THE Andaman coast and Phuket look set for a better start to 2009, thanks to a surprisingly strong burst of international publicity.
Latest ego boost (read: potential revenue spinner) comes in the Sunday Travel section of the highly regarded New York Times, under the line 'Luxury Destination of the Year.'
That's a great way to start.
Just as pleasing, though, the main headline reads: 'The Rebirth of Phuket.'
The article, by a freelance writer named Gregory Dicum, heaps praise upon the region and is everything the Tourism Authority of Thailand could possible ask for.
And perhaps they did.
The author notes that he was in the region in October, which is around about the time that media were brought to Thailand on free trips in reaction to the three-day blockade of Phuket Airport in late-August.
Gregory Dicum must have covered all the costs of his trip, because the New York Times is the kind of publication that would tell you if he came and stayed as a freebie-guest and was, in effect, a hired hand, paid to promote the region.
Or perhaps even good newspapers have fallen on hard times.
Benefitting hugely from the article is the newly-opened Mai Khao resort, Anantara, which figures in eight of the 13 images that come as an accompanying online photo special to the NYT 'Travel Dispatch' email alert.
Below, as in several dozen chattering degrees below, is the competition: '36 hours in Reykjavik, Iceland.' Even for lovers of Bjork, this may not have quite as much appeal as the sunny tropical Andaman coast.
What Dicum has to say about his stay will delight everyone who (a) is pleased the Andaman has long since completely recovered from the 2004 tsunami and (b) now hopes for a speedy comeback from the man-made disaster of the Bangkok airports blockade.
Here are some of Dicum's many satisfying observations:
The Andaman: ''A paradise of mangroves, tropical islands and emerald coves set in electric-blue waters, the Andaman Coast is one of the world's best-known beach destinations.''
Post-tsunami Khao Lak: ''From the porch of my little bungalow at the Baan Krating hotel in Khao Lak, where leafy palms and umbrella trees clung to the cliff beneath me, towering above the egg-like rocks bathed in clear water below, there was no sign of trouble whatsoever.''
(Well, that's a relief. American readers will feel a whole lot safer now. The sea ''remains lambent and calm, and the air touches one's cheek like a kiss.'')
The future: ''The Yamu, a new high-end hotel scheduled to open late this year in Phang Nga Bay, promises luxuries including a chocolate room; interiors by Philippe Starck and the luxury hotel designer Jean-Michel Gathy; and, for traveling musicians who like to mix work with pleasure, a recording studio.''
(We thought The Yamu was actually on Phuket, not in Phang Nga Bay. And goodbye, we guess, to those rumors about a postponement.)
And Khao Lak overall: ''Instead of boisterous night life like that in Patong, on Phuket to the south, or stunning cliff faces like Rai Le's, to the east, Khao Lak's charm is in its long serene beach at the foot of a range of thickly forested mountains.''
As well as the Anantara and Baan Krating Khao Lak, the article gives favorable mentions to the Aleenta, Le Meridien Khao Lak, Sri Panwa, Sala Phuket, Indigo Pearl, The Village Coconut Island and the Ramada Resort Khao Lak.
As only the New York Times can do, the article takes colorful atmosphere creation to the next level.
Here's the first paragraph:
''I wasn't far out from the beach - just beyond the lightly rolling breakers. My feet had left the sandy bottom, and amniotic water burbled around my shoulders. A sea eagle sailed between me and the hot afternoon sun. The starburst tops of a coconut grove delineated the beach. An arc of sugar, it stretched away to a cluster of rounded rocks and, beyond, a rise of greenery leading into the tufted mountains of a national park.''
So there you go. It may be flowery stuff, but if it brings a few more rich Americans this way, that's great.
We have just one major criticism of the New York Times piece, from the old grey lady that once prided itself on accuracy.
It's this paragraph about the tsunami: ''All told, the disaster killed a quarter-million people worldwide and more than 8,000 in Thailand - fishermen, villagers and more than 2,000 foreigners from 16 countries.''
Actually it was more like 40 countries, and the confirmed death toll in Thailand was 5394 people, not ''more than 8000.''
