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Dhevatara Copyright (c) 2008 - 2012 Dhevatara Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. http://www.dhevatara.com Dhevatara News and Press Release en-us Wed, 16 May 2012 21:29:04 Eastern Daylight Time Seeking a Greener Phuket Tue, 15 May 2012 04:52:53 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_242.html Seeking a Greener Phuket SEEK Phuket is a non-profit organisation set up by a collection of individuals dedicated to creating a more sustainable island environment. With Phuket becoming increasingly popular as a tourist and lifestyle destination the impact on the island's environment is considerable. Enter SEEK Phuket — a newly established environmental body made up of local and foreign participants, including teachers, retirees, NGO workers, business owners and government officials, each ... Brunching on Phuket Tue, 15 May 2012 01:13:12 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_241.html Brunching on Phuket Combining two words in one may not please language purists, but putting two meals together has certainly proved to be a winner with food lovers OMG! I must say don't heart the additions to the Oxford English Dictionary! Soz, if it was up to me, the first sentence wouldn't read this way LOL! Call me old fashioned and a late adopter (if ever at all) to the now-generation of limited character counts, but I do give kudos to the Oxford English Dictionary for keeping up with t... Phuket Beach Club Culture Mon, 14 May 2012 04:52:40 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_240.html Phuket Beach Club Culture Worldwide luxury beach club phenomenon, Nikki Beach, recently announced plans to expand its brand on Phuket, part of fast growing trend toward a more upmarket beachside experience. Thanks to an increasingly sophisticated suite of high-end offerings, including ultra-luxe accommodation options, award-winning restaurants and four marinas, two of them catering to superyachts, Phuket is fast becoming known as a jet-setter's playground. The latest trend in upscale d... Asian boat shows shine Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:28:46 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_239.html Asian boat shows shine With a significant percentage of the world's disposable income now parked in Asia, the luxury yachting industry is gaining ground across the entire region. March and April are now known as boat show season in Asia, with a choice of major events on offer in various countries for visitors, and world class luxury vessels and branded products on display at marinas around the region. Luxury sailing and motor yacht charters are also becoming increasingly popular with visit... Phuket town leaps back into history Mon, 12 Mar 2012 03:09:57 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_238.html Phuket town leaps back into history Around 8.4 million visitors arrived through Phuket International Airport in 2011, numbers forecasted by the authorities at Airports of Thailand to scratch the 9 million mark in 2012. While a vast majority of the passengers undoubtedly base their choice of destination primarily for the island's jet-set lifestyle and casuarina fringed beaches, Phuket Town proves that the southwestern Thai island offers far more than just luxury and sea views. <br... A Splashing Thai Celebration Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:43:37 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_237.html A Splashing Thai Celebration Although Thailand celebrates New Year on December 31st along with the rest of the planet, the ancient Kingdom also has its own Lunar New year festival in April based on a centuries old tradition rooted in the harvest seasons. The Songkran Festival, as it is known, is still the most significant holiday of the year for most Thai people. Although previously based on Thai lunar calendar, Songkran is now on the Western calendar and therefore falls annually on 13-15 ... The Flight to Asia Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:32:41 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_236.html The Flight to Asia By Tina Hsiao With rising global oil prices, a continuing uncertain economic landscape in the west, and increased purchasing power in the east, airlines in the Asia Pacific are looking to cash in on intra-regional travels in the coming years. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer released in January 2012, global tourism arrival numbers reached 980 million in 2011, a 4.4% increase from the year before. The record tourism highs were reached despite a... Island Intelligence Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:53:50 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_235.html Island Intelligence Building a reliable infrastructure is an essential ingredient for success on popular tourist islands like Koh Samui in Thailand By Jules Kay Supporting a fast growing tourist destination with essential infrastructure projects is no easy task. In many of the world's island resorts, business drives development at a much faster pace than public funded projects can match, often leading to a disparity between the level of services and facilities offered to tourists and th... Face Value on Facebook Wed, 8 Feb 2012 04:23:32 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_234.html Face Value on Facebook By Jules Kay As Facebook goes public with a stock value that's estimated to be worth between $75 billion and $100 billion, the world's largest social networking site boasts 845 million active users worldwide and ranks as the top provider of graphical online display ads in the United States, accounting for roughly 28 percent of the total "impressions" of such ads last year. Such astronomical numbers may impress stock brokers, potential s... Thailand sailing ahead in 2012 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:10:00 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_233.html Thailand sailing ahead in 2012 By Jules Kay A New Year means a new schedule of sailing events across the Asia region and Thailand, as always, is one of the principle locations for the on water action. With fine tropical waters on both sides of the Thai peninsular the regattas run throughout the year, attracting world class boats and crew from around the globe to compete and enjoy the legendary onshore hospitality that has become synonymous with the best yachting dates on the cal... Sweet Samui Valentine Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:16:52 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_232.html Sweet Samui Valentine By Jules Kay Valentine's day is the perfect time to appreciate the delights of tropical island life with your loved one and visitors to Koh Samui enjoy a wealth of options when it comes to a romantic outing or blissful break. With a little planning, love birds of all ages can make the most of Samui's indulgent attractions, whether looking for the ultimate private escape or a fun-filled couple's night out. The island offers so many choices that a single day is far too sh... Thailand's Year of the Dragon Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:34:22 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_231.html Thailand's Year of the Dragon By Jules Kay With floods and political upheaval now hopefully a thing of the past, Thailand is looking forward to a positive year. In the Thai lunar calendar, 2012 is actually 2555, and as the number five in the Thai language is "HA", the famous Thai smile is at last returning with a vengeance, inspired by a new catchphrase: "Ha, Ha, Ha". The New Year countdown to 2012 was a spectacular affair, both in Bangkok and in the country's buzzing resort destinations... Phuket gears up for action Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:32:58 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_230.html Phuket gears up for action By Jules Kay November is the official start of the high season on Phuket and this year the island will be welcoming visitors from all over the world with a full schedule of events and some the most appealing holiday choices on offer in the South East Asia region. In the last few years, Phuket has enjoyed an impressive revival as a one of the world's top tourist destinations with international arrivals forecast to top four million in 2011. ... Time for another Thai Miracle Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:42:47 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_229.html Time for another Thai Miracle By Jules Kay With international arrivals at all time highs in all first three quarters of this year, Thailand recently endured its worst flood in living history. The heart of the country, Bangkok, took a serious tourism hit as the international media broadcast images of widespread inundation. One of the national projects put on hold due to the floods was the "Miracle Thailand" tourism campaign, originally slated to launch in No... Loy Kratong - a pertinent Thai festival Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:16:46 Eastern Standard Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_228.html Loy Kratong - a pertinent Thai festival By Jules Kay When the moon fills out in the twelfth lunar month of every year, Thais take to the waterways nationwide to "loy" (float) their "kratong" (banana leaf vessel laden with flowers, incense and candals). Although Thais and especially Bangkokians, celebrate the likes of Halloween and Christmas, Loy Kratong is a festival that remains observed in a genteel way that celebrates the more traditional Thai way of life. In the northern province of C... Help floods out in Thailand Sun, 16 Oct 2011 03:59:30 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_227.html Help floods out in Thailand By Jules Kay Heavy rains in Thailand caused extreme flooding in many parts of the country this month, in what has become the nation’s most expensive natural disaster. The country's finance minister put the cost of damage at $3.9 billion and with more than 10% of the country's rice farms destroyed, the economic impact of the flooding is set to last far longer than the high waters. Yet despite the economic impact of the flooding, the disaster has also helped brin... Jason Mraz to play Thailand Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:29:30 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_226.html Jason Mraz to play Thailand By Jules Kay With Thailand firmly established as one of the world's top holiday destinations, the kingdom is also an increasingly popular choice for some of the world's top bands and music stars. Until quite recently, the biggest selling acts tended to favour Singapore as the main Southeast Asian stop when they planned their world tours, but in the last few years the Bangkok gig list has grown to include everyone from rock legends The Eagles to crossover stadium f... Adding an 'i' to