Is mass tourism a thing of the past in Thailand?

Is mass tourism a thing of the past in Thailand as the streets of the most popular tourist destinations are unnervingly quiet.
Along Chaweng’s Beach Road, a usually raucous party area, shuttered shops stretch into the distance.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, it was buzzing with traffic. Now, taxi drivers sit on the roadside, with little hope of finding customers.

Where bikini-clad sunseekers once browsed souvenir shops and drank at neon-lit bars, a lone street dog stretches on the pavement.

Elsewhere, swathes of Samui’s idyllic, sandy white beaches are almost entirely free of people.

About 40 million tourists flocked to Thailand last year, drawn by its spectacular coastlines, ornate temples and famous cuisine.

In 2022, the country will struggle to attract even a quarter of that number, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Tourism ground to a halt in April, when Thailand imposed a ban on all incoming passenger flights. The country – which has so far managed to contain Covid-19, recording 3,255 cases and 58 deaths – is discussing travel bubbles with low-risk neighbouring countries, but no one knows when these might be established. Borders remain shut to almost all foreign tourists.

The travel sector has survived devastating crises before, including the 2004 tsunami, bird flu and Sars outbreaks.

But the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is beyond comparison, says Tanes Petsuwan, deputy governor for marketing communication at the TAT.

During previous crises, revenue dropped by around a fifth, he said. This year, the coronavirus pandemic is expected to cause a 80% fall in revenues. “It’s a huge impact,” he said.

To make matters worse, Thailand’s economy has become even more reliant on tourism, accounting for almost 20% of GDP, according to Tanes. About 4.4 million people are employed across the industry – in transport, travel agencies, restaurants and hotels.

In Samui, many have gone for months without work. Before coronavirus, Jarunee Kasorn, who works in a local massage parlour in Chaweng, says her colleagues would welcome up to 90 clients a day.

They’re one of the few businesses to reopen on Beach Road, but a whole day can go by without a single customer. “If there are no tourists, then there’s no business,” she said.

Most of the shop’s 20 staff have left the island altogether, and returned to their family homes elsewhere in Thailand.

Though modest social assistance payments were offered to workers during lockdown, this is no longer available.

“Many people say we won’t die from Covid, but we will die because we are not able to eat,” says Ta Sasiwinom, who has just reopened her stall at an outdoor market in Fishermen’s Village, known as the walking street. The past few months have been a struggle for her and her two daughters. “We cook more cheaply – eating egg and rice, rice and egg,” she says.

Parts of the market, and the nearby beach, have begun to return to life. There are groups of visitors and locals peering at the discounted stalls, but it is still nowhere near as busy as it would usually be.

Among those shopping are tourists stuck abroad, foreign residents living in Thailand, and Thais – who the government has encouraged to travel domestically through a stimulus package that offers subsidised hotel bookings.

The scheme, and a looming long weekend, has provided a welcome boost, says Lloyd Maraville, general manager of Nora Buri resort and spa.

Of the hotel’s 144 rooms, about 100 are empty, though this will fall to 85 over the holiday.

Government measures, he adds, “might sustain hotels for a while but it will not be a long-term [solution].” Rooms have been booked at far below the usual rates. “Profit is out of the question at this moment, we just want to maintain the resort,” he says.

Tanes believes that when tourism is able to begin again, the industry will be altered completely.

He hopes for positive change. “I think this is a good time for Thailand to upskill the human resources of the industry to move Thailand [away] from [being an] overcrowded tourist destination,” he says. Mass tourism, and the dependence on large tour groups, he argues, will be a thing of the past.

In Samui, businesses are focused on survival for now. Just last month it was announced that nearly 100 local hotel owners had been forced to sell. Many more remain shut indefinitely.

“I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’m shocked, I never thought it could be like this,” says Rattanaporn Chadakarn, who runs a stall at the walking street.

No one knows if the Great Panic will continue. For now, she adds, everyone is just waiting for the skies to reopen.

Source - BangkokJack

VISA AGENT

5 Secret Destinations to Visit in #Myanmar (Burma) in 2020

A land with a troubled past, Myanmar has only recently begun to open up to international tourism — and for many travellers, it still passes well below the radar.

