- Thailand’s most famous Songkran festival/
- New general manager coming to The Standard, Hua Hin/
- Thailand braces for thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds/
- Thailand will be ‘super-aged’ by 2029/
- Four killed in tragic family dispute in Surat Thani/
- Economy expected to grow 3.6% this year – central bank/
- Excise Department to impose a carbon tax on 3 sectors/
- Tourism: Officials work with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in Prachuap Khiri Khan/Over 5 million people set to travel over Songkran holiday period/British tourists to Thailand: Are you really covered?/Gang attacks Swedish tourist for defending waitress in Chiang Mai/Government Boosts Tourism by Emphasizing Wellness/’Khee’ app shows Bangkok’s best places to poop/Thailand’s tourism recovery puts 4 marine species back on extinction watchlist/Thai islanders prepare to protect ecosystem after its beaches were named ‘best on Earth’/A walk on the crowded side in Phuket old town/Phi-Phi islands earning a million baht a day in entry fees/
- International: OECD predicts SE Asian growth to decline/Ukraine children back home after deportation to Russia/Japanese flight attendants feeling turbulence over passenger cameras/India to become world’s most populous country/Weak pound pushes up UK property sales/
- Links: Airport schedule/Bangkok airport bus schedule/Hua Hin-Pattaya bus schedule/90-day online report/driver’s license/Market Village and Bluport cinemas/Emergency numbers
Thailand’s most famous Songkran festival
Songkran is the Thai New Year’s national holiday. The days of water-splashing merriment in April are also marked in several other Asian countries.
In Cambodia, it is called Choul Chnam Thmey, in Laos Pi Mai, in Myanmar Thingyan and in Sri Lanka Aluth Avurudda.
Songkran, derived from the Sanskrit word Sankranti, marks the migration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. Continued …
New general manager coming to The Standard, Hua Hin
Respected general manager Nathalie Cockayne has left the Middle East after a decade working in Dubai and Doha. Her most recent role was GM of Meliã Desert Palm Dubai, where she worked for three years.
Cockayne is now in Thailand heading to The Standard, Hua Hin, as general manager. Continued …
Thailand braces for thunderstorms, hail, and strong winds
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) urged residents in the North, East, and central regions of Thailand to be prepared for thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail over the coming days.
A moderate high-pressure system from China is moving over the northeast and eastern parts of Thailand and the South China Sea, causing southerly and southeasterly winds that bring moisture from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea to the upper parts of Thailand. The TMD forecasted thunderstorms and gusty winds in the affected regions, with hail and lightning also possible. Continued …
Thailand will be ‘super-aged’ by 2029
Due to a decrease in the population in the past three years, Thailand is expected to become a super-aged society by 2029, according to research conducted by the Kasikorn Research Center (Kresearch).
The research also shows the number of newborns and adolescents between 2020 and 2022 has fallen. Continued …
Four killed in tragic family dispute in Surat Thani
A tragic family dispute led to the killing of four people by a police officer with a grudge in southern Thailand. The incident occurred over the weekend when four men were shot dead by a police officer attached to the Khirirat Nakhom Police Station in Surat Thani and his three accomplices.
According to Provincial Police Region 8 commissioner Police Lt. Gen. Surapong Thanomchit, the four men, allegedly led by 46-year-old Police Senior Sgt. Maj. Atthaporn Wichian, stormed a house in tambon Kapao and opened fire on the victims. The group included Atthaporn’s elder brother, 48-year-old Thammarat Wichian, 57-year-old Manop Wang-ngan, and another unidentified suspect. Continued …
Economy expected to grow 3.6% this year – central bank
Thailand’s economy is expected to grow 3.6% this year, Bank of Thailand (BoT) Gpv. Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput said today.
“The economy is resilient and is able to withstand multiple shocks,” Sethaput said. The BoT last month raised interest rates a quarter a percentage point to 1.75%. The central bank has raised its key rate by a total of 125 basis points since August, less aggressive than many of its regional peers. Continued …
Excise Department to impose a carbon tax on 3 sectors
The Excise Department plans to impose a carbon tax on the energy, transport and industrial sectors to help Thailand achieve its goals of carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2063, as well as cut the cost of imported fuel.
The carbon tax will encourage more companies to use cleaner or renewable energy and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 30%, said Nutthakorn Utensute, director of the Tax Planning Bureau of the Finance Ministry’s Excise Department. Continued …
Officials work with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in Prachuap Khiri Khan
Officials are working with Agoda to boost community-based tourism in the Kaiburi district of Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
The Community-Based Tourism Promotion Project is a collaborative effort between the Prachuap Khiri Khan Provincial Administration Organization, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), and Agoda. Continued …
Over 5 million people set to travel over Songkran holiday period
Some 5.1 million people are expected to travel during this year’s Songkran Festival, generating over 23 billion baht in revenue – a 26.3% increase from last year’s figures.
Citing a survey by Kasikorn Research Center, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said 44.7% of Bangkok residents are planning to travel, either to their hometowns or other destinations, during the Thai New Year holiday period. Continued …
British tourists to Thailand: Are you really covered?
British tourists traveling to Thailand are being warned that their travel insurance policies may not cover them in the event of a medical emergency. Most travel insurance is not designed to cover life-saving operations or expensive repatriation, it was reported yesterday.
