#Thailand, the land of festivals

 

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 We’ll start with Songkran because that’s the start of the Thai new year. It’s held on April 13. Having already blown most of the budget on fireworks for the western new year on January 1 and the Chinese New Year festivities, this time they use water as a means of ‘purification’, saying goodbye to the country’s hot season and welcoming the monsoonal rains. It involves a lot of water. In the past it was a gentle festival held at temples washing Buddha images.

It’s meant to be like this…

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  Fireworks, colour, smoke, noise, costumes, absence of occupational health and safety. That could describe any of the many, many festivals held around Thailand each year. Different regions, different festivals. Some reflect an ancient culture and a rich history, other make absolutely no sense but we enjoy them anyway. We’ll go through some of the main ones and a few you’ll NEVER see anywhere else in the world.

But it’s actually like this!

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 Somehow it’s morphed into a huge water fight, in some places, running over many days up to week (in Chiang Mai and parts of Pattaya). Ladeling water gently onto Buddha statues has been replaced by all-out water fights, loud music, foam and a party that has no rules.

If you’re outside during Songkran, especially in the main tourist zones, you WILL get splashed, probably drenched. The more the authorities try and play down the fun in Songkran the more tourists arrive each year determined to party in an event that’s somewhere between a video-game and the last half of ‘Titanic’.

And that’s just ONE festival!

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 The Vegetarian Festival, principally held in Phuket with it’s Chinese heritage, is an assault on all your senses. Parades are held around the island by various community groups with participants wearing white and followed up by either one or many mah-song. These mah-song have been ‘possessed’ by a spirit and display tourettes-like ticks, grunts and choreography that suggests their claims may indeed be true. If it’s all an act, it’s a very convincing one because, apart from all the cavorting down the street, they also have their cheeks and other parts of their body pierced – not by an earring or something tame like that – we’re talking spears, swords, petrol pumps, guns. It’s insane! These days there’s an ambulance following behind and probably more mah-song succumb to blood loss than is ever reported.

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 Phi ta khon (or Ghost Festival) is held in the Dan Sai district of north-eastern Thailand (near the Lao border) each year and usually follows a parade of people dressed up in rags with ghost masks.

Phi Ta Khon is the name given to a group of celebrations held over three days in the province of Loei. The most striking is the first day, the Ghost Festival itself, when the town residents invite the protection of the river spirit Phra U-Pakut, and then parade wearing the ghosts masks made of husks and coconut leaves.

But they also carry with them large phallic axes which are meant to reflect… oh, Google it.

 In Esan and around the Laos border areas there are many rocket festivals each year around May to June. Probably the biggest is the Yasothon Bun Bang Fai Rocket Festival. Imagine groups building their own rocket with the winner able to fire their rocket to the highest altitude. Like Songkran, the idea is to welcome in the forthcoming wet season (by piercing the sky to encourage rain).

The rockets used to be made out of bamboo but are more likely to be constructed out of PVC pipes these days and powered by ‘black powder’ which is regulated by certain rules (we doubt this claim!!). So there’s gun powder, loud music, alcohol and men in competition to fire home-made rockets high into the Esan sky – what could possible go wrong?! Some of the rockets reach heights of several kilometres and can travel a lot further down range.

Read more about the rocket festivals HERE.

 

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 Chinese New Year is big in China and it’s also huge in Thailand. Partly because there are many ethnic Thai-Chinese born in Thailand but also because there are so many Chinese visiting the Kingdom these days. The Chinese New Year festivities stretch from shopping centre sales to regional street parades to ceremonies for families and businesses.

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For a Buddhist country, Christmas is ironically enthusiastically celebrated. It involves presents, eating, celebrations, coloured lights and people spending money so it was always going to fly in Thailand. Thais remain completely bemused by Santa Claus, ‘baby Jesus’ and Christmas carols but, commercially, they’ve certainly embraced it now.

I have never seen better decorations or a celebration of Christmas than I have in Bangkok. My best Christmas moment was when I found a statue of Santa Claus nailed to a cross – a slight cultural faux pas where they’d confused Easter and Christmas and come up with a perfectly ‘Thai’ Christmas decoration.

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Source - The Thaiger

#Sydney breaks ground on new airport

Sydney-bound holidaymakers will soon have more options to reach Australia's largest city, which on Monday broke ground on a new US$3.6 billion airport. 

"Western Sydney Airport" is scheduled to open in 2026 as part of an effort to deal with booming air traffic numbers.

"It's great to see this happening," said Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the opening. "This issue has been around for longer than I have been living on the planet," he added, joking about long-running planning delays.

The number of air passengers globally is projected to nearly double to 7.8 billion by 2036.

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 Sydney is expected to double passenger numbers within the next two decades, with low cost airlines continuing to provide much of the growth -- driving down fares on longer routes and stimulating demand.

