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

chinahospitalitynews.com Hainan Airlines is preparing launch non-stop flights between Beijing and Phuket from July 31. The fourth-largest carrier in China will operate three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The route will be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flights will cut travel time by more than five hours, making it much more convenient for air passengers to Phuket.

bernama.com Bombings and killings in southern Thailand have not stopped tourists, particularly Malaysians, from visiting the restive region. The Thai Consul to Malaysia, Surapon Petch-Vra, said this could be seen from the occupancy rate in hotels which remained at a high 70 percent. ''How can they say people are not going there as the hotels are full of tourists,'' he said when announcing the Thai Food and Favorite Fruits Fair from July 21-25.

traveldailynews.com The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Airways International have joined forces to welcome overseas delegates of the 'Thailand Today' Mega Fam Trip from July 12-16. About 500 travel agents and journalists worldwide will participate in the complimentary tours which have been specifically designed to showcase tourism destinations and products.

wallstcheatsheet.com Marriott's 137,000 employees can rest a bit easier now the hospitality company is showing signs of a turnaround. J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, said: ''Business and leisure stays at our hotels are trending up. We are seeing major international growth. At the end of the quarter, a record 39 percent of our development pipeline was outside North America as were two-thirds of our worldwide rooms under construction. During the quarter, we opened superb new international hotels in Phuket, Shanghai, St. Petersburg and Budapest.''

straitstimes.com A senior US envoy will head this week to Thailand for talks with the politically torn ally on a trip that will also take him to Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. William Burns, the State Department's number three, will hold a 'strategic dialogue' with officials in Bangkok on Friday and deliver a speech on US-Thai relations at Chulalongkorn University.

telegraph.co.uk Singapore's economy grew more sharply than expected in the second quarter. Gross domestic product increased by 26 percent between April and June, compared with the fourth quarter of 2009. The Government forecast economic growth of as much as 15 percent in 2010, an upward revision from an earlier forecast of 9 percent growth.

afp Dubai authorities have announced that controversial body scanners will not be used at the Emirates' airports, a blow to US security authorities who are facing a continued domestic backlash against the machines.

scmp.com Philippine President Benigno Aquino took the state weather service to task for not warning residents of Manila about a typhoon that left at least 26 people dead and dozens missing, swept shanties into the sea and brought Manila to a standstill.

smh.com.au Low-cost carriers, or those that offer few or no frills, continue to grow at a rapid rate, servicing both domestic and international routes. And while they are expanding total market size by making travel more affordable, much of their growth has come at the expense of the ''legacy carriers'' - traditional, full-service airlines. We might like to complain about having to pay for a coffee or to check in a bag, yet the lure of cheap fares wins time and again.

afp Malaysia's two newly-appointed women Sharia judges will not be allowed to rule on criminal or divorce cases, a top official said, while denying the religious courts were biased. The government announced the appointments earlier this month as proof of its commitment to transforming the Islamic legal system, which runs parallel to civil courts in the Muslim-majority country.

sify.com The Cambodian government banned two books from schools nationwide after finding the text critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling party. One question deemed offensive asked whether Cambodia would be able to develop in the near future. The suggested answer was that Cambodia would not because ''corruption occurs from the top level of the government down to the local level, and law enforcement and the practice of human rights are still below zero''.

afp Malaysian police stumbled upon a massive haul of endangered wildlife including a pair of valuable birds of paradise as they raided a warehouse in search of stolen cars. They found thousands of rare birds, leopard cats and albino pygmy monkeys, as well as domestic cats believed to be used to cross-breed with wild species to produce exotic offspring, the Star daily said.



Until July 18 Phuket Pineapple Show and Flower Festival, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
July 21-25 Phuket Six Senses Race Week, Evason, Rawai
July 24 Third Worldwide Photo Walk, with at least one walk for photographers on Phuket
July 30 AustCham Thailand Sundowners at 4.30pm at Skippers, RPM. AustCham Thailand will host this Sundowners business networking session with a marine industry theme. Contact Harry Usher harry@ladypie.com 0812731740
August 5-8 Kite Jam, Surin beach
August 6-12 Andaman Motor Expo
October 1-3 Asian Hospitality and Travel Show, Central Festival Phuket Convention and Exhibition Center, Phuket City
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi