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.
Domestic travel will earn Thailand up to 11 billion baht this long weekend: TAT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
The four-day weekend of October 13-16 should generate 10.86 billion baht in revenue from nearly 3 million domestic tourists/visits, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said.
In a bid to promote domestic tourism, the government added an extra day to the October 13 King Rama IX Memorial Day.
TAT said on Saturday that this long weekend may see slightly fewer travellers compared to the five-day weekend during the Buddhist Lent holidays in July.
The reason for fewer people travelling is widespread flooding and the fact that countries like Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have recently lifted their travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. This has encouraged some Thais to go overseas instead of travelling domestically.
Also coming up is a second long weekend – October 22-24 with Monday, October 24 announced as a compensation day off for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Day which falls on Sunday.
TAT believes Thais will take more local trips this weekend thanks to the government’s travel stimulus schemes like the “Let’s Go Halves” and “We Travel Together”.
The cool weather is also expected to be a factor encouraging people to travel.
This long weekend, October 13-16, saw 313,860 arrivals in Bangkok, 214,720 in Chonburi, 187,980 in Kanchanaburi, 122,760 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 119,290 Khon Kaen, 118,930 in Rayong, 104,540 in Phuket, 94,950 Ayutthaya, 93,180 in Chiang Mai and 89,130 in Phang Nga.
Charming Chiang Khan in Northeast big hit among urbanites this long weekend
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2022
Thousands of people flocked to the picturesque Chiang Khan district in the Northeast province of Loei to soak in the cool air and enjoy their long weekend.
Approximately 10,000 mostly Thai tourists have been arriving daily since the long weekend began on Thursday. For many, it was the first trip upcountry since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country in 2020.
The laid-back border town along the Mekong River has retained its “old world” charm with its riverside Chai Khong Road lined with Indochinese-style teakwood hotels. The promenade is closed to traffic and turns into a night market in the evening.
Other attractions in Chiang Khan are the Phu Thok hill overlooking a “sea of fog” above the Mekong, a new glass skywalk at Phu Phra Yai hill and several Lao-style temples.
People visiting Phu Thok hill on Saturday morning felt the chill when the temperature dropped to 18 degrees Celsius and the hill was covered in a sea of fog.
Chiang Khan was one of two Thai towns included in Green Destinations’ “2020 Sustainable Top 100 Destinations” list. Green Destinations is a Netherlands-based non-profit foundation that focuses on the development and recognition of sustainable destinations.
The other Thai town on the list was Nan’s Old City in the easternmost part of North Thailand.
October’s 2 long weekends will give profitable start to Thailand’s high season, says TAT
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) believes the two long weekends in October will generate about 13 billion baht in revenue from over 3.1 million tourists/visits.
Thapanee Kiatphaiboon, TAT deputy governor for the domestic market, said on Friday that this month will see more tourism activities during the October 13-16 and 22-24 long weekends. Plus, she said, October marks the end of the rainy season and the arrival of the cool season.
“It’s also the start of Thailand’s high season,” Thapanee said.
TAT has organised several tourism promotional activities, especially in the North and Northeast, she said, adding that some 3.16 million people are expected to travel this month and up to 12.9 billion baht should change hands.
Thapanee added that flooding in many provinces will not have a direct impact on tourism, though some roads to tourist destinations and old city areas may be affected.
“With temperatures cooling, more people have started travelling to the North and Northeast,” she added.
TAT reported a hotel occupancy rate of between 41 and 57 per cent in different regions of the country this month. This can be broken down to 41.2 per cent for the South, 48.2 per cent for the East, 46.2 per cent for the North, 48.4 per cent for the Central region, and 56.9 per cent for the Northeast.
TAT expecting nearly a million visitors from India this year to help recovery of tourism sector
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
Thailand is expecting a surge in travellers from India to boost the Thai tourism industry, as they are the second biggest market this year behind Malaysia, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported.
The TAT reported recently that 561,656 Indian tourists entered Thailand in the first nine months of 2022, while the number of Malay tourists recently reached 1 million on October 3.
Thanet Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing for Asia and South Pacific, said that the authority expected the number of Indian tourists to reach 800,000 to 900,000 at the end of this year as forward booking numbers for the fourth quarter exceeded 60 per cent.
Meanwhile, 66,877 seats of flights from South India were reserved each week for the winters of 2022 and 2023, up 42.2 per cent from the summer of this year.
Several airlines are interested to open more routes and flights. Thai VietJet, for instance, is asking for slots to fly from minor cities in India to Thailand.
According to an Indian media outlet, “Business of Travel Trade [BOTT]”, a survey showed more than 60 per cent of Indian tourists wanting to visit Thailand. “The BOTT Travel Sentiment Tracker” survey of 8,500 Indian millennials was conducted from August 1 to September 15.
Nearly 82 per cent of them planned to travel with their family this year while 56 per cent chose to travel outside the country. Among nearby destinations in the high season, 62 per cent of them were interested in travelling to Thailand, while 55 per cent were interested in Singapore.
