Thailand to review regulations to attract more tourists

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij announced that Thailand is willing to review regulations in the tourism sector to give more access to foreign investors and professionals in a move to attract more visitors.

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Thailand: tourists warned not to feed street elephants

Tourists in Bangkok are being warned not to buy food for street elephants or risk a 10,000 baht (310 dollars) fine in the latest clampdown on begging by owners of the animals.

The Thai authorities have repeatedly attempted to stamp out the problem of elephant handlers, known as mahouts, walking the creatures in the capital and selling bananas and sugar cane for people to feed them. Street begging cuts an elephant's life expectancy by at least half, according to the Elephant Nature Foundation, a non-profit organisation which campaigns for elephant rights.

Source: AFP

Florida: Airline defends stance on removing 3-year-old and family

A couple and their daughter were removed from an AirTran Airways flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday. But the parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down. She was removed because “she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn’t get in her seat” during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said. AirTran officials say they were only following Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seatbelt upon takeoff. The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family.
The mother said she asked the attendants if the girl could sit on her lap, but they said no. The family flew home the next day. The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family the cost of the three tickets, and offered them three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies.

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Ancient Thai city destroyed

Officials in Thailand say three months of flooding have turned the foundations of the ancient city of Wiang Kum Kam into mud. Wiang Kum Kam was originally founded around 1286 by King Meng Rai and became the capital of the Lanna kingdom before flooding forced the ruler to move his capital to Chiang Mai. The city was unearthed in 1984 and was opened in 2004 as a tourist attraction
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Government Imposes New Visa Regulations for Tourists

Thai government on Friday announced new visa regulations for tourists limiting the foreign visitors to a maximum stay of 90 days each every six months in order to ease social problems and crime in the country. For details see http://www.travelindustryreview.com/news/3059

(Originally posted by Michael Wukoschitz)