In the early days, reporters unthinkingly added the number recorded as ''missing'' to the known dead, forgetting that there were thousands of unidentified bodies . . . that is, the ''missing.''
The mistake has been perpetuated for an especially long time by the Associated Press news agency, which Dicum probably turned to for accurate information.
We wish AP would correct it, once and for all, and in so doing save 3000 lives.
Meanwhile, the Andaman collectively owes the old grey lady (or perhaps when it comes to fact-checking, the old grey lazy) a freebie or two.
We also can't quite work out how the NYT Travel Dispatch for articles published on January 11 wound up in our in-box on January 10, but we are not complaining.
There is more good news in the International Herald Tribune of January 10, with IHT man in Bangkok, Thomas Fuller, reporting that Thailand is recovering from the airports blockade.
The evidence: '''It's started to bounce back,' said Pornthip Hiranyakij, secretary general of the Tourism Council of Thailand, a travel industry association,'' Fuller reports.
''She estimates that beach resorts in southern Thailand were about 80 to 85 percent full during the holiday season compared with about 90 percent last year.''
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Phuket's Model Comeback With Kate Moss
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Photo Album One way of Phuket regaining its top spot in global tourism is by having its best known advocates sing its praises. A former Miss Universe and television travel journalist shows how.
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The Phuketwan Resort of the Year Award 2008
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Phuketwan Resort of the Year Award 2008
Phuketwan Attraction of the Year 2008 Award
Photo Album Happiness probably is more important than success. At least, that's the view from 2008 and the view from the Phuketwan ''business'' award winner of the year.
Phuketwan's Attraction of the Year Award 2008
Phuketwan Innovation of the Year 2008 Award
Photo Album Golf and sailing vie for Phuket's top sporting spot and the latest award from Phuketwan reflects that competition. Greet this year's winner of the innovation of the year award.
Phuketwan Innovation of the Year Award 2008
Latest ego boost (read: potential revenue spinner) comes in the Sunday Travel section of the highly regarded New York Times, under the line 'Luxury Destination of the Year.'
That's a great way to start.
Just as pleasing, though, the main headline reads: 'The Rebirth of Phuket.'
The article, by a freelance writer named Gregory Dicum, heaps praise upon the region and is everything the Tourism Authority of Thailand could possible ask for.
And perhaps they did.
The author notes that he was in the region in October, which is around about the time that media were brought to Thailand on free trips in reaction to the three-day blockade of Phuket Airport in late-August.
Gregory Dicum must have covered all the costs of his trip, because the New York Times is the kind of publication that would tell you if he came and stayed as a freebie-guest and was, in effect, a hired hand, paid to promote the region.
Or perhaps even good newspapers have fallen on hard times.
Benefitting hugely from the article is the newly-opened Mai Khao resort, Anantara, which figures in eight of the 13 images that come as an accompanying online photo special to the NYT 'Travel Dispatch' email alert.
Below, as in several dozen chattering degrees below, is the competition: '36 hours in Reykjavik, Iceland.' Even for lovers of Bjork, this may not have quite as much appeal as the sunny tropical Andaman coast.
What Dicum has to say about his stay will delight everyone who (a) is pleased the Andaman has long since completely recovered from the 2004 tsunami and (b) now hopes for a speedy comeback from the man-made disaster of the Bangkok airports blockade.
Here are some of Dicum's many satisfying observations:
The Andaman: ''A paradise of mangroves, tropical islands and emerald coves set in electric-blue waters, the Andaman Coast is one of the world's best-known beach destinations.''
Post-tsunami Khao Lak: ''From the porch of my little bungalow at the Baan Krating hotel in Khao Lak, where leafy palms and umbrella trees clung to the cliff beneath me, towering above the egg-like rocks bathed in clear water below, there was no sign of trouble whatsoever.''
(Well, that's a relief. American readers will feel a whole lot safer now. The sea ''remains lambent and calm, and the air touches one's cheek like a kiss.'')
The future: ''The Yamu, a new high-end hotel scheduled to open late this year in Phang Nga Bay, promises luxuries including a chocolate room; interiors by Philippe Starck and the luxury hotel designer Jean-Michel Gathy; and, for traveling musicians who like to mix work with pleasure, a recording studio.''
