Monday 24 July 2017

#Thailand - A day of adrenaline at Chiang Mai adventure destinations


A journalist tries out some of Chiang Mai’s high-excitement pursuits, from a micro-light flight to rock climbing and barreling down some of Thailand’s longest forest ziplines

As we took off, wind slapping my face and churning my hair, I thought to myself, “This is just like a regular plane”. But the moment the wheels lifted off terra firma, I felt this deep sense of exhilaration no plain plane could have ever given me. There I was, rising up and up and up, eventually reaching a thousand feet above the shrinking ground below, surrounded by nothing but air. I was on a micro light at Chiang Mai Adventure and I felt as though I was flying straight into the rising sun.

We had been invited on a one day trip to experience some of the local attractions and this was a great start. Chiang Mai Adventure has been around for nearly 20 years, a professional outfit operating out of Doi Saket. As we flew over paddy fields, farmers toiling below, taking a small break to shield their eyes as they watched my dangling feet pass over above, I felt as though I was in a ‘Nam movie, the soundtrack of Platoon playing in my head. The wind was rather vigorous that day, especially as we headed over the skies above Mae Guang Dam, but the views of mountains, paddy fields, glittering temples and charming villages, kept my fear at bay and my senses on alert. The ride only lasted for 15 short minutes, and following a rickety landing, we were soon rushed off to our next attraction.

 Chiang Mai Adventure Land is a popular day out for the family. Since I am still single, I would never have really thought to come here, but after spending a few hours rock climbing, flying fox zip lining and zorb balling like a human-hamster-ball, I decided that no one is too mature for such frolicking! The park itself has all sorts of activities to keep everyone fully busy, giggling and exhausted, from the Indiana Jones style tight rope, the hill tribe swing, hill skiing, riding, fishing to challenging sky bridge, the staff are all on hand to make sure that everything is safe and everyone is having a great time.

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Just when we were getting into it, we were told that we had to go to our next adventure. I wasn’t sure that anything could top the first two, but was soon proven wrong as I found myself hurtling atop canopies down the longest zip line in Chiang Mai. The roller coaster, where you are strapped on under the coaster and hold on for dear life had my head spinning and my body pumped with adrenalin.

By this point I was utterly exhausted, but was then told that we had one more destination, Dragon Flight. We actually had to trek a full hour to get to the first base of the zipline, but it was worth it when once again, I found myself flying through the skies down their 900 metre zip line.


I don’t remember the drive back to the city, as I was passed out, along with every other journalist in the van, from exhaustion.

These are activities which we Thais don’t normally get to enjoy, as we tend to think that they are for tourists. But once we woke up on arrival in the city, we all agreed, over a bowl of late night noodles, that this was a day to remember.

There are obvious health and safety concerns, especially of late, about many adventure tourism destinations. I hope that you all do your due diligence before you book any activity to make sure that the company in question is reputable. And most of all, have fun and stay safe.

Source - TheNation

Saturday 22 July 2017

#Vietnam beats France to crack China's top 10 travel destinations

With 200 million Chinese tourists expected to make outbound trips in 2020, Vietnam is set to become even more popular.

Vietnam has become the 10th most popular destination among Chinese tourists, according to new statistics.

Figures from CLSA, a Hong Kong brokerage and investment firm formally known as Credit Lyonnais Securities Asia, showed Vietnam has overtaken France to enter the top 10, which is led by Hong Kong, Thailand and South Korea.

The survey polled more than 400 Chinese travelers across 25 cities with an average age of 35 and a monthly income of 20,000 yuan ($2,900).

Safety remains the prime concern for mainland travelers, followed by cost and sightseeing opportunities.

A series of terror attacks last year in Europe had deterred Chinese travelers, it said, as cited by the South China Morning Post.

 Last May, a MarketWatch report, citing data from American Express, also showed that summer bookings to Europe’s top destinations, notably France and Turkey, had been hurt by the attacks.

