|
THAI signs deal with Myanmar
Thai Airways International and Myanmar Airways
International recently signed a code-sharing agreement for the
Bangkok-Rangoon route. The agreement takes effect in February.
THAI currently operates two daily flights between Bangkok
and Rangoon, while the Myanmar flagship airline operates one.
THAI president Kanok Abhiradee said the carrier is
looking into expanding its flight network in Myanmar. THAI is also
interested in signing more code-sharing agreements with other regional
airlines, he added. THAI also joined the Stock Exchange of Thailand’s
promotional road show to London and New York.
Thai Airways International cabin factor - the percentage
of occupied seats on all flights - rose to 73.3 percent in the fourth
quarter of last year from 67.5 percent in the year-ago period, THAI
executive vice president, commercial, Tasnai Sudasna na Ayudhaya said.
Last October, the airline’s cabin factor was 73.9
percent compared to 66.2 percent in the previous October. It rose to 74
percent last November compared to 67.3 percent in November 2001.
However, the number of occupied seats dropped to 72
percent in December, just slightly higher than the 69.2 percent recorded in
December 2001. Tasnai attributed last year’s 8 percent rise in the number
of passengers to utilization adjustments.
Such adjustments will continue. THAI offered three extra
flights on its Bangkok-Beijing route during the Chinese New Year
celebrations.
During low tourist season, May to June, THAI will
participate in a promotion campaign with hotels and travel agencies. The
airline also plans to launch a new promotion to increase the number of
business-class tickets it sells.
Booking trends so far indicate that the carrier could see
sales growth, but war between the US and Iraq is a concern. (TNA)
Lampang’s elephant riding package is enticing more tourists
Products made from elephant poo make unique souvenirs
The elephant riding tour which was organized by
Thailand’s National Elephant Institute at the northern province of Lampang
is proving popular among tourists as the visitors can explore the forest
from the elephant’s back.
Nippakorn Singhaputtangkul, head of general
administrative department of the National Elephant Institute, Thai Elephant
Conservation Center of Lampang, disclosed that apart from regular elephant
shows, elephant painting, and elephant orchestras, facilities were renovated
to better accommodate tourists.
“The Roadside Park Visitors’ Center was built so that
tourists can drop in and watch the many elephants’ activities and buy
products that have been made from these friendly beasts’ excrement,”
Nippakorn said.
The center also provides well-trained volunteers to guide
the tourists on the elephant riding tour so that visitors can enjoy the
beautiful nature and learn more about elephants at the same time.
The center also offers home -stay packages which allow
nature lovers to stay with the elephants and their mahouts, ranging from
one, two or three- day packages.
The home-stay package even lets tourists join the mahout
training school for ten days. (TNA)
TAT urged to pursue Thailand Grand Festival campaign
The private sector is urging Tourist Authority of
Thailand (TAT) to maintain the ‘Thailand Grand Festival’ campaign which
spurred a 15% increase of the country’s tourism industry growth last year.
Chairman of Domestic Tourism Business Association,
Chareon Wang-ananon, stated that the higher number of tourist arrivals was a
result of the cooperation of governmental and private sectors.
Last year ‘s Thailand Grand Festival campaign, which
offered tourists various activities designated with different traveling
themes of each month, promoted a steady flow of tourists to all regions of
the country throughout the whole year.
“Thailand’s travel business continuously expanded in
2002. The government is urged to continue to support this successful tourism
campaign and tour operators should develop their products to cater for
tourists’ demand,” Chareon said.
Chareon added that the variety of products and
destinations would be the key to this year‘s tourism strategy such as Thai
Fruit Festival which was the month theme of May and must be held in other
provinces apart from Chanthaburi and Rayong to introduce new tourist spots.
He suggested the title of the Fruit Fair be changed to “Fruit Parade”
and held along the road similar to the lively Carnival parade in Brazil.
Chareon confirmed there would be no alteration in tour
package prices as tour operators have banded together to lower their
production costs and TAT monitors the travel business to set standard prices
for tourists.
“Costly tour service doesn’t seem to be a favorable
choice when the economic situation is still unreliable. However, within
three or four years, if the economy is fully recovered, prices may be
increased,” he said. (TNA)
PM paves way
for low-cost airline
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced on January 31
his intention to call on the private sector to start a low-cost airline
using Chiang Mai airport as a regional hub, and said that Thai Airways
(THAI) is currently searching for partners to establish its own low-cost
airline to serve as an example to private sector companies.
Thaksin said that the government’s policy of making
Chiang Mai a regional air transport hub would only work if low-cost airlines
were established to create rapid profits.
However, he admitted that THAI might have problems in
looking for an ally as European airlines tend to neglect Asian transport
hubs.
