|
ITB 2002: the start of a good year for tourism
Considerably more foreign trade visitors – General public almost at the previous year’s level
“The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2002
confirmed its excellent standing and acted as a stabilising factor on the
international tourism industry,” concluded Dr. Christian G๖ke,
chief operating officer of Messe Berlin. During the course of this
year’s fair it provided some important reference points for the future
development of the international tourism industry.
 HRH
Princess Ubolratana strikes a most lovely pose as she descends from the
TAT pavilion.
According to forecasts by the World Tourism
Organization (WTO), Madrid, there are already signs that the tourism
industry is recovering, leading to expectations of medium and long-term
growth. The ITB Berlin 2002 has made a significant contribution towards
improving the difficult economic situation, thereby confirming its role
once again as a positive force for the industry as a whole.
“Recent months have presented the tourism industry
with some difficult challenges,” said the secretary general of the World
Tourism Organization (WTO), Francesco Frangialli, “and despite the
enormity of these challenges, suppliers have displayed tremendous
professionalism in dealing with the situation. Based on many years of
in-depth experienced gained at the ITB Berlin, the confidence on the part
of the travel trade, and the improvements being made to its product range
that were apparent from the discussions that I held here are evidence of a
steadily improving situation. This is a vigorous and healthy industry with
a strong foundation. In recent months its economic importance has become
more evident than ever before. The ITB was the start of a good year for
tourism.”
 The
Princess greets a delighted Panga Vathanakul, MD of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort and her team.
Despite economic stagnation in some regions of the
world the ITB 2002 made positive progress. The attractive displays of
products and services by exhibitors from 181 countries and territories
contributed significantly to the success of the ITB Berlin. This was also
underlined by the presence of trade visitors from so many different
countries. In fact the proportion of foreign trade visitors was even
higher than last year.
As insiders had already been predicting before the
fair, many destinations were able to report good business. Trade visitors
were particularly interested in the segments represented by cultural
tourism, city breaks, wellness and active holidays.
 Hans
and Jaran flank Francoise Buob, vice president of Hotelplan Switzerland.
For Ursula Sch๖rcher, chair of the advisory board
of the International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin, and chief executive of
the German National Tourism Board (DZT), Frankfurt am Main, ITB Berlin is
still the world’s most important marketplace for the continued
development of tourism. “Even though some people are not ready to accept
the fact, the tourism industry has every reason to be optimistic about the
2002/2003 season. The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2002
provided some clear indications of a worldwide recovery by the tourism
sector.”
A total of 9,875 exhibitors and 57 additionally
represented companies and organisations from 181 countries and
territories, representing every aspect of the international tourism
industry, attended the ITB 2002.
Overall attendance at the ITB 2002 was 122,900, of whom
65,000 were trade visitors, from 190 countries and territories.
There was an increase in the number of media
representatives: 6,749 journalists (including one from Pattaya Mail)
from 124 countries and territories reported from the ITB 2002.
Almost half of all
exhibitors signed contracts
As revealed by the poll conducted by an independent
market research organisation, 46 percent of exhibitors, the same
percentage as last year, were able to sign contracts during the ITB 2002.
The commercial results of their participation were judged positive by 81
percent of them. Based on their excellent contacts with representatives of
the international tourism industry, 84 percent of all exhibitors are
expecting good follow-up business.
 Stefan
Bringer, manager of the Woodlands Resort expounds upon the virtues of
Pattaya and his resort.
Questioned regarding the economic development of the
tourism sector in the early part of 2003 as compared with today, 63
percent expect it to show an improvement.
Already 90 of the exhibitors have announced their
provisional intention of attending the ITB 2003. (Please see page 24 for
comments from Pattaya’s exhibitors.)
Klaus Oegerli, executive vice-president Europe,
Switzerland Tourism said, “An emphasis on the statement ‘Switzerland.
Home of the mountains’ combined with a new stand concept led to some
outstanding successes for Switzerland”. As he also pointed out,
“Despite a reduction in the volume of visitors to our stand I am very
satisfied with our participation, and this also applies to all our
co-exhibitors on the stand.”
