Chiang Rai News
Chiangrai Golf Tourism on the Rise
The sport of golf has deep roots in the Kingdom of Thailand, dating back to the reign of Rama V (1853-1910).
CHIANGRAI TIMES – The value of foreign golf tourism to Thailand may reach 60 billion baht or $US2 billion in 2012 for the first time.
Based on a Tourism Authority of Thailand forecast for a record 19 million inbound visitors to the kingdom next year, up to 600,000 foreign golf tourists – or three percent of the total – will make a beeline for its five major golf destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai.
According to Mark Siegel, whose company Golfasian is one of Thailand’s major inbound golf tour operators, foreign golf tourism into Thailand is continuing to grow, while he says golfers spend an average of 100,000 baht ($US 3,300) each on the ground – three times the average of other tourists.
e Wiang Chai Hills Waterford Valley Golf Course is 40 minutes from the city of Chiang Rai in one of Thailand’s most attractive and coolest areas. The Waterford golf course is mostly flat as it is built upon a plateau, surrounded by lush valleys and mountains.
With Thailand’s major golf courses reporting strong early bookings and forecasting growth above 2011, the estimated 57 billion baht ($US 1.9 billion) spent in Thailand by more than 500,000 inbound golf visitors this year should nudge 60 billion baht spent by up to 600,000 foreign golfers in 2012.
“It could be our best season ever,” Mark Siegel says. “The political situation is calm, there have been no natural disasters to deter tourism, and Thailand’s cultural capability to attract tourists remains streets ahead of other markets.”
The surge in golf tourism to Thailand will entrench the kingdom as by far Asia’s most popular destination for foreign golfers and one of the top three other golf destinations behind market leader Spain, which attracts almost a million golf tourists a year.
Even traditional golf destinations such as Scotland, Ireland and England – or the United States – can’t match Thailand’s year-round golf appeal, with prices about half the cost of most western markets. Thailand has 260 golf courses – 60 fewer than Spain, 200 fewer than Scotland and 100 less than Ireland.
Two new awards are adding to Thailand’s overall tourism aura. Bangkok has been voted the world’s best city by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine in the United States, while Thailand is the world’s fourth best country to visit and Phuket is the world’s 10th best island destination, according to UK magazine Condé Nast Traveller.
Although supplying only 10 to 15 percent of Thailand’s golf tourists compared with 65 percent from Europe, the strong Australian dollar and extra flights into Thailand are bringing more Australian golfers. Importantly for many tour operators and courses, Australia’s winter brings golfers from Down Under in Thailand’s low season between May and September, while Europeans overwhelmingly favour the November to March high season during their winter.
Rising long-haul demand and improving numbers from Japan and Korea also means members of Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience, a co-operative marketing group comprising Thailand’s top golf courses and hotels, are expecting a bumper high season from November to March and ongoing strong demand throughout 2012.
“There has been a dramatic improvement ,” says Prasertchai Phornprapha, managing director of Siam Country Club near Pattaya, a two-course complex that relies purely on pay-as-you-play visitors and is expecting to host 50,000 foreign golfers in 2012, half its total expected numbers. “When there is peace in Thailand it is the destination of choice because of its culture and value for money,” he says.
Bangkok’s exclusive Thai Country Club, named by Asian Golf Monthly last year as Thailand’s best course and first runner-up in Asia, is also expecting a bumper season. General manager T.W. Hughes says his optimism follows one of the best high seasons ever in 2011. “We believe this year will be at least equal to last year and perhaps even better, given those who experienced TCC are likely to want to repeat their experience. The course will be in the best condition in years and we continue to make upgrades in and around the rest of the club.”
Santiburi Country Club is the golf course with 18 holes developed outside Chiang Rai town and it takes about 20 minutes to reach the course from the city
Stacey Walton, the general manager of Banyan Golf Club at Hua Hin, 200 kilometres south of Bangkok, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand has done a good job in rebuilding Thailand’s image after protests in Bangkok during the past two years severely disrupted tourism for several months at a time. “We should see results from that,” he says. “November to February is looking especially strong and as the golf hub of Asia, Thailand will reap the benefits.”
Harald Ellison, general manager of nearby Black Mountain Golf Club, says forward bookings from Scandinavia, northern Europe and the United Kingdom are encouraging. The club, owned by Swedish interests, which hasn’t missed a day’s golf since it opened in 2007, will bring a new par-3 course into play by the end of the year to accompany its core 18-hole layout. The new island-dotted mini-course with water on every hole and heavy bunkering will be a test for golfers of all levels and is expected to be played by a large number of Black Mountain’s visitors.
Meanwhile, the Thai Government has high hopes for continued strong tourism growth over the next four years. Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister, Chumpol Silpa-archa, announced a target of at least 30 million foreign inbound tourists by 2015, who he said were expected to generate national revenues of 1.4 trillion baht or $US466 billion at current exchange rates.
If achieved, the target would almost double inbound arrivals in just five years. And if inbound golf market’s share and expenditure remain at current levels, golf tourism will contribute 150 billion baht ($US4.5 billion) to the Thai economy four years from now.
Golf Chiangrai
Police in Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai Province have arrested a 50 year old man after the threatened to rape a 20 year-old woman and the proceeded to murder her 2 and half month old baby.
Police with doctors from Wiang Kaen Hospital and the Chao Luang Wiang Kaen Welfare Association were summoned to the scene of the incident to a 2-story cement house, Village No. 2, Tha Kham Subdistrict, Wiang Kaen District of Chiang Rai
On arrival they found Ms. Chanikarn, age 20, in a state of distress crying uncontrollably beside her 2 and a half month baby girl (Linlada) that was dead on the floor.
