#Malaysian tourism records growth, but hotels are still empty

Fresh off recent announcement of positive international tourist arrival growth, the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has revealed that hotels in the country are registering lower occupancy.

An internal hotel occupancy survey recorded a drop of -4.71% to 60.8% for the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2018 at 65.51%.

"The same was seen for the first half of 2019 where earlier in August, according to Tourism Malaysia, there was an increase of +4.9% or 13.4 million in international tourist arrivals but hotel occupancy recorded a drop of -4.75% compared to the same period last year,” MAH said in a statement.

According to MAH, the published results "raised more doubts and concerns than it could draw praises”.

"While (the results) should indicate a healthy and recovering or even growing tourism industry, the same was not felt by industry stakeholders,” MAH said.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi announced earlier this week that international tourist arrivals increased for the first three quarters of 2019.

Between January and September, Malaysia welcomed 20,109,203 tourists, a 3.7% growth compared to the same period last year.

The first nine months of the year also saw tourism receipts increase by 6.9% to reach RM66.14bil compared to RM61.85bil for the same period last year.

MAH chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng attributed the hotel industry’s struggle to the rise of unregulated short-term accommodations (STA) like Airbnb.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) was drafting a regulatory framework for STAs in Malaysia.

MPC, regulatory body under the International Trade and Industry Ministry, has held discussion with key industry stakeholders since July last year.

The regulatory framework’s draft guideline is currently pending public consultation in its final stage.

Yap raised concerns regarding the implementation and enforcement of the regulatory guidelines.

"The guidelines are workable at this point where many of the proposed policies are based on proven initiatives in cities all over the world. However, we are concerned as it would require much enforcement efforts and the authorities need to be committed,” he said.

Last year, Airbnb welcomed more than 3.25 million guests in Malaysia, which translates to a 73% year-on-year jump.

In previous statements, Airbnb said that it will continue to work closely with the authorities with regards to STA regulation.

Malaysia aims to see 30 million international tourist arrivals as part of Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) next year, and bring in total tourist receipts of RM100bil.

Source - The Star

Thailand - Guideline on charges of tourist guide service approved

The board of Tourism Business and Guides has approved the guideline on minimum guide service charges for three types of tourists - outbound tourists, inbound tourists and domestic tourists, said Thaweesak Wanitcharoen, director general of Department of Tourism. 

 

Thaweesak said the rates were in line with the policy of Minister of Tourism and Sports, Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, to prevent tourists from being exploited in spending and service charges by tour businesses and guides.

“After the approval, the sub-committee will consider ways to improve the Tourism Business and Guide Act, B.E. 2551 (2008) in order to enforce it as a law ,” he said.

The approved minimum guide service charges for outbound tourists range from Bt1,600 to 9,000 per person (three days and two nights), exlcuding airline ticket price.

For inbound tourists, the charges are: a minimum of Bt800 per person per night (Asean), Bt1,000 (Asia), Bt1,500 for others. 

Domestic tourists will pay a service rate of Bt300 each for non-overnight stay, Bt600 per night for overnight stay. The charges include accommodation and transportation fees.

Source - TheNation

EABC RECOMMENDS REMOVING TM.30 COMPLETELY

More industry and NGO groups are lining up with criticism or calls for abolishment of the embattled TM30 and TM28 immigration forms. Most of the criticisms focus on the draconian nature of the forms, confusion around interpretation and the problems with inconsistent implementation.

Trade and commerce organisations are saying it flies in the face of the government’s wishes for Thailand to be a place to invest in and conduct business.

Now, the European Association of Business and Commerce is recommending to the Thai government to completely do away with the TM30.

“And, as an immediate step towards achieving that, remove from its scope many categories of foreigners.”

They say the same applies to the related TM28 form as well.
 
“The TM30 process has been in the news due to its inconvenience, questions about its value and usefulness, the questions it raises about commitment to ‘ease of doing business’ and the recent, almost inexplicable crackdown via an old law much of which has been dormant for decades.”

“The TM30 form and process in effect requires landlords to report on the location and movement of foreigners who are their tenants. Hotels have the same obligation but for foreign tourists staying in hotels, it is not noticed by those tourists as the hotel uses the TM6 arrival card information from their foreign guests.”

