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Sabai at Pattaya’s newest spa
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Chutima Jiramongkhol, managing director of Sabai Spa,
welcomed guests from Pattaya and environs to the launch of Sabai Spa, the
newest Thai herbal spa and professional body massage therapist centre in
town.
 Ah,
there’s nothing better than a good Thai massage.
Distinguished guests present on the day included Chattan
Kunjara na Ayudha, Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Region 3 director,
and Tanet Supornsaharungsri, Pattaya Business and Tourism Association
president.
Chutima said Sabai Spa is a new venture initiated by her
father, Chao Jiramongkhol, chairman of Sabai Group Pattaya.
The spa is designed in Thai traditional style and its
facilities will appeal to Thais and foreigners alike. Somporn Prasarnsee,
traditional Thai massage specialist, is there to train and monitor the
performance of each masseuse.
Sabai Spa is situated next to Alcazar Cabaret theatre on Pattaya Second
Road. The spa is equipped with 16 private rooms that are divided into three
different zones, Lelawadee, Mahahong, and Banburi. It operates daily from 10
a.m. to 10 p.m. Selective spa products are for sale to let customers create
their own spa experience at home.
Tourism and port development high on agenda says Chonburi governor
Suchada Tupchai
National Defence College students from course group 47,
and government and other personnel from National Defence Groups 2 and 17
gathered at A-One Royal Cruise Hotel on April 29 for a presentation
conducted by Governor Pisit Ketphasook, Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, and
head of the Chonburi Chamber of Commerce Somkwan Nokhong.
Chonburi
Governor Pisit Ketphasook gives a speech on the overall development strategy
for the province.
Governor Pisit spoke about Chonburi province development
and integrated administration. He said the vision is for Chonburi to be a
leading world export port, an international tourism centre, a major
attraction for investment in progressive industry and agriculture, and an
attractive area in which to live.
The projection is for tourists to Chonburi to spend about
3,000 baht per head. At present, the number of tourists is about 4,800,000
people per year. This has increased by 19 percent over the 2003 figure.
Income from tourism in 2004 is calculated at about 45,000 million baht, an
increase of 14 percent over the previous years.
This progress, said the governor, was satisfactory and
showed the strategic plan is achieving success with cooperation from all
departments.
Mayor Niran said that the Pattaya City strategic
development plan has tourism as its main objective. The city is divided into
four zones. Each zone has different potential to attract tourists.
Zone 1 Naklua is an old community and very well known for
its seafood. Pattaya City will revive the seafood market at the old Naklua
Market and conserve the traditions of Naklua.
Zone 2 Pattaya Beach will be used for tourism promotions
and entertainment activities including the Pattaya International Music
Festival, and the Pattaya Queen’s Cup Marathon.
Zone 3 Jomtien Beach will be developed to be a relaxing
and recreational place with activities such as beach sports and water
sports. There will also be an indoor stadium to support international
competitions, which will be organised this November.
Zone 4 Koh Larn has already seen the planting of 200 rai
of forest, and in the near future will be a pleasant beach resort for
tourists, and a centre for ecological tourism.
For this conference, the National Defence College also brought student
groups to visit and study the physical features of the land in the east from
April 25 to May 1. This was done at Prachin Buri, Chantaburi, Srakaew, Trad,
Rayong, Chonburi, Pattaya City and Chachoengsao. This is part of the
collection of data on the inland environment, for use in the national
strategic plan.
Walk-Run for
healthy mind and body
Suchada Tupchai
Pattaya Deputy Mayor Weerawat Khakai on May 3 at city
hall presented a meeting to prepare for the Walk-Run Visakha Bucha Day event
that will be held on May 22 at the Pattaya Run for Health Club, and led by
club president Anupong Udomrattanakulchai.
 President
of the Pattaya Run for Health Club and former mayor, Anupong
Udomrattanakulchai explains details of the run.
Weerawat said that the event arose from the Thailand Run
for Health Federation cooperating with the Health Support Fund Bureau. It
has been held every year since 2002. The underlying purpose is for the
public to be healthy in mind and body, according to Buddhist beliefs. Two
fields will be used, in Pattaya City and in Muang district.
In Pattaya City, the event will begin on May 22 at 5
p.m., starting from the field in front of TAT Section 3 and proceeding to
the public park at Bali Hai Pier, then to Pratamnak Road and back to the
starting point. After this everyone will continue to participate by walking
with lit candles in hand around the temple.
Anyone interested can obtain more information from Pattaya City Hall at
tel. 038 371 123.
Coast Guard training to prevent hazards
Patcharapol Panrak
Captain Worawit Rangsansawat, from the Air Force Fighter
and Coast Guard Command at Sattahip, invited bureau chiefs and battalion
commanders to the Command Building so they could see the results of training
with the Naval Operations Department to prevent air hazards.
