CHIANG RAI(NNT) – The issue of land ownership is still affecting a number of villagers, including those living in national parks and the northern region. The Deputy Interior Minister, Nipon Boonyamanee yesterday visited Chiang Rai to attend an event to celebrate World Habitat Day and carry out land development projects in the northern province.
The Deputy Interior Minister presided over the opening of an event to celebrate World Habitat Day at the International Convention and Exhibition Center in Chiang Rai. The event was held to raise public awareness about land ownership and the quality of life of low-income earners. The government, the private sector and communities in Chiang Rai have set up a fund to support low-income earners facing land ownership problems. Previously, a network of community organizations in the northern region collaborated with relevant agencies at the provincial level to survey areas, known to have land ownership problems. The study will be used to support the Community Organizations Development Institute’s low-cost Baan Mankong and Sufficiency housing projects.
The United Nations (UN) designated the first Monday of October of every year World Habitat Day, to reflect on the state of people’s towns and cities and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
Asia’s rise has been swift. Home to more than half of the world’s population, the region has climbed from low- to middle-income status within a single generation. By 2040, it is likely to generate more than 50% of world GDP, and could account for nearly 40% of global consumption.
New McKinsey Global Institute research shows the extent to which the global center of gravity is shifting toward Asia.
Today, the region has an increasing global share of trade, capital, people, knowledge, transport, culture, and resources.
Of the eight types of global cross-border flows, only waste is flowing in the opposite direction, reflecting the decision by China and other Asian countries to reduce imports of garbage from developed countries.
Asia now accounts for around one-third of global trade in goods, up from about a quarter ten years ago. Over roughly the same period, its share of global airline travelers has risen from 33% to 40%, and its share of capital flows has increased from 13% to 23%.
Those flows have fueled growth in Asia’s cities. The region is home to 21 of the world’s 30 largest, and four of the ten most visited.
Image: McKinsey & Company
And some of Asia’s lesser-known cities are now also on investors’ radar. In Yangon, Myanmar’s commercial capital, greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) in knowledge-intensive sectors totaled $2.6 billion in 2017, up from virtually zero in 2007.
Similarly, Bekasi, a smaller city near Jakarta, has emerged as the Detroit of Indonesia – the center of Indonesia’s automotive and motorcycle industry. Over the last decade, FDI in the city’s manufacturing industry has…
Even though there are several structured forms of meditation today, the history of meditation goes back to thousands of years. It is believed that primitive man might have discovered the art of meditation, mesmerized by the blazing fires that they built and going into a trance even as they watched the fire.
London – Four Thai hotels and resorts, an elephant sanctuary and a non-governmental organisation promoting community-based tourism have been conferred the Responsible Thailand Awards 2019 in recognition of their commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism.
Organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in cooperation with the UK publishing company Wanderlust Travel Media, the Awards “recognise and celebrate organisations that have made an outstanding contribution to sustainable tourism developments, as well as help protect the country whilst engaging and educating tourists on local environmental issues.”
The Awards were presented at the World Travel Market (WTM) on 4 November, 2019, in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Tourism and Sports, H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn.
H.E. Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports
Created to highlight Thailand’s dedication to the conservation of its country’s precious natural and cultural resources and support sustainable tourism development, the Awards recognise and celebrate organisations which have made an outstanding contribution to growing Thailand as a sustainable tourism destination.
Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, Governor of TAT, said “This year, consumers engaged in the Awards, sharing their thoughts on who should be a Responsible Thailand winner. It’s great that consumers are so aware of responsible travel choices in Thailand, but we have a lot more work to do to educate an even greater number of visitors coming to the Kingdom.”
The Judging Panel included:
– Ms. Lyn Hughes (Editor-in-chief & Global Content Director, Wanderlust)
– Ms. Julie Middleton (Head of Sustainable Practice, The Travel Foundation)
The criteria the judges followed included the sustainability of each organisation, their demonstrable successes and legacy benefits for both the Kingdom and visitors to it.
Profile: “Save Nakalay Reef” is the first coral learning centre and nursery in Phuket that began planting coral artificial structure frames and recovering broken coral to rehabilitate in an onshore nursery. Undertaken in collaboration with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), the project was designed to restore, preserve and grow natural coral reefs in Nakalay Bay.