They were also interested in United Arab Emirates (52 per cent), Maldives (43 per cent), and Vietnam (36 per cent).
Among far-away destinations, 47 per cent were interested in the United States, followed by France (46 per cent), the United Kingdom (45 per cent), Germany (44 per cent), and Switzerland (43 per cent).
Of the top five destinations, 36 per cent of them wanted to visit popular tourist and shopping destinations, 31 per cent chose beaches, followed by luxury hotels and resorts (29 per cent), adventure destinations and mountains (25 per cent), and historical destinations (22 per cent).
Thanet said, “The average staying period for Indian millennials is between five to seven days and they choose to stay in more luxury hotels and resorts.”
Meanwhile, Thai AirAsia sees growth potential in the Indian and South Asia markets and has launched two flights from Don Mueang Airport to Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka with four flights per week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
It will also fly to the northern Indian city of Lucknow with three flights per week — on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Both flights will be available from November 24, as the airline aimed to attract North Indian tourists.
The airline’s chief executive officer, Santisuk Klongchaiya, said that tourism is active again after Covid-19 has eased, while the Indian and South Asian markets were growing quickly.
He said that the airline has started seven routes from Don Mueang Airport to six Indian cities — Kolkata, Kochi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Gaya — and to the Maldives. Every route was well received as Indian travellers were ready to spend in Thailand.
Nuntaporn Komonsittivate, head of commercial of Thai Lion Air, said that the airline has one flight from India, which was the Don Mueang-Mumbai flight.
The route flew daily with almost 100 per cent of passengers being Indian tourists. She expected the load factor in the fourth quarter to be 65 per cent, which is close to the average load factor of around 60 to 65 per cent.
3 spots in Trat, Mae Hong Son, Chai Nat named Thailand’s top ‘sustainable’ tourism sites
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
Three tourism spots in Thailand were included in this year’s “Top 100 Destination Sustainable Stories” list compiled by Green Destinations, a non-profit organisation that supports sustainable tourism.
The destinations featured were Trat’s Koh Mak in the Governance, Reset and Recovery category; Mae Hong Son’s Huay Pu Keng in Thriving Communities; and Chai Nat’s Sappaya Tourism Community Enterprise in the Culture and Tradition category.
Government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri on Friday put the success of these sites down to the government’s Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA).
He said under the scheme, Koh Mak became the first low-carbon destination in Thailand through cooperation between the community and public and private tourism organisations. This cooperation led to digital technology and research to boost efficiency in absorbing and storing carbon.
In Huay Pu Keng and the Sappaya Tourism Community Enterprise, DASTA focused on community-based tourism by boosting local people’s skills to create souvenirs, while supporting the environment to give visitors a great experience and improving the quality of life for community members.
Anucha said DASTA had nominated these three destinations in line with the Green Destination standards and forwarded the names to the judges.
He added that both public and private organisations worked hard to push for sustainable tourism. This award will help promote these sites among eco-tourists as well as prove that Thailand is focusing on conservation and creating a balance with nature.
Thailand woos big spenders from Europe, Americas to meet 1.5-tr baht revenue target
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2022
THE NATION
European and American tourists are expected to bring at least 300 billion baht to the country this year, or 30-35 per cent of tourism revenue recorded in 2019 before the pandemic.
Siripakorn Chaewsamoot, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s deputy governor for marketing – Europe, Africa, the Americas and Middle East, said on Thursday that he expects more tourists from Europe and the Americas to arrive in Thailand during the winter months.
“We expect to see more tourists from these markets in the last two months of this year, who will help match our goal of up to 1.5 trillion baht in tourism revenue in 2022. TAT is confident this is achievable,” he said.
Siripakorn added that though the Covid-19 situation is improving worldwide, Europe and the Americas are not without problems.
“The biggest challenge for long-distance markets is that they rely on long-haul or connecting flights, some of which have not returned to pre-Covid levels,” he said.
Besides, he said, airlines are also raising the prices of long-haul flights due to the rising cost of fuel and to make up for the losses made during the Covid-19 shutdown.
“Plus next month, the 2022 World Cup finals kick off in Qatar, motivating Middle East airlines to direct more of their flights from Europe and the Americas to Qatar. It is likely they will not add more connecting flights to other countries, including Thailand,” he said.
However, he said, TAT is coordinating with airlines to encourage them to provide more flights to Thailand. If necessary, he said, the authorities will offer chartered flights to markets that have a high demand for Thailand, but not enough scheduled flights.
“We will also promote the Long-Term Resident [LTR] visa, which offers a multiple-entry 10-year stay in Thailand to wealthy foreigners, retirees and those who wish to work here. They can fly in and out of the country without having to get re-entry permits for the entire time,” Siripakorn said. “This visa, effective since September, should attract big spenders from Europe and the Americas to stay in Thailand, especially the digital nomads or those who can work from anywhere in the world.”