After calming Ms. Chanikarn, the child’s mother, said that at approximately 2:30 p.m she was out to collect diapers that had been dried in front of the house, while her 2 and a half month old daughter was sleep on the ground floor of the house.
She said she was suddenly approached by a Mr. Lee, about 40 years old, who lived on the opposite side of the road. He came towards her and grabbed her arm and threatened her saying if she didn’t sleeping with him he will go and kill his daughter.
Miss Chanikan refused and ran away, then Mr. Lee then walked into the house and grabbed Ms. Linlada’s leg, smashing the child’s head against the cement floor of the house. The infant died immediately.
Mr. Lee then just walked away and returned to his own home, leaving Miss Chanikan and her dead baby.
When police went to Mr. Lee’s home he immediately confessed killing the infant and was taken to Wiang Kaen Police Station for further questioning. Under caution he told police that he was sexually attracted to Miss Chanikan‘s and when her husband leave for work he took the opportunity to approach her.
He said when he saw her husband leave he crossed that road and found Miss Chanikan in the yard alone, he then threatened her to sleep with him, saying he would kill her child if she didn’t have sex with him. However when she refused he flew into a fit of rage walked into her home and murdered he baby. He said he was out of control with rage.
After killing the infant he walk across the street to his home and waited for the police to arrive. The police have charged him with premeditated murder and attempted rape. He is being held without bail at the local remand center.
Meanwhile, Miss Chanikan and her family were preparing a religious burial ceremony for the child.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
CHIANG RAI: Prime Minister Settha Thavisin has authorized the establishment of an emergency cyber center operated by the Royal Thai Police to combat transnational crimes committed by call center gangs along the Thai border in Chiang Rai province.
On July 19, Prime Minister Settha Thavisin directed the Center to combat information technology crimes. The Royal Thai Police (Royal Thai Police) will crack down on call center gangs in Myanmar, Laos, and along the border.
His directive comes as call center gangs ratchet up their scams to defraud people of their money, causing concern among Thais and jeopardizing the country’s economic and social stability.
Pol. Gen. Kittirat Panphet, Deputy Commander and Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, Assigned Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai Pitanilabut, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Police/Deputy Director of the Police Crime Suppression Division, has launched the operation ‘Bombing the Thieves’ Bridge’ in collaboration with the CAT Office, G., mobile phone network operators AIS DTAC TRUE NT, and local security agencies to cut the mobile phone signal and WiFi internet that criminals illegally use to deceive Thai citizens.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai stated that they will begin pressing the first action of the ‘Explosion of Thieves’ Bridge’ in Chiang Rai Province toward the thieves’ base of operations in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone.
The territory surrounding King Roman in Laos. King Roman is now a full-service entertainment destination with an airport that welcomes travelers from Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, he explained.
According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Thatchai, this operation will have no influence on honest people along the Thai border, and it will only target cyber criminals.
They will also increase the arrest and prosecution of unlawful service towers, such as SIM booths, which allow gangs register SIM cards to swindle the people. Dealing with criminal organizations of foreigners and Thais who band together to deceive and damage Thais.
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) suspended more than three million SIM cards on July 16 because the holders had not verified their identities with their mobile phone operators by the deadline, in accordance with the NBTC’s measures to combat alleged fraudsters’ mule accounts.
The names of the holders of 80 million mobile phone numbers used for mobile banking transactions did not match the names associated with the mobile banking accounts.
The NBTC would require mobile phone companies to authenticate SIM card holders and the names of their mobile banking accounts. The verification procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September this year.
In addition, the NBTC and Royal Thai Police have collaborated to combat illegal telecom towers throughout the country’s borders, disconnecting signals at 465 places, altering antenna direction at 470 towers, and dismantling antennas at 179 locations.
They are certain that the move will disrupt contact center gangs and other types of technology-based crime.
Other Chiang Rai News:
Machete Wielding Man Shot an Killed by Police in Chiang Rai
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/chiangrai-news/machete-wielding-man-shot-an-killed-by-police-in-chiang-rai/
Police in Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, shot and killed a 28-year-old man who allegedly attacked a police officer with a machete. The officer was slashed in the right leg with the machete.
According to police, the culprit, known only as Mr. Toon, had been harassing local villagers in Mae Chan district, Chiang Rai, threatening them with a knife and using violet insults.
The village headman arrived on the scene to try to calm Mr. Toon, but he was shouting hysterically and taking swipes at him with the machete, so he contacted the police.
When the responding officer arrived at the site about 9 p.m., he attempted to calm the man, but he instead assaulted the officer, slashing his right leg with the machete. In self-defense, the cop had to fire his gun at Mr. Toon, striking him in the chest.
Mr. Toon and the policeman were taken to Mae Chan Hospital, where Mr. Toon died of a gunshot wound. Pol Sgt. Sutthikiat Phanomphraisakul was released from the hospital after receiving numerous stitches for his injuries.
Local police received a tip around 9.30 p.m. yesterday that a guy was causing mayhem in the village. When authorities arrived, they discovered 28-year-old Toon strolling along a public road, holding a large knife and threatening people. Mae Chan district officials attempted to contain the incident.
During a search of Mr. Toon’s home, authorities discovered methamphetamine consumption equipment. Locals told authorities that the man was addicted to Yaba (Methamphetamine) and an alcoholic.
The authorities are conducting an inquiry to determine Toon’s motivations and whether any underlying issues contributed to his violent outburst.
Other related news:
Chiang Mai Police Offer Cash Reward After Officer Killed
https://www.chiangraitimes.com/crime/chiang-mai-police-offer-reward/
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