In the night of 19 September 2006, the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra started what now known as 2006 Thailand coup d’état.

More information about the coup and its progress can be read here [wikipedia]: 2006 Thailand coup d’état

What this coup means to the travel industry here in Thailand?

New York Times summed it up on this piece: Thailand Tourists: ‘Coup? What Coup?’

Basically saying that all are normal and work regulary as if there’s no coup in Thailand:

Coup? What coup? That seems to be the attitude among travelers and travel professionals as the recent political turmoil in Thailand appears to have had little or no effect on tourism there. After all, the embattled prime minister, who had led a grudgingly accepted social order campaign in 2001 that mandated a 1 a.m. closing time for most of Bangkok’s bars and nightclubs, was not very popular among the city’s residents.

In fact, when tanks rolled into Bangkok, Thais presented soldiers with flowers and candy, and many troops gladly posed for photographs with foreigners. In Phuket, unperturbed beachgoers sipped “coup cocktails” at beachside bars. And if the opening of a new international airport (Suvarnabhumi) outside Bangkok on is any indication, the provisional rulers seem intent on making sure that the tourism industry — which Thai officials say draws more than 11 million tourists a year — continues apace.

Complete article here: Thailand Tourists: ‘Coup? What Coup?’

Several pictures from flickr:

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For majority of people, Asia is just a big foreign continent. The Oriental, the Far East, but what exactly to go if you want to visit “Asia”?

Check out this list of 12 Destinations in Asia that make the continent what it is.

1. Guangzhou, China. To the British it was Canton. The city is over 2200 year old. It is littered with temples and pagodas - and with old markets and new shopping malls. If Shanghai is the Whore of the East, this is where she bought her dress.

2. Goa, India. On this former Portuguese colony, 75 miles of its coast line, over 50 miles of it, is beach.

3. Suzhou, China. Perhaps the most beautiful place in China. Suzhou. The city could remind a Westerner of Venice. Canals and street are interlaced.

4. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has become famous in recent years for its seven star hotel, perfect beaches, and relaxed atmosphere.

5. Beijing. Possibly the most visited city in Asia. Places to see in Beijing:

• The Confucius Temple
• The Summer Palaces
• Tiananmen Square
• The Ming Tombs
• The Western Qing Tombs
• The Great Wall

6. Xi’an, China. Six thousand year of history. And perhaps most famous for the Terracotta Warriors discovered there in 1974.

7. Henan Province, China. The cradle of Chinese civilization. The attractions in Henan are numerous. Among them:

• The Shaolin Temple
• Dengfeng and the Songshan Mountains
• The Longmen Grottoes
• Kaifeng: Memorial Temple of Lord Bao, the Iron Pagoda (Tie Ta) and Xiangguo Temple.
• Luoyang: Guanlin Temple, Ancient Tombs, and the White Horse Temple.

8. Tibet. The roof of Asia. Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, is a fascinating city of history and culture.

9. Bangkok, Thailand. Its reputation for fast living combine with traditional values and easy atmosphere has made it an exciting place to visit. The world comes here to wheel and deal, to shop and relax.

10. Angkor, Cambodia. The great temple-city complex of Cambodia is bigger in reality, the complex alone covers some 500 acres of land and is rich enough to spend much more than a single day at without actually wasting your time.

11. Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. Famous for slim young girls walking elegantly down the avenues in the white ao dai suits unique to Vietnam - pants with a knee length shirt that has a slit up to the belt line. Despite all the things to do, it is the people, the hospitality, and the street scenes that make this city an essential Asian experience.

12. Bali, Indonesia. The island is Asia in a capsule in many ways: Idyllic beaches and lofty mountains together in one package. Bali is a Hindu culture left over from the days before Indonesia because the world’s most populous Islamic country.

For more destinations and travel guide of Asia, check out this page from Wikitravel Asia.

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Bali, Indonesia named as the 2006 World’s Best Island by Travel + Leisure Magazine after won the same award last year.

Quite surprising since the island have been getting bad news this past several years, with the bombings in 2002 and again in 2005.

