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Judging finished for the 2007 Thailand Property Awards
Winners to be announced at the Gala Dinner this weekend
Bangkok - Judging has now finished for the 2007 Thailand Property
Awards. The competition was tough with 112 entries in 12 categories. The
winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner held December 1 at the Royal
Orchid Sheraton, Bangkok, with over 260 guests attending. Thirteen awards
will be presented and a charity auction will be held with the proceeds going
towards building a school for orphans at the Mercy Centre (www.mer
cycentre.org).
 Duncan
Worthington, Managing Director of organisers Ensign Media Co. Ltd, displays
one of the trophies up for grabs this Saturday.
Now in their second year, the annual Thailand Property Awards have grown
from 80 entries in 2006 to 112 entries in 2007. The number of awards has
also increased from 9 to 13 this year. The 2007 awards include: Best
Developer, Best Boutique Developer, Best International Agent, Best Thailand
Agent, Best Resort Villa Development, Best Urban Condo Development, Best
Resort Condo Development, Green Development Award, Best Architect, Best
Interior Designer, Best Agent Website, Best Development Website, and Real
Estate Personality of the Year.
Real Estate Personality of the Year is awarded by the publishers of Property
Report Thailand magazine, while the other 12 awards have gone through a
rigorous nomination, entry and judging procedure.
“The standard of entries for the 2007 Thailand Property Awards was as we
expected – very high. The judges this year had a very difficult job, but now
that is over and the winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner at the
Royal Orchid Sheraton in Bangkok,” said Duncan Worthington, Managing
Director of organisers Ensign Media Co. Ltd.
Sponsors of the 2007 awards include Gaggenau, McEvily & Collins, Vivaldi
Public Relations; as media partners REIDIN.com and Property Report Thailand;
and the British Chamber of Commerce as a supporting chamber.
Japanese steelmakers
keen to invest in Thailand
Tokyo (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Industry
Minister Kosit Panpiamras claimed that top Japanese carmakers and steel
conglomerates are keen on investing in Thailand despite short-term factors
including oil prices.
Mr. Kosit spoke to reporters recently after meeting top executives of Nissan and
the Nippon Steel Corporation.
The minister expressed his view that the companies are “long-term investors” who
look beyond the host of short-term volatilities.
In particular, he said, Nippon Steel is interested in upstream activities of
steel production, which is what Thailand wants.
Top executives of Nissan Motors meanwhile inquired about incentives for
investment in environment-friendly vehicles, the so-called eco-car project. Mr.
Kosit emphasised the high value and long-term benefits of these two potential
investment projects.
“In the eco-car segment, we are confident that at least two companies are
prepared to put Bt15 billion into Thailand and more should follow. As for
upstream steel production, the potential investment could be worth over three
billion dollars,” the minister indicated.
Mr. Kosit said the National Economic and Social Development Board has been
assigned to prepare a detailed plan to develop the upstream steel industry in
Thailand, most likely to be located along the southern seaboard development zone
spanning the provinces of Chumphon, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
The minister emphasised that any detailed plan resulting from NESDB work will
undergo a public hearing process in order to avoid setbacks experienced by, for
example, the development of the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong.
Advertorial: The ever changing face of Pattaya
Walking Street, well known and
loved by people from every corner of the globe.
Paul Strachan
If you’ve ever seen picture of Pattaya from thirty years ago, it almost
impossible to imagine that the sleepy fishing village which was favourite of
sailors on R&R has had such a meteoric rise to become the tourism hotspot of
South East Asia.
In those decades Pattaya has been a bit like a teenager dabbling with different
looks and styles on her journey to finding her true self and even though her
dark days still cast a slight shadow she had metamorphosized into an independent
well regarded entity.
The last year has been an unsettling time for Thailand; however, Pattaya strives
on and is now appealing to a much wider audience who visit her for pleasure and
of course business.
Hotels, restaurants and infrastructure are improving, working towards a common
goal, to satisfy the growing need of Pattaya and of those who visit her.
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Ponte Vecchio in
Florence, Charles Bridge in Prague … all of these places hold some element that
visitors find irresistible and in Pattaya the most alluring quality is of course
Walking Street.
Delegates here on cultural exchange programmes all go back to their countries
with the same brief: let’s make our very own Walking Street.
The city officials have removed the elephants, unsanitary food vendors and have
listened to the needs of business operators to ensure that visitors can feel
safe, confident and relaxed, all in the name of business.
Nowhere else in Thailand can you find such a huge array of shops, restaurants,
bars and of course more adult orientated entertainment all on one street.
Some of the unsightly shop fronts have been replaced as investors maximize
potential income from the constant flow of visitors that come from all corners
of the world.
In addition to these smaller enterprises a new concept for Walking Street is
evolving: a shopping plaza that will house restaurants, bars and a variety of
retail outlets. Its name is Soho Square and this month visitors will find that
the focus of Walking Street will shift towards this high-end, chic structure
situated toward the end of the street. It resides beside the now well
established Covent Garden, a cluster of bars line the street that provide cool
drink when the heat of the evening gets a bit much.
Soho Square has done what Pattaya does best - dares to be different and the
coming months should see that foresight being paid off as confidence eases its
way back into the community.
If you walk further along the street you can now find a new adult venue that has
brought European clubbing scene to Pattaya.
Foreigners love living in Thailand but they often plea for some home comforts.
With the new shops, restaurants and even the new Villa supermarket, it seems
that the once sleepy fishing village has became not just a city, but a city
where investors, tourists, retirees and tourists can all find something that
makes them want to stay in the land of smiles.
To learn more about Pattaya Soho Square and Covent Garden Walking Street Pattaya
you can call 038 710 119, 038 374 590 or log on to their website at
www.sohothailand.com.
Soho Square dares to be different,
bringing a new dimension into the Pattaya shopping and entertainment scene. It’s
in its last phase of completion, and there are very few units left, so hurry if
you want one!
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