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VIP delegation from Gullivers Travel converges on Amari Watergate
Front
row from left: Pierre Andre Pelletier, Nigel Horne, head of sales FIT
Department; Phensri Charoensuk; Giles Hoff, manager, Israeli Group
Department; Nader Faris, regional FIT manager, Middle East, North Africa and
West Asia; Ahmed Al Faramawi, country manager-Saudi Arabia and Simon
Rindlisbacher, assistant manager, front office Amari Watergate Hotel. Back
row from left: Krosakorn Rokrungroj, senior sales manager of Amari Watergate
Hotel; Christoph Leonhard, executive assistant manager Amari Watergate
Hotel; Younes Ajdi, regional manager-Business Development, Middle East,
North Africa and West Asia; Giles Hoff, manager, Israeli Group Department;
Ossama Wagdi, general manager, Middle East, North Africa and West Asia, and
Max Sierackit, assistant (F&B) Amari Watergate Hotel.
Pierre Andre Pelletier, GM of Amari Watergate Hotel
recently welcomed a VIP delegation of senior management from Gullivers
Travel Associates, led by Phensiri Charoensuk, Gullivers Travel hotel
contract negotiator, Thailand and Indochina, during their hotel inspection.
Khon Kaen’s rare wild orchids to promote eco-tourism
Wild orchids are hard to find, even in the tropics and
Thailand has some varieties that are extremely rare. The Tourism Authority
of Thailand (TAT) has planned to develop a new tourist attraction in the
northeastern province of Khon Kaen where a large number of wild orchids
burst into bloom.
More than 4,000 rare and beautiful wild orchids called
Rhynchostylis gigantean grow naturally in the Wat Pa Manchakhiri. The
director of TAT’s northeastern office, Nittaya Ouampittaya, said the site,
if well promoted, could draw tourists to the northeastern region similar to
the popular Siam Tulip field in Chaiyaphum and the famous Mexican Sunflower
field in Mae Hon Son.
TAT has launched a public relation campaign for tourists and is
encouraging local people to preserve the environment to keep the wild orchid
flourishing in the area. An annual wild orchid festival will be organized so
that visitors can take full advantage of viewing these exotic flowers. (TNA)
ASEAN sellers target Europe
Sellers are changing their market orientation in the face
of new challenges in Asia. MarinTur adviser-sales and marketing, Narima
Yusof, said, “The challenge for Indonesia - especially Bali, in directly
tapping the long-haul markets - is the lack of airline seats and the new
visa policy. So we are developing our extension programs ex-Bangkok,
Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and working with regional tour operators to
combine Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.”
Yusof said an extension program would be more attractive
because of the combined destinations and lower visa fee. “For example,
travelers from Germany and other markets eligible for visa-on-arrival can
apply for the three-day visa for US$10, and if they take the 14-day trip,
they pay US$25.” (TTG Asia)
Chinese airlines announce flight reductions to Thailand
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was left reeling
after four major Chinese airlines announced on February 9 that they would slash
their flights to Thailand by 40 percent, with senior TAT officials saying that
the decision would deal a blow to Thailand’s tourism industry.
Phornsiri Manoharn, executive director of the TAT’s
Marketing Service Department, said that any reduction in the number of Chinese
visitors coming to Thailand would adversely affect Thai tourism, but admitted
that an estimate of the damage could only be made after the affair had been
studied in more detail.
It is thought that the airlines’ decision is due to fears
over the spread of avian flu, which has affected both countries. However, it is
not clear whether the decision is based on China’s wish to contain avian flu
within its borders, or fears of avian flu spreading from Thailand.
Nonetheless, Bangkok Airways insisted that it would continue
operating flights to China as normal, and that it would push ahead with the
launch of new routes to China in April.
Thai Airways President Kanok Abhiradee also downplayed the Chinese
airlines’ decision saying, “The Chinese government has been controlling
movements of Chinese nationals ever since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
(SARS) crisis last year. Any adverse impact will be relatively short term. I am
optimistic that the recent signing of an open-sky deal between the aviation
sectors of the two countries will serve to boost visitor numbers from China in
the future.” (TNA)
Thailand goes ahead with major events
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has released a
statement confirming that Thailand will maintain its schedule of international
events planned by various agencies in the country despite the avian flu
outbreak.
TAT contacted its overseas offices to find out if there had
been any repercussions. Offices in Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan - countries
currently affected by the bird flu epidemic - said there had been some
cancellations, but were expecting tourists to resume their trips in the near
future. Other major markets reported no effects.
Following the success of the Johnny Walker Classic golf
tournament and 2004 Bangkok International Film Festival which saw Oliver Stone
holding a press conference and celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Val Kilmer and
Bai Ling making appearances, Thailand will soon host the Pattaya Music Festival
and Songkran Festival. Music luminaries like Mariah Carey, Bryan Ferry and
Chrissy and The Pretenders are expected to perform at the Muang Thong Thani
Impact Arena this month.
Juthamas Siriwan, Governor of TAT, said, “This is indeed
good news for Thailand, and I’m sure that in the very near future we will also
see tourists from our affected markets coming to our country.” (TTG Asia)
‘Make intra-ASEAN travel visa-free’
ASEAN tourism ministers say there is a need to push member
governments to implement visa-free facilities for ASEAN citizens to travel
within the region. The ministers want the ASEAN Secretariat to take the lead
role in pushing the relevant ministers to make this happen.
Cambodia Minister for Tourism, Veng Sereyvuth, said,
“Exempting the visa to improve intra-ASEAN travel was part of the ASEAN
Tourism Agreement, which has been signed by the head of states. We want to see
action not just discussions; we must push the relevant government sectors to
follow this. We need the ASEAN Secretariat to take the lead role. They attend
all the high-level meetings of the different government sectors and they can
bring up this issue to them.”
Quizzed on how a visa-free status can encourage travel within
ASEAN in the face of a lack of other facilities, such as infrastructure and
accessibility, Veng Sereyvuth said, “We all know that there are different
levels of facilities in each member countries, but that makes it more
interesting about ASEAN. We can start with removing the stumbling blocks of
having to pay for a visa to some countries to increase the interest of the ASEAN
travelers. Then the other things will follow.” (TTG Asia)
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