Get paid to travel in Thailand starting July 15

Travel again with taxpayer help when a program to boost domestic tourism begins July 15.

That’s the new date for the THB22.4-billion fund to begin subsidizing travel and accommodations for Thai nationals 20 and up through October, the cabinet announced today. It’s also when travelers can register with Krung Thai Bank, where they must hold an account to participate.

Though the ban on international travel will be lifted Wednesday, strict rules will limit who can enter the kingdom, and tourists will not be allowed in for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Pocket Money app (iOS and Android) will provide a promotional code that must be used to access the funds.

Registered users can get 40% of their accommodation expense – capped at THB3,000 per night – for up to five nights one time only during the program. They must book a place outside their home province at least three days in advance.

Those who reserve their stays that way will also get a THB600 e-voucher to use for food and services in the destination province while they travel until on their day of check-out.

Thirdly, is a travel subsidy for about 2 million people. Capped at THB1,000, it will cover domestic air travel, interprovincial buses and car rentals.

Medical workers and volunteers on the front lines of combating the COVID-19 outbreak will get a thank you in the form of THB2,000 per person for travel booked through an agent.

Source - Coconuts

#Thailand may hold a July Songkran event if Covid-19 situation remains stable

Thai citizens are being dangled a carrot – the chance to celebrate Songkran in July. Usually the annual water festival, traditionally the end of the dry season and the start of the wet season, is held on April 13. The event has become a big tourist magnet over the past decade as it’s morphed from traditional Buddhist festival into organised water fights in the streets of Bangkok and tourist towns.

This year it was cancelled as the country was busy being not busy; locked down in their homes instead of outside splashing water everywhere. But the government says they may still hold a Songkran festival in July instead IF the third phase of the easing of lockdown restrictions goes smoothly this month.

'Phase 3’ started rolling out yesterday and opens up just about everything excepting bars and pubs, and some other entertainment venues. 16 business types and leisure activities resumed yesterday. The curfew has also been reduced to 11pm to 3am daily.

Phuket seems to be trailing behind the rest of the country with a ban on its beaches and airport still in place.

CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin says the Government might declare special public holidays in July to celebrate Songkran. The festival, apart from all the water splashing, is the biggest family get-together of the year when people head back ‘up country’ for large family celebrations. The festival is also the most dangerous time on Thailand’s roads each year.

Dr. Taweesin says the CCSA will assess the results of phase three relaxations this month, adding that…”if the Covid-19 situation improves satisfactorily and people strictly observe the basic guidelines of social distancing, regular hand washing and face mask wearing, it might ask the Government to declare special public holidays in July”.

We’re not sure what “improves satisfactorily” means given that there have no recorded local transmutations of Covid-19 for over a week. All the latest cases are from Thais repatriating on specially organised charter flights from overseas whereby all arrivals must spend 14 days in supervised quarantine.

There is still a state of emergency in effect until at least the end of the June which provides Thai PM Prayut and his appointed committee in the CCSA sweeping powers to address the Covid-19 situation in Thailand without consulting parliament.

Source - The Thaiger

Online hotel booking sites may be duping travelers: Consumer rights group

A new study out of Britain shows that travelers could score better bargains if they go directly through the hotel rather than book with an online travel agent like Booking.com or Expedia.com.

That's according to Which?, a consumer rights group that found that when they contacted hotels directly they were able to score a better room rate compared to the prices listed on secondary travel websites or snag other incentives including free breakfasts or upgrades.

For the study, Which? contacted 10 hotels in Britain and asked if the hotels could offer a better deal than the ones posted by online travel agents (OTA) like Booking.com or Expedia.

In eight of the 10 cases, hotels offered discounts on rooms, food, spa treatments, or freebies like breakfast and parking. A hotel in Cornwall offered a discount of £20 (US$25.63), slashing the rate from £170 to £150.

"Customers shouldn't be duped into thinking they're getting the best price from a hotel booking site when more often than not, they can get a better deal by avoiding its commission and booking directly with the hotel," said Which? Travel editor Rory Boland in a press release.

"Hotel booking sites might be a good place to start your search, but you should always call or email the hotel for the best chance of getting the cheapest deal – even in cases where they can't offer a better price, there's a good chance they'll throw in a freebie or two."

