Discovering #Pattaya City and Enjoy the Best Golf Club in Pattaya

Joining a golf club in Thailand will cost a lot less than a golf club membership in other parts of the world. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy extra benefits along with preferred tee times.

On your next holiday in Thailand, why not enjoy a golf club in Pattaya? Experience something different than just lazing on a beach during your next trip to Thailand.

Many airlines will not charge you extra for bringing your golf clubs on your flight with you. So there’s never any excuse to do without a round or two of golf when you’re on holiday. Experience the joy of teeing off in a tropical resort by the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. You’ll enjoy the sunshine and the soft breezes that blow in off the water.

Pattaya has many golf clubs around the city to choose from as well. A golfing holiday provides you with exercise, gets you out in the healthy sunshine, and gives you a chance to leisurely work on lowering your handicap.

Pattaya golf courses are of championship caliber. They’re well-maintained and offer a worthy challenge to the lowest scoring golf aficionados.

Annual Weather in Pattaya

There is really no bad time to experience a golf club in Pattaya. But the months between the end of October and the beginning of March offer balmy temperatures, cool and light breezes, days of sunshine, and low humidity. It’s the perfect time of year to tee up on one of the lush, tropical golf courses of Pattaya.

March and April offer hot and dry weather. But by renting a golf cart, you’ll scarcely notice the heat. You can also enjoy cold drinks out on the course while you play. Retire to the magnificent golf clubs after your round to enjoy more cold beverages and a deliciously prepared meal while you talk with your friends or family members about your day of golf in Thailand.

Between May and October, the rains come to Thailand. Yet it rarely for more than a couple of hours a day. Plus the well-maintained golf clubs of Pattaya are prepared for the annual rains. They are well-aerated, and the fairways and greens dry out quickly after it rains.

By checking out the local weather forecast before you schedule a tee time, you can avoid the rains entirely and play a round in the cooler weather that the rainy season also brings.

Become a Member of a Golf Club in Pattaya

If you frequently travel to Thailand on business, and are an avid golfer, becoming a member of a golf club in Pattaya is well worth doing. Entertain business colleagues and clients by treating them to a round of golf in one of the most beautiful areas in the world.

Joining a golf club in Thailand will cost a lot less than a golf club membership in other parts of the world. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy extra benefits along with preferred tee times. Hire the clubhouse catering facilities and venue to host a business event or even a private party for your friends and family. You’ll enjoy impeccable service and warm, Thai hospitality to put smiles on your guest’s faces.

A golf holiday in Pattaya, Thailand, is an excellent choice to make for business or just for pleasure.

Source - Chiang Rai Times

#Indonesia sets focus on European tourists amid decline in Chinese visitors

Following a decline in the number of Chinese tourists caused by the increased tension of China’s trade war with the United States, the government is now seeking to lure more visitors from European countries.

“We don’t have to [rely on] Chinese tourists all the time. We will shift our target to European countries such as the United Kingdom, which we haven't really tapped into,” Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Wishnutama Kusubandio told tempo.co on Wednesday.

According to Wishnutama, the characteristics of Indonesia’s tourist destinations, which mostly boast natural wonders, suit the European market, which largely prefers outdoor activities such as sailing in Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara and Tanjung Puting in Central Kalimantan.

However, marketing the archipelago as a tourist destination for Europeans would be more costly as it requires more effort, he added.

"But it's a market with potential. We can see now that Labuan Bajo has been welcoming mostly Western tourists," said Wishnutama, adding that the ministry was also wanted to attract more tourists from the United States and Australia who have similar interests.

According to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Indonesia welcomed 1,565,200 tourists from Europe between January and September 2019. The number is slightly less than the 1,566,900 people of the year before.

During the same period, Indonesia reportedly welcomed 482,500 American tourists, which was an increase of 12.93 percent compared to last year.

Although Wishutama said that he would shift his focus to marketing Indonesian tourism destinations in Europe and other Western countries, he also said he will keep encouraging tourists from China.

Despite the new strategy, Wishnutama said that the government would continue to boost the growth of Chinese tourist visits to the archipelago, with Likupang and Manado in North Sulawesi being prepared as the main destinations to attract them.

