As the grand re-opening date of November 1 approaches, with little clarity as to what that will look like, here’s some of what we know – and what we don’t. According to a Thai PBS World report, the government has outlined 7 conditions that will determine if someone can enter the kingdom quarantine-free. The following conditions have been communicated by the Bureau of Risk Communication and Health Behaviour Promotion, part of the Disease Control Department.
1. Foreign visitors must arrive by air and come from a list of “low-risk” countries approved by the Public Health Ministry
2. Have proof of vaccination with 2 doses of a recognised Covid-19 vaccine
3. Have a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure from your home country
4. Have at least US$50,000 in Covid-19 insurance coverage
5. Have proof of a hotel booking
6. Travellers must download the Mor Chana app and take a second PCR test on arrival or within 24 hours of arrival
7. If the second test is negative, visitors can continue their journey without any further quarantine
However, with just over 10 days to go, a number of things remain unknown. Chief among them is the list of “low-risk” countries, as well as the rules for vaccinated adults travelling with unvaccinated children. Clarity is also needed on whether travellers need proof of a hotel booking beyond their first night in the kingdom and if this applies to expats with homes here. Furthermore, Thai embassies continue to advise people to book quarantine hotels, insisting they’ve received no communication about the re-opening process.
Thai PBS World reports that the government is moving to a 3-model approach for admitting foreign arrivals. The first – and original – model is that unvaccinated visitors will be subject to mandatory hotel quarantine for between 7 and 14 days. The second model is the sandbox model currently in operation in Phuket, Samui and other tourist destinations, which is being extended to several other provinces. The third model will be the quarantine-free model discussed above.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Friday 22 October 2021
Thai Government outlines 7 conditions of quarantine-free re-opening
Saturday 12 September 2020
Resumption of tourism between China and Thailand 'not happening any time soon'
Resumption of tourism between China and Thailand 'not happening any time soon'
A senior official of the Chinese embassy in Bangkok has ruled out early reopening of tourism between China and Thailand, as the two countries are not ready to open the sector.
China has been recently reopening for domestic tourism, but has not yet welcomed foreign tourists, or urged Chinese people to travel abroad, said Yang Xin, minister counsellor and deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to Thailand.
Even Chinese tourists want to visit Thailand, but Thailand is unlikely to open for foreign tourists, he said in an exclusive interview to Nation Multimedia Group.
The Thai government has not yet reopened the tourism sector, as it was still worried about potential import of new COVID-19 cases. The government only plans to allow first 200 long-stay tourists to enter the country next month. About 10 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand annually in recent years out of some 40 million every year.
Yang said that China was currently reopening travel for business persons who could apply for fast lane clearance when they enter China for doing business. Foreign business persons are not subject to 14-day quarantine but they can visit only limited places essential for their business activities.
He said the Chinese government has managed to control the COVID-19 outbreak and now schools nationwide have been reopened after they were closed for eight months.
China this year has not set a target for economic growth but would focus on job creation and people's living standards, he said.
The government has implemented many stimulus packages to support people and businesses especially small and medium-sized enterprises, said Yang.
Regarding Hong Kong, Yang said that the special administrative region had returned to stability following the enforcing of the security law. He reiterated that China wants to maintain the one country, two systems principle, but foreign interference was trying to create a two-country system.
As for the Thai government’s decision to defer the purchase of two more China-made submarines, Yang said the ties between the two countries has deepened and widened to many areas. He added that officials from both sides are working closely together on the submarine deal and will continue doing so.
Source - TheJakartaPost
Wednesday 4 December 2019
#Vietnam - Bells toll as Hanoi, Nha Trang named top honeymoon destinations
Vietnam’s capital ranked second while Nha Trang in central Khanh Hoa Province rounded off the top 10 list, released by the newspaper on Tuesday.
The Travel describes Hanoi as a "great place for a romantic trip, experiencing Vietnamese culture, learning about local history, and savoring delicious food."
The "thousands of years old" city boasts significant historical and cultural values that provide "everything a happy couple on honeymoon could ask for, from ancient temples to museums and shopping centers," it wrote.