Judges’ comments: A great example of a hotel actually pioneering a green project and taking it seriously; a great example to its visitors and to other hotels.
Best Animal Welfare
Winner: Samui Elephant Sanctuary
Profile: Samui Elephant Sanctuary is the first elephant sanctuary established on Ko Samui in Southern Thailand. Set on forested land, it offers a safe retirement home for elephants which can no longer work in the logging and tourism industries.
Judge’s comments: The Sanctuary has battled adversity to give elephants a better life and is a model for an ethical elephant’s experience. Education is key to their work, and an outreach programme is informing locals and visitors alike about the issues surrounding elephant tourism.
Best Community Based Tourism
Winner: G Adventures / Planeterra
Profile: Planeterra is G Adventure’s non-profit partner dedicated to ensuring communities touched by tourism benefit from the opportunities it provides. Planeterra helps empower local people to develop their communities, conserve their cultures, and create human and supportive systems for their endeavours.
Judges’ comments: This is a genuine and impressive case of tourism being a force for good. Nearly 700 community members are already directly benefitting from these new projects, and they will serve as a great model for the future.
Best Eco-Lodge / Eco-Hotel
Winner: Soneva Kiri
Profile: Soneva Kiri is a luxury resort with a strong focus on sustainability. It has developed its own Soneva Carbon Calculator to monitor the full footprint of its operations including energy consumption, air travel, ground travel, freight, food, paper, waste and water.
Judges’ comments: This was an easy and unanimous decision, Soneva Kiri really is making a huge difference through its ongoing work to be as environmentally friendly as possible, and in its commitment to fighting climate change. Indeed, they are making a positive impact in many areas, not least through reforestation and in reintroducing hornbills to Ko Kut.
Best Hotel
Winner: Zeavola Resort
Profile: The Zeavola Resort is directly on the beach of Phi Phi Island embedded into a jungle garden. If offers barefoot luxury.
Judge’s comments: Zeavola is taking sustainability seriously with a range of initiatives, which are measured and reported on. They have even gone as far as publishing a “Little Green Book”.
Best Green Steps
Winner: Poppies Resort
Profile: A boutique hotel on the southern end of Chaweng Beach, Ko Samui. They went plastic-free in February 2018.
Judges’ comments: Poppies eschews plastic bottles and straws and makes guests aware of this initiative even before they arrive. An excellent first step which will hopefully influence other organisations.
BANGKOK (NNT) – The government’s Chim Shop Chai – Eat Pay Spend economic stimulus has, as of yesterday generated 10.667 billion baht cash.
In Yala province, transactions made via the g-Wallet app have risen to 225 million baht so far, making the province 10th highest in spending in this campaign.
Yala Provincial Finance Office has revealed figures from the Chim Shop Chai campaign to promote domestic tourism, that show the total value of transactions made through the g-Wallet application in Yala has reached 225,947,250.45 baht. This total figure can be divided into g-Wallet 1 spending of 190,888,883.95 baht, which is the government granted allowance on eligible purchases, and g-Wallet 2 spending or clients’ own spending of 35,058,366.50 baht.
Mr Charnkrit Dechawitak, an assistant to a Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, said today that follow-ups on this campaign in many areas show that individual businesses and community enterprises have seen at least a 30 percent sales growth resulting from this campaign, even rising to 100 percent in some areas, proving that the cash injection scheme does indeed benefit the grassroots economy, creating funds in circulation and prolonging economic stimulation.
He said that the campaign aims to familiarize the general public with cashless payments, in order to prepare for digital trading, encouraging families to spend time together travelling, and improving wealth distribution to individual businesses and community enterprises. The outcomes from this campaign will be even more obvious in the final two months of this year, as the tourism industry enters its peak season.
Members of the general public who have signed up to the campaign, either in Phase 1 or Phase 2, are encouraged to continue spending using the g-Wallet 2 balance until 31st December this year.
The Comptroller General’s Department Deputy Director General, Wirawan Payanoi said today that 13 million persons signed up to the campaign in Phases 1 and 2. These clients are considered capable of pushing the economy forward through their tourism activities. She has invited all clients to top up their g-Wallet 2 balance after using up the g-Wallet 1 balance given by the government to receive 15% cashback reward from their first 30,000 baht spending, with the cashback capped at 4,500 baht per person, and 20% cashback reward from spending exceeding 30,000 baht to 50,000 baht, with a cap of 4,000 baht cashback per person. These benefits are only available until the end of year.
