#Philippines to close Boracay resort to tourists for six months

The Philippines has announced its best-known holiday island Boracay will be closed to tourists for six months over concerns that the once idyllic white-sand resort has become a "cesspool" tainted by dumped sewage.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the shutdown to start April 26, his spokesman Harry Roque said late Wednesday on Twitter, without providing further detail.

The decision raises questions about the livelihoods of thousands employed as part of a bustling tourist trade that serves some two million guests on the island each year.

Boracay has some 500 tourism-related businesses, which had a combined annual revenue of 56 billion pesos ($1.07 billion) last year.

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However in February Duterte blasted the tiny island's hotels, restaurants and other businesses, accusing them of dumping sewage directly into the sea and turning it into a "cesspool".

Officials have warned the island's drainage system is being used to send the untreated sewage into its surrounding turquoise waters.

The environment ministry says 195 businesses, along with more than 4,000 residential customers, are not connected to sewer lines.

 In February the government said a total of 300 businesses faced "evaluation" for sanitary or other offences on the 1,000-hectare (2,470-acre) island, of which 51 had already been handed official warnings for violating environmental regulations.

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Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones told AFP last month a closure would involve having airlines and ferries suspend their Boracay services and making the beaches off-limits, and stationing police there "if necessary", 

"An iron fist is needed to bring it back to its previous condition. It will be a temporary thing," Leones said.

The Boracay Foundation Inc., a business industry association on the island, had asked the government to shut down only those violating environmental laws.

"It's unfair for compliant establishments to be affected by the closure," Executive Director Pia Miraflores told AFP.

Miraflores said that even before the ban was announced, its shadow had hit some businesses hard in Boracay.

"The tour guides have already complained that they have no more guests. There's already a huge effect," she said, adding the quays and jetties were "less crowded" than before.

Some couples who scheduled their weddings on the island up to a year or two in advance had cancelled their reservations even before the ban was announced, she said, with the tour agents also besieged with client calls on whether to pursue their planned trips. 

With more than 500 hotels, Boracay employs 17,000 people, apart from 11,000 construction workers working on new projects.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Thailand - Maya Bay from 'The Beach' to be shuttered for 4 months

The once-idyllic Thai bay that became a must-see on the tourist trail after the 2000 movie "The Beach" will be closed to visitors for four months, an official said Thursday, as Thailand looks to stem the impact from crowds.

The announcement bolsters an order last month blocking boats from mooring on Maya Bay in a bid to prevent further damage to its coral reefs. 

    Up to 4,000 tourists and hundreds of boats have been flocking daily to the white-sand beach on Ko Phi Phi Ley, an island whose towering limestone cliffs and azure waters were made famous by the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

    But the bay will now be off limits to travellers for four months from June and September, which falls during Thailand's monsoon season, said National Park Office Director Songtham Suksawang. 

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 "We reached a resolution to close Maya for four months to allow the ecological system to rehabilitate," he told AFP. 

    The beach's land entrance will be shuttered while boats will be barred from dropping off passengers, he added.

    During the shutdown four universities will conduct a study on how to develop more sustainable forms of tourism, he said.

    The closure is the latest effort to mitigate the environmental damage wrought by Thailand's mammoth tourism industry, a crucial pillar of the economy that brought a record 35 million travelers to the kingdom last year. 

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 Environmental experts and officials have warned that mass tourism is causing irreversible damage to beautiful beaches, with litter and unchecked development disrupting local ecosystems.

      Smoking has already been banned on 20 of the country's most famous beaches this high season, with a fine or even jail for those who flout the new rule.

    Leonardo DiCaprio played the lead in "The Beach", a Danny Boyle-directed adaptation of Alex Garland's classic backpacker novel of the same name.
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Source - TheNation

Pattaya City officials announce Songkran extended until April 30th, water play until 10PM

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Pattaya City Officials announced this week in a meeting at City Hall attended by both Banglamung district officials, police and the mayor that to encourage and boost tourism in the city the Songkran Festival for Pattaya will be extended from April 12th-April 19th to April 12th-April 30th. Additionally, historically the water wars stop at around sunset, however, to further boost tourism and drive the reputation of Pattaya as “The fun city” the water fighting will be permitted to continue until 10:00PM.

Pattaya City hall stated the following to The Pattaya News in a formal statement:

“We believe that by encouraging more tourists to come to Pattaya and driving the reputation of Pattaya as a world class “Fun City” on the level of Las Vegas and New Orleans in America we will boost overall tourism numbers by roughly 35% and bring an estimated further 700 million baht alone to the Pattaya economy. These funds we can utilize later in the year to provide better roads and complete the beach beautification project. Additionally, these funds can be used to assist in dealing with numerous waste management and trash related issues that have plagued the city for the past several months. It is a win-win for all involved.”

