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Top UK-Ireland tour operators
visit Dusit Thani Pattaya
Emma Cashmore (second left, front row) of
Dusit Regional Sales Office in the UK is pictured with a group of top
tour operators from the UK and Ireland on their five-day familiarization
trip of the Dusit properties in Thailand.
The management of Dusit Thani Pattaya recently welcomed ten top tour
operators from the UK and Ireland who came for a five-day
familiarization trip of the Dusit International brands including Dusit
Thani Bangkok, Dusit Princess Koh Chang and Dusit Princess Srinakarin,
Bangkok.
The group was led by Emma Cashmore, account manager of the UK Sales
Office of Dusit International. She said that the objective of the trip
was to showcase the Dusit International brand, and further increase
sales and product to all properties.
The group’s trip was made possible by Etihad Airways and Bangkok Airways
and part of their itinerary was a visit to the Jo Louis Puppet Theatre
in Bangkok, a tree top adventure in Ko Chang and site inspections of
other Dusit properties including Royal Princess Larn Luang, Pathumwan
Princess MBK Center Bangkok, Dusit d2 Pattaya and Dusit Thani Pattaya
where they were treated to world-class spa treatments at Devarana Spa.
Nok Air cuts salaries, downsizes operations
Thai low-cost carrier Nok Air is downsizing its operations and fleet,
and cutting staff salaries to survive the fuel price hikes.
Under the survival package approved by the board members and
shareholders on July 4 and which took effect from last week, Nok Air is
to drop its flight frequency from 108 flights to 73 flights a week and
to serve just five key profitable domestic routes - Chiang Mai, Hat Yai,
Udonthani, Trang and Nakhon Sri Thammarat.
The airline is also to slash its fleet by half as soon as possible. It
is now operating nine Boeing 737 jets and one ATR propeller aircraft.
Staff salaries are set to be cut by around 20 to 25 per cent across the
board.
Nok Air CEO, Patee Sarasin, said the airline could no longer sustain the
impact of high oil prices, which reached US$146 per barrel last week.
“Every single dollar increased per barrel of oil is adding up to five
million baht on our operation cost,” he said.
According to Patee, the airline is set to work closely with its major
shareholder, Thai Airways International, to reschedule some competitive
domestic routes, particularly those operating out of Don Muang Airport
by both carriers. (TTG)
Less Scandinavians
to visit Thailand
Thailand must brace for a slowdown in visitor arrivals from Scandinavia,
according to tourism experts at the Quality Scandinavian Tourist Market
Promotion Seminar staged last week by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The seminar reported Thomas Cook Northern Europe had reported a slight decrease
year-on-year in onward bookings made this month for the coming high season,
particularly for Bangkok and Phuket.
TUI Nordic may also cut the number of high-season charter flights it operates to
Surat Thani. In the last high season, it operated two flights per month each on
Stockholm-Surat Thani and Helsinki-Surat Thani, using a 220-seat Boeing 757
aircraft.
AED Travel managing director, Apichart Sankary, said soaring oil prices, which
had caused airlines to increase air fares and fuel surcharges, was one of the
key reasons.
He added Scandinavians were so price sensitive that even a US$50 increase could
affect their decision.
There were 619,402 arrivals from Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) last
year, up from 533,355 visitors in 2006. (TTG)
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