Travel

Spend Chinese New Year by the ocean at Novotel Marina Sriracha and Koh Si Chang Thailand

Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, whatever you call it, is a time for family, feasting, and fresh beginnings. This year, why not swap the crowded streets for sea breezes and sunshine at Novotel Marina Sriracha and Koh Si Chang? The dual-location...

11 hours ago

Hotels

Travel Videos

Travel

  • Hua Hin’s Centara Grand Beach Resort make it into list of best heritage hotels

    Hua Hin’s Centara Grand Beach Resort make it into list of best heritage hotels

    Creaky wooden floors, teak antiques, afternoon tea, marble staircases. There’s just something magical about a hotel with some history. From Yangon to Hong Kong, many of Asia’s most beautiful heritage hotels emerged during the 19th and early 20th centuries. And one of them is in Hua Hin. TTR Weekly reports that one of Thailand’s iconic and …

  • NokScoot adds Bangkok to Osaka flights

    NokScoot adds Bangkok to Osaka flights

    NokScoot is launching another service with a four-flights-a-week schedule between Bangkok and Osaka, Japan. The announcement follows the start of the airline’s Bangkok to Tokyo service which started in June. The low-cost international carrier is launching the service to Kansai Airport on October 28. Kansai Airport, closed until today following storms which damaged the land-bridge …

  • Begpacking – ‘How to’ guide for aspiring travelling beggars

    Begpacking – ‘How to’ guide for aspiring travelling beggars

    PHOTO: backslackers.com “Aren’t you technically homeless? Why shouldn’t YOU cash in too. Why shouldn’t other people pay for you to travel? Begpacking (or beg packing) is a way for backpackers like you to earn money while you travel by begging for money or busking around the world.” Thailand has its fair share of ‘beg packers’ each …

  • A Mandarin for Phuket

    A Mandarin for Phuket

    PHOTO: The Mandarin Hotel Sanya Island One of Asia, and the globes, leading luxury hotel brands, Mandarin Oriental has inked a deal for a Phuket property. Mandarin Oriental, Phuket will be located on one of the undeveloped beachfront sites still to be found on ‘Millionaire’s Mile’ on the west coast of Phuket island. It will occupy …

  • Record first seven months for tourist arrivals

    Record first seven months for tourist arrivals

    by Thammarat Thadaphrom The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced visitor arrivals of about 22.65 million from January to July 2018, up by 11% compared to the same period of 2017. Estimated visitor expenditure rose by over 14% to 1.18 trillion baht. The top ten source markets of visitors to Thailand during the first seven …

  • New ferry service between Prachuap Khiri Khan and Sattahip under discussion

    New ferry service between Prachuap Khiri Khan and Sattahip under discussion

    Prachuap Khiri Khan officials have met to discuss plans for a new ferry terminal just south of Hua Hin in Pak Nam Pran. Banmuang reports that the new terminal will accommodate a car ferry and link Prachuap Khiri Khan with Sattahip in Chonburi. Estimates discussed at the meeting say the journey would take around two hours, …

  • Thailand’s winners in the Conde Nast Traveller awards

    Thailand’s winners in the Conde Nast Traveller awards

    PHOTO: Conde Nast Thailand has been voted the world’s Best Country for People by readers of Conde Nast Traveller magazine in the 2018 Readers’ Travel Awards. Thailand was voted into third spot in the ‘Best Country’ category behind European winners Italy and Greece. But Thailand scored Number One in the ‘Best Country For People‘ category. But …

  • Thai pull direct Phuket to Hong Kong flights

    Thai pull direct Phuket to Hong Kong flights

    PHOTO: Planespotters.net Thai Airways are cancelling the popular direct Phuket to Hong Kong (HKT-HKG) flights from October 28. Any existing bookings beyond this date will be funneled through Bangkok (BKK) instead. Despite the tortured English in the advisory, the Thai national airline is informing all existing bookings of the cancellation of the direct flights and …

  • Direct flights, luxury hotel brands and wellness push Samui performance

    Direct flights, luxury hotel brands and wellness push Samui performance

    While most of Thailand’s resort markets struggle with an onslaught of mass tourism, Koh Samui has remained a ‘calm in the middle of a gathering storm’ in the numbers driven industry. While low-cost airlines have tapped into Asia’s soaring consumer class in most destinations, creating dizzying growth numbers, the island’s privately-owned airport has allowed for …

