Jun 30. 2020Airplane of Southwest Airlines/File photo
By The Washington Post · Luz Lazo · NATIONAL, BUSINESS, FEATURES, TRANSPORTATION, TRAVEL U.S. airlines will require passengers to answer health questions before boarding, including whether they have experienced covid-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus, the industry’s leading trade group said Monday.
Major U.S. carriers, including American, Delta and United are implementing the new health acknowledgment policy as an “additional level of protection during the pandemic,” said Airlines for America (A4A).
Travelers should expect to be asked to fill out the new health questionnaire when they check in, the airline trade group said. Besides questions about their health, passengers are asked to commit to wearing a face covering at the airport and on their flight.
“Passengers who fail or refuse to complete the health acknowledgment may be deemed unfit to travel and each carrier will resolve the matter in accordance with its own policies,” A4A said. The new measure is expected to remain in place through the public health crisis.
A4A President and chief executive Nicholas Calio said in a statement that the health assessments are one more measure in a “multilayered approach to help mitigate risk and prioritize the well-being of passengers and employees.”
Airlines and airports in recent months have adopted new strategies for combating the coronavirus. In some airports, travelers have their temperatures checked upon arrival, while all major airlines are enforcing the use of face coverings.
With the health questionnaires, airlines seek assurance from passengers that they are not experiencing symptoms of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, such as fever, shortness of breath and others such as a cough, loss of taste or smell, chills, muscle pain and sore throat.
Passengers will also be asked to acknowledge whether they have been exposed to someone who tested positive or had symptoms of covid-19 in the 14 days prior to travel.
Other airlines enforcing the new health acknowledgment policies are Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways and Southwest Airlines.
Marine animals are flourishing once again in the Gulf of Thailand due to the elimination of human waste.
Through a collaboration of several sectors, tanks, trains, garbage trucks are no longer allowed to dump waste into the sea.The thriving marine life is expected to be tourist attractions in Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.Over 10 years, they have become habitats for various species of fish and other marine lives.
Between June and September is the best period to experience the beauty of the blue world in Thailand as the Covid-19 situation has now improved.
With the lockdown measures being lifted, tourism is gradually recovering.
Jun 28. 2020La Grande-Motte set up the first organized static beach in France. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Sandra Mehl
By The Washington Post · Miriam Berger · WORLD, ASIA-PACIFIC, EUROPE, MIDDLE-EAST Sunscreen? Check. Towel? Check. Mask? Disinfectant? At least six feet of space? Depends on where and what beach. As tourists and travelers start to return to many of the world’s seasides, government health officials and scientists are turning their attention to every inch of sand to assess the risk of the coronavirus’s spread.
But while the novel coronavirus may dislike direct sun and open air, it loves a crowd and shared spaces. That’s why officials in southern England were so shocked last week by what they classed as a “major incident” amid a heat wave: thousands of people packing beaches, all in violation of social distancing measures. In Brazil, beachgoers have similarly flocked to sandy shores while flouting face mask recommendations.
From “beach bubbles” to drones to censors and cellphone tracking, here’s how some countries are readying their beaches for a summer of social distancing.
– Greece
Greece’s picturesque sandy seasides have long been an alluring summer destination. But this year, the Mediterranean country has a new attraction: a low coronavirus count and, as a of mid-June, borders open to some foreign tourists.
Greece also wants to keep it that way, despite the risk of a resurgence posed by letting in travelers. So the government has devised a plan for mandating disinfectants and maintaining physical distances since it began to reopen beaches in mid-May, with updates since. Under current regulations, only up to 40 people will be permitted per every 1,000 square meters of beach, or about a quarter acre. A maximum of two chairs can be under each umbrella, which must be placed at least 13 feet from another. (An exemption is made for families, who are allowed to be in proximity to one other as a group.)
Beachgoers are supposed to place a towel on their chair, which staff are required to sanitize after every use. To further discourage crowds, beach-based restaurants were initially allowed to serve only takeaway meals, and no alcohol, to people waiting at least five feet apart while in line.
Beachgoers who violate these rules can face a fine from the police of up to $1,120, according to the BBC.
– Belgium
Cellphone tracking and censors will be deployed to keep Belgium’s seaside resorts and beaches less crowded this summer, Reuters reported.