“If the private sector such as Bangkok Airways, Air
Andaman or PB Air wants to set up a low-cost airline they can go ahead and
do so, as the government has opened up the aviation industry to the free
market”, Thaksin said.
The prime minister conceded that plans to open up a route
linking Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chittagong had run into difficulties. But he
also insisted that the government would press ahead with the project, saying
the route would aid tourism and exports.
The Thai leader stressed that the final objective of the
opening of a route to Chittagong was in fact to attract tourists and
business people flying on to Hanoi.
The prime minister expressed confidence that the project
would eventually make money, but conceded that it was likely to run at a
loss for the first couple of years. (TNA)
Lufthansa will reduce capacities in continental traffic
The weakness in the economy worldwide and the persisting
substantial effects on the business travel market have prompted
Lufthansa’s Group Executive Board to take immediate action. The Group
Executive Board has, therefore, decided to reduce the capacity in
continental traffic by a further nine aircraft and thus adjust the route
offer in line with the persisting weakness in demand.
This reduction in the offer will mean that as of 1 April
2003, a total of 21 aircraft at Lufthansa and 15 at its regional partners in
the inner-European and German traffic will be out of service.
The adjustment announced will affect aircraft from the
short and medium-haul fleet of Lufthansa AG, three Canadair Jets of
Lufthansa CityLine and three turbo-prop aircraft of Lufthansa regional
partners.
In addition, further measures will be necessary in order
to align the Lufthansa group with the unchanged difficult market conditions.
In the first weeks of the new year it was confirmed that, due to the
weakness of demand in Germany and the world economic situation, business
travel and the freight business are continuing to decline.
At the same time, due to a possible Iraq war and as a
result of the tax plans of the German Federal Government there is every
indication of new burdens on a considerable scale. Therefore, it is planned
to examine comprehensive measures aimed at safeguarding the result by
mid-February 2003.
Khlong Moung Beach goes 5-Star as Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort launches soft opening
The soft opening of Starwood Hotels & Resorts new
Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort on February 2 heralded a new era for Krabi’s
blossoming tourist business. This new 246-room resort is located on the
tranquil beach of Khlong Moung, an increasingly popular beach destination on
mainland Krabi.
The resort features 246 guestrooms including 30 Club
Floor rooms and six Executive Suites. The Superior and Deluxe rooms each
measure 48 square meters. The resort also features five dining outlets, a
Fitness Centre, an exclusive Spa, tennis, non-motorized water sports, retail
shop, Kid’s Club and swimming pool.
The Andaman Grande with its ceiling to floor window gives
a view of the spectacular grounds and garden. It can also be dived into two
smaller meeting rooms that can accommodate for up to 200 persons.
Keith Bell, general Manager of Sheraton Krabi Beach
Resort, is confident that the resort will soon become the key component of
the rapidly developing Khlong Moung Beach.
Khlong Moung is a secluded beach to the northwest of the
popular Ao Nang and Reilay Beaches and is well-known for its excellent
year-round swimming conditions, as it is protected from the rainy season by
Phuket Island to the far West, the Phang Nga Peninsula to the immediate West
and Phi Phi Island to the Southwest.
The Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort is spread over a secluded
eight-hectare site and offers 500 meters of pristine white sand.
The opening of Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort boosts
Starwood’s presence in Thailand, which currently includes five properties,
among them the Rayavadee in Krabi, the Sheraton Grande Laguna in Phuket and
Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok. All are part of The Luxury Collection,
which also covers the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers in Bangkok
and The Westin Chiang Mai.
Six leading hotels team up to promote tourism in Hua Hin
The foreign affiliated hotels in Thailand will jointly
organize an array of annual activities in a bid to lure tourists to the
famous resort town of Hua Hin during the low season.
The six hotels include Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa,
Grand Hyatt Hotel, Marriott and Spa, Anantara Resort and Spa, Sofitel
Central and Evason.
Dirk De Cuyper, general manager of Hilton Hua Hin Resort
and Spa said the program was entitled “Hua Hin Hotelier Club 2003”.
Tourists can enjoy yearly activities such as a jazz
festival in June, golf festival in August, and the elephant polo tournament
in September. The spa treatment, which is famous among foreign tourists from
Europe, America, Canada, Australia, and Japan, will be part of the program.
“Europe is always the major market but this year there are more tourists
from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia,” De Cuyper said.
During the low season, local tourists account for 35%.
Almost all of the tourists during high season are foreigners, 85% are
European.
Ninety eight percent of tourists come to Hua Hin for
leisure. Twenty percent of them go to experience pampering spas, and 20
percent to golf courses. (TNA)
|
