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Sponsored 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 ushers in 2011
PHUKET: About 1,000 people from across Phuket joined an alms-giving ceremony in Phuket Town this morning to offer food to 229 Buddhist monks to welcome the new year of 2011. Leading the proceedings at Queen Sirikit Park was Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana together with Phuket’s three Vice Governors: Nivit Aroonrat, Weerawat Janpen and Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak. The three Vice Governors…
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Phuket Person of the Year Award a triumph for charity
PHUKET: The Phuket Gazette is delighted to announce that our ‘Person of the Year’ Award for 2010 goes to Khun Wipa Tanmanatragul of the Phuket International Women’s Club (PIWC). Khun Wipa, elected this year as the PIWC’s first Thai President, has been selected for her embodiment of “charity for charity’s sake” and her 15 years of quiet, low-profile dedication to…
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BREAKING NEWS: Phuket to pull new year all-nighter
PHUKET: Revellers in Phuket’s party capital of Patong are allowed to party all night tonight to usher in the new year, Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukhaban confirmed today. Two areas on Patong Beach have been cordoned off for people who can party until sunrise, he told the Gazette. One area is at the beach road end of Bangla Road and the…
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Phuket Red Cross Fair underway
PHUKET: The renowned annual Phuket Red Cross Fair began yesterday in Saphan Hin. At the opening ceremony, Phuket Governor Tri Augkaradacha, with his wife Nalinee, who is President of the Phuket Red Cross, wished the fair to bring joy and happiness to one and all. One of the most popular activities at the 11 day-and-night event is the lucky draw.…
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Phuket taxi rolls out special holiday treat
PHUKET: As we close out a year in which widespread public complaints against Phuket taxi and tuk-tuk services have dominated local news and made headlines around the world, our editors have this afternoon received a letter which caught our attention. It comes from a long term foreign resident well and favorably known to the Phuket Gazette. We publish it below…
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Phuket’s Yamu gets new lease of life
PHUKET: Campbell Kane, the luxury hotel developers of The Yamu on Phuket’s east coast, have secured backing by an investment team comprised of Singapore tycoon Ong Beng Seng’s Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) and Thailand’s KS Group. The Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels office in Singapore acted as an advisor for the transaction. While construction of the hotel was suspended due to…
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Phuket New Year celebrations take to the sky
PHUKET: Residents in the south of the island have started their Phuket New Year celebrations a little early this year, with the opening of the Rawai Sky Night Festival 2010 at Nai Harn Beach. The festival continues tonight, with stage and live music performances from 6pm. In addition to the live performances and contests, local vendors are selling food, drink,…
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Phuket Person of the Year Award to be announced today
PHUKET: Sixteen nominations from readers, four finalists, one winner. The Phuket Gazette‘s ‘Person of the Year’ Award goes to that person who in the opinion of Gazette editors stands out most for good deeds or excellence as a role model in activating people to work together toward a better Phuket. Who won the Award for 2010? What were the key…
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Phuket police get in the holiday spirit – of saving lives
PHUKET: Motorists heading to Phuket over the New Year holiday have a new place to take a break from long hours on the road: a Phuket Highway Police box on Thepkrasattri Road. Available free of charge, 24 hours a day, at the Muang Mai Highway Police box are tea and coffee, clean restrooms and toilets, foot massages and even a…
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Honest Phuket tuk-tuk driver returns camcorder
PHUKET: A Phuket tuk-tuk driver tracked down a Swedish couple who left their camcorder in his vehicle on Christmas Day and returned it to them free of charge on Boxing Day. Cathanna, 48, and her husband hired Thongchai Permpoon to take them on a five-hour tour of Phuket Town. After dropping the Swedes off at their hotel, the Diamond Cottage…
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Phuket pirates unperturbed by arrest
PHUKET: Five people were arrested on Tuesday for selling counterfeit handbags in Patong, but at least one of them swore she would be right back in business after paying a fine. Patong police and representatives of high-end handbag companies led the raid on five shop operators, all working inside the tourist-oriented Sainamyen Plaza on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pee Road. Chananan Hatthapradit,…
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NCCC to pursue criminal charges against former Phuket Land Registrar
PHUKET: The National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) says it will pursue criminal charges against a former Phuket Land Office registrar and a well-known local businessman over an encroachment case dating back to 1997. NCCC Secretary-General Apinan Issarangkul Na Ayudhaya made the announcement on Tuesday following a meeting in Bangkok. The commission ruled that former Phuket Land Office Registrar Thawatchai Anukul…
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FC Phuket loses to Buriram
PHUKET: Despite a strong showing, FC Phuket went down to Buriram FC by a score of 0-1 in the championship match of the Thai League Division 1 promotion playoffs in Bangkok this evening. Phuket FC had a clear advantage in terms of possession and good chances, but the only goal of the match came at 39 minutes of the first…
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FC Phuket take on Buriram in Bt1mn playoff final tonight
PHUKET: The FC Phuket bandwagon will make its final stop of the season tonight against Buriram in the Thai League Division 2 playoff final, at Suphachalasai Stadium in Bangkok. Kick-off is at 6pm. The game will be broadcast live on the T-Sports Channel, available on True Visions and on Phuket Cable’s channel 58. Phuket finished atop Group B of Division…
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Keep Phuket land for Phuket people: Land Chief
PHUKET: Phuket Provincial Land Office chief Paitoon Lertkrai today told the Gazette that he is deeply concerned that far too many Phuket people are selling their land to off-islanders. “I do not mean just people from other countries, I mean anyone not from Phuket,” he said. “Right now many Phuket people are selling their land, and most of the buyers…