Beaches are allowed to open as of Saturday, and the government has devised a tracking system aimed at rerouting residents and tourists to less-populated areas. Using cellphone data and 130 censors stationed around towns, authorities will be updating a public website sharing in real-time that areas are more or less crowded. Dark green will indicate an area is calm, while orange will denote high density, according to the Reuters news agency.
Some local governments have devised their own designs. In the town of Knokke-Heist, tourism council member Anthony Wittesaele came up with “beach bubbles” – or markings in the sand to indicate 32-square-foot boxes, or about the size of a medium-size carpet.
“We have implemented what we call ‘beach bubbles,’ where one family or friends can be together in a safe way and to visualize the distance that they should be from one another,” he told Reuters.
– Dubai
The financial center of the United Arab Emirates is beginning to reopen, months after its upscale malls and lavish hotels shut down. During scorching summer days, much of life in the Emirates happens in the air-conditioned indoors, which now poses a problem for coronavirus infection-control.
But in public, the politically restrictive city-state is trying to enforce its new beach protocol. Dubai has made mask-wearing at the beach mandatory and banned groups of more than five. Masks while in the water, though, are not required. (Masks in general are required in public, except in some instances like strenuous exercise.)
Between May 29, when beaches reopened, and June 7 the government reported that 316 people were penalized for violating the rules, according to the Abu Dhabi-based the National newspaper. On just one Friday in early June, police cited 221 offenders. The fine for violating face mask-wearing and social-distancing rules is more than $800.
Police told the National they have also made use of drones to zone in on rule breakers.
– Thailand
Thailand still remains closed to international travelers, so its beloved beaches have fewer crowds and possible pitfalls to worry about.
In the meantime, mask-clad workers at the entrance of beachside venues screen and count everyone entering to keep a low capacity. In the coastal city of Pattaya, beachgoers are required to stay around three feet apart. Residents told the South China Morning Post that they had never seen the water so clean or sand so empty.
Like many Southeast Asian countries, Thailand’s confirmed coronavirus count remains comparatively low to other European or Latin American countries. But it has still taken the virus seriously. Some beaches reopened only on June 1. And after kick-starting local tourism, the government is considering travel corridors with China and Japan, among others, Bloomberg News reported.
– Spain
Drones are also buzzing above the carefully monitored beaches of Lloret de Mar, a resort town in northeastern Spain.
Spain is readying for the return of foreign travelers after curbing its initial coronavirus outbreak, which killed more than 28,300 people. “The way we go to the beach this year has changed but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it,” urged a promotional video for one resort very popular with British tourists, AFP reported.
At Lloret de Mar, sensors are also in place to alert the municipality when an area’s capacity has been reached. Visitors can then access this information via a designated app, according to AFP.
So far, crowding hasn’t been an issue. But Lloret de Mar is prepared for all kinds of beach conditions. The local government has additionally devised plans for cordoning off sections based on age, such as designating special areas for the elderly, families with children, and groups without kids.
– France
In May, France initially reopened its beaches to short-term exercising but banned most other activities. That prompted one resort to experiment with social-distancing compliant sunbathing, The Washington Post reported. The resort town of La Grande Motte near Montpelier roped off 75 squares to keep people separated. The municipality’s website then offered beachgoers the chance to reserve a three-hour spot up to two days in advance. Openings quickly filled up.
As of June, restrictions at beaches are more loose, though people are still recommended to keep wearing face masks, wash hands and stay at a distance from others.
Jun 28. 2020The first tour bus arrived in San Fele this past week. MUST CREDIT: Photo by Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post.
By The Washington Post · Chico Harlan, Stefano Pitrelli · WORLD, EUROPE
SAN FELE, Italy – The mountaintop town is four hours south of Rome, reachable by switchback roads – appropriately remote for an alternate reality. Here, far away from the coronavirus pandemic, in a place where nobody has tested positive or gotten sick, it was lunchtime, and a restaurant in town was filling up: tables of four, tables of six, a table of eight, and then the biggest table of all, reserved for teachers and middle schoolers celebrating graduation.
The teenagers had taken their final exams online – per national rules – but this was San Fele, so they were able to push through the restaurant doors, laughing, eating in a hurry, trading seats, no masks in sight. The teachers weren’t wearing masks either. Nor the mayor, sitting at another table. Nor the live musicians, who started belting out tunes in the kind of celebration that could only happen in a place where nobody was deemed a threat.
A sunset view of San Fele, Basilicata, Italy. MUST CREDIT: Photo by Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post.
