The recent release of TripAdvisor’s annual awards elevated Koh Tao to the top island in Asia spot. For Traveller’s Choice 2015, the Thai island snapped up the top award for Asia and also the number five spot in the global table of best islands.
Thailand’s Harbour Department says it is about to revise laws so that boat passengers will have to wear life-jackets at all times when they are aboard. The department’s deputy-director, Nat Jabjai, said three laws are set to be amended and these will make the the wearing of life-jackets compulsory for passengers on both seagoing and river vessels.
Singapore based airline Scoot says it is awaiting final approval from civil aviation authorities in Japan before inaugurating a Bangkok-Sapporo service. An inside source at the Singapore Airlines affiliate says as soon as permission is granted the carrier will work out a timetable and start selling tickets.
Vietnamese budget airline Jetstar Pacific Airlines has released a statement saying it will inaugurate services to Hong Kong in the third quarter of this year. Airline CEO Le Hong Ha stated the service will link Hanoi and the southern Chinese metropolis and the first flight is due to take off on 7 September.
Singapore’s Marriott Hotel has undergone a rebranding to mark the 20th anniversary of its 1995 opening. The iconic landmark tower has been renamed the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel and has also been given a brand new emblem to reflect the renaissance.
The operator of an onsite room service at Hanoi Airport has introduced a per hour fee and done away with the three-hour minimum stay. The hourly rate for a single pod at Hanoi Noi Bai Airport is now VND120,000 (US$5.6) and a double costs VND130,000 (US$6).
Officials at Hat Yai Airport were forced into shepherding passengers out of the terminal late on Friday afternoon. Smoke started billowing through the terminal building at just after 16:00 and security personnel acted quickly in urging passengers to leave the building.
A leading international magazine themed on medical tourism has named Malaysia the number one destination in the world for this genre of holiday. At the International Medical Travel Journal (IMTJ) dinner in London on Wednesday, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council CEO Sherene Azli was on hand to accept the award.
A public hearing into the impact of constructing a monorail line linking north and south Bangkok has endorsed the project. A Bangkok assistant-governor says the 40km-long track will link Ram Indra Road and the Tha Phra Junction.
The Thai Transport Ministry says it plans to build a new pier to provide an interchange between Bangkok airport trains and public passenger boat services. Soithip Traisuth is a secretary at the ministry and he says construction is scheduled to commence during the next month.
On Tuesday afternoon, residents of Phnom Penh flocked to Wat Phnom to celebrate the arrival of the traditional New Year. Officials at the Cambodian capital’s iconic temple estimated that upwards of 1,000 people joined in the time-honoured rites and festivities designed to usher in Chaul Chnam Thmey.
Officials in the Cambodian capital city of Phnom Penh have announced details of a plan to renovate a landmark temple that dates from the 14th century. Long Dimanche is a spokesperson for the municipal council and recently told media sources that the revamp of Wat Phnom would help conserve it for posterity and make it more visitor friendly.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has tacked another evening on for fun-seekers to enjoy water-fights on Silom Road. The clean-up operation due to start at 21:00 today has been put back until tomorrow morning to give revellers another chance to aim their water-guns and buckets.
A senior municipal official in Vientiane says the city’s transport bureau is set to inaugurate non-stop bus services on three key routes. The routes from the Laos capital’s central bus station will link it to Wattay Airport, the Friendship Bridge and Dongdok.
Myanmar’s government has given the thumbs up for the construction of the first public airport in Chin State. The government has approved an initial budget of MMK1 billion for the next two years to get the project off the ground.
Over the past few days, Bangkok has staged several traditional ceremonies to celebrate the Songkran Festival in Thailand. The festival marks the start of the historic Lanna New Year and is best known to international travellers for its water-fights, yet does have its traditional facets.
Singapore based hotelier Amara has brought its inimitable luxury brand of accommodation to Thailand with the inauguration of a new property in the heart of Bangkok. The Amara Bangkok is located on Surawong Road and is just minutes away on foot from the city’s legendary Patpong entertainment precinct and night-market.
A major Japanese transport corporation has announced it will provide ongoing support for bus services in a southern Vietnamese province. The president of Tokyu Corp, Koshimura Toshiaki, told reporters that assistance would come in the form of gas-powered buses and backing for new routes.
The head operations officer of Air Mandalay says the carrier is all set to resume flying scheduled routes again. Speaking to media sources in Myanmar, Kham Park Pha, stated that domestic services are due to commence on 1 May and international flights to the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai before the end of 2015.
Residents of cities, towns and villages right across the top of Southeast Asia are getting ready for the pitched water-throwing battles which herald the start of the traditional New Year. In Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, the festivities typically begin on the 12 April and run through until the 19.