The governor of Laos’s northwestern Bokeo Province has announced that plans to construct an international airport here have been given the green light. Khammane Souvileunt said the site for the airport in Tonpheung District had already been surveyed and that the new airport would provide a central hub for flights to countries in this region of Southeast Asia.
A good number of the historic monuments and buildings in the Vietnamese city of Hue have been given a spruce up. The director of Hue’s restoration project told media representatives that work on 132 sights at the royal citadel and temples was now complete and they were now the epitome of their former glory.
Indian low cost carrier SpiceJet has relaunched flight routes to Thailand six months after abruptly cancelling services. The airline began operating daily fights between the East Indian city of Kolkata and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport late last week.
Thailand’s tourism bureau has just announced the NASA Space Exhibition is coming to Bangkok in December. The two-month-long space extravaganza will be held at the Central Plaza Ladprao’s convention centre and the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s governor says this is the first time this kind of event has ever been staged in Southeast Asia.
The head ranger at a popular southern Thai national marine park has declared the park is now open to tourists again. Wikrant Thuaduang said the re-opening of Laem Son National Marine Park was effective from yesterday, the 1 October 2014.
A survey of Chinese visitors has revealed that Thailand is their most popular destination for the forthcoming autumn holidays. Figures collated by researchers show Chinese searched for holidays in Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Koh Samui and these were among their top 10 choices.
A Thai research agency has estimated Phuket will see a record number of tourists for 2014. Analysts with the KResearch Centre say they expect visitor arrivals to top the 13 million mark by the year end.
Figures just released by Thailand’s Tourism Ministry show that the nation remains a firm favourite for the on-location filming of movies, documentaries and advertising commercials. The ministry’s film bureau says that in the eight-month period from January to August 2014, international producers staged 384 on-location shoots in Thailand.
Thai airport officials say taxi-booths at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport are ready for use. An unnamed Airports of Thailand (AoT) spokesperson told media reporters the booths and queue management system have been tested and are ready for operations.
Mongolia’s national airline has just launched a new route linking Ulaanbaatar and Singapore. The president of MIAT Mongolian Airlines, Gungaa Jargalsaikhan, accompanied an entourage of dignitaries on the route’s maiden flight last week.
Thailand’s transport ministry says the cost of travelling in Bangkok by taxi and on its underground rail network is likely to rise. Government minister Prajin Juntong said that fares were supposed to increase on the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) on 2 October, but this has been put back to the start of the New Year.
Thai Airways has released a statement saying weight allowances for passengers’ checked luggage on its flights have been increased. Suraphon Israngura na Ayuthya, the Thai national carrier’s vice president, said passengers flying in all cabin classes would now be allowed an extra 10kgs of baggage.
A Thai tourism organisation says it would like the temporary free visas measure for Chinese visitors to be extended. The private-sector Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) says waiving the visa fee has encouraged Chinese nationals to sample Thailand’s abundant delights and should be extended beyond the 8 November cut-off date.
Thai Airways has announced a promotional campaign to coincide with the forthcoming school holidays. The Thai flag carrier is cutting fares on key domestic routes by up to 20 per cent through to November 30 2014.
Thai hotelier chain Dusit Thani has just issued a timely reminder that its free nights offer will only run through to the end of next month. The low-season promotion gives guests an extra free night when they stay for two consecutive nights at any of the group’s domestic hotels or resorts.
Thai AirAsia has just kicked off its latest low-priced flights promotion for early next year. Passengers can bag themselves a bargain on domestic Thai and international bookings with a certain quota of seats on offer at all-inclusive prices beginning at THB490 for a one-way trip.
The planet’s leading inflight wireless internet service provider has announced it is joining forces with Nok Air. Global Eagle Entertainment says the Thai budget carrier is set to become the first in Asia to provide complimentary onboard internet access for passengers.
The governor of the Thai tourism bureau has announced the successful upgrade of its app for Apple and android smartphones. Thawatchai Arunyik, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), says the New Amazing Thailand app is better than its predecessor and offers more functions and more detailed information.
An Indian budget airline is all set to increase its flight schedule between Kolkata and Bangkok later this week. IndiGo is adding an extra flight to its daily services between the East Indian metropolis and the Thai capital from Friday 26 September.
Officials in Ho Chi Minh City have put forward the idea of trams to relieve burgeoning traffic congestion in Vietnam’s most populated metropolis. Announcing news of the project, the Transport Bureau’s deputy director said the provisional plan called for tram routes to cover around eight kilometres of downtown streets.