Supporters of the project say that even if flight restrictions on Sydney's current airport were lifted, it would not be able to handle expected passenger numbers.

In the first phase Western Sydney Airport will be able to handle around 10 million passengers a year, around a quarter of the current total landing at the present facility.

Source - TheJakartaPost

South Korea in run-up to welcome Winter Olympics

As the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games have just one week to go before the opening ceremony, athletes, volunteers and the whole of South Korea are in full swing to welcome the Games. Let's look at some of the preparations for the upcoming Winter Games.

 The Olympic flame is tested in its cauldron during a rehearsal for the upcoming 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

 The Olympic Plaza in Pyeongchang, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics will be held. 

 The 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics mascot Soohorang, right, and Paralympics mascot Bandabi are pictured in Pyeongchang, South Korea

How climate change threatens #Indonesia's marine #Tourism

While the Earth has only warmed around 0.74 degrees Celsius over the last 100 years, this small temperature increase is affecting ocean ecosystems and could impact upon the global marine tourism industry.

Coral reef tourism has a global value of US$36 billion per year, according to a scientific study mapping the global value and distribution of coral reef tourism. This study, published in the Marine Policy journal in August 2017, concluded that 30 percent of the world’s reefs are valuable to tourism.

Indonesia has a thriving coral reef tourism industry and also has the second largest manta ray tourism industry in the world, with an annual value of over $15 million.

While coral bleaching events and ocean acidification are well-documented effects of climate change, there are other stressors upon coral reefs that could undermine these valuable tourism industries.

Sea level rises, leading to coastal erosion, plus stronger and more frequent storms typical of the current climate, smother and destroy coral reef structures. Heavy rainfall cause land-based pollutants and nutrients to wash into the ocean, resulting in algal blooms and a reduction in available light at reefs. Changing ocean currents also affect reefs, by altering the connectivity of geographically distant reefs and water temperature profiles. These changes can lead to a lack of food sources and interrupt reef species’ ability to breed.

If left unchecked, these complex effects could reduce the value of marine tourism significantly as the quality of world-class Indonesian dive sites and idyllic tourism destinations deteriorate.

Thankfully a new global partnership to conserve the ocean, announced at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland on Jan. 25, should help address this. This new partnership, Friends of Ocean Action, will consist of leaders in science, technology, business and non-governmental groups aiming to deliver the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

Individuals can also do their part to minimize the effects of climate change by reducing their carbon footprint. Measures such as driving less, reducing waste and purchasing energy efficient appliances or light bulbs are easy ways to help. Indonesia’s coral reefs can be protected with simple measures such as using fewer garden chemicals that may run-off into the ocean, choosing sustainable seafood and practicing good reef etiquette.

READ MORE 

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More flight options between Bangkok and Tokyo

Thai AirAsia X affirms its commitment to the Japanese market by increasing its frequency of flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Tokyo (Narita) from two to three flights per day, allowing travellers to fly in the morning, afternoon and at night just in time for Sakura season.

Nadda Buranasiri, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia X, said Tokyo is the number one destination for Thai travellers to Japan and predicts that the number will grow as this year continues. The city has high potential for repeat visits, group tours and Fully Independent Travellers (FIT) as it serves as a jump off point to the World Heritage City of Nikko and the natural splendour of Nagano, both of which are becoming increasingly popular. The trend unlocks new travel opportunities, indicating that Japan truly offers boundless tourism experiences.

“Meanwhile, Thailand has also grown its popularity among Japanese visitors. According to 2017 statistics, the number of Japanese travellers to Thailand rose seven per cent from the previous year and we believe we can contribute more to the growing proportion of both Japanese and foreign travellers. As a leading low-cost airline in the region, we are proud to be supporting the growth of tourism and the economies of both Thailand and Japan.

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 “We are committed to improving our services and maintaining our record set last year of being consistently reliable in terms of On-Time Performance, averaging as high as 92 per cent on all the routes combined. This accomplishment signifies our strength beyond being a low-cost carrier but demonstrating high quality services which helps us grow constantly,” Nadda said.

The AirAsia brand is becoming better received in the Japanese market and Thai AirAsia X is determined to continually promote its routes from Don Mueang to Tokyo, Osaka and the newly added Sapporo. The airline is supported by flights from its fellow AirAsia group members operating out of Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Hawaii as well as AirAsia Japan which operates domestic flights in the country.