“It’s almost normal,” said Elisabetta Chieca, 37, a city councilor, sitting at a nearby table where the mayor was fighting to speak over the din.
“All locals here,” said Donato Sperduto, the mayor. “Everybody knows everybody.”
With some combination of geographic isolation, initial precautions and good fortune, the town of San Fele never even had a coronavirus curve to flatten – and it now has the enviable chance to ride out the pandemic as a New Zealand-like oasis, free from the virus’s dangers and disruptions.
But like other places around the world that have managed to control or prevent outbreaks, from island nations to nursing homes, there is recognition here that coronavirus-free status is a precarious state. At any moment, somebody with the virus could come up the switchback roads.
“Our fear,” Sperduto said, “is those who come from the outside.”
San Fele survives economically by pitching itself as a weekend tourism destination. Before the pandemic, on many summer Sundays, dozens of tour buses from other parts of Italy would pull up, in what amounted to a momentary doubling of the town’s population. Visitors would stroll through the city center. They’d buy ricotta at a local farm. After hikes to see the nearby forest and waterfalls, they’d stop at the very restaurant where the mayor was now talking about how to navigate Italy’s reopening.
“We can’t rest easy,” he said, as the server brought out pasta topped with truffles, then roast lamb.
So after lunch, the mayor took the three newest arrivals in town – two reporters and a photographer – back into the city center, where the stone streets were too narrow for cars. He led the way around the corner and walked up the steps to the office of one of San Fele’s two doctors.
“Ciao, Michele,” Sperduto said.
The door opened, and a nurse spread out three coronavirus antibody tests, a batch of which the mayor had ordered for the town at the beginning of Italy’s outbreak.
“As soon as somebody arrives, we’ll try to test them,” Sperduto said. “Of course, it’s all based on being aware of who visits.”
A nurse, with a prick, drew blood samples from three fingertips. A couple of minutes later, the results were back.
The town was still coronavirus-free.
From the highest point in San Fele, one can see the signs of decay common in so many Italian hilltop towns – places built for medieval defense, but less practical for the modern world.
The town, over the past century and a half, saw its population get halved and then halved again, to 2,800. Most of the youth left for college or jobs, returning only as visitors to see their elderly parents.
The town center has become a hollowed husk, 30% occupied, beautiful but crumbling. Weeds twist through some of the sidewalks and walls. A couple of front doors are padlocked. Some of the windows are knocked out. One resident, leading a short tour down the street where she lived, pointed to the houses all around her.
“That one is empty,” Angela Verducci, 65, said. “That one is empty. They’ll be tearing that one down because the roof collapsed.”
Because those who remain in San Fele are largely older – it has an estimated 15 centenarians, and many more in their 90s – officials had worried at the outset of the pandemic that the town might be in for a disaster. While outbreaks raged in Italy’s north, experts warned about what could lie ahead for Italy’s poorer south, given its dearth of hospital intensive care beds and medical resources.
So San Fele took precautions in every way it could. It barred people from entering the pharmacy and instituted home deliveries for prescriptions. It administered coronavirus tests to volunteers, police officers, trash collectors – anybody having contact with others. Meanwhile, a nationwide lockdown halted most movement, and saved the south from a calamity of the scale experienced in the north.
San Fele’s region – Basilicata, the obscure instep of Italy’s boot – has had only 401 coronavirus cases, and only two in the last month.
At least one was a person who entered the region from the outside.
In retrospect, the mayor said, San Fele felt most secure during the lockdown. People were anxious, but almost nobody was arriving in town.
Italy loosened restrictions on inter-regional travel June 3. Now it is opening up to travelers from across Europe. Many of the people who grew up in San Fele and moved away now have the chance, at last, to come back.
And gradually, that is what is happening.
The mayor’s eldest daughter, 26, who lives in the northern city of Turin, recently made plans for a return visit. A man from Milan showed up in town on a recent weekend, wearing an N95 mask, to check in on his mother.
“Most of my family – grandfather, brothers, cousins – all left,” said Vito Ricigliano, 72, who then mentioned that a cousin who lives in Rome was also returning to San Fele later that day.
“We grew up together,” he said. “We trust one another. But anything is possible. When I go visit him, I’ll wear a mask.”
Several hours later, Ricigliano was knocking on the door of his cousin, who was still unpacking and cleaning up. The cousin, Michele Maselli, 72, moved away from San Fele at age 14 and said the place was “dying,” but he came back every summer – for the “tranquility,” and because it was home.