“Section 38 of the Immigration Act (which is the basis of TM30) has been around since 1979, but was not enforced until since late March 2019. It is being enforced inconsistently with various local interpretations. TM.28 (supported by s. 37 of the Immigration Act) is an often overlapping obligation on foreigners to report.”

The submission has been made to Dr. Kobsak Pootrakool, Deputy Secretary‐General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs.

Source - EABC and The Thaiger

China's Terracotta Warriors exhibited in Thailand

China's renowned Terracotta Warriors have been brought to Thailand for the first time for an three-month exhibition at National Museum Bangkok that started from Sunday.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition "Qin Shi Huang, The First Emperor of China and Terracotta Warriors", was held on Sunday afternoon, after which many Thais flooded into the Siwamokkhaphiman Throne Hall to take a glimpse of the over 2,000-year old Terracotta Warriors, or funerary sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang.

Held jointly by Thailand's Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture and China's Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, the exhibition collected 86 items of artifacts from 14 leading museums around Shaanxi province, said Qian Jikui, deputy director of the Shaanxi Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, during the opening ceremony.

Qian told the audience that the exhibition is divided into four parts, Before the Qin Empire, Qin Empire: Unification and the Birth of China, Terracotta Army: Its Discovery and Mystery, The Prosperous Empire of Han with Terracotta Army being the core part.

"We are trying to show people the history and culture of Qin Empire, from its beginning to its impact on the later history of China," Qian said.

Wissanu Krea-ngam, deputy prime minister of Thailand, told the opening ceremony that it is a very rare chance to see Terracotta Warriors and other Chinese artifacts of great value in Bangkok and he encourages Thais to take the chance to learn more about China's history and culture.

China has a long history and Qin Shi Huang is a prominent figure, the deputy prime minister said, adding, "We called China Chin in Thai and it is assumed to derive from Qin, the name of Qin Shi Huang's empire, which reveals how influential Qin was."

He also hailed Thailand-China exchange and friendship for hundreds of years and said the exhibition came at a great year which marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 44th anniversary of the establishment of Thailand-China diplomatic relations.
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Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lyu Jian said during the opening ceremony that the exhibition marked that China-Thailand friendship have reached new height.

The Terracotta Army, discovered in 1974, reveals the sophistication of ancient Chinese civilization and its conservation demonstrates the development of Chinese technology, the Chinese ambassador noted, adding that the exhibition would further promote mutual understanding between Chinese and Thai peoples and their friendship.

Thai Minister of Culture Itthiphol Kunplome told Xinhua after the opening ceremony that the exhibition proves how close Thailand-China relations are and it would become a great chance for Thais to learn about history and also to attract tourists.

Itthiphol said it is expected that 200,000 visitors would come to the event during the 3-month long period until Dec 15 this year.

The exhibition attracted many Thais' attention on social media as many commented they would go to visit it for sure and thanked the efforts of both governments to make it happen.

 Rakchaneewan, a Thai visitor told Xinhua that she was moved after seeing those artifacts as she can see and feel the ancient Chinese civilization just here, and she hopes the friendship between Thailand and China would last forever. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

No plastic bottles and bags in Everest region from January

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 Come January, the Everest region is set to become a no-plastic zone.

After scrambling for years to deal with the piles of waste in the Everest region, which has gained notoriety as the ‘world’s highest garbage dump’, the local authority has endorsed a plan to declare the whole area a ‘no plastic’ zone from the next year.

The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu district has decided that starting January 1, 2020, it will impose a ban on the use of plastic bags, bottles and other plastic items, citing their adverse effects on human health, especially in the whole Everest region.

The rural municipality, passing its policies and programmes for the current fiscal year, decided that the use of plastic bags less than 30 microns will be prohibited in the Everest region, according to Ganesh Ghimire, chief administrative officer at the local authority.

With the new rule, even bottled drinks will be barred from the area. Now onwards, all the bottled beverages will have to be taken in cans only.

