.

The main attractions at the event, which has as its theme “Eat Thai Food, Feeling Good”, will be the three street-food vendors recommended in the prestigious Michelin Guide.

Other highlights will be a unique fruit buffet and, for the first time anywhere in the world, the unveiling of Khao Tom Mad Tu-rian Lava.

Khao tom mad is a dessert of steamed sticky rice and banana wrapped in a banana leaf, but for this event, the filling will be “the king of fruits” – durian.

Visitors will also be able to taste jasmine rice from Ubon Ratchathani, which can fetch up to Bt300,000 per tonne.

TAT Deputy Governor Sujitra Jongchansitto said on Monday the event aims to open “new shades of experiences for tourists” through gastronomy tourism.

The festival is expected to attract eight million visitors and generate Bt40 million.

The airline has flown Bangkok to Samui International Airport, return, twice a day in a Boeing 737 carrying up to 149 passengers after negotiating a contract with Bangkok Airways in 2008.

The private airport on Koh Samui was built by Bangkok Airways in 1989 and has been managed by that airline ever since.

When THAI began flying the route, the national airline said it would be convenient for travellers flying through Bangkok on Thai Airways to transfer to a TG flight to the island through the one airline.

It was also considered a breakthrough at the time, ending a monopoly for the Bangkok-Samui flights sector. Bangkok Airways dominates the route, offering around 19 flights daily each way. Thai Airways feels it is justified in cancelling the service this September following the signing of a codeshare agreement with Bangkok Airways last year.

The airline can ticket its European or Asian passengers through to Samui on any of the daily Bangkok Airways flights at agreed fares that are competitive for TG to resell.

The resulting monopoly for Bangkok Airways means that flights could cost up to more than double that of routes of a similar distance around the region.

Samui Island’s airport was developed as the country’s first privately owned airport but has faced constant criticism from hoteliers on the island who claimed Bangkok Airways made it difficult for competitors to serve the island.

At one point the government threatened to build a second airport on the island but land appropriation costs were too high. However, the tactic did result in THAI gaining landing rights for two flights per day.

According to Airlineroute’s timetable information, Thai Airways will on September 2 end its TG281 service departing Bangkok at 7.45am, and TG287 departing Bangkok at 3.30pm.

The launch ceremony took place recently at Wat Phra Pathom Chedi Temple, one of the eight main tourist attractions in Nakhon Pathom that offers QR Code service to the tourists.

According to Anan Wongbenjarat, Director General of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the offering of QR Code service is an effort of the DOT to make it more convenient for the visitors to get information while travelling.

Nakhon Pathom now offers 13 QR Code stands in eight main tourist attractions: 2 at the Wat Phra Pathom Chedi Temple, 1 at Wat Phra Prathon Chedi, 1 at His Majesty the King Insect Park, 1 at Wat Lam Phaya Floating Market, 1 at Wat Rai Khing Temple, 3 at Don Wai Floating Market, 3 at Thai Film Archive, and 1 at Buddha Monthon.

Contestants who are passionate about travelling are encouraged to introduce themselves in unique, quirky and fun videos that capture their personality and wanderlust.

Selected winners will fly economy class with a guest for free to Tokyo on NokScoot, with accommodation provided by Expedia, plus Bt15,000 in pocket money from NokScoot. While in Tokyo the new recruits are expected to report back on hidden gems they come across in the Japanese capital.

“Successful recruits must be willing to shop, discover, explore, eat and make friends with the Japanese while sharing their experiences on Tokyo’s chic, urbane lifestyle,” said Yodchai Sudhidhanakul, CEO of NokScoot. “We expect them to generate considerable buzz on social media and heightened curiosity about visiting Japan, and we can’t wait to welcome them onboard NokScoot to help them begin this adventure.”

To apply, like the NokScoot Facebook page, then create a video to pitch to the airline on why you should be considered. When uploading the video clip to Facebook or Instagram, videos must be posted publicly. They must also be tagged @NokScoot so its judges can find them and have the #NokScoot hashtag.

Under the agreement, Singapore Airlines and SilkAir customers can access Fiji Airways’ non-stop flights between Singapore and Nadi. The island’s airline launched a third weekly seasonal service last month. Passengers can also travel on codeshare flights between Nadi and three domestic destinations, including the Fijian capital Suva, Labasa and Savusavu.

