Thai Hotels Association (THA) will launch a Buy-One Get-One-Free promotion this month to match the period of Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2010, TTR Weekly reports. This Amazing Thailand Grand Sale will run until August 15. The Grand Sale includes discounts at more than 2.500 shops, department stores and retail outlets nationwide, including the Central Department Store and Jungceylon in Phuket.

Enliven the event, Phuket hotels are being encouraged to participate in the promotion. According to the THA, the association has written to all member hotels and resorts, urging them to participate in room discount promotion. Although Phuket has generally enjoyed better room rates and occupancies than most, still tourist destinations in Thailand to date this year, especially Bangkok has been severely damaged by the red shirt protest.

“This month, Bangkok Hotel has reached 40 percent occupancy, but July usually would rise up from 65 to 70 percent. We need to be proactive on rates and take into consideration that the city is still under an emergency verdict,” said THA president Prakit Chinamourpong.

In addition to Phuket, this Amazing Thailand Grand Sale also featured in seven other tourist destinations such as Bangkok Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hat Yai, Hua Hin, Koh Samui and Udon Thani.

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“We believe that the Phuket Music Festival will be unforgettable; Thailand’s largest beach dance floor under the moonlight,” he said.

Entertainment will include nine popular Thai artists and five international DJs: DJ Yoji from Japan, DJ B from Singapore, Northern Irish DJ duo Agnelli & Nelson and DJ Activa from the UK. Thai acts include singers Sobchai Kraiyoonsen, Thanatorn Palakawong Na Ayuthaya, Dear Acappella 7, members of the Fourgusm Band, ska band Tamone and Buddha Bless.

Sponsors Boonrawd Brewery will also bring together members of the Silly Fools and Zeal rock bands to form the hybrid super-act called ‘Silly Zeal’.

Phuket Music Festival is a renowned name from Roy Fest. The change takes place since lots foreigners misinterpret it with male name ‘Roy’ instead of the fact that it was ‘great’ in Thai. Thus make they form new name familiar with foreign and musician.

This event itself intended to promote low-season tourism as well as attaint the same popularity level with Pattaya Music Festival or Hua Hin Jazz Festival. The difference is that the Phuket event will have more of a dance music atmosphere, suitable to the fun character of Phuket.

The event kicks off at 6pm tonight and stage entertainment scheduled to end at 2am on both nights.

The Meteorological Department’s forecast for the 24-hour period starting at noon today calls for cloudy conditions and widely scattered thundershowers over 30% of the island.

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The convention will be held at Laguna Phuket.

From January through May this year, Thailand has received 277,393 Indian visitors, many of whom came to Phuket. In the other hand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is seeking to regain travelers’ confidence through different B2B and B2C strategies.

“Phuket is an up-market destination which is not tapped to its fullest potential at the moment. With the convention to be held in Phuket this year, it will definitely help the trade [association's] members to explore the destination and benefit in Thailand [by helping] to revive the tourism industry after the political turmoil,” said Pinki Arora, Marketing Manager of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s New Delhi office.

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”It’s a very good chance to come Phuket’s way,” Phuket Governor Wichai Praisa-ngob said at the planning meeting at Provincial Hall in Phuket City.

The Interior Ministry is seeking expressions of interest around Thailand.
Phuket only has 600 rai of public land to spare. But Phuket by 2020 should have the sport and conference centre, and the major expansion of Phuket International Airport complete to handle 12 million arrivals and departures a year.

Phuket and Phang Nga combined have all the requirements, with an airport and plenty of four-star and five-star accommodation.

The key would be to pool all the public land that Phuket currently has to spare around the Tatchatchai Checkpoint at the north of the island, and then make a link to other parts of the expo on land across the Sarasin Bridge (or its replacement) in Phang Nga.

The next step is enlarged and formalized the concept, with Phang Nga’s agreement. Krabi is expected getting involved because the location comes within the distance range allowable for events and exhibitions.

Phuket Tourist Association president Somboon Jirayut said ”This event is as big as the World Cup in football or the Olympic Games. It would be great for Phuket to boost the whole country.”

Shanghai’s World Expo is currently underway in China, with exhibitions by more than 100 countries. It is expected the fair will receive 70 million people in total over six months.

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Thailand Tourism Authority explained that on June 25 and 26, RoyFest will offers “uncompromising entertainment.”

