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Princess thanks Amari Watergate GM for support of International Education Fair
HRH
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn recently presented a souvenir to Pierre
Andre Pelletier, general manager of Amari Watergate Hotel, for being a
supporter of the “International Education Fair 2004” organized by Thai
International Education Consultant Association at the Watergate Ballroom,
Amari Watergate Hotel.
PBTA holds general meeting for 2004
PR and marketing plan to tap Pattaya’s tourist potential
Suchada Tupchai
The Pattaya Business and Tourism Association (PBTA)
held a general meeting for 2004 on November 10 at the Green Park Hotel in
Pattaya. Pattaya City administrators, members of the Pattaya City council,
concerned departments and the mass media were in attendance.
(From
left) Weerawat Khakai, PBTA secretary; Narit Petcharat, PBTA
vice-president; Thanet Supornsaharungsi PBTA president; Mayor Niran
Wattanasartsathorn; Jumroon Witsawachaiyaphan, PBTA vice-president and
Sanga Kijsamrej also PBTA vice-president.
Thanet Supornsaharungsi, PBTA president explained that
this meeting was the ordinary annual meeting to summarize all-important
activities for the year.
In June, the TAT Central Region 3, Chonburi Province
and Pattaya City supported the Pattaya Eastern European Road Show Project
to Austria, Hungary and the Republic of Czechoslovakia. This activity
supports public relations and the Pattaya City Marketing Plan to boost
tourism in the region.
In July there was cooperation between the Thai Hotel
Association Eastern Region and Pattaya City to welcome Thai tourist
directors to help with a marketing plan for 2005.
The PBTA suggested that the 5-year marketing and PR
plans should share a mutual goal, and future budget management for private
organizations and local official departments should coordinate with the
TAT budget so that planned activities are effectively organized so they
don’t conflict with each other.
Other activities were prepared for sports competitions
like the Indoor Asian Games, which will welcome over 3,000 sportsmen and
followers for the nation’s biggest indoor competition. The indoor
stadium is now being built, and is expected to be one of the best stadiums
in Thailand when construction is completed.
Thanet said this year Pattaya hosted many successful activities that
attracted a large number of tourists. He cited the Vegetarian Festival as
a good example. He said Pattaya City has great potential to hold similar
activities; however, it needs cooperation from official departments and
private organizations in order to further promote sports and tourism.
White jade Goddess of Mercy puts Sriracha on map
Thailand’s Sriracha district in the country’s eastern
province of Chonburi is best known for pungent chili sauce, but the people
of this small coastal district have now given it another distinction - the
largest white jade statue of the Chinese Goddess of Mercy in the country.
Made from white jade from Myanmar, the new statue will
stand four meters high, and will cost over 30 million baht to sculpt. Money
for the project has come almost entirely from public donations.
Currently being carved in Beijing by some of the
country’s top sculptors, the statue is expected to arrive in Sriracha on
December 5 to honor the birthday of His Majesty the King.
The statue will stand in the Koh Loi Public Park, where
local officials hope that she will become a tourist attraction as well as a
focus of worship. (TNA)
Emirates to fly Beijing and Seoul
Emirates will start flying daily to Seoul as early as May
1, 2005. The Dubai-based airline is also planning daily flights to Beijing
from February 1, 2006 and upping frequencies to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala
Lumpur, Karachi, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne next year.
From May 1, the airline will start daily flights to Seoul
on aircraft A340-300. Flight EK306 will depart Dubai daily at 09.20,
arriving in Seoul at 22.50. Return flight EK307 departs at 07.50, arriving
in Dubai at 12.45.
Bangkok flights will increase from 15 to 18 times a week
on March 27, 2005, going up to 22 times weekly on May 1, 2005. The Hong Kong
direct flights will up from two to five times weekly on September 1, 2005,
becoming daily on October 1, 2005.
Kuala Lumpur flights will increase to five times weekly
from its current thrice weekly on September 1, 2005, going up to seven times
weekly on October 1, and finally nine times weekly on October 30, 2005.
Karachi flights will increase by two more flights to 27 times weekly on
October 1, 2005.
In 2005, Perth flights will become twice daily on October
30. Sydney flights, via Bangkok, will become thrice weekly on March 27,
becoming daily on May 1.
