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Pattaya hyped as top destination at Asian Golf Tourism Convention
(L to R) Chiruit Tsarangkun
Na Ayuthaya, Director of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau;
Pattaya Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh; Peter Walton, President & Chief
Executive of IAGTO; Chonburi PAO President Wittaya Kunplome; TAT Deputy
Governor Juthaporn Rerngronasa, and Kullatorn Mesommonta, President of the
East Coast Golf Courses Management Association during the opening ceremonies
for the Asia Golf Tourism Convention 2013.
Warunya Thongrod
Thai officials hyped Pattaya as Asia’s best golfing-holiday destination as
150 tour operators and travel buyers assembled for the Asia Golf Tourism
Convention.
The April 29-May 2 meeting at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s Peach
Convention Center drew more than 400 International Association of Golf Tour
Operators delegates from 45 countries to shop for travel packages and
services in the Australasia region.
Suppliers had the opportunity to introduce themselves to all buyers during 2
hours of “speed dating” at the beginning of the first business day. That was
followed by nearly 10 hours of meetings over two days where golf resorts,
golf clubs, hotels and other suppliers made up to 38 appointments of 15
minutes each with tour operators.
Suppliers take the
opportunity to introduce themselves to buyers during 2 hours of “speed
dating” at the beginning of the first business day of the Asia Golf Tourism
Convention 2013.
There were also seminars on the golf tourism industry and
presentations on golf destinations along with some organized by Pattaya City
Hall, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Thailand Convention &
Exhibition Bureau, Chonburi Province, the East Coast Golf Association and
the Royal Cliff Hotel Group.
Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization President Wittaya Kunplome
used the opportunity to promote the province as Asia’s best golfing option,
noting tournaments such as the Honda LPGA, Thailand Open and Thailand Golf
Championships have attracted such top international golfers as Yani Tseng,
Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, John Daily, Sergio Garcia, Michelle Wee and Lee
Westwood.
“This shows Pattaya and Chonburi are equipped to accommodate golfers and
tourists from all over the world,” Wittaya said.
“The increasing demand and popularity of golf in Thailand among the
international golfers and golf tour operators has caught the attention of
TAT and we have placed much emphasis on this market,” said TAT Deputy Gov.
Juthaporn Rerngronasa. “As golfers do not travel alone, it is a very
important market for us. Last year, Thailand marked more than 20 million
tourist arrivals and of this, 1.5 million are golfers. We provide more than
200 golf courses around our country and I truly hope AGTC 2013 will create a
good image for Thailand as a destination and will also be a perfect business
platform for tour operators and golf-related businesses in Thailand and
Asia.”
Kullatorn Mesommonta, President of the East Coast Golf Courses Management
Association, said Pattaya-area courses are advertised globally and are
increasingly popular with Asian golf tourists.
Events this year, he said, include an Asian golf caddy tournament featuring
144 caddies from Thailand competing against rivals from China, South Korea
and Indonesia.
‘Caddies are important in bringing success to Asian golf
tourism and the International Association of Golf Tour Operators, therefore,
wants to build an inspiration for the caddies to provide quality service to
promote tourism with golf industries to grow,” said IAGTO President Peter
Walton.
“Our Thailand division has grown rapidly over the last 18 months and we now
have 85 member companies, making IAGTO Thailand the biggest and
most-representative trade organization for golf tourism in the kingdom,”
Watson said. “Sixty-three of those companies from Thailand are here to do
business with the buyers.”
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Hilton Pattaya launches
3rd Dine ‘n’ Fly promotion
Peta Ruiter (3rd right),
director of business development for Hilton Pattaya, leads her team in
announcing this year’s Hilton Pattaya “Dine ‘n’ Fly” promotion.
Warunya Thongrod
Hilton Pattaya guests will “Dine ‘n’ Fly” for a third year as the
beachfront hotel announced the continuation of its popular food and
travel sweepstakes.
Business development director Peta Ruiter and food and beverage manager
Simon Bender announced the 2013 campaign April 29, noting the contest
runs May 1 to Nov. 30.
Guests who spend at least 3,000 baht at the Hilton’s Edge, Flare, Shore,
Drift or Horizon restaurants and bars qualify for entries in the
quarterly drawing. Entries can also be had by ordering from room service
or spending the same amount at the eforea: spa.
Five prizes will be awarded this year, including a three-day, two-night
stay at Hilton Singapore, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, Hilton Shanghai or
Conrad Seoul. The grand prize is a party for 50 at the rooftop Horizon
bar worth 100,000 baht.
“Due to positive feedback from guests, this exciting
promotion returns for the third time. The aim is to offer value-added
privileges to guests as they relax and enjoy the distinctive dining and
spa experiences available at the Hilton Pattaya,” said Philippe
Kronberg, General Manager of Hilton Pattaya.
In 2011 the promotion offered 3 getaway prizes to Phuket, Hong Kong and
Koh Samui while in 2012 the hotel presented food and beverage packages
as well as holidays to Koh Samui, Kuala Lumpur and Paris.