The weekend has been selected to coincide with the full moon, a big party planned at Karon Beach.

Performers including Japan’s DJ Yoji, Ireland’s Agenlli & Nelson and Singapore’s DJ B will be among those taking to the stage.

The action will start from 6pm on both the Friday and the Saturday night, with music being played into the early hours of the morning.

If reports from last year’s inaugural Phuket RoyFest were accurate, local residents of Karon Beach and surrounding areas, particularly those in the posh condos and five-star hotel rooms along the strand, indeed find the music “uncompromising” in terms of volume and duration.

But the event drew large crowds. Whether it was desirable for Karon Beach (or anywhere else on environmentally-challenged Phuket), became a topic of some considerable heat in the ‘debates’ in the Gazette online forum, with perceived beauty being very much in the ears of the beholder.

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Again, Kathu will host ‘Kathu Culture Road’ fair for the second time starting from June 25 to 27, it as has been announced by the municipality.

Kathu Mayor Chaianan Suthikul said they decided to host this year’s event in June as a way of attracting more tourists in the low season and to preserve Kathu’s unique culture.

I million baht had been prepared whether the festival activities itself will be held in front of Kathu Municipality and along the road to Wat Kathu. Kathu Soi 4 will be the site of exhibits in tin mining, ore trading and opium smoking, which was widespread during the tin-mining days.

Among the performances to be held on the main stage will be a historical reenactment of events leading to the Ang Yi tin miners’ rebellion of 1876, during the reign of King Rama V.

Another highlight will be a ‘living exhibition’ showing the way of life of Kathu people during the tin-mining era, Kathu Municipality Education Section Assistant Director Aphirat Sermchan told the Gazette.

Other activities will include a local food and product fair, singing contest, fashion show featuring traditional attire, and traditional religious worship ceremonies.

Although the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is now largely centered around Chinese shrines in Phuket Town, the unique cultural event was born in Kathu.

Mainland Chinese are particularly interested in the unbroken cultural traditions of the ethnic Chinese community in Phuket, especially the Vegetarian Festival, because many of their own traditions were forced to end during the Cultural Revolution.

Vice Gov Teerayut Eimtrakul said the event is expected to attract mostly domestic and Asian travelers interested in culture and tradition.

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Thai Port FC is in second place in Group H, behind Vietnam’s SHB Danang. Going into their final group match, Thai Port have already qualified for the next round in the competition.

Head Coach Wattana Pochanakong said, “We really want to see Phuket come out for the game. We are one of Thailand’s representatives in the AFC Cup and would really appreciate the support of Phuket.

“The team is 100% ready to play on any pitch,” he said.

When asked by the Gazette about the possibility of a ‘friendly’ between Thai Port FC and FC Phuket, Mr Wattana was non-committal.

“We would really like to do that at some point. I am also very delighted to have this match in Phuket to help promote tourism here,” he said.

The AFC Cup Group H standings are as follows: SHB Danang of Vietnam in first (13 points); Thai Port FC in second (8 points); Singapore’s Gaylang United FC in third (3 points); and NT Realty Wofoo Tai Po, last (2 points).

In other football news, FC Phuket won their last match with an exciting 2-1 home win over Krabi on Saturday.

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Most of the Orchestra members come from Sweden and beyond, creating a musical mélange of international sounds including jazz, swing, flamenco and bebop. The original members came together more than 20 years ago to form a rehearsal band allowing local freelance jazz musicians a chance to jam. This group was formally created in 1986 and making their debut performance at the Skeppsholmen Jazz and Blues Festival in Stockholm. In result, they achieved nine successful albums to their credit. Nowadays, the band consists of some of the best young jazz players in Sweden.

Their repertoire of modern swingin’ jazz music is rooted in tradition, but their albums highlight a variation of old and new styles as what appeared in Big Band Flamenco Fusion, Tribute to Jaco Pastorius and Tango.

All funds from ticket sales and the pre-show silent auction will be donated to three Phuket schools: Koh Lone School in Rawai, Baan Kohnaka school in Thalang and Koh Maprow school in Koh Kaew. Computers and other learning materials will also be donated to each school.