  • September Event round-up

    September Event round-up

    Boat enthusiasts rejoice! With several boating events celebrating Thailand’s rich sailing tradition, September is your month! The popular Thai-Laos long-boat racing takes place in Bueng Kan throughout September for HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s Cup, while the annual Pa Sak Boat Racing Festival in Saraburi province on September 29-30 has boats attending from all over …

  • Tourist arrivals up again – 11 percent rise year on year

    Tourist arrivals up again – 11 percent rise year on year

    Thailand welcomed 22,657,730 visitors over between January-July 2018, up by 11 percent over the same period in 2017, according to preliminary figures collected by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Estimated visitor expenditure also rose significantly, up 14.44 percent to 1.18 trillion baht. The top ten source markets of visitors to Thailand in January – …

  • Is the new Suvarnabhumi T2 design copied?

    Is the new Suvarnabhumi T2 design copied?

    by Phatarawadee Phataranawik The new Suvarnabhumi Airport, much-needed, T2 project has become embroiled in claims of plagiarism and dodgy tender processes. Renowned Thai architect Duangrit Bunnag’s winning “forest” design for Suvarnabhumi Airport’s new 35 billion baht passenger terminal is embroiled in a plagiarism controversy as well as added scepticism about the transparency of the design contest …

  • VietJet upgrades to larger planes for Chiang Mai sectors

    VietJet upgrades to larger planes for Chiang Mai sectors

    Vietjet, the Vietnamese-owned budget carrier, says it will add its newest Airbus A321 aircraft on some flights to Chiang Mai. Vietjet is the first airline to assign the 230-seat aircraft to a domestic route in Thailand replacing the smaller 180-seat A320 on two flights daily to Chiang Mai during the morning and evening peak traffic …

  • Everything old is new again – the plastic ban in Krabi marine park

    Everything old is new again – the plastic ban in Krabi marine park

    With thousands of tourists heading out to islands around Phuket and Phang Nga Bay every day, all with their lunches and snacks packed up in plastic bags and polystyrene, you can imagine how much waste is produced. So Thais online have been full of praise for tourists using traditional “pinto thao” food containers instead of …

  • Traveling tax dodgers – Immigration & Customs want you to pay import duty

    Traveling tax dodgers – Immigration & Customs want you to pay import duty

    If you travel overseas often and bring back luxury items to resell online, the Immigration Division has you on its radar. You have to pay import duties, it says. “We’ve had reports about people even taking orders in advance for goods to bring back,” Pol Colonel Choengron Rimpadee, the division’s deputy spokesman, said on Sunday. …

  • Trang Moon Festival 2018 – cultural shows, food stalls, contests

    Trang Moon Festival 2018 – cultural shows, food stalls, contests

    The ‘Trang Moon Festival’ has long been observed by Chinese people in Thung Yao in Trang province’s Palian district. The 2018 Trang Moon Festival is scheduled for September 22-24. Through the staging of this traditional festival, the Chinese commemorate the fight for their nation against the Mongols. Trang province was one of Thailand’s trading ports …

  • Getting THAT ‘plane’ pic at Phuket Airport

    Getting THAT ‘plane’ pic at Phuket Airport

    The Phuket International Airport runway is built right on the beach, Nai Yang Beach. The actual runway, running east/west, finishes about 150 metres before the actual beach. So, when planes are landing from the west they come down really low over the people on the beach just before it touches down. Pilots like to land …

  • Awaken life’s potential at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center

    Awaken life’s potential at Santosa Detox & Wellness Center

    Located in the jungle-clad hills above Kata Beach on the Southwest Coast of Phuket, Santosa Detox & Wellness Center is a tropical retreat specialising in detox & wellness programs. If you are looking for an authentic detox experience with a personal touch, Santosa is the best choice. The dedicated staff at Santosa work with guests …

  • Don’t ride elephants in Thailand – warning to Kiwi tourists

    Don’t ride elephants in Thailand – warning to Kiwi tourists

    by Alex Baird Elephant rides in Thailand are coming under increasing international pressure as stories of abusive training practices reach mainstream news and travel sites. NewsHub reports that New Zealand travellers are being told to steer clear of elephant riding due to the severe abuse the animals face. Intrepid Travel co-founder Geoff Manchester released shocking footage on …

  • The world’s riskiest place to visit, if you’re British

    The world’s riskiest place to visit, if you’re British

    PHOTO: worldatlas.com If you’re British, where in the world is the riskiest place for you to visit? New research by Endsleigh Insurance Services has unveiled the world’s riskiest holiday destinations. Thailand has been found to be the world’s riskiest holiday destination for British tourists, according to a new report. The report looked at data from 2017, ranking …