 “Over the years, plastic has created havoc in a region that is fragile and home to the world’s tallest peaks,” Ghimire told the Post. “As the number of tourists visiting the area went up, the Everest region was flooded with plastics. The initiative is taken to rid the region of plastics.”

Once the rule comes into force, no one—locals or tourists—will be allowed to use and carry plastic bags, and plastic bottles inside the rural municipality, according to Ghimire.

“We will only allow canned drinks because cans are not as hazardous for the environment like plastic. Locals can also recycle cans,” Ghimire said. “It was necessary to impose such a strict ban because the region was plastered with plastic and other items made of plastic.”

The Everest region has long been struggling to manage solid waste that visitors to the region bring along every year. Hundreds of mountaineers, Sherpas, guides and other high altitude porters en route to Everest leave behind tonnes of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes that include empty oxygen canisters, bottles, ropes, kitchen waste, and faecal matter, polluting the area and the settlements downstream.

The government rule for every climber to bring back at least 8 kgs of garbage—the amount of trash estimated to be produced by one climber on average—has remained mostly ineffective.

 Earlier this year, a 45-day ‘Everest Cleaning Campaign’, led by the rural municipality and supported by various governmental and non-governmental agencies, had brought down nearly 11,000 kgs of garbage from the world’s tallest peak. Plastic in various forms and sizes was the major item in the collected trash.

The campaign, which was one of the most ambitious clean-up projects on Everest, had cost over Rs25million.

“Besides disturbing the local environment, we have to spend a huge amount of money clearing this trash every year,” said Ghimire.

As a replacement for plastic bags, the local authority will distribute five alternative bags free of cost to each resident in the rural municipality with approximately 2,000 households.

The local authority fears that with the opening of a road that connects Kharikhola in ward-1 of the rural municipality with Chaurikharka in ward-3 would exacerbate plastic pollution.

According to the rural municipality’s estimate, nearly 150,000 tourists use the route. The number is predicted to go up to 500,000 next year.

“More tourists on the route will mean more plastics in the region,” Ghimire said. “Before we face an unprecedented amount of plastic in future, this is the right time to prohibit plastics here.”

Source - Eleven Myanmar

Lonely Planet names #Vietnam’s north-south rail journey among world’s best

Vietnam’s north-south railway is listed by the British travel guide, Lonely Planet, as one of 10 world’s ‘most amazing’ train journeys for 2019.

The Reunification Express, known as the Thong Nhat Railway, traverses more than 1,726 kilometers (1,072 miles) between Hanoi and Saigon, the country’s two biggest cities, in two days.

"There is no more atmospheric way to haul into Vietnam’s twin metropolises. And there’s no better way of exploring all the glories in between," Lonely Planet said.

The journey allows passengers to sit and enjoy romantic scenery and rural landscapes along coastal towns in the central region including the former imperial capital of Hue, the Da Nang City Port which was initially built in the French colonial time and the ancient town of Hoi An.

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The other train journeys Lonely Planet lists are the California Zephyr in the U.S., Baikal–Amur Mainline in Russia, China’s Beijing to Lhasa Express, and the TranzAlpine in New Zealand.

The north-south rail has been deteriorating after decades of use since being built by the French in the 1930s. Rail transport is rapidly losing popularity given the rise of cheap air travel.

Vietnam’s aviation industry has been growing at the third fastest pace in the Asia-Pacific, according to the International Air Transport Association.

The railways carried 9.4 million passengers last year, down 3.5 percent from 2017, according to government data.

Some companies have been trying to revive the romance of train travel, offering first-class trips with attached restaurant cars like the five-star services launched in 2017 from Saigon to the coastal resort town of Nha Trang and from Hanoi to the northern highlands town of Sa Pa.

Russian news agency Sputnik recently included the north-south rail among world’s 10 most beautiful.

Last year travel publisher Rough Guides named it as one of the most scenic in Asia, where one can watch buffalos grazing in rice paddies, fishermen casting their nets in the sea, deserted white beaches, and lush rainforests.

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Source - VN Express

Bars and clubs in #Thailand open until 4.00am? Not everyone is in favour

Some academics oppose the Tourism and Sports Minister’s idea to allow entertainment venues to remain open until 4.00am.