 An
aerial view of the Thailand Pavilion.
In the words of Birgit Borreck, director of public
relations for the Dorint Group, “We are more than satisfied with events
during the ITB 2002. The response among customers and media
representatives was extremely positive. We were surprised how many
representatives of consortiums from the USA paid us a visit, and the basis
was established for good business during the coming year.”
Ibrahim Ali, overseas promotion manager for the
Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai, drew some positive
conclusions. “Participation by Dubai in the ITB 2002 met with our
highest expectations. The 69 exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with
the response to their participation this year.”
 The
princess speaks to a foreign journalist.
“Because of the events of 11 September Tunisia was
not particularly optimistic about the ITB 2002. However, events during the
fair confirmed that Tunisia is still a popular destination for European
tourists. Tunisia was able to expand the positive and intensive contacts
with its long-term partners, and in some cases this has already led to
commercial success,” said Adel Boussarssar, president of the F้d้ration
Tunisienne des Agences de Voyages et de Tourisme, by way of confirmation.
The USA, which staged one of the largest displays,
provided an outstanding presentation for the public and for trade visitors
alike with its new “See America Pavilion.” For the first time the
pavilion provided visitors with a program of entertainment encompassing
every aspect of American culture.
 The
princess stops to have a word with Anusak Rodboonmee, of the Ambassador
City Hotel.
Among the VIPs who visited the See
America Pavilion were the US Ambassador to Germany, Daniel Coates, and the
State governors of Alaska and Minnesota. Bj๖rn Bieneck, the TIA
(Travel Industry Association of America) representative commented,
“Despite the tragic events of last September, optimism in the See
America Pavilion at the ITB 2002 is evident. The exhibitors are reporting
high quality business contacts with renewed bookings and strong interest
in the US market. The general feeling is that the proven success of the
ITB will continue to provide American international tourism with an
efficient tool to market its unique products and services.”
87 percent of trade
visitors gave positive assessments
87 percent of all trade visitors assessed as positive the
commercial results of their visit to the fair. During the course of their visit,
two thirds were able to establish new commercial contacts. The contacts and
discussions are expected to lead to continued negotiations or business
transactions after the fair in the opinion of 61 percent of trade visitors.
 Familiar
faces in the industry (L to R): Henry Widler, Luzi Haffler, CBS, Kurt Rufli, MD
of the Amari Hotels and Resorts, Heinrich Stocker, GM of the Rembrandt and Peter
Schnyder.
One in three (62%) of all trade visitors came from abroad,
the majority from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (43%) and the
member states of the EU (37%). Trade visitors were mainly interested in making
contact with tour operators (51%), hotel companies (35%) and with national and
international tourism organisations (34%). Over a quarter of all trade visitors
(30%) took part in the supporting program of the ITB Berlin.
 Khun
Chainarin Srifuengfung and his galloping sales team from the Horseshoe Point
Resort and Country Club.
The business that was successfully conducted by trade
visitors can be divided into the following areas: business travel (19%),
vacation and recreational travel (13%), educational and study trips (11%),
cultural tourism (11%), incentive trips (9%), adventure travel (9%), travel for
sporting purposes (9%), travel technology (9%), health travel / travel to health
resorts (7%), congress and meetings travel (6%), cruises (4%), 50+ / assisted
travel (2%), other forms of travel (9%) and other types of business concluded
(30%).
Culture Tourism
The Culture Tourism hall is now an established feature and
presented 292 cultural institutions from 25 countries this year. Kai Geiger,
general manager of Art Cities and the initiator of this segment reported, “The
keen demand from trade visitors confirmed the value of this concept. In the
discussions that we held with many visitors to the ITB it was apparent that they
felt an affinity with the subject of culture. Because of the excellent demand we
are expecting to see a substantial increase in the numbers of exhibitors,
especially from the cultural field, at the ITB 2003.”
