Cartoon Network backs theme park

BANGKOK, 24 May 2012: More than Bt1 billion will be invested in the first ever Cartoon Network AMAZONE project sited at Bang Saray, Pattaya and due to open in 2013.

Cartoon Network AMAZONE is a theme water park  involving Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific and Amazon Falls Co Ltd, a resort developer in Thailand.

Covering 35 rai, the Cartoon Network AMAZONE is an upgraded version of the Amazon Falls Water Theme Park that was under development at the site for the past two years and was due to open in 2010.

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Pattaya relies on domestic visits

BANGKOK, 3 April 2012: Domestic travel should boom for Pattaya during the Songkran holiday, 16 to 21 April, as well as  short-haul markets from the region, said Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter president, Bundarik Kusolvitya.

Pattaya celebrates the festival a week after the rest of country.

Commenting on the sidelines of the THA bi-monthly meeting, last week, Ms Bundarik said the resort was relying on the domestic market to fill up rooms during the festival week. Strong regional markets are China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea.

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Pattaya’s events go mobile

PATTAYA, 2 April 2012: Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau launched its D-MICE @ Pattaya, 30 March, a pilot application for smartphones and android mobiles to boost the domestic events revenue by  year end.

At its D-MICE @ Pattaya press conference TCEB president, Akapol Sorasuchart,( He left the bureau 31 March) said the bureau partnered with Pattaya to harness the latest technology. The application provides information on Pattaya activities, tourist attractions, venues and facilities targeting events.

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Adventure race hits set back

PATTAYA, 22 March 2012: Organisers of the first Pattaya Trophy Adventure Dash have postponed the event claiming local authorities had a change of heart over hosting the race  7 April.

The inaugural Pattaya Adventure Dash 2012 is hosted by Pattaya City Hall, but it hired Active Management Asia, a regional sports and adventure events organiser, to run the event and with just three weeks to go officials say they will  move the event to a July time slot instead.

AMA in a statement to participants said it was likely “political reasons and local elections were the reason behind this stunning last minute change, and these are reasons we have no control over whatsoever.”

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Chonburi will need more rooms

CHONBURI, 6 March 2012: Chonburi province, home to Pattaya beach, is forecasting tourism revenue will increase to Bt100 billion over the next three years and require a bigger investment in five-star hotels to meet demand.

Chonburi Provincial Administration Organisation chairman, Wittaya Khunpluem, claims  tourism generated Bt80 billion on 7 million visitors last year.

The province’s main attraction is Pattaya. Read more

New water park in pipeline

BANGKOK, 29 February 2012: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, yesterday, announced a plan to open the world’s first Cartoon Network-themed water park in Bang Saray, close to Pattaya, on Thailand’s eastern seaboard.

Cartoon Network AMAZONE is being developed in conjunction with Amazon Falls Company, a resort developer in Thailand.

Covering 14 acres, the Cartoon Network AMAZONE is the revised version of the Amazon Falls Water Theme Park that has been undergoing development over the past couple of years and was initially due to open in 2010. Read more

British sex tourist jailed

BANGKOK, 29 February 2012: A court in Thailand on Tuesday sentenced a British man to 21 years in prison for the rape of three underage girls who had been forced to have sex with him by the mother of one of the victims.

Stuart Hargreaves Lloyd, 45, was convicted of having sex with the girls between 2004 and August 2010 in hotels in the capital Bangkok and the Thai beach resort of Pattaya.

A 50-year-old Thai woman was jailed for 42 years for forcing the girls, including her daughter, into prostitution, an official at the Bangkok court told AFP. Read more

Pattaya feels the flood pinch

PATTAYA, 2 December 2011: Pattaya tourism remain slow with occupancy rates and forward bookings well down on last year, said Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter president, Bundarik Kusolvitya, earlier this week.

Ms Bundarik told TTR Weekly that Pattaya lost substantial business once news spread that Don Mueang Airport was hit by floods.

The airport is of no significance for international travel as it was used by just three domestic airlines. Just 280,000 passengers passed through the airport in October, 20,000 less than Chiang Mai. But once Don Mueang Airport flooded, the news prompted a free fall in travel bookings at all Thai destinations.

Travel executives continue harp on the mistake of a local English language newspaper that banner headlined a story “Bangkok Airport closed.” Read more

Buffalo races at Chonburi

PATTAYA, 29 September 2011 –  Chonburi province will host its annual buffalo races during 7 to 11 October in front of the district office in the town centre.

Buffalo racing is a tradition in Chonburi province going back 140 years and attracts big crowds, a mix of Thais and foreign tourist.

The 140th festival promises a fun fair, contests, hundreds of food stalls and even farm produce displays on the sidelines of  the races. Read more

Pattaya rises above the floods

PATTAYA, 16 September 2011 – Pattaya is back in business after flash floods caused by the heavy rainfall, 10 to 12 September, inundated tourist districts under a metre or more of water.

City officials say the clean-up is almost finished with just small lanes remaining under water. They said the lanes, where there are many small hotels, should dry out over the weekend, but the main streets are clear.

Heavy rain washed through Pattaya submerging  its red light district in metre-high water. The flooding was caused by blocked drains and waterways that prevented storm water from running off into the sea Read more

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