China has always been Vietnam's main source of tourists, and their numbers increased by 57 percent on-year in the first six months of 2017, reaching nearly 1.9 million and accounting for 30 percent of all foreign arrivals. Last year, Vietnam welcomed around 2.7 million Chinese tourists, a jump of 51 percent from the year before.


Vietnamese media said Chinese visitors have been encouraged by a new policy that allows groups of travelers to visit the border province of Quang Ninh, home to the popular Ha Long Bay, for up to three days without a visa.

CLSA reported that 135 million Chinese people traveled abroad last year, and with 200 million Chinese tourists expected to make outbound trips in 2020, Vietnam is set to become even more popular.

A Bloomberg report last December said Chinese tourists could have a big impact on Vietnam’s economy. It said a 30 percent increase in spending by Chinese tourists would boost Vietnam’s economic growth by nearly 1 percentage point. For Thailand, that would be around 1.6 points.

“Chinese tourism is pretty big for ASEAN now, and all the countries rely on Chinese visitors to keep coming and keep spending,” Edward Lee, an economist with Standard Chartered Plc in Singapore, was quoted as saying in the report.

Source - VN Express.net

Myanmar’s AIDS-related deaths decline 52% in 6 years


A new global report says that Myanmar’s AIDS-related deaths have declined by 52 percent in six years.

The UNAIDS report on the global HIV epidemic said the decline was the steepest in Asia and the Pacific.

The report, “Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90-90-90 targets”, was released by UNAIDS on July 20.
It said an estimated 8000 people died from AIDS-related causes in Myanmar in 2016, a 52pc decrease from 2010.

Oussama Tawil, country director of UNAIDS Myanmar, said new HIV infections declined by 26pc. “The decline is a strong indicator of Myanmar’s national HIV response,” he said.

“This shows the country’s leadership, commitment and engagement are having results which are saving thousands of lives,” he said.

The estimated number of people living with HIV in Myanmar is 230,000, and 57pc were accessing life-saving antiretroviral therapy.

New HIV infections have fallen by 26pc since 2010, and there were an estimated 11,000 new infections in 2016, according to UNAIDS.

It said that 88pc of women living with HIV in Myanmar were accessing services for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission.

The national HIV prevalence among key populations is at 28.5pc for people who inject drugs, 11.6pc for men who have sex with other men, and 14.6pc for female sex workers.

“While we are now seeing positive results in the reduction of deaths and new infections, Myanmar’s momentum must be sustained to achieve its goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030,”said Tawil.

The National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS (2016-2020 aims for the achievement of global 90-90-90 targets, meaning 90pc of people living with HIV know their status, 90pc of people living with HIV who know their status receive treatment, and 90pc of people living with HIV on treatment have suppressed viral loads.

Moreover, it aims for 90pc of key populations to have access to HIV prevention services and 90pc of people living with and affected by HIV to report zero discrimination, especially in health, education and the workplace.

Tawil said that Myanmar will have challenges to end the HIV epidemic but is likely to achieve those goals.

‘’Continued commitment and support from the government, donors, international and national non-government organisations, community networks and people living with HIV groups are crucial to achieving the country’s HIV response targets,” he said.

The UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board adopted a new strategy to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030. The UNAIDS 2016–2021 Strategy is one of the first in the United Nations system to be aligned to the Sustainable Development Goals, which set the framework for global development policy over the next 15 years, including ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.

Myanmar is in good position compared to other regional countries: While Myanmar has 57pc treatment, treatment coverage in some countries in the Asia-Pacific on average is only 47pc.

Source - MM TIMES

Friday 21 July 2017

#Indonesia - Surfing contest, cultural festival in celebration of South Nias 14th anniversary


To commemorate the 14th anniversary of South Nias regency, the provincial administrations plans to hold two interesting events called South Nias Open Surfing Contest 2017 (NSOSC 2017) and South Nias Regency Traditional Song, Culture and Tradition Festival.