ITB Tourism Studies Centre
The ITB Tourism Studies Centre celebrated its 10 th
anniversary with a record number of participants. Interested visitors were able
to examine a wide range of professional training and advanced training
opportunities from every aspect of tourism, presented by 70 exhibitors from
eleven countries. The overall concept, including the international specialist
congress “Progress in Tourism Research” and the Tourism Forum proved highly
effective. As Dr. Edo Kobelt, deputy director of the Academia Engiadina, Graubnden,
observed, “The networking is absolutely fantastic. We will certainly be back
again next year – the ITB Tourism Studies Centre is a ‘must’ for us.”
ITB Travel Technology
The ITB Travel Technology section, involving 160 exhibitors
from 14 countries, was summed up as follows, “Less casual callers, but the
visitors were more highly qualified than they were last year.” All the
companies that decided to take part in the ITB Berlin were able to make in-depth
contacts during the trade visitors’ days.
 Peter
Wiesner, VP of Bangkok Airways at his finest moment.
Alexander Hedenus of Worldspan explained, “During these few
days I held more than 30 intensive discussions with customers, and my colleagues
reported similar experiences.”
As Renate Budde of Siemens Business Services explained, “We
made a decision to focus on the ITB Berlin because it is the leading trade fair
for the industry.”
Sustainable Travel Exchange
– travel with sense
A new section of the fair was introduced this year in Hall
1.1a, occupying an area of 400 square metres. The “Sustainable Travel Exchange
– travel with sense” was staged by Messe Berlin and organised by the
ecological business consultancy Aera-Nova Consult. By bringing exhibitors
together in this way the intention was to create a greater understanding of
environmentally and socially aware travel attractions within the tourism sector
and among the general public.
 Kurt
Rufli keeps a watchful eye over his Amari team.
According to Christine Garbe of Aera-Nova Consult, “By
focusing on exhibitors offering sustainable tourism, the Sustainable Travel
Exchange was able to stimulate a great deal of demand among extremely interested
trade visitors. Intensive contacts were established with tour operators and
between the exhibitors themselves. The highlights were the visits by WTO
Secretary General Francesco Frangialli and the German Minister of the
Environment, Jrgen Trittin, who took this opportunity to meet with
exhibitors. Under the slogan ‘Travel with sense’ the organisers were able to
hold some outstanding events together with the ENEP and the WTO. Yet another
highlight of the Sustainable Travel Exchange was the presentation of the TUI
Environmental Prize to EUROPARC Federation, the organisation representing large
conservation areas in Europe.”
A valuable source of
information for the travelling public
Over half of the members of the public (55%) obtained
information at the ITB Berlin to assist them in making future holiday plans. 40
percent will be using this information when making their travel bookings. More
than two thirds (70%) intend to undertake at least two vacation trips this year.
46 percent stated that they had found all the information that they were looking
for at the ITB 2002.
The most popular holiday regions were Southern Europe (29%)
and Germany (20%). The range on offer at the ITB 2002 was described as very good
or good by 83%.
Supporting program of the ITB
2002
The supporting programme of the ITB 2002 consisted of 134
press conferences, 108 Tourism Experts Forums/Special Meetings and 76
receptions, as well as 42 awards ceremonies and presentations.
 HRH
Princess Ubolratana watches as visitors enjoy a “hands-on” demonstration of
traditional Thai massage.
The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2002 was
attended by 80 ministers, deputy ministers and state secretaries, as well as 80
ambassadors and charg้s d’affaires, and of course HRH Princess
Ubolratana of Thailand.
The International Tourism Exchange ITB Berlin 2003 will take
place from 7 to 11 March on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.
Fruit
carving drew a lot of interest from Princess Ubolratana and others.
Princess
Ubolratana visits the Thai Airways International pavilion.
Pattaya and the ITB - was it worth it?