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 Based on BPS data, the number of Chinese tourist visits between January and May 2019 only grew 2.2 percent. Following the decline, Malaysia replaced China as the number one foreign tourist contributor to Indonesia thanks to its 23.04 percent growth during the same period.

In early December, Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Industry Association chairman Haryadi Sukamdani predicted that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Indonesia might drop by 15 to 20 percent.

“[The decline], which predicted to reach almost 1.5 million visitors, is purely due to economy [factor],” Haryadi said.

Source - TheJakartaPost 

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Tuk Tuk Boat on the River in #Bangkok

Have a strange affinity for three-wheeled transportation? Then you might enjoy the Tuk Tuk Boat.

This brand-new boat service is, essentially, a tricked-out yacht with a tuk tuk fashioned into the hull, complete with the classic blue-and-yellow color scheme and compact cabin for your “driver” (thankfully, the well-trained boat captain uses a wheel rather than handlebar controls).

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Up to 10 passengers can book private rides on this floating Frankenstein’s monster. One-hour journeys (B3,000) cruise up and down the Chao Phraya, but the hour-and-a-half (B4,000) and two-hour journeys (B5,500) enter some of the river’s most famous canals, going as far as Baan Silapin and the Taling Chan floating market (weekends only). Tell the captain where you want to go along the way, and he’ll take you there.

You can also craft your own route and rent by the hour. And if you want to refuel with beer or snacks, the captain can dock at Yodpiman, where you can pick up whatever your heart desires and use the loo while you’re at it.

This new experience can be booked through Klook, Airbnb or directly by calling 065-151-4599 or 064-778-6688. Guests can be picked up at several locations between Saphan Taksin and Wat Kalayanamit. 

Source - BK Daily

#Vietnam extends visa exemption to eight countries till 2022

Visitors from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belarus will continue to enjoy Vietnamese visa exemptions for the next three years.

To afford the tourism industry growth impetus, the government agreed on visa waivers for above citizens until December 31, 2022, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said Tuesday. Travelers will be allowed to remain in Vietnam for 15 days.

The visa exemption program for these eight countries commenced in 2015, set to expire on December 31 this year.

The number of Russian, Japanese and South Korean tourists accounted for about one third of all foreign visitors to Vietnam in 2018.

South Korea provides the second largest group of visitors to the country after China. In 2018, nearly 3.5 million South Koreans came to Vietnam, a 44 percent year-on-year increase, accounting for 22 percent of all international arrivals (15.5 million).

Japan came third with 800,000 tourists last year, rising by 3.6 percent from a year ago while Russia posted sixth with a record 606,000 visitors or 4 percent of total foreign arrivals.

European countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belarus are additional emerging tourism markets. Western Europeans are big spenders and shell out on average $1,316 per trip while overall foreign visitors spend $900, VNAT data shows.

 

The government's three-year visa extension for eight tourism markets will assist travel agencies, airlines, and investors develop long-term plans. However, businesses are calling for an increase in visa-free duration from 15 days to 30 days due to the long-haul nature of travel between Europe and Vietnam. 

Vietnam features among Asian countries with the strictest visa policy. The country currently offers visa waivers to visitors from only 24 countries and territories including ASEAN co-members.

Indonesia, one of the world’s most liberalized countries for visas, grants visa-free travel to 169 nationalities, while the figure for Singapore is 158, Malaysia 155 and Thailand 61.

The number of foreigners visiting Vietnam in the first 11 months of this year is estimated at 16.3 million, an all-time high and up 15.3 percent year-on-year. Tourism revenue in the period came to around VND649 trillion ($27.96 billion), up 16.3 percent.

As 2019 draws to a close, the country’s tourism industry is well placed to meet its annual target of receiving 18 million visitors.

Source - VN Express

15 years on, over 300 tsunami victims from Thailand’s coast still unidentified

Fifteen years after the Indian Ocean tsunami killed upwards of 230,000 people on December 26, 2004, a container at the Takua Pa police station in Phang Nga, southern Thailand, still contains personal items from the hundreds of victims whose remains are unlikely to ever be given a name.

