One of the standout international sporting events in the Asia region, the 29th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Under Royal Patronage prepares to set sail once again, swelling Phuket visitor numbers and making a large contribution to overall Thai tourism performance. The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 will be held at Kata Beach Resort and Spa, Phuket from 5th December to 12th December, and will host international racing classes across which over 150 boats and 1500+ sailors will compete for one of sailing’s most prestigious trophies, bestowed by His Majesty the King of Thailand.

Under Royal Patronage, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is organized by the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, in conjunction with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy and the Province of Phuket. The region’s largest regatta includes dinghies (International Dinghy Classes), keelboats and multihulls amongst its competitive classes, and will feature a sail pass to celebrate His Majesty the King’s birthday. The Royal Awards Ceremony will be held on 12th December.

Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organizing Committee, said, “The diversity of craft, international complement of crews and the highlight spectacle of the post-race parties make this regatta a stand-out attraction in the region. As we stand but one year away from the magical “Pearl” milestone of three decades of the King’s Cup, we’re very proud of the contribution this magnificent event makes to Phuket and Thailand, and to the sport of sailing globally.”

Consisting of five days of racing on scenic courses amidst the beautiful Andaman Sea islands, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta draws sailors and support crews from over 40 countries, including USA, Australia, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and China. This international gathering is a key event on the Phuket tourism calendar, generating over 400 million Baht for local businesses, and offering residual value as it helps to grow the Island of Phuket brand as a premier sports paradise on the world stage. Sailing in Thailand also enjoys a great boost from the regatta as young Thai sailors are able to develop their sailing skills in dinghies, and go on to join international keelboat crews competing for class honors.

As well as bringing some of the world’s fastest independent racing teams, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta is famed for its beachside party series. Revelry and camaraderie to the backdrop of fireworks and live music form a big part of the attraction for competitors – and for sponsors also; a draw for Thai companies and international brands keen to grow their presence on a cosmopolitan platform, the parties are an essential event on the Phuket social calendar. The regatta offers sponsorship and media engagement opportunities as well as premier networking opportunities hosted across the party venues each night following conclusion of the day’s racing.

Keelboats and Multihulls are scheduled to compete firstly between 7-9 December, with 10th December to be reserved as a lay day for competitors to adjust their strategies or fix their boats. The race will continue on 11-12 December. The full complement of classes for the 2015 race year include IRC Zero (international ‘Grand Prix’ boats), the highly competitive IRC 1, IRC 2, IRC 3, along with Sports Boat, Modern Classic, Premier, Open Charter, Bareboat Charter, Classic, Cruising, Firefly 850 Sports, Multihulls Racing, and Multihulls Cruising.

International Dinghy Classes will race from 7-10 December at Kata Beach Resort and Spa. Classes are divided into Optimist Boys, Optimist Girls, Laser Standard, Laser 4.7 and Topper. Its inclusion in Phuket King’s Cup Regatta has played a part in the development of youth sailing in Thailand, encouraging more young sailors to take up the sport, and empowering the development of talented and aspiring skippers.

For regular visitors to the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, the event is associated with top class racing and is an unmissable event on the world sailing schedule each year. For guests who have never experienced the excitement and highly charged competitive atmosphere, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 is a must-visit showcase for the sport of sailing and for the Island of Phuket.

Sponsors of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta 2015 include Principal Host Sponsor Kata Group, and Strategic Partners The Government Lottery Office (GLO), TCEB, and TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand). Co-Sponsors: Central Pattana, PTT PLC, Montclair, Haadthip, SINGHA Corporation. Media Partners: Phuket Gazette, PGTV, Prestige, SailWorld.com, Yachtstyle, Sea Yachting, Phuket Magazine, Image Asia, Phuket Marine Guide, The Guide Phuket, RL Magazine and Art & Culture.

The event was also aired on Russia’s TV 24 and several other broadcasting channels in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Ms. Eumporn Jiragalwisul, Director of Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Moscow Office said, “This is such great news. Thailand is very honoured to have received such prestigious awards from one of the top travel magazines in Russia as well as to have been voted online by its readers. Both honours are testaments of Thailand as a top beach getaway destination among travellers from Russia, one of the top 10 tourist markets to Thailand.”

In 2014, Thailand welcomed about 1.6 million visitors from Russia. In 2015, from January – October, a total of 649,188 visitors from Russia have visited Thailand.