In turn, Fiji Airways customers will be able to access Singapore Airlines and SilkAir-operated flights to destinations in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Tan Kai Ping, senior vice president, Marketing Planning Singapore Airlines said: “We are delighted with the new agreement with Fiji Airways, which will add this beautiful island destination to the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir codeshare network. This is another example of how we are continuously looking to expand our reach to provide our customers with more travel options.”

Andre Viljoen, Fiji Airways’ managing director and chief executive echoed the sentiment, adding: “We’re pleased to sign this codeshare agreement with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir, which enhances the airline group’s impressive global distribution network and significantly grows our footprint across Asia and Europe, with some of these cities appearing on the Fiji Airways network for the very first time.

“We are confident that this codeshare agreement will allow more travellers from Thailand and around the world to experience the beauty of Fiji and the wider South Pacific region.”

The codeshare flights are subject to regulatory approvals. Tickets will be progressively made available for sale through the various booking channels following the approvals.

Jirasak Yaowatsakul, managing director of the Transport Company, said the company is seeking permission from the Land Transport Department to open a new route linking the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaew to the Sadao checkpoint in Songkhla.

The route would mostly attract Cambodians who wish to travel to Malaysia, he said.

Jirasak said most Cambodians travelled on chartered vans that often ended up in accidents, so a regular bus service could be safer for them.

Statistics from the two border checkpoints showed that more than 100 Cambodians travelled from Aranyaprathet to Sadao each day, Jirasak said.

He said permission may be granted in about a month.

Pimpawee Nopakitgumjorn, marketing chief at Expedia Group, said: “Hoteliers can effectively reap the benefits of this new campaign by aligning their properties with one or more of its themes. When linked with analytics and coupled with the appropriate outreach such as Expedia Group’s package offerings, hotel partners can effectively target new markets and find travellers who may potentially be more interested in their hotel due to a match in what they are looking for and what the hotel has to offer.”

There are many emerging trends found from Expedia Group’s 675 million monthly site visits from across the globe:

In arts and culture, Chiang Rai and Sukhothai recorded healthy growth of over 50 per cent year on year (YoY) in inbound demand.

Chiang Rai recorded 80 per cent YoY inbound growth thanks to hill tribes and their distinctive customs that make for an intriguing cultural mix. Chiang Mai, on the other hand, experienced a relatively slower but still healthy growth over 30 per cent.

While Asian travellers seemed more interested in experiencing customs, European tourists from France, Germany and United Kingdom showed greater interest in exploring Thailand’s historical ruins.

Sukhothai, known for its ruins of Thailand’s first kingdom dating back over 700 years, experienced over 50 per cent YoY in inbound demand. Europeans alone accounted for more than half of this growth.

In beaches and nature, package bookings drove higher average daily rates in beach destinations while Khao Yai National Park registered three-digit growth.

While the top five most visited beach destinations among international travellers remained the same as in 2016, Pattaya led the pack with YoY growth over 40 per cent followed by Phuket and Hua Hin with more modest growth of over 20 per cent. On the other hand, Koh Samui and Krabi recorded relatively slower growth at around 10 per cent.

Hotel partners operating in these top five beach destinations were told that Expedia Group’s package travellers paid 1.2 times more for their accommodation compared to standalone bookings. The Expedia Group’s packages offer both flights and hotels together. On average, package travellers tend to stay one more day and they are 50 per cent less likely to cancel their trips due to the non-refundable flights, compared with standalone bookings. The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom led the growth for package demand to Thailand’s key beach destinations.

Less visited Koh Chang and Koh Lipe both recorded a healthy over 30 per cent growth.

Khao Yai National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site teeming with wildlife and thick jungles, recorded over 160 per cent growth YoY. Over half of these visitors are from South East Asian countries with Singapore topping the list, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of Khao Yai’s visitors.

Bangkok was named the world’s top street food city. Michelin launched its first guide to Bangkok, featuring 98 restaurants. These recent developments highlight how Bangkok embraces international dining while spotlighting its own rich culinary heritage and authentic Thai cuisine.