Udomsak Saengow of the Centre for Alcohol Studies is one of those suggesting that more research is needed before such a move.

“Civic groups have worked hard to limit access to alcohol and they succeeded in lobbying for shortening the closing times from 4am to 2am. When opening times are extended, drinking hours are also extended. The more people drink, the less they can control themselves.”

But Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn argues that extended opening hours would boost the economy and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) agrees.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says extending opening times would increase spending, particularly when some foreign visitors find that a closing time of 2.00am is too early. He also stresses that the new opening hours would not apply everywhere.

“The 4am closing time would be restricted to destinations which mainly cater to foreign visitors.”

But coordinator of Alcohol Watch Network, Chuwit Chantaros, disagrees that the move would help the economy, arguing that it may lead to an increase in injuries or deaths among drunk tourists. Such an increase would only end up costing businesses.

“We have research findings showing that we lose 2 baht for every one baht we gain because of property losses as well as deaths and injuries which cause further material losses. If the operating hours are extended, more losses are anticipated.”

But Weerawich Kruasombat, head of the Patong entertainment business operators’ union, is in favour of the move.

“For years, we have been pushing for extended closing times in the Patong and Bang La areas. These districts currently generate 20-30 million baht in income per night and the extra two hours will boost income by 30%-40%.”

The debate rages on, with interested parties in the relevant tourist areas planning to meet with the TAT to discuss the matter further.

Source - The Thaiger

Thai companies to build $200m mixed-use project in Siem Reap

Thai companies will invest $200 million in a mixed-use development in Siem Reap that will comprise holiday homes, resorts, and a floating market.

Tous Saphoeun, co-founder of Borei Angkor Landmark Banteay Srei, told Khmer Times that he has entered into a partnership with Thailand’s Sin Corp, Chang Siem Corporation and TPI Polene, one of the largest cement companies in Thailand, to develop a mixed-use project in Siem Reap.

He said it will be built on 500 hectares of land in his property.
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“This mixed-use project comprises different properties, including houses, restaurants and a floating market,” he said, adding that the market will occupy 50 hectares, making it the largest floating market in Cambodia.

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 He said there will also be a 20-hectare theme park featuring animatronic dinosaurs.

Construction will begin this year, he added.

“Thai and Korean architects and engineers are designing the floating market and the resorts,” he said.

The Thai companies are also building a solar power plant on a 70-hectare lot in the province, Mr Saphoeun said.

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Po Eavkong, CEO and co-founder of Advance Real Estate Company, said the project will attract tourists and promote the property sector in the province.

“The number of tourists in Siem Reap is rising, along with demand for hotels, entertainment venues, shops, and tourism services,” he said, adding that strong growth in the tourism industry is driving the development of the property market.

“The project will create many jobs for locals and generate revenue for the government,” he added.

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Source - Khmer Times

#Thailand - Fake visa stamp gang arrested in Nonthaburi

Two Thais have been arrested over fake visa stamps being used at a foreign employment agency in Nonthaburi, northern Bangkok, yesterday.

The Immigration Bureau reports that the Nonthaburi Immigration Office was notified of the allegedly fake visa stamps.

Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn led a team of officials to search CBS World Company, a foreign worker employment agency. Officers arrested two suspects, a Thai man 60 year old Surawut Sintawacheewa and a 42 year old Burmese woman name Namfon.

Police have also seized 489 passports and 29 fake visa stamps.

The pair confessed that they have been providing fake stamps for more than 10 years.

Source - TheThaiger

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#Thailand - Parks department to appeal court ruling on Similan Islands

RULING SAYS NUMBER OF TOURISTS NOT MUCH HIGHER THAN LIMIT SET BY DNP

AN APPEAL will be filed against a court order suspending the ceiling on the number of tourists to Mu Ko Similan National Park between January 1 and March 31. 

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has vowed to fight the ruling issued by an Administrative Court on Sunday.

“We will definitely appeal,” DNP director-general Thanya Netithammakun said. 

