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Wednesday, 25 April 2007 |
Participants of an online survey by VISA Asia Pacific and the Pacific Asia Travel Association named Thailand as their most likely destination. "Thailand's reputation as a relaxing place where people can enjoy the local culture, natural beauty and friendly people continued to increase in the minds of those looking to travel to Asia," despite international media attention on the country's civil unrest ahead of the survey, PATA said. The survey of 5,050 people identified as "committed or possible Asia travelers" voted Japan and China as the other top destinations. About 47 percent of respondents identified "terrorism" as the top barrier to travel, with Indonesia the destination most commonly identified as affected by it, followed by Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
AFP
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Tuesday, 24 April 2007 |
 Six months since the opening of Bangkok's $US4 billion Suvarnabhumi Airport, complaints continue about corruption, cracked runways, poor planning and a shortage of toilets, particularly in light of a 15 percent rise in landing and parking fees effective April 1, making the airport more expensive for airlines than rival facilities in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. "Airlines are not getting value for money for what they are paying at Suvarnabhumi," said Albert Tjoeng, spokesman for International Air Transport Association. "The increased charges are unreasonable, especially given the operational deficiencies at the airport." Many travelers also complain about so-called taxi "mafias" and their touts who pounce on bleary-eyed passengers in the cramped arrivals hall. "I don't think there is a set rate. They just do whatever they want to do," said Robin Tonsaker, a Canadian tourist. Airport officials claim they are working with the police to root out the mafia.
Reuters
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Friday, 20 April 2007 |
Starting next month, travelers using Thailand's airports will be banned from carrying bottled water on planes and pack all liquid toiletries, aerosols and gels in transparent bags, according to Chaisak Angkasuwan, director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation. The restrictions are in line with security guidelines recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization, following the UK's discovery in August of a plot to bring down U.S.-bound flights with liquid-based explosives.
AP
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Thursday, 19 April 2007 |
 Sakorn Yangkheowsod, also known by the nickname Joe Louis, is helping to single-handedly keep alive Thailand's classical puppetry theater, according to the CS Monitor. Although classical puppetry has a long history in Thailand, the performances dwindled in the 20th century with the arrival of cinema and television. Beginning in 1985, Sakorn began the Traditional Thai Puppet Theater, also known as the Joe Louis Puppet Theater, at the Night Bazaar in Bangkok. Many have credited Sakorn with not simply having revived classical puppetry, but having endeared it to the masses. Last year, the Thai troupe won in the Best Cultural Performance category at the World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, Czech Republic.
The Christian Science Monitor
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Friday, 06 April 2007 |
 In part four of his 10-part travel diary throughout Thailand, Mathew Polly of Slate discusses the history of prostitution in Thailand, how working women from the North claim to use their earnings to purchase buffaloes for their family farms, the Thai concepts of bun kun (honoring debts) and naam-jai (generosity) and how they fit into inter-racial relationships, the book "Thailand Fever," and bar scams involving the game Connect Four.
Slate
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