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Royal Cliff wins green award
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya Exhibition and Convention
Hall (PEACH) have received their fifth Environmental Impact Assessment:
(EIA) Monitoring Award (for 2008) from the Ministry of Natural Resources
and the Environment.
 Minister
for Conservation of Natural Resources and the Environment Suwit
Khunkitti (left) presents the award to Srisakul Futrakul, director for
business development for Royal Cliff Beach Resort and Pattaya Exhibition
and Convention Hall.
At the presentation of the award on April 9 in Bangkok, Srisakul
Futrakul, the hotel’s director of business development received an award
plaque from Minister for Conservation of Natural Resources and the
Environment Suwit Khunkitti.
The award was for the hotel’s effective management of its impact on the
environment. The resort also won the EIA Monitoring Award in 2000, 2002,
2005 and 2006.
The hotel has also received 79 other awards from organizations in the
country and abroad and is the first hotel in Thailand to receive a
certified standard from the quality management system ISO9001: 2000 and
environmental management standard ISO 14000.
The Royal Cliff Beach Resort is a five-star luxury resort located
between Jomtien and Pattaya beaches. Its PEACH convention center was
chosen for the ASEAN Summit recently.
Other facilities include seven tennis courts, two squash courts (air
conditioned), five swimming pools, two spas, a private beach, runway
exercise in the garden, a full-service health center with a sauna and
steam room, a games room playground and a small golf course.
Joachim Grill appointed general
manager of Royal Cliff Beach Resort
Panga Vathanakul, managing director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort is
pleased to announce the appointment of Joachim Grill as general manager
of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
 Joachim
Grill has been appointed general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach
Resort.
An Austrian native, Grill has a Master’s Degree in Hospitality
Management from Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany and brings over 20 years
of experience in the hospitality industry to the team. Prior to joining
the Royal Cliff Beach Resort as general manager, Grill has held
managerial positions with Centara Hotels & Resorts and gained extensive
experience from international postings within hospitality, as well
strong background in hotel operations with hotels including Banyan Tree
and Raffles.
As general manager of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Grill will be
responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of one of the
largest and most comprehensive hotel, convention and spa facilities in
the Asia-Pacific region.
Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai
eyed for long haul MICE
Watchiranont Thongtep, TTG Asia
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) plans to promote Chiang Mai and
Chiang Rai as alternative MICE destinations for long haul markets, which prefer
to hold their events at established destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya and
Phuket.
TCEB meetings and incentives director, Malinee Kitapanich, said the two northern
Thai provinces had in the last five years been improving product and service
standards, following the growing presence of international-branded hotels such
as Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi and Le Méridien.
The two provinces are highlighted as emerging MICE destinations in Thailand in
TCEB’s meeting planner guide book, distributed at IMEX in Frankfurt from May 26
to 28.
Thailand downgrades tourism target
Watchiranont Thongtep, TTG Asia
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has revised its tourism target to 13
million foreign tourists this year, down from 14 million earlier projected.
TAT deputy governor for international marketing, Santichai Euachongprasit,
attributed the expected drop to ongoing local political instability, the global
economic crisis and rising concerns over the spread of the H1N1 virus.
According to Thai Hotels Association president, Prakit Chinamournphong, the Thai
travel trade is expecting a 20 percent drop in visitor arrivals from last year.
The Tourism Council of Thailand, however, is less optimistic, forecasting 10.86
million foreign tourists and 350 billion baht in tourism revenue this year.
Thailand welcomed 14.53 million tourists in 2008.
City searching for ways
to boost tourism
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
A meeting was held recently at city hall to discuss further ways to
restore Pattaya’s tourism using the whole-town discount campaign, hiring
commercial marketing and promotion companies and coordinating with national free
TV to boost tourism.
 Wuttipol
Charoenphol, Pattaya city manager.
Wuttipol Charoenphol, Pattaya’s city manager, chaired the meeting of city
department heads on May 14.
At the meeting, officials talked about hiring different marketing companies to
lay out plans to re-boost tourism in the area, and creating a budget to inject
into the campaign.
The city will enlist aid from all media especially the national free television
channels. Wuttipol said a clearer plan is needed and a budget set.
Skål Asia membership soars
Andrew J Wood.
Skål Asian Area-Director of Development
In Skål’s latest report on membership development for the Asian Area,
which was presented to President Hulya Aslantas and the Asian Area board on
Thursday May 21 in Incheon, Korea at the 38th Skål Asian Area Congress.
It makes for interesting reading and is the only region that is currently
showing such strong growth. With membership standing at 2,514 Asia is now 13% of
Skål’s worldwide membership of 19,478 which includes 318 Young Skål members.
Skål Asia is growing 14% compared with last year. In 1999 the Asian Area had
1659 members.
Skål Intl anticipates that membership will grow between 14 to 18% in 2009 in the
Asian Area dependant on the number of new clubs that are opened. There are plans
for 4 new at present:
1. Jakarta (restart the oldest club in Asia): It is Club no. 13 and was the
first Skål Club to open in Asia 75 years ago in December (Skål is celebrating
its 75th Anniversary this year so Jakarta is as old as Skål itself). It is being
rejuvenated with the help of a few former members and Skål Intl Bali; 2. Narita
(new); 3. Rodrigues (new); and 4. Puerto Princess (new).
City hosts tourism summit
Somprasong Khompatra (right), senior director of the
Office of Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, visits the
Pattaya Mail booth, manned by Kamolthep Malhotra (left).
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Tourism organizations from all over the country came to Pattaya May
14-16 for the Thai Federation of Provincial Tourist Association (TFOPTA) annual
summit. The meeting, held at Ravindra Resort, was assembled under the banner of
“TFOPTA forum together as one 09.”
The association has more than 500 members from tourism bodies in each province.
The annual summit is rotated among the membership each year with Pattaya having
the chance to host this time.
On the first day of the summit Somprasong Khompatra, senior director of the
Office of Tourism Development, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, opened the
proceedings. He was assisted by Kongkrit Hirankij.
Many booths were set up to promote tourism and for table-top sales.
Brainstorming sessions were held to develop tourism in Chonburi Province. An
inspection tour was organized to show participants traveling routes in the
province.
Evening shows welcomed all and souvenirs were given to everyone.
On May 15 Somprasong presented a talk on the topic of tourism service standards.
He said that the standards are a worthwhile objective to help achieve
substantial tourism industry development for Thailand at international level.
There are already 307 entrepreneurs who have achieved the highest standard for
hotels, restaurants, boat services and tourist sightseeing areas.
“We will be pleased to give everyone advice, methods and steps to improve
services to develop Thai tourism now and in the future,” Somprasong said.
Piyaman Techapaiboon, vice-chairman of the Thai Federation of Provincial Tourist
Associations, suggested that entrepreneurs must commit to self-improvement to
meet international standards. Cooperation with the government is also needed to
help with sustainable development.
At the end of the summit, participants went on a tour to Pattaya Floating
Market, Chinese Statue Park, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, Million Years Stone
Park and Crocodile Farm, Tiger Zoo Sriracha, Mini Siam, Underwater World and Koh
Larn.
A farewell dinner was held on the beachfront, the highlight coming when the
summit flag was handed to Lampang’s representative, host of the next summit
scheduled for December 2-4.
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