Pattaya Hua Hin ferry operator claims boats half full
The operator of a new Pattaya to Hua Hin ferry service says the boats are averaging 50 per occupancy. The 346-passenger catamaran Royal 1 began operating to a daily timetable in the first two weeks of last month and Royal Passenger Liner says some vessels have been up to 60 per cent full.
Royal 1 was originally due to launch on New Year’s Day, but due to adverse weather and various technical problems daily services did not get underway until 12 February. Royal Passenger says the number of passengers crossing the Gulf of Thailand on its ferry is testament to the need for such a service.
The crossing between the gulf seaside towns takes approximately two hours. The outbound ferry departs from Pattaya at 10:30 and from Hua Hin’s Khao Ta Kiab at 13:30. Standard tickets for a one-way crossing are THB1,250 while business class on the upper deck is THB1,550.
Promotional fares of THB999 are no longer available. 12GO ASIA sells tickets for the Pattaya-Hua Hin ferries which come with the added bonus of being able to make the reservation and pay online.
Last week saw the inauguration of a new flight route connecting central Vietnam and the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. Vietnamese budget carrier Jetstar Pacific launched a twice weekly service last Friday which links the nation’s Quang Binh Province to the Rose of Thailand’s North.
Delegates from Thailand and Myanmar have marked the auspicious 20th birthday of a river bridge linking the two ASEAN nations. The ceremonies on Tuesday marked the official anniversary of the Moei River Friendship Bridge’s opening on 15 August 1997.
A heritage bridge spanning the Perfume River in Hue is to get a makeover to make it more conducive to 21st century tourism. The original Truong Tien Bridge dates from the French colonial era in the 1890s and is a 400-metre-long structure.
