Thailand plans to impose tourism tax on foreign tourists

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA

According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand plans to impose tourism tax on foreign tourists. The tax will be used to repair and improve the construction of local attractions. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that the Ministry is studying the tourism tax scheme and will find the most secure taxation method to reduce the impact on the country's tourism industry.

The Bangkok Post reported that Thailand’s National Tourism Policy Act was enacted on 15 May 2019, authorizing the Ministry of Tourism and Sports to formulate a strategic plan for tourism industry development and to clarify tourism industry standards. The ministry said that the taxation plan is expected to be completed within six months, and the formulation process will fully seek the opinions of all parties concerned. On the one hand, the taxation plan must clarify the amount of taxation and how to collect it. On the other hand, the plan must clarify what the tax is used for.

The Thai media “The Thaiger” speculated that each person would be charged 100 baht ( S$4.34). According to the information disclosed so far, the most important use of tax collection is to repair tourist attractions around Thailand. Part of the tax will be used to build and improve the infrastructure needed to receive tourists, such as the construction of a cruise port to welcome foreign tourists who come by sea from the cruise, especially to attract tourists from the sea to the southern part of Thailand area. In addition, some taxes will be used to cover the insurance costs of foreign tourists.

Tourism is an important source of income for Thailand. Last year, Thailand received more than 38 million overseas visitors and earned more than 2 trillion Baht. This year Thailand is expected to receive 41 million overseas visitors. Prior to this, some Asian tourist destination countries have levied tourist taxes. At the beginning of this year, Japan began to impose a departure tax of 1,000 Yen (S$12.60) per person. Malaysia has recently levied this tax on tourists, with ASEAN tourists paying 5 US Dollars (S$6.90) per person and visitors outside ASEAN paying 10 US Dollars (S$13.80) per person.

Haikou Meilan Airport marks its 20th year of operations with plan to launch Terminal 2

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                   / KUCINTA SETIA

Below : Haikou Meilan Airport in 2009.

On 25 May 2019, Haikou Meilan International Airport (hereinafter referred to as "Meilan Airport") celebrates 20 years of airport and commercial air traffic operations.

On 25 May 1999, Meilan Airport officially enters commercial operations with the smooth landing of a Boeing 737 aircraft,. It creates a new chapter in Meilan airport development and heralds a new era in the development of Hainan's civil aviation industry. 

Above : The International Terminal at Haikou Meilan Airport.

On 24 November 2017, the passenger numbers of Meilan Airport exceeded 20 million passengers for the first time.

In August 2000, as a pilot unit for the reform of the modern enterprise system of civil aviation airports, various reforms of Meilan Airport were in full swing. After two years of hard work, on 18 November 2002, Hainan Meilan International Airport Co., Ltd. successfully listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the second mainland airport listed in Hong Kong after Beijing Capital International Airport, marking the pilot reform work a complete success. 

In the past 20 years, under the guidance of the spirit of reform and opening up in the new era, Meilan Airport has become one of the largest airports in the world. The annual passenger numbers have increased from 3,565,100 to 24,123,600, and the number of flights has increased from 48,490 to 165,186.


After 20 years of safe operations, Meilan Airport has established a mature operation mechanism in line with the market environment, and gradually grown into a modern enterprise with excellent assets, outstanding performance and perfect management, and created successful cases of China's civil aviation airport reform and Hainan state-owned enterprise reform. 

The excellent assets of Meilan Airport include convenient transportation linkage and non-aviation facilities for travelers' enjoyment.

As the world's first airport to connect to the high-speed railway around the island in 2015, Meilan Airport is of a 10-minute train ride from Haikou City to the Meilan Airport Terminal. Entering the check-in area of the high-speed railway station is self-service. The checked-in baggage and the boarding gate can  be self-serviced. 

In early 2018, Meilan Airport opened Hainan's first duty-free commercial aviation complex known as Haikou Airport City where nearly 300 world-renowned high-end brands have set up outlets here. Visit the aviation science and technology museum in the building to experience different aerospace technologies. This is the unique exploration of Meilan Airport.

Haikou Airport City unveiled under the design concept of “Eating, Living, Traveling, Traveling, Purchasing, and Entertainment”, is the only large-scale commercial complex of China that aims to offer diversified catering and rich retail products. It provides more choices for travelers where a transportation hub (GTC) that integrates various modes of transportation such as high-speed rail, bus, intercity express, taxi, etc., provides passengers with speed, convenience and comfort in a one-stop transfer service.

Safety is the lifeline of civil aviation production operations. In November 2018, Meilan Airport became the first airport in the Mainland to pass the “APEX Excellence Airport Security Assessment” and became a model in the security and security field.

Under the premise of adhering to safety first, Meilan Airport actively implements the “True Service” concept of the Civil Aviation Administration, takes passenger demand as the starting point, innovates management ideas, continuously improves infrastructure and service quality to provide the best service to travelers. 