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City officials further stated that they are planning several unique events this year for Pattaya City to further encourage “Fun”.  They have also confirmed that in coordination with the government Pattaya has an official exception for allowing water play on main and secondary roads.

The events outlined at the meeting for the now nearly month long festival include the following:

-City sponsored water soaking stations on all major roads, including the highway and in the dark side as the city wants to encourage expats to get into the spirt of Songkran.

-Water soaking stations, sponsored by the city and manned by volunteers and city officials in front of most major supermarket entrances, banks and hospitals to ensure that everyone, including those not in the party areas, enjoy the spirit of Songkran.

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-7-11 has stated that they will be participating in the month long festival as well by having a designated employee at the door soaking every person entering and leaving the store, regardless if they are dressed for the occasion as well in collaboration with City Hall.

-The city will have sponsored water wars on Soi 7 between different groups of tourists. Some planned events include French vs. German tourists, Americans vs. English, Indians vs. Arabs and Russia vs. China.

-Instead of the official flower shirt for the city the city officials are encouraging men to go shirtless and wear official flowered thongs. The thongs should be available at all markets midweek.

If the event is a success City officials have stated that they are looking at expanding Songkran even further, perhaps to a monthly week long event to boost tourism.

Oh…and Happy April Fools, folks.

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Source - ThePattayaNews

 

Myanmar - Uncontrolled development threatens Ngapali Beach

Ngapali, the former top beach in Southeast Asia, plunged to number 25 in the 2017 ranking of the top beaches of the world by American travel and restaurant website Trip Advisor. 

Travel and tours executives warn against over development, as Ngapali attracted increasing numbers local and foreign tourists because of its crystal clear waters and beautiful natural scenery. 

According to the Ministry of Hotel and Tourism statistics, the numbers of tourists going to Ngapali rose to more than 50, 000 in 2017 from only over 4, 000 in 2016. Domestic travelers who visited the place increased to over 39, 000 from 27,000 within the same period.

“This rating is made by satisfied customers who came and visited to Ngapali. It is very important issue when the tourists are coming to visit the country,” U Ye Tun Oo, CEO of Vivo Myanamr travel and tourism management company told The Myanmar Times on Wednesday.

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 Ngapali is one of the most important tourist attractions in Myanmar after four major destinations such Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake and Bagan.  

The  increasing the number of domestic travelers to Ngapali also resulted in the mushrooming of shops along the beach. There is also increase in waste and garbage that found into the sea and impacted on, U Ye Tun Oo said.

“There shouldn’t be much shops along the beach site. Myanmar is high-end market so the trip expense is high when compared with other neighbouring countries. So the tourist wants the value for money they spent and doesn’t like such kind of situation and services because they pay for much,” he said. 

The growing number of tourists have led to more developments in Ngapali, including  increase in the number of fishing boats, increase of vendors in beach sites, and more restaurants, hotel and guests houses have mushroomed in recent years according to U Ye Moe Aung, an officer from department of hotel and tourism in Thandwe told The Myanmar Times.  

“This also means increase in garbage and waste,” he said. ”The place is getting noisy too.”

Presently, there have 35 hotel and guesthouses with 1, 300 rooms in Ngapali according to the Department of Hotel and tourism in Thandwe. 

“When local travelers increased, they drink the alcohol and ate the food at the beach at night then sing a song. The noise disturb the tourists,” U Ye Moe Aung said. “The increasing number of restaurants, hotel and guesthouses will also impact the beach because of most of these establishments dig the sand from the beach areas to build their properties.” 

The township municipal does not have the capability to collect the increase rubbish at the beach because of lack of personnel and equipment, he added. 

He also called on concerned authorities to take action against those who dig the sand in the beach as it is against existing laws. 

 “The drop in the rating did not only affect Ngapali beach but also impacted the image of country,” U Ye Moe Aung said. “We need to have strong management organization together with relevant department and stakeholders. Then we can keep watch of the developments in the beach.”

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Indonesia eyes China's Macao, Hong Kong markets to boost tourism

Indonesia has planned to hold events to sell tour packages in China's Macao and Hong Kong on Dec 12 and Dec 14 respectively, aimed at further tapping significant potentialities from the two markets, a senior official of the country's Tourism Ministry said.

Deputy Minister for International Marketing Development at the ministry Gde Pitana said the ministry would send 11 sellers from Bali, Surabaya, Lombok, Jakarta, Sabang, North Sulawesi, Papua and Riau Isles in the two events.

Most of Indonesian sellers would highlight marine and undersea tours with several tour packages in Indonesia's prominent diving and snorkeling spots.

Besides Bali, tour packages to be offered for potential tourists in Macao and Hong Kong among others were Bunaken, Raja Amat, Mansuar Island, Mike's Point and Manta's point, would be offered in the two events.

"Indonesia has plenty of beautiful undersea spots for diving and snorkeling. Indonesia had just earned The Best Dive Destination award in the recent World Travel Market event in London last month," Pitana said recently.