Travellers from Russia are attracted to Thailand’s beach resorts including Phuket, Pattaya and Ko Samui. Apart from daily direct flights from Moscow to key gateways in Thailand, several charter flights are available during the winter season from various cities in Russia and the CIS, allowing travellers from this region to experience the nice and warm weather in Thailand. While here, they can enjoy a wide variety of tourist attractions ranging from unique culture, abundant natural beauty and remarkable variety of activities including soft adventure, spa, shopping and medical tourism.

NatGeo Russia Awards_resizedNational Geographic Traveller Russia is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Published five times per year, the magazine has a circulation of 110,000 and a total readership of 746,800. It is also available in an iPad-version.

The National Geographic Traveller Award in Russia has been held already for the fifth time. The uniqueness of this award is the method of voting which is held on the website www.nat-geo.ru. This is truly the reader’s choice according to their humble opinion. This prestigious award highlights the main trends and preferences of Russians in the field of tourism and travelling. Their opinion influences on the magazine’s editorial plan for the next year as well.

For the 2015 awards edition, the magazine launched the voting on the website from 29 June to 10 November. Categories and five nominees are set before voting and people chose any they want. In case they cannot find the destination they want to vote for, they can write their own variant in a comment.

This year 240,000 readers participated in the voting for a total of 90 countries, 19 Russian destinations, 39 air companies, 23 hotel chains, 33 online projects, and 10 TV shows about travelling. National Geographic added two more categories – Editorial’s choice within destinations or person.

Thailand was presented as one of the nominees in the category of Beach Leisure, and got the award with 14 per cent. There were 26 competitors, including Spain (12 per cent), Philippines (10 per cent), Azerbaijan (9 per cent), Greece (7 per cent), and Montenegro (6 per cent).

Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Phuket were recently voted among the 20 most popular and best value cities in Asia by US travellers, according to TripAdvisor’s TripIndex report.

Conducted by the popular travel website, TripAdvisor, the index aims at helping US travellers identify the destinations that offer the best value by comparing the price of a one-week trip to different Asian cities between 1 November, 2015, and 30 April, 2016. It evaluates primary travel expenses including a seven-night hotel stay and average round-trip airfare from the US as well as a year-over-year comparison of the overall costs.

In the rankings of the top 20 best value destinations in Asia, Chiang Mai came in fourth, Bangkok in seventh place, and Phuket – Kathu in particular – tenth.

The report described Chiang Mai as providing the lowest cost in Thailand by giving a sample price point of US$1,577 for the total one-week trip, representing a 21 per cent decrease than the previous year. Travel expenses in Bangkok for the polling period stood at US$1,680 (nine per cent lower than last year) while costs in Kathu, Phuket dropped 20 per cent year-on-year to US$1,902.

The index also stated that travel expenses for popular destinations in Asia will have dropped on an average of 12 per cent year-over-year, allowing travellers to save as much as 32 per cent on a trip to the Far East during the next six months.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of the TAT said, “Apart from offering the best value for money, Thailand provides the US visitors with the best travelling experiences due to the diversity of destinations to fulfill the different desirable holiday. Also, we would like to welcome US travellers to Thailand and see how Thainess, Thai hospitality, our rich history, culture and Thai ways of life can fulfill their holiday time.”

In 2014, the number of tourists from the United States totalled 762,530, who generated revenue of 52.16 billion Baht (1.6 billion US) to the Thai tourism industry. Moreover, the figure indicates that US travellers spend 4,956 Baht and have an average stay of about 14 days per person travelling in Thailand. Also, the top destinations to this market, which responds to the result of the TripAdvisor survey, include Bangkok, Phuket, and Chiang Mai. US visitors favour beaches and culture in Thailand.

In order to keep attracting US tourists travelling to Thailand, the two TAT offices in the United States have planned their marketing strategies and activities in 2016. These include conducting advertising via on and off-line channels, organising in-market trade shows for the growing segments; such as honeymoon, adventure, luxury, and leisure.

The TAT US offices are promoting Thailand as a holiday destination with interesting attractions by inviting media and travel agents to join the familiarisation trips, which for the past several years, have attracted multiple high impact broadcast TV shows from the US to film in Thailand.