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North Pattaya -
More Than You Think
(L to R) Brendan Daly, General Manager of Amari
Orchid Pattaya; Sittidej Rochnavibhata, General Manager of Cape Dara; Sophon
Vongchatchainont, General Manager Pullman Pattaya G; Andre Brulhart, General
Manager of Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya; Chatchawan
Supachayanont, General Manager of Dusit Thani Hotel Pattaya; Garth Solly,
General Manager of Holiday Inn; and Sanpech Supabowornsthian, Assistant
Managing Director Unchaleewiwat’s Group.
Recently, general managers and senior management from seven North Pattaya
hotels met at Amari Orchid Pattaya to discuss the launch of a destination
campaign - “North Pattaya, More Than You Think”.
The highly competitive hotels agreed there is an opportunity for mutual
cooperation to promote the neighborhood. The North Pattaya, More Than You
Think campaign is welcoming partnership amongst hotels and quality tourism
stakeholders operating in the North Pattaya neighborhood. The aim of the
promotion is to build a reputation for the area as a world-class destination
for corporate meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) and
Indian weddings.
Brendan Daly, General Manager of Amari Orchid commented, “The aim of our
‘North Pattaya, More Than You Think’ campaign is to create a new identity
for our neighborhood and increase awareness of the superb infrastructure and
hotels within North Pattaya. This campaign, driven by a partnership of seven
hotels, provides an opportunity for stakeholders in our area to increase the
volume of quality visitors.”
Daly added, “The North Pattaya - More Than You Think destination branding is
designed to resonate with customers both nationally and globally,
encouraging them to visit the neighborhood, personally and professionally.
We are hoping to garner support from TCEB (Thailand Convention and
Exhibition Bureau) to generate more MICE to the area, and with help from
TAT, to substantially increase the number of Indian weddings. The
proposition is to present North Pattaya as more than a beach. More than a
city. More than you think.”
A high-end brochure and website are being developed to support the launch of
‘the promotion by Sheer Bravado, a Bangkok-based creative communications
agency. Bob James, creative director at Sheer Bravdo said, “We are delighted
to have this opportunity to support the launch of (the) campaign. Sheer
Bravado is experienced with industry groupings as we worked with Star
Alliance. From our perspective we see a tremendous opportunity for the
tourism stakeholders in North Pattaya to create a clearly defined brand and
destination reputation.”
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Elephant trekking to a waterfall
Namtok Khlong Phlu (Khlong Phlu Waterfall) on Koh Chang
Elephants, mascots of Koh Chang, right now are poised to
take you to explore the nature of the island. The glamour of riding an
elephant has always been an unforgettable memory and gives tourists a chance
to experience another aspect of nature.
The journey starts by climbing up on an elephant at a boarding point heading
towards the Khlong Phlu Waterfall. Along the way, tourists can have a great
time exploring the beauty of nature on Koh Chang, passing rivers and
mountains. The majority of Koh Chang is tall and steep, widely covered by a
rich tropical forest that consists of many rare tropical plants. It is also
an origin of many streams and is a habitat for many types of wild animals.
During the journey, you can have a great time with many of the activities
along the way; such as bathing the elephant, and training the elephants to
transport lumber.
When you reach the waterfall, you would have to get off
the elephant and travel by foot along the stream and even climb some rocks
to get to the waterfall. It does not take very long to get there. The Khlong
Phlu Waterfall is the biggest waterfall on the island of Chang, which has
water pouring down from it throughout the whole year; therefore, it is a
good place to observe nature. You will be surrounded by a rich tropical rain
forest with many rare tropical flora, such as orchids and wild ferns. The
highest level of the waterfall has water pouring from a cliff about 30 m
high down into a large pond that is free for all people to play in.
Know Before
You Go
There are 4-5 boarding ports for the elephants, and each port has different
paths and activities.
Please: Do not bring any containers that are made
of foam or plastic into the National Park.
Travel Info: On the western side of Koh Chang, lots of local buses can take
you there.
GPS Location: N12° 3.74’, E102° 18.539’
Contact: TAT Trat Office, +66 3959 7259 to 60
Facilities & Services: Tour guide, elephant, restroom and parking.
Interesting Things about Elephants
There are 2 categories of elephants in the world, Asian and African
elephants. The Thai elephant is in the category of Asian elephants, elegant
in feature and smart. The skin color is usually grey mixed with light
yellowish brown. The skin wrinkles are smoother than those of the African
elephant. Its tail has many short-haired tassels. From the front, the head
is in triangular shape with 2 hemispherical bulges on the forehead. The
trunk is beautifully round and not pointy. They eat approximately
250-kilograms of food every day. Thai elephants walk slower and are shier
than African elephants. Their average lifespan is around 80-90 years. In
Thailand, there are wild elephants in most regions with abundant forests
with creeks and streams as they like to often take a bath and are good at
swimming.
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