It is always difficult to judge what an overseas
promotional event is really like. Was it just an excuse to burn up pre-tax
money, or was it a legitimate marketing exercise? The International
Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin is now over, and the Pattaya re-launch has
been completed in what is probably the most prestigious tourism
marketplace in the world. The general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort was at the ITB and he presented a report on the lead-up and the
actual event.
by Andrew Wood
After months of hard work, planning preparation and
meetings chaired by Mayor Pairat, Khun Panga Vathanakul (MD of the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort), Manit Boonchim (TAT Region 3), and with the help of
the Thai Hotels Association (THA) we finally arrived at the day itself in
Berlin.
It all started following a brief meeting at the
previous ITB in 2001 when we called a meeting of all the Pattaya hotels
and interested parties with TAT (Khun Tassna) and identified that we
wanted to re-launch Pattaya at the 2002 ITB. From there it started to
steamroll. I never believed we would be able to raise the Bt 7 million
that we did for the re-launch. All credit to the hard work of the
organising committee.
Throughout the weekend preceding the re-launch party on
Monday there was a buzz developing in ITB as the news started to spread.
Thank goodness it was strictly controlled (the Wasserwerks could only hold
approx 900 people - especially as we had VIP tables, special food areas
and a massage pavilion to fit in as well as people and bars!).
 The
Princess took great delight in feeding ‘baguettes’ to the welcoming
elephant.
Without the control it could have easily become a crowd
of 2000 people. TAT Frankfurt did a fantastic job, under the guiding hand
of Frank Haussels and with much behind the scenes work from our own David
Holden - the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s marketing director.
The venue could not have been more appropriate - an old
waterworks to celebrate Pattaya’s cleaner waters. A theme that is
gathering so much momentum, as was recently exhibited at the recent PC
Classic sailing regatta. And who would have ever thought that we would be
fortunate to have Princess Ubolratana to grace the event as our guest of
honour? It was too much to dream for - a PR coupe of enormous proportions.
When the Princess arrived in her limousine I stood to
greet her at the roadside to escort her to the VIP line-up at the entrance
and she looked a million dollars. She had her hair beautifully arranged
and was wearing a stunning off the shoulders turquoise blue ball gown. It
was like being at the Oscars presentation! As she strolled into the party,
her jewellery glittering, all heads turned to meet this beautiful Princess
from Thailand. A most extra ordinary lady and a superb ambassador for
Thailand’s renowned grace and charm.
The Princess was greeted by a huge elephant, and she
took great delight in feeding it long French bread ‘baguettes’ that
the catering team had provided and of course bananas. After that the party
really took a life of its own, as the best often do, everyone clearly
having a great time. I was particularly keen to see the flying mermaids in
action - a trapeze act called “Nautilus” and see how everyone was
enjoying the Thai delicacies including fresh coconut drinks, flown in
specially.
Time will tell whether we can measure this moment as
being the starting point of a renewed German interest in Pattaya - but
there is no doubt in my mind it was THE party of ITB and sky rocketed
Pattaya’s reputation away from the rather seedy one of years gone by, to
that of a fun, clean beach resort for all the family.
Would we do it again? Certainly!
ITB will certainly bring an increase of tourists to Pattaya
Chatchawal Supachayanont, GM of the Dusit Resort and
president of the Thai Hotels Association (THA) Eastern Chapter said, “It
is good to be back in Pattaya. While visiting the ITB in Berlin, the
world’s biggest Tourism Fair, and meeting many people, a lot of interest
was seen for Pattaya. I witnessed this year’s launch of Pattaya as the
number one destination in Thailand, including a party under the theme
‘Pattaya, the city of fun and life’. The party was attended by more
than eight hundred people and presided over by H.R.H. Princess Ubolratana.”
 Chatchawal
Supachayanont, GM of the Dusit Resort hard at work.
Chatchawal also said, “Tourism from Europe,
especially from Germany, has been steady in the last few years. But
through this year’s efforts by the city of Pattaya, especially in the
improvements made to the infrastructure and the water treatment plant, we
expect the German market to increase dramatically. There is an increasing
interest for Pattaya as was experienced by us at ITB. We were not being
attacked by questions concerning our past problems but the travel agents
and journalists were more interested about all the good things we have to
offer.
