Koh Samui has seen a recent development in tourism

Koh Samui along with 40 other unpopulated islands makes up the Ang-Thong Archipelago, a chain of islands north-east of Surat Thani. Since the construction of the airport on Koh Samui, this island has seen a steep rise in the number of tourists. One can also take a bus from Surat Thani to Dan Sak and from here boat to Koh Samui. The best time to visit Koh Samui is between February and April, as in the following months the Gulf of Thailand is subject to heavy monsoon storms.

The chief town of the island is Nathon where there are fine beaches and some hotel and villa complexes. Other beaches with reasonable accommodation are Ao Maenam, Ao Bo Phut (with an enormous statue of Buddha), Ao Cherngmon, Chaweng Noi Beach and Chaweng Yai Beach (the two longest beaches on Koh Samui). Motorcycles and bicycles can be rented and are a good way of exploring the island.

The fishing villages in Koh Samui together with coconut and durian plantations and waterfalls hidden in the dense jungle among the 600-m (1968-ft) high mountains are the main attractions of this island. Besides, Koh Samui offers every kind of water sport: diving, snorkeling, windsurfing. It is advisable to check that the diving school belongs to one of the two international associations that regulate the safety standards of the equipment and quality of instruction.

Marriott International launches Courtyard at two hotels in Phuket

Marriott International has launched the Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Patong Beach and by Marriott Phuket at Kamala Beach in Phuket, Thailand. The 390 room Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Patong Beach looks quite promising with room amenities, such as flat screen TVs, DVD players and high speed Internet. Again, the 180 room all-suite Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Kamala Beach offers one, two and three bedroom options, with kitchenettes, private balconies and living rooms.

Both these properties have a lot to offer to their visitors including the MoMo Café, an all day restaurant that combines local cuisine with western favourites, KIDSWORLD, which offers toys, activities and entertainment for children of all ages and many more amenities.

The company is operating both hotels under a management agreement with Destination Properties Company, Limited. Sigrid Stelling is General Manager for Patong, while Lutz Mueller is General Manager in Kamala.

TAT launches Thailand Tourism Update website

To give the latest information about the tourism situation on the ground in Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched the “Thailand Tourism Update” website (www.tourismthailand.org/thailandtourismupdate).

Key elements of the fact-rich Web 2.0 site include constantly-updated reports from independent news sources and organizations, topical feature articles on the country, blogs about Thailand by travelers around the world, RSS feeds, and a forum for travelers to discuss issues. Apart from this, a Thailand Tourism Update forum team is available online to share information and insights with forum participants.

Thailand Tourism Update is the first online space provided by TAT for tourists around the globe to share their knowledge, interest, and experiences about travel in Thailand.

“Tens of thousands of tourists are here in Thailand right now having a great holiday enjoying the sun, smiles, and cuisine we are famous for,” said TAT’s Deputy Governor for policy and panning, Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni. “Please help us get that message out to everyone around the world.”

The shirts war on Valentine’s Day

The People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in yellow shirts plans to hold its “PAD Caravan for New Politics” concert at a public park in the Northeastern province on Saturday, the Valentine’s Day. In the meantime, the red shirts plan to gather at a temple in Bangkok’s Don Muang district on Saturday. The red shirts belong to Udon Thani – people who support ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra’s bid to make a political comeback.

The Udon Thani governor chaired a meeting of senior officials from state agencies Thursday (12 Feb) in a bid to prevent serious incidents during the concert by ‘yellow shirts’. The PAD concert’s venue, a park, was the site of a violent clash last year when hundreds of red shirts stormed a political rally organised by the PAD.

Amnat Phakarat, governor of Udon Thani, said that strict safety measures would be taken to prevent any undesirable happening during the concert. The concert area will be sealed off Friday, one day before the event, for bomb searches. More than 1,400 police officers, including a crowd-control unit, will be involved in keeping law and order. Military staff will also be available to help police. Health personnel and ambulances will be on standby in case of emergency. He said officials were ordered not to use force with protesters but that “necessary measures” would be taken if the protest turned violent or protesters attempted to break into government offices.

Also, local leaders of the red shirts and yellow shirts assured him that no violent incident would take place.