The new XJ602 flight will depart from Don Mueang at 5.05 am in the morning and arrive at Tokyo (Narita) at 1.10pm while flight XJ603 will depart Tokyo (Narita) at 2.25 pm to arrive in Don Mueang at 7.10 pm. The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-300 and is being introduced with promotional fares starting at Bt3,333 one way (for the added flight). Bookings can be made from now until February 4 for travel from March 25 to October 27. Details and booking are available at www.AirAsia.com

 

Source - TheNation

#Indonesia - Sabang, Aceh has a lot to offer for marine tourism

Weh Island is a paradise north of Sumatra. Sabang is located on the island.

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 When thinking about beach destinations in Indonesia, the top-of-mind places are usually Bali and Lombok. Rarely does the Sabang City in Aceh make it into the list of favorite places for underwater activities, while in reality the city actually has plenty to offer for marine tourism.

Take the Sail Sabang 2017 event, for example, it’s one of the highly anticipated events by the Tourism Ministry and will be held from Nov. 28 until Dec. 5 in Sabang.

The event will have 24 activities, among which include Sabang Underwater Contest, fishing competition and freediving competition.

The latter one is a form of underwater sports that relies on divers’ ability to hold their breath as long as they can until resurfacing.

The competition will run from Nov. 26 until Dec.1 and it has so far attracted 40 international diving athletes to participate.

To compete in this sport, the athletes need to spare some time ahead of the competition to prepare themselves.

“The competition is next week and they are already here, they need to train. You can’t reach a certain level of depth in short time, you need to adapt and do a survey,” explained Stanley Sradaputta, a freediving expert who assists divers in the event.

One of the early-comers is world-record holder William Trubridge from New Zealand. 

“I just finished my first training for Sail Sabang Freediving Competition, Sabang has a beautiful ocean,” said William.

During his first training, he managed to descend 90 meters down amid the nice weather. “Waves are great, the clarity of the water is good. The entire condition is exciting for us freedivers,” he added.

Through this freediving competition, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya is pushing for freediving to be developed by the locals in Sabang. He saw that the seas in Sabang are beautiful and deep enough to do this kind of sports activity. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

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#Indonesia - Tanjung Lesung Festival to host Rhino X #Triathlon

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If you love triathlons and also like to explore culture and historical sites at the same time, then the Rhino X Triathlon – or Rhino Cross Triathlon – is the right fit for you.

Set to be held from Sept. 23-24, the sports tourism event invites participants to explore the beauty of Tanjung Lesung in Banten while competing in the race.

“The race consists of swimming, cycling and running phases. Our target is to have local and foreign participants in the event,” said Kawasan Tanjung Lesung manager Poernomo Siswoprasetijo.

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 The event, which is part of the Tanjung Lesung Festival, will also feature other activities including a challenge to break the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI) record for the youngest diver carrying the national flag in the Sunda Strait.

The cross triathlon will be divided into three age groups: Open (20 to 39 years old), Master (40 years old and above) and Youth (13 to 19 years old).

Apart from the Rhino Cross Triathlon, the Tanjung Lesung Festival will also offer other sports activities, such as the MTB XC (mountain bike cross-country) Marathon and the Sunset Trail Run.

 Read also: Tanjung Lesung to add 10,000 rooms to welcome travelers

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Italy - #Venice bans opening of new fast food outlets

Venetian authorities no longer want to see tourists strolling into Saint Mark’s Square or around its legendary canals with a sandwich or a snack in hand.

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Authorities in Venice have passed a law preventing the opening of new fast food outlets in a bid to preserve the identity of the Floating City.

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Venetian authorities no longer want to see tourists strolling into Saint Mark’s Square or around its legendary canals with a sandwich or a snack in hand. The city’s authorities want to put a brake on the expansion of outlets selling burgers, kebabs and other fast-food items intended for eating on the hoof.

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Paola Mar, the city’s tourism chief, considers that such establishments “are not compatible with the preservation and development of Venice’s cultural heritage.” The law also seeks to limit the growth of outlets selling take-out pizza by the slice.

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Venice is used to seeing students gather in the Campo Santa Margherita square to devour their slice of pizza. Other successful street food outlets have also modernized the Venice food scene, like in the San Polo district, where Acqua E Mais serves the famous Italian polenta topped with local fritto misto (mixed fried seafood) in a cone to go.

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It is currently prohibited to eat take-out food in Saint Mark’s Square, nor is it not possible to sit on the steps of the square’s basilica. Tourists wanting a bite to eat must instead ask for a table in one of the historic cafés in the emblematic Venetian location.

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This isn’t the first time that Italy has gone to war with fast food. Verona, an hour’s train ride from Venice, prohibited the opening of new kebab shops in 2016. McDonald’s also caused anger in Rome when it opened a restaurant a stone’s throw away from the Vatican early that same year.

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A cardinal even wrote to Pope Francis asking him to intervene. At the end of 2016, the Mayor of Florence refused the opening of an American fast food joint on the Piazza Del Duomo, one of the Tuscan capital’s main squares.

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