The two events will be held for four days from July 25 to 28 at Sorake Island. They are results of a partnership effort between the provincial administrations through South Nias culture, tourism, youth and sports department with South Nias Surfers Association (APNS) and supported by tourism ministry.


 “We’re going to hold a surfing competition and it’s open for local and international surfers. The main goal is definitely to increase the number of local and overseas tourists to South Nias,” explained South Nias cuture, tourism, youth and sports department head Anggreani.

The surfing contest itself is an annual event and the last time it was held was last year at Ya’ahowu Party.

Other than providing winners with Rp 87 million worth of prizes, NSOSC 2017 aims to scout new talents in Nias that can be trained to compete in National and International leagues in the future.

“NSOSC 2017 is divided into three categories: Men’s (16 years and above), women’s and grommet (men’s and women’s),” Anggreani added.

As for the festival, it will feature traditional dances and rituals of South Nias 
such as faluaya, famadaya harimao, stone-jumping, moyo dance and fataelesa.
 
Sorake beach is a haven for surfers, it’s included in the 10 best surfing spots in the world and said to be the second best after Hawaii. During the months of June – July surfers flock the beach because the waves are able to reach up to 10 to 12 meters high. Another uniqueness of the beach: one will not find anything but coral reefs in it.

Nias island is reachable by sea using a ferry boat from Sibolga city in North Sumatra with a distance of 85 miles or 12 hours. Travelers will then arrive at Mount Sitoli, the biggest city in Nias Island. Continue the journey from Mount Sitoli to Teluk Dalam city for about four hours using a four-wheeled vehicle. However, for a shorter traveling time, a flight is available from Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra. (asw)

Source - TheJakartaPost

Wednesday 19 July 2017

#Phuket, Thailand - Nai Harn Beach – one of the best in Asia?


Let’s have a look at what reviewers think of top-ranked Nai Harn Beach in Phuket.

Phuket’s Nai Harn Beach recently ranked fourth in the 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 25 Beaches in Asia. Situated on the southern end of the island, the beach is a stone’s throw from Phuket’s famed sunset viewing point - Promthep Cape. It’s considered a peaceful beach by Phuket standards, with no jet skis, para sailing, etc., but it is still pet friendly. So what did TripAdvisor’s reviewers think of the beach? Top issues included beach chairs/mats/loungers, local food and trash on the beach, but the overall consensus is that it is truly one of the most beautiful beaches around.

Sarah R. from Brisbane, Australia commended the beauty of the beach but wasn’t so enthusiastic about the beach chairs.

“We caught a taxi from Karon to Nai Harn for a few hours on the beach before sunset at Promthep Cape. Four beach chairs cost 500 baht, and we only used them for an hour before a storm hit. Still, it’s a beautiful beach.”

Source - TheNation

#Thailand - Criminal Court ruling today in major human-trafficking case


The Criminal Court on Wednesday will rule on a major human-trafficking case involving as many as 103 defendants, including a senior military officer, Manas Kongpan.

The ruling is due to be delivered at 8.30am.
The trial began in 2015 as suspected syndicates were accused of trafficking migrants, notably ethnic Rohingya, to Thailand and via the Kingdom to other destinations.
Thai and Myanmar citizens were arrested that year following the discovery of a mass grave in jungle shelters in the border district of Sadao, in Songkhla province, used by traffickers to hold the migrants.
Investigations indicated a number of security officials as well as Thai and Myanmar civilians had taken the migrants – originally from Bangladesh and western Myanmar – to Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The case attracted international attention to the regional migrant crisis across the Indian Ocean, and countries were criticized for ignoring the problem.
Thailand was then downgraded to the lowest level – Tier 3 – in the US State Department’s “Trafficking in Persons” (TIP) report in both 2014 and 2015.

The Thai government has since taken a number of measures, including amendment of its trafficking law and the creation of a special division in the Criminal Court to handle human-trafficking cases in particular.