“This should be repeated again and again. We are
definitely making progress. The city fathers should make it an annual
commitment to support this promotion at ITB, which will certainly bring an
increase of tourists to Pattaya,” Chatchawal concluded.
Private sector sees ITB representation as image booster
Many businesses in the tourism and travel arena are a
little afraid of going to an international expo such as the ITB, but for
some businesses, this has become an important part of their promotional
budget.
Allan Davidson, managing director of Budget Rent a Car
in Thailand, said, “The ITB went very well for us. We have been
represented at ITB for the last four years and it has become a Mecca now
to be there. We believe that ITB is the most important tourism mart in the
world and we have always been very successful there. The German market is
considered to be our biggest and most successful market from Europe.
 Allan
Davidson MD of Budget Thailand seemed irresistible to Khun Siriporn
Nicrotha (l) and another charming visitor to the ITB.
“We secured a great deal with ‘Der Tour’, one of
the biggest tour companies in the LTU group. We will also be featured in
their catalogue covering 4 pages. The catalogue has a circulation of 2
million copies. That will definitely boost our company’s image in
Germany and ensure an even bigger share of the car rental market.
“ITB is the best place to meet up with our clients
and an ideal venue for negotiations and making deals. Khun Siriporn
Nicrotha, our sales and marketing manager, has done a tremendous job in
promoting our company and especially Thailand,” Allan said on his return
to Thailand after the ITB.
From the point of view of Budget Rent A Car, it is
obvious that the visit to the ITB represented a win-win scenario. A better
image for Thailand and Pattaya in particular, a better image for Budget
and finally increased revenue for their company.
ITB: The world’s greatest Networking Marketplace
What is it that one does at the ITB? To sit at the
designated tables that one pays a huge amount of money for and yet shares
half of it with another exhibitor. Does one just sit there and wait for
the buyers to come around and hope that he or she will stop at their table
to ask some questions?
To the veteran hotelier, or any other exhibitor for
that matter, this would seem like a waste of time and money.
“ITB is a place to mingle, to meet old friends and
make new ones. Not only are contracts signed here, but many personal
friendships are also created,” said veteran hotelier and an old hand at
ITB, Hans Spoerri, group general manager for the Siam City Hotels and
Resorts, owners of the Siam Bayshore and Siam Bayview Hotels in Pattaya.
 Meeting
old friends, Hans Spoerri greets Barbara Peisert of TUI, aka ‘Queen of
contract managers’.
“The Hotel and Tourism business is a unique one. If
you were selling steel, then the buyer would look for the best possible
quality for the best price. But not in this business. It’s the personal
touch that is emphasized. It’s who you know. We have to lay the
groundwork months if not years in advance. Work is done at home even
before you plan to go to any of these tourism fairs. Contacts are made,
appointments are confirmed and the clever hotelier would be on a plane to
Europe at least a week before the actual event, and plan to stay on for a
few more days afterwards.”
He went on to say, “Coming to the ITB is like coming
home. I spend more time having a good laugh with friends over a few
drinks, having lunch with loyal clients and dinners with potential new
ones. This is how business is done.”
Asked what he thought of how the Thailand pavilion
fared this year, he said, “I went around to the various booths,
especially the ones of our close competitors like Bali and other South
East Asian countries, and found that this year they were not so full.
There were more visitors to the Thai pavilion than at many others. Maybe
not many people recognized them, but the top travel agents, contracts
managers and journalists visited our pavilion. We were very popular.”
“Pattaya Night was considered to be the most
successful ever,” Hans said. The organizers have to be commended for
their truly sterling effort. “I was most amazed at what I saw. Maybe I
am getting old, but I was most pleased to see hundreds of young people
packed in the place. This is the right idea. We are looking for the new
generation and we found them, or rather they found us. I am still getting
comments by telephone and e-mails congratulating us for ‘the best party
ever at ITB 2002’. Pattaya is on everyone’s lips.”