Earlier this year, TAT attracted an Emmy Award winning 30 minute show, ABC’s Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin, to film in Chon Buri where the show featured sea turtle conservation project and on Mae Klong River where Mr. Corwin caught the world largest giant string ray and in Chiang Rai’s Anantara Elephant camp where showcasing Elephant’s intelligence. The show aired all three Thailand episodes on ABC in October, 2015 with 1.8 million viewers per week in the US.

According to the latest international arrivals to Thailand from January – October 2015, the US market recorded at 677,198, representing an increase by 12.96 per cent over the same period of 2014.

International tourist arrivals to Thailand posted an improvement of 24.75%, January to October, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ data.

Released Tuesday, the ministry’s data showed the country attracted 24,364,667 international visits during the first 10 months of the year up from 19,531,084 visits during the same period last year.

The ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, Wannasiri Morakul, said tourism in 2015 would surpass the projected 28.8 million visits by year end. In the first 10 months, 24.36 million visits were recorded.

“China, Malaysia and Japan were major source markets during the period…another 5.2 million visits are expected over the remaining two months of the year, which will drive Thailand’s tourism to around 29.5 million visits exceeding the year-end target.”

She claimed that government measures to stimulate tourism were a factor contributing to the tourism boom.

These measures include the tourism promotion campaign ‘2015 Discover Thainess,’ which emphasises the country’s cultural treasures and the Thai way of life including the 12 hidden gem destinations promoting on secondary venues. They are Lampang, Nan, Phetchaburi, Loei, Buri Ram, Ratchaburi, Samut Songkhram, Chanthaburi, Trat, Chumphon, Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The additional 12 “don’t miss” destinations will be promoted next year namely: Lamphun, Phrae, Phitsanulok, Chaiyaphum, Surin, Suphanburi, Nakhon Pathom, Sa Kaeo, Rayong, Ranong, Satun and Phattalung.

In October, the country recorded 2,228,796 visits, a slight increase of 0.95% when compared to 2,207,775 visits during the same month last year.

By regions, all markets recorded decreases in October, except the Americas, East Asia and South Asia.

The Americas posted the highest growth of 8.36% from 90,863 to 98,458 visits. Argentina reported a 50.16% increase from a small base of 1,274 to 1,913 visits.

The United States recorded the highest arrivals at 70,841 up 10.16% from 64,309 followed by Canada (16,860; +1.31%) and Brazil (3,624; -4.41%).

East Asia (ASEAN included) reported an increase of 4.52% from 1,403,027 to 1,466,454 visits.

The markets that showed improvements were: Myanmar (+24.44%); Laos (+21.09%); South Korea (+14.16%); China (+13.06%); and Vietnam (+10.56%).

The markets that showed declines were: Singapore (-16.49%); Brunei (-15.24%); Hong Kong (-12.74%); Cambodia (-7.51%); Japan (-5.66%); Taiwan (-5.35%); Indonesia (-4.47%); Malaysia (-3.81%); and the Philippines (-3.70%).

South Asia posted a slight increase of 0.32% from 117,143 to 117,515 visits. India led the field supplying 89,226 visits, growing 3.20% from 86,461 followed by Bangladesh (8,938; -13.38%), Sri Lanka (6,428; -20.43%), Pakistan (6,278; +5.30%), and Nepal (3,916; +36.40%).

In contrast, Africa slowed down 3.19% from 13,930 to 13,485 visits. The main market South Africa increased 10.95% from 5,945 to 6,596.

The Oceania dropped 3.70% from 84,957 to 81,817 visits. The main market, New Zealand, improved 6.68% (9,735), while Australia declined 4.97% (71,791).

Europe declined 7.37% from 436,195 to 404,060 visits. The markets posting declines were: Russia (-39.91%); Austria (-4.18%); Ireland (-3.99%); East Europe (-3.29%); and Finland (-2.16%).

The markets that showed improvements were: Spain (+29.09%); Italy (+14.12%); Germany (+9.78%); Sweden (+8.22%); France (+5.77%); Norway (+5.03%); Denmark (+4.84%); Belgium (+3.58%); Switzerland (+2.43%); the United Kingdom (+2.41%); and the Netherlands (+2.15%).

The Middle East declined 23.76% from 61,660 to 47,007 visits. Israel recorded the highest arrivals with 8,211 visits decreasing 44.14% from 14,700 visits.

Other main markets in the Middle East: the United Arab Emirates (8,053; -29.67%); Kuwait (4,177; -26.73%); Egypt (1,991; -39.32%); and Saudi Arabia (1,242; +17.06%).

