Tourism News

Tourism News Phuketwan Tourism News
facebook recommendations

NEWS ALERTS

Sign up now for our News Alert emails and the latest breaking news plus new features.

Click to subscribe

Existing subscribers can unsubscribe here

RSS FEEDS

Remarkable footage documents  Burma rescue of expats by elephant

Phuket Fears Floods' Rise; Patong Resorts Brand Switch; Elephants to Rescue; Phuket Gains Iron Champ

Tuesday, November 2, 2010
UPDATE

bernama Malaysian authorities have shut schools and evacuated more than 12,000 people as floodwaters rise in two northern states hit by torrential rain. In Perlis state, which borders Thailand, 11 schools were shut and 3000 evacuees were taking shelter in relief centres.

Phuketwan MediaWATCH

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

nationmultimedia.com Flash floods have hit Songkhla province after consecutive days of heavy rains. Many hospitals have to evacuate patients and schools are forced to suspend classes. Residents in Had Yai were fleeing upcountry from the heavily flooded urban areas in long queues of vehicles. [Phuket has also been doused in heavy rain.]

cnn.com South Korea will step up security at Incheon International Airport following a plot to send bombs from Yemen to the US. The busy passenger and cargo hub serving the capital, Seoul, will inspect all air cargo coming from destinations on a list of 20 suspected terrorism-sponsoring nations following the discovery

thephuketinsider.com The owner of two Patong hotels has taken back management from Singapore chain Furama International. It's understood the properties have entered into an arrangement with the Russian based tour operator Pegas-Touristik.

independent.co.uk Remarkable amateur film charting the epic rescue of refugees fleeing the Japanese invasion of Burma during the Second World War have been made available to the public. Tea exporter Gyles Mackrell, dubbed the Elephant Man in the British media, organised for hundreds of soldiers and expats to be taken across the swollen Dapha river on elephants during the British retreat in 1942.

bangkokpost.com Tourists are applying in droves to attend Thailand's first mahout training school after the Tourism Authority of Thailand recognised its contribution to eco-travel with an award. The school, located at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang's Hang Chat district, is the first to train amateur mahouts, both Thais and expats.

independent.co.uk Indian police have busted what they say is a transnational elephant-smuggling ring - highlighting a new threat to one of the country's most iconic animals. Officers in the north-eastern state of Assam said they arrested five people and recovered three elephants - two of them calves - that were destined to be illegally trucked across the country and even abroad.

bangkokpost.com Emirates Airline has created a stir on the busy Bangkok-Hong Kong route with the introduction of Airbus A380 superjumbo jets, offering novelty and superior passenger service compared with key players such as Thai Airways International.

smh.com.au A mother aged 55 and her son aged 33 are allegedly behind an attempt to bring 168 kilograms of heroin, with a potential street value of $420 million, into Australia. The haul, stashed inside poorly constructed wooden doors shipped to Sydney from Malaysia, is the fifth biggest detected in Australia and the largest since 2002.

heraldsun.com.au Jetstar is now a dominant player in Australia's overseas travel market, carrying more Australians than rivals Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines. Qantas and Jetstar's long-haul brands together carried 610,163 inbound and outbound passengers during August, giving the Australian-owned operation a 27.6 percent market share.

etravelblackboard.com From Perth, THAI has five flights a week to Bangkok, including three via Phuket, Southern Thailand's international gateway to the Andaman coast resort areas. THAI is the only airline offering scheduled services from Perth to Phuket.

Phuket Update W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, yesterday opened the doors of W Retreat Koh Samui, the first W in Southeast Asia. An all-villa beachfront resort uniquely located at the peak of the north shore of Thailand's famed Samui Island, W Koh Samui brings an alluring new dimension to Thailand through its location, forward-looking design, and vibrant contemporary lifestyle.

independent.co.uk From the "check-in" to the long-term stay, the Nirvana Memorial Garden in Singapore , which operates smaller projects in Indonesia, Cambodia, Taiwan and Vietnam, consciously replicates the feel of a top hotel. "Actually it's not for the dead people, it's more for the live people," said Phang Siang Yang, Nirvana's country head in Singapore, a largely ethnic Chinese society with a rich but rapidly ageing population.

allvoices.com Mount Merapi, which had erupted the same day, is also being assumed to have played a part in the tsunami. The Mount Merapi volcano erupted again today. There are no reports of new injuries available at this time.

smh.com.au Albania tops Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011: the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the coming year.

urbanliteraturemagazine.com 'Baywatch' star Pamela Anderson again posed nude for Playboy magazine with some fees earned used to assist disaster victims in a number of countries. One of them is Indonesia. One organisation helps provide access to clean water for those who need.

