About 2,000 Thai wives of British men stand to lose their UK pension rights under legislation under active consideration by the British government. The new law proposes to end pension payments to foreign spouses on the general grounds that many such wives have “never set foot in Britain at all.”
Under current law, foreign spouses – [...]
Bidding wars begin early next year in the battle for the mammoth contract to supply Thailand with four high-speed train systems, thus allowing the Bangkok-Pattaya link to be running by 2019—if not sooner. Under current plans, the Pattaya route will be extended to Rayong in phase two some years later.
Chula Sukmanpop, transport director general, said [...]
But tourist profile is changing
Love it or hate it, the 2013 Songkran water-festivities have seen Pattaya hotels fuller than at any time since the heady days of the 1990s. It’s a similar story in other Thai beach resorts including Koh Samui and Phuket.
Surapong Techaruvichit, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said the generally peaceful atmosphere [...]
Pattaya has been directed to establish alcohol free zones for Songkran.
In an effort to reduce injuries, accidents and crime, the Thai national police have directed Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and other tourist-orientated provinces and cities throughout the country to create zones free of both booze and vehicles throughout the Songkran festival, officially April 13 to 15 [...]
A novel attempt is being made to boost Pattaya’s revenue with a scheme to expand the local infrastructure of electronic payments. In a pioneer programme, Visa and City Hall have announced a business alliance to promote the Visa card acceptance network in smaller businesses which have hitherto been largely ignored. Pattaya is now officially designated [...]
Pattaya, winner of the Golf Destination of the Year 2012 for Asia and Australasia, has triumphed yet again in the sports arena by hosting the Second Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) April 29 to May 2. It will be staged at the Royal Cliff Hotel , adjacent to the PEACH Convention Centre, perfectly located for [...]
In spite of much optimistic talk, the construction of a new airport at U Tapao near Sattahip equipped with a second runway is unlikely to be completed until 2020 at the earliest. In 2009 it was announced that a new 25,000-square-meter terminal building would be built, able to handle 1,500 passengers per hour as opposed [...]
The increasing number of crimes targeting foreign tourists in resorts, including Pattaya, is casting doubt on the government’s aim to collect 2 trillion baht in annual tourist revenues by 2015. Many think the authorities will need to work much harder to allay foreigners’ fears about scams and street crimes. Horrors such as the rape and [...]
Thailand, long a front-leader as a destination for retirees, is now facing stiff competition for the “gray dollar” from other Asian destinations. In a recent survey by International Living, Malaysia was the only Asian country to appear in the top five havens for foreign retirees, pushing Thailand into ninth place. Malaysia’s attractions were said to [...]
It looks like Thailand and Pattaya begin the New Year with a load of official optimism. The government is predicting that the number of foreign arrivals into the kingdom as a whole in 2013 will shoot up to 23 million, a 10 percent surge at least, whilst Pattaya City Hall has named Pattaya as the [...]
