Bangkok taxis among the best

Bangkok's taxi service has been voted 6th best in the world, according to a survey by Hotel.com.

The survey was conducted from July 31 to Aug 20, and among 4,821 respondents from 23 countries. The cabs were judged on seven categories; cleanliness, value, quality of driving, knowledge of the area, friendliness, safety and availability.

London's iconic black cabs were rated the best (and most expensive) in the world for the 4th consecutive year, followed by taxis in New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Bangkok, Berlin, Helsinki, Dublin and Madrid.

The survey also found that taxis were the second-most popular mode of transportation after the bus when travelling from an airport to a hotel.

Safety is the biggest concern for travellers, followed by value for money, knowledge of area, quality of driving, availability, cleanliness and friendliness.

 

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Suvarnabhumi to introduce body scanners

The Airports of Thailand (AoT) has invested 100 million baht to improve security screen areas at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
Eight full body scanners will be implemented for maximum security checks, according to AoT senior executive vice-president and acting president Nirandra Theeranartsin.

"We will relocate the security checkpoint zone from behind the immigration service areas to a new mezzanine floor, where passengers must take an escalator up to walk through the scanners and then take another escalator down to the immigration areas," he said.

The mezzanine used to be a lounge covering 4,500m2. He said the relocation would free up the existing security check area for other passenger-service purposes.

The AoT will soon launch a Term of Reference (ToR) for bidding for the scanners. The new security area is under renovation and will be finished with the new scanner implementation by the end of this year.

According to AoT, Suvarnabhumi Airport served 42.38 million passengers last year, of whom 12 million were domestic.

According to latest statistics, passenger numbers increase about 6% year by year. AoT expects passenger numbers to increase by 2.5 million on last year.

"Passengers will be close to the maximum capacity at 45 million this year. We need to have both short-term and long-term plans to tackle congestion, and improve facilities and services," Nirandra noted.

The short-term plan is to make the most use of existing space, including the renovation of the security check areas on both east and west wings. The AoT also plans to use Gates A and B of the domestic terminal to serve international flights at night.

For the long-term plan, the airport must expand its facilities to a second phase, he said, including building a new domestic terminal.

"It will take 3-4 years to build a new terminal at a cost of 9.3 billion baht," he said. The new terminal will be able to handle 20 million passengers a year. The goal is to make Suvarnabhumi International Airport handle up to 65 million passengers a year by 2015, he said.

Plans for the new terminal will soon be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.

Meanwhile, AoT has joined hands with King Power to promote the 5th anniversary of Suvarnabhumi International Airport by distributing a lucky-draw coupon to those who spend at least 5,000 baht at King Power's Duty Free or pay at least 500 baht in any dinning outlets at the airport. Prizes for the lucky draw are five gift vouchers worth one million baht each.

The campaign ends on Nov 15, and winners will be announced on Nov 17 at www.suvarnabhumiairport.com and www.kingpower.com.

 

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Google to launch Google Street View in Thailand

Following the opening of its first ever office in Thailand, internet giant Google has revealed that its Street View feature will be introduced to the country in association with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

In a recent op-ed released to media, Google’s newly appointed Country Manager, Ariya Panomyong, revealed that proportionally “no other country in the world sends as many visitors to [Google Maps] as Thailand does”, making the decision to introduce Street View a logical one.

It is likely to take the Street View team between two and three years to collect enough data to add the feature to Thailand’s maps, which is where TAT comes in.

The organisation has invited Thais to come forward and propose their favourite parts of the country which should be included in Street View. The most popular places will be captured by the Google team and made available via Street View, a move that the TAT believes will help raise awareness of Thailand’s most visit-worthy places amongst tourists, both domestically and overseas.

Suraphon Svetasreni, the governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand outlined the thinking behind the partnership with Google to The Nation:

The internet is a powerful platform for raising awareness and increasing travel to and around Thailand and with Google cars ready to start capturing images today, we see the long term output of Street View as a real opportunity for Thailand to showcase its tourist destinations and unique culture to the world while strengthening our economy.

While Street View is undoubtedly a popular feature with many internet users, it remains to be seen exactly how much visibility it can provide. Like many Southeast Asian destinations popular with tourists, Thailand and its hotspots are served by a huge number of travel guides – both on and offline – with a growing number of blogs and websites showcasing other, less known places.

Street View alone is unlikely to make a huge difference to Thailand’s visitor numbers but it might give the TAT a platform from which to be creative. The TAT has made a concerted effort to use the internet and social media amongst its marketing efforts, like other tourism authorities in neighbouring countries, and it will be interesting to see if further competitions are spun off from the introduction of Google Street View.

Neighbouring Singapore has enjoyed Street View since 2009 and with Google now actively expanding its presence in the region, it seems only a matter of time before other countries will be supported too.

Thailand has an interesting history with Google and its maps after the service caused controversy last year when Cambodia accused the search giant of “radically misleading” with its interpretation of a disputed Thai-Cambodia

 

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Thailand plans 100m new numbers in response to mobile demand

Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is set to increase the capacity for mobile usage by adding the possibility of 100 million new numbers through the addition of a new prefix, the Bangkok Post reports.

