Latest News

Phuket massage therapists are limbering up and getting ready to place
Thai massage on the world’s map, in a big to set a new group massage
record. On Karon Beach on August 19, organisers hope to have some 500
massage sessions carried out simultaneously, which would more than
double the current record of 232 set in Victoria, Australia, last
year.
 
Organisers do not expect to have any trouble finding volunteers for
the free treatment, but those who wish to join the event may call the
Phuket Provincial Health Office on 076-211330 or the organizing
officer Khun Ekarin on 086-461 8434.

Phuket football fanatics are set for a live-action treat on October 2,
when some of the Liverpool Football Club’s hottest stars of years past
are set to play a friendly match against former Thailand pro players
at the Thanyapura Sports & Leisure Club.
 
Liverpool players set to join include John Barnes, Jason Macateer,
Steve McMannaman, Robbie Fowler, Bruce Grobbelaar and Alan Kennedy.
 
Tickets are available from the Total Reservation Call Centre at 02-833
5555, or visit www.footballlegendstour.com for more information.

Phuket’s Chinese community is in the midst of celebrating its annual
Por Tor or Hungry Ghost Festival, a month-long series of events that
honour one’s ancestors. Elaborate food, flower and candle displays are
placed at ancestor shrines as a way to feed the ‘ghosts’ who have
temporarily returned to the world in search of food. One particularly
colourful food prepared is the turtle cake – a brightly coloured
turtle-shaped cake that symbolises longevity and health.
 
Most of the rituals are performed within the family home, but it might
be possible to catch some ceremonies in action on a stroll around the
Old Town historical district of Phuket City, where many ethnic Chinese
Thais live and work. The festival will run until August 31.

August 12 marks the birthday of HM the Queen Sirikit of Thailand, an
important date in the country that has also become the official
national Mother’s Day celebration. Schools across Phuket will be
holding ceremonies to honour both the royal mother and mothers in
general, and a number of festivities and award-giving parties are
planned in the island’s local communities .
 
As a national holiday, most schools and businesses will be closed,
giving families the chance to enjoy a long weekend together. Several
Phuket resorts and restaurants are also offering special meals and
other treats for mums on the big day.

Phuket property owners and designers seeking new ideas will have the
chance to see a wide range of products and services in one location at
the Architect & Engineering Exhibition 2011, which is open daily from
11am to 8pm at the Rajaphat University Convention Centre until July
31.
 
More than 50 exhibitors from across Thailand have joined the event.
Products on display include construction materials, lighting,
decorative items, indoor and outdoor furniture, and spa and pool
products. Many items feature cutting-edge design or technology,
reflecting the event’s theme ‘New Phuket Through Visionary Planning’.

Phuket seafood restaurants across the island will be offering superb
seafood dishes at special prices for the month of August. In the midst
of ‘Lobster Week’ a seafood fair will be held at Rawai Beach on August
12 and 13, where a number of waterfront restaurants will be taking
part. Seafood contests and street performances are planned in addition
to a range of delicious food selections at discounts of up to 20%.
 
For more information and to find out which restaurants are
participating, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand on +66 (0)
7621 1036 or +66 (0) 7621 2213.

Thai Airways has started taking bookings for a new direct flight
between Phuket and Copenhagen, Denmark, set to launch on November 11
this year. The 10-hour, 35-minute direct flights to Phuket will run
three times per week. The return flight to Denmark makes a stop in
Bangkok, with three more Bangkok-Copenhagen flights set to be added as
well to meet demand.
 
“THAI is pleased to offer the first-ever direct flights from
Copenhagen to Phuket, giving passengers more choices and making it
easier than ever to travel from Scandinavia straight into Phuket,”
said Pandit Chanapai, THAI Executive Vice President of Commercial.

The Grapes and Grazing wine festival hosted by four Phuket resorts is
now underway, and set to run until July 16. Four evenings of wine
tasting and fabulous food are on offer, with winemakers from
Australia, New Zealand and Italy on hand to reveal some of the secrets
of their trade. The resorts hosting the event are the Renaissance
Phuket Resort and Spa, JW Marriott Phuket, Anantara Resort and Sala
Phuket resort.
 
The cost is 2200 baht per evening, which includes wine and a
four-course meal. For more information email events@northphuket.com.

Bangkok has been voted the World's Best City 2011 in a reader's poll
conducted by the influential Travel + Leisure Magazine. It is the
second straight year that Thailand's capital captured the number one
ranking. The overall score is based on a number of factors including
sights, culture, the arts, food, people, shopping and value.
Thailand's resort destinations Phuket and Koh Samui also earned a
ranking in the poll, named among the top-five islands in Asia.
 
Other cities that made it into the world's top 10 are Florence, Rome,
New York City, Istanbul, Cape Town, Siem Reap, Sydney, Barcelona and
Paris. Readers also voted on other travel categories including hotels,
cruise lines, airlines, spas, and tour operators. The awards will be
presented in a ceremony in Los Angeles on July 14.