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DNP has planned to keep the number of tourists to the popular marine national park in Phang Nga province at no more than 3,850 a day so as to ensure the park’s beautiful islands are not damaged by overcrowding and their carrying capacity is not overwhelmed.

However, a core member of the Similan-Surin Islands Tour Operator Club lodged a complaint with the Phuket Administrative Court over the DNP move. 

The Administrative Court ruled in the plaintiff’s favour over the ceiling, on grounds that the number of tourists to Mu Ko similan National Park during the peak season – January and February – is around 5,000 a day. That number is not too high when compared to the 3,850-tourist ceiling that the DNP seeks to impose, the court ruled. 

In the court’s opinion, the DNP should be able to manage that many tourists – even if it is higher than usual – given that it can plan in advance. The court has also ruled that the DNP should involve the private and civil sectors and other relevant authorities in managing tourist services. 

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‘Travel plans made in advance’

The court told the DNP to take into account the fact that tour operators and tourists plan their trip to the national park well in advance because the preserve is not suitable for visits throughout the year.

Mu Ko Similan National Park, similar to many other marine parks, is closed to tourists for several months every year during the monsoon period. 

The court refused to suspend the hike in entrance fees for boats visiting Mu Ko Similan National Park, despite the plaintiff’s request. The new rates range between Bt500 and Bt3,000 per boat, depending on its size and will take effect from May 16 onward. 

According to the court, there was no sound reason to suspend the fee increase. 

The DNP’s Thanya said that given the beauty of the Mu Ko Similan National Park, it would attract tourists despite increased fees.

“The new rate was introduced for conservation purposes, not with the goal of raising the DNP’s income. We want to protect our natural resources and nature for posterity,” Thanya said.

Panus Tassaneeyanon, a former dean of the Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law, voiced support for the DNP move to appeal. 

“On some days, the number of tourists to Mu Ko Similan National Park reaches 7,000. That’s too many,” he said. 

If the attraction was overwhelmed, damage would be done to its unique nature, Panus said.

“Garbage and wastewater problems will grow. And these problems are difficult to solve.” 

Source - TheNation

Airports most prone to viruses

In public places such as airports, viruses inevitably lurk in every corner. Countless people make contact in planes, waiting areas and bathrooms every day.

“Flying probably accelerated the spread of the H1N1 virus in 2009,” said Dr. Alison Galdy from the University of Minnesota Infection Prevention as quoted by Travel+Leisure.

Fox 9 reported several “virus hot zones” in airports that should be avoided, such as toilet handles, armrests on chairs, kiosk screens and handrails. However, the riskiest item is the plastic bins used during security screenings. 

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It is said that travelers dump everything from toothbrushes to children’s diaper bags into them on a regular basis. The trays are also rarely cleaned.

According to healthcare company the Mayo Clinic, the flu virus can survive on stainless steel, plastic and similar hard surfaces for more than 48 hours. This increases the chances of viral transmissions to humans through contact.

Travelers should also avoid touching their faces too often because it spreads germs quickly. Fox 9 reported that people touch their faces subconsciously as often as three to five times an hour.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost 

#Phuket - Bangla lady boy caught stealing tourists’ wallets

A lady boy was taken to Patong police station after being caught by tuk-tuk and taxi drivers for allegedly stealing tourists’ wallets on Bangla Road early on Monday.

At about 5am in the morning, the drivers helped catch the lady boy, whom they said had been been robbing Czech tourists of their wallets while they were walking. 

Patong police and tourist police were called to the scene.

Witnesses said that the individual had preyed on drunk, early-morning stragglers along the tourist strip many times before. 

 

They said they had warned her many times, but she had kept doing it.  

One witness claimed that there were “teams” of lady boys who finished their work at entertainment venues and then tried to prey on drunk tourists.

“Sometimes they have taken male tourists who are drunk back to their room and stolen tourists’ property. This behavior has damaged Patong tourism a lot,” the witness said.

Source - TheNation 

It happened in Phuket

#Thailand - BMA to ask Prayut to intervene in Khaosan spat over stalls

BANGKOK METROPOLITAN ADMINISTRATION (BMA) may ask Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to intervene in their bid to restrict footpath stalls in one of the city’s most famous streets.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul said yesterday that he plans to discuss the matter with vendors and various other relevant authorities tomorrow or on Friday.