The new set of numbers—which will begin with ’09’—are planned in anticipation of a rise in demand for mobile services following the long-awaited arrival of 3G services in the country. The country’s high level of mobile penetration also played a part in helping the NBTC reach this decision.

The move is latest of many initiatives from the NTSB in the last five years, as the Bangkok Post outlines:

In 2006, regulators added an 8 in the middle of the previous two-digit prefix, followed by the seven-digit number. The switch from nine digits to 10 increased the potential number of telephone numbers from 90 million to 300 million, sufficient for expected growth over the next 30 years.

Like many Southeast Asian countries, Thailand’s mobile penetration is greater than its population (currently standing around 110%). This can be explained by the region’s preference for pre-pay (pay-as-you-go) tariffs, which avoid the commitment of longer term contracts and regular payments.

The increasing popularity of smartphones is, however, challenging the preference for pre-pay, particularly in urban areas where more affluent users can be found, although it is hard to conceive of a time when pre-pay and post-pay levels will reach western levels.

Thai officials do rein in unused or expired accounts to help battle the numbers, but the addition of extra capacity will make the most significant difference, ensuring that there is more space for new sign-ups.

 

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Here Siam set sail

The new Royal Thai Naval Dockyard Museum offers a look at early shipping on the Chao Phraya River and the origins of the Thai Navy. It also promises the younger generation a chance to discover their roots.

As part of the commemorations for His Majesty the King's 84th birthday in December, the dockyard has turned a century-old wooden house into a museum full of rare old portraits, die-cast models and venerable marine gear, all enlivened by video presentations.

The two-storey building in the Thonburi dockyard was erected during the reign of King Rama IV, utilising the charming "gingerbread" architecture style of the Victorian era.

Upstairs it's all solid wood, with balconies on every side, while the ground floor is brick and cement. Capping everything is a beautiful, panya-style wooden roof decorated in some bygone time with refined scrollwork.

The museum, which just opened officially last month, is meant to be an education in boat construction and the industry's history.

Visitors first see an exhibit called "From the Palace to the Royal Dockyard", which tracks the earliest uses of the Chao Phraya and its banks.

On view is an old drawing - someone's portrait - and a scale model of Thonburi and vicinity, the Kingdom's strategic and commercial focus after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.

You marvel at the network of canals and fortresses that are today decrepit or in ruins but at the time provided the ideal setting for Rama I's palace and the nation's rebirth with the Rattanakosin Era.

Soon there were many temples and government buildings, including the one at the riverside that Rama III would make the headquarters of Royal Siamese Navy.

"Royal Dockyard to Naval Dockyard Department" moves into the reign of Rama VI, when the military was strengthened in the face of a growing threat from European colonialism. The king expanded the dockyard, the better to build the country's first warships.

Our fighting vessels have gone from Chinese-style junks to sailing ships and steamers, and there are models here of all of them, made from different materials. Also on view are vintage photographs of the dockyard and the Phra Ruang, which sailed into battle in World War I. Some of its unused cannonballs are here, and its chinaware too.

Lieutenant Commander Rasana Sompong is the new museum's curator.

"At present we have three huge dockyards," she says, "the Thonburi Naval Dockyard, the Phrachulachomklao Naval Dockyard in Samut Prakhan and the Mahidol Adulayadej Royal Navy Dock in Sattahip in Chonburi, which is the biggest shipyard in the region."

The exhibit "His Majesty the King with Naval Architecture" is a lesson in building a sailboat, which His Majesty famously used to do as a hobby. You see photos of the King shaping the Mod, Super Mod and Micro Mod sailboats that he designed himself.

"The King is interested in both handicrafts and water sports and he's still keen about making and sailing boats," Rasana says. "In this exhibit we show the extent of his creativity and knowledge."

A large die-cast model of the coast guard vessel Tor 991 is the main attraction in the segment called "Improve the Effective Performance". The exhibit examines the development of the Naval Dockyard Department since 1855 and explains techniques in shipbuilding through diagrams and displays of equipment.

You can learn more about the different types of ships used by the Navy - torpedo boats, tugs, oil tankers, cruisers, troop carriers, even fishing boats and - perhaps some wishful thinking here - an aircraft carrier.

"National Cultural Conservation" features a model of one of the graceful royal barges and a video of the splendid Royal Barge Procession along the river.

Descending to the ground floor, visitors discover many old tools and more vintage photos in the exhibit "Preparing for Combat", while "Dockyard and Shipbuilding Industry of the Country" explains the various enterprises involved.

Finally, but separately, there's a temporary exhibition about research undertaken by the Royal Naval Dockyard Department that also looks at submarines, a vessel that's recently moved to the top of the Navy's shopping list.

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The museum is at the Royal Thai Naval Dockyard Museum on Arun-Amarin Road. It's open daily from 9am to 3pm. Visits can be arranged at (02) 475 4185 and www.Navy.mi.th/Dockyard.

 

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