 Yet, with its great expanses of unexplored jungle, extensive shoreline, diverse culture, atmospheric incense-filled temples and countless minority groups inhabiting even the most far-flung corners, Myanmar is a sleeping giant. This is a place for those who want to leave the usual tourist trail far behind and tread where few others set foot. Don’t expect travel there to ever be easy, but for the most adventurous and determined explorers, here are 5 secret destinations to visit during your trip to Myanmar in 2020.

1. Keng Tung (Kyaingtong)

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Tucked away in the north-eastern corner of Shan State where Myanmar meets Thailand, Laos and China, Keng Tung, remote, inaccessible and, until recently, off-limits to tourists, is a place to visit before word spreads. The only practical way of reaching it from the rest of the country is to fly in— although it’s also possible to arrive by road from the Thai border crossing at Mae Sai. The town itself has several attractions of interest, including a large standing Buddha, a distinctive monastery and some hot springs, but the main thing to do here is to enjoy the ample opportunities for trekking out to the minority villages in the surrounding area. As one of the most important towns of the Shan people, it’s also a great place to sample Shan food, reputedly the best in all of Myanmar.

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Chin State, bordering India and Bangladesh in the west of Myanmar, is the epitome of ‘off the beaten track’. It is one of the country’s poorest, least developed and most sparsely populated areas and has very little in the way of infrastructure. However, for intrepid explorers who make their way there the potential rewards are great. This is an area with a patchwork of tribes speaking myriad languages and with lush forests and remote mountains to discover. Trekking into minority villages around the town of Mindat is possible, and the region’s best-known peak, Mount Victoria, offers sublime views of the surrounding countryside— sometimes even as far as India on a clear day. Nearby Kanpetlet, a laidback town with decent accommodation, is a good place to base yourself before tackling the mountain.

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In the north-west of Myanmar, bordering the tiny Indian state of Nagaland, lies the Naga Self-administered Zone, home to various tribes sharing broadly similar culture and traditions that make up the loosely-defined Naga people.

This is another of Myanmar’s poorest and most inaccessible areas, and the tribal groups there maintain their age-old customs through their lively festivals, their distinctive dress and their traditional way of life, remaining largely untouched by the outside world.

 Some of these tribes may have been active head-hunters as recently ago as 1969, but nowadays they are more welcoming and friendly, and a trip to their little-known homelands will be one of the most unforgettable experiences of any trip to Myanmar.

4. Dawei
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This port town on Myanmar’s south-western Andaman coast, in Tanintharyi Region, is for those who have grown tired of the overcrowded, overpriced beaches and resorts of neighbouring Thailand and who are searching for something fresh. The town of Dawei itself can be reached by land since the road is now open to international visitors — or if you want to save some time, you can fly in from Yangon. Once there, you will have access to a good range of accommodation, pristine stretches of sand, simple beach restaurants, a handful of pagodas to visit and a secret place of your own to chill, safe from tourist hordes across the border just a little further south.

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5. Mergui Archipelago

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If you’ve ever studied a map of Myanmar, you may have noticed the fractured coastline of the deep south and wondered what undiscovered island paradises lie hidden there. However, the breathtaking beauty of the unspoiled beaches and transparent, turquoise seas of the Mergui Archipelago is likely to be far beyond anything you ever imagined. Try picturing the most perfect Thai islands before the arrival of mass tourism — or any kind of tourism at all — and you might be somewhere close. These islands have only been open to foreign visitors since 1997, and this is a destination you need to see before it hits the mainstream.

Although it is gradually opening up, Myanmar is still largely terra incognita to most international travellers, and even the most popular destinations like Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake receive relatively few tourists. However, if you want the chance to discover some of Southeast Asia’s last truly secret destinations, this is a country that should be on your holiday list.

Source - MM Times

#Bangkok - “Walking Street @Silom” New destination in Town

Brand New city market “Walking Street @Silom” opens up (15 December 2019) welcoming visitors to the brand new destination in town every 3rd Sunday of the month from 12.00 to 22.00.

Right from lunchtime, big crowds of locals and tourists have joined in the grand opening by shopping for goods and tasting cool dishes along the famous Silom road.

The stalls line both sides of Silom road under the BTS Skytrain elevated rails to give some shade from the bright sun.

Over 300 businesses have joined the walking street with 70% being food stalls including classic Thai food and trendy options including drinks and desserts to end a perfect meal.

