AWOL 2014 Issue 310 26th December

Classifieds Your free weekly newspaper since 2008 issue 3 10 26 December 2014 English Corner To Hull And Back Horoscopes Bored No More no awol next week - next issue 9th january stuck in a rut out with the old but same old, same old? hua hin, THAILAND Traditionally we have used the front page of our last issue of the year to look back and forward to the year that has passed and the year before us; part of that process is to look at what we had to say this time last year, and we could almost reprint that front page again this time round. Last year our headline read ‘Annus Horribilis’ as 2013 had seen extreme weather and a bad high season, with politics taking centre stage as the main culprit damaging Thailand’s tourist trade. We don’t like using headlines more than once but 2014 would be good reason to as it has been another horrible year for many businesses, particularly those involved in or affected by tourism. The weather has been better though, and while most have welcomed the military and the new broom they have been brandishing, the continuing martial law, although it doesn’t really affect day to day life, has dealt another crushing blow to the tourist trade, with some local businesses reporting that numbers are down by over a quarter from last year, and even official figures are stating drops of around 8 per cent in tourist numbers. So what lies ahead in 2015? Given that the planned elections have now been pushed back to 2016 it seems likely that the new year will be a bit of a waiting game for many, trying to get by and hoping that it will be at least a little better than 2014. It may well present some golden opportunities for those with cash to spare in both the property and business markets, and this in itself may trigger better times for others. However all we can say now is that we hope this time next year will see us able to look forward with a lot more optimism than we can this. Victor guesthouse open 24/7 Naresdamri Rd. opposite Brasserie de Paris Rooms/family suites in heart of Hua Hin a/c, lcd tv, dvd player, fridge, free premium wifi, cable TV www.victorguesthousehuahin.com GET RACING FROM ONLY 400 BAHT! OPEN EVERYDAY 10.30AM - 7PM, LATE NIGHT BY APPOINTMENT Call 032 547 199 (Office) or 081 817 3000 (Mobile) Soi 2, Phetchkasem Road opposite Hua Hin Airport www.gokarthuahin.com HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL AT AWOL