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New dam creates rafting attraction for tourists
The Thadan Canal Dam is
the world’s largest roller compacted concrete dam.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Rafting behind the new dam in Nakhon Nayok in Central Thailand
is a soft-adventure tourism attraction that is now being promoted by the
Tourism Authority of Thailand.
An activity that can be done throughout the entire year, even during the
dry season, and with three levels of expertise starting from “very
easy”, rafting allows visitors to get close to nature and enjoy the
natural environment.
Canoes, kayaks and inflatable rubber rafts can be used, allowing the
more skilled to navigate different watercourses, maneuvering the boats
around curves and islets. The distance traveled is also up to the person
steering the craft. For example, Kaeng Samchan is a distance of 3km, and
Wang Yao 7km.
Patanapong Pongthongcharoen, assistant director of TAT Central Region 8,
Nakhon Nayok, said that the Thadan Canal Dam is the world’s largest
roller compacted concrete dam. With a crest 93 meters high and measuring
2,720 meters in length, the reservoir behind the dam contains 224
million cubic meters of water.
Located at Ban Tha Dan in Hintang Sub-district, Muang District, Nakhon
Nayok, construction of the dam was completed at the beginning of 2005.
It started providing water for agriculture at the beginning of 2006. The
dam was created under the Royal Project for protection against flooding
from the Nakhon Nayok River.
Alongside the flood protection and the provision of water for
agriculture, an indirect consequence of the dam is the creation of
tourism facilities, such as rafting and boating. In previous times
during the dry season, no one was able to go rafting.
Another attraction is the well-known seasonal fruit of the province,
such as the several types of sweet or sour Marian plums.
Those wishing to go rafting have to take a boat at the pier behind the
Klong Tha Dan Dam to pick up their craft. Trips take between 30 and 90
minutes. An inflatable rubber raft costs between 1,500 and 2,000 baht,
while the price to ride in a kayak is 350 to 450 baht per person.
For more information and a list of the service providers, please contact
TAT Central Region 8 at tel 0-3731-2282, 0-3731-2284, 0-3731-5664, and
at www.tat8.com
Traveling by road to Klong Tha Dan Dam from Bangkok, take National Road
No 305 or 33 - Nakhon Nayok - Nangrong Waterfall (Road No 3049) -
Wangtakrai National Park - turn right onto the road leading to the dam.
An ordinary bus and an airbus service travel every day from Bangkok to
Nakhon Nayok from the Northern Bus Terminal at Kamphaengphet 2 Road.
Sturdy inflatable rubber
rafts can be hired out
for between 1,500 and 2,000 baht per trip.
Tourists can have a great
time navigating
the different waterways situated behind the dam.
China familiarization trip at Pattaya Marriott Resort
The Pattaya Marriott Resort & Spa recently greeted
25 travel agencies from the land of the Great Wall for a visitation of the
property and its facilities. The group was led by the Thailand Tourism Authority
(TAT), East Asia Division. In the picture Somsak Tanruengsri (back row, 7th from
left), General Manager, and Hans Van Steertegem (back row, 6th from right),
Director of Operations, welcome Chaiwat Charoensuk, Director of TAT Central
Region Office: Region 3 (back row, middle) and the visitors from China.
Dusit Thani Pattaya welcomes its new Italian Chef
Claudio Mendini, the new head chef at The Bay
Italian Restaurant, Dusit Thani Pattaya.
Chatchawal Supachayanont, General Manager of Dusit Thani Pattaya recently
announced the new addition to the culinary team of the five-star deluxe
hotel.
The new man at the helm of The Bay Italian Restaurant is Claudio Mendini. He
hails from Trento, Italy and brings more than 20 years of expertise to this
position. His past experience includes serving as Executive Sous Chef in
different hotels in Austria, Morocco and Costa Rica in Central America
before making his way to Asia.
Claudio had a short culinary stint in Myanmar before he decided to join
Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, where he served as Italian Executive Sous Chef.
Thailand to get US$111
million budget boost
Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MoTS) is likely to be allocated
an “urgent” mid-year budget of 3,492 million baht to boost tourism to the
country.
Tourism and sports minister, Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, said the amount was
approved last Thursday (March 13) by the Office of the National Economic and
Social Development Board and the Budget Bureau, but pending a nod from the
Cabinet.
Mr. Weerasak said the ad hoc budget was important as when he took over the
helm at the ministry on February 7, 2.7 billion baht from the 4.9 billion
baht allocated for the 2008 fiscal year had already been spent.