Visitors can also shop home products including handmade goods, OTOP (One Tambon, One Product) goods, clothes, and other goods. There are also street performers who will be a part of the experience of Walking Street @Silom.

There is a stage in the middle of the street with various shows such as a Thai Dance show. The Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha went on the stage to officially open Walking Street @Silom up for business.

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The main concept behind the event is to “Walk, Eat, Taste, and Explore”. The new walking street will promote tourism in the area along with boosting the economy in the area. The Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang joined in the grand opening celebration.

The Prime Minister stated in his ceremonial speech that tourists visit Thailand because of the beautiful nature, delicious food that is good and cheap, and Thai Smile.

The Thai people need to keep these good qualities by continuing to smile and to have peace along with efficiency and safety.

The government wants to increase tourism, but safety and stability must come first. The government can’t approve every project because there is a budget.

The Prime Minister touched on a few other topics before ending with a statement that the people must become one, the Thai’s must stand solo and to not let any person destroy

 

Source - Pattayaone News

#Cambodia Huge eco-resort under way in Kampong Speu province

If you are an eco-tourism enthusiast, here is another good news for you.

A leading property developer in the Kingdom, Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd, has announced that it is working on another massive eco-tourism project, this time in Kampong Speu province.

The new project, which is called KC Adventure/Agricultural Resort Basedth, will sit on more than 100 hectares of land in Kampong Speu’s Basedth district, Dr Alexander Evengroen, CEO of Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd, said in an interview yesterday.

Just like with their eco-tourism project in Kampot province, Mr Evengroen said their Kampong Speu venture will benefit the Cambodian people and the Kingdom’s tourism industry. Chamreun Sambath Construction Co Ltd is separately working on a multi-million-dollar adventure Resort in Kampot’s Chhouk district.

“We want to give back to the people while growing Cambodia’s tourism industry,” he said.

According to him, their latest venture will feature a Cambodian history museum, fruit farms, cattle farms, special islands, restaurants, solar park, guesthouses, hotel, hobbit homes, cable carts, flower gardens, nature hiking trails, watersports facilities, coffee shop, sky tower, fish ponds, car park, clubhouse, resort, pavilion and cottages, among others.

“What is unique about this place is that visitors will also learn about the beauty of Cambodian history while enjoying the scenery,” he pointed out.

Mr Evengroen said Basedth district is an excellent choice for such project. According to many tourism experts, Kampong Speu, with its mountains, forests, and national parks, is among several provinces in Cambodia that hold vast potential for eco-tourism development.

“The location is green and fresh, with stunning views and mountains within and in the background. It is also easy to reach and ready for development,” he stressed.

“We are developing more than 100 hectares and might expand in the future,” he added.

Source - Khmer Times

#Vietnam - CNN names Hoi An among Asia’s most beautiful towns

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U.S. cable news channel CNN has listed the 400-year-old Hoi An Town in central Vietnam among “the most picturesque” in Asia.

The UNESCO heritage site in Quang Nam Province ranks fourth in the list of 13 most beautiful towns in Asia, behind another UNESCO site, George Town in Malaysia, the beautiful river town of Zhouzhuang in China and Japan’s Yufuin.

Hoi An, which used to be the busiest trading port in Southeast Asia in the 16th century and was famous for ceramics and high-quality silk, is now "a heaven for photographers, foodies and architecture lovers", CNN said.

"Thanks to centuries as an important trade hub, the narrow streets of Hoi An ancient town feature rows and rows of charming mustard-hued merchant houses though many have since been transformed into low-key restaurants, bars, design boutiques and tailors' shops."

For many, Hoi An is not just a collection of 16th century houses for which the former port town has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. A cuisine particular to the town, influenced by many different cultures including Japan, China and Portugal, is a major part of its attraction too.

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Don’t miss the array of delicious food experiences, from banh mi, a Vietnamese single-serving baguette filled with various savory ingredients, at the famous Banh Mi Phuong Restaurant (2B Phan Chau Trinh) that has been praised by bloggers and foreign media for several years now. Anthony Bourdain referred to the banh mi here as "the world's best", CNN said.

"Foodies can also enjoy local staples like herb-covered rice rolls, white rose dumplings and fresh seafood at Ms Ly’s café."