Both events will be enliven with a cocktail reception starting at 6:30pm, followed by a gala dinner buffet at 7pm. The music starts at 8:30pm. The Phuket Gazette sponsors both of these events. Tickets for the gala dinner and concert event at the Adamas Resort and Spa are priced at 1,600 baht, and tickets for the Metropole Hotel’s gala dinner and concert are priced at 1,200 baht.

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Those who want to ride for the downtown should take note that there are several major traffic lines that is closed for the Old Phuket Town Festival in which it take place starting from February 19th.

From 3pm until midnight on all three days of the festival, the following roads will be blocked off:, they are Phuket Road: From the intersection with Dibuk Road south to the intersection of Phang Nga Road. There is also Thalang Road: Entire length, Krabi Road: From Yaowarat Road Junction to Satun Road Junction, Phang Nga Road: From Phuket Road Junction west to the Sinthawee Hotel. Then, the other two are Yaowarat Road: From Dibuk Rd south to Suriyadet Circle and Soi Romanee: Entire length.

The festival began with ‘Fun Fun Poh Thong’ – culture tours of local Chinese shrines aboard old-style ‘songthews’. The tours leave the Tourism Authority of Thailand offices on Thalang Road at 1pm, 1:20pm and 1:40pm daily and space is limited to the first 20 passengers. Fees for the trips, which last about four hours, are just 50 baht per passenger. Those taking part also receive Chinese sweets and paper lanterns.

The songthews return to Queen Sirikit Park in time to allow passengers to enjoy dinner and the evening’s main event: dancing and cultural performances by troupes from 10 different provinces of China.

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The annual festival displaying Phuket Town’s distinctive blend of Chinese and Thai culture is set to return this month. That festival is well known as Phuket Old Town Festival that will take place from February 19 to 21, coinciding with Chinese New Year celebrations.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand and Phuket City Municipality are promising more activities than ever during the event. This 11th year festival organizers has chose the serene courtyard of Saeng Tham Shrine on Phang Nga Road as the launch site for this year’s festival. Centered on Queen Sirikit Park and spreading over the Old Town streets of Thalang Road, Phuket Road, Krabi Road and Soi Rommannee, this year’s event will feature performances by entertainers from no fewer than 10 different Chinese provinces.

Wanaphapar Suksombul, assistant director of the TAT Phuket, said the performances would include Shaolin Kung Fu, acrobats from Beijing, tribal dancing from Tibet, Chinese opera, a puppet show and a bian lian mask changing performance from Sichuan.

“This year the Peranakan Association of Phuket will invite those in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Singapore and Malaysia, to come and perform. There will be an extra stage on Thepkrasattri Road and an exhibition presenting Phuket Peranakan origins and culture,” she said.

Peranakan, as well as ‘Straits Chinese’ and ‘Baba-Nyonya’, are terms used to refer to descendants of ethnic Chinese who immigrated to Southeast Asia during the colonial period.

Ms Wanaphapar said the TAT would borrow three of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization’s pink poh thong buses to help promote the festival. Setting off at 1pm from Queen Sirikit Park, the buses will take festival-goers on a tour of five of the town’s Chinese shrines. The cost will be 50 baht per passenger. Bang Niow Shrine will be the first stop. The pinkies will then move on to Saphan Hin Shrine, Kuan Im Shrine and then Jui Tui Shrine “to worship the tiger god, as next year is the year of the tiger,” Ms Wanaphapar said. The buses will then move on to Saeng Tham Shrine before returning to the park at 6pm.

Activities on the first night of the event are set to include a ceremony of worship of the bodhisattva Kuan Im, whose statue stands in Queen Sirikit park, as well as a cultural exhibition at 63 Thalang Road, rickshaw tours of Phuket Town, and boat trips along local canals. The second night will see colorful processions of Phuketians dressed in traditional costumes parading from Saphan Hin back to the festival. The last night of the festival will illuminate the first full moon since Chinese New Year, and there will be a Hokkien god-worshipping ceremony. Chinese monks will pray for prosperity and protection for Phuket.

The Phuket Post Office will provide a mobile stamp-printing service that will allow people to have their photograph printed on postage stamps that can then be mailed.

“We would like to invite all Phuket locals and tourists to join in the festival because it is only held once a year,” Ms Wanaphapar said. “It is a festival that shows off the beautiful traditions and cultures of Phuket that are not often seen.”

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