The purpose of the training is to prepare the force’s
capacity and military hardware to always be ready to act on an order from
the higher departments. They will train with other departments each year so
all performances will be at the same capacity. The idea is to reduce the
steps of an operation, which could delay action.
Promotional campaign still late with no sign of progress
Narisa Nitikarn
Deputy Mayor Weerawat Khakai held a meeting on May 3 at
city hall to try and resolve the delays in Pattaya’s tourism publicity and
public relations campaign.
Amongst those present were Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya,
director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Central Region Office, Region
3, Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, president of the Pattaya Business and Tourism
Association, and representatives of Full Fill and Reverse, the company
handling the project.
Many meetings have been held over this plan, and on this
occasion three reference shots and a publicity film were submitted. The
company has been briefed to create an amusement theme for tourists, but
their work has not come out as expected, even after all the meetings. This
was stressed to the presenter during this occasion.
At first the proposal was to use crispy snacks to promote
tourism in Pattaya, which came under the budget of 3 million baht. However,
the funds were used for goods advertisements rather than supporting Pattaya
tourist locations.
Weerawat said that the company should submit clear work
and provide concrete solutions. The schedule is late, and still there is no
real progress.
Artificial coral to revive Nakhon Si Thammarat reefs
Local officials in Thailand’s southern province of
Nakhon Si Thammarat have teamed up with a conservation organization to
release artificial coral into the sea in Pak Phanang district in a bid to
restore its marine ecosystem.
The province’s governor, Wichom Thongsong, said that
the release of 150 artificial corals represented the third such exercise in
the province. He expressed hope that the release of the artificial coral
would help encourage local residents and fishing communities to conserve
existing marine resources. (TNA)
Thais learn how to battle SARS and bird flu from Hong Kong
A senior level Thai delegation is in Hong Kong to learn
more about how to combat SARS and bird flu. The team of health officials and
journalists, led by Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, the director-general of the
Disease Control Department, are studying how Hong Kong successfully prevents
the recurrence of SARS and bird flu.
The mission hopes to learn lessons from Hong Kong’s
impressive performance in preventing the spread of SARS and bird flu,
especially as these two communicable diseases originated in the area.
Dr. Thawat praised the authorities’ hygiene education
for Hong Kong’s foreign maids and other preventive measures rigorously
enforced in the retail chicken meat markets.
There have been no new cases of SARS found in Thailand
recently. The last known bird flu case was reported on October 8, 2004.
Hong Kong has vaccinated every chicken entering the
territory to prevent spread of bird flu. But Thailand has yet to decide
whether to vaccinate the country’s poultry, said Dr. Thawat. (TNA)
Budget airlines announce fuel surcharge
Patee
Sarasin (2nd left), CEO of Nok Air, Tassapon Bijleveld (middle), CEO of Thai
AirAsia, and Udom Tantiprasongchai (3rd right), CEO of One-Two-Go,
surrounded by crew members, at their recent joint press conference
announcing the fuel surcharge.
Thailand’s three budget carriers, Nok Air, One-Two-Go,
and Thai AirAsia recently held a press conference to announce a fuel
surcharge which reflects the ever-increasing cost of aviation fuel. The
carriers’ fuel surcharge, effective May 1, for domestic flights is THB200
(excluding VAT) per ticket, and THB400 for international flights (this may
vary depending on the destination’s regulations).
Birthday celebrations
at Amari Watergate Hotel
(From
left) Paweena Chatrungsun, Pierre Andre Pelletier, Nikanlaya Dullaya,
Cholticha Boonruengkao, Nichaya Chaivisuth, and Possanut Jaipan.
The management of the Amari Watergate Hotel, led by
Pierre Andre Pelletier, general manager and Nichaya Chaivisuth, director of
public relations recently hosted a birthday party for Nikanlaya Dullaya,
Miss Thailand World and Cholticha Boonruengkao, movie star, at Henry J.
Bean’s Bar & Grill in the hotel.
HK Disneyland to release etiquette manuals
Hong Kong Disneyland plans to distribute etiquette
booklets to educate tourists on how they should behave when in the park.
Unwelcoming habits such as spitting and smoking are
included in the booklet and guests will be advised to leave the park if they
repeatedly fail to obey.
The move is due to the cultural differences of overseas
visitors which may create problems like jumping queues, using foul language
and spitting habits.
Disneyland hopes to channel the message through inbound
tour guides. It will also implement a non-smoking policy in sightseeing
points, restaurants and queuing areas.
The park will introduce full-day toilet attendants, a
practice which has not been implemented in other Disneyland parks. (TTG
Asia)
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