Chiang Mai was hit by flower fever on Monday as tourists flocked to see the spectacular blooms of Doi Inthanon National Park, the Kew Mae Pan nature trail and Pa Nok-iang flower garden.
Tourism in Chiang Mai and other provinces in upper Thailand was buzzing as cold weather coincided with the last day of the long weekend. Monday was tagged on as a substitution for Chulalongkorn Day, which fell on Sunday this year.
Pa Nok-iang was a popular spot, with visitors checking out the colourful blooms and snapping selfies by the bridge, tower and phone booth of the flower garden.
Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan
Among visitors soaking up the beautiful blooms and cool temperatures were “punk rock” forensics chief Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan and former preacher Sompong Nakhonthaisong.
Sompong Nakhonthaisong
They were full of praise for Chiang Mai’s charms, urging people to pay a visit in their free time if they wanted to experience spectacular sights and a warm welcome.
Long weekend a boon for Loei as cool temperatures lure holidaymakers
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2022
Thousands of people flocked to Loei province in upper Northeast to soak in its beauty and cool temperatures during this long weekend.
Monday was tagged on to the weekend as a substitution for Chulalongkorn Day, which fell on Sunday this year.
The Chiang Khan Walking Street was busy with shoppers and diners on Saturday night, while rooms at all hotels and resorts in the district were booked up.
In fact, Chiang Khan proved to be so popular that holidaymakers who failed to find a room set up camp on the bank of the Mekong River to soak up the beautiful scenery.
Tourists also flocked to many of Loei’s natural attractions, such as Phu Kradueng and Phu Ruea National Parks and the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary to enjoy the morning chill and sea of fog on hilltops.
According to the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Loei has welcomed as many as 1.08 million tourists from January to August this year, generating about 1.99 billion baht in revenue. This marks a sharp increase from 349,608 visitors last year, who generated about 550 million baht in revenue.
Diwali illuminates Bangkok’s Little India with lights, sounds and flavours
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2022
The Diwali Bangkok 2022 Festival has kicked off in “Little India” on Phahurat Road in Phra Nakhon district. Visitors are grabbing the opportunity to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and flavours of South Asia’s festival of lights in Thailand.
Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs during the month of Kartik (mid-October to mid-November). The festival is inspired by the Ramayana epic, which tells of the return of Rama with his wife Sita after vanquishing Lanka’s King Ravana.
People celebrate by wearing their finest clothes, illuminating their homes with lamps and lights, performing ceremonies for the goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi, lighting fireworks, and feasting with their families.
For this year’s Diwali, Little India has been decorated with colourful flags, fabrics and lights, while Phahurat Road has become a walking street lined with vendors selling Indian snacks and products.
Along with shopping and dining, visitors to Phahurat can also enjoy Indian cultural performances and Bollywood-style shows on stages, and make offerings to Lakshmi and other Hindu deities for luck and prosperity.
The festival runs in Little India on Phahurat Road from 11am to 10pm until Sunday.
Phuket pilot project to let bars remain open on walking street till 4am, says tourism minister
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022
Approval will be sought soon from the Cabinet for a pilot project to allow bars on a Phuket walking street to remain open until 4am, Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thursday.
In his interview to Than Setthakij, Phiphat said his ministry planned to test the 4am bar closing hours at several tourist destinations, including Koh Samui, Khao San Road, and Ao Nang, but the pilot project would start at the Bang La walking street on Patong Beach in Phuket.
Phiphat explained that the ministry has to first organise public hearings to listen to views of local people before it could test the project and the public hearing at Patong has been done with overwhelming support from local people.
Other tourist spots where the Tourism and Sports Ministry would test the 4am closing hours for nightlife entertainment venues are:
Bangkok: Khao San Road and Patpong Road
Patthaya: Walking Street near Bali Hai Pier
Krabi: Ao Nang
Surat Thani: Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan
Phang Nga: Khao Lak.
Phiphat said he would like to start a pilot project in Pattaya as well to promote tourism in the eastern region, but the ministry needed more time for public hearings.
The ministry said the extension of bars’ closing time from 1am to 4am would be a key factor to encourage foreign tourists to spend more in the kingdom.
Phiphat said recent research by three universities – National Institute of Development Administration, Suan Sunantha University and Rajabhat Phuket University – pointed out that 25 per cent of foreign tourists would visit nightlife entertainment venues after midnight and this group would spend 44 per cent more in these places.
Phiphat said during the Covid restriction period, foreign tourists on average spent 61,000 baht each because they had to pay for expensive RT-PCR tests and other medical costs. After the tests were waived, foreign tourists spent on average 40,000 to 50,000 baht each.
“If we extend bar closing hours to 4am, foreign tourists would spend 44 per cent more at the bars,” Phiphat said.
Phiphat said operators of nightlife places in Chiang Mai also called on the ministry to extend their closing hours so he has assigned officials to define a special zone and conduct public hearings on the issue.
