On the trail of Mekong Dolphins

Part II: Kratie

BANGKOK, 20 May 2013: Beside Kampi, visitors can also spot the rare dolphins at the Koh Phdao community where there is a homestay situated on Roungeav Island, the largest island in the Cambodian section of the Mekong River (45 km long).

It is about 35 km from Kratie town going northwards in the same direction as Kampi. Some tourists cycle the route, but they need to set off very early to complete the ride and then catch the ferry for the last 10 km before the weather gets too hot. The other transfer options are to hire a motorbike, tuk-tuk or car to get to the river pier.

Halfway to Kampi (9 km from town), you will see stalls selling Krolan, or sticky rice, in bamboo sticks at Thma Kreae village. It is very tasty and an excellent food supplement for your backpack or an emergency meal, especially if you cycle to the pier. A backpack is the most convenient way to carry your clothes. Wheelie suitcases will invariably fail apart or slow progress.

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Dolphins: Stars of the Mekong River

CAMBODIA, 10 May 2013: Tourism is one of the top three contributors to Cambodia’s GDP (12% in 2012, US$2 billion), but the benefits are seen in just a few popular destinations.

That’s the challenge for the government. How does it spread tourism’s benefits beyond the few to the many?

Mainstream tourism focuses on Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat, Phnom Penh the capital, Tonle Sap a massive inland lake feeding the Mekong River and the beaches and

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New Year snake slithers in

BANGKOK, 5 February 2013: Key Chinese communities in Thailand are ready to host Chinese New Year celebrations that start in earnest 10 February when Chinese around the world  welcome the Year of the Snake.

The duration of the holiday that falls in January, or February, based on the lunar calendar, is celebrated for a week up to 15 days depending on the country.

Tourism Authority of Thailand projects 2.68 million tourists will spend Bt10.8 billion from 6 to 14 February. Most of the tourists will be locals (2.4 million), while around 270,000 will be mainly Chinese or descendants of Chinese settlers who moved from mainland China to cities in Asia.

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Railway trips to I-san

BANGKOK, 5 February 2013: Tourism Authority of Thailand is working with the State Railway of Thailand and the Association of Domestic Travel to introduce four tour programmes using trains in the Northeast.

Bundled under the slogan Poon Poon Chuk Chuk, Long Rak I-San (English: Choo Choo, falling in love with I-San), the full-board tours use overnight trains to save on accommodation costs.

The first tour will run from 7 to 11 February featuring a group wedding at Nong Han (red lotus sea) in Udon Thani, with a visit to Nong Khai and a cross-border trip to Vientiane. The tour rounds off with sightseeing in the so-called “chic” riverside town of Chiang Kan in Loei province. The trip costs Bt7,390 per person.

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TG splits its Smile.

BANGKOK, 31 January 2013: Thai Airways International will position THAI Smile Airways, as  a low-cost subsidiary focusing on regional routes to ASEAN, China and India.

Regional services should begin from the winter timetable effective late October.

Right now THAI Smile is a business unit of THAI in what the airline calls a premium low-cost category. It flies under the TG code and started operations last July on specific regional and domestic routes.

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Long-haul deals to South America

BANGKOK, 30 January 2013: Travel to South America from Bangkok has always been tedious due to the long flights and stops on the way to catch connecting services often on the US mainland and requiring strict security checks between flights.

However, that has changed with the emergence of strong Middle East airlines that are offering convenient — one-stop connections and end the need to transit through in the US

There are some European carriers also seving South American cities the most notable  being Turkish Airlines.

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THAI Smiles on Ubon and Udon

BANGKOK, 30 January 2013: Thai Smile is taking over the Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani and Bangkok-Udon Thani from the full-service parent, Thai Airways International effective 1 February.

The frequency on the Udon Thani route will remain three times daily while Ubon gains a second daily flight.

Udon Thani-bound flights will depart Suvarnabhumi Airport at 0705, 1420 and 1840, while the Bangkok–bound flight will departs at 0850, 1555 and 2015.

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Asiana drops Busan-Vietnam route

BANGKOK, 29 January 203: Korea’s Asiana Airlines will stop flying to Vietnam from Busan, 2 March and instead increase services to China.

Asiana will halt its ex-Busan services to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. It operates five times a week to each city using A320 aircraft. The services were not as popular as earlier anticipated mounting up losses for the airline since the launch in June 2011.

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PATA: A pain in the neck

BANGKOK, 29 January 2013: Pacific Asia Travel Association and World Travel and Tourism Council continue to hammer UK authorities over the unpopular Air Passenger Duty due for further increases in 1 April.

PATA CEO, Martin Craigs has used the UK air passenger duty as a launch pad to revive PATA’s advocacy role that fell by the wayside during the tenure of two previous CEOs.

He has lambasted UK authorities in various forums since his appointment in November 2011 culminating in a presentation to UK members of parliament at a dinner during the World Travel Mart last November.

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Golden Myanmar adds aircraft

BANGKOK, 28 January 2013: Golden Myanmar Airlines will take delivery of its second A320 at the end of February and hopes to use it to start its first regional service to Singapore.

The airline is planning a Mandalay-Yangon-Singapore service in March, but the exact launch date has not been announced. It will also consider services to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur shortly afterwards according to GMA’s commercial department.

On the domestic front, the airline plans to start other routes to add to its single service on the Mandalay-Yangon sector.

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