Thailand Golf Travel Mart returns after four years

An iconic cornerstone of London’s landscape, the city’s Old War Office building is set to settle into a brand-new identity this month. Sold to the Hinduja group in 2016, the building is opening its doors to the public once again, this time revamped into the Raffles London at The OWO. This will be Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ first location in the United Kingdom. Rаffles’ hotels are known for bringing together impeccable hospitality, design, and exclusive environments, and The OWO is no exception. Storytelling and preservation are the focus here, and Raffles properties allow guests to spend their trip basking in history.

Tourists descended on an ancient town in Thailand this week after UNESCO named it a world heritage site, prompting officials to consider banning visitors from climbing the 1,500-year-old ruins.

Experience unparalleled luxury at the Four Seasons Bangkok on the Chao Phraya River—an opulent urban resort nestled in the vibrant heart of Bangkok. Officially unveiled in December 2020, this exquisite five-star gem is one of Southeast Asia's premier luxury destinations and a standout addition to the prestigious Four Seasons Hotel collection. The hotel is a tranquil sanctuary amidst the bustling metropolis, where nearly eleven million residents call home.

In this series, Lonely Planet’s team of writers and editors answers your travel problems and provides tips and hacks to help you plan a hassle-free trip. Marco Ferrarese, a Penang-based expert in offbeat travel, has the answers to this Thailand-related query.

I live in Australia, while my cousin Yonatan, who is 15 years younger than me, grew up in Israel then moved to the US after college. Despite the age and cultural differences, he was always the family member I was closest to. We got along well and he always felt like a younger brother.

“When I was small, it was all very traditional,” muses 69-year-old Prapapan Sritrai as she shows me around her workspace, where huge vats of bubbling, inky-blue liquid are being stirred by her husband. Auntie Ngeam, as she’s known locally, is one of a third generation of indigo artisans in a family descended from the Phuan, a people known for their handwoven fabrics. A sizeable Phuan community, originally from Laos, settled in Phrae, in northern Thailand, after being displaced from their homeland when the borders of Siam were expanded in the late 19th century, bringing their indigo craftsmanship with them. Auntie Ngeam’s Tardis-like indigo studio is located down a slim alley in Ban Thung Hong, a village on the outskirts of Phrae, almost equidistant between Chiang Mai and the Laos border. Here, where the green rolling hills are dissected by the Yom River and its tributaries, the acanthus and indigofera tinctoria plants central to indigo production flourish. Indigo — and, specifically, the production of dark-blue mo hom shirts, a common uniform for rural and agricultural workers in Thailand — became a key industry in Phrae after the demise of the local teak industry following the Second World War.

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Bookings have surged for Klook, one of Asia’s leading online marketplaces for travel experiences.

The Royal Thai Government led by Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Srettha Thavisin has announced the temporary tourist visa exemption scheme to passport holders of the People’s Republic of China and Republic of Kazakhstan effective from 25 September 2023 to 29 February 2024, to achieve this year’s tourism revenue target of 2.38 trillion Baht. Chinese and Kazakhstani nationals will be granted a temporary visa exemption for a 30-day stay on tourism purpose in Thailand during the five-month visa exemption period.

The first time I traveled solo, I was 15 years old. A shy and budding tennis player, I spent two months crisscrossing Austria, Switzerland, and Germany via Eurail on a junior tennis tour.

Luxury hospitality juggernaut Aman is entering an unprecedented period of growth. After amassing 34 luxury hotels in 35 years, it now plans to open 11 hotels and resorts for its off-shoot brand Janu over the next four years, Skift has learned.

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