(We thought The Yamu was actually on Phuket, not in Phang Nga Bay. And goodbye, we guess, to those rumors about a postponement.)
And Khao Lak overall: ''Instead of boisterous night life like that in Patong, on Phuket to the south, or stunning cliff faces like Rai Le's, to the east, Khao Lak's charm is in its long serene beach at the foot of a range of thickly forested mountains.''
As well as the Anantara and Baan Krating Khao Lak, the article gives favorable mentions to the Aleenta, Le Meridien Khao Lak, Sri Panwa, Sala Phuket, Indigo Pearl, The Village Coconut Island and the Ramada Resort Khao Lak.
As only the New York Times can do, the article takes colorful atmosphere creation to the next level.
Here's the first paragraph:
''I wasn't far out from the beach - just beyond the lightly rolling breakers. My feet had left the sandy bottom, and amniotic water burbled around my shoulders. A sea eagle sailed between me and the hot afternoon sun. The starburst tops of a coconut grove delineated the beach. An arc of sugar, it stretched away to a cluster of rounded rocks and, beyond, a rise of greenery leading into the tufted mountains of a national park.''
So there you go. It may be flowery stuff, but if it brings a few more rich Americans this way, that's great.
We have just one major criticism of the New York Times piece, from the old grey lady that once prided itself on accuracy.
It's this paragraph about the tsunami: ''All told, the disaster killed a quarter-million people worldwide and more than 8,000 in Thailand - fishermen, villagers and more than 2,000 foreigners from 16 countries.''
Actually it was more like 40 countries, and the confirmed death toll in Thailand was 5394 people, not ''more than 8000.''
In the early days, reporters unthinkingly added the number recorded as ''missing'' to the known dead, forgetting that there were thousands of unidentified bodies . . . that is, the ''missing.''
The mistake has been perpetuated for an especially long time by the Associated Press news agency, which Dicum probably turned to for accurate information.
We wish AP would correct it, once and for all, and in so doing save 3000 lives.
Meanwhile, the Andaman collectively owes the old grey lady (or perhaps when it comes to fact-checking, the old grey lazy) a freebie or two.
We also can't quite work out how the NYT Travel Dispatch for articles published on January 11 wound up in our in-box on January 10, but we are not complaining.
There is more good news in the International Herald Tribune of January 10, with IHT man in Bangkok, Thomas Fuller, reporting that Thailand is recovering from the airports blockade.
The evidence: '''It's started to bounce back,' said Pornthip Hiranyakij, secretary general of the Tourism Council of Thailand, a travel industry association,'' Fuller reports.
''She estimates that beach resorts in southern Thailand were about 80 to 85 percent full during the holiday season compared with about 90 percent last year.''
Holiday Phuket: What's Really Hot
Phuket's Model Comeback with Kate Moss
Phuket's sagging tourism industry needs a little workout to get those muscles toned into tanning shape. And who better to provide the media massage than supermodel Kate Moss?
Phuket's Model Comeback With Kate Moss
Phuket's Prime Time Fan Speaks Out
Photo Album One way of Phuket regaining its top spot in global tourism is by having its best known advocates sing its praises. A former Miss Universe and television travel journalist shows how.
Phuket's Prime Time Fan Speaks Out
The Phuketwan Resort of the Year Award 2008
Photo Album Phuketwan starts its second year with its first award for 2008, a new one, for the resort of the year. Take the tour of the resort we think tops the lot and sets the standard.
Phuketwan Resort of the Year Award 2008
Phuketwan Attraction of the Year 2008 Award
Photo Album Happiness probably is more important than success. At least, that's the view from 2008 and the view from the Phuketwan ''business'' award winner of the year.
Phuketwan's Attraction of the Year Award 2008
Phuketwan Innovation of the Year 2008 Award
Photo Album Golf and sailing vie for Phuket's top sporting spot and the latest award from Phuketwan reflects that competition. Greet this year's winner of the innovation of the year award.
Phuketwan Innovation of the Year Award 2008
