Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives is a luxury where superb food and drinks, activities and spa treatments are part of the unique All-Inclusive Concept. Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives is a romantic destination for couples. Both resorts feature the spectacular scenery and “private island” environment the Maldives are famous for.

Centara is  offering two different packages to help guests enjoy its stunning resorts in the Maldives, it said in a press statement.

It said Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives’ popular “Stay 3 Pay 2” promotion is now extended for bookings and stays until the end of October 2018. Customers can book online and for every three nights you stay, the third night is free! Up to two children stay free when sharing bed with parents.

Guests will aslo be provided with free domestic flight or speedboat transfers, in addition to a 20% discount on rooms at both Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives and Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives.

CentaraThe1Card members get an extra 10% discount, the statement added.

The Phoenix was carrying 105 people — mostly Chinese — when it sank on the way back from a popular snorkeling spot on July 5 off the southern resort island of Phuket.

It was among three vessels which ignored a bad weather warning against island day trips.

The boat’s captain, an engineer and the owner of the company that operates the vessel have been arrested and are being held while authorities conduct an investigation, Phuket police told AFP.

Divers and the navy spent more than a week retrieving bodies, some from inside the boat, with the final death toll at 47 Chinese nationals.

Tourists from China made up almost a quarter of Thailand’s 35 million visitors last year, official statistics show.

In a statement provided to AFP, the the Ministry of Tourism and Sports revised down its forecasted number of Chinese arrivals for July-December by nearly 670,000, to 5.1 million.

“The factors that caused Chinese tourist numbers to plunge is unsatisfaction over the boat accident which mainly directly affected tour groups,” the statement said, adding that August will see a 60 percent decrease in arrivals.

But Thailand is confident that Chinese arrivals will continue rise year on year, the ministry said, adding it expects to welcome more than 11 million Chinese tourists this year.

The disaster was one of the worst boating accidents in recent history in Thailand.

But it received little attention compared to the dramatic rescue of 12 children and their football coach from a cave in northern Thailand, which was occurring around the same time.

Ayutthaya governor Sujin Chaiyachumsak said 250 teams of contestants can take part in the rally, for which the application fee is Bt1,000.

At least one member of the team must be dressed in an Ayutthaya period costume, the governor added.

Each team will be driven in a tuk tuk around sites to solve various puzzles during which the contestants will learn about the traditional lifestyles of the Ayutthaya people in bygone days.

The locations include Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, Wat Mongkol Bophit, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratburana and Wat Chai Watanaram, the governor said.

Newly affluent, upwardly mobile Chinese on the mainland are spending big money on their outbound travels for enhanced life experiences. More and more countries are realising Chinese tourists are good for their local economies. According to a June report from the China Tourism Academy, Chinese outbound travellers spent more than US$115 billion outside the mainland, 5 per cent more than in 2016.

Much of that spending was on high-end, customised, memorable trips, confirming their rising purchasing power, evolving tastes and China’s consumption upgrade. In the bargain, overseas star hotels and tourist attractions were laughing all the way to the bank. So did domestic airlines and travel agencies, industry insiders said.

The net result of all this wanderlust of millions of better-behaving, high-spending, quality-conscious Chinese is solid goodwill for China. Call it the goodwill economy, if you will, an industry analyst said.

It would not be a misnomer because such goodwill could go a long way in enabling international trade and the creation of new tourism-related infrastructure like airports, new flights, hotels, sightseeing spots and the like, insiders said. This summer, Ctrip, China’s largest online travel agency, saw bookings for overseas luxury hotels surge nearly 50 percent year on year, according to its Ctrip Hotel College Data Research Centre.

Ctrip will probably thank travellers such as Du Ni, 29, for that. Du, who works with a bank in Beijing, travels abroad two to three times every year. She loves trips involving rides in self-driven cars and tours where she could get to know a place inside out over a few days. “I prefer customised trips to group tours because I’ll have a more flexible schedule and can change it as I like. I’d also have more time to go shopping and find good local restaurants,” Du said.

“Besides, the planning of trip schedules itself is quite interesting. For accommodation, I look for higher-end hotels with stylish decorations, and choose popular places|to eat and explore some local art museums.”

This intense attention to detail has inflated Du’s average per-trip spend to 20,000 yuan, almost double the amount she used to spend in the past.

Interestingly, as tourists such as Du increase in number, hotel room prices at many popular overseas destinations edged down this summer, suggesting that life-enriching experiences may be becoming cost-effective gradually, particularly in places like Bali in Indonesia; Kyoto, Osaka, Tokyo and Sapporo in Japan; and in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, which are among the top 10 most popular overseas destinations of Chinese travellers this summer.

“With tourism growing, more new hotels are opening, and the supply of hotel rooms is growing. Besides, hotel prices are tending to become more rational, and the price difference between busy seasons and slack seasons is narrowing,” said Xie Wendan, general manager of the overseas platform of the hotel business unit of Ctrip.

