UPDATING All Day, Every Day
cei.asia The popular resort destination of Phuket is ramping up for the summer with openings, refurbishments and deals. Hotel launches in Kamala, facility upgrades in Karon, and discounts in Laguna, Mai Khao and Siray Bay are setting the tone for the season.
4hoteliers.com According to C9 Hotelworks, international passenger arrivals to Phuket rose 26 percent in 2013, while Samui shot up 37 percent in year-on-year growth. The emerging markets of China and Russia are key drivers of demand, posting gains into Phuket at 67 percent and 41 percent last year respectively. [Arrivals have levelled off on Phuket in 2014.]
PhuketWATCH Daily Media Wrap
PHUKET: The daily wrap of Thailand news, with a Phuket perspective, plus relevant reports from national and international media. Beware of inconsistent imitations.
Today's Top News Items
hotelnewsresource.com Bangkok hotels reported significant performance decreases during the first quarter of 2014, affecting Thailand's overall performance, according to data from STR Global. In the first quarter, occupancy fell 30.7 percent to 55.2 percent (compared to 79.7 percent in Q1 2013).
ft.com The new leader of Thailand's beleaguered government urged protesters to pull back from their push to topple him in a showdown that the Senate branded the country's biggest-ever crisis.
scmp.com Emboldened by the removal of Thailand's prime minister, anti-government protesters withdrew from Bangkok's main park and marched to the vacated prime minister's office compound - where the protest leader has pledged to set up his new office.
bangkokpost.com The acting speaker of the Senate welcomed PDRC leader Suthep Thaugsuban and aides for secret talks, sparking outrage among pro-government elements and the red shirts.
Phuket World of People
Phuket Update The sale of alcohol is prohibited today as part of the celebration of Visakha Bucha Day, a public holiday.
Phuket Update Former Laguna Phuket chief Michael Ayling has been appointed Managing Director/General Manager at Royal Phuket Marina, where a foundation based on luxury property development is to be turned into resorts by the water over the next few years. Mr Ayling has been a private consultant since leaving Laguna Phuket in mid-2012.
ttrweekly.com Foreign nationals residing in Thailand will no longer be able to exit then re-enter via a land border crossing in order to gain another 30 or 15 day stay in Thailand. It is part of a wider crackdown on foreigners who either work or stay in the country for extended periods without obtaining a non-immigrant visa. Officials say they are only applying existing laws to cut down on foreigners who illegally start a business or are linked to international crime.
bangkokpost.com Immigration police have announced a crackdown on tourists leaving then immediately returning to Thailand. The move is aimed at those exploiting permission to enter Thailand without a visa and then who remain for up to 30 days at a time. Officials at border points will use their discretion on a case-by-case basis.
afp Reporters with the Reuters news agency could face arrest in Thailand in connection with a Pulitzer Prize-winning article alleging Thai military involvement in people smuggling, police said. The Reuters journalists will be summoned in the next few days to acknowledge defamation charges, Lieutenant Somkid On-Jan told AFP from Phuket where the complaint was filed by the Thai navy.
iol.co.za Top journos face arrest in Thailand
Phuket Update Point Yamu on Phuket's Cape Yamu and Iniala, north of Phuket, recently the temporary home of the Kardashian television clan, have made the Conde Nast 'Traveler' magazine hot list of hotels for 2014. Traveler lists 52 properties around the globe.
bangkokpost.com The Board of Investment (BoI) is joining hands with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to develop tourism clusters in a move to add value and attract more investments to the industry. In the first group, four marinas with a combined investment of 300 million baht were approved along with 15 projects of boat tours as well as boat and yacht renting in the Andaman Sea with a value of 468 million baht.
smh.com.au Pressure is mounting for Australian governments to raise the legal drinking age to 21 to protect the health of young people whose brains are still vulnerable to the toxicity of alcohol at 18, leading health experts say.
wireupdate.com An estimated 3.3 million deaths worldwide in 2012, or about one death every ten seconds, were due to the excessive use of alcohol, according to a new report released by the World Health Organisation, urging governments to take more action.
smh.com.au Touting the property as a luxury eco dive resort, Zeavola has joined with the Phuket Marine Biology Centre to initiate a rubbish collection campaign, cleaning up Phi Phi's beaches and reefs. I perch on a beanbag with a gin and tonic to watch the last of the day trippers speedily making their way back to Phuket as the sun slips down over the ocean, washing the Andaman sky in a dusty hue of pink. Then, as fast as Phi Phi became overrun with boats and tourists, they are gone, and paradise is mine again.
theage.com.au Of all the things Western civilisation has got right, airports aren't one of them.
Latest on Lost Flight MH370
cnn.com Angus Houston, the man leading the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, says the search is the most difficult in human history, but modern technology greatly increases the chances of finding the missing plane.
What's Happening Around Asean
mmtimes.com The plight of Burma (Myanmar) Rohingya Muslims was left off the agenda as leaders from Southeast Asia gathered in Nay Pyi Taw for the Asean Summit at the weekend. The failure to discuss the issue drew criticism from rights groups, who called for a more active stance.
foreignpolicy.com Are thousands of unknowing Rohingya doomed to join the 8000 souls of Srebrenica as forgettable victims of international indifference?
inquirer.net BlackBerry will this week launch a new budget handset in Indonesia, one of its last bastions, a major step in the ailing smartphone maker's fightback against titans Samsung and Apple.
Phuket World of Sport
dailymail.co.uk Rio Ferdinand's Manchester United career is over after the veteran defender was informed that he will not be offered a new contract. It is understood that Old Trafford chief Ed Woodward broke the news to Ferdinand, 35, in the dressing-room following Sunday's final game at Southampton.
Phuket Coming Events 2014
May 13 Visakha Bucha Day
July 11 Arsanha Bucha Day
August 12 Queen's Birthday
September 24-October 2 Vegetarian Festival, Phuket
October 23 Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
November 6 Loy Kratong
November 14-21 Fourth Asia Beach Games, Phuket
December 5 King's Birthday
December 10 Constitution Day
December 25 Christmas Day
December 26 10th Anniversary, 2004 Tsunami
December 31 New Year's Eve
