Thailand travel
Posted July 15, 2009 , add a commentThailand Travel:
This popular country is located in southeast Asia in the north of Malaysia, bordered by Laos and Cambodia on the east. In the recent years, Thailand
tourism has become a very activity in the world, securing a position among the
top 25 most popular tourism places of the world and among the top 5 in Asia. There are several reasons for the increasing popularity of Thailand tourism, the most important one is the friendly and peace loving nature of the Thai
people. Thailand tourism offers a wealth of exotic and culturally distinctive destinations spread throughout its 76 provinces. The Majestic city of Bangkok is the capital of Thailand.
Topics:
? Thailand Tourism Overview
? Getting There
? Transportation And Car Rental
? Climate / Weather
? Visa
? Golf
? Shopping
? Top Hotels
? Nightlife
? Local Tourist Office
? Currency
? Recommendation and Safety
THAILAND TOURISM AND TRAVEL OVERVIEW:
Thailand tourism is an irresistible combination of breathtaking natural
beauty, inspiring temples, renowned hospitality, robust cuisine and ruins of
fabulous ancient kingdoms. It offers everything from crowded markets and bazaars
to ancient temples, to busy nightlife all set against some of the best scenery
in the region. Thailand tourism is mainly divided into four regions - The Central Plain,
The Peninsular South, The Mountainous North and The High Northeast Plateau.
Thailand is a popular travel destination, and tourist facilities and services
are available throughout the country. You will find great food, a tropical
climate, national parks, fascinating culture and, great beaches, its diverse
attractions make it popular with tourists and travelers of all types and ages. Thailand
tourism has been heavily promoted by the Tourism Authority Thailand
(TAT).
GETTING
TO THAILAND:
Since Bangkok is Thailand’s main tourist attraction,
most tourists arrive at Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport which has
connecting flights to almost all the major cities around the world.
TRANSPORTATION AND CAR RENTAL:
Thailand has many buses and taxi services that are fast, comfortable and very
easily available. Thailand also has a efficient rail system along with domestic
flights, connecting to all the major cities of the country, therefore getting
around the country is very easy and the tourists have several options including
domestic flights, buses, taxis and rail system. The roads are modern and there
are several Air-conditioned buses offering maximum comfort at a low price.
Car Rental:
Many companies like Avis, Hertz, National and Budget operate rental car
operations in Thailand.
In Thailand you drive on the left hand side of the road. Speed limits signs are
posted in English.
It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with driving conditions and
local laws before renting a car in this popular tourism destination.
Most rental car companies apply the following rules, but do check with your
company for full requirements.
- Minimum driver age is 21 years.
- Driver must hold a valid driving license or International Driving Permit
- Customer must have an international credit card.
- A copy of customers’ ID Card or Passport is required.
CLIMATE - WHEN TO GO:
Thailand enjoys a tropical climate with 3 distinct seasons summer from March
through May, rainy season with plenty of sunshine from June to September and
winters from October through February. Since Thailand can get very hot in the
summer season, the best time for Thailand tourism is December to February.
TOURIST VISA:
It is required to have a return ticket and passport ready
before visiting Thailand. The validity of passport should be at least 6 months
beyond intended length. When this article was written in 2007 the citizens of
USA, Canada, Australia, and Britain were exempted from visa for up to 30 days of
stay. Citizens of Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland,
Slovak Republic and Slovenia are granted a 15 day visa on arrival. Citizens of
other countries need a visa in advance.
Visit these official sites for more tourism information:
Thailand Tourism office- USA
61 Broadway, Suite 2810, New York, NY 10006, USA
Website: www.tourismthailand.org
Thailand Tourism office-UK
3rd Floor, Brook House, 98-99 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6EE, UK
Website: www.thaismile.co.uk
Embassy websites:
www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk
www.thaiembdc.org
GOLF:
Thailand tourism offers great golf clubs to its tourists .Popular 18-hole golf clubs are the Pok-Ta-Pok along the coast of
Caribbean and Hilton Park Golf Club near the El Rey ruins.
