JANUARY
Airports of Thailand was in the hot seat when the Transport Ministry raised concerns about the overpricing of food and beverages in Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports, following complaints of Japanese tourists in the media.
The high prices have been an unsolved issue since it was raised the first time in March 2016. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha called for probes into the prices at both airports on Jan 9.
Deputy Transport Minister Pailin Chuchottaworn checked out the food prices at Don Mueang Airport and admitted that the prices were at least 50% higher than the market average. A can of soft drink is normally priced at 15 baht, but it is 50 baht at the airport.
AOT reasoned that it allowed outlets to mark up prices by a maximum of 20%, set against base prices at "luxury malls" and not regular mini-marts, at Don Mueang and a 25% markup at Suvarnabhumi. So far, prices remain the same.
FEBRUARY
The world-heritage status of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary was shaken after the wildlife-poaching scandal.
On Feb 4, rangers of the western part of the sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province apprehended Premchai Karnasuta, president of the construction company Italian-Thai Development, along with his party. The rangers found the team with several carcases of protected species, including that of a rare black leopard, which is protected by Cites Appendix I.
All four suspects have been charged with various law violations, including unauthorised hunting in the forest refuge. But they were all released on bail. The case is still ongoing.
MARCH
The massive success of Bupphaesannivas (Love Destiny), the period TV series on Channel 3, not only made Ayutthaya more famous, but also sparked a new idea for the premier. He advised Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat to allocate more funds for film and TV productions that help promote tourism and Thai culture.
Bupphaesannivas is a story about a female archaeologist who, after a car accident, wakes up in the body of a woman living in Ayutthaya during the period of King Narai the Great, more than three centuries ago. The tale combined a love story with Thai history and culture and was later aired in many countries and translated into many languages, including Chinese.
The popular TV series made Thai and foreign fans want to travel to the ruins in Ayutthaya, the main shooting location. Some fans donned traditional costumes while wandering inside old temples like Wat Yai Chaimongkol, Wat Phanan Choeng, Wat Chai Wattanaram and Wat Maha That.
The Tourism and Sports Ministry estimated that the number of tourists to Ayutthaya sharply increased and generated up to 900 million baht a month for the province.
APRIL
The Dusit Thani Bangkok Hotel announced that it will postpone its closure date from April 16 to Jan 5 of next year.
Opened in 1970, the hotel was once the tallest building in Bangkok. It is located on a 23.5 rai plot of land owned by the Crown Property Bureau. Dusit Thani will invest with Central Pattana to develop a mixed-use development project including a hotel, residential building, retail centre and office space, with a total investment at about 36.7 billion baht.
MAY
The cabinet approved the Culture Ministry's plan to propose Phanom Rung Historical Park and Prasat Muang Tam in Buri Ram for listing as World Heritage Sites.
Phanom Rung Historical Park was built in the 12th century AD, during the reign of King Jayavarman VII, by Hindu worshippers. Located on the top of an extinguished volcano, about 350m above sea level, the site is the most popular attraction in Buri Ram for the beauty of the Khmer architecture and for the observation of a solar phenomenon when the sunrise can be seen through 15 aligned doorways of the sanctuary.
Prasat Muang Tam is about 7km from Phanom Rung Historical Park. It is known as an earlier example of Khmer temple architecture.
At present, Thailand has five World Heritage sites. They are the Ban Chiang archaeological site in Udon Thani, the historical city of Ayutthaya, the historical park of Sukhothai and its satellite towns, Thung Yai-Huai Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuaries and Dong Phrayayen-Khao Yai forest complex.
JUNE
Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh in Krabi has been closed to tourists since June 1 to let nature recover from tourism. The closure was implemented for the first time since it became part of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park in 1982.
Maya Bay became a global sensation when Danny Boyle and Leonardo DiCaprio came to shoot The Beach, a 2000 film about Western backpackers deluded by a vision of false paradise. Like other film locations made world-famous, Maya Bay has groaned under the weight of increased tourism.
During peak season, over 5,000 tourists a day descend on the small strip of beach, which has the capacity to handle up to 2,000 visitors. The beauty of the beach was destroyed by troops of visitors, while coral reefs were damaged due to boat anchors.