He said the upcoming sales mission events held in Macao's Royal Hotel and Hong Kong's Kimberly Hotel were highly expected to successfully tap the momentum prior to year-end vacation this year.

Indonesia's upcoming tour package sales events were particularly expected to attract more tourists from the Chinese mainland to visit Indonesia via Hong Kong.

Source - China Daily

#Thailand, Phuket - Join Asia’s top marathon festival.

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An international running event with a carnival atmosphere

The Phukethon is being billed as Asia’s major international marathon festival, being held for the first time ever in Thailand and welcoming runners from around the world. The event will have a range of international marathon running distances - 42.195 km, 21.1 km, 10 km, with courses certified by the Athletic Association of Thailand (AAT), Asian Athletics Association (AAA), and International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The event is being held at Phuket’s Saphan Hin.

On top of the main running events, there will also be the Runtainment program; such as Jelly Beach Run 5 km, and Fun Run – Colour Fun Run and Running Expo with more than 80 international sports brands, music concerts and food festivals in the concept of a Fishermen’s Village, all gathered together in Phuket. The event will run for three consecutive days from December 8-10 at the Saphan Hin Park, a seaside park with a long history and a symbol of Phuket Island.

For further information and registration, contact 

http://www.phukethon.com/what-is-phukethon-en/

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#Thailand - Discovering the Royal Projects

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                             Dr Weerachai Nanakorn will lead a Siam Society study trip to the Royal Projects at Doi Ang Khang and Huai Hong Khrai as well as the small Chiang Mai village of Mae Kampong from January 5 to 7.

The Royal Agricultural Station Ang Khang is located in Fang district and is spread over some 2,000 rai. Within the station compound are nine villages inhabited by four different minority groups – Thai Yai, Black Lahu, Palong and Chinese Yunnanese.

The station is designed for conducting experiments on possible temperate plants to be grown in Thailand as cash substitutes for opium poppy. In 1969, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej gave his private funds to establish the Royal Project Foundation under the directorship of HSH Bhisadej Rajani as the Chairman of Royal Project. The station mainly researches the temperate fruit, exotic flowers and vegetables that can be cultivated to provide a sustainable form of income for the hilltribes. 

Today, almost 50 years on, the valley is a thriving tourist attraction, replete with beautiful gardens and fruit orchards. The project produces a wide variety of temperate fruits including Chinese peaches, Chinese pears, persimmon, plums, grapes, apricots, strawberries, passion fruit, figs, kiwi fruit and pomegranates.
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Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Centre is located in Doi Saket District and was established in 1982 under King Bhumibol’s initiative and driven largely as a result of drought and forest fires caused by extensive forest destruction and poaching. The centre is located in the Pa Khun Mae Kuang National Park, a mountainous and forested region that is heavily degraded where the study centre is located. Studies at the centre encompass watershed development as an appropriate model with forest areas designated for planting three types of forest with four applications: economic crops, fruit trees and firewood, soil conservation and watershed area to engender moisture and recover the degraded area.

The beautiful village of Mae Kampong in Mae On district has long been a source of enjoyment and inspiration to not only the locals that happily reside there, but also to fortunate visitors from around the world. Located just a short distance from the city of Chiang Mai – visitors to Mae Kampong will instantly feel they have stepped back in time, with traditional teak houses dotting the nearby mountains.

Source - The Nation

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Delightful flower festival at Bangkok's Rama IX Park

                             Head for Rama IX Park in the eastern suburbs of Bangkok for one of the most delightful events of the year

One of the most delightful flower festivals in Thailand – the Suanluang Rama IX Flower Festival is taking place again this year from 1-10 December, 2017.

As usual, there are many different flowers and blooms on display in all areas of Suanluang Rama IX Public Park. Highlights also include an exhibition in remembrance of His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his royally initiated projects in all parts of the country.

There are also booths selling flowers and plants as well as gardening tools. In addition, there are cultural performances from four regions of Thailand, an ornamental plant contest, and a floating market selling food, arts and crafts, and souvenirs.

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Suanluang Rama IX Public Park was built in 1987 to commemorate the 60th birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Covering an area of 500 rai, the park is divided into six sections: ‘Garden of the Great King’ which is home to the Ratchamangkhala Pavilion; ‘Botanic Garden’, the ‘Reservoir’; ‘Romanee Garden’; ‘Water Garden’; and ‘Sanam Rasdara and Sport Center’. In addition, there is an international garden featuring arrangements from different regions of the world. For more information, please visit: www.tourismthailand.org (in English) or suanluangrama9.or.th (in Thai)

The Suanluang Rama IX Public Park is located deep inside Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Soi 103 (Udomsuk) Road. It opens daily from 08.00 – 19.00 Hrs. Admission is 10 Baht.

Source - ThenNation 

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