HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Popular Bangkok GM wins top award

Enhanced tourist safety urged for coastal provinces

TAT to spearhead compensation fund

Bangkok ‘City Hall’ launches website to the world

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Popular Bangkok GM wins top award

At the Amadeus Thailand Hospitality Awards 2007 held in Bangkok last week, long time resident of Thailand and General Manager of the Chaophya Park Hotel in Bangkok, Mr. Andrew J Wood won the industry’s top ‘Oscar’ for hotel General Manager 2007.

Mr. Andrew J Wood, General Manager of the Chaophya Park Hotel in Bangkok, received the General Manager of the Year Award 2007 at the recent Amadeus Thailand Hospitality Awards ceremony held at the Siam Paragon Center, Bangkok.

The award ceremony took place at the ultra chic Siam Paragon Center as part of a week long promotion of the International Food and Hospitality Show 2007, which ended last Saturday, Sept 8.
Mr. Wood is an active member of numerous chambers of commerce and is Skal International’s Councillor for Thailand. Mr. Wood’s award recognises his professionalism and dedicated to the hospitality industry and in particularly for his contribution to Thailand’s tourism industry. The nomination for the top GM award is made by fellow General Managers.

Enhanced tourist safety urged for coastal provinces

Concrete measures must be taken to ensure tourist safety in all of Thailand’s coastal provinces, said Tourism and Sports Minister Suwit Yodmanee following the capsizing of a tourism dive boat near Phi Phi Island last week that killed an Israeli holidaymaker and injured several others.
The Israeli tourist was identified as 26-year-old Nissim Lugasi.
“Particularly in the rainy season the coastal provincial administration should step up safety measures for tourists,” Mr. Suwit stated.
Police Maj-Gen. Chuchart Suwanakorn, Tourist Police commander, said that preliminary investigations revealed that the capsized King Fisher boat, belonging to Blue Sky Company, was carrying 64 passengers when it was hit by unusually high waves in heavy seas, The boat was only authorised to carry 20 passengers.
The commander said that police have so far not pressed charges against anyone.
Tourist Police and the Marine Department have subsequently been instructed to examine licences and the general condition of boats and rescue equipment for all tour boat operations. (TNA)

TAT to spearhead compensation fund

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has received the go ahead from the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to establish and supervise a Tourism Fund with an initial budget of 20 million baht (US$610,000).
The fund, initiated in the revised draft Travel Agency Business and Guide Act 2007, will be used to assist tourists who meet accidents or are cheated by tour operators and guides.
However, Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) president, Mr. Apichart Sankary, said tour operators were unhappy about certain clauses which required them to contribute an amount, which had yet to be decide.
In addition, if the amount paid by the TAT and tour operators are not enough to offset tourist compensations, it is likely that operators will be asked to pay a higher bond.
Today, new registered tour operators are required to deposit 200,000 baht, 100,000 baht, 50,000 baht and 10,000 baht respectively for running outbound, inbound, domestic and local-area tour businesses.
Mr. Apichart said there were still a number of clauses that needed to be looked through and ATTA, along with three other tourism professional associations, had been working to lobby NLA to clarify them.
He said tour operators were against the annual fee collection for the Tourism Fund, but supported the increment of the bond.
Other associations that will be affected by the new Act, once it is approved, are the Thai Travel Agents Association, the Association of Domestic Travel and the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association. (TTG)