During the first four months of closure, coral reefs were planted, and in October a school of blacktip reef sharks was spotted swimming in Maya Bay. This helped boost park officials' hopes of restoring the damaged ecosystem.
JULY
Two boats capsized off Phuket on July 5 due to rough seas. All 39 passengers in the Lazy Cat Travel yacht were rescued, but not passengers of the other boat. The Phoenix tour boat operated by TC Blue Dream carried 89 passengers and sank near Koh Heh, killing 47 Chinese tourists.
The fatal incident led to a significant drop in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand. Arrivals from China fell to 12% in August from 30% of the total international visitors.
To woo back Chinese tourists, the government in October announced a waiver of the 2,000 baht visa fee for Chinese visitors. The government also offered tourists from 21 nations exemption from visa-on-arrival fees in order to boost the total number of international arrivals to reach its target at 38 million visitors, of whom about 12 million are expected from China.
AUGUST
The Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation launched a campaign to ban plastic bags and styrofoam food boxes in all 154 national parks from Aug 12.
The goal is to reduce single-use plastic products and styrofoam food boxes by 3 million pieces during the first year of implementation.
The department also plans to adopt other measures to reuse and recycle garbage, hoping to make itself an example in waste management.
SEPTEMBER
After 80 years in service, Dusit Zoo was closed on Sept 30.
The zoo, which was known as Khao Din Wana, was the first zoo to be built in Thailand during the period of King Rama V. It was located on Rama V and not far from Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall. The zoo was home to 1,200 animals on its 118 rai site.
The new facility will be built on a 300 rai plot of land in Rangsit Klong 6, Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district. It is expected to be completed within the next couple of years.
OCTOBER
Thailand's first MotoGP was held in Buri Ram from Oct 5-7. The PTT Thailand Grand Prix 2018 was the official name of the event, participated in by more than 90 world-class riders and attended by more than 200,000 fans at Chang International Circuit.
MotoGP is the world's No.1 motorcycle circuit racing event. It has more than 800 million fans worldwide and about 1 million in Thailand. The first MotoGP champion of the Thailand Grand Prix was Marc Marquez, the four-time world champion.
The government spent about 300 million baht for the rights to host the MotoGP event from 2018-20. The Tourism and Sports Ministry said the first year of the event generated about 3.1 billion baht and created 7,749 jobs, mainly in the tourism industry.
NOVEMBER
Khun Nam Nang Non, a lagoon inside Tham Luang-Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, reopened on Nov 15.
Normally, the cave is closed during the rainy season, but this year all eyes were on Tham Luang after 13 players from the Moo Paa (Wild Boars) team, including their coach, were trapped from June 23 to July 10. They were rescued by an international team and received help from around the world.
According to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, after the rescue mission was over, the water in the 6m-deep pond was clear and returned to its emerald green colour.
Tham Luang is now a popular destination. To record the history, a museum will be built in front of the cave.
A large billboard picture devoted to the rescue mission as well as the statue of former Navy Seal Lt Cdr Saman Gunun, who died during the rescue mission, were erected in front of the cave. The story will be made into a Hollywood film.
DECEMBER
The Year of the Dog ends with a rising number of international tourists.
At the beginning of the year, the government estimated that 37.19 million visitors will travel to Thailand, up 6.5% from last year. The new forecast, released this month, showed the positive future. The total number of international tourist arrivals is expected to exceed the target and hit 38.5 million.
The statistics of the Tourism Department showed that from January until November, 34.4 million visitors travelled to Thailand. The largest group of tourists is still visitors from China (9.5 million), despite the fatal incident in Phuket. Other top-five visitors are from Malaysia (3.5 million), Korea (1.6 million), Laos (1.59 million) and Japan (1.5 million).
The Tourism Council of Thailand predicts that total international arrivals to the Kingdom will reach 40.3 million in 2019 and the tourists will generate 2.29 trillion next year, up from 2 trillion this year.
The major factors due to the ease of visa policy include the exemption of visa-on-arrival fees, the expansion of budget airlines and the expectation of political stability in the country. The negative factors that may impact the tourism industry next year are soaring fuel prices, increasing interest rates and the trade war between the United States and China, which may force tourists to cut their travel plans and lower their travel budgets.
Email karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th if you have any comments or news to share.