Known for its long stretches of beautiful beaches and scuba diving, the town has been attracting large numbers of foreign tourists, especially Chinese and Russians in recent years.
El Nido on Palawan Island in the Philippines topped the list. The top 10 also features Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Indonesia’s Bali, Singapore, Japan’s Kyoto, Luang Prabang in Laos.
Hanoi made Time magazine’s list of ‘best destinations for every type of traveler’ in December last year.
The city, which hosted the historic second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in February, received 6 million foreign tourists in the first 11 months of this year, up 12 percent year-on-year.
Coastal Nha Trang in April ranked third among the top five Southeast Asian beach destinations favored by Chinese tourists in 2018, according to a report by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. China is Vietnam's top tourism feeder market.
Thursday 29 August 2019
Vang Vieng Moves Closer to Becoming Laos’s Official Tourism Town
The planned developments, which are expected to begin next year, include a wharf, parking facilities, community market, and a fishing village, as well as a garbage collection site, Vientiane Times reported on August 23.
In addition, a 6-kilometer road will be built to connect with Road No. 10, which should help to address congestion around the reservoir.
Separately, China’s Xinhua News Agency has published a six images providing a quick peek at the construction site of the Vientiane-Vang Vieng expressway, well underway.
The Vientiane-Vang Vieng expressway is a part of the China-Laos expressway, which is co-developed by China Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group and the Lao Ministry of Planning and Investment.
Laos and China agreed in November last year to begin construction on the USD 1.2 billion road to link Sikeuth village in Naxaithong District, Vientiane, to the Vang Vieng District.
At that time, it was estimated that it would take about three years to complete the construction.
Vang Vieng is already one of the top tourist destinations in Laos, many areas desperately need improvements, such as road access to visitor attractions, cleanliness, services, and tourism-related facilities.
Prime Minister Thongloun recently made a working trip to Vang Vieng to assess the district and offer advice on how to better develop the tourist town.
In addition, district authorities have been collecting information on the tourism industry to take it to the central government for detailed discussion.
Vang Vieng sees more than 10,000 tourists every month, with South Koreans accounting for 70 percent, along with Chinese, Lao and others, according to the district’s estimation.
#Vietnam - Major hotspots brace for National Day tourism surge
The vacancy rate in the central Vietnam destinations of Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, and Phan Thiet is hovering around 50 percent on average, according to Agoda, a global online accommodation reservations provider.
On Traveloka, one of the leading flight and hotel booking platforms in Southeast Asia, a number of places in the ancient imperial capital of Hue like Gold Hotel Hue, Hotel La Perle, Cherry Hotel, and Huong Giang Hotel still have rooms for VND600,000 ($26) to VND1.4 million ($60) per night.
In Da Nang, the occupancy rate is abnormally low due to the city's shortage of water. High salinity levels in the Cau Do (Red Bridge) River, the main source of freshwater for a million residents and tourists in Da Nang, mean the city can only meet 70 percent of its water needs.
Tu Le, a teacher working in HCMC's District 1, said she booked two rooms facing the sea at Leman Cap Resort & Spa in the southern beach town, and the rates were not much higher than normal.
Bookings seem tougher at hotels in Da Lat. Most hotels and resorts in the Central Highlands resort town have been fully booked up ahead of the holiday.
Bao Lam, 32, a bank employee in Ho Chi Minh City, said he was unable to get a family room in a luxury hotel in Da Lat.
Nomad Home Dalat and Elegant Dalat Hotel, two of Da Lat's most popular hotels, only have one or two double rooms available and they cost around VND1.2 million ($52) each per night, according to Booking.com, a travel fare aggregator and travel metasearch engine for hotel reservations.
Pham Cao Vy, chairman of the Sa Pa Tourism Association, said most hotels have kept their rates unchanged though it could be a bit difficult for travelers to find a place.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific have said they would add a total of 240,000 seats on domestic routes from August 30 to September 2 to meet the increased travel demand.
Tuesday 20 August 2019
Surge of Thai visitors lifts Da Nang hopes for tourism market diversity
With 60 weekly flights connecting Vietnam’s third largest city with major Thai destinations, the number of Thai arrivals to Da Nang quadrupled year-on-year in the first seven months of this year to almost 107,000.
