Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Fond memories ruined by queues
Editorial, Published on 31/12/2023
» With the New Year set to begin tomorrow, the peak travel season is in full swing, with this year being reminiscent of pre-pandemic times. In the first 11 months of 2023, Thailand welcomed 24.5 million visitors, with Bangkok ranking as the most visited city on the planet (Pattaya and Phuket rounded out the top 20 list). That trend is continuing as cold weather grips many parts of the world and people jet off to the kingdom to enjoy the final days of the year or start the new one with a much-needed holiday.
Avoid bias in job row
News, Editorial, Published on 11/09/2023
» Amid reports of Russians in Phuket taking away Thai jobs, it is crucial that Thai authorities handle this issue with discretion and not let their racial prejudice take over.
Tram U-turn a big letdown
News, Editorial, Published on 18/05/2021
» For the central government, Phuket was definitely a golden goose. The renowned tourist destination, which during the pre-Covid era pulled in more than 400 billion baht a year for the country, ranked second only to Bangkok in terms of total revenues generated from tourism.
Phuket's chance to start afresh
News, Editorial, Published on 28/03/2021
» With the prime minister today expected to announce plans for the reopening of Phuket to foreign tourists in July and the kingdom hoping to regain its crown as one of the most visited and desirable holiday and travel destinations in the world, there is understandable concern over the move.
Thai tourism needs work
News, Editorial, Published on 14/12/2020
» While the government is trying to boost domestic tourism to replace the loss of revenue from foreign visitors due to the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic, such efforts have been affected by a poor quality of services on offer to tourists.
It's time to tackle tourist scammers
News, Editorial, Published on 21/07/2019
» A tourist scam in Phuket has prompted Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to raise concern about the adverse impact such incidents may have. He has warned tourist operators not to exploit tourists or the province's reputation will be tarnished.
Diversify the duty-free ops
News, Editorial, Published on 06/04/2019
» Starting in September of next year, all duty-free shops at Suvarnabhumi airport will be owned and run by one company for a period of 10 years, if the Airports of Thailand (AoT) insists on going ahead with the monopolistic concession model that it has been using since 2006.
Opening up duty-free
News, Editorial, Published on 01/11/2018
» As the auction for the concession to operate the duty-free zone at Suvarnabhumi airport comes closer, the fate of an underachieving industry hangs in the balance. The state-run Airports of Thailand (AoT) has not yet revealed whether it will do away with the current monopolistic concession model that has allowed only the sole operator, King Power International, to grow richer -- at the cost of both the state and shoppers.
Woo tourists with safety
News, Editorial, Published on 04/10/2018
» While many Chinese travellers will be making overseas trips this week during China's long "Golden Week" holiday, fewer will be coming to Thailand.
Reverse the visa price hike
News, Editorial, Published on 23/08/2016
» If there has been a decision more off-key than last week's announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we missed it. It was during the seventh day of investigations into the murderous and high-profile bombings in the South that the ministry's Department of Consular Affairs posted a notice on its website. Effective from Sept 27, the fee for tourists applying for a visa on arrival will double to 2,000 baht.