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- Business News
A major lawsuit has been filed by owners of JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa
A letter filed with the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) yesterday. A major spat between the owners of the JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa in Mai Khao and the parent management company Marriott International, Inc… Minor International Public Company Limited (“MINT”) announces that it has, through its 100% subsidiary MI Squared Limited, initiated legal action in Thailand against Marriott…
- Northern Thailand News
Return to Tham Luang Cave – a personal perspective
by guest writer Mikko Paasi Now that is has been a year since the successful rescue of the Thai football team and their coach from the Tham Luang cave, I think it would be appropriate to share some footage from inside the cave to show how it looks like after the operation and without the muddy water. As we know, the…
- Business News
Thailand’s Central Bank start twiddling the currency knobs to curb baht speculators
The Thai Central Bank says it is taking steps to ease the impact of speculative currency trading which has contributed to strengthening the baht. They say they’re ready to use additional measures if speculative trading continues to persist. The Bangkok Post reports the Central Bank reduced the outstanding balance of non-resident baht accounts (NRBA) and non-resident baht accounts for securities…
- Tourism News
Phuket tourism down up to 30% – Thai Hotels Association
Translated from Manager Online | PHOTO: Surin Beach, Phuket Quoting a leading hotelier, Manager Online says it was obvious that tourism in Phuket was “going down the pan”. Manager Online has penned a doomsday article about Phuket’s tourism, saying… “it was obvious to anyone that tourism had been in decline for years with less tourists and less revenue. But why…
- World News
Thailand rice exports droop due to strong baht
Rice exports have fallen 12% for the first half of this year, mostly related to the strong Thai currency. An export group says that sales targets for Thai rice will fall short of the 2019 target of 9.5 million tonnes. The Thai Rice Exporters admit they will lucky to reach 9 tonnes in sales this year. Thailand shipped 4.2 million tonnes…
- World News
ASEAN commit to eliminating marine plastic
“At present, four ASEAN members are the world’s top ocean polluters, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand.” At the recent 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok last month the 10 member states of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) adopted “The Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Region” in an effort to eliminate marine plastic debris in the region. ASEAN…
- Technology News
Thai smartphone users ready for 5G
“50% of the local respondents said they are willing to pay 150 baht extra in fees per month.” 5G, the next generation of phone speed, is on the way and coming to a smartphone near you. A recent survey of 35,000 people around the world shows that there will be as many as 1.9 billion 5G subscribers globally in the…
- Tourism News
TAT Governor predicts 10% revenue rise in 2020
PHOTO: Daily News Yuthasak Suphasorn, governor of Thailand’s Tourism Authority (TAT), says he’s expecting a 10% rise in tourist revenue in 2020 despite global economic uncertainty and a statistical drop in tourism around the country in Q2 of this year. According to Daily News, he confidently predicted that tourists would into Thailand keeping the country in the top 6 of…
- Phuket News
Four down, one to go – Phuket’s traffic underpass network nearly complete
The 540 million baht underground tunnel at Chalong Circle has now been officially opened by the Thai PM. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha presided over the official opening yesterday morning. The tunnel, about 350 metres long, travels between Viset Road and Chao Fah West. Above ground the intersection moves traffic around the renovated roundabout where traffic from Kata (Patak Road), Chalong Pier…
- Tourism News
Indian tourists filling the gap as Chinese eschew Thailand
PHOTO: The Vijitt Resort, Rawai, Phuket Thailand’s currently patchy tourism industry, down but not out, is getting some interim support from visitors from the population colossus to its west, India. The new arrivals are filling in the gap, not quite a gaping hole as yet, of bumper arrivals from China. At a beachfront hotel on Phuket’s south west coast, the occupancy…
- Crime News
‘Net idol’ arrested over monetising online porn and gambling
PHOTOS: The Nation | AsiaOne Bangkok police have arrested a “net idol” (a popular Thai social media poster) for allegedly running a closed online group where pornography was sold and gambling promoted. A police source says that 32 year old Jindarat “Amp” Seripaiboonsap was arrested two days earlier at a home on Phetchkasen Soi 48 in Phasi Charoen district. She…
- Thailand News
Thai school lunch program must be investigated – PM
The Thai PM has ordered the Education and Interior minister to fully investigate the free lunch program for kindergarten and primary school children after allegations of corruption have re-surfaced at some schools. Deputy government spokesman Lt-Gen Werachon Sukondhapatipak says that the PM has received a report from the National Anti-Corruption Commission about alleged corruption concerning the program in the northeastern…
- Tourism News
Chiang Mai hotels battle disruptors
by Bill Barnett Thailand’s northern tourism hub of Chiang Mai has become a victim of its own volume-driven success. According to hospitality data provider STR, market-wide hotel occupancy for the first five months of the year is down 5.1%, compared to the same period in 2018. In the newly released C9 Hotelworks Chiang Mai Hotel Market Update, the comparison between…
- Crime News
Nigerian and Thai wife arrested in Chon Buri over $50,000 romance scam
PHOTO: Naewna Nong Prue police say they’ve arrested a Nigerian man and his Thai wife over their alleged collusion in an online romance scam. Police claim 40 year old Uchenna Joseph Amujiogu and 36 year old Wassana Kanchiak scammed a Thai woman out of 2 million baht. The woman contacted police in June after she realised she had been a victim…
- World News
Korean passenger from hell ordered to pay Hawaiian Airlines compensation
FILE PHOTO A man, who forced an international flight to return to Hawaii last February, has been ordered to pay the airline more than 5.3 million baht. South Korean Kyong Chol Kim was also sentenced to six months in jail for interfering with flight attendants and crew members, and annoying passengers on the flight. His behaviour on the Hawaiian Airlines flight…