“Pattaya will benefit from these efforts, but more
important we must learn from these experiences. We should support these
events with zeal. One day when these realizations really make an impact
then maybe everyone in Pattaya would be more than happy to dip into their
pockets and contribute to the Pattaya Promotion fund. After all, it is all
of us who will gain.”
Hans concluded his views of this year’s ITB event by
saying, “What more can you expect? Especially when HRH Princess
Ubolratana wholeheartedly promoted Pattaya on our behalf. In her interview
telecast live from Berlin she said that we should be proud of our country
and that she would like all the Thai people to help promote Thailand, and
tell everyone around the world to ‘Be my Guest’. We are the citizens
of Pattaya, and we should be most thankful to her. This is our home so we
should be working twice as hard and with a fervent dedication towards
making it a better place for everyone.”
The re-launch of Pattaya expected to be a success says TAT boss
HRH
Princess Ubolratana graciously permits a group photograph with the Pattaya
delegation at the Pattaya Night party.
The Pattaya delegation has returned from the
International Tourism Bourse (ITB), the largest travel trade fair in the
world, held in Berlin, Germany. With much of the Thai Pavilion and the
dedicated Pattaya Night organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand,
the director of Division 3, Manit Boonchim, has returned to Pattaya
quietly confident of the outcome.
 Pantomimes
glide eerily around the huge hall as if oblivious to what’s going on
around them.
“Last year, tourism from Germany only rose 1%,” he
said, “but after the Japanese Trade Show, Japanese tourism rose 17%. It
is time for us to do more with the German market.” Manit believes that
it is necessary to educate the travel industry and suggests concentrating
on the travel agents themselves, even the small-time operators.
 A
brave German beauty tries some ‘Som Tam’ ‘Saeb eelee duer’.
“The travel agents in Germany at the ITB expressed an
interest in coming to Pattaya. We (TAT) are going to organize educational
packages for the travel agents. These will be sponsored by TAT and Thai
International as a joint promotion with tour groups, hotels and
airlines.”
Our local director indicated that the German travel
agents were asking for more data on Pattaya, especially the high end
tourists who need more information on the variety of attractions and the
quality of our environment. “We have to continue to follow up and work
together with them (the travel agents) to develop a package to sell to
their customers,” he said.
 This
Thai beauty prepares more of the very popular ‘Phad Thai’.
Other good news from the TAT was that much interest in
Pattaya was sparked by the Pattaya Night and the German media. Both print
and TV expressed a desire to come out and review the “new” Pattaya.
“The Thailand pavilion and show was the best of all the Asian
countries,” Manit proudly pointed out.
 Andrew
Wood and Vathanai Vathanakul of the Royal Cliff are mesmerized by this
blonde mermaid.
The strong message from the TAT was one of education.
“We have to give more information to smaller travel agents. We have to
work with the private sector to educate the travel agents and tour
operators.”
As part of the assistance being given by the TAT is
support for Pattaya to promote such items as the Songkran Fair this month,
the Pattaya Fruit and Seafood Fair in May and the Pattaya Marathon which
will be held in July.
 Philine
Worobiec (center) and her team of lovely women from the Kleber PR Network
made sure that all visitors to the Thailand Press Lounge were well taken
care of.
Despite the optimism being expressed by Manit, he did
point out that the results of the hard work put in by so many people for
Pattaya at the ITB will not be really evident for another six months, so
we are looking at next season to see an increase in German and European
tourists.
A
bird’s eye view of the celebrations at the Berliner Wasserwerks, venue
of the Pattaya Night party.
All for the good of Pattaya
Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat said that at the ITB in
Berlin, which he attended, a lot was done to promote Pattaya and to give
the people the impression that Pattaya is one of Southeast Asia’s
biggest tourist destinations and that we are doing everything possible to
make life better, more comfortable and more attractive for everybody.
The mayor expressed his trust in the private sector for
working so hard for the benefit of Pattaya. “It is not just the hotels
that are getting the business, but also all the small traders and the
ordinary citizens of Pattaya who will gain economically.”