Online travel agents typically charge commissions of between 15 percent to 25 percent on every booking, a fee that's often passed down to the consumer.

To get the best room rate, Which? editors recommend using an OTA as a starting point, and then calling the desired hotel directly. Quote the rate listed on Booking.com or Expedia.com, and ask if they can do better. A reasonable discount is between 15 percent to 25 percent. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Travel giant Expedia says it will cut 3,000 jobs

Online travel giant Expedia will cut about 3,000 jobs after what the company described in a statement as "disappointing" performance last year.

The firm, which operates its flagship travel site as well as Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Egencia and CarRentals.com, said on Monday the decision was made after determining it had been "pursuing growth in an unhealthy and undisciplined way."

"Great tech companies have walked this same path in order to come back stronger and more competitive than ever. We have restarted the journey and bringing the world within reach is in our hands," the company said.

Expedia's share price rose 1.4 percent after markets opened on Tuesday.

During a February 13 earnings call, Diller called the organization "bloated" and said many employees didn't know what "they were supposed to do during the day."

Diller also said he was aiming for savings of $300-500 million in 2020.

Over the course of 2019, sales increased by eight percent, net income by four percent and earnings per share by six percent.

By the end of December, the company had 25,400 employees around the globe. The job cuts will eliminate about 12 percent of the workforce.

But company leadership revealed that in the last quarter, net profit had gone down four percent and earnings per share had gone down one percent.

In early December, Expedia announced the immediate departures of chief executive Mark Okserstrom and chief financial officer Alan Pickerill after what the company termed "disappointing" third-quarter results.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Indonesia - Bali named eighth 'most Instagrammable place' in world

Travel publication Big 7 Travel released its 2020 list of the "most Instagrammable places in the world", with Bali ranking eighth.

The destinations are ranked in order of their visual allure and popularity on social media.

To compile the list, Big 7 Travel selected the winners by analyzing the amount of hashtags per destination, surveying the publication's 1.5 million readers and conducting a vote among a panel of travel experts.

“These are the places where you'll find sweeping stretches of coastline, historical monuments, kitsch cocktail bars and more street art than you can possibly imagine,” said Sarah Clayton-Lea, Big 7 Travel’s head of content, in a statement.

Bali was ranked at number eight, being described as "paradise" with white sandy beaches, waterfalls, cute swings and floating breakfast.

The Edge villa resort in Uluwatu was mentioned by the publication for its famous infinity pools.

This year’s most Instagrammable destination is Australia's Sydney, which received the honor thanks to the city’s vibrant and beautiful scenery.

Cities that also made it into the top 20 include Croatia's Dubrovnik and Paris. These cities received high scores due to their pastel-colored streets, lively markets and photo spots.

“Other Instagrammable places in the Top 50 to add to your ‘must-visit’ include Istanbul in Turkey and Cusco in Peru,” Sarah added.

Source - TheJakartaPost

 Below is the top 10 list of most Instragrammable places in 2020 according to Big 7 Travel:

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Hong Kong

3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4. New York City, United States

5. Singapore

6. Tokyo, Japan

7. Lisbon, Portugal

8. Bali, Indonesia

9. London, England

10. Jaipur, India

#Cambodia - Kratie to become a priority tourist destination

A beach in the Mekong River in Kratie province

The province of Kratie, in the country’s east, is poised to become a priority tourist destination and a national heritage site.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon on Monday unveiled plans to turn the province’s capital into a “prime tourism destination” and a “heritage city”.

Prime destinations are important attractions but are not as crucial to the tourism sector as the country’s main tourist draws – the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap and the coastal areas.

Minister Khon said the decision to turn Kratie into a priority destination and a heritage site was based on the city’s many tourist attractions, particularly the dolphins that can be spotted in the Mekong River.

“If there are dolphins in the Mekong River, there are tourists; however, no dolphins, no tourists,” Mr Khon said.

Other noteworthy products and sites in the province with great tourism potential include the Koh Trong pomelo, colonial buildings, stunning river beaches, and a slew of eco-tourism sites, the minister said.