Wallets, documents, keys, electronic items, all labeled and catalogued as evidence, await positive identification. Nearby a graveyard contains 340 bodies buried in unmarked graves but police hope that, if people came forward to identify some of the items, there is still hope that some of the bodies could rest in peace with a name attached.

Colonel Khemmarin Hassini is the deputy police commander in Takua Pa district. The area, taking in the coastal tourist resort of Khao Lak, was one of the areas hardest hit by the Boxing Day tsunami. The shallow approach and low-rise of the beach landscape allowed the waves to hit with speed and continue up to a kilometre inland.

“There are still more relatives of the victims, both near and far, that have hopes of finding their lost loved ones.”

The tsunami was triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake just before 8am (Thai time). But the killer waves didn’t reach the Thai coastline until about 2 hours later.

Around the Indian Ocean, the tsunami killed more than 230,000 people as waves as high as 17 metres crashed hit the shores of more than a dozen countries around the ocean’s perimeter.

More than 5,000 people died in Thailand. The Disaster Victim Identification unit involving police and an international force of forensic experts were able to identify more than 3,600 bodies. It took nearly two years but it was the largest and most successful project of identification of its kind.

Colonel Khemmarin hopes, even though nearly 15 years have past, there was still a hope they could re-activate many of the lead and put names to some of the identified bodies. The Colonel was part of the international forensics team and fears that many of the possible leads have gone cold in the time that has passed.

Speaking to Reuters in the Takua Pa place station he said… “If we are determined enough and reactivate our operations once again, I think some of the 340 unidentified bodies could be identified.”

In ten days it will be the fifteenth anniversary of the Indian Ocean Tsunami, one of the deadliest natural disasters in the last 100 years. Poom Jensen, the grandson of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and a nephew of the current Thai King, was killed whilst his family was holidaying at Khao Lak.

Source - Reuters / TheThaiger

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The Thais want to examine your bank accounts

It has been reported that immigration agents in #Pattaya are being taught how to examine foreigner’s bank accounts for what they are calling ‘financial irregularities.’

Hundreds of officers attended a training seminar in the city designed to show them how to detect what had been described as ‘money laundering.’

In theory this means discovering bank accounts concealing funds that cannot be explained and may have been accrued through illegal activities.

Although, in reality, it seems officers are attempting to put a stop to agents who arrange long-term retirement visas for foreigners by declaring funds held in a proxy account that do NOT belong to the applicant.

The training seminar was held in Bang Lamung and presented by Lt-Gen Suwat Chaengyortsuk.

Sophon Cable TV said that the seminar was an attempt to ‘increase the efficiency of officers and show them what measures are available under the current immigration law.

The initiative was described as ‘ongoing’ with technical improvements being added in the future.

Is anybody really comfortable with Thai immigration officers having free and easy access to their bank accounts, especially at a time when it is being demanded that a minimum of Bt800,000 must be held in foreign owned accounts at all times?

What could possibly go wrong – and were is this leading?

Source - BangkokJack

#German media reporting MASS SCAMMING in #Thailand

 

The Interior Ministry has instructed state agencies to step up tourist safety after a German media report that #scams are widespread in #Thailand.

The move comes after German television show Achtung Abzocke reported on scams targeting foreigners, such as taxis charging excessive fares, overpriced products and services, gangs selling fake rail tickets and driving licences, and people pretending to be tourist police, said Ronnakit Ekkasingh, deputy mayor of the Pattaya Special Administration.

Mr Ronnakit was commenting on Saturday at a meeting to discuss measures to ensure tourist safety. Present were the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Pattaya office, tourism associations, tourist police and immigration police.

Mr Ronnakit said Pattaya has an annual tourism income of more than 270 billion baht from its 18 million visitors. Of them, 10 million are foreign travelers, he said, adding it is important to come up with measures to keep them safe.

He said the meeting agreed to integrate the work of agencies to prepare for the tourist high-season, with a command centre to be set up near Bali Hai Pier in southern Pattaya.

Source - BangkokJack