“We may also submit our conclusion to the prime minister because Khaosan is a famous attraction,” he said.

The ban took effect on August 1. 

Located in the capital’s Phra Nakhon district, Khaosan Road’s longstanding street-fair atmosphere is hugely popular among Thais and tourists.

The BMA, however, has resolved to strictly regulate street stalls there to ensure orderliness but vendors are still calling for the ban to be lifted. 

“We are working on three models to present to the BMA. One of the models is to let stalls run in the morning hours too and in return, we will make sure street stalls are tidier,” said Chonnapha Teansawang, a long-time vendor on Khaosan Road.

BMA’s recent restriction allows stalls to operate on the road next to footpath only between 6pm and midnight. 

Chonnapha said vendors operating stalls in the morning usually had tour groups as customers. 

“We are adversely affected. When the news came out, tour-group organisers cancelled their plan to come to Khaosan Road,” she |said. 

Chonnapha has sold cell phones and bags for more than two decades. 

“I think Khaosan stalls are attractive because of the diverse rang of products in the area,” she said. 

Chonnapha said her group was now holding discussions with vendors in a bid to get a solid proposal to be submitted to the BMA for consideration. It is estimated that Khaosan Road has about 300 vendors. 

According to the deputy governor, “As of now, about 230 vendors have come forward to register with the BMA.” 

xHe said he recognised that Khaosan vendors had plied their trade for a long time and contributed to Khaosan’s reputation as an interesting tourist place. “But what they do is illegal,” he said. 

Sourse - TheNation

 

 Ps. It go look like, the hate Tourists (Foreigners)

#Indonesia One fatality as earthquake hit Indonesia’s Mount Rinjani Sunday

The Mount Rinjani National Park management has revealed around 500 people, including 135 foreigners, are to be evacuated from the volcano area, which was hit by a landslide after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck West Nusa Tenggara on Sunday morning.

The 135 foreign tourists were trapped at Segara Anak Lake, a crater lake shaped like a crescent, in the area.

"There was one fatality," head of Region II of Mount Rinjani National Park Benediktus Rio Wibawanto said on Sunday night as reported by kompas.com, adding the victim, identified as Muhammad Ainul Taksin, 25, from Makassar, South Sulawesi, suffered head injuries.

(Read also: At least 14 killed in Lombok earthquake)

An evacuation team was sent out on Monday morning. The team comprises people from the Mount Rinjani National Park Agency, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the nature lovers community of the University of Mataram (Mapala Unram), and medics.

Source - TheNation

Thai official: 5 reported missing from sunken boat are alive

PHUKET, Thailand — Five people reported to have been missing from a tour boat that sank in a storm off the southern resort island of Phuket are alive, Thai authorities said Monday, though it's unclear if the five survived the sinking or never got on the boat.

Phuket Gov. Norrapat Plodthong said authorities are trying to verify their details and some of them may have left Thailand.

Norrapat said the development came after new information emerged from Thai immigration and the Chinese Embassy.

The new information also showed there were 89 tourists, 87 of them Chinese, on the boat, instead of the previous figure of 93, he said.

The number of people who are missing has been lowered from 14 to 10, including the five who are alive but whose whereabouts are unclear, he said. The death toll remains at 42, including a body still trapped under the wreckage.

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The double-decker Phoenix capsized and sank late Thursday afternoon after it was hit by 5-meter (16-foot) waves in one of Thailand's worse tourism-related disasters since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed thousands.

Officials said all of the dead were Chinese comprising 13 children, 18 women and 10 men. The age and sex of the body still under the wreckage wasn't known.

Navy officials on Monday were attempting to flip the boat to retrieve the body and check for other possible victims. Special equipment has been brought in to lift up the boat, which is sitting some 45 meters (148 feet) beneath the surface, officials said.

