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Opinion poll reveals most tourists believe Thailand is a safe tourist destination
Most foreign tourists are confident that Thailand is a
safe tourist destination, according to a poll conducted by Bangkok
University here between October 30 and 31. The survey found that 58.2% of
European tourists said they visited Thailand despite news reports on tourist
attacks in Southeast Asia.
When asked about their confidence in the safety in
Thailand, 45.3% of the respondents said that they believed Thailand is a
safe tourist haven.
The Bangkok Poll interviewed 426 foreign tourists at
tourist sites in Bangkok on a random basis to ask for their opinions on the
safety of the kingdom amid news reports on warnings of terrorist attacks in
the region.
Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who
oversees national security, said this week that Thailand is a peaceful and
non-violent haven, which parties use as a center for negotiations. He added
that because of the positive nature of Thai society, conflicting parties eye
Thailand as their negotiation center. He was referring to the recent request
to use Thailand as the venue for peace talks between the Sri Lankan
government and the Tiger Tamil separatists. (TNA)
Trang holds canoe and sea kayak races to promote beautiful shoreline
The Southern province of Trang held its first canoe and
sea kayak tournament on November 2nd and 3rd at Pakmeng Beach in Amphor
Sikao.
Hailed as a big success, Somchai Wongtawatchai, director
of Trang Tourism Industry Association said that Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) and the private sector had jointly organized the canoe and
sea kayak competitions. Other activities included beach soccer and beach
volleyball competitions.
The objectives of the games were to promote enjoyable
water activities and the beautiful scenic seashore of Trang.
“The competitions were held to promote tourism in the
province and because we want to tell the tourists that they can use canoes
or kayaks to appreciate the beautiful scenery of Trang’s shoreline,”
Somchai said. He stressed that the emphasis on the races was more on
participating in the fun than on the results. (TNA)
Security increased at airports
Transport and Communication Minister Suriya
Jungrungreangkit has ordered tighter security measures at Bangkok
International Airport and other provincial airports, including stricter
inspection of passengers’ luggage, after reports of violent incidents in
the region recently.
Suriya said that the government has given priority to
safety, and he has instructed the Airport Authority of Thailand (AAT) to
step up security measures at the Don Muang Airport and other domestic
airports as a precautionary measure, particularly during the night time.
The beefed-up measures were ordered only as precautionary
measures since there have been no threats to the country, Suriya stressed.
He added that the Airport Authority of Thailand (ATT) has enough personnel
to implement the stricter security procedures. (TNA)
Qantas takes delivery of world’s first passenger Boeing 747-400ER
Qantas began a new chapter in its history when it took
delivery of the world’s first passenger Boeing 747-400 Extended Range
aircraft. Qantas Ambassador-at-Large John Travolta joined Qantas executives
at the Boeing company facility in Seattle, Washington, to take delivery of
the new aircraft.
“Qantas was the first airline in its part of the world
to take delivery of the 747 back in the 1970s and it is still at the
forefront of aircraft selection with the delivery of this newest model,”
Travolta said.
Executive General Manager David Forsyth said the aircraft
was one of six 747-400Ers which will be added to the Qantas fleet as part of
the airline’s comprehensive fleet plan.
“Qantas has been a world leader in aviation for 82
years; and again we are leading the world with the delivery of this
aircraft, the first commercial 747-400ER to be delivered by Boeing. The 747
has been the key to our long-haul success over more than 30 years, and this
latest model, with its enhanced performance capability, will continue to
give Qantas a competitive edge, particularly on he long trans-Pacific
routes,” Forsyth said.
The 747-400ER is the same size as the existing 747-400
aircraft, but has an increased take-off weight, which allows it to fly
further or carry an increase payload in terms of freight or passengers than
the existing 747-400 model.
As for further development of the existing 747-400
ranges, Forsyth said the 747-400ER would fit seamlessly into the existing
Qantas fleet. Forsyth commented, “One of the major differences our
customers will notice about this aircraft is its distinctive cabin interior.
We have worked with Boeing to adapt the popular Boeing 777 interior with its
enhanced feeling of comfort and spaciousness to this aircraft.”