He reminded the city’s authorities of their responsibility to boost the quality of these products and sites to meet and exceed tourists’ expectations.

“We must continue improving the quality of services and products in the province and create new tourism products,” he said. “We must work hard to develop Kratie province into a prime destination and a heritage site, organise new events on the beach and in the river, keep the city and the province clean, improve hygiene in public toilets, and protect the environment,” Mr Khon said.

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“Tourism officials must also strive to improve tourist boats so that they offer a quality service, and drivers must wear proper uniforms,” he added.

Mr Khon told Kratie’s provincial tourism department to focus on revamping infrastructure like tourist booths, parking areas, and public toilets while improving services and products at stores, tourist boats, restaurants, and food courts.

Chuk Chumnor, spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism, told Khmer Times that the government also wants to turn Battambang and Kampot into heritage sites. He said the ministry is working with Unesco to register these cities as national heritage sites first, and world heritage sites at a later stage.

“We are also working with Unesco to register Kratie city as a heritage site, together with Battambang and Kampot. These three cities boast beautiful French buildings,” Mr Chumnor said.

“We are committed to strengthening the quality of tourism services and products, social order and security as well as improving eco-tourism sites in the province,” Mr Chumnor said.

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Thoun Sinan, chairman of the Cambodian chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said the priority destination scheme is a strategy that aims to increase opportunities for socioeconomic development through tourism investment and development.

“To develop these priority destinations, the Ministry of Tourism, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and Unesco, has studied and produced the necessary documentation to register these cities as national heritage cities and Unesco world heritage sites.

“Battambang, Kampot, and Kratie could become world heritage sites, which will draw public attention to them and help develop them in a sustainable manner while preserving their urban and natural heritage,” Mr Sinan said.

Last year, Kratie province welcomed about 349,000 visitors, a 15.2 percent year-on-year increase. 25,990 of them were foreigners, mostly French nationals, according to the Ministry of Tourism.

Source - Khmer Times

#Vietnam opens new international airport 50 km from Halong Bay

Vietnam opened a new airport, Dec. 30, on the island of Van Don, close to Halong Bay. Previously, travelers had to reach the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site via the capital, Hanoi, a four-hour drive away.

While the Vietnamese authorities have extended visa exemption for nationals of certain countries for stays of up to 15 days until 2021, the country has also opened a new airport, billed as Vietnam’s most modern, located close to the popular tourist destination of Halong Bay.

Business looks good for the junk boat cruises at this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site, as Van Don International Airport, which cost around $350 million and is managed by a private company, will allow visitors to travel directly to Halong Bay, without traveling via Hanoi.

Visitors will be able to reach the port in one hour’s drive, thanks to a new highway, compared to previous travel times of three to four hours, depending on the route. Note that domestic flights to and from Hanoi are operated by Vietnam Airlines and VietjetAir.

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Vietnam was aiming for 17 million foreign tourists in 2018. In the end, it welcomed some 15.5 million visitors, up 19.9 percent on the previous year. For 2019, the country’s goal is 18 million international arrivals. The Halong site is just one of the destinations set to help draw visitors, as the country also aims to develop tourism in the wider Quang Ninh province, which has 250km of coastline. Perhaps the beaches of Minh Chau and Ngoc Vung will one day become as popular as those of Phuket or Koh Phi Phi in Thailand. These new facilities, which took barely three years to create, were also envisaged to boost tourism and trade with Taiwan, South Korea, Cambodia and Singapore.

Van Don International Airport expects to see two million annual passengers by 2020 and some five million by 2030.

As well as the airport, Vietnam opened its first international cruise port, specially designed for cruise ships, located in Halong. This new infrastructure, designed by architect Bill Bensley, can accommodate up to 8,460 passengers at once. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

 

New Hotel Booking lists

We just start to create a Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket Hotel Bookings Lists

 

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#NEW - #BANGKOK HOTELS BOOKING LIST - http://wp.me/P7Lce0-3w
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  #NEW - #PATTAYA HOTEL & RESORT BOOKING LIST - http://wp.me/P7Lce0-3D
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 #NEW - #PHUKET HOTEL & RESORT BOOKING LIST - http://wp.me/P7Lce0-3A 

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