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 Famous towns in Southeast Asia appearing on the CNN list also include Vigan in the Philippines, Luang Prabang in Laos, Kampot in Cambodia, Kota Gede in Indonesia, and Phuket Old Town in Thailand.

Hoi An has been earning one laurel after another this year including topping this year’s tourism hotspot listing by New York-based magazine Travel + Leisure.

On July 16 Google Doodle featured an image of Hoi An with symbols of Chua Cau (Pagoda Bridge) and colorful lanterns, the first Vietnamese destination to be honored thus.

The number of foreign visitors to Hoi An skyrocketed by 90 percent last year to 3.7 million.

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Source - VN Express

 

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

#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

#Indonesia - Government to boost sustainable tourism in small villages

Tangkahan village near Mount Leuser in North Sumatra and Pemuteran village in Bali are two of many villages in Indonesia that offer unique ecotourism attractions. 

They can set an example for other villages across the country to develop sustainable tourism as envisaged by the government during a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) meeting recently.

Tourists could enjoy ecotourism activities in Tangkahan such as jungle trekking and elephant riding, said Valerina Daniel, the head of the Tourism Ministry’s sustainable tourism acceleration team. 

“In this village, people who used to be illegal loggers are now part of developing the tourism village by offering packages to tourists, which helps to preserve the forests,” she said in Jakarta recently.

Tourists visiting Pemuteran, which is known as a fishing village where residents are active in marine conservation, can go diving and snorkeling while participating in activities like coral conservation and feeding turtles. 

Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said after the UNWTO meeting that the ministry wanted to create 2,000 tourism villages by the end of this year, an increase from the 1,734 created last year.

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 The program, managed in conjunction with the Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry, is part of the government’s commitment to accelerate sustainable tourism.  

 According to UNWTO guidelines released in 2005, sustainable tourism should take full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impact while addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, environment and host community.

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Regulation No. 14/2016 stipulates that sustainable tourism should empower local communities, preserve culture and conserve the environment.

Valerina said the development of tourism villages would be focused around the 10 priority destinations, or 10 New Balis, adding that the development was a sustainable tourism model that suited Indonesia, which has 75,000 villages across the archipelago.

“There are many villages in Indonesia and a village is the smallest instrument where we can directly empower the community by developing its potential while preserving its culture and environment based on the sustainable tourism principle,” she said.

He added that the development of the homestays and villages could be funded by state-owned enterprises’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.

Another financing option would be using low-interest rate loans from banks with long-term maturity so that local players can thrive, Arief said. 

He added that the government would also establish more Sustainable Tourism Observatories (STOs) in seven locations, adding to the five existing STOs so far. The STOs monitor research and give recommendations to the local government on how to develop sustainable tourism.

The sustainable tourism program was a positive move for Indonesia, although it had yet to become the umbrella policy for general tourism development in the country, said Muhammad Baiquni, a tourism expert at Gadjah Mada University’s Center of Tourism Studies. 

“The sustainable tourism concept could be a good balancer for Indonesia’s tourism, which still tends to be quantity oriented instead of quality oriented,” added Baiquni. 

He, however, reminded the government to make sure that village tourism had a positive impact on society, culture and the environment, as well as putting local communities first so that sustainable tourism could be achieved. 

“Are the villagers benefitting and sovereign on their own land? Does tourism in the villages make their environment and socioeconomic situation better? All of these must be assessed.”

Baiquni suggested that the government should focus on creating tourism villages that were of high standards and sustainable, rather than setting a specific target for homestays and villages.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Chinese begin Lunar holiday exodus in the millions

Millions of Chinese have begun the annual exodus for the Lunar New Year, the world's largest annual human migration, leaving major cities to return to their hometowns for the holiday. 

The most important holiday in the Chinese calendar places great emphasis on family reunions, and travellers must get home by Monday to usher in the Year of the Pig the following day. 

At Beijing Railway Station early on Wednesday, thousands were milling around in the cold, wrapped up in thick coats and wheeling their luggage.

They included a group of children with brightly colored bags emblazoned with cartoon characters, a stark contrast to the dark, wintry morning. 

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Readying for a 32-hour journey from Beijing to Huaihua in Hunan province, central China, passengers kept themselves entertained on mobile phones while sipping tea from flasks. 