From Thailand, Qantas Airways currently operates daily
flights from Bangkok to Sydney and Sydney to Bangkok with daily flights also
from Bangkok to London and London to Bangkok (14 flights per week).
Cathay Pacific wins ‘airline of the year’ title at TTG awards
Cathay Pacific Airways has won two prestigious awards at
the 14th TTG Travel Awards 2002: “Airline of the Year” and “Best
North-East Asian Airline”.
Lvan
Chu (center), Cathay Pacific regional manager Southeast Asia, received two
prestigious awards for Cathay Pacific Airways “Airline of the Year” and
“Best North-East Asian Airline” at the 14th TTG Travel Awards 2002. He
was congratulated by Michael Chow (left), publisher, Travel Group, TTG Asia
Media Pte., Ltd. and Darren Ng (right), managing director TTG Asia Media Pte.
Ltd.
The annual TTG Travel Awards recognize outstanding
individuals and organizations in the Asia Pacific travel industry. The
awards are voted for by readers of TTG Asia and TTG China.
Cathay Pacific’s director and chief operating officer,
Philip Chen said, “We are very pleased to win these two awards as they
were voted for by people who know the business. The awards are clear
recognition of Cathay Pacific’s product excellence. Despite the recent
difficult times in the aviation industry we have continued to invest in new
products, including our acclaimed new Business Class cabin. The awards are
also an acknowledgement of our unique ‘Service Straight from the Heart’
that helps differentiate Cathay Pacific from other airlines.”
Chen added, “I’d like to thank the outstanding people
who work for Cathay Pacific, and of course all our customers for their
continued support.”
In addition to the TTG Awards, Cathay Pacific was in March of this year
voted by UK survey group Skytrax as ‘Best Airline - Asia’, Best Airline
- Trans-Pacific’, and ranked overall as the number 2 airline in the world.
It also it has been named ‘Asia’s Best Airline’ for the third straight
year as part of Reader’s Digest magazine’s SuperBrand 2002 Survey.
Fly the plane
and take the train
Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline and SNCF
French Railways have signed a new deal to give travelers rapid rail/air
links between Dubai and 6 of France’s most important regional cities via
Emirates’ daily flights to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Lille, Lyon, Nates, Rennes, Bordeaux and Avignon are
already on the plane-to-train map, with 3 more cities joining soon -
Marseille, Montpellier and Nimes.
France’s TGV Train a Grand Vitesse High-Speed Train is
one of the world’s most modern, running at 300 kilometers an hour. A
special rail terminal at CDG airport, gives passengers an ultra ‘fast
track’ from the Gulf’s trade and tourism hub to France’s most
important towns.
Their Emirates ticks entitle them to a rail voucher which
can be collected up to 20 minutes before the train leaves. Tickets are
available from High Street travel agencies, and travel can start outside or
inside France.
Ghaith Al Ghaith, Emirates’ commercial operations
director said, “This is yet another innovation to make the going easier
for all our customers, particularly business travelers setting off from
Dubai to these important French cities. We recently boosted our Paris
timetable to provide daily departures form Dubai, and will add more seats
next year on this increasingly important route.”
New executive chef appointed at Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya
Andrew Khoo, general manager of the Hard Rock Hotel
Pattaya, has recently appointed Tan Jit Kiang as the hotel’s executive
chef.
Born and graduated in Malaysia, Tan started his career as a cook in
Shah’s Beach Resort in his country. The Sheraton Rotorua Hotel in New
Zealand was where his career outside Malaysia began. He continued to work
with the Sheraton hotel chain for 9 years, gaining experience in Brunei and
Taiwan. Tan achieved several awards from the Sheraton including the Five
Years Service Award, Chairman’s Club Award, and Certificate of Excellence.
His last position before joining the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya was as
executive chef of the Sheraton Taipei Hotel. Tan speaks 3 languages
including English, Bahasa Malaysian, and Mandarin.
