Vietnam has slashed the fee that foreign cruise-ship passengers pay when they take trips ashore at the country’s ports. The national government has put into effect regulations that see passengers pay US$5 when they come ashore.
A leading global hotelier opened a new property in downtown Bangkok late last week. The InterContinental Hotels Group staged the official opening ceremonies for the Hotel Indigo last Friday and it is now welcoming its first guests.
Zookeepers at Chiang Mai Zoo are employing a number of measures aimed at keeping animals warm during the current cold weather snap. The director of the zoo told reporters that creatures from warmer countries were having a hard time adapting to the cold spell the northern region of Thailand is currently experiencing.
The organisers of this year’s Bangkok Motorbike Festival have confirmed the dates and venue. The big-bike extravaganza will run between 28 January and 1 February at CentralWorld Lifestyle Mall in the Thai capital’s downtown precinct.
A spokesperson for Lao Airlines says the carrier is all set to begin flying to Attapeu as soon as its new airport opens. Speaking to local reporters, Phuttasone Vannasack said management expected the service to begin on 2 April 2015.
Bangkok’s Lumpini Park is the venue for an event that will showcase Thai traditions and culture later this week. The national tourism bureau is staging Discover Thainess 2015 in the city’s central park to offer international tourists illuminating insights into the Thai way of life and the country’s rich heritage.
Cambodia’s civil aviation authorities have released a statement saying that passenger arrivals at Siem Reap Airport had topped the three million mark. In the statement, the CEO of Cambodia Airports said the country’s second busiest airport attained the milestone figure in 2014.
Thailand’s intercity bus operators’ organisation has confirmed it will reduce fares on long-distance buses. Suchinda Cherdchai is the president of the group and she says fares for the buses will be cut by two satang (THB0.02) for each kilometre travelled with effect from 16 January 2015.
Vietnam’s national railways operator says that wireless internet connectivity will be available on certain trains in 10 days time. Vietnam Railway Corporation (VRC) is set to offer free wifi connections on premium-class trains plying the route between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Thai government ministers have given the green light for the construction of a cycle-path on the banks of Bangkok’s main river. A government spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the cabinet had approved a seven-kilometre-long cycleway that will follow the course of the Thai capital’s Chao Phraya River.
Cambodia’s Interior Ministry is planning a crackdown on expat visa and work permit abuse. Local media sources in the country report that starting from next week, newcomers planning on staying long term will have to enter the country on a one-month business-class visa.
Myanmar increased the number of nations whose citizens can apply for e-visas to 100 with effect from 2 January. Among the 32 nations added to the eligibility list by the Immigration and Population Ministry were African counties such as Ghana and Cameroon as well as Uzbekistan, Georgia and South Africa.
Thailand and Myanmar have increased the opening hours of the busy border crossing between the two nations in Mae Sai. The Friendship Bridge spans the Mae Sai River and links the northern Thai frontier town to Tachilek in Myanmar.
The Vietnamese arm of low-cost carrier Jetstar has announced it will launch a new route from Hanoi to Bangkok. Jetstar Pacific will commence the route on 29 March 2015 and will use 180-seat Airbus A320 aircraft to service it.
Officials in Chiang Mai are meeting later this week to hammer out regulations restricting the release of sky lanterns on celebratory occasions. The governor of the northern Thai province, Suriya Prasatbandit, said local agencies needed to work out a plan which would ban the launch of the lanterns at certain times and in strategic locations.
A Korean development agency has announced it will provide US$4 million in funding to restore a group of edifices in Cambodia’s fabled Angkor Wat temple city. Bun Narith is the director-general of APSARA, the complex’s administrative body, and he says that contracts with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) were exchanged last week.
A sun bear cub born recently at Chiang Mai Zoo has made its public debut. Officials at the northern Thai zoo said the three-month-old cub was spotted taking its first steps outside its den under the watchful eyes of mother Nan.
The Transport Ministry of Thailand is considering raising fares for all forms of land-based travel in the country. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, a deputy minister with the ministry, said staff were evaluating the impact of a recent fuel price restructure that saw it pegged to its actual cost and not one stipulated by the government.
Vietnam’s Da Nang Airport staged a ceremony to mark the arrival of its five millionth passenger in 2014 on 30 December. The airport celebrated the auspicious arrival of Tran Minh Thinh with flower garlands and a red-carpet ceremony attended by local dignitaries and officials attached to the Transport Ministry.
Senior council officials in Bangkok are holding a meeting next week to decide whether to start tram routes in the Rattanakosin Island quarter of the city. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) transport director says attendees will discuss the feasibility of a tram service linking some of the Thai capital’s key tourist sites.