Phiphat said bars in certain tourist destinations were already violating closing hours and the project would make it legal for the bars to operate. For example, he said, bars on Koh Pha Ngan stay open later than 1am, especially when tourists celebrate the famed Full Moon Party there.
He said he would consult Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda within this month before asking the Cabinet to approve the Patong pilot project.
Supakorn Pojamarnsirikul, a former director of Suan Sunantha University’s centre for promoting startups and business development, said the centre had studied before the Covid pandemic that extension of bar hours to 4am would increase incomes for SMEs in the entertainment business, including local people.
Supakorn said foreign tourists often had dinner before they would reach the Bang La walking street at 11pm and they would spend about 70 million baht per night from 1am to 4am on average daily. Although the bars legally close at 1am, many remain open for tourists until 4am and the highest portion of income for bars came from 3am to 4am, he said.
Supakorn said if the bars are allowed to remain open legally until 4am, foreign tourists would spend 25 billion baht more a year at the Bang La walking street alone.
Thanakorn Kupajit, an adviser to the Thai Alcohol Beverage Business Association, said the 4am closing hours of bars at tourist destinations would greatly benefit concerned businesses.
He said if the government delays its decision, the country would lose an opportunity to earn more income because the high tourism season is approaching.
Earlier, academics voiced opposition to the extension of bar hours, saying it would do more harm to the country than good.
In August, Centre for Alcohol Studies (CAS) deputy manager Surasak Chaiyasong said closing hours later than 1am would promote more drinking that would lead to several social problems, including physical assault, drunk-driving, road accidents and other crimes.
Storm-hit Similan Islands off-limits to tourists until Friday
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022
Similan Islands National Park in Phang-nga will remain closed until Friday (October 21) to protect tourists from tropical storm Nesat.
The temporary closure came after the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation reopened Similan and Surin islands for the post-monsoon season on October 15.
The national park was suddenly closed to tourists from October 16-20 as continuous rain, strong winds and high waves prevented boats from taking visitors to Similan on Saturday.
“Similan Islands National Park will be closed on October 21 too,” park chief Rakchanok Phaenoi said, adding that further announcements would be made if there are any changes.
Rakchanok said national park officials were delighted to see seven to 10 Orca Whales searching for food near Similan Island. This discovery proves the national park has abundant natural resources, she said.
Earlier, the Southern Meteorological Centre (West Coast) forecast heavy to very heavy rains in Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun on Thursday.
“Waves in the Andaman Sea will rise to three metres and be even higher during thundershowers,” the centre warned.
Tourists descend on Phu Kradueng National Park amid 12C temperature
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022
Hundreds of tourists flocked to Loei’s scenic Phu Kradueng National Park as cold weather gripped the area. The park had reopened on October 1.
Around 500 tourists visited Lom Sak cliff on Wednesday evening to catch a glorious sunset.
Park chief Adisorn Hemthanont announced on Thursday that bookings for travelling in the national park via the QueQ application from Saturday to Monday (October 22-24) were already full.
He said that apart from tourists who have already booked, only 600 visitors will be allowed to enter the park each day during the period.
“We would like to ask tourists who visit Phu Kradueng National Park to prepare all necessities before travelling,” Adisorn said.
The temperature at the park dipped to a low 12 degrees Celsius at 8am on Thursday, he said, adding that visitors were excited to visit Nok Aen cliff to view the sunrise.
“The atmosphere at Phu Kradueng National Park this year is good as abundant rains and cold weather have helped many kinds of flowers to bloom,” Adisorn said.
The park has improved its facilities and services such as camping areas, food centres, souvenir shops and toilets to better cater to tourists.
Separately, many locals in Phayao had to don coats when heading out to purchase goods in the morning as the temperature dropped to 18 degrees Celsius. The temperature there is expected to drop further.
The Thai Meteorological Department said a moderate high-pressure system covering the upper North and the Northeast had ushered in cool mornings, fog and strong winds.
“People should take care of their health due to the variable weather,” the department advised.
Doi Inthanon sees 10C temperature for 2nd day, thick fog envelopes Loei
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2022
Doi Inthanon, Chiang Mai’s popular mountain destination, experienced a chilled 10 degrees Celsius temperature for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, while several areas in Loei saw thick fog as the mercury plunged to 11 degrees.
Doi Inthanon National Park reported that the temperature atop the mountain in Jom Thong district measured 10C in the morning.
The park said many tourists went up the mountain to the Kiew Mae Parn Viewpoint to see the rising sun. They were not disappointed, thanks to a clear sky.
Meanwhile, the temperature at the park office measured 12C.
In Loei, police deputy commander Pol Colonel Yutthana Chokechai said several major roads, including Loei-Phu Rua, Loei-Phu Kradueng and Loei-Chiang Khan, were enveloped in thick fog in the morning.