Melbourne non-stop flights, currently at six times
weekly, will become daily this coming December 5. (TTG Asia)
Railway holidays receive boon from high oil prices
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is joining hands
with the State Railway Authority to promote railway tours as a means of
beating high fuel prices.
Silachai Surai, director of the TAT Central Region 2
office, said that the two organizations were promoting three tours – to
Petchaburi, Ratchaburi and Suan Son Pradiphat beaches.
Tickets for the tours, highlights of which will include
visits to beaches and local cultural destinations, will cost between 100
baht and 500 baht. (TNA)
Popular Thai beaches fall short of 5-star rating
None of Thailand’s 14 major tourist beaches qualify for
a 5-star rating because they are too dirty, according to a report by the
country’s Pollution Control Department (PCD).
Instead, the report gives four stars to Had Sai Kaew (Samet
Island); Hua Hin; Chaweng (Samui Island); Karon (Phuket), and Had Yao (Phi
Phi Islands) and says they would have achieved five stars had they met all
of the criteria applied.
In measuring the quality of beaches, the department
looked at five factors - water quality; volume of rubbish in the sea, on the
beach and nearby ; sand quality; quality of coral reefs; and coastal land
use and problems resulting from construction work. Seven beaches frequently
visited by foreign tourists failed to reach the four star-standard
considered to be the minimum for safe swimming.
Pattaya, Cha-am, Wanapa (Rayong), Lamai (Samui Island),
Patong (Phuket), Lo Dalum (Phi Phi) and Ton Sai (Phi Phi) were all given
three stars and Jomtien Beach on the eastern side of Pattaya was found to
the worst among the 14 beaches surveyed by the PCD. (TTG Asia)
Siam Bayshore Hotel proclaimed ‘Champion of the Environment’
The Siam Bayshore has certainly put Pattaya on the World
Environment Map this time. Competing with more than 10,000 hotels
world-wide, this first class Pattaya hotel property became one out of only
100 properties to win this much coveted award.
 Dr.
Wolf M. Iwand (right) presents the certificate of acknowledgement for the
‘Champion of the Environment’ to Hans Spoerri (left).
Dr. Wolf M. Iwand, director, environment management for
TUI, one of the world’s largest tour operators under the Preussag Group,
who also owns Thomson’s of the UK, traveled to Pattaya to make this
special presentation to Hans Spoerri, group manager of Siam City Hotels and
Resorts.
On receiving this prestigious award, Hans proudly said, “This is not
only an honour for us but also for Pattaya. We don’t mind if the city
fathers and the TAT use this as a major marketing tool to publicize Pattaya
as a safe and environment friendly tourist destination.”
New Tiger chief appointed
Tiger Airways has appointed Tony Davis president and
chief executive officer from January 1. Davis takes over from Patrick Gan
who resigned last month.
Unlike Gan whose background was in pharmaceuticals, Davis
has 18 years’ experience in aviation. He was founding managing director of
Bmibaby, a British low fares carrier that started in 2002. Prior to that, he
worked with British Midland Airways, Gulf Air Company and British Airways.
Tiger Airways chairman, William Franke said of Davis,
“His significant experience in airline strategy, operations, marketing and
government and industry affairs, makes him an ideal choice to lead Tiger
Airways. The addition of Tony to our team will provide Tiger Airways with
accomplished, battle-tested and focused leadership as we expand our reach in
the increasingly competitive Southeast Asian travel market.” (TTG Asia)
Dusit unveils new brand
Dusit Hotels & Resorts is launching a new brand,
D2hotel, the first opening in Chiang Mai in the first quarter of 2005. Dusit
senior executives describe D2hotel as “modernistic Thai” and “warm but
cool”. It is pitched at a rate level of around 3,700 baht.
The main Dusit brand is also undergoing rejuvenation with
the completion of renovations at flagship Dusit Thani Bangkok, which now
fields new room concepts, Club and Grand, that will start to filter to other
Dusit properties.
Meanwhile, the Dusit Resort and Polo Club Cha-am/Hua Hin
has dropped the “Polo Club” from its name and has appointed Simon
Burgess executive assistant manager effective February 1, 2005. (TTG Asia)
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