Hospitality Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:20:57 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_225.html Adding an 'i' to Hospitality By Jules Kay Steve Jobs may have left the house, but the iRevolution he led has satisfied hungry consumers with innovative products no one knew they were missing until they watched his legendary Apple presentations. In particular, the scrambling popularity for the versatility of the iPad has changed the way business is conducted across the board, from banking to health services, construction to charity. The game changer of the computing world has also reinvented ... Dropping anchor on Phuket Tue, 2 Aug 2011 23:55:59 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_224.html Dropping anchor on Phuket By Jules Kay In the last 10 years Phuket has developed into one of the world's top yachting destinations. Sailing holidays are now a popular choice for visitors from around the world, whether arriving on their own private boats or chartering vessels from one of the island's marinas to explore the beauty of the dramatic Andaman Coast and experience the many deserted offshore islands from a unique, personal perspective. Phuket's four full servic... Capital culture in Bangkok Tue, 2 Aug 2011 03:16:48 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_223.html Capital culture in Bangkok By Jules Kay The Bangkok International Festival of Dance & Music offers culture seekers the capital's biggest and most comprehensive showcase of international performing arts. Now in its 13th year, the festival takes place at the Thailand Cultural Centre, and will be held from 9 September – 16 October, when professional dance companies and orchestras from countries as diverse as Brazil, Germany, Russia and United Kingdom will descend on Bangkok to p... Phuket for Foodies Tue, 2 Aug 2011 02:24:26 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_222.html Phuket for Foodies By Tina Hsiao Aside from its spectacular scenery, fascinating culture and stunning beaches, one of the main attractions for visitors to Thailand is the country's celebrated cuisine. Even if you only visit one location during your stay in the Kingdom, you can still enjoy everything from authentic local street food to exquisite delicacies at a gourmet restaurant. What's more, with the tastes of virtually every other country in the world represen... AirAsia: Spinning a World Wide Web Wed, 6 Jul 2011 22:01:11 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_221.html AirAsia: Spinning a World Wide Web By Tina Hsiao & Jules Kay AirAsia stole the headlines at the biennial Paris Air Show held in June, inking the largest ever order of Airbus' A320 aircraft, a deal worth US$ 18.2 billion. The move reflects the strength in the region's tourism industry. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)'s recently released figures, 2010 saw an 12.7% y-o-y increase of international tourist arrivals to Asia and the Pacific, reaching a historic high of 203.8... Adventure Racing returns to Koh Samui Mon, 4 Jul 2011 02:05:23 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_220.html Adventure Racing returns to Koh Samui By Jules Kay Adventure Racing has been growing in popularity worldwide over the last few years. A dynamic team sport that also draws large crowds of spectators, this multi-disciplinary contest pushes competitors to their limits. In Asia in particular, Adventure Racing has taken off in a number of countries with exercise fanatics from around the region gathering regularly in various locations to test each other's skills and endurance. The larger events... A Healthy Thai Hangover Mon, 4 Jul 2011 01:42:39 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_219.html A Healthy Thai Hangover By Jules Kay The blockbuster bachelor party movie of the year, Hangover Part II, may have received mixed reviews in Thailand for its focus on the seedy side of Bangkok, but the benefits in terms of tourism may far outweigh any negative images portrayed in some of the scenes. According to a report published in The Hollywood Reporter, by June 20, 2011, "The Hangover Part II" had achieved $488.7 million in worldwide box office receipts, making it the most successful R-ra... Phuket swings to success Sat, 14 May 2011 04:50:35 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_218.html Phuket swings to success by Jules Kay The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) recently launched a new promotional strategy for 2011 that includes a number of projects designed to attract specific visitor segments to the Kingdom. Building on the highly successful “Amazing Thailand” campaign, the TAT will add several new tag-lines, including “ Thailand Always Amazes You” , to emphasise the diverse elements that make Thailand so appealing to visitors from around the globe. Thailand's popula... Glamorous Asian Yachting Finale Sat, 14 May 2011 02:50:10 Eastern Daylight Time http://www.dhevarata.com/news_217.html Glamorous Asian Yachting Finale by Jules Kay Phuket has long been well known as a major yachting destination. As the host of The Phuket King's Cup Regatta every December, Asia's biggest and most popular regatta, the island attracts boats from around the globe year round. Other high profile sailing events on Phuket include the Phang Nga Bay Regatta, always held over the Chinese New Year in January or February and Six Senses Phuket Raceweek in July, considered by many sailors as one of the m...