Top 10 source markets October 2015

Top 10 source markets January to October 2015

Consulting reviews is an essential stage of the travel planning journey and a powerful tool for travellers to decide on which travel programme to buy, according to the 2015 Custom Survey Research Engagement.

The research was an independent study of 14,991 respondents conducted by Phocuswright on behalf of TripAdvisor.

Phocuswright fielded an online consumer survey, between 8 to 29 April 2015, driving responses via pop-ups on TripAdvisor websites in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Russia, Australia, India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The survey targeted users of the website’s hotel reviews who have also purchased lodging for travel within the past 12 months, and planned their own trips. Respondents were invited to participate in the survey, while visiting the TripAdvisor website via a link which directed them to an online survey instrument.

According to the study, TripAdvisor users read multiple reviews across several sources before making a decision on where to stay, visit or eat. 79% of TripAdvisor users will read at least six to 12 reviews across four to 10 properties before deciding where to stay.

The study also showed businesses with lots of reviews to choose from, fresh anecdotes from customers and thoughtful responses from staff are more likely to appeal to users. With the results revealling that four in five TripAdvisor users believe that hotels which respond to reviews care more about their guests.

According to the findings 63% of TripAdvisor users want one convenient location to read reviews, compare prices and book.

TripAdvisor chief marketing officer, Barbara Messing, said the majority of our users are coming to TripAdvisor not just to read reviews but also to compare options for their trip, make an informed decision and book.

“With travellers now finding the end to end solution they need on the site, peer generated reviews are as important as ever. Just as we continue to encourage our community to share their travel experiences, we remind businesses of the importance of engaging with travelers and responding to those all-important reviews.”

TripAdvisor® is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travellers to plan and book trip. It offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices.

Plans are underfoot to establish 24-hour tourist service centers at more than a dozen popular Phuket beaches, Phuket Vice Governor Prajiad Aksornthammakul announced on Friday.

“We all know that millions of tourists visit our island every year. It is our responsibility to come together and ensure their safety and security while on holiday here,” said V/Gov Prajiad.

“We can not deny that there have been incidents in the past when tourists were being targeted by criminals, leading to loss of property, injuries or even death.

“The establishment of these 24-hour tourist service centers will help visitors to get in touch with the proper authorities and hopefully reduce the number of issues tourists face when on holiday here.”

The vice governor proposed the centers be set up at the following locations: Kata Beach, Karon Beach, Nai Harn Beach, Nui Beach, Patong Beach, Kamala Beach, Kalim Beach, Tri Trang Beach, Naithon Beach, Nai Yang Beach, Bang Tao Beach, Surin Beach, Layan Beach, Saikaew Beach and Mai Khao Beach, as well as Koh Racha, Koh Hei, Koh Maithon and Koh Naka.

Orders were given to local government bodies to inspect the proposed areas in their jurisdiction to establish which spot on the beaches or islands would be best for the center. They are to submit their findings to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Phuket Office by November 25.

“Once we have a more concrete plan, we can start moving on getting the budget necessary for the project,” V/Gov Prajiad said. “I am sure the centers will help decrease crime in the areas where they are established and will boost tourists’ confidence in their own safety.”

Travellers in the Asia Pacific region are increasingly favouring holidays closer to home, according to a new study by Visa.

In its latest ‘Global Travel Intentions Study’, Visa found that travellers in the Asia Pacific are likely to spend fewer days at a destination (an average of eight days) than those from any other region. Just 35% of Asia Pacific travellers stay at a destination for seven or more nights, below the global average of 48%.

And Asia Pacific travellers lead the world in terms of taking shorter trips, with 32% staying three to four nights in a destination and 11% staying only one to two nights. According to Visa, this suggests “a strong preference for short trips close to home”.

But the move towards shorter stays also appears to be global trend; the study found an overall decline in the number of travellers choosing to take long-haul flights (nine hours or more) in favour of short-haul flights (four hours or less).

Twenty-three percent of respondents reported taking long-haul flights on their most recent trip, down from 29% in 2013, while the number of respondents who reported taking shorter flights rose from 43% to 46%. On average, global travellers spent seven hours of travelling time on their most recent trip.

Sixty-four percent of travellers who participated in the study chose to fly economy class on a full-service airline, while low-cost carriers accounted for 20% of trips.