Nowadays, passengers who choose Meilan Airport not only can receive the self-service temporary flight certificate, but also experience self-service check-in, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan self-service endorsement, paperless customs clearance, self-service boarding, etc. With the extraordinary services, Meilan Airport successfully won the first SKYTRAX five-star airport in China, and ranks among China Civil Aviation Top 10 Excellent Airports and has other industry heavyweight awards to its honour. 

In the future, Meilan Airport will closely follow the concept of “developing for the people” of China's civil aviation, thoroughly implement the “1, 2, 3, 4” civil aviation overall work ideas and the “four-type airport” construction requirements, and promote the “one acceleration, two realizations” strategic process. It will actively dock ASQ, SKYTRAX and other international authoritative accreditation bodies, focus on key points, overcome shortcomings, promote innovation, continuously improve service quality, and strive to provide passengers with a better travel environment, and build a world-class service brand for civil aviation in China. 

At the same time, Meilan Airport will also proceed from satisfying people's longing for a better life, speed up the construction of a modern international comprehensive transportation system, increase the number of airline routes, and provide more openness for Hainan Province to build a free trade pilot zone and a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. 



Above : Meilan Airport Terminal 2 under construction. Shot in December 2018.

Through the global civil aviation development, Meilan Airport is entering the second phase of construction -- Meilan Airport Terminal 2, in the Meilan Phase II Construction Project.

Meilan Phase II Construction Project is a key project in Hainan Province with a total investment of 15.47 billion yuan and a planned land area of ​​8649 hectares. At the newly built terminal, the world's largest passenger aircraft Airbus A380 can take off and land. 


The Terminal 2 is 296,000 square metres, about three times that of the Terminal 1. At present, the main part of the flight area road surface engineering and terminal building is basically completed. The comprehensive transportation speeds up the construction of the terminal and the approach road. The new terminal is expected to be put into use by Chinese New Year in 2020. By then, it will meet the annual passenger number target of 35 million passengers and the annual cargo volume of 400,000 tons. The demand for cargo has greatly improved the air transportation support capacity of the Haikou airport.

As of April 2019, with the support of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee, the provincial government and the provincial and municipal tourism commissions, the Meilan Airport route network covers Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, the 10 ASEAN countries, South Korea, Russia, Australia and Europe. There are 303 routes, including 257 domestic routes, 42 international routes and 4 regional routes. There are 156 cities on the airport's route network, including 114 domestic cities, 38 international cities and 4 regional cities. A total of 59 airlines operate to Meilan Airport. Among them, 35 are domestic, 20 are international, and 4 are regional, including 5 domestic and foreign airlines that carry out alternate flights and temporary flights. 

The interactive light art installation by teamLab at Jewel Changi Airport

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA

If you have recently passed through Singapore’s Changi Airport at night, check out an interactive light art installation that is on display at the airport.

The work, called Resonating Forest, comes from Japan's popular new media art team teamLab. 

The Resonating Forest exhibition is arranged in the Shiseido Forest Valley at Jewel Changi Airport, which is opened officially to the public on 17 April 2019. Designed by Safdie Architects, it has the world's highest indoor waterfall (up to 40 metrers) known as HSBC Rain Vortex and a waterfall around it. The surrounding indoor forest with more than 200 plants is a highlight of the design.

In this interactive device, the trees around the waterfall are illuminated. When people pass nearby, the light from the trees changes colour, and the background music changes as the colour changes. The light of each tree spreads to the surrounding trees, and in the same way, the sound of music continues to spread between the trees. As the height of the tree changes, the pitch of the background sound also changes. In this way, people may be more sensitive than usual to realize that there are other people in the same space.

In fact, this idea appeared in the team's 2014 work “Resonating Trees”. Later, this work was moved to Tokushima Prefecture Cultural Forest Complex Park, Ginza Six Shopping Center in Ginza, Tokyo, and Uzu Jingu Shrine in Oita Prefecture.


The team said that the concept behind the project is that digital technology can turn cities into art without physical changes. They hope that the device will enhance one's awareness of the existence of others in the public domain.

Founded in 2001, teamLab is a team of over-tech experts consisting of around 400 experts including programmers, mathematicians, architects, CG animators, web designers, graphic designers, artists and editors. The Curiosity Daily has reported on them. Natural elements are often the subject of their work: flowers, running water, lizards, flying birds... Their works have strong visual effects and high interactivity, which are popular with the public, but this digitally realized device was considered by some critics as "not art."

This exhibition around HSBC Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport is in cooperation with Shiseido. This is not the first time teamLab has worked with Shiseido. In July 2017, teamLab produced 14 digital works of art in the 172-year-old Miyakoyama Park in Saga Prefecture, Japan, and Shiseido was the co-organizer of the exhibition.

The team also brought in another work, The Reverberant Tree – The Bush Labyrinth, which will be set at the top of the Canopy Park, which is expected to open on 10 June 2019. These two exhibitions are part of the exhibition of the beauty of Shiseido’s “Sense and Knowledge”.