The Loei weather office reported that the temperature in the northern province dropped 1-2 degrees Celsius at several spots.
The office said the Phu Luang Wildlife Sanctuary saw a temperature drop to 11C, while the mercury at Phu Kradueng National Park, Phu Rua National Park and Loei Highland Agricultural Research and Development Centre in Phu Rua district measured 13C.
The temperature in central Loei was 17C in the morning, with the entire area covered in fog, the office added.
Not fake news: National parks RV parking fee doubled to 200 baht
MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2022
The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry’s Anti-Fake News Centre on Sunday confirmed that the overnight parking fee for recreational vehicles (RVs) at national parks has risen from 100 baht to 200 baht.
Although the fee doubled in June, many travellers are still unaware of the hike as several national parks remain closed because of Covid-19 or annual rehabilitation.
The anti-fake news centre cited new RV parking fees issued on June 7 by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation:
– Vehicle with side pop-up roof or similar: 200 baht per vehicle per night (up from 100 baht)
– Non-tow RV: 300 baht per night (unchanged)
– Tow-type RV: 600 baht per night (unchanged)
The centre said travellers could phone the department at (02) 561 0777 for more information before planning their trip.
News of the price rise began circulating on social media during the long weekend for King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great Memorial Day (October 13-16) when many people planned to visit national parks, prompting suspicions that the hike was fake news.
National parks should be busy again this coming weekend, after Monday (October 24) was announced as a compensation holiday for Sunday’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day.
Following over two years of restricted travel and closed borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a core task for Thailand as host of APEC 2022 is to place tourism across the region back on a path of growth.
At the 11th APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting held in Bangkok on 19 August 2022, it was highlighted that APEC member economies had the opportunity to coordinate their policies to revive the tourism and travel industry with not only enhanced safety but also greater sustainability, responsibility, and inclusivity.
The statement released from the APEC Tourism Ministerial Meeting reflected these aspirations by marking Regenerative Tourism as the goal for future tourism to and within the 21 member economies of APEC.
Ahead of the meeting, Thailand has declared that it will use its leadership role in 2022 to push forward the APEC Policy Recommendations on Regenerative Tourism with the aim of paving the way forward to a future of tourism that “ensures that the industry contributes to all types of well- being locally.”
The goals of Regenerative Tourism are already in line with the Thai government’s Bio-Circular- Green or BCG Economy Model, which has been implemented to revive Thailand’s tourism industry safely, inclusively, and sustainably.
Endorsed guidelines by attending ministers have set a course for rebuilding the tourism industry across the region “through investment, the creation of employment opportunities, human resource development, occupational standards, and support for small businesses”.
The guidelines update advice from the pre- COVID-19 era and emphasize the need to reduce barriers that have a direct impact on visitor exports and tourist flows in the region.
A core set of seven guiding principles were adopted to support Regenerative Tourism. They call for policies and programs to respect local resource custodians, traditions, and culture; to enhance sustainable and responsible travel and tourism; to encourage the exchange of information and open dialogue; to foster human resource development, skills training, and occupational standards tools for a stronger industry workforce, including workers with disabilities; to utilize innovative technologies to improve economic, social, cultural, and environmental well-being, as well as establish partnerships; to identify synergies and utilize resources through public-private partnerships to encourage tourism investment in the APEC region; and to strengthen the resiliency of tourism to prepare for future shocks.
The statement is an affirmation that tourism officials in the region are aware that smaller entities in the tourism sector have been impacted by challenges such as COVID-19 and that a re-energizing of travel should address such effects for prosperity in the long run.
Phang Nga’s Similan National Park closed for 3 days as monsoon blows in
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2022
Similan Islands National Park in Phang Nga will close to visitors from Sunday till Tuesday (October 16-18) to protect tourists from strong winds and waves.
The temporary closure comes just one day after the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation opened the Similan and Surin Islands for the post-monsoon season. However, heavy rain and strong winds are forecast for the Andaman coast over the next few days.
Only about 500 Thai and foreign tourists visited the national park on Saturday after some tour operators cancelled trips, said national park chief Rakchanok Phaenoi.
Tourists were able to reach Miang Island but continuous rain, strong wind and high waves prevented boats from taking visitors to Similan Island.
“For the safety of tourists’ lives and property, Similan Islands National Park will be temporarily closed from October 16 to 18,” Rakchanok said, adding that further announcements will be made if there are any changes to that plan.
Similan Islands National Park allows entry to a maximum 3,850 visitors per day – 3,325 people on day trips and 525 on diving expeditions.
Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan
Sompong Nakhonthaisong
Phiphat said during the Covid restriction period, foreign tourists on average spent 61,000 baht each because they had to pay for expensive RT-PCR tests and other medical costs. After the tests were waived, foreign tourists spent on average 40,000 to 50,000 baht each.
The temperature in central Loei was 17C in the morning, with the entire area covered in fog, the office added.
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