The three southern Thai islands of Koh Tao, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui lie in the Gulf of Thailand opposite the provinces of Chumpon and Surathani. Wonderful beaches and myriad activities including the best diving and snorkelling in this part of Asia pull in countless visitors every year.
Thailand and Myanmar yesterday inked an agreement giving their citizens visa-free access upon arrival at the neighbouring nation’s airports. Effective 11 August 2015, Thai nationals landing at an airport in Myanmar will be granted entry without the necessity of having first obtained a visa.
As Bangkok is the arrival point for 90 per cent of Thailand’s international visitors, most enjoy its eclectic draws the first time around. People wishing to combine a mountain and sea holiday will also visit both the north and south of Thailand.
Vietnam has allocated a budget of US$340 million to restore the 2,000-year-old Co Loa Citadel. The funds will be used to preserve the Hanoi fort for posterity and turn the surrounding 2,120-acre site into a park themed on history and ecology.
Chiang Rai is the biggest town in the far north of Thailand and one of the main gateways to the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Laos. Although there are quite a few border crossings in the area, the only two with official immigration and customs facilities are at Mae Sai and Chiang Khong.
City authorities in Kuala Lumpur are gearing up for the inaugural City Grand Prix scheduled for the weekend after next. Media sources in the Malaysian capital city say up to 100,000 spectators are expected to attend the three-day event scheduled to kick off on 7 August.
The six month grace period to register mobile telephone SIM cards in Thailand expires on Friday. In January, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) stated that SIM card owners would need to register their personal details by 31 July 2015 or service would be suspended.
There are several ancient Khmer temple ruins scattered around the lower half of Thailand’s eastern Isarn region. For location, Phanom Rung is hard to beat. These nicely preserved ruins are perched 400 metres above the surrounding plains of Buriram Province. The site is actually an extinct volcano.
The chairperson of a Thai vehicle production firm has announced it is to invest in a factory capable of producing electric-powered buses. The Kwaithong Motor Company’s proprietor says the plant will have the capability of producing up to 2,000 electric buses per year.
Tourism associated organisations and companies in Cambodia say giving visa free entry will encourage more foreigners to visit. Ho Vandy, the head of the private-sector tourist bureau, says that the only way the national tourism industry will progress is if visas are free and there is no red-tape for international travellers when they arrive.
The president of Thailand’s national bus company says an international service to Laos and Vietnam is in the pipeline. Noppharat Karunyavanich said Thai government officials were holding talks with their counterparts on establishing the tri-country route.
Bang Pa-In is 70kms to the north of Bangkok and home to a royal palace dating from the 17th century. The palace is noted for the Wehart Chamrunt throne room and gardens that are pleasantly landscaped.
A proposal by Thailand’s national electricity agency to build a coal-fired plant in one of the most beautiful regions of the country has triggered vociferous demonstrations. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) wants to build the 800-megawatt plant in Krabi to help ensure a stable supply for domestic consumption.
A French company has announced it will launch an electric car taxi service at Cambodia’s Angkor Wat Temple complex. The CEO of BluE-Mobility says the firm will provide environmentally-friendly vehicles for sightseeing at the temple city which are capable of travelling up to 300kms on one charge of their batteries.
Khao Lak is a seaside destination consisting of a 20km-long strip of beaches facing out to the Andaman Sea on the southern Thai peninsula. Beaches such as Bang Niang and Pakweeb epitomise tropical paradise and, compared to those 80kms south on Phuket Island, are peaceful and uncrowded.
The results of an annual survey have revealed that Thailand remains a firm favourite with holidaying Chinese. The survey by leading hotel reservations website Hotels.com shows Chinese travellers rate Thailand as the second most welcoming country in the world.
The province of Satun sits beside Thailand’s far southern border with Malaysia. Compared to other Thai provinces in this region, Satun is peaceful and also offers glimpses of the Thailand of yesteryear as mass tourism has not made it this far yet.
Several Thai attractions received high rankings in the annual TripAdvisor amusement amenity awards for Asia released earlier this week. The awards were based on reviewer’s ratings for fun draws in the genres of aquariums, zoos, water-parks and amusement parks.
The province of Trang is in the far south of Thailand and 850kms from Bangkok. It boasts beautiful beaches such as Hat Pak Meng and other great natural attractions. It is also one of the few places where nature aficionados can spot the rare dugong, or sea cow as it is sometimes called.
A joint Thai and Lao partnership has announced it will develop and operate a large duty-free outlet centre close to the city of Vientiane. Thai businessperson Sayam Ramasoot said the Laotian government has endorsed the proposal to build a mall with 37,000-metres² of retail space.