The 9-hole golf course located at the Hotel Melia is relatively cheaper.
Golf has been a popular Thailand attraction for centuries where world’s top
designers have come and left their marks and so have several world class
players. There are Golf Courses within easy reach of all the major cities. For
Golf lovers, the best time to visit is the winter season, from November to
March. Even rainy season is not a bad time since the rain comes down mostly in
the afternoon that too only for a few minutes and most of the Golf courses have
a good drainage system. However, it is highly recommended to get your booking
done in advance, especially over the weekends and peak travel season.
SHOPPING IN THAILAND:
Shopping has always been a the major Thailand tourism attraction where a wealth of
shopping opportunities await the visitors. Thailand is popular for its
traditional handicrafts, textiles, gems, finished jewellery, antiques, ceramics, Nielloware, silk, silverware, pottery and much more, all at a bargain prices.
Thailand is truly a shoppers paradise ranging from modern malls to street
vendors. The biggest market of all, and the most fascinating, is the Chatuchak
Weekend Market, held on Saturday and Sunday at Chatuchak Park in Bangkok, not
far from the Central Plaza Hotel. Chiang Mai is another popular shopping place
where some of the factories have demonstrations of how these goods (silk, paper,
silver etc.) are made. The Night Bazaar, is a good place to sample the full
range of local products such as cotton, lacquer ware, silver, hill tribe
clothing, Burmese tapestries, painted umbrellas, and woodcarvings. Other than
the big malls that have a fixed price, bargaining is very popular at most of the
other tourism places in order to get the best prices.
TOP HOTELS:
Thailand tourism offers a vide range of luxury hotels and resorts, some of the
popular ones are - The Peninsula, Lebua at state tower, The Metropolitan, and
Intercontinental in Bangkok; Amanpuri, Aleena resort and spa, and JW Marriott in
Phuket; Four Seasons Chiang Mai in Chiang Mai.
You will also find several budget accommodations and inns in Thailand.
NIGHTLIFE:
Nightlife is another popular attraction of Thailand tourism, the evening entertainment
is both plentiful and inexpensive. The bars, discos and pubs are open till late
at night and some of the clubs play live music all night. The important
nightlife locations in Thailand include the cinemas that offer excellent value
for money, ticket prices are much cheaper than in many other parts of the world
and most of the country?s cinemas are top of the range. The other locations
include the beaches that are the most sought after nightlife locations. Here one
would find bars, pubs and go-go bars that are very popular. Thailand’s nightlife
has something for all its visitors and offers a wide variety of night
entertainment, it is truly a nightlife paradise.
Thailand tourism has some problems too, prostitution in Thailand is a big
in-famous industry and the Thai red-light branch turns billions of dollars every
year.
LOCAL TOURIST OFFICE :
Thailand Tourism Office:
1600 New Phetburi Road, Makkasan, Rajatevee, Bangkok 10310.
+66 (0)2 250 5500 (Bangkok) or www.tourismthailand.org
CURRENCY:
1 USD = 32.125 Thai Baht
For latest exchange rates go to -
http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=THB
RECOMMENDATION & SAFETY:
Solo women travelers should avoid beaches at night. Thailand is overall safe
country to visit from both the health and personal safety aspects. Consult with
your doctor with any immunizations he may recommend. Tourists should also
exercise caution in remote areas along the border with Myanmar. Visit
travel.state.gov for latest safety guidelines.
Evergreen Laurel Hotel Bangkok Joins Utell
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a commentThe Evergreen Laurel Hotel Bangkok has chosen
Utell Hotels & Resorts for its dedicated international sales,
marketing and distribution.
Its sister property, the Evergreen Laurel
Hotel Penang in Malaysia has also extended its decade-long
relationship with Utell for another two years.
