Lopburi rolls out carpet of cosmos flowers for tourists
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022
A field of cosmos flowers in Ban Sap Suea Maep is ready for an influx of tourists to Lopburi province until the end of next month.
Pimpakarn Phiphitthananan, a director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s office in Lopburi, visited Ban Sap Suea Maep in Muang Lopburi district on Thursday to see the cosmos flower field.
She took some people along to see the beauty of cosmos flowers. People in the area usually grew corn and garden plants on the four-rai (0.64 hectares) field but they are now growing cosmos flowers because they are more unique than growing sunflowers, and tourists will be able to experience different kinds of flowers.
Pimpakarn said that the people of Lopburi grew different types of flowers and made flower fields in a bid to create new tourist attractions for the province.
She invited people to visit Lopburi. “Visit Lopburi only for a day and [you] will experience several flower fields.”
She said that the field will bloom until the New Year and is ready to welcome tourists in the cold season.
To visit the cosmos flower field, tourists must drive in the direction of Ban Sap Suea Maep, past the sunflower field.
Royal Park Rajapruek unveils floral fest for tourists in winter
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022
Various kinds of winter flowers and activities are awaiting visitors at Royal Park Rajapruek in Chiang Mai until the end of February next year.
The “Flora Festival” was kicked off at the park since November 1, and it will be ended on February 28.
“The festival aims to promote tourism after the Covid-19 crisis and encourage tourists to spend their happy time with their families and beloved ones,” the park official said.
The festival features various kinds of winter flowers to allow visitors to take photos, such as rose, orchid, geranium, red salvia and pink cosmos.
Visitors can attend limited time activities until the end of February as follows:
▪︎ The event that allows visitors to witness the phenomenon when sun rays go through the door beside the Royal Pavilion; December 1 to 31; 4.50pm to 5.20pm.
▪︎ The Night Light of Flora Fest, an event that will feature lights along both sides of the road to the Royal Pavilion to welcome Christmas and New Year; December 23 to January 2; 5pm to 8pm
▪︎ An event to mark National Children’s Day on January 14
▪︎ An event to mark Valentine’s Day from February 11-14
Thai visitors pay tickets for entering Royal Park Rajapruek at 100 baht (70 baht for children) while foreign tourists pay 200 baht (150 baht for children).
Thai elderly aged 60 years or above, government officials and students pay 70 baht. Entry is free for disabled persons, monks and children under 100 centimetres.
Phuket the top tourist destination for foreigners in 2022
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2022
Phuket was Thailand’s most visited province by foreign tourists in the first 10 months of 2022 and also the province that generated the most tourism income at 127.9 billion baht, deputy government spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said on Thursday.
Tipanan was citing statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, after Thailand welcomed its 10 millionth foreign visitor this year on December 10.
She said Thailand’s tourism industry is gradually recovering from the impact of Covid-19 since the launch of “Phuket Sandbox”, the government’s tourism sandbox initiative that aimed to reopen Thailand gradually, starting with tourism provinces.
“The success of the programme also came from strong public health measures and Thai people’s cooperation that has helped the tourism industry bounce back in a V-shaped recovery and attracted 10 million visitors before the year-end,” she added.
From January to October this year, Phuket received the highest number of foreign tourists at 2.32 million people, followed by Chonburi (975,026), Surat Thani (606,812), Songkhla (581,808) and Chiang Mai (496,111).
Phuket also tops the chart for tourism revenue in 10 months at 127.9 billion baht, followed by Chonburi (13.2 billion), Surat Thani (7.5 billion), Chiang Mai (4.2 billion) and Songkhla (3.6 billion).
The top 10 foreign visitors by nationality in 10 months are: Malaysian (1.29 million), Indian (698,757), Singaporean (381,940), Laotian (345,709), Vietnamese (340,670), South Korean (316,240), United Kingdom (291,753), United States (283,211), Cambodian (252,862) and German (235,596).
The activity “Hidden Temple: Abandoned Temples” in the Community is being held at Wat Phumarin Ratchapaksi and Wat Dusidaram until Sunday.
