The floods are slowly creeping into Bangkok and have now reached the northern fringes of the city including the area around Don Muang domestic airport (Bangkok old International airport). It’s still not certain if central Bangkok will flood as there are conflicting reports but Bangkok residents have been advised to brace for flooding from the advancing runoff of water in the north.

Bangkok Administration is doing what it can to prevent the city from flooding with barriers and sand bags surrounding the city to divert the mass of water. The Chao Phraya River is set to reach its highest level this weekend as sea tides are expected to be unusually high. The flood level will depend on how well the government can manage the water flow but the highest risk will be areas along the Chao Phraya River and the floodwalls along its banks.

All airports in Thailand with the exception of Don Muang are operating as usual. Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport is unaffected by the floods and has been heavily fortified. The Thai government has repeatedly promised to take all the necessary steps to protect the country’s main airport from floods.

Major tourist destinations such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi, Ratchburi, Pattaya, Ko Chang, Rayong, Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Ko Samui are all experiencing normal weather conditions. The exception is the ancient city Ayutthaya, which has been badly hit by the floods. All tourist attractions there have been temporarily closed.

Given the uncertainty in Bangkok, Exotissimo is advising clients to avoid staying in the city from today until Monday 31 October. All clients currently scheduled to stay in Bangkok during this period have been contacted and alternative plans made.

Exotissimo recommend clients do not cancel their trip if scheduled to visit Thailand in the next 7 days, clients should avoid staying in Bangkok but we suggest them to transit through Bangkok onto alternative locations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket or any of the other safe areas.

The government has announced public holiday for government offices and schools on Thursday, Friday and Monday, however this does not affect the private sector, all financial institutions including banks will remain open over these days. Exotissimo office will remain open also.

Our staff are working hard on rerouting and rebooking existing files ahead of processing new requests. We endeavour to respond to all enquiries with priority but you may experience some delay during this time.

Exotissimo team continue to monitor the situation closely and will update you as necessary. Our 24 hour emergency number in Thailand is: +66 818672806

Our Highlights of Toraja program is designed to give guests a deeper understanding of life for a Torajan. Learn all about the spiritual elements of traditional Torajan architecture during lunch in a local house or ‘Liong Tongkonan’. Take a walk through picturesque local villages, enjoy cultural music played by orphans, visit authentic weaving factories and if time allows, encounter the Buffalo market of Bolu. Combined with light trekking that shows the amazing landscape of Lombok and its surroundings, this captivating tour covers all aspects of Torajan life.

To view a full itinerary of this tour please, click here.

Please contact indonesia@exotissimo.com for more information.

Due to heavy and persistent rain over the weekend downtown Siem Reap along with riverfront properties and access to the Tonle Sap are currently flooded.  Several of our restaurant and spa services are currently not in use along with visits to the Old Market and Artisans D’Angkor currently not possible.  The temples are still operational as are all major services.

Areas of Tonle Sap are currently inaccessible for tours. We are in contact with all clients booked on these trips and making alternative arrangements.

More rain has been forecast for tonight and later this week. We can expect localized flooding to continue for the better part of this week though this presents only a minor disruption to transfers All major roads are operating as normal.

Cambodia’s largest annual festival has been cancelled as the death toll from the worst flooding in over a decade had risen to 247.

The funds needed to put on the popular Water Festival, due to take place in the capital from November 9 to 11, would be better spent helping the tens of thousands of families affected, said the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday

“If we don’t spend the state budget for the (festival) preparations in Phnom Penh… we can save some money to improve the living standards of our people and repair the damage,” Hun Sen said in a televised speech. He also said the precariously high water level of the Tonle Sap River that flows through the city would present a ‘high risk to festival goers.

More than 270,000 families nationwide have seen their homes or livelihoods waterlogged in two months of flooding caused by heavy rain that has resulted in the Mekong River bursting its banks, according to official estimates. Hun Sen said the government, the Cambodian Red Cross and several other relief organisations were racing to provide emergency aid to the victims, reaching more than 76,000 families so far.

Currently there is heavy flooding in the Central Plains north of Bangkok with Ayutthaya being one of the worse affected areas. Overall the situation in Bangkok remains stable, there is minor flooding around the riverside but the rest of the city is not affected and operating as normal.

At this stage all Exotissimo tours in Bangkok are operating normally but we are monitoring the situation very closely and ready to make changes or adjustments to any tour as necessary. Safety is the number one priority and we are taking every precaution to ensure clients are looked after. If required, and where possible, we will make alternatives plans so the clients can continue to enjoy their trip.

The whole city of Ayutthaya is flooded and inaccessible, it is likely that clients will be unable to access the city and historical sites until early November. Overnight cruises on the Chao Phraya River are cancelled. Highway number 1 northbound is inaccessible around Ayutthaya and central plains, currently no vehicles can pass through this area. Some vehicles are diverting via Suphan Buri but the route is slow and crowded. Northbound train line is flooded and all trains departing Bangkok northbound are cancelled until further notice.

The situation north of Uthai Thani is better and all tours can operate as normal. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai are OK with only minor flooding in some areas however this is not affecting any tours, the historical park in Sukhothai is open and operating as normal.