Maselli mentioned that, when he arrived in town, somebody stopped him and asked why he was wearing a mask.
He was taken aback.
“Out of respect,” he replied. He didn’t consider himself high-risk – there weren’t many new daily cases in Rome and he and his wife had driven directly to town. Still, it seemed the right thing to do.
“Here,” Ricigliano said with a laugh, “you are the threat.”
The new arrivals had no duty to inform the town they were coming, and so they hadn’t yet been tested. Meanwhile, the town had no chance to test people who were just passing through.
The following day, around 10 a.m., the first tour bus of the season pulled up to a parking lot at the base of the town. It brought a group of 23 people from across Italy’s south. They had started the morning in Matera, one hour away. They got off the bus here wearing backpacks and sneakers, holding walking sticks. Most had masks.
For the next three hours, they trekked through the town center and into the surrounding forest, on trails crowded with day-trippers. They took photos at the waterfalls. At lunchtime, they made their way to the restaurant.
It was even more packed than it had been a few days earlier. Big families, with children and grandparents, were there for their Sunday meals. One teenager, with balloons at his table, was celebrating a birthday.
A server pushed several tables together. The group of 23 out-of-towners sat down.
By The Washington Post · Michael Birnbaum, Quentin Ariès · NATIONAL, BUSINESS, WORLD, HEALTH, POLITICS, TRANSPORTATION, EUROPE, TRAVEL BRUSSELS European diplomats are poised to approve an agreement on which foreign travelers they want to welcome starting on July 1, as the European Union reopens its external borders for the first time since March, but with the coronavirus still raging in the United States, the possibility of allowing American tourists hasn’t even figured into the discussion, according to six diplomats familiar with the talks.
Europe’s draft in-and-out list reflects its assessment of how well other countries have managed to control their outbreaks. EU countries were among the world’s hardest hit by the pandemic this spring, but most now have the virus under control and have been willing to consider opening their borders to other countries where covid-19 is similarly in check.
China is among the 15 countries set to make the cut, despite EU skepticism about how transparent it has been about its outbreak. Visitors from China would be allowed to enter Europe only if Beijing drops measures against EU travelers.
Also expected to be approved: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.
The list is subject to final approval on Saturday, but diplomats said it was unlikely to change.
The rest of the world would continue to be kept out for nonessential travel.
The decision underscores the perception here that United States has failed in its coronavirus response. European leaders and health experts have watched with unease as many U.S. states insist on reopening, even as infections spike in many parts of the country.
EU members have seen clusters of infections since they began relaxing their own restrictions. Germany, Spain and Portugal are among those that have reimposed localized lockdowns. But for the bloc as a whole, diagnoses have slowed to 16 cases per 100,000 population over the past two weeks, the main measure Europe is using to determine whether countries make the cut.
The United States, by contrast, stands at 122 cases per 100,000 population and is getting worse. Florida has set records for the past 19 days in a row.
Wary of being pulled into a diplomatic brawl with each country they continue to exclude, European leaders have strained to keep their internal discussions focused narrowly on issues of science and epidemiology.
“The European Union has an internal process to determine from which countries it would be safe to accept travelers,” Eric Mamer, a spokesman for the European Commission, told reporters on Thursday as the discussions were underway. “Our internal process is related, obviously, to considerations based on health criteria.”
But there are clear political pressures.
The continued restrictions on travel from the United States will strain Europe’s most important geopolitical relationship, even if it was President Donald Trump who moved first to block European travelers in March. Continuing the ban on travel with Russia will exacerbate diplomatic tensions with an already-volatile neighbor.
The EU plans to review its list of acceptable countries every two weeks.
The list is a recommendation, not a requirement, because each EU nation retains sovereign control over its borders. But EU members have strong incentives to go along with the decision, since, if they do not, the gradual process of restoring border-free travel within Europe could be placed on hold or reversed, diplomats said.
Diplomats negotiated for hours in multiple meetings in recent days. Although there are tensions between poorer, tourist-dependent southern European nations and richer, more cautious northern ones, enough countries are in favor to assure the decision, diplomats said.
