A daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective and reports from national and international media.

dailymail.co.uk British air travellers are to be hit by massive price increases from next week, with long-haul holiday destinations hardest hit. From November 1 the Government is increasing air passenger duty on flights. BA chief executive Willie Walsh warns that the tax rise will be a ''crushing blow'' to the aviation industry in Britain. A family of four going to South Africa, Kenya or Thailand will have to pay an additional 200 pounds.

wsj.com Hotel occupancy increased in Asia in September for the first time since October 2007, according to STR Global, the widely used hotel industry data collector. Among the largest markets, Beijing reported the highest boost in occupancy, up 18.8 percent from September 2008. Despite the bump, 57.1 percent of room in the Chinese capital were empty last month. Other markets in Asia reporting seeing more travelers included Phuket, which was up 13.3 percent to 46 percent occupancy.

hospitalitynet.org In year-over-year measurements, in September the Asia/Pacific region's occupancy rose 1.4 percent to 62.3 percent; average daily rate declined 7.7 percent to US$123.72; and revenue per available room fell 6.3 percent to US$77.12. Two markets posted double-digit occupancy declines: New Delhi, India (down12.2 percent to 63.2 percent), and Bali, Indonesia (down10.6 percent to 76.0 percent). Seoul, South Korea, experienced the largest RevPAR increase, up 15.9 percent to US$132.10.

indiatimes.com Thai-based Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas plans to set up eight hotels in India over the next five years. ''We will set up our first hotel at Mahabalipuram near Chennai by 2011. We are also planning to set up hotels in Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala,'' Anantara's Group Director of Public Relations, Marion Walsh, told reporters. Anantara, which opened on Phuket in 2008, has a presence in four countries with 11 hotels and plans to set up 40 more in the next five years across the globe.

joongandaily.com Jin Air, the low-cost carrier of Korean Air, has confirmed it will start offering flights from Seoul to Bangkok from December 21. This will be the budget carrier's first international flight service since it started its domestic operations in July 2008. The fare will be 20 percent to 30 percent cheaper than that of other carriers, the airline said.

Associated Press Muslim women would be banned from wearing tight pants in a devoutly Islamic district of Indonesia's Aceh province under proposed regulations to take effect on January 1. Any Muslim caught violating the dress code, which also prohibits shorts for men, will be told to put on government-issued full-length skirts or loose pants. Patrolling Shariah, or Islamic police, will determine if clothing violates the dress code.

afp Somali pirates have confirmed they had hijacked a yacht carrying a British couple thought to be Paul Chandler, 58, and his wife Rachel, 55, adding that the two hostages were in good health. ''Our boys have captured a couple on a small yacht, they are British nationals,'' Ahmed Sheikh, a member of pirate gang, said from the coastal town of Harardhere.

Associated Press A spokesman for the European Union naval force says a French fishing vessel has exchanged fire with Somali pirates. Cmdr. John Harbour says pirates in two skiffs fired on the French vessel about 350 miles east of the Somali capital Mogadishu. The vessel had armed guards onboard and returned fire. A German warship nearby sent helicopters to investigate.

smh.com.au Tennis great Andre Agassi's stunning admission, made in an autobiography this week, that in 1997 he had begun snorting crystal meth and had been caught by the sport's drug-testers only for him to plead ignorance, blame an accomplice and get off scot free, is unlikely to be re-visited by tennis authorities.

californiachronicle.com The family of a Scots gran who died after an attack in Thailand have blasted a TV show for reporting that she was alive. Lydia Riach, 58, suffered a fractured skull during a mugging in Bangkok and died in hospital. But the makers of 'Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand' told viewers Lydia was ''fighting for her life,'' six weeks after she passed away. Her son Roger said: ''It was a huge mistake.''

vietnamnet.vn Even Thailand, considered as the country which suffered most from the global financial crisis, has also seen the number of foreign tourists increasing sharply with the hotels in Phuket always fully occupied on weekend. [That's what the report says - Ed] Meanwhile, the number of tourists to Vietnam keeps decreasing, even though it is now the high tourism season. In September, only 294,000 foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam, a decrease of 6.4 percent over August. The number of tourists in the first nine months of the year decreased by 16 percent over the same period of 2008, a more difficult year than 2009.

reuters.com Lawyer couple Jonathan Edelheit and Rene-Marie Stephano, both 37, are the founders of the Medical Tourism Association, a non-profit association they created to further ''quality of care, transparency, communication and education'' in the industry. In many ways, Edelheit and Stephano have become the face of medical tourism. That has caused admiration, envy and unhappiness in the tight-knit industry.

channelnewsadia.com American design house Coach is among top global brands seeking to tap into the growing demand for luxury goods in Asia. It has just officially opened its first flagship store in Singapore, and it is using the new store as a base to build its presence in Southeast Asia.

bbc.co.uk Australians may have to leave coastal areas as rising sea levels threaten homes, according to a new report. The parliamentary committee report says urgent action is needed, as seas are expected to rise by 80cm. About 80 percent of Australians live in coastal areas, and the report recommends new laws banning further development in coastal regions.