For overland tours travelling northbound from Bangkok we are suggesting to divert clients to spend a night in Kanchanaburi with visits in this area. Then one full day drive to Phitsanulok / Sukhothai using outer ring road via Supanburi, NakornSawan (avoiding Asian Highway through AYU) and north on highway 11. Please note that this route will take up to 9 hours to drive.

Alternatively we are suggesting that clients can fly from Bangkok to Phitsanulok with Nok Air or Sukhothai with Bangkok Airways and continue overland to the north, or fly Bangkok to Chiang Mai and include extra options in CNX and the north to fill in the itinerary – flying will be subject to the supplemental charge.

Currently the situation in Bangkok is ok and the city is operating as normal, however it is expected it may get worse towards the end of the week. We are currently operating all river tours including dinner cruises and Klong tours as normal with high caution. The guides are instructed to monitor the situation and water level carefully before boarding any boats and to change arrangements if there is any uncertainly over client’s safety.

Should the situation become worse towards the end of this week and flooding appears in the streets around the river and Bangkok, we will provide alternative tours to locations outside of the flooded areas.

Floating Markets and Kanchanaburi are operating as normal with minimal or no impact from the floods. The main riverside hotels including The Peninsula, Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Millennium Hilton, Anantara Riverside, The Chatrium have informed us that the situation is all okay with no flooding yet, they have built the retaining walls and put up the sand bags to protect against the water which may rise in the coming days.

Please note that we are monitoring progress closely and are in regularly updating clients affected by the floods. All of the above actions will be reviewed if the situation changes.

Please contact marketing@exotissimo.com for more information.

Even though the serious floods hit Cambodia hard, we are happy to announce that the situation is calming and tourist trails are open.

Heavy rain in the Northern provinces has caused the water levels to rise which has resulted in some localized flooding in Siem Reap. This is limited to river front properties, downtown Siem Reap and Tonle Sap access points. All hotels are fully accessible and operational apart from Villa Kiara whose access road is blocked. The floating villages of Chhong Kneas and Kampong Phluck are currently not accessible and our clients are rerouted to Kampong Kleang. Further services that are currently suspended are the quad bike adventure, microlight flights, horse back riding and the camping experience at Wat Amphil, as well as some restaurants along the river. All other services continue to operate as normal and all major Angkor temples are open for visits. In order to protect the UNESCO World Heritage from erosion, only small vehicles of less than 25 seats are currently allowed on the roads around the Angkor Park.

In Phnom Penh the water levels of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers are high but have not resulted in any flooding and the Cambodian South Coast is not affected by floods. Low lying farm land is flooded along the Northern parts of the Mekong. However, access to tourist destinations is possible in all areas. Sambor Village Hotel in Kampong Thom will remain closed in October for renovation because of previous flood damage. Please rest assured that travel in Cambodia is still possible with little disruption and we are taking the best possible care of clients who are affected by any changes in their itinerary and will augment or upgrade services where possible. Whilst the situation is changeable, our operations team are constantly monitoring and will keep you updated on any developments.

Please contact cambodia@exotissimo.com for more information.

Exotissimo Travel will be present at a number of travel trade shows later this year and would be more than happy to answer your questions at these shows. Alongside ‘Pure Life Experiences’ in Marrakech and ‘World Travel Market’ in London, we will also be attending ‘PAICE’ on 09/11/2011 at The Skycity Auckland Convention Centre in New Zealand. You can find us on stand 67. For more information please visit: www.paicexpo.co.nz

Visit Mr Olivier Colomes, our CEO at EIBTM in Barcelona, Spain. This fair takes place between 29 November – 01 December 2011 and you can find Exo at booth E520. In Brussels, Belguim Jean-Marie Mell, Director Exotissmo France will be at BTExpo 2011 between 8-9 December. This is the very first time Exo have exhibited at this show so please come by to say hello.

For more information on any shows or to book an appointment, please contact marketing@exotissimo.com

We are pleased to inform you that Exotissimo will be attending WTM in London, UK from 7-10 November 2011 and look forward to meeting with you at our stand number AS415.

We will also be attending PURE Life Experiences 2011 in Marrakech, Morocco, from 1-4 November 2011, located at stand number E09.

This is a great opportunity to meet and discuss in person the latest developments and share with you our passion for travel in Asia and Exotissimo’s exciting new products and services. Please click here to schedule an appointment with us, or contact us at marketing@exotissimo.com should you have any queries. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Catering to those in search of an untouched paradise with plenty of opportunity to discover a fascinating culture and heritage, our popular ‘Flores and Komodo Cruise’ has been updated to provide a deeper exploration of these amazing islands. The 9 Day/8 Night cruise can be joined in Bali or followed in reverse from the small town of Maumere in Flores. Experience the unrivalled swimming and snorkeling experience at Gili Trawangan, a pottery village in East Lombok, the vibrant markets in Sumbawa and awe inspiring wildlife upon Komodo Island during this all inclusive, awe inspiring cruise.

To view a full itinerary of this tour please, click here.

Please contact indonesia@exotissimo.com for more information.