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Anchalee confirmed to become Sec-Gen to PM Abhisit
PHUKET: Phuket MP Raewat Areerob today confirmed to the Phuket Gazette that Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr will take up the position of Secretary-General to the Prime Minister from January 2. Mrs Anchalee, who long served as a Democrat Party MP, will replace outgoing Secretary-General Korbsak Sabhavasu following his resignation. The news follows days of speculation about whether or not PM Abhisit…
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Notice to our readers re New Year’s holiday office hours
PHUKET: As we approach the New Year’s holidays this weekend, the Phuket Gazette would like to remind readers that our business offices will be closed this Friday and Saturday, December 31 and January 1. Classified advertisers wishing to have their ads included in the January 8-14 issue of the Phuket Gazette are asked to ensure that we receive those ads…
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Parade marks opening of Bt50mn Phuket Town road
PHUKET: Anchalee Vanich Thepabutr, now confirmed to take on the appointment of Secretary-General to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, on Friday officially opened the new road connecting Phuket Town’s two largest public parks.The opening of the new road, temporarily named Sai Phang Muang Khor, took place with a Christmas Eve ceremony complete with a parade and marching bands. Leading the procession…
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Phuket water? We wouldn’t drink it: Poll
PHUKET: Less than 20 per cent of Phuket Gazette readers think tap water on the island is safe to drink, results of the latest online readers’ poll reveals. The poll, launched on December 18, asked readers: Do you think tap water in Phuket is safe to drink? Overall, almost half of all respondents (49.2%) answered “no”, compared with just 19.8%…
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Phuket aglow with tsunami remembrance ceremonies
PHUKET: Hundreds of people turned out for Phuket’s three main tsunami remembrance services yesterday. The day began with wreaths being laid at the Tsunami Wall of Remembrance in Mai Khao following a speech by Sarawut Srisakukarm, President of the Mai Khao Tambon Administration, at 8:30am. At the Tsunami Monument in Kamala, services began just after 11 am with a speech…
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Swedish man found dead in Phuket
PHUKET: Police in Phuket are investigating the death of a Swedish man whose body was found in his rented room at Cherng Talay yesterday. Police identified the man as Swedish national Felipe Basualto Trincado, 25, born in Santiago, Chile. His next of kin in Sweden have been notified of his passing, Swedish Embassy officials confirmed today. Mr Basualto Trincado’s body…
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OPINION: Street Show a great event for Phuket
PHUKET: The Phuket Street Show festival last weekend was a wonderful coming out party for Old Phuket Town following its recent facelift. (See story, current issue of the Phuket Gazette. Digital subscribers click here to download the full newspaper.) Whoever came up with the idea to host world-class street performers in the old quarter is to be given a great…
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BREAKING NEWS: FC Phuket promoted to Division I
PHUKET: FC Phuket will be promoted to Division I of the Thai League following an exciting come-from-behind 2-1 win over Samut Prakarn at Surakul Stadium this afternoon. Samut Prakarn silenced the crowd by scoring in the opening minutes of play. Despite dominating play for most of the first half, FC Phuket were unable to score the equalizer going into half-time.…
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Wishing you a very Merry Christmas
PHUKET: As yet another year full of ups and downs draws to a close, thousands of travellers are trying to find their way to Phuket’s shores from the cold shelter of snowed-in airports across Europe and the UK. Thousands more have already landed in Phuket, helping to usher in the high season by joining the carnivals, festivals and other events…
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Judgment Day for FC Phuket
PHUKET: FC Phuket face a date with destiny on tomorow afternoon at Surakul Stadium when they take on Samut Prakhan in their final Thai League playoff game of the season. Kick-off is at 4pm. The club currently sits in second place, a point behind table toppers FC Chainat and two ahead of FC Rayong who they defeated 2-0 on home…
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Phuket’s Tuptim given a fighting chance
PHUKET: A fund-raising campaign that began in Phuket just over a week ago and spread around the globe could have saved the life of a seven-month old baby. (See stories here and here.) Tuptim Jadngooluem – the only daughter of Rattanachai “Kru Nai”, a well known trainer at Tiger Muay Thai in Chalong – was diagnosed with a terminal liver…
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Phuket high season down 25% year-on-year: analyst
PHUKET: The start of this year’s high season for tourism in Phuket is down about 25% overall compared with last year, one industry analyst has said. Bhuritt Maswongsa, vice-president for marketing at the Phuket Tourist Association, said occupancy rates at Phuket hotels in November were only about 60%, on average. “We used to get occupancy rates in the 70% to…
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New Phuket traffic flow given green light
PHUKET: Changes to the Patong traffic flow, on Phuket’s west coast, moved a step closer this week when officials confirmed the new one-way system will take effect on January 15. Adding to the changes will be new parking zones and regulations coming into effect on December 30, with new road markings and signs being put in place to assist motorists.…
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Phuket Poll: Is our tap water safe to drink?
PHUKET: The current issue of the Phuket Gazette out today carries a feature on whether Phuket tap water is safe to drink. The authorities say it is at the point it leaves the water treatment plants, but resident water-quality expert Brad Kenny of Environmental Solutions says there are many factors that affect water quality between where the water is treated…
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Aceh asks Phuket for tsunami drill training
PHUKET: A delegation of medical staff from the Indonesian province of Aceh is in Phuket to seek assistance in developing their own tsunami search and rescue training drills. A total of 226,000 people were killed or went missing in the 2004 tsunami, the majority of which were Indonesians. About 65 per cent of the 170,000 Indonesians who died in the…
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