Mr. Weerasak said: “We requested for an urgent budget of 9.6 billion baht,
but 3,492 million baht was approved. Of the total (plus the remaining budget
of 2.2 billion baht), around 1.6 billion will be allocated to the Tourism
Authority of Thailand (TAT), about one billion baht to the office of
ministry’s permanent secretary and the rest to the Thailand Convention and
Exhibition Bureau, Provincial Administration Offices and the MoTS Office of
Tourism Development. “
He said the newly approved and remaining budget would be used within the
next six months to boost tourism revenue. When he took office last month,
Mr. Weerasak vowed to raise revenue from foreign visitors to 800 billion
baht this year, around 33 per cent higher than the target of 600 billion
baht set by the TAT.
In addition, the minister is preparing a 2008-2010 tourism attraction
development plan. It includes the development of new tourism routes and the
improvement of existing tourism areas, involving 14 tourism clusters. An
additional budget of 4.3 billion baht has been requested. (TTG)
Chiang Mai’s Royal Garden to go public
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports is co-operating with the Ministry of
Agriculture and Co-operatives, Department of Agriculture and Horticultural
Science Society of Thailand to convert the 75.2-hectare Royal Garden and
Royal Pavilion in Chiang Mai into a public multi-functioned park.
At a the press conference on March 10, the minister of Tourism and Sports,
Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, said while the venue came under the purview of the
Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives, the Ministry of Tourism and
Sports would be involved in promotions and monthly campaigns.
Plans for the park include a meeting and incentives venue, a horticultural
knowledge centre, sports complex and northern cultural centre.
The minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Mr. Somsak Prisananantakul,
said: “In the first year, the project will be under a governmental budget of
105 million baht from the revenue of the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006. It
will be divided into two parts; 60 million baht for management of the park
and another 45 million baht for maintenance and development.”
The official grand opening will be in the middle of April this year to
celebrate the Songkran Festival. (TTG)
SKAL Asia reaches an historic milestone
In a statement released last week by the Skål Asian Area president, Mr. Earl
Wieman, it was announced that Skål International (SI)) India will become a
member of the Skål Asian Area, completing an amazing period of development
for the region.
Mr. Wieman said, “For the first time in our history this will make us whole,
as no clubs in geographic Asia will be outside our committee.
“Our Indian Skålleagues decided at a meeting on March 8, 2008 to come into
the Skål Asian Area. Skål India will be with us at the 37th Skål Asian Area
Congress, 21-25 May 2008,” he added.
SI India is one of the largest national committees in Asia.
Mr. Andrew Wood, Skål Intl Asian Area Director of Development said, “India
has 713 Skålleagues and that number is set to increase dramatically as India
gains increasing confidence in the global economy.
“Two years ago we set ourselves a target to double the members in the Asian
Area. With India now confirmed, and (also) new regional members such as Hong
Kong, Singapore and Dubai, membership in the area has exceeded that target
already by 12%,” he confirmed.
Mr. Wood also added: “We are very hopeful that this year South Africa will
also consider joining this vibrant and dynamic region. The Asian Area is set
to be a rising powerhouse of the modern era and together our opportunities
to develop Skål friendship and contacts will be second to none.”
The Skål Asia Area, part of Skål International has a footprint that
stretches from Mauritius through the Middle East, India, SE Asia, the
Philippines, Japan and the Pacific Rim.
AFG members look to clean up their back yards
Legal waste management site.
Dr Iain Corness
The Automotive Focus Group (AFG), a loosely knit group of people in
the automotive industry (manufacturers, suppliers, etc.) meets under the
aegis of the Australian Thai Chamber of Commerce (AustCham) just before the
Seaboard Sundowners held on the Eastern Seaboard.
This month, the meeting was held in the All Seasons Hotel (Soi 5 Pattaya
Second Road) and was addressed by John L Hamilton, the MD of Waste
Management Siam. Since all manufacturing processes produce waste as the
final end product, this was a most pertinent topic for the AFG members.
John was able to show the locations of six illegal dumps on the Eastern
Seaboard, and warned the AFG members that it would not be government
agencies that would indicate who was using these dumps, but rather local
citizens living in the proximity of the dumps, and NGOs with a social
conscience. It was not accepted as an excuse that the manufacturer had used
a local contractor to take away the waste - it was the waste producer who
had to know the final resting place of his detritus, and take responsibility
for it. And the cost of rehabilitating the area if discovered!
John also pointed out, “The garbage truck is a license to hide things and
get it out of your company,” as apparently everything from small items to a
complete car have been secreted away in the rubbish skip.
Waste Management Siam is able to handle all kinds of waste, including
mercury contaminated waste which is shipped to Holland for reprocessing, as
it cannot be handled in Thailand, where it is dumped illegally,
contaminating the water table and producing problems for generations to
come. (Waste Management Siam can be contacted at 038 346 364-7 or email
[email protected])
New president of the AFG, Mike Diamente advised the members that more of
these very informative lectures were being arranged covering such diverse
areas as labor, medical requirements, infrastructure problems and this will
include addresses by government members as well as expat experts.
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