Wednesday’s ruling is the first such case for the new division.
Thailand, meanwhile, remains on the Watch List in Washington’s annual TIP report.

Source - TheNation

Tuesday 18 July 2017

Thailand wants more tourists who act like Australians


Thailand is now so popular for holidays that almost 35 million foreign tourists -- equivalent to half the country’s population -- are expected this year.

As the influx gets harder to manage, the government is shifting strategy. It’s now targeting a minimum increase in tourism revenue of about 5 percent annually instead of a particular number of visitors, Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said. That means encouraging longer stays and higher daily spending, a mix the typical Australian holidaymaker exemplifies, she said.

“Maybe they’re the ones who are like: this is my time -- I eat, I shop, and I eat, and I shop," Kobkarn, 56, said in an interview.

Australian visitors were among the top 10 biggest spenders in terms of per capita daily expenditure last year, forking out 5,831 baht ($172), Tourism Ministry data shows. Their average length of stay of almost 14 days was the highest in that group. Some nationalities take even longer holidays but tend to be more parsimonious. British tourists, for instance, stayed for just over 18 days on average while spending 4,376 baht daily.


Tourism is a bright spot for Thailand’s economy, which faces challenges such as political uncertainty and sluggish consumer demand. The sector makes up about 18 percent of gross domestic product, Kobkarn said in the interview in Chiang Mai last month.
 
“We no longer have a target for number of tourists,” she said. “We shouldn’t go beyond the limit that we can cope. But there’s no statistic on that yet. When people say that Phuket may be too crowded, or Bangkok is too crowded, we have to make sure that we are introducing new destinations too.”

Arrivals from overseas more than doubled in the past decade, powered by a surge in Chinese holidaymakers who contributed 28 percent of 1.6 trillion baht in foreign tourism receipts in 2016. 

Affordability is one reason why Thailand has usurped Malaysia as Southeast Asia’s most popular destination, but Kobkarn said the nation must focus on quality as well as cost to tackle emerging competitive threats from the likes of Myanmar and Vietnam.

Quality doesn’t just mean targeting wealthy tourists as Thailand needs travelers on a variety of budgets, Kobkarn said. Instead, it refers to offering good value experiences that encourage return visits, increase the average length of stay and bolster daily spending per head, she said.


Visitors from the Middle East are the biggest per capita daily spenders, according to the Tourism Ministry data. Chinese tourists stood out for above-average expenditure and sheer number of arrivals -- 8.8 million, dwarfing other nationalities and making China the most important single country for tourism receipts.

Thailand’s years-long tourism boom slowed somewhat in recent months. That’s partly because of terrorist bombings in resort towns in August last year and a clampdownby the military government on some operators of large Chinese tour groups, which were judged to generate insufficient local spending.

Arrivals are likely to pick up in the second half of 2017 as security concerns fade and Chinese visitors embrace independent travel over package tours, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
That signals more strain for the country’s airports, some of which are already stretched beyond capacity. State-run Airports of Thailand Pcl is planning to invest about $6 billion over a decade to try to ease the bottlenecks.


Even as Kobkarn tries to focus on revenue targets rather than visitor numbers, arrivals are projected to climb, whether drawn by the allure of white-sand beaches in resorts such as Krabi, the gastronomic delights of Bangkok or the perennially notorious sex capital Pattaya.

The Bank of Thailand forecasts 34.9 million tourist arrivals this year, a climb of about 7 percent from 2016, and 37.3 million in 2018. That’s projected to help Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy expand 3.5 percent in 2017 and 3.7 percent next year.

Thailand needs to be a quality tourism destination since a range of factors can prevent it being seen as the cheapest, such as rising wages or an appreciating exchange rate, Kobkarn said.
“We’re working very hard for people not to think only of the cost,” she said. “We’re not the best. We still have many negative things. But we’re very sincere in improving ourselves.”

Source - TheJakartaPost