The blandly technocratic discussions – conducted in-person by the 27 EU ambassadors in a conference room in Brussels – masked the human drama caused by the travel disruptions. Couples have been stuck on opposite sides of the Atlantic for months. Business negotiations are on hold. Long-dreamed-of vacations have been delayed. Europe’s airports, once bustling connectors for the world, have been eerily quiet. In Brussels, the airport usually has 300 flights a day. It expects 435 for all next week, according to a spokeswoman.
And for the United States – where travel restrictions on Europe remain in place – the European decisions were a point-blank assessment that a U.S. passport, once one of the world’s most powerful, now carries a black mark of disease.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday acknowledged the desire in Washington to open up the world for travel again.
“We’re all taking seriously the need to figure out how to get this open. We need to get our global economy back going again,” he told an online discussion held by the German Marshall Fund of the United States. “We’ll work closely with our European friends, broadly, because I know there’s different views, again, inside the European Union.” He cited “a dozen or more” countries that were interested in opening up to Americans, without naming any of them.
During the EU discussions, there have been judgment calls. Some countries, such as China, report infection figures that some public health officials don’t fully trust. Other countries are trending worse, even though their overall infection levels remain relatively decent. And – as Trump has noted repeatedly in recent days – if a country doesn’t perform as many tests, it doesn’t find as many infections. The European Union plans to consult with its delegations on the ground to decide how much trust to put in each country’s official figures.
Europe fell into two camps during the discussions: the tourist-seeking countries and everyone else, according to the diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about the closed-door negotiations. The tourist spots – led by Greece and Portugal – favored allowing more people to come visit, hoping to salvage at least a scrap of their fast-dwindling summer season. Other countries, especially in the chillier, richer north, wanted to proceed more cautiously.
The talks were also complicated by the fact that European caseloads vary widely. Sweden, the worst-off in Europe, reported 155 cases per 100,000 residents over the last two weeks. Portugal, the second-worst, stood at 44. Britain, which is no longer a member of the EU but until the end of the year is subject to many EU decisions, was in third place at 24.
And then there were countries that are close enough in their caseload to Europe that they could have been allowed or excluded depending on where precisely the line was drawn. Turkey, Canada and Egypt all had backers and detractors, the diplomats said, since they have slightly worse infection rates than the European Union. Ukraine was on the list, then dropped off. Tiny Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people, steadfastly remained. There was extensive back and forth about China, which has been reporting lower infection rates than the European Union and which has imposed travel restrictions on some E.U. countries but not others.
Hua Hin’s iconic Railway Hotel to reopen doors on July 1
Jun 25. 2020
By The Nation
Guests will return to Hua Hin’s oldest and grandest beachside hotel next week as the Centara Grand emerges from three months of lockdown. Also known as the Railway Hotel, the century-old wooden edifice in opulent gardens will reopen its doors on July 1, with a safety guarantee provided by the Tourist Authority of Thailand’s “Amazing Thailand Safety and Health” certificate.
The hotel has reinforced that guarantee with its own Centara Complete Care scheme, developed in collaboration with water and hygiene tech leader Ecolab, and SGS, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company.
The iconic beach resort will reopen under a12-point action plan covering social distancing, health, hygiene, and enhanced sanitisation across the entire guest journey, as well as extensive training, and accreditation & monitoring. Among the rigorous changes is the elimination of self-service buffets at its restaurants, with live stations screened off from guest touch access, social distancing of 1.5 metres between tables, chairs, fitness equipment, function space and sun loungers (which are sanitised after each usage), and increased frequency of sanitisation of all public areas such as lifts and kids’ clubs. There will be no in-room delivery of luggage or meals with all items instead left at the guestroom door.
Spa and wellness facilities will allow single treatments only with no use of steam, saunas or Hammams for the time being. All treatment rooms will be sanitised in between guest usage. Sanitising gel and disposable face masks will be placed in guest rooms Other key changes include free health check-ups from on-site medical staff, a dedicated system of contactless measures for check-in and payment, as well as upgrading of teleconferencing capabilities for the meeting sector as businesses get back to work. Staff, all of whom have undergone special training, will wear accredited face masks at all times, while temperature readings and hand sanitisation will be mandatory for all guests and employees.
Having first opening its doors in the early 1920s, Hua Hin’s Centara Grand is regarded as one of the grandest hotels of the East, with expansive of gardens overlooking the sea.
By The Nation In a move to bring back tourists to Thailand’s world-famous Damnoen Saduak floating market, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Ratchaburi Office has launched a special campaign, which runs from July 1 to September 15.