It also appears that longer stays (seven or more nights) are most popular with affluent travellers (54%), while short breaks (one to two nights) are more popular with first-time travellers (11%).

In terms of accommodation, in Asia Pacific, hotels and resorts (82%) are by far the most popular choice, followed by hostels/guest houses/chalets/B&Bs (18%) and staying with friends and relatives (12%).

At their destination, Asia Pacific travellers were found to prefer shopping (68%), including 26% who shop for luxury items. Other popular activities included visiting local sites (62%) and dining famous restaurants (50%).

Loy Kratong Festival is one of the most beautiful and charming festivals celebrated by Thais throughout Thailand every year on the evening of the full moon of the 12th lunar month. This year, Loy Kratong falls on November 25 and many Thais will head out for the nearest rivers, canals (klong) and sea to ask the water goddess Phra Mae Kongka for letting them use the rivers and canals and for forgiveness for any wrongdoing or disrespect to the goddess.

The deity is asked for forgiveness by people floating ornate floral baskets, or kratong, decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles and, incense sticks, on the water, make a wish, and watch them float away, hoping it will bring them longevity and good luck in return for the following year.

The traditional kratong is made from a cross-section of a banana tree trunk, which is then elaborately decorated with folded banana leaves and flowers in intricate towering designs, but today kratong comes in many forms, designs and shapes which you will find in great variety for sale around the Loy Kratong festivity areas.

Most school children make their own kratong at school or with their family. They’ll even have kratong contests at school to see who can craft the most beautiful and artistic float.

The festival is believe started in Sukhothai period and passed on from generation to generation for more than 700 years for Thais to celebrate, make a wish and to look forward to a better future.

At the event, there will also be fireworks displays and at some locations the night sky will be dotted with thousands of khom loy or lanterns drifting high into the skies.

Following is a list of activities planned in Phuket to mark this beautiful evening.

Phuket Town

Phuket City Municipality this year will be holding two days of entertainment and fun festivities, on November 24-25, at Saphan Hin on the outskirts of Phuket Town.

The event kicks of at 7pm on November 24 with a traditional Nong Noppamas children’s beauty pageant on the main stage and a “moral storytelling” contest at a meeting room on the second floor of the ICT Skills Development and Learning Centre.

On Loy Kratong Day (Nov 25), there will be kratong and floral float procession, traditional kratong-making contest, a kratong-drawing competition and the official opening ceremony at 8 pm.

Patong

Patong will host its Loy Kratong Festival on a stage on Bangla Rd on November 25 from 6pm onwards. At 8pm, beautiful floral floats will parade from Jungceylon and continue along Bangla Rd to Patong Beach. On the Bangla stage will be a traditional Thai dance performance by students from Thaksin University. After the official opening of the festival, everyone will be invited to float their kratong at Patong beach.

More entertainment is lined up from 7:45pm on November 25, including a Kratong Contest, Nong Noppamas children’s beauty pageant and at 8:30pm a Noppamas Queen beauty pageant for adults.

Chalong

Chalong Municipality will host two days celebrations at Wat Tai (Ladthiwanaram Temple). The festival will begin on November 24 at 5:30pm and continue to 10pm, and include live entertainment, a Nong Noppamas children’s beauty pageant and a Kratong Contest.

On Loy Kratong Day (Nov 25), activities start at 4pm and continue until 11pm, and include a floral float parade, more live entertainment and a Noppamas Queen Contest.

Rawai

The three days of festivities will be held at the park at Nai Harn Lake. On November 23, Rawai Municipality will host the first round of Thai country music singing competition.

On November 24, the final competition of the singing competition will be held along with a a Nong Noppamas children’s beauty pageant.

A Kratong Contest and a Noppamas Queen Contest will be held on Loy Kratong Day (Nov 25).

Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat announced the designation of the island’s first three “virgin beaches” last week, after revealing the plan to have such beaches to the public on October 31.

Freedom Beach, Nui Beach and Lay Pang Beach were all named by Vice Governor Chokdee as beaches that will soon return to their natural state.

“There are some beaches that will not have a 10 per cent zone, which means that there will be nothing there – no umbrellas, no businesses, nothing. All 100 per cent natural,” V/Gov Chokdee told the Phuket Gazette.

“We have yet to decide how many virgin beaches there will be. Each local government is currently working on it.”

Although the fate of Phuket’s beach management system remains undecided, local governments have already begun to implement zoning on some of the more popular beaches.