He promised that Pattaya City, including other
government sectors, would continue to give support for the promotion of
Pattaya where needed. “After all, it’s really the private sector who
know how to handle this in a business like manner, and we as the
government must support them wholeheartedly. All for the good of
Pattaya.”
Accolades heaped on Pattaya for the presentation at ITB
For a tourist city to survive it needs healthy growth
in tourism. Over the past couple of years, new hotels have been built,
upgrades to existing hotels have been carried out, new tourist
entertainment venues have been commissioned and private enterprise waits
expectantly for an upsurge in business. However, it needs the news to be
given to the tourism industry, otherwise the healthy growth will not
eventuate. The ITB was the venue where that message could be given to the
European tourism industry.
Before the event, Panga Vathanakul, the managing
director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, said, “When we go anywhere to
sell our hotel, we have to sell Pattaya first.” As part of that
“selling Pattaya” Panga took the time to go to the ITB and on her
return said, “It was a very special occasion and I felt immensely proud
for Pattaya. The whole business community of Pattaya was represented at
Berlin, and I was particularly pleased that HRH Princess Ubolratana was
there to experience the warmth and affection that the worldwide travel
industry has for Thailand, and Pattaya particularly. The effort and hard
work by many, including our lord mayor, was well rewarded that night and I
now look forward to seeing a renewed interest in Pattaya from Europe.”
From a sales and marketing viewpoint, the Royal
Cliff’s David Holden gave a very direct message. “It was absolutely
right that we had a party - and I was pleased that the Pattaya City
father’s decided to go ahead. It was generally well received, and will
prove to be very useful in the Northern and Central European markets. It
was an excellent opportunity to update the front line travel professionals
on all the improvements in Pattaya over the years and to be able host a
thank you party to all the tour operators for their support, particularly
after the difficult times in the past and not just as fair weather
business partners.
“We should see a gradual change over the following
year in the number of visitors from Europe. Obviously we have to wait for
these agents to interact with their clients and influence their choice of
holiday. The important thing is to keep up the momentum and keep talking
to the agents throughout the year, not just this one time,” he said.
World Youth and Student Travel Conference comes to Pattaya in 2003
Royal Cliff Beach Resort clinches deal at ITB
The World Youth and Student Travel Conference announced
at ITB in Berlin that they have selected Pattaya as the venue for the 12th
annual WYSTC.
WYTSC, the world’s premier travel trade fair for
operators in the youth and student travel business will bring over 1000
travel industry professionals to the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and PEACH in
Pattaya October 12-18, 2003.
As the joint event of the Federation of International
Youth Travel Organizations (FIYTO), and The International Student Travel
Confederation (ISTC), WYSTC is the only global forum for this important
niche market of the industry.
 Andrew
Wood GM and Panga Vathanakul MD of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort and PEACH
flank a delighted Susan Goldstein, conference director of WYSTC.
WYSTC offers a unique program of professional
development workshops and seminars in addition to a business to business
trade fair with travel mart and prescheduled buyer seller meetings.
Today, young people account for over 20% of all
international tourism and according to WTO statistics, by the year 2005
one out of every four tourists will be a young traveller.
WYSTC’s selection of Pattaya as its venue in 2003,
only 4 years after the successful 1999 conference in Bangkok, testifies to
the importance of the Asian market to youth tourism and to the vital role
to be played by National Tourism Organizations in promoting youth tourism.
Tourism Authority of Thailand will be the official
hosts for WYTSC 2003. TAT through its Youth Travel Division has made
outstanding contributions in developing the youth tourism market through
public and private initiatives and its activity in FIYTO and WYSTC.
Susan Goldstein, Conference Director of WYSTC said,
“The successful bid by TAT was supported by Thai Airways and the Royal
Cliff Beach Resort and PEACH. Thai Airways are the Official Carrier for
the WYSTC 2003 and their support was instrumental in securing the event
for Thailand.
The conference venue itself, the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort and PEACH - the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, offers
WYSTC the perfect combination of world class meeting facilities and
gracious Thai hospitality that facilitate the unique 24 hour networking
environment WYSTC is known for.