“Since the Covid-19 outbreak has been curbed and people are being allowed to travel across the nation, we have decided to organise an activity to stimulate tourism and generate income for the province,” Sareeya Boonmak, director of TAT Ratchaburi Office, said.
“Tourists can use receipts from hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops or tickets of tourist attractions in Ratchaburi worth a total of Bt900 or more to redeem for an hour’s boat ride. The receipts can be redeemed at piers in Damnoen Saduak and Lak Ha floating markets, or at the TAT Ratchaburi Office,” she added.
One boat can accommodate up to four people in line with social-distancing measures, she said, adding that there are about three such trips daily. The boats offer people a close-up view of the market as well as communities near the river.
“Tourists can pay an extra Bt600 to visit the Mae Thong Yip farm to taste young coconuts, stop off at Wat Chotitayakaram, the Low Hourd Seng old house and the Lao Tuk Luk floating market,” she said.
Also, she said, visitors must not miss out on tasting the delicacies that the floating market is so famous for, like hot coconut-rice cakes, satay and boat noodles.
Call (032) 919 176-8, visit the TAT Ratchaburi Office Facebook page or the official Line account @TATratchaburi for more information.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden & Cultural Village, the largest floral garden in Southeast Asia located near Pattaya, in Chonburi will offer free admission to people from six provinces and 10 districts of Bangkok in July.
The 10 Bangkok districts are: Bangkhen, Saimai, Don Muang, Lak Si, Chatuchak, Buengkum, Bangkapi, Lat Phrao, Wangthonglang and Huai Khwang, while the five provinces are Ayutthaya, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, Chai Nat, Samut Prakarn and Chachoengsao.
People residing in these areas need to produce only an ID card for unlimited free admission throughout the month of July.
Director Kampol Tansajja said the free admission campaign has been launched to “create happiness for Thais” and in response to the government’s policy to boost domestic tourism after the Covid-19 lockdown measures have been lifted.
Nong Nooch Tropical Garden offers a variety of attractions and activities such as dinosaur exhibition, cactus garden, palm forest, cultural dance and elephant show twice a day during weekends and holidays.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is encouraging people to visit Si Sa Ket province to indulge in the bounty of nature and tuck into delicacies like the famous lava durian.
Si Sa Ket governor Wattana Phutthachat said the lava durian has a unique taste, because it is grown in volcanic soil that is not found anywhere else.
“The lava durian comes in three varieties, namely Monthong, Chanee and Kanyao,” he said. “The volcanic soil in Si Sa Ket is full of minerals, which make it perfect for growing fruit such as lava durian, langsat, rambutan, longan, plums and beans.”
Sawang Kalaphat, a local farmer, said six districts specialise in lava durian, though the ones grown in Kantharalak, Khun Han and Si Rattana districts are the best.
“Approximately 8,552 rai has been devoted to lava durian, and 3,095 rai has yielded a harvest this year,” he said. “The farms should produce about 4,203 tonnes of durian, which can be sold for Bt150 to Bt180 per kilogram.”
Sarid Nakwarin, chairperson of the Si Sa Ket Chamber of Commerce, said provincial authorities are cooperating with related agencies to sell lava durian in both retail and wholesale quantities.
“We have teamed up with Kerry Express Thailand to deliver the fruit, which can be ordered via www.lavadurian.com until the end of August,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thamonwan Charoenwongphisit, director of TAT Surin Office, suggested that people wanting to taste the best lava durian can visit Ban Sam Tarom and Ban Maharat in Khantharalak district and Ban Sam Khilek in Khun Han district.
“TAT also wants to introduce Si Sa Ket’s other attractions like the Khao Phra Wihan National Park, the Phrai Phattana temple, the Phaya Kopri viewpoint, the Samrong Kiat waterfall as well as Pa Si Mongkhon Rattanaram, Maha Phuttharam and Sra Kamphaeng Yai temples.”
Call (044) 514 447-8 or visit the TAT Surin Facebook page for more information.
Airplane of Southwest Airlines/File photo
The thriving marine life is expected to be tourist attractions in Pattani and Narathiwat provinces.
Over 10 years, they have become habitats for various species of fish and other marine lives.
La Grande-Motte set up the first organized static beach in France. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Post by Sandra Mehl
The first tour bus arrived in San Fele this past week. MUST CREDIT: Photo by Federica Valabrega for The Washington Post.
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Photo Credit: TAT Ratchaburi Office
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