The Airports of Thailand authority says it is expecting record numbers of passenger arrivals and departures over the New Year holidays. AoT president, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn noted that current estimates showed the six airports under its jurisdiction would handle 2.7 million passengers between today and 4 January 2017.
Thailand’s transport-minister has released a statement saying Bangkok’s train services will operate for two hours longer on New Year’s Eve. Akhom Termpittayapaisit said services on the MRT Metro, the Suvarnabhumi Airport Rail Link and the BTS Skytrain would stop at 02:00 on the morning of 1 January 2017.
The government of Thailand has announced that candles will replace fireworks extravaganzas to ring in the New Year on 31 December. The nation’s deputy-prime-minister says the candle-lit ceremonies will be more in keeping with the fact that the nation is still mourning the recent passing of its beloved king, Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The organisers of Koh Phangan’s legendary full moon parties have confirmed that this New Year’s Eve special will go ahead as scheduled. The countdown party will start up as soon as the sun sets over Haad Rin Beach on the 31 December and is likely to continue to sunrise for those dedicated party animals.
A leading Cambodian politician says Thailand has agreed to supply a locomotive for a rail link between the two nations. Parliamentary representative Hun Many said that at a meeting earlier this month with Thailand’s prime-minister the latter had agreed to gift the engine as a gesture of goodwill.
A consignment of 100 NGV buses destined for the streets of Bangkok remains locked up at Laem Chabang Port. Thailand’s Customs Department has blocked the import clearance of the vehicles over claims about where they were actually built.
Passengers who have given new Bangkok Klong Saen Saeb canal ferry-boats a try have said they are very pleased with them. Krobkrua Khonsong added two new vessels to its fleet almost two weeks ago. These ply the Pratunam to Wat Sribunruang Pier sector of the central Bangkok canal.
Thailand’s national rail company has announced a timetable which will see third class carriages renovated to cater to the needs of 21st century travellers. The governor of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) stated that the refurbishment would be completed by the agency’s 120th birthday on 26 March 2017.
UK travel specialist Rough Guides has named Vietnam’s beautiful Halong Bay as one of the Top 10 attractions in Asia. Halong is known by locals as the Bay of the Descending Dragon. It was accorded UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994 under the genre of location of exceptional beauty.
Bangkok metropolitan authorities have announced a New Year’s gift of free journeys on selected urban transport systems. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) says partygoers and travellers will be offered complimentary rides for 24 hours from 12:00 on New Year’s Eve until midday on the 1 January.
Municipal authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have put forward a proposal to establish a floating market on the city’s Saigon River. The city’s tourism bureau boss told attendees at a recent seminar the municipality would be wooing private investors to try and entice them into helping fund the project.
The council in Siem Reap has released news of a plan to build an elevated viewing tower in the town. Siem Reap provincial governor Khin Song presided over the meeting earlier this week at which the project got the green light.
The organisers of the 2017 Keep on the Grass music festival have released a list of the singers and musicians scheduled to play. Iconic morlam-soul singer Rasmee, the instrumentalists who form Yaan’s eclectic lineup, Matthew Fischer and the Dead Flowers are among the acts set to make an appearance.
Travellers using a new train service in Greater Kuala Lumpur have been given the opportunity of riding for free. The Malaysian prime-minister announced the special fare waiver on Sungai Buloh to Semantan MRT services at inauguration ceremonies last Thursday.
Council officers in Hue have revealed details of a plan which will see one of the Vietnamese city’s best-known streets transformed into a museum quarter. The street in question is Le Loi and if all the proposals get the green light there could be six or more museums along its length.
The organisers of the second edition of the Angkor Temples endurance races have kicked off the official countdown. A Phoenix Voyages representative confirmed the five different categories for Ultra Trail Angkor on 21 January would go ahead as scheduled.
A number of elite Thai resorts and eateries are getting ready to serve special Christmas meals over the weekend. Visitors to the country can book themselves a festive meal in the main tourist hotspots of Koh Samui, Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai plus other locations.
The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) says it has set a timetable for the opening of a link between two of the city’s rapid transit rail lines. At present, a one-kilometre link between the MRT’s Blue Subway and Purple lines is missing.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced an increase in ticket prices for passengers travelling in its new fleet of carriages. Governor Wuthichart Kalyanamitra says fares for the four main destinations served by these trains will rise by an average of THB200.
Thailand’s National Parks Department has just introduced a ban on taking selfies in any perilous locations. The ban has been instigated due to the fact visitors seem to be endangering their lives in search of photographs of themselves with the stunning backdrops the parks are noted for.