Thais accounted for 6 percent of Da Nang's total foreign arrivals, becoming the third largest group after South Koreans (1 million, making up 57 percent) and Chinese (500,000 or 26 percent), according to the city’s tourism department.
Domestic and foreign carriers, betting on this trend, have been racing to launch more flights. Vietnamese budget carrier Vietjet Air last year launched flights from Da Nang to Bangkok. In April Malaysian-owned budget airline Thai AirAsia began a daily service from Chiang Mai to Da Nang.
Da Nang is a major economy-tourism hub that attracts many foreign visitors, including Thai tourists, all year round, Santisuk Khlongchaiya, head of Thai AirAsia’s commercial operations, said.
Da Nang, home to Asia’s most beautiful beach, My Khe, in the central region and next door to the UNESCO heritage site Hoi An, an ancien town, has long been a favorite for South Korean and Chinese visitors.
However, its heavy dependence on the two markets poses a risk, city tourism officials said.
"The Chinese market is volatile due to political and economic reasons," Truong Hong Hanh, Deputy Director of the city Tourism Department, said.
"The surge in number of Chinese arrivals also presents numerous challenges for the Vietnamese government such as ‘zero dollar tours,’ the use of Chinese electronic wallets such as WeChat Pay and AliPay and illegal payment devices at travel hotspots frequented by Chinese tourists that could circumvent Vietnam’s banking system and national regulations, leading to loss of tax revenues and other potential problems."
Da Nang tourism authorities said they were therefore looking at diversifying the tourism market away from Chinese and South Koreans by working with airlines to launch more flights to and from other markets.
Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air is expected to begin services between Jakarta and Da Nang, while Cambodia’s Angkor Air is set to launch flights from Phnom Penh and Vientiane, both by year-end.
City authorities also s aid they are striving to attract more Middle Eastern visitors, whose spending is higher than that of other Asians and Europeans.
Last year Qatar Airways began flying from the Qatari capital Doha to Da Nang.
The city's foreign arrivals in January-July was 1.9 million, up 11.2 percent year-on-year, with some of the biggest source markets posting huge growth. The number of visitors from Taiwan increased by 86 percent, while it was 81.5 percent for Germany, 79 percent for India, 70 percent for Malaysia, 68 percent for France, and 53 percent for Singapore.
Images of the two giant hands holding up the 150 meters long Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills have gone viral since its launch in June last year.
The New York Times earlier this year included the city in its 52 best places to visit in 2019 while Australian travel website Finder listed it among 10 trending global destinations this year.
Last year Da Nang received 7.6 million visitors, 2.87 million of them foreigners, a 23.3 percent increase year-on-year.
Tuesday 13 August 2019
#Vietnam - Once a barrier against invaders, now a beautiful valley
Monday 12 August 2019
Thailand’s Ang Thong National Marine Park, the ‘new’ Maya Bay
#Cambodia - Beating the heat at mango plantation waterfall in Battambang
Saturday 10 August 2019
#Vietnam - Rough Guides names Ha Long Bay among world’s 100 best places to visit
Thursday 8 August 2019
Over 3m tourists visit #Cambodia in H1
Sunday 2 June 2019
#Cambodia - The once deserted beach turning into a popular tourist attraction
Friday 22 March 2019
Vietnam - Ha Giang draws tourists and travellers
THE breathtaking landscape created by imposing karst mountains and impressive terraced rice fields, together with the unique ethnic culture of the local Hmong people, has turned Vietnam’s Ha Giang province into a magnet for tourists and travelers.
The country’s northernmost province is home to the Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark – the first Global Unesco Geopark in Vietnam.
In 2016, the province released a resolution on policies to promote tourism development. These policies support individuals and enterprises who invest into hotels, resorts, restaurants, community tourism and cave tourism.
At present, there are 20 tourist companies with representative offices in the province. In addition, more than 200 restaurants, 618 hotels with nearly 6,000 rooms, and 37 cultural villages offering community tourism have contributed significantly to provincial tourism development.