Ric Leutwyler, president of Utell said, “We
are delighted to welcome Evergreen’s distinguished Bangkok
property into the Utell family and of course to continue providing
our services to the Penang property. This is indeed testament to
the faith that the group has in Utell’s ability to provide
international hotel sales, marketing and distribution services,
essential to enabling hotels and small independent group hotels to
compete on a global level.”
In honor of the switch to Utell, the
160-room Evergreen
Laurel Hotel Bangkok is offering a special rate of $89 per night
throughout July and August, with no minimum stay. The Bangkok property
is
located on Sathorn Road.
AirAsia to launch Flights from Singapore to Miri and Tawau
Posted , add a commentAirAsia is to launch two new flights between
Singapore and East Malasyia. The new Singapore - Miri and Singapore - Tawau sectors,
which begin 9 September, will help draw more inbound international
tourist traffic arriving from Singapore into Sabah and Sarawak.
To celebrate the introduction of the new routes,
AirAsia is offering all-in-fare for Tawau- Singapore from RM79
(Sin$42) and Miri- Singapore from RM59 (Sin$32).
Both promotional fares open for sale from
14 July to 19 July 2009 for travel between 9 September 2009 and 30
April 2010. Promotional seats are limited and available on
first-come, first-served basis.
AirAsia’s first connection between East Malaysia
and Singapore was from Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, which commenced
last November. Other existing routes include Kuala Lumpur -
Singapore, Langkawi- Singapore and Penang- Singapore.
Apart from Malaysia, AirAsia currently flies
between Singapore and the Indonesian provinces which include Bali
(2 daily flights), Jakarta (4 daily flights), Pekanbaru (3 flights
weekly), Yogyakarta (1 daily flight) and Bandung (2 daily
flights). In addition to that, AirAsia also flies to Bangkok (4
daily flights) and Phuket (1 daily flight) in Thailand.
AirAsia currently has a total of 406
weekly flights to and from Singapore.
Kathleen Tan, Regional Head of Commercial
AirAsia, said “We are proud to open-up new market as these sectors
are not served. Students, families and foreign workers can now
take advantage of our low fares and renew their social ties more
frequently or even indulge in leisure holidays to both countries.
There are countless attractions in East Malaysia and Singapore as
it entails a wonderful journey of discovery into its culture,
heritage and adventure. Our recent initiative to remove the
administration fee reiterates AirAsia’s commitment to offer big
value so everyone can fly following our move to abolish fuel
surcharge last year.”
Miri is the second largest city and
the most popular tourist destination in Sarawak. It is famous for
its national parks, heritage sites and adventure destinations for
the most spellbinding experiences in Sarawak. For instance the
Gunung Mulu National Park, is home to the world’s largest cave
system, the world’s largest cave passage and the largest natural
rock chamber in the world. Miri is also a bustling commercial
centre and boasts as the home of Sarawak’s oil industry.
Tawau is located at the northern tip of Sabah Borneo and is the
gateway to the world class diving paradise Sipadan Island and many
neighboring island resorts. Through Tawau tourists will also gain
access to a few oldest virgin forests in the world, for instance
Danum Valley, Tabin Wildlife, Maliau Basin, and Tawau Hill Park.
Jet Airways to Increase Flights between Mumbai and Bangkok
Posted , add a commentIndia’s Jet Airways is to add a second daily
service to Bangkok from Mumbai aboard its state-of-the-art Boeing
737-800 aircraft, effective August 16, 2009.
The airline currently operates a daily service
to Bangkok from Mumbai, as well as from Delhi and Kolkata.
Effective August 16, 2009, flight 9W 68 will depart Mumbai at
13:05, arriving in Bangkok at 18:55. Flight 9W 67 will then
depart Bangkok at 20:55, arriving in Mumbai at 23:40.
Jet Airways currently flies to 18 international destinations,
including New York (both JFK and Newark), Toronto, Brussels,
London (Heathrow), Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo,
Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu
Dhabi and Dubai.
