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Chonburi Buffalo races set for October 23 & 24
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Chonburi Buffalo Races will be held on October 23 and 24 at the field in
front of Chonburi District Office, the 136th time for this popular
traditional event that is held annually on the day before the full moon
of the 11th lunar month.
 Buffalo
racing, a symbolic tradition of Chonburi, is underway this week.
Chonburi Province, Chonburi Municipality and the Tourism Authority of
Thailand stage the races jointly.
Races will be held in the midget, small and large size categories. Along
with the buffalo races are a buffalo fancy dress contest, a healthy
buffalo contest, a farm equipment parade, and the Miss Farmer Pageant.
There will also be other traditional sports that reflect life in
Chonburi, such as a tug-of-war, oiled post climbing, kite fighting, Thai
boxing, archery, Thai chess, and a slingshot competition. OTOP products
will be on sale, along with local goods and products at factory prices.
Stage performances will include well-known bands such as Sodsai
Rungphothong, Denchai Saisupan, Wid Hiper, and Joker Foithong Choenyim,
and other entertainment.
For more information please contact the Chonburi Municipality at tel 038
283958 ext 138, or Chonburi Public Relations Office at tel. 038 279448.
Ramada opening in Sihanoukville
Cambodia’s southern beach resort town of Sihanoukville is getting its first
international hotel chain with the opening of the four-star, 108-room Ramada
Sihanoukville Hotel and Resort in October.
Developed and owned by Bangkok-based BHI Hotels and Resorts, the hotel is a
rebranding and renovation of a former locally managed property. Covering an
eight-hectare area and overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, the property features a
spa, tennis courts, pool, fitness centre and a 750m2 grand ballroom and a
helicopter pad.
BHI Hotels and Resorts managing director, Mr. Stiphan Beher, said the company
was in the process of spending around US$1.5 million renovating the property in
three phases. The first phase was already completed with the opening of 75
guestrooms in October. Total completion of the two final phases, involving 33
more rooms and Cambodia’s largest ballroom are expected by the end of next year.
Today, the 166-room Sokha Beach Resort is the only five-star resort in
Sihanoukville, opening since 2004. The resort is normally running full-house
from mid October to mid May and with a high occupancy rate in the low season
months.
Tour operators and airlines said the beach resort town needed more four- and
five-star hotel rooms in order to accommodate the growing demands of tourists
wanting to combine a trip to Siem Reap with a beach holiday. (TTG)
Samet island to ban
styrofoam and plastic bags
No more foam drinking vessels, packaging or non-biodegradeable plastic bags
should be allowed for use in Samet Island in order to contain garbage and waste
problems of the island resort, according to a locally-based national park
official.
During a meeting with the Rayong tourist agents association, Khao Laem Ya
National Park chief Sithichai Serisongsaeng proposed that no more foam cups,
containers or plastic bags should be permitted for use by tourists, vendors or
any others on the island.
Ko Samet’s five-rai garbage dump site can no longer cope with the
ever-increasing amount of such indestructible waste, according to Mr. Sithichai,
who called for more rigorous waste management and disposal, beginning with
reducing the oversupply of the ubiquitous and virtually indestructible
contemporary packaging materials.
The chief ranger for the national park located on the island said there just
isn’t room enough for a continued flow of non-biodegradeable trash. (TNA)
TAT goes full steam with rail tour
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is organising a
railway tour covering the annual Elephant Round-up Festival in Surin and major
attractions in the north-eastern region from November 16 to 18.
The three-day/two-night tour will be organised in co-operation with State
Railways of Thailand, Association of Thai Tour Operators, Association of
Domestic Tour Operators, Thai Ecotourism & Adventure Travel Association, Thai
Tourism Promotion Association and Association of Thai Travel Agents.
TAT governor, Ms Phornsiri Manoharn, said: “It is designed to promote tourism
and better distribute income to local regions, particularly in the north-east.
It also promotes travelling by train which helps to offset the environmental
impact.”
The Elephant Round-up Festival is one of Thailand’s most historic and memorable
events and is considered the most popular festival in Esarn. More than 100
elephants will take part in a display of grace, strength and intelligence in
games of soccer, log-carrying and a tug-of-war against people.
The tour’s highlights include the festival, a silk-weaving village and Phanom
Rung Historical Park. (TTG)
TAT pushes short-stays
to regional markets
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and MasterCard
Worldwide have launched a 72 Hours Amazing Thailand campaign aimed at attracting
tourists from regional markets - Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
TAT deputy governor for international marketing, Juthaporn Rerngronasa, said the
campaign was to encourage tourists to make a short weekend trip to Thailand, to
ensure the kingdom would meet its 14.8 million targeted visitor arrivals.
The campaign highlights visits to some of Thailand’s most stylish and newest
hotels, resorts, dining options, shopping malls and golf courses in Bangkok and
nearby areas such as Hua Hin and Pranburi.
MasterCard cardholders are being offered up to 30 per cent discount at more than
200 tourism establishments until the end of September next year.
Between January and August this year, there were 6.68 million visitor arrivals
at Suvarnabhumi Airport, a 2.96 per cent increase on the same period last year.
Arrivals from Thailand’s key neighbouring markets are still under-performing.
Singapore and Malaysia were still down by 16.96 per cent and 7.59 per cent
respectively, while the number of visitor arrivals from Hong Kong increased by
0.30 per cent. (TTG)
Airbus boost for Thai AirAsia
Thai low-cost carrier (LCC), Thai AirAsia, is planning to deploy the 40 new
Airbus 320s it has ordered to expand to Hong Kong and cities in Southern
China.
The first aircraft is scheduled to arrive on October 21 and the others to be
delivered by 2012.
CEO, Tassapon Bijleveld, said: “Next year, we will introducing five new
services to Hong Kong and cities in Southern part of China. We are also
planning to increase the frequency of the 96 existing domestic and
international flights per day to 130 daily flights.”
Mr. Tassapon said the new wide-body A320 would offer more passenger comfort,
and allow the airline to position itself as a value-for-money quality
product.
Given rising fuel prices, Tassapon said once it reached US$90 per barrel,
the airline would seriously considered increasing the fuel surcharge. Thai
AirAsia now imposes a 400 baht (US$12.70) fuel surcharge on domestic routes
and between 600 baht and 800 baht for international routes.
Thai AirAsia has carried some 10.2 million passengers since its inception in
2004. (TTG)
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