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Thailand’s competitive position
Andrew J Wood, Director of Worldwide Destinations Asia Co., Ltd.
Thailand always sees itself as the tourism leader in Southeast Asia, with
the industry’s highest incomes in the region as well as growing numbers of
visitors; it may reach 24 million this year. Despite the good news, the bad
news is the country’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) has
gradually dropped, according to the latest report from the World Economic
Forum. Thailand has many good and not so good points, the later are being
cited as the cause of the falling rating.
Andrew
J Wood.
They include Thailand’s poor infrastructure, slow bureaucratic processing of
government rules and regulations and low concerns for environmental issues.
For example, Thailand was ranked 99th for environmental sustainability,
falling from 97th in the report two years ago. The score was low because
environmental regulations lack stringency and enforcement, and Thailand was
judged to be poor at taking care of threatened species.
Thailand was also marked down for information and communication technology
infrastructure (90th). Our mobile phone coverage may score a high mark, but
as we all know, we’re still crawling toward 3G technology while other
countries are already eyeing 4G.
Another minus factor is safety and security (87th) which is directly linked
to the reliability of police services and the number of road traffic
accidents. The latter ranked Thailand lower than Vietnam (83rd and 70th
respectively).
Finally, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Economic and Business
Forecasting Centre (EBFC) at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce,
has found that tourists’ safety is the priority issue that needs to be
addressed. The problem is also raised as one of the top three concerns that
are obstructing the country from climbing to the top ASEAN destination. The
other two issues of concern are political unrest and damage to natural
resources.
According to EBFC director Thanavath Phonvichai, it was not a surprise to
learn about the weak points hampering Thailand’s travel and tourism
competitiveness.
“I believe that after we have a 3G network [in April] and digital TV [this
year], the country’s ranking will be better,” he said. Another factor which
he believed could have a good impact on the country’s development is the
government’s 2 trillion baht infrastructure investment plan, which includes
10 electric train routes, high-speed trains and dual-track train services.
“I believe within the next three to five years, the country’s
competitiveness index will surely improve and the tourism industry will
continue to drive economic growth by 5-7%,” he said.
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Skål is Back in Pattaya
and fully operational
First monthly board meeting
(L to R) Garth Solly, Neil Maniquiz, Jeena
Saguansap, Tony Malhotra, Ingo Raeuber, Paul Strachan and Peter Malhotra
pause for the paparazzi during the historical first board meeting after the
rebirth of Skål International Pattaya & East Thailand.
Paul Strachan - PR & communication, Skål Intl Pattaya & East Thailand
Tourism is the life blood of Pattaya and its transformation over the last
decade has been somewhat incredible, with not just new emerging
international markets such as Russia, India, China and Japan, but also the
way that Thais now perceive Pattaya. Long gone is the old image of rows of
bars and clubs and that’s been replaced with five star hotels, first class
shopping centers and restaurants to suit every budget and taste.
With this in mind, Skål Pattaya and East Thailand has been reformed and held
its first meeting for its board of directors at the Holiday Inn Pattaya on
Thursday 14th of March, kindly supported by Garth Solly, GM of the host
venue.
The president of the club is Tony Malhotra, deputy managing director of
Pattaya Mail Media Group. He is assisted by the recently appointed general
manager of the Holiday Inn Pattaya, Garth Solly, as his vice president.
Veteran Skålleagues and past president Ingo Raeuber, the GM of Pinnacle
Grand Jomtien Resort & Spa, is holding the position of treasurer &
membership director, whilst one of the founders of Skål in Pattaya, Peter
Malhotra, managing director of Pattaya Mail Media Group, is the executive
advisor.
The rest of the board consists of the International Marketing Department
manager for Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, Neil Maniquiz; Jeena Saguansap, the
manager of Tea Tree Spa Holiday Inn Pattaya as secretary and local media man
Paul Strachan who will deal with PR & communications.
The aim of Skål Pattaya and the East is to be an effective conduit for doing
business for those who work in businesses related to tourism. This of course
covers hospitality, restaurants, shopping, airlines, travel agents and even
medical tourism.
The timing for reforming the club is crucial: Hilton, Sheraton, Accor, Onyx,
Centara, and Holiday Inn are here already and many new hotel projects are
being planned. Plus, with the advent of the new ‘Superpark’ and ‘Million
Island’ projects, it is projected that 3 million visitors annually will come
to Pattaya and a record 20.5 million international visitors will come to
Thailand.
This, coupled with upgrades in the infrastructure, including roads, rails
and airline access, means that Pattaya has an even better future ahead.