Tourism is a vital part of the Thai economy, with the World Bank estimating the Southeast Asian nation generates about 12 percent of its gross domestic product from tourism receipts. Chinese tourists are a key driver of the industry, accounting for 9.8 million of the record 35.38 million tourists to visit the country last year.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the country's military ruler, expressed his "profound sadness" in a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the letter released by the foreign ministry Monday, Prayuth said a full investigation is underway to find the cause of the tragedy and assured Xi his government is determined to ensure such incidents would not recur.

Prayuth arrived in Phuket on Monday to observe the operations and will visit Chinese relatives and survivors at a hospital.

Police said the captain of the Phoenix has been charged with "careless conduct leading to death" and could face more than three years in jail.

The captain of another boat that capsized on the same day and the manager of a travel agency that chartered the boat have also been charged for being careless leading to injuries. All the passengers from the second ship were rescued.

Tourism Minister Weerasak Kowsurat, who is in Phuket, has said the government will "spare no one" and will bring all those responsible to justice. Families of each victim could receive up to 1.4 million Thai baht ($42,000) in compensation, officials said.

Source - ChinaDaily

 

#Thailand - Hua Hin beach under watch after shark attack admitted

Authorities were on Wednesday keeping a close watch on popular Hua Hin Beach in Prachuap Khiri Khan after it was confirmed that a Norwegian tourist was attacked by a shark there on Sunday.

Officials had initially tried to pass off the man’s severe leg injury as being a gash from sharp rocks, but Jatuporn Buruphat, deputy director general of the Marine and Coastal Resources Department, acknowledged at a press conference at Bangkok Hua Hin Hospital on Wednesday morning that the wound was caused by a shark, most likely a bull shark.

The story changed after the abbot of Wat Tham Khao Tao released video showing four sharks swimming off the beach near his temple. The abbot warned that if no action was taken, someone could be killed.

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 Jatuporn said a marine veterinarian had visited the hospital to inspect the tourist’s injury along with Dr Thassapol Krachangmala, a shark expert from his department.

The hospital’s deputy director, Dr Pongsak Boonleephan, told them the wound was caused by a toothed marine creature. Photos indicated the animal was a shark, most likely a bull shark.
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Prachuap Khiri Khan’s deputy governor promptly dispatched officials to watch over the beach and erect signs warning people not to swim out further than 20 metres.

Officials also spoke to the abbot who recorded the video of lurking sharks.

Jatuporn said camera drones operated from an Army base in Hua Hin spotted two sharks, each 1.5 metres long, swimming near the same beach.

Source - TheNation 

Pedestrian-friendly cities where you can walk for fun

English Garden in Munich

 

Munich in Germany, Kyoto in Japan and Bordeaux in France have been named some of the most beautiful, pedestrian-friendly tourism destinations in a new list compiled by Booking.com.

For the selection, the online reservation site teased out trends from the reviews of their 26 million travelers, who praised the walkable neighborhoods of cities with ample green spaces, quaint and charming streets, and village-like feel.

Here are the selections:

Munich

The biggest pedestrian-friendly feature going for Munich is its English Garden, a sprawling park in the center of the city that’s among the biggest in Europe, with its own lake, beer garden and Japanese tea salon. 

Kyoto

Headed to Kyoto? Visitors recommend planning extra stroll time around the temple Kiyomizu-dera, where ancient sanctuaries and food stalls create a dynamic, animated street scene.

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Helsinki

One of the best ways to take in the minimalist beauty of Scandinavian design is to stroll through the streets of Helsinki, a tribute to Finnish heritage.

Bordeaux

Along with the city’s neoclassic architecture and majestic Pont de Pierre bridge, Bordeaux boasts the largest reflecting pool in the world at Place de la Bourse, the Water Mirror.

Florence

With its ancient cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways, off-limits to mobility of the motorized kind, the Italian city invites visitors to amble slowly and enjoy its distinctly Florentine beauty. A particular favorite is Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge that was spared during the German occupation of World War II.

Others on the list are New York (US), Perth (Australia), San Francisco (US), Vancouver (Canada) and Montevideo in Uruguay.

