TTR Weekly

Ministry told to shape up

BANGKOK, 18 April 2014: Deputy Prime Minister, Yukhon Limlamthong, has ordered the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to improve its help channel to travellers who are cheated by travel agencies. He suggested the ministry should lodge legal complaints on their behalf to speed up the process and relieve travellers of a legal cost burden. He asked the ministry’s permanent secretary, Suwat Sid...

Japan broadens visa free scheme

TOKYO, 18 April 2014: The Japanese government is considering an initiative to grant visa exemption for citizens from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, in an effort to turn Japan into an attractive tourist destination for Asian travellers. According to Japan’s Kyodo News report, the plan, which is due out this June, is part of Japan’s effort to attract 20 million foreign tourists an...

Ten gets you a discount

CHIANG MAI, 18 April 2014: Chiang Mai-based Kan Air offers passengers, who collect 10 boarding passes, a free one-way fare on of its routes. It amounts to a 10% discount on sector fares. Boarding passes must be in a single passenger’s name, for travel on standard fares, between 1 April and 25 March 2015. The offer remains open until 31 March 2015. To get the free tickets, passenge...

Vietjet lifts services

HANOI, 17 April 2014: Low-cost airline, VietJetAir, will operate daily flights between Hanoi and Phu Quoc effective 28 May. The island destination located off the coast of South Vietnam, very close to the Cambodian border, has granted visa-free entry for some nationalities to boots tourism. The upcoming flight, VJ8811, will depart Hanoi at 1310 and arrive at Phu Quoc 1540. The return flig...

Thailand still appeals to movie makers

BANGKOK, 17 April 2014: Revenue earned from international film productions shot on location in Thailand should increase 15% to Bt2.5 billion by year end. Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Department of Tourism director general, Anuparp Kasornsuwan, said film earnings should grow 15% from Bt2,173.35 million last year, despite instability in the country. Promoting film shoots comes under a ...

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News

Ministry told to shape up

Japan broadens visa free scheme

Vietnam eyes more cruise tourists

THUA THIEN-HUE, 18 April 2014: Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan says Vietnam has to attract more cruise business to diversity its tourism business in the long-term. According to local news reports, tourism deputy minister, Ho Anh Tuan, said: “Only 3% to 5% of international tourists visit Vietnam by sea each year.” It is... [Read full story]

Yasothon rocket festival

YASOTHON, 18 April 2014: Yasothon province will host its famous rocket festival, 5 to 11 May, with teams from four Asian nations joining the festivities. The objective is to blast a rocket skywards in a perfect trajectory from launch sites at the provincial town’s Chang Sanit Road, opposite City Hall and Phraya Than Park. Known locally as Bun Bang... [Read full story]

VNAT cracks down on guides

HANOI, 18 April 2014: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism says it will revoke the license of any travel agency found using foreign tour guides, a practice which companies blame on the lack of local guides fluent in a certain foreign languages. VNAT deputy general director, Nguyen Manh Cuong, told local media that such violations “damaged the... [Read full story]

Search probe pushed to limits

PERTH, 18 April 2014: A US Navy submersible will be taken past its recommended depth limit in hopes of locating missing flight MH370, Australian authorities said Thursday, after Prime Minister Tony Abbott set a one-week deadline to spot wreckage. Australian organisers of the MH370 search said the device, which aborted its first dive earlier this week... [Read full story]

Sydney in line for second airport

SYDNEY, 18 April 12014: The Australian government has given the go-ahead for a second international airport for Sydney, ending decades of indecision with a move predicted to boost the national economy. Prime Minister Tony Abbott confirmed that Badgerys Creek in western Sydney will be the site of the new airport, with planning to start immediately and... [Read full story]

MERS scare prompt checks

MANILA, 18 April 2014: The Philippines on Thursday asked more than 400 passengers who shared an airline flight with a man infected with the MERS virus to check in with the health department immediately. The move was a precautionary measure to ensure none of them were infected by the man who has since been quarantined along with his family, a health... [Read full story]

AirAsia to move to Klia2

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 April 2014: Malaysian budget airline AirAsia said earlier this week it would move to a much-delayed new international terminal set to open next month despite criticising it as rife with safety issues and other problems. The facility near Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is being touted by Malaysian authorities as the world’s... [Read full story]