Orient-Express launches Promotions Around Asia
Posted , add a commentOrient-Express is matching competitively priced
air fares around South East Asia with tailor-made packages to suit
a range of tastes and preferences at its six resorts in Bali,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.
For the spa addict,
hours of indulgent pampering and yoga twinned with first-hand
experience of the magical spirituality and culture of Bali are on
offer in the ‘Bali Harmony’ package at Ubud
Hanging Gardens.
The package also
includes a private guided tour to sacred Balinese villages, a
special private picnic and two 3-course dinners for two for those
booking at least five nights. The deluxe villas have their own
private infinity pools overlooking terraced gardens and
spectacular lush green scenery, with prices starting from US$456.
A ‘Romantic Hideaway‘ package on the beautiful
white sands at Jimbaran Puri Bali is
designed for couples looking for privacy and intimacy.
The Romantic Hideaway showcases the resort’s
ew thatched villas (one or two bedrooms), each with
their own private swimming pools set in a traditional
Balinese garden with courtyard, and comes complete with
a romantic two-hour ‘Balinese Spa Delight’ treatment for
two plus sparkling wine and sunset dinner at the
resort’s Beachfront restaurant. Rates start at US$457 a
night including daily breakfast.
If nostalgic
journeys of olden-day romance, conjure up images of timeless
elegant of train travel, meander through the heart of Asia with
the Eastern & Oriental Express train. Packages vary from one to
three nights and include sumptuous 3-course dinners, delightful
afternoon teas and absolute romantic chivalry.
Book selected Singapore-Bangkok or Bangkok-Singapore journeys now
and receive two free nights at the 5 star Mandarin Oriental Hotel
(or similar hotel) in Singapore, two free nights at the 5 star
Peninsula Hotel (or similar hotel) in Bangkok - plus all station
transfers. Prices start from US$2,210.
A
‘Family Package’ caters for couples
with children at the Napasai in Koh Samui, Thailand.
The promotion includes a day-long island tour for four, Thai carving
classes for the family, one private villa dinner and one dinner at
the resort’s Thai restaurant. Adults are pampered with Thai
massages and children are treated to an ‘Angel Bliss’ massage.
Round trip airport transfers are also included. Prices for a
minimum stay of four nights start from US$490 for a Garden Cottage
Suite or US$880 for a two-bedroom private pool villa.
For culture fiends, La Residence d’Angkor at Siem
Reap in Cambodia takes guests on a voyage of
‘Cultural Discovery’ around one of the most
beautiful and beguiling landscapes in the world, famed for world
famous man-made wonder Angkor Wat.
Priced from US$234 per
night in a delightful Riverside Room, the package includes entry
to Angkor Wat with a private full-day tour guide, as well as a
private picnic, three-course dinner and airport transfers.
In August 2009, Orient-Express will re-launch its
ultimate cultural exploration, the Road To Mandalay.
Cruising the Ayeyarwady River from the pagoda city of Bagan and royal Mandalay
this breathtaking voyage through Burma can be enjoyed for three,
four or seven nights, with the option of additional nights in
historic Yangon, Ngapali and Inle Lake.
After an
extensive 12 month refurbishment by teams of local craftsmen, the
river boat launches with even more understated glamour and
grandeur, but moreover spectacular scenery and a once in a
lifestyle travel experience. Book any cruise departing prior to
April 2010 before 30th September and receive a complimentary
2-night Yangon Extension at the luxurious Governor’s Residence
Hotel, plus transfers and sight seeing tours before or after your
cruise.
Set amongst the mountains in Luang
Prabang, Laos, La Residence Phou Vao has a great value
‘Stay
Another Day’ package where guests staying three nights earn a
complimentary fourth night – plus the three nights will be
pre-discounted by 25%. Also included in this package is
daily breakfast and a morning spa treatment for two in a private
villa, complete with steam bath, subject to availability.