Creative Economy Agency (Public Organisation) or CEA, in collaboration with Urban Ally, the Thai architecture archive, the Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University, and the network of the Bang Yi Khan community, arrange the activity, Hidden Temple, under the concept of “The Hidden Domain in the Sacred Ground” to reveals the temple areas that are existing and changing through the dynamics of the big community like Bangkok.
At Wat Phraya Siri Aisawan, the visitors will get to see the assumption of complete architecture of Wat Suaansawan, observe the sacred domain of this abandoned temple hidden in the Ban Poon community, and enjoy the musical activities and performances with three pagodas appeared in different shapes and forms in the background.
Highlight Activities
Projection Mapping: the contemporary art with interactive technology to portray the story of Jambudvipa within the Vihara of Wat Phumarin and offering Puang Mahot (traditional paper folding decorative item) to the Buddha image at the back of the Vihara.
Architectural Lighting: the lighting designed to give the temple and the neighborhood around Wat Phumarin Ratchapaksi a mood.
Community Performance: “Mae Si” “Phee Lob” “Ling Lom” the ritual plays that are the local wisdom of Bangkok Noi district, see the ancient Takhian boat and learn the relief from “Ghost” to “Buddha”.
Community Market: food and goods of Bangkok Noi community to revitalize the area around the abandoned temple. Participate in the traditional local cooking workshop from a local expert with a century of experience.
Visit CEA or Urban Ally‘s Facebook page for more information.
Grab is launching a tuk-tuk service in Phuket after being granted a ride-hailing licence by the Department of Land Transport in September. The “GrabTukTuk” service in Phuket will be on hand to welcome the return of international tourists and support local job creation, the company said.
It expects to offer the new service through 100 tuk-tuk driver-partners by early 2023.
Grab, a leading super app in Southeast Asia, says the Phuket launch is part of the continued expansion of its mobility services.
Worachat Luxkanalode, Country Head of Grab Thailand, said, “we have seen consistent positive signals from the recovery of tourism industries. Since the beginning of this year, Thailand has welcomed more than 10 million international travellers so far. Ride-hailing applications have been one of the preferred travel options by foreign tourists, as they offer convenience and safety standards. Grab’s mobility service can support not only Phuket’s tourism sector but also the province’s overall economy through income opportunities for local communities.”
“As a leading platform, Grab is committed to raising the bar for ride-hailing service in Phuket, in terms of service quality, reasonable price and safety. We support the locals to use their personal vehicles to provide transportation services to earn extra income. Besides, we have encouraged those who provide public transportation services such as Tuk Tuk drivers, to use the Grab application as another channel of reaching passengers and increasing income opportunities,” added Worachat.
In addition, Grab Thailand has collaborated with government agencies and partners to ensure efficient preparation and build confidence for Grab driver-partners and public transportation operators in Phuket. These efforts reflect the goal of uplifting the service standards to create favourable impressions and travel experiences for international tourists, in response to the country’s reopening policy and Phuket’s measures in welcoming travellers and driving economic recovery.
Korat’s bright yellow sunflower field becomes latest social-media ‘check-in’ spot
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022
A 100-rai field in covered in bright yellow sunflowers in Nakhon Ratchasima has become a brand new online “check-in” spot for local social media networkers.
The field, which is part of Rajabhat Nakhon Ratchasima University’s agricultural research centre, has been open to the public since December 9.
The campus is located in Muang district’s Chaimongkol area.
People can enter the field to take photographs or selfies with the tall bright yellow blossoms from 8am to 6pm daily until January 15.
The centre said the field has become very popular among tourists thanks to the cool temperatures and the bright vista. Visitors can also feed milk to baby goats frolicking in the field.
The temperature in Korat on Tuesday was chilly at 17 degrees Celsius.
Chiang Mai welcoming more tourists as flights start returning
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
Chiang Mai returned to its top spot as a favourite destination after the number of daily arrivals rose beyond 20,000 in December.
Nattawut Ta-inta, Chiang Mai Airport’s deputy director, recently said that the airport now welcomes between 18,000 to 20,000 passengers daily; of them, some 2,000 are international arrivals.