The new property, Centara Deira Islands Beach Resort Dubai, is Centara’s first in the UAE and will be opened in 2020, Centara said in a press statement.

The resort is expected to significantly boost the emirate’s four-star accommodation – the fastest-growing segment in 2017 with a 10 per cent growth rate last year, more than any other hotel category – in line with the increase in popularity of Dubai as a tourism hotspot.

Thirayuth Chirathivat, Centara’s CEO said: “This is Centara’s first hotel in Dubai, and the UAE, and signifies our presence in a major gateway city in the Middle East. This signing ceremony marks a profound milestone of expansion for Centara as we continue to extend our upscale resort portfolio internationally. We are very pleased to have reached this new milestone in our joint venture with Nakheel. With the expertise from a regional leader in development like Nakheel and Centara’s record of delivering and inspiring extraordinary guest experiences, Centara Deira Islands Beach Resort Dubai will represent a one-of-a-kind resort that gives our guests fond moments for years to come. We look forward to opening Centara Deira Islands Beach Resort Dubai in 2020.”

The contract was signed in Dubai at a ceremony led by Nakheel Chairman, Ali Rashid Lootah. Mobilisation will begin immediately. Nakheel Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said: “Nakheel continues to play a pivotal role in shaping and diversifying Dubai’s tourism offering with a 27 billion AED (or THB 245 billion) hospitality and retail expansion that supports our government’s vision. The joint venture with Centara underlines our commitment to working with trusted international brands to bring new hospitality concepts to Dubai, and today’s crucial milestone brings this exciting new resort ever closer. I look forward to delivering one of Dubai’s most sought-after destinations for travellers from all over the world.”

Centara entered the Middle East market with the opening of Centara Muscat Hotel last year, and has additional imminent openings in other Gulf States. Located on a prime beachfront spot at Nakheel’s Deira Islands waterfront city, Centara Deira Islands Beach Resort Dubai will be managed by Centara, whose growing portfolio already includes over 12,000 keys across 60 hotels and resorts in Asia, the Indian Ocean and the Middle East.

The family-centric resort will feature a waterpark, multiple restaurants including indoor, alfresco and rooftop options, kids’ clubs, spa and diverse family entertainment options. The 601 sea-view and city-facing rooms will cover a range of categories from standard and deluxe rooms through to expansive duplexes and suites and there will be a strong emphasis on family-centric accommodation. 114 rooms will feature bunk beds and approximately 90% of the rooms will be connectable, ensuring optimal options and comfort for families of all sizes.

The service will start on October 30 2018 with promotional fares starting at only Bt2,990 one way. Bookings are scheduled between July 27 and August 5 for travel from October 30 2018 –March 30 2019, at http://www.airasia.com. AirAsia BIG Loyalty members have the privilege of priority booking the company’s chief executive officer Nadda Buranasiri said yesterday.

He added that the company continues to be the low-cost long-haul carrier with the largest coverage of destinations in Japan, with Nagoya its fourth destination in the country after Tokyo, Osaka, and Sapporo which was introduced inApril.

The airline is confident that the Don Mueang – Nagoya service will prove as popular as the other routes due to the diversity of its tourist destinations and its role as a gateway to central Japan. The new flight addition enhances Thai AirAsia X’s network of destinations across Japan and allows even more flexibility for travellers who will be able to land in Nagoya and return to Bangkok from Sapporo or land in Tokyo and choose to return from Nagoya.

TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn said on Tuesday he would make the proposal to the national tourism policy board at its August 2 meeting.

He suggested it be named the Safety and Security Tourism Thailand Office and be in charge of raising standards to match the best international standards.

Yuthasak wants the agency to have authority over other government entities such as the Harbour Department and Tourist Police Bureau.

He planned to ask the policy board to consider ways to prevent more tragic incidents and how to accelerate compensation payments after mishaps.

Forty-seven Chinese tourists died when the vessel sank on July 5.

Centara Deputy CEO, Markland Blaiklock said: “Thus far impact has been minimal and we expect it to remain so, providing the government continues to quickly and effectively respond to the situation.

“The tourism industry in the South should rebound after a few months. We have received some cancellations mostly in Krabi and Phuket and some in Bangkok most probably linked to the ones in the South, while other regions have minimal or no impact currently.

“We are already working to replace this business and any future business loss. In today’s world, it is important to be nimble and able to react quickly to a diverse range of situations.”

Chinese tourists account for one third of foreign visitors to Thailand and almost a third visit Phuket.

“While the Chinese inbound sector is affected by the accident in Phuket, we believe it will have only a short-term impact if Thailand can prove it will take stronger measures for tourist safety, which is of course to the benefit of all visitors.

“We regard it as a wake-up call for synergy across the tourism industry to ensure tourist safety and welfare remain paramount. More robust enforcement of basic safety measures and regulations should be put in place by the government in order to continue to grow the appeal of the destination and Thailand as a whole,” Markland said.