The Association of British Insurers pointed out that 17% of all overseas claims are rejected due to lack of documentation, and the average payout for successful claims is just over £1,000. Insurers mainly pay out on small issues such as lost luggage or booking cancellations, rather than medical emergencies. Continued …
Gang attacks Swedish tourist for defending waitress in Chiang Mai
A Swedish tourist was brutally attacked by a gang of young men after he tried to stop them from assaulting a waitress at a karaoke bar in Chiang Mai on Friday. The gang also stole the victim’s gold necklace before throwing him into a canal.
Yesterday, police arrested three men of Tai Yai ethnicity (an ethnic group from Shan state in Myanmar) at a construction workers camp in Doi Saket district and detained them at Sam Kamphaeng Police Station under suspicion of assault. Police charged three suspects. Continued …
Government Boosts Tourism by Emphasizing Wellness
The government aims to boost sustainable tourism with a focus on wellness and medical tourism.
According to government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha intends to enhance sustainable tourism for greater income generation. Thailand’s medical tourism sector is currently valued at 9% of the global market, the largest in the Asia-Pacific, with a projected value of 838 billion baht by 2027. Continued …
‘Khee’ app shows Bangkok’s best places to poop
“Explore a city. Pin a toilet. Be a hero.”
That’s the pitch that greets users who download “Khee,” an app available starting today that lets people pin locations of their favorite public toilets.
It’s something everyone has experienced. You’re out in the city when suddenly nature calls. What to do? Continued …
Thailand’s tourism recovery puts 4 marine species back on extinction watchlist
Covid-19 devastated Thailand’s tourism industry, but the deserted beaches were a lifeline for four species of marine mammals threatened with extinction in Thai waters.
Bryde’s whales, dugongs and two dolphin species had been disappearing from Thai seas before Covid travel bans gave breathing space for their habitats to recover. However, extinction fears have rekindled now that international tourists are flowing back in huge numbers to Thailand’s coastal and island destinations. Continued …
Thai islanders prepare to protect ecosystem after its beaches were named ‘best on Earth’
Residents of the tiny Thai island that jumped into the global spotlight last week after being ranked number one on World Beach Guide’s “Top 100 beaches on Earth 2023”, are redoubling efforts to preserve its delicate ecosystem, Hat Chao Mai National Park chief Prit Narasrit said.
Koh (Island) Kardan will remain closed to tourists four months a year – June 1 to Sept. 30 – despite being ranked as having the most beautiful beaches in the world, Prit said.
Residents, business owners and park officials will continue to make preserving the island’s fragile ecosystem, including its coral reefs and marine life, their top priority, Prit added. Continued …
A walk on the crowded side in Phuket old town
Phuket’s tourist magnetism has extended from its beaches inland to its walking street that is now bursting at the seams.
A plan was afoot to expand the walking street but it is proving easier said than done. Car park spaces are scarce and any expansion could run into resistance from residents who share the street that the. popular open-air market occupies. Continued …
Phi-Phi islands earning a million baht a day in entry fees
Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has earned about one million baht a day in entry fees, charged to tourists for visiting the Phi-Phi islands, since the e-ticket system was introduced last July.
Rakchanok Paenoi, chief of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi-Phi National Park, said revenue from entry fees from the sale of e-tickets have increased by 20%-30% to an average of one million baht a day, or a total of 137 million baht since the e-ticketing system was introduced. About 4,000 tourists are visiting the islands daily. Continued …
OECD predicts SE Asian growth to decline
Economic growth in Southeast Asia is forecast to drop from 5.6% in 2022 to 4.6% this year, pressured by weaker demand as the global economy slows, says the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Continued …
Ukraine children back home after deportation to Russia
More than 30 children were reunited with their families in Ukraine this weekend after a long operation to bring them back home from Russia or Russian-occupied Crimea, where they had been taken from areas occupied by Russian forces during the war. Continued …
Japanese flight attendants feeling turbulence over passenger cameras
The 40-year-old flight attendant cannot count how many times her photo has been taken without her permission. But when a letter containing a photo that she had no idea was taken arrived at her company, that’s when she felt things had gone too far. Continued …
India to become world’s most populous country
China will soon give up its throne as the world’s most populous country, slipping to second place in the later part of April as it gets overtaken by India, according to projections from United Nations data. Continued …
Weak pound pushes up UK property sales
Property consultant Knight Frank Thailand expects a surge of more than 40% in sales of British real estate to Thai buyers, tallying 1 billion baht, with investors and currency the main factors. Continued …
Hua Hin-Suvarnabhumi bus schedule
The VIP bus service from Hua Hin to Suvarnabhumi Airport has a new Cha Am boarding location in front of Government Savings Bank. The one-way fare is 325 baht.
- Leaving Hua Hin: 6am, 8am, 10am, 12:00, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm
- Leaving Suvarnabhumi: 7:30am, 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:00, 2:30pm, 4pm, 6pm
Hua Hin-Pattaya bus service twice a day
Hua Hin now has twice-daily bus service to Pattaya, starting Feb. 19. The bus leaves Hua Hin at 9am and 3pm, and departs from Pattaya at 8am and 4pm. Tickets are 473 THB.
Tickets can be bought in person at the Hua Hin bus station or online. Buses depart from the Hua Hin bus station and in front of Government Savings Bank, Cha Am.. Tickets
Hua Hin-Chaing Mai flight schedule through October
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