19 April 2015
BKK Bike Challenge
The Prime Minister of Thailand has campaigned for a long-distant cycling competition, the Bangkok Bike Thailand Challenge 2015, in Cha-Am to promote good health of Thai people and give support to local manufacturers of racing bikes. Winners of the competition will be awarded trophies of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. To be held on 5th April at Sirindhorn International Environmental Park in Phetchaburi, this event will also celebrate HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s birthday anniversary.
The Bangkok Bike Thailand Challenge 2015 has four categories. There will be an open category as well as categories for those 18 years of age and younger and groups of 5 cyclists. Apart from trophies for the winners of each category, those reaching the destination in the time specified will be given a souvenir medal. For more information on the event, please visit www.bangkokthailandchallenge. com or contact 02 203 4244/4217.
Cha- Am To Pattaya Ferry Proposal ‘Floating’ - Once Again
Mr Arkhom said that by cutting overland travel time by half, the ferry route will enable holidaymakers with limited time to spare to visit both resort cities. Reports received to date are short on any details of timing, terminal arrangements
More than 200 illegal hotels in ChaAm are being made registered hotels following a revised ministerial draft regulation on old building usage recently approved by the Cabinet. Surapong Techaruvichit, president of Thai Hotels Association (THA), has been quoted by The Nation to say that 14 hotels and resorts had been registered during the last few months while 49 non- registered hotels and resorts were in the process of doing the same. He said 140 additional properties would join the scheme in the next phase this year.
The Prime Minister has tried riding a sample bicycle and encouraged Thai people to bike more often. He also asked local manufacturers of bicycles not to import racing bikes from outside the country but produce them locally.
The Transport Ministry plans to launch a ferry route across the Gulf of Thailand linking Pattaya in Chon Buri to Cha-am district in Phetchaburi to boost tourism, said Deputy Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith.
New Lease of Life for Cha-Am Hotels
standards were now able to be registered according to the law. “Since the government has approved the new law that has been good for hotels to become registered hotels. The THA wants Cha-Am to be the first place to help non-registered operators to be registered,” he said. The association plans to meet with hotel operators in six other cities this year to help register non-registered hotels. They are Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Surat Thani and Hua Hin.
The Cabinet approved the revised ministerial draft regulation to allow type A and B hotels to become registered. Type C and D hotels have had no problem adhering to the hotel construction law as they are mostly large hotels with a range of services. Currently, many hotels catagorised as type A (hotels with less than 50 rooms) and type B (hotels with less than 50 rooms and food service) had violated the Interior Ministry’s hotel construction law.
According to the THA, more than 4,876 hotels in those six destinations are illegal, against 772 registered hotels - a fact Surapong said created anxiety about the overall quality of accommodation on offer. Surapong studied the hotel problems in the six cities as they are popular destinations based on the travel site www.agoda.com. He said the combined room tally in the 4,876 unregistered hotels in those destinations was 168,929.
“The Cabinet approved a revised draft on the usage of old buildings as part of the revision on land and |building regulations and usage. The draft is expected to be enforced soon,” Surapong said. As a result, he said existing non-registered hotels and resorts that did not meet hotel
“Many hotels are operating illegally maybe because they were unable to get a licence due to the tough [registrations] conditions or maybe they didn’t want to be a registered hotel,” he said. He said registered hotels usually had higher operating costs so many unregistered hotels wanted to avoid the mainstream.
or costing. It has already been noted by locals that previous attempts to establish a viable service have failed, probably due to planning issues and financial support. The idea probably has merit but until a full proposal is detailed, skepticism abounds. Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said the Ministry wants to promote more marine-related tourism, with more river and sea transport links to draw more tourists.
HUA HIN TODAY, April 2015