inquirer.net In the category of Asia, Conde Nast's 'Traveler' annual survey reports that the top 10 best islands destinations are: Maldives, 86.4; Bali, 84.4; Phuket, 80.2; Mauritius, 78.5; Honshu, 77.6; Seychelles, 76.7; Koh Samui, 74.6; Langkawi, 73.7; and Malaysian Borneo, 73.7 points.

smh.com.au Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who locked his daughter in a basement for 24 years, raping her thousands of times and fathering seven children with her, says he still loves her but dreams of being reunited with his ''loyal wife'' Rosemary. Reporters were left speechless.

jakartaglobe.com A group calling itself the 100 Percent Love Indonesia Coalition demanded the Jakarta governor withdraw his decree banning smoking indoors, accusing him of kowtowing to foreign pressure. ''Behind that decree is clear intervention from foreign pharmaceutical companies,'' one leader said as about 100 people protested outside City Hall.

gamingtoday.com While WYNN reports its third quarter experience on Tuesday, Sheldon Adelson gave Las Vegas Sands' financial report last week, a report that surpassed the most optimistic analysts and was warmly received by Wall Street. Net income, exclusive of one-time charges, reached $265.2 million or $0.34 per share, compared to last year's $20.1 million.

nytimes.com The great waves of plague that twice devastated Europe and changed the course of history had their origins in China, as did a third outbreak that struck in the 19th century, a team of medical geneticists reported.

smh.com.au Barbie the vinyl doll is getting older but she has embraced technology - Barbie's new built-in camera abilities are worrying some privacy advocates and psychologists. The Barbie Video Girl doll has been criticised for enabling children to film themselves and others using a hidden camera in Barbie's necklace.

Phuket Coming Events


CRAIG Alexander, the world's most successful Ironman and Ironman 70.3 athlete of recent years, will contest the Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship at Laguna Phuket on December 5 - the latest addition to a stellar line-up of elite professional triathletes heading to the island.
November 2-7 Phuket womens' beach volleyball, Karon beach
November 5 Phuket Charity Pro Am Golf, Blue Canyon
November 6 Charity golf at Tab Lamu, near Khao Lak: Call Sam on 089 875 1995 E: sam@khaolakappeal.com
November 6 Thailand Property Awards, Bangkok
November 12 IBAP meets at Thai Naan restaurant to hear Woody Leonard on what's best for internet access on Phuket.
November 19 AustCham at the new Westin Hotel at Koh Sireh from 3pm. E: harry@ladypie.com Tel: 081 2731740
November 21 Loy Kratong Festival
November 28 Laguna Phuket triathlon
December 4-11 Phuket King's Cup Regatta
December 5 Laguna Ironman title
December 15-20 Patong Carnival
December 30-January 9 Phuket Red Cross fair, Saphan Hin park, Phuket City
2011
January 6-9 PIMEX boat show, Royal Phuket Marina
January 22 QSI International fun run day at Bang Wad Dam, Kathu
January 23 The Great Phuket Rubber Duck Race Day, Laguna Phuket
February 9-13 The Bay Regatta - Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi
Phuket Leader Hopes Football Star Can Recover
Latest Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation chief executive Paiboon Upatising has joined the growing army of Phuket wellwishers hoping that a young football star can recover.
Phuket Leader Hopes Football Star Can Recover

Phuket Nets Wet Start to Volleyball Titles
Sporting Chance The world's best volleyball players are ready for action and all Phuket now has to do is produce what it's famous for: glorious beach weather.
Phuket Nets Wet Start to Volleyball Titles

Phuket Police Seek Resorts' Help for Helmet Safety
Update Resorts are being asked to inform tourists as they arrive about helmet safety, an idea that would also work with the need for extra care on Phuket beaches during the monsoon season.
Phuket Police Seek Resorts' Help for Helmet Safety

Phuket Store Brand Joins the Retail Gold Rush
Latest Move aside, mom 'n pop . . . a new brand is muscling in to offer competition on a new level to surrounding convenience stores in the Sam Kong district of Phuket City.
Phuket Store Brand Joins the Retail Gold Rush

Andaman Governors Must Unite to Save Phuket
Phuketwan Opinion With no sign that the Thai government has any intention of providing a strategy for the future of the Andaman, it's time the key governors combined forces to save the region.
Andaman Governors Must Unite to Save Phuket

Comments

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Friday March 29, 2024
Horizon Karon Beach Resort & Spa

FOLLOW PHUKETWAN

Facebook Twitter