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This has helped Ha Giang stamp itself on the country’s tourism map. It is one of 24 national key tourism spots and has been selected by the international press as one of the most interesting destinations in Vietnam.
However, receiving an increasing number of tourists each year, there are many remaining matters that could harm further tourism development.
While a limited traffic network at some places are inaccessible, poor tourism infrastructure is sometimes unable to satisfy tourists’ demands. Viet Nam News/Asia News Network
Source - PhnomPhenPost
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Friday 1 March 2019
Vietnam Airlines to launch new routes to #Cambodian tourist hotspots
National carrier Vietnam Airlines will launch new routes from Vietnamese tourist destinations to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville in Cambodia.
The launch follows the recent signing of a three-year (2019-2021) agreement between the carrier and Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism on tourism development cooperation.
Present at the signing ceremony in Phnom Penh were Vietnam Party General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The carrier said it will launch new routes from Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province and Da Nang City to Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville.
The route between Danang and Siem Reap with 4 flights per week is expected to open this April while the schedule for other routes is yet to be specified.
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Currently Vietnam Airlines operates 56 flights a week on the Hanoi - Siem Reap, Ho Chi Minh City - Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City - Phnom Penh routes.
It will organize events, including conferences, to promote Cambodian tourism at fairs and other venues, the airlines said. Ways to improve the quality of human resources in tourism was also discussed by both parties.
Vietnam Airlines is currently offering free tickets to Cambodian officials and experts traveling for tourism promotion purposes. Outstanding Cambodian tourism students will also have the opportunity to work for the airline.
Other initiatives include marketing and demonstration programs to improve travel and accommodation services in Cambodia.
Duong Tri Thanh, general director of Vietnam Airlines, said: "We are delighted to be the 'air ambassador’ for Cambodia in aviation and tourism."
Vietnam Airlines has been flying to Cambodia for more than 40 years. In 2018, it carried more than 700,000 passengers between the two countries.
Cambodia Angkor Air, a joint venture between Vietnam Airlines and the Cambodian government, currently operates 56 flights from Siem Reap to Da Nang and from Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville to Ho Chi Minh City.
Source - VN Express
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Tuesday 26 February 2019
#Cambodia - Tourism revenue up 20 percent
Thong Khon, the Minister of Tourism, revealed the figure at this year’s National Clean City Day, an event held yesterday at Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel in which the winners of the ‘green tourism’ and ‘best hospitality’ awards were announced.
The minister also said that last year 6.2 million international travelers visited the Kingdom, a 10.7 percent year-on-year increase.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who presided over the event yesterday, called on the private sector, the authorities and the general public to work together to promote the government’s Clean City campaign and ensure its success. He said cleaner and safer cities will lure even more foreign tourists into the country.
According to Minister Khon, Cambodia expects to welcome 6.7 million foreign tourists this year. By 2020, 7 million international travelers will visit the Kingdom every year, generating more than $5 billion in revenue and 1 million jobs, he said.
“To prepare for this increase in tourists, we must have a clear strategy in place for the development of the tourism sector. This strategy must address ways to transform the country into an attractive and comfortable destination through digital technologies and green initiatives,” he said.
Monday 25 February 2019
#Thailand - Music and sea breezes at the Krabi Naga Fest
Thursday 6 September 2018
#Thailand ‘best country for people’, says travel survey
Thais have been voted the best people in the world in an online survey by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, a leading US source of travel features.
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Tuesday 13 March 2018
Exploring Disney parks with Google Street View
Google used for the feature Street View Trekker, a 360-degree camera mounted on a backpack worn by an operator moving through walkways and structures. According to the Disney Park website, images from the camera are digitally stitched together to create a 360-degree panorama effect. Images and videos of the parks captured and shared by users of the Street View app are also available for perusal.
For virtual access of the Disney parks through Google Street View, search for one of the 11 parks and then drag the yellow peg-man icon on the lower right corner of your map screen onto an area that will become highlighted in blue. From there, you’ll be able to pan around and utilize the 360-degree camera.
Saturday 10 February 2018
#Indonesia - Five things to see in Labuan Bajo besides the Komodo dragon
The picturesque town on the island of Flores offers the following attractions worth exploring, as compiled by kompas.com :
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