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Thailand's candle festival, Loy Kratong, will be celebrated on
November 21 this year, with many festivities planned around Phuket. On
Loy Kratong, all of the island's waterways, beaches, canals and lakes
included, are lit up by the release of small boats made from banana
trees and decorated with flowers, candles and incense. It is believed
that one's bad luck is carried away with the boat. Many people,
couples hoping for long-lasting love in particular, also release
floating lanterns into the sky, making Loy Kratong one of Thailand's
most stunning spectacles.
 
Loy Kratong festivities are held on all major Phuket beaches, with Nai
Harn Lake and Patong Beach usually attracting the most festival
celebrants, both Thai and tourist. In Phuket Town, Saphan Hin Park and
Suan Luang (King Rama IX) Park are popular places for locals to
celebrate.

Ancestral ties that link ethnic Chinese people living in Southeast
Asia and beyond will be strengthened in Phuket this weekend at the
23rd Baba-Nyonya Festival, from November 20-22 at the Royal Phuket
City Hotel. The event is aimed to promote tourism in Phuket as well as
boosting cultural relations between the Baba-Peranakan across the
region and China. Delegates from Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Australia
and Indonesia are set to join.
 
The Baba-Peranakan are descendants of Chinese immigrants who lived
mainly in the British Straits settlements of Malaya and the
Dutch-controlled Java island in the 15th and 16th centuries, in
addition to Phuket. 'Baba' refers to men while women are called
Nyonya. The immigrants were mainly traders and middlemen between
British and Malay buyers and sellers, many of whom went on to earn
great fortunes.

Football lovers from around the globe will descend on Phuket next
weekend for a tournament that promises loads of fun for all. More than
80 teams from 18 countries are already registered to play in the
Andaman and Phuket International soccer 7s Tournament, which will be
held November 20 and 21 and November 27 and 28. The tournament will
feature more than 300 games and four evening parties. With no prize
money at stake, teams take part purely for their love of soccer.
 
For further information, visit www.Thai7s.com.

For the second year running, Thailand is ranked first in the world as
an expatriate destination, according to a survey conducted by HSBC. In
2010, the survey included 4,127 expats who answered questions relating
to their finances, quality of life and even what it's like to raise
children abroad. Though expats in Thailand did not earn as much as
expats in other countries, they scored their chosen country high in a
range of criteria about their 'ease of integration' and overall
quality of life. Canada was ranked in second place, followed by
Bahrain.
 
In terms of top spots to find love, Thailand for the second year
running was judged to be the most romantic destination, with 69% of
single expats having found a partner since relocating to the Kingdom.

AirAsia will start flying a new direct route between Phuket and Bali
on December 17. Dubbed its 'Paradise to Paradise' route, this is the
first time the two island holiday resorts will be linked directly by
air. Bookings are available online only, with introductory prices of
1490 baht for the Phuket-Bali leg and 880 baht for the return trip.
 
Tourism industry insiders see this as a positive development for both
islands, with joint promotions between hotels and tour operators on
both Phuket and Bali sure to follow.

Americans Kerri Walsh and Nicole Branagh emerged as the winners of the
fiercely-contested Swatch FIVB World Tour beach volleyball match, in a
final round played at Phuket's Karon Beach yesterday. The U.S. team
defeated surprise opponent Marta Menegatti and Valeria Rosso of Italy,
21-23, 21-14, 15-11. Carolina and Maria Clara Salgado of Brazil won
the bronze medal match by defeating The Netherlands’ Sanne Keizer and
Marlene Van Iersel, 21-17, 21-14.
 
The title gives Olympic champion Walsh her 39th gold medal in the
tournament, an amazing feat considering she was out for the entire
2009 season and all but two events this year due to giving birth to
boys in May 2009 and 2010. "This win is so special to me; it’s my
first win as a mother of two," said Ms Walsh.

Phuket will see more visitors from Finland this season with the
expansion of flights to the holiday island and its neighbouring
province of Krabi. Finnair has announced that this winter it is
launching flights on its new wide-body Airbus aircraft.
 
Kaarina Peltonen, who is responsible for Finnair's traffic planning
said, "The addition of new flights to our most important Asian
destinations reflects the continuing growth in our connecting traffic
to Asia."
 
Phuket is already a popular destination for Finns, who have been
coming in increasing numbers over the past five years.

A 'Carnival of Colour' launch party for the 2011 calendar featuring
the lovely women of the Women's Will Power Phuket charity will take
place at the Cape Sienna Resort in Kamala on November 5, starting at
6pm. The 1,500 baht entry includes two complimentary drinks, an
all-you-can-eat buffet, a floorshow featuring seven performers, a
fashion show, door prizes, raffles, and silent and live auctions.
 
Proceeds from the party, and from the sale of the calendars, will be
donated to the Phuket Shelter House for women and children in need.
For more information visit www.wwpphuket.com or call 087 466 5140 or
087 466 5140.

Phuket will have another frenzied weekend of football at the 9th
International 7-a-side school football tournament hosted by British
International School. Last year's tournament saw well over 850
participants from schools all over Southeast Asia. More than 15
schools from the region are already registered for the event.
 
Food and refreshment stalls will be operating on campus throughout the
tournament. For more information visit www.bisphuket.ac.th.