Suvarnabhumi Airport: top or bottom?
By Harold Suvarnabhumi Airport, the only airport in the world whose name you pronounce differently, wants to improve its service and become one of the top 10 best airports on the planet. Ambitions Ambitious messages from this gateway to South-East Asia, but a lot still needs to be done before this is realised. Let's start with the customer-friendliness at this modern airport with an experience that every …
Is Bangkok safe for tourists?
By Khun Peter Many tourists are still looking for information about the current situation in Bangkok. I see that in the search traffic to the blog and on the blog. This question pops up regularly on bulletin boards and forums. Travel to Thailand The TV images of the riots in Bangkok have done what you can expect. The fear is good for many tourists. From the poll…
Cycling through Bangkok is a gap in the market
by Marijke van den Berg (RNW) Co van Kessel has been cycling through Bangkok for more than 20 years. What started as a hobby and out of love for the city grew into Bangkok's first bicycle tour company. It turned out to be a gap in the market. The Dutch entrepreneurs have already introduced many local young guides to the city and taught them how to deal with the mostly Dutch tourists. Although Co is no longer the only one…
Pattaya, more than just a vibrant nightlife
Pattaya is a unique city, especially for its nightlife. You won't find anything comparable anywhere in the world anytime soon.
Yet Pattaya has more to offer than just nightly entertainment with all the trimmings. You would do the city short to judge Pattaya only on the large number of beer and GoGo bars present.
Hua Hin Yacht Club
A promotional video (photos actually) of a day trip with a boat from Hua Hin. Normally I don't post this because then you keep going. But the accompanying song by 'The Beatles' makes it worth it. And it evokes the ultimate holiday feeling for me.
Thailand is safe, but still…
by Hans Bos Thailand is one of the safest destinations in Asia in terms of health. Nevertheless, tourists from Western countries must take the necessary precautions to return home safely. According to Ramanpal Singh and Michael Morton, both doctors affiliated with the Travel Medicine Clinic of the Bangkok Hospital, prevention is better than cure when traveling, as their presentation recently showed. Dr. Ramanpal successively showed hepatitis A and B, yellow …
Traveling to Thailand? Just do it!
By Khun Peter Is Thailand safe? Is Thailand still a nice holiday destination? Can I travel to Thailand without any problems? Just a few questions that I get fired at me every day. Traveling Thailand in 2010 Yes, you can also travel to Thailand in 2010 without any problems and enjoy a wonderful holiday there. Thailandblog is not sponsored by the Thai Tourist Board. The visitors of this blog know that both Hans and I are often very critical …
World Cup football virus also in Thailand
Dancing elephants, painted with the national flag of the participating World Cup countries. Thailand is also under the spell of the World Cup football. The gambling offices are working overtime because a Thai will do anything to gamble, the football pool squared. In this video you can see that Khao San Raod exudes a real World Cup atmosphere. The Thai Tourist Board (TAT) is doing its best to create a nice football atmosphere for tourists as well.
Hotels are almost empty, tour operators are without customers and travel agencies are busy with rebookings. The tourism industry in Bangkok is struggling. Even now that daily life is starting again a week after the fierce street protests, the tourists are not crowding. And that may take a while. Fifty bicycles are shining in the sun at the bicycle tour company Recreational Bangkok Biking. There has been no customer for the past few days. Only …
Bangkok: Eligible situation lifted
On Wednesday, May 26, the Calamities Committee lifted the distributable situation for Bangkok. This was established on May 17 of this year. Now that the situation eligible for benefits has ended, travel organizers can again offer guaranteed travel to the whole of Thailand, including Bangkok. With this decision, the Calamity Committee does not mean to say that staying in Bangkok can be regarded as risk-free, but that the usual cover for these trips is accepted by the Calamity Fund. This relieves tour operators and…
Security situation and travel advice Thailand
An update of the security situation on May 21, 2010 On Wednesday, May 19, the army intervened and the protest locations of the red shirts in Bangkok were evacuated. This was accompanied by a lot of violence, resulting in many deaths and injuries, including foreign journalists. In response to the eviction, the Redshirts set fires in central Bangkok. A number of department stores, including Central World, have burned down. Also in the North and Northeast of…
Thai tourism industry is hit hard
Thailand is paying a high price for the country's political unrest. The tourism sector will have to write off 100 billion baht in lost revenue this year. Thailand still hopes for 12 million tourists The number of tourists that will visit Thailand has been adjusted downwards. Thailand hopes to reach a total of 12 million tourists this year. Earlier estimates assumed between 12,7 and 14.1 million foreign guests. Arrivals at Suvarnabhumi Airport Strong…
Bangkok travel advice, a warning for vigilance
CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE JUNE 2010 By Khun Peter It continues to keep people busy. Is it safe or not to travel to Bangkok? A lively discussion has arisen on the Thailand and Bangkok bulletin boards, forums and websites. Because there are many parties with their own interests, we must try to look at the situation objectively. The facts about Bangkok Let's take a look at the facts. Last …
Tourism Thailand in heavy weather due to protests
The state of emergency and fighting over the weekend has driven the Thai tourism industry to despair. Significant losses are expected for 2010. The conflicts cost the tourism industry at least $ 1 billion, the FTI (Federation of Thai Industry) said. More than 40 countries have now issued travel advisories and warnings regarding Bangkok. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also issued a travel warning. Many travelers confuse this with negative travel advice and err on the side of caution…
No negative travel advice Thailand!
CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE JUNE 2010 There have been quite a few reports in the media yesterday and the day before yesterday suggesting that there is a negative travel advice for Bangkok and/or Thailand. We would like to emphasize that this is not a negative travel advice, but only a warning at level 4. What does the warning from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mean? There is a warning at level 4. (on a scale of 6.) …
Travel advice Thailand: do not move in Bangkok
CLICK HERE FOR UPDATE JUNE 2010 The website of the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok contains the following announcement about the situation in Thailand. On April 7, Prime Minister Abhisit issued a special crisis regulation for Bangkok, Nonthaburi and parts of the surrounding provinces of Samut Prakarn, Pathumthani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya. The crisis regulation gives relevant state security organizations (particularly the police and the military) far-reaching powers to bring the large-scale protests in Bangkok to an end.
Useful tourist information and telephone numbers
The Thai government emphasizes that the measures resulting from the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and nearby provinces will not affect ordinary people or foreign visitors. Traveling within the Thai Kingdom is no problem. All tourist destinations are normally accessible. In places such as Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui as well as all other tourist destinations there is no unrest or protests. All international and domestic airports in Thailand…