A Guide on Money Remittance Services to Myanmar

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA

The trading firms at Peninsula Plaza (the "Little Myanmar" of Singapore) are remittance shops that offer money remittance services to Myanmar. An interview with three trading firms at Peninsula Plaza shows that many Myanmar foreign labour in Singapore have no idea that they have to produce copies of the adult recipients' Myanmar ICs in order to remit money successfully to Yangon and other places in Myanmar.

The three trading firms interviewed are Thi Ha Trading, Mann Star (International) Pte Ltd and Hin Tha Trading.

The owner of Thi Ha Trading, occupying the former premise of Singaporean-owned travel agency Leo International, explains that there are two types of Myanmar ICs, the children's IC for age below 20 and the adult's IC for age 20 and above. 

To remit money successfully each time at Thi Ha Trading to a Myanmar bank in Yangon for money collection by the recipient, a copy of the Myanmar adult recipient's IC and service fee of 3 Singapore Dollars are required. Address and name of the recipient on paper are not necessary.

At Mann Star (International) Pte Ltd, the owner says it is better to produce a copy of the adult recipient's IC besides address and name of the recipient on paper for the Myanmar banks' verification. Failure to do so will lead to unsuccessful remittance. She charges service fee of 3 to 5 Singapore Dollars depending on recipient's location.

Hin Tha Trading allows money collection at its Yangon branches and at Myanmar banks. For money collection at its Yangon branches, there is no service fee for remittance (to be verified by the customer) but it charges a service fee for money collection at Myanmar banks (to be proved).

Hin Tha Trading's Yangon branches are located at Thurein Hardware Center I and Thurein Hardware Center II.

The remittance shops interviewed comment that it is better to remit a larger amount of money rather than two-digit amounts in Singapore Dollars to Myanmar. Copies of children's ICs are not accepted as under Myanmar law, children less than 20 years old cannot collect money at Myanmar banks.

Thi Ha Trading advises Myanmar foreign labour who have handphones and who are currently in Singapore may contact the adult recipients to whatsapp copies of their ICs before they proceed to remit money at the shops.

There is no Internet banking system in Myanmar for on-line money remittance.

The service fee of 3 Singapore Dollars is the lowest in the Singapore market. Western Union that also has money remittance to Myanmar charges an exorbitant service fee of 20 Singapore Dollars per transaction.

Money remittance is a popular activity for foreign labour in Singapore as cash is not allowed to be sent by post from Singapore to Myanmar and other countries.

Ref : Foreign workforce numbers
https://www.mom.gov.sg/documents-and-publications/foreign-workforce-numbers

The nearest Pudong Airport hotel for aircraft-spotting

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA

Address : Da Zhong Airport Hotel
                6001 Yinbin Road
                (Above Pudong Maglev Express Line 2 Station in Pudong Airport Terminal 2)
                Shanghai Pudong
Tel : +86-21-38799999

Da Zhong Airport Hotel, owned by the Da Zhong Transportation Group, is the nearest airport hotel of Pudong International Airport. Access is via a tunnel walkway from the arrival hall towards the Pudong Maglev Express Station entrance.

From 1 March to 31 December 2019, the southern building of Da Zhong Airport Hotel is under renovation. There is a sky bar on the eighth level of the northern building which provides panoramic view of Pudong Airport Terminal 2 and the aircraft parking at the terminal. However, it is difficult to shoot good pictures of aircraft flying in the sky.

The Chinese restaurant of Da Zhong Airport Hotel is the biggest area for morning breakfast.

Room-key deposit is 300 Renminbi, regardless of room advance payment or otherwise.


Check-in time : After 2 pm.
Check-out time : Before 12 pm

Address in Chinese : 大众空港宾馆
                                   迎宾大道6001号
                                   (磁悬浮及轨交办号线上方, 近候机楼)
                                   上海市浦东新区浦东机场

How to avoid astronomical parking fees at Jewel Changi Airport

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA

Recently, some netizens have exposed a photo of the electronic parking toll system at Jewel Changi Airport on Facebook. The parking fee is as high as S$3,158.72!

Jewel Changi Airport has informed the netizen that the parking fee of more than 3,000 Singapore dollars is actually a severe error.

It turned out that when the netizen left the Jewel parking lot on 10 April2019, the system did not record. When he returned to Jewel Changi Airport on 24 April 2019, the system automatically charged the standard for 14 days. This astronomical figure appeared.

Before you drive to Jewel Changi Airport, be prepared to note the parking fees below:-

Parking at B2 or B2M costs S$0.04 per minute for the first 90 minutes and S$5 per half hour. Floor parking fees from B3 to B5 are all S$ 0.04 per minute.

Fees per minute are also expensive. Even if you just alight for the toilet, you have to pay for it.

In addition, please advise your friends who drive to Jewel Changi Airport to pay attention. When leaving the parking lot, please keep a certain distance from the vehicle in front, so as to avoid the system from billing them incorrectly due to blockage, and incurring the exorbitant parking fee.