Some 130 domestic and about 20 international flights land in Chiang Mai daily. He said 11 international airlines have returned to their pre-pandemic schedule, including flights from Incheon and Busan in South Korea; Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam; Singapore; Luang Prabang in Cambodia; Taiwan capital Taipei; Hong Kong; Yangon in Myanmar; and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
He said before Covid-19 arrived in 2019, Chiang Mai welcomed some 35,000 travellers daily, 30% of whom were foreigners and the remainder domestic.
Nattawut added that in the pre-Covid era, the airport saw 145 domestic flights and some 90 flights landing daily, including 14 from China alone.
“Chiang Mai Airport has the slots ready for all airlines to reinstate their flights. They just need to notify the airport and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand,” he said.
“Recently, Myanmar Airlines began flying twice a week from Yangon and will increase its flights gradually,” he said.
He expects China to open its borders in March, which may encourage Chinese travellers to return to Chiang Mai. He also said he believes more airlines will start flying to Chiang Mai from January.
Lu Ko Pa Tor: New spot to enjoy rolling seas of mist in Tak
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
The “Lu Ko Pa Tor” viewpoint in Tak’s Umphang district has recently become a new winter hotspot for tourists thanks to its sea of fog that lasts late into the morning.
Thiti Chartsakulsri, the headman of Ban Palatha village which is about 7 kilometres from the viewpoint, said the sea of mist takes longer to dissipate because it has become quite cold in the mornings.
He added that some tourists discovered this spot last year and it has become very popular since.
The viewpoint is about 32 kilometres from Umphang’s main town.
Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon dons its winter cape of frost
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon mountain looked like a magical Christmas cake with a dusting of white sugar on Sunday morning, as cold temperatures froze the morning dew.
This is the sixth time that the mountain has been covered in frost this year and the first time in about a month.
Park authorities reported that the temperature on the mountaintop and the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint had dropped to 4 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning. However, the park office lower down was slightly warmer at 11 degrees Celsius.
The last five times frost was spotted on the mountain this year were:
• May 7: The carpark near the peak was covered in frost when the temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius.
• November 8: Temperature fell to 6C covering the carpark in frost.
• November 10-12: The mercury fell to between 3C and 4C covering the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint, the carpark and the area between kilometre markers 43 and 44 with frost.
Thailand and Taiwan Markets Lead the Nominations for Agoda Gold Circle Awards
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Digital Travel Platform, Agoda, has announced the winners of its coveted 14th annual Agoda Gold Circle Awards (GCA). With travel markets opening up to international travel worldwide, this year’s Gold Circle Awards have been presented to more than 2,000 properties in 41 markets.
For the fourth consecutive year, Thailand retained its top spot with Taiwan soaring to the second spot, followed by Japan. India entered the Top 10 list for the first time while South Korea, Malaysia, United States, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam retained their spots in the top ten rankings.
In addition, China has the highest number of properties that won awards for four consecutive years, followed by the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Maldives, Vietnam, Indonesia, and South Korea.
Every year, the awards are presented to properties that have proven their place among the best, providing excellent value, pricing, service excellence and flexibility to guests. These hotels have worked proactively with Agoda to meet the constantly evolving opportunities open to partners and have not only set new benchmarks for themselves and also for the industry.
“Year on year, The Gold Circle Awards have given Agoda the chance to recognize partners who are expanding the boundaries of service and hospitality and also collectively move the industry forward in catering to evolving customer demands. In its 14th year, The Gold Circle Awards also continues the tradition of helping Agoda teams globally to evaluate changing industry dynamics, create improved products and services, and better drive our innovation practices,” said Liyana Jamil, Vice President of Partner Services, Agoda.
Winners will be featured on Agoda’s dedicated landing page (available on 1-31 December 2022) and honoured with a digital Gold Circle Award badge, along with Agoda Growth Express (AGX) credits, a special credit to boost marketing on the website. In an ongoing partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Agoda has made a donation to plant 5,000 trees on behalf of all GCA winners worldwide. This is a continuation of an idea that started two years ago to replace plastic gifts and raise awareness of environmental issues.
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