  • “Phuket, a little piece of paradise” – US News & World Report

    “Phuket, a little piece of paradise” – US News & World Report

    PHOTO: thailandtravel.agency Whilst the annual south-west monsoon continues to kick up dangerous surf along its west coast, the southern island of Thailand has picked up another award. The island has been named the ‘Second Best Beach in the World’ by business publication US News & World Report. Phuket beat Maui, Kauai and Costa Rica in the …

  • Now everyone can fly – from CNX to Hanoi

    Now everyone can fly – from CNX to Hanoi

    It’s getting easier and easier to get around the region with new start-ups opening up the skies and current operators always introducing new routes. Now, the people that brought us the slogan “now Everyone Can Fly”, Air Asia, is launched four direct flights a week between Chiang Mai and Hanoi, Vietnam’s northern capital. The Monday, Wednesday, …

  • New VIP lane at Suvarnabhumi, as long as you’re Chinese

    New VIP lane at Suvarnabhumi, as long as you’re Chinese

    PHOTOS: Thai Tourist Police Arriving on an international flight at Suvarnabhumi airport? Long lines at Immigration? No problem – please use the new special VIP lane, as long as you’re Chinese. As the Ministry of Touristm and Sport and the Tourist Police go on a charm offensive to restore confidence in the Thai travel market, …

  • 670,000 fewer Chinese tourists – Thailand counts its losses after the Phoenix boat disaster

    670,000 fewer Chinese tourists – Thailand counts its losses after the Phoenix boat disaster

    Some of the fallout from the Phuket boat disaster is now starting to hit home, with more to come as cancellations bite into tourist arrivals, principally Chinese tourists. Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports has officially revised down its forecast for July to December by nearly 670,000, to 5.1 million Chinese tourists. The South China …

  • Peaceful Pattani – the other side of the southern province

    Peaceful Pattani – the other side of the southern province

    By Pattarawadee Saengmanee, The Nation Weekend The former capital of the ancient Langkasuka Kingdom, Pattani province in Thailand’s far south has traditionally been feted for its multiculturalism, though sadly the ongoing violence has kept it well off the tourist map for more than a decade. But his southern province bordered by Narathiwat, Yala, and Songkhla …

  • Banyan Tree Samui hailed as eco-friendly leader in Thailand

    Banyan Tree Samui hailed as eco-friendly leader in Thailand

    The Banyan Tree Samui has become the first and only hotel in Thailand to be awarded “Gold Certification” at a single-property level by Earthcheck, the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism. Although other hotel chains have received similar accolades from EarthCheck at a group level, Banyan Tree Samui stands …

  • Tuk Tuk rally on August 18-19 with an Ayutthaya period costume twist

    Tuk Tuk rally on August 18-19 with an Ayutthaya period costume twist

    The Ayutthaya provincial administration is holding a tuk tuk rally on August 18 and 19 to promote tourism to the historical site. Ayutthaya governor Sujin Chaiyachumsak said up to 250 teams of contestants can take part in the rally, for which the application fee is 1,000 baht. At least one member of the team must …

  • Australian travel media coming to BKK for annual conference

    Australian travel media coming to BKK for annual conference

    Thailand is hosting the AGM of the Australian Society of Travel Writers From August 16-19 , 2018. The ASTW has already held its AGM twice in Thailand (1999 and 2009). A total of 113 ASTW members have registered, to date, including writers, photographers, editors, bloggers, influencers, public relations officers, and representatives of various hotel groups …

  • Event Round-Up with The Sponsorship Experts – August 2018

    Event Round-Up with The Sponsorship Experts – August 2018

    by Paul Poole The running craze continues in August with races held throughout the country. The month starts off with Bangkok Airways Phuket Marathon 2018 on August 5 where runners can choose between three distances, 21, 10 and five kilometres, and CIMB Thai Triathlon for ASEAN Day 2018, also on August 5. Perfect for beginners, …

  • July stats see a small drop in tourists through Thai airports

    July stats see a small drop in tourists through Thai airports

    July 2018 stats from the AoT (Airports Authority of Thailand) indicates that fewer tourists went through Thai airports than expected. Channel 7 News reports that, while there was still an increase of 4% compared to the same month in 2017, the numbers buck the overall trend which has seen an average 9% rise in usage …