She said new campaigns will be introduced soon by Krungthai Bank and the Tourism Authority of Thailand with deep discounts for tourism activities in the remainder of this year.
Thailand continued to attract rising foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first nine months of 2019, with increased number of investment project applications according to public agency Thailand Board of Investment (BOI).
Applications for investments in the targeted industries, led by electronics and electrical sector, digital sector and automotive sector, represented 131.78 billion baht, or 65 percent of the total.
The total value of FDI applications received by the BOI in the nine months to September increased 69% from the year earlier period, to a total value of 203.37 billion baht, according to the latest data from the BOI.
In terms of the source of the foreign direct investment applications, out of a total of 689 projects, Japanese companies, which have long been the largest source of Thailand’s FDIs, ranked first with applications for 167 projects worth 59.19 billion baht, followed by China, with 139 projects worth 45.44 billion baht, and Switzerland, with 15 projects worth 11.71 billion baht, BOI data showed.
“The data for the applications we received in those nine months confirms Thailand’s continued attractiveness as an investment destination, despite the fluctuations seen in the global economy,”
Ms Duangjai Asawachintachit, Secretary General of the BOI.
“With the recently-rolled out investment promotion privileges under the Thailand Plus Package aimed at investment acceleration and further measures to improve the country’s investment ecosystem and ease of doing business, we expect the growth momentum of FDI and overall investment in Thailand to continue to expand into…
BANGKOK (NNT) – Additional campaigns have been launched to promote convenience stores and shopping malls abolishing the use of single-use plastic bags starting January 1, 2020, with one competition offering a 1 million baht prize.
The competition calls for sustainable plastic management innovations and is aimed at protecting Thailand’s oceans. Application are at www.noplasticinnatureinnovation.com until December 31 this year, with the results to be announced on April 22 next year. Prizes will be handed out on June 5, 2020.
The challenge was staged to announce that 46 convenience stores and malls will stop giving out single-use plastic bags starting January 1st 2020, instead encouraging customers to use cloth bags as part of an effort to make Thailand single-use plastic free by 2021. Concerted efforts by private businesses in the country since July 21 of this year have so far cut over two billion plastic bags, or about 6,000 tons worth.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and theEnvironment is now handing out cloth bags as part of its volunteer campaign. The bags are available at the Gourmet Market in The Emquartier, Bangkok.
BANGKOK (NNT) – Another summit being held in parallel with the ASEAN Summit is the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit 2019 (ABIS 2019) which is the private sector’s forum. It is organized by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking. The Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Commerce have shared their visions about driving the economy towards the 4th industrial revolution.
The ABIS 2019 held by Thailand’s private sector as the ASEAN chair on its second day, discussed the private sector’s important role in urging preparedness and seeking ways to benefit from the digital economy era, as it is expected that in the next six years the value of the digital economy in ASEAN will triple and reach 240 billion US dollars.
Before the opening of the 35th ASEAN Summit, Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister, Jurin Laksanawisit presided over the opening of ABIS 2019 on the concept of “Empowering ASEAN 4.0”. He expressed his appreciation of the private sector for realizing the importance of ushering the ASEAN Community into the 4.0 era or digital age, which is considered an appropriate because of the rapid changes in technology and innovation that are altering the patterns of trade, service, consumption and production resulting in a new business model especially online trading and services. AI and robots have also replaced human labor in some instances and caused some traditional businesses that couldn’t adjust in time, to gradually be closed down in many regions of the world.
The value of ASEAN’s digital economy grew rapidly from about 50 billion USD in 2017, to 72 billion last year or seven percent of the GDP. However, the value of digital economies in other countries such as the United States, the European Union, and China account for 35 percent, 27 percent and 16 percent respectively, indicating that the digital economy in ASEAN still has an opportunity to grow much further. ASEAN is aware of this, and has therefore, taken steps to propel ASEAN’s digital economy by establishing an E-Commerce Agreement to enable cross-border trading, preparing an ASEAN digital integration framework, facilitating trade and developing businesses and skilled labor.