The Top 10 Island 2006 Worldwide by Travel + Leisure

Several hotels in Bali also suceeded in getting into the top 10 Hotels Worldwide namely the Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan and at Jimbaran Bay in 2nd and 5th position, follows by Rizt-Carlton Bali at 7th position.

Top resources links about Bali:

• Indo.com
• Bali Blog

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Ecotourism is defined as: Businesses that cater to tourists follow special policies to protect the environment, aid the local community and educate travelers.

Unfortunately, there is no universal set of standards on what can pass as Ecotourism. Added to this there are 100 groups that is offering various “eco” certifications and memberships.

This CNN article on Ecotourism gives 4 simple questions that you can ask so you can judge by yourself whether a travel service or hotels is “ecotrourism” or not.

1. How do you conserve resources?
2. How do you protect plants and animals?
3. What do you do to helo the community?
4. What ecotourism activities do you offer?

Go here for the complete article

Several links on Ecotourism in Asia: Gordon’s Guide and Ecotourism Map from Nature.org

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CNN reported about study conducted by AC Nielsen, Visa and PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association), with respondents interviewed between March 20 and 30 in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Sweden, Britain and the United States.

The study indicated that more people are willing to travel to Asia region compare with a year ago, when news about Terorrist Attacks, Tsunami and Bird Flu were in the news.

Some points from the study:

• 43% of survey respondents said they were considering Asian vacations this year [last year: 34%]
• 1 in 5 respondents is misinformed about locations where terrorist attacks have occurred
• 1 in 5 believed there was bird flu in areas with no reported cases
• 18% of respondents said China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore were “severely” or “somewhat affected” by the tsunami, even though these areas were not hit by the December 2004 disaster
• 78% respondents believe Thailand was still affected or severely affected by the tsunami, even though the disaster only affected a handful of destinations there.

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Map was developed by dividing the tourist number (2003) with the general population of the country.

Several numbers:

• In 2003, 665 million international tourist trips were made.
• Meaning 10.7% from world’s population holidayed abroad (some are repeated trips).
• Western Europe is the most popular destination for international tourists, the region receives 46% of world tourist trips.

Map and data are from Worldmapper Tourist Destination. Find more interesting maps on the site: Worldmapper

From the map, we can see that Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are also a popular tourist destination.

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The Singapore Flyer - a giant observation wheel, is set to be Asia’s most visible Iconic Visitor Attraction. When completed in March 2008, The Singapore Flyer will provide breathtaking panoramic views of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

It will be one of the world’s largest man-made moving land objects at a height of 169 metres – equivalent to a 42-story building. It will comprise a giant observation wheel 150-metres in diameter sitting astride a 20-metre high, three storey terminal building.

Official website of Singapore Flyer

More information:

• Location
• Design – Architectural Design
• Design - Capsule
• Facts and Figures
• Project Team

Very similar construction with another similar giant observation wheel in London, called London Eye

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DISNEY ON ICE

“The Magical World of Disney on Ice” will tour theatres and arenas worldwide for the first time ever this summer in bangkok. The new live family entertainment show, Disney on Ice “The Magical World of Disney on Ice” will take audiences on a journey of adventure and surprise with cartoon player in your beloved are live, on stage.

Venue: Impact Arena
Location: Muangthongtani Changwattana Road - Bangkok
Date: 24 March - 2 April 2006 (19 Performances)

Ticket: 800 Baht, 600 Baht, 300 Baht

More information about schedule (Thai and English soundtrack version), seating plan, and online booking visit: Thai Ticket Master.

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According to Norwegian travel trade, Kingdom of Thailand is “The World’s Best Tourist Country 2005″.

For the the second consecutive year Thailand has won “Grand Travel Award 2005″ that was being hosted for the 10th time and as the result of a survey which polled over 300 travel industry members in Norway.

2nd place is Greece with the score of 4.74 followed by Denmark 4.74, Spain 4.47 and Turkey 3.75.

More information about Thailand Tourism can be obtained from Tourism Authority of Thailand official site.

More about Thailand: Highlights of Thailand

From TAT News: THAILAND WINS PRESTIGIOUS NORWEGIAN GRAND TRAVEL AWARD FOR ‘THE WORLD’S BEST TOURIST COUNTRY 2005’

thailand, travel award, tourism

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