Many who bought standing-only tickets were perched on their luggage along the aisle, or on tiny foldable stools sold on the Beijing platform. Others dozed in their cramped seats.

In the sleeper cabins there was a buzz in the air, with families chatting and sharing food and children playing along the corridors. 

Rail operators expect some 413 million trips during this year's holiday season, up 8.3 percent from a year ago, the official Xinhua news agency reported. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

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#Thailand named in top 10 places in the world to retire

Thailand has again been named in the top 10 retirement destinations in the world and No 2 in Asia.

The list is part of an annual report published this month by International Living magazine and names Panama as top retiree destination. Malaysia comes in fifth but Thailand sneaks into the top 10 at No 9, pushing evergreen retirement favourite Spain into 10th place.

Nestled between Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, Thailand enjoys the warm-water coastlines of both the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. The Kingdom has never been colonised by foreign powers, so Thai culture is untouched, rich and ancient. What’s more, it’s ideal for expat living, reckons the International Living report.

The list considers factors such as culture, weather and living conditions. There are lots of options in the countries named in the top 10 for living in coastal as well as mountain areas. 

Reasonable rents and the choice of living both the high life and a more modest existence were other main factors.

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For Thailand, the report lists the many choices for retirees on both the Gulf and Andaman coasts, ease of travel to bordering nations as well as the interesting culture.

Tourism Authority of Thailand chief Yutthasak Supphasorn says it is a deserved award pointing to all the reasons Thailand is wonderful for those in retirement.

“It is great news. Really there are many provinces where retirees decide to settle in Thailand”.

He pointed to Chiang Mai, Nakhon Panom and Nong Khai in particular, where the attraction of wonderful nature, quiet surroundings and the possibility of economical living all make for fantastic retirement opportunities.

Source - TheNation 

Top 10 Retire Destinations

1/ Panama

2/ Costa Rica

3/ Mexico

4/ Ecuador

5/ Malaysia

6/ Columbia

7/ Portugal

8/ Peru

9/ Thailand

10 / Spain

Click to enlarge

#Thailand invites Chinese tourists to record-breaking sticky rice mango feast

Some 10,000 Chinese tourists have been invited to a feast in Thailand that has broken the Guinness World Record for the biggest sticky rice mango banquet ever, as a way to win tourists from China back.

The dessert, featuring 6,000 mangoes and 15 tonnes of sticky rice was announced the world biggest one in an event themed "We Care About You" near Bangkok. The feast was held on Sunday by the tourism panel of the National Legislative Assembly and was coordinated by the Association of Thai Travel Agents.

Chinese tourists were invited to enjoy the most famous Thai dessert along with Thai food and fruits as well as Thai-Chinese performances.

Organizers said they want to build up a good image of Thai hospitality through this event.

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 "Considering there was a sharp drop of Chinese tourists to Thailand, we've been making an effort to improve the country's safety standards, expecting to restore the confidence of tourists from China and let them know Thailand care about them." said Pichit Kuandachakupt, chairman of the committee of religion, art, culture and tourism of the National Legislative Assembly 

 Chinese arrivals, which were booming in early 2018, were stunted by a deadly ferry sinking in July 2018 which killed 47 Chinese tourists.

Although yearly arrivals of Chinese tourists for 2018 exceeded a historic milestone of 10 million in December, monthly arrivals were lower than that during the same period last year.

Thailand have exceeded the waiver on the on-arrival-visa fee for 20 countries and regions including China, the kingdom's biggest tourism contributor that accounts more than a quarter of its international arrivals.

Source - TheJakartaPost

 

H.I.S. to open 10 more robot-staffed hotels in #Japan

Japanese travel company H.I.S. Co. said Monday it will open 10 more hotels staffed by robots in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Kyoto by March 2019.

"Henn-na Hotel," or "strange hotel," featuring dinosaur or female humanoid robot receptionists and cleaning robots, will be opened in downtown areas of the cities, targeting the booming foreign tourist market in Japan, the company said.

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 Currently, H.I.S. operates three similar hotels near theme parks in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture and Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture.

The company plans to open six branded Henn-na Hotels in Tokyo between December and September next year, one in Fukuoka and two in Osaka in December 2018, and another in Kyoto in March 2019, with the investment estimated to total approximately 20 to 30 billion yen ($180-270 million).

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Source - TheJakartPost