At the same time, WYSTC is pleased with its selection
to support industry efforts to reposition Pattaya for the MICE market as
well as for a more discerning and independent youth and student travel
market.”
This year’s WYSTC will be held in Rhodes, Greece from
September 29 to October 5 and invites Thai organisations to participate in
anticipation of the 2003 conference in Pattaya.
The story behind Chonburi’s ‘Songkran’ or ‘Wan Lai’
‘Wan Lai’ - the festival of Chonburi Province is
celebrated with the ‘Songkran festival’ on the 13-15 of April every
year. In other regions of the nation, the annual ‘Phra Pra Deang
festival’ is celebrated from the 20th -22nd of the same month.
The tradition and the celebration of ‘Wan Lai’ is
the same as ‘Songkran’, but the name and the date is different in the
east. ‘Wan Lai’ in Naklua is on the 18th of April, followed by Pattaya
on the 19th.
At around 12:00 p.m. on the 19th, ‘Wan Lai’ in
Pattaya begins with a parade of senior monks from around Chonburi who will
bless the citizens with holy water along the way from ‘Wat Chaimongkol’
on 2nd Road all the wat to the Central Road junction, then down along
Beach Road and back to ‘Wat Chaimongkol’.
The Wan Lai Festival of Chonburi will be celebrated
from the 16th to the 19th of April and can be seen along Sukhumvit Road
from Amphur Muang to an area in Sattahip adjacent to the beach. The
celebration will begin by the offering of food to monks in the morning.
Then Thais pay respects to their elders and get their blessings.
Afterwards, there will be a parade featuring ‘Miss Songkran’ and
traditional plays.
The story handed down by the ancestors explains that on
Songkran Day the god Kabin Phrom, or the god Songkran, came down from
heaven and challenged ‘Thama Ban Kumar’, the child of the wife of the
millionaire, with three questions. The penalty for not getting the
questions right was beheading! The questions were: “Where is the grace
in the morning? Where is the grace in the afternoon? Where is the grace in
the evening?”
 ‘Thama
Ban’ could answer all (on the face, the heart and the feet
respectively). The God Kabin Phrom had his head cut off as promised. But
what were they to do with the head? If the head is left on land, there
would be fire all around the globe, if thrown into the air, there will be
no more rain and if thrown into the water, the seas would dry up.
Therefore the 7 daughters of the God Kabin Phrom were assigned to take
care of the head by taking turns, depending on the day that the festival
falls into.
This year Songkran falls on Saturday, the year of the
Snake. Miss Songkran is Maho Thorn, the flower is Sam Hao and the Jewel is
Nil Ratna, the food is deer, the weapon is Jakra-Trisoon, the vehicle is
the peacock. It is believed that at the beginning of this year there will
be plenty of rain, with a sufficient amount in the middle period and least
rainfall towards the end of the year.
Since the times of King Rama V in the year 1889, the
1st of April is recognized as Thailand’s New Years Day. However, joining
modern times, beginning in the year 1940 Jom Phon Por Piboon Song Kram,
the prime minister, decreed New Year’s Day to be on the 1st of January
1941 to coincide with the rest of the world.
Presently there are 3 days for Songkran, 13-15 of
April. The 13th of April is regarded as the ‘Maha Songkran Day’,
derived from the belief of the Northern Indian citizens, for it is the
first day of the new season; the New Year. Plants begin their flowering
and fruiting period; animals begin their hunting again and nature blooms
with life again. Therefore, when the New Year Day approaches, Thai people
clean their houses, prepare food for the monks, dress up in their new and
colorful outfits and teenagers will meet under the supervision of adults.
The 14th of April is the family day and the 15th is the leisure day.
On Songkran Day, people will make a morning offering to
the monks and pay respect to their ancestors who have long departed this
earth. Other activities include building sand pagodas at the temple
courtyard, releasing birds and fish, and pouring holy water on Buddhist
statues. Thais also ask for a blessing from the elderly, and of course
throw water among the citizens, and Thai traditional games are also part
of the tradition.
|