Source - TheJakartaPost

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Why #American tourists don't come to #Indonesia

Water Palace of Tirta Gangga in East Bali, Karangasem

 Over 75 million US citizens travel abroad each year. Only about 7 percent of them visit Asia, but that is still roughly 5 million people. But only a tiny percent of that number comes to Indonesia. Most of those who do come focus almost entirely on Bali, which has, of course, been the face of Indonesia for the international jet set for decades.

Most people I know back in Canada, where I’m from, and the US where I lived for 20 years, thought that “Bali” was a country – a picture-perfect tropical isle floating somewhere in the Pacific. The fact that Bali is part of a nation called Indonesia, which has the fourth-largest population on the planet (right behind the US, in fact) would come as quite a shock to most North Americans.

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 There are some logical reasons for this lack of American interest in Indonesia as a vacation destination.  There are easy links between the US and many other Asian countries. Americans fought wars in Vietnam and Cambodia and welcomed large groups of refugees after those wars – families who now go back to their homelands regularly.  Our large military presence in the Philippines and Thailand established many natural links there and a significant amount of inter-marriage. Chinese immigrants helped to build the North American railroads and have always had a prominent place in our cultural heritage. And not only is there a large and very successful diaspora of Japanese immigrants in America, there is also a sophisticated taste for all things Japanese including architectural and garden design, Zen Buddhism, sushi (and Japanese food in general), martial arts, cult movies and literature.

Indonesia on the other hand has remained unknown. There are very, very few Indonesian immigrants in America. Apart from the movies The Year of Living Dangerously and the Bali-focused Eat, Pray, Love, (plus, of course, the tsunami of 2004), Indonesia simply doesn’t come up on the American radar.

There are also some serious negatives that have filtered through the global press, including what The Jakarta Post contributor Duncan Graham calls one of the country’s “self-inflicted wounds”:  “a cruel and illogical approach to the drug problem by maintaining the death penalty”.

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 Graham is right. It’s not that American tourists would be stashing drugs in their backpacks or Gucci bags. It’s that countries with a law this primitive and archaic seem to demand some kind of conscientious-objector status, even one as simple as picking a different place to holiday.

But this issue is probably not a deal breaker. Instead, when Americans do start exploring Indonesia online, or when the word spreads about a friend’s trip here, it is a series of pretty basic lifestyle issues that inevitably comes up to muddy the waters.

There is no doubt that getting around the country outside of the Bali infrastructure is challenging. The government’s proposed new digital tool, Travel X-Change Indonesia (TXI), should be a good start toward addressing this problem. There is also the well-publicized issue of local amenities.

The backpackers may be willing to accept hostel accommodation with no air conditioning and Indonesian-style bathroom facilities, but most older American travelers will not. So providing at least some “full-service” accommodation and, just as importantly, making them accessible online, is clearly one key to attracting this market.

 Another issue that bothers many actual or potential visitors from North America even more than these inconveniences is: the garbage. America recognized its litter problem back in the 1950s and anyone caught throwing anything on the ground in that country can face a stiff fine and be required to do community service.

It should come as no surprise then that American travelers are appalled and often disgusted by the garbage strewn around many Indonesian cities and towns. People here genuinely don’t seem to consider it a problem to toss refuse on the ground or in the rivers, or to wade through piles of garbage at the side of roads.

Much of the admiration and interest the Western traveler feels for the customs, the idiosyncrasies, the good humor and the warmth of the people dissipates at the sight and smell of the garbage. It is everywhere, and very few tourists pass through without noting it and spreading the word through online reviews and social media.

To put this in a global perspective, Singapore is king in terms of cleanliness, while India and Indonesia are pretty close to the bottom of the list.

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#Thailand shouldn’t follow Donald Trump’s lead on #Qatar

The “temporary” president of the United States is getting it wrong again. His misguided views on climate change, immigrants, healthcare and Barack Obama have been extended to Qatar.

With contracts for billions of dollars from a state that has been carrying out terrorist activities in the Yemen, he joins Saudi Arabia in attacking Qatar on the basis that Qatar has a more enlightened view of Iran, a trait it shares with Barack Obama.

I hope Thailand will not be foolish enough to reject Qatar. Qatar Airways has been increasing the number of tourists it ferries to Thailand every year for the last 10 years.

Source - TheNation

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