Skål Intl Pattaya & East Thailand will hold monthly events that will
alternate between lunches and dinners and will have guest speakers. Upcoming
events will be announced in the following issues of the Pattaya Mail and on
Pattaya Mail Television.
Joining Skål gives members access to a database of almost 20,000 members in
87 countries in 500 clubs; and this also includes Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh
Samui, Hua Hin/Cha-am and Bangkok.
Annual membership cost just THB 4,500 and more details can be found online
at www.skalthailand.org.
Skål was founded back in 1932 and over the last 81 years many things have
changed, but one adage that remains (to use the club’s motto) is that “Doing
Business among Friends” is a sure way to develop relations, build trust and
increase your own business.
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Bangkok Airways introduces Airline Mascots to tackle youth target
Bangkok Airways introduces the airline’s 5 cartoon mascots to tackle the
target group of kids and teens. These 5 mascots will further be developed as
products and later created as cartoon animated series to air in Bangkok
Airways’ in-flight entertainment and lounges.
Capt. Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways’ president said, “We came
up with an idea to have the mascots because we want to expand our target
base focusing at a younger target group. These 5 characters are designed
from our actual aircrafts in service using colors and designs that please
children.”
Each mascot will have his and her unique characters; “Sky” is active,
confident, lively and fast. “Sunshine” is joyful, humble and cute, “Rocky”
is reserved, strong and warm, “Windy” is playful, courteous and talkative
and “Daisy” is naughty and playful.
Get to know more about Bangkok Airways’ 5 mascots now at
www.facebook.com/flybangkokair
Dusit Thani Pattaya welcomes its new Director of Event and Convention Management
Yuvarat Traisutrampornd.
Yuvarat Traisutrampornd has been appointed as the new
Director of Event and Convention Management of Dusit Thani Pattaya,
effective 1 March 2013. In her new role, Yuvarat will manage the Event and
Convention Department, including training staff in their respective duties
and supervise the catering and convention services team to ensure that
catering events are solicited, planned and executed with maximum results.
Joining the team with extensive experience in the field, she will also
oversee banquet planning, merchandising and smooth execution of all
functions to the clients satisfaction of the 457-room hotel.
Prior to joining Dusit Thani Pattaya, Yuvarat worked for Shangri-La Hotel
Bangkok and The Peninsula Bangkok, where she acquired a strong background in
Banqueting and Events management.
Ban Ta Klang Elephant Study Centre
Way of Elephant! Way of life! The World’s Largest Domestic Elephant Home
Experience a wonderful bond between the elephant and the Kui people “where
the elephant is like one of their family” not just an animal kept for work.
Amazingly, the elephants here can be domesticated, creating a way of life
between human and elephants that has eventually been integrated into the Kui
people’s beliefs, tradition and culture, expressing a most precious
relationship.
The Kui have had their own way of keeping elephants since the old times.
They believe that “the elephant’s happiness is our family’s happiness”. The
older elephants will be respected as their grandparents, while the younger
elephants will be loved as their children.
Visitors here can learn the simple life of the Ban Ta Klang villagers by
riding the elephant around the village, seeing the elephant’s talents,
learning the Kui’s tricks as elephant keepers and walking the elephants
across the river to clean. These activities can count as once in a lifetime
activities. There are also traditions and other festival activities; such as
the Elephant Ordination, which has been carried on for over 200 years; Alms
Giving on Elephants festival during Buddhist Lent day of each year; the
Surin Elephant Round-up around November where all elephants in Thailand get
together; the Kui Marriage on Elephants in February; and the Songkran
Festival in April.
Know before you go: There are two rounds of the Elephant Shows starting at
10.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. They also offer a home stay program here, teaching
visitors how to be an elephant keeper.
Recommendation: Stop by the Elephant Museum in the village first, so you can
understand their history and have more fun with the adventure.
Please: Support the local community by purchasing local products and respect
the Kui lifestyle.
Impression: Most houses have elephants as their family members whom they
respect and love, showing a deep and delicate bond between human and
animals.
Travel Info
Located at Ban Ta Klang, Krapho Sub-district, Tha Tum District. From Surin
town, take Highway 214 (Surin-Roi Et) and turn left at km 36, then drive
along the road for 22 km.
GPS Location: N15° 17.270’, E103° 29.140’
Contact: Ban Ta Klang Elephant Study Centre, +66 4414 5050; +66 4451
1975.
TAT Surin Office: +66 4451 4447 to 8
Facilities & Services: Guide, accommodation, food, souvenir shop, restroom
and parking. (TAT)
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