Triple the thrills in Phuket

Sporting enthusiasts looking to exercise their limbs in some winter sun should fly out to Phuket for the popular Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

The event takes place on Sunday December 3rd and sees dozens of amateur and professional athletes compete in three tough sports – swimming, cycling and running.

Swimmers will revel in the 1.8km course through two bodies of clear azure water, which is completed by sprinting across a beach to swim through another 600 metres of a lagoon.

This is followed by a 55km cycling race, which sees competitors get on their bikes to speed out of Laguna Phuket and onto a narrow, winding route finishing on Naithon Beach.

Finally, a flat 12 km run takes athletes through the Laguna Phuket resort and to the finish line at the Laguna Beach Resort Y-junction, where the eventual winner is crowned and the celebrations begin.

Visitors to Phuket - whether they are competitors or spectators - will relish the chance to enjoy the traditionally warm hospitality of local residents and take in the pleasures of the region's sandy white beaches and sunny weather.

For more information, see the Laguna Phuket Triathlon website.

• Dubai voted world's best travel destination
• Barbados prepares to host jazz festival
• Flights resume in Bangkok
• Flybe confirms new flights for summer 2009
• New tour route opened in Australia
• Dominican Republic named top Caribbean golf spot
• Melbourne Airport sees record month
• New Zealand wins another travel award
• Currency expected to influence holiday decisions
• Govt criticised for APD increase