Royal Cliff Beach Resort wins prestigious “Best Meetings & Conventions Hotel” award
The Royal Cliff Beach Resort recently received the
prestigious “Best Meetings & Conventions Hotel-Asia-Pacific” award
from one of the region’s premier travel trade publications - TTG Asia.
Award recipients were voted for by readers of the magazine which primarily
consists of senior executives in the travel industry.
Panga
Vathanakul (left), managing director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, was on
hand at the TTG Travel Awards Ceremony in Bangkok to accept the award for
“Best Meetings & Conventions Hotel” from Darren Ng, managing
director of TTA Asia Media Pte., Co., Ltd.
The accolade is a tribute to the resort’s outstanding
range of meeting facilities and world-class servicing of international as
well as domestic events.
Comprised of 4 hotels offering a total of 3 ballrooms and
21 meeting rooms together with a state-of-the-art stand-alone convention
center-PEACH (Pattaya Exhibition And Convention Hall), the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort boasts one of the most sophisticated and well-integrated sets of
meeting and accommodation facilities to be found anywhere in the world.
The resort’s managing director, Panga Vathanakul, who
has seen the resort develop from a simple 100-room hotel in 1973 to the
expansive 1,100-room resort and meeting venue that it is today, was
delighted to receive the award.
MD Panga said, “We have continually strived to improve
our products in every area, not only the infrastructure, but also the
services we provide meeting planners, organizers and delegates. We would
like to thank both TTG Asia and our industry colleagues for recognizing this
and bestowing this prestigious award upon us.”
The “Best Meetings & Conventions Hotel” award
follows closely upon the heels of the resort’s acceptance of the “Award
for Outstanding Performance” under the Best Resort Accommodation
(Thailand) category, which was given by the Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT) last month.
Earlier this year, the resort’s flagship hotel, the
Royal Wing & Spa, was recognized as the best independent hotel in
Asia-Pacific with a “Mark of Excellence Award” from Summit Hotels &
Resorts.
The trio of successes coincides with another highly-successful year for
the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in 2001, as well as a large-scale US$8 million
renovation and refurbishment project.
EVA Air sponsored “Mardi Gras Night”
EVA Airway Corporation cooperated with
Green Siam Air services Co., Ltd., its general sales agent recently joined
and sponsored “Mardi Gras Night” organized by Shangri-La Hotel.
Tipyarat
Sukhanetr (1st standing right), sales coordinator supervisor of Green Siam
Air Services Co., Ltd., presented 1 complimentary round trip ticket for
BKK-TEP-BKK on Evergreen Deluxe Class to the lucky draw winner (center
standing), representative form BLS Trading Co., Ltd. shown here with Adrian
K. Mueller posed (standing 3rd right) general manager of Shangri-La Hotel
and Arkornkiattisak Burodom (standing right, back row), senior sales manager
of Shangri-La Hotel.
TAT announces ‘Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Grand Service 2003’
Next year’s marketing campaign a shopping paradise for tourists
Earlier this week at the Pattaya Marriott Resort &
Spa, the TAT announced its next marketing campaign for 2003. The ‘Amazing
Thailand Grand Sale Grand Service 2003’ set to begin in June of next year
is in joint cooperation between TAT and Visa International Co. Ltd.
Manit
Boonchim, director for the Region 3 office of the TAT announced next
year’s TAT marketing campaign ‘Amazing Thailand Grand Sale Grand Service
2003’ - a shopping paradise for tourists.
The campaign aims to draw more foreign currency into
Thailand by emphasizing that the country is a shopping paradise for
tourists. The campaign also falls under the current government’s policy of
boosting the economy by attracting more visitors to the country.
The tourism industry is considered to be one of the top
money earning sectors of business bringing in almost 300 billion baht in
foreign exchange revenue with shopping at the top of the list, with tourists
spending over 92 billion baht on souvenirs and other items.
During the press conference, Manit Boonchim, director for the Region 3
office of the TAT said, “Thailand has the ability to provide many locally
produced products, not only of same quality as foreign producers but also at
cheaper retail prices. This is why TAT has focused on this campaign to try
and lure more visitors to the country.”
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