divided into five categories – the 21.1km half marathon, 10.5km mini- marathon, 5km fun run and 3k family run and VIP participants for all the races. The route of 21.1 kilometre race took runners northwest along the Haad Sai Kaew beach towards Thao Thepkasattri bridge, past the rural road No. 3006, run along the road – Pi Lai viewpoint area returned back along the T. Baan Tha Nun to the iconic Sarasin bridge before finished the half marathon in the Phuket Gateway.

For Mini Marathon 10.5 km – Over all category, Mr. Chinnawat Changlek clocked 39 minutes and 40 seconds to clinch victory in the male half marathon, winning prize money and a trophy with the signature of Phuket’s Governor. The winner in the female mini marathon was Surakarn Wanna with a time of 47 minutes and 47 seconds.

Winners also received a prize gift voucher as well as a medal. Congratulations to all participants.

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