- Thai Life
Top 10 world locations where people go to play
Where do people travel in the world for ‘play’, not business? Mastercard unveils the Top Ten locations where people travel to play. International travel continues to grow at an incredible rate, transforming local economies and enabling people to broaden their horizons – whether they travel for work or for play. Building on nearly a decade of insight into international travel trends,…
- Business News
Thai Stock Exchange best performer in Asia – first six months
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index shows an increase of 6.8% over previous month up to the end of June, marking it as the best performer in Asia. The SET is up 10.6% from the end of 2018 to 1,730.34 points. The average daily trading value of SET and Market for Alternative Investment in June was 60.53 billion baht…
- Thai Life
Love gone wrong in Thailand – another cautionary tale
by Nanthapong Siwilai – TMN Cable TV A Swiss man has shared his story of love-gone-wrong-in-Thailand to TMN Cable TV in Pattaya. It’s a story of riches-to-rags, a story all to common and another cautionary tale of expats seeking love and companionship in the Land of Smiles. Now Tony Niko, originally from Switzerland, is sweeping up at a temple in…
- Tourism News
TAT reach out to the NY Pride March to attract more LGBT tourists to Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is reaching out to the US LGBT community to help broaden Thailand’s tourism base and attract more travellers. The TAT sent a contingent to New York’s annual pride parade, held on World Pride Day, to lure more tourists to the Kingdom. The parade was held last Sunday. TAT are using the branding “Go Thai Be…
- Northern Thailand News
Khon Kaen school evacuated over fears building ‘near collapse’
More than 100 teachers and students have been evacuated from a Khon Kaen school in the north-east. The evacuation was sparked by fears the 40 year old building may collapse. The Ban Lao Nadi School in Khon Kaen’s Muang district was evacuated this morning along with school furniture and teaching materials. Khon Kaen Primary Educational Service Area Office 1 deputy…
- Business News
Bank of Thailand tackles surging Thai Baht
In attempts to exert some pressure on the Thai Baht control levers, the Bank of Thailand says it’s scaling back the auction size of short-term bonds. The actions are an attempt to curb the rapid surge of the Thai Baht which hit a six-year high last Monday. The central bank has announced that the reduction of short-term bond supply is…
- Events
Thailand goes to the dogs – International Dog Show 2019
This year’s Thailand International Dog Show is being held at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok from July 4-7. The event, which takes up more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space, will be open from 10am to 8pm each day. Over 200 local and international exhibitors will be showcasing the latest dog care products and services to the expected 200,000…
- Environment News
Blackwater at Phuket’s Nai Harn beach due to ‘natural causes’
‘Blackwater’ has returned at one of Phuket’s favourite beaches, this time in the lagoon behind Nai Harn beach, which flushes out naturally when the tide conditions are right. For now, it is dammed up by the sand and has developed into an ugly cesspool for passersby to see. Responding to complaints from local residents, Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos has denied…
- Property
Luxury condos change the face of Sathorn Road in Bangkok
by Somluck Srimalee, The Nation From Sathorn junction to Taksin Bridge, the riverside section of Sathorn Road has been transformed from a strip of shophouses to luxury residential condos in a gentrification that added 8,000 new apartments to the area. As well, the businesses have shifted to a more modern trade to replace the traditional trades. With the market trend, listed…
- Crime News
Motorcycle robbers escape with 70,000 baht from Bangkok 7-Eleven
PHOTOS: khaosod.co.th Two motorcyclists have robbed a 7-Eleven store in Bangkok’s Bang Sue district and made off with 70,000 baht in cash. It follows another robbery of a 7-Eleven just one day before in Nakhon Ratchasima. Read that story HERE. The Prachachuen police station was alerted at 4.25am this morning of the robbery at the convenience store along the Pibul…
- Tourism News
BKK passenger arrivals expected to surge to 200,000 a day in October
Amid gloomy forecasts and predictions for Thailand’s tourist industry, some good news out of the country’s largest airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The number of passengers arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok is expected to rise to 200,000 a day when the ‘winter season’ starts in October. The airport’s general manager Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwanawat says the arrival of flights and…
- Technology News
The Tesla of Thailand takes on the big car-makers
There are less than 1,500 battery-powered vehicles in Thailand. Thai billionaire Somphote Ahunai wants to change that with his Energy Absolute. He envisions a total closed universe where he makes the cars, builds the charging stations, then provides the electricity to power the charging stations. The popularity of motorcycles and the busy streets of South East Asia cities are just…
- Tourism News
Tourism Authority of Thailand downgrades revenue from tourism in 2019
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is being forced to revise down its tourism revenue growth projections for 2019, but they’ve only cut their projections .5% from 10% growth predicted earlier this year, down to 9.5% growth instead. They still believe that the tourist numbers will settle and will reach 40.2 million for this year but this is down from their…
- Tourism News
Thai authorities moot compulsory travel insurance for travellers
PHOTO: South East Asia Backpacker Magazine The Thai Office of the Insurance Commission says they expect to introduce compulsory travel insurance for visitors to Thailand by the end of 2019. It would be charged to tourists who arrive without travel insurance and go into a ‘fund’ to be used to pay for repatriation costs in the event of misadventure. The…
- Tourism News
Phuket’s tourist evolution – Diversity is the best option Part 1
by Guest Writer Today’s guest writer has been managing resorts around Phuket for two decades and has represented his brand at international expos along with promotions for Phuket over the years. His knowledge is first-hand and steeped in local experience. He has asked to remain anonymous. At the end of the 1990’s into the early 2000’s Phuket saw the drastic…
