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US$5.8 million campaign to boost Singapore exhibition and convention industry
Singapore’s exhibition and convention industry on July
17 unveiled a US$5.8 million ($241.2 million baht) promotional campaign
designed to invigorate this hard-hit sector in the wake of the recent SARS
crisis. The campaign is spearheaded by SACEOS (Singapore Association of
Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers) and is expected to reach
Asia, Europe and the USA.
 SACEOS
members (left to right): Lindy Wee, vice president exhibitions, Dilys Yong,
president, SACEOS and Stepehn Seet, director of the Singapore Expo.
The objective of the campaign is to attract Asian
businesses to use Singapore’s exhibition and convention industry as an
international platform to network and trade. There is a need to highlight
the commercial benefits of doing business through exhibitions and
conventions both in Singapore and in Asia as a whole.
The investment will be used to facilitate a comprehensive
global promotion-campaign and a series of trade missions to key business
markets in Asia, Europe and USA for the industry.
Dilys Yong Mee Hiong, SACEOS president says, that while
there are indications that the Singapore economy is improving, the Asian and
Singapore exhibition and convention sector as a whole has the capacity to
host a lot more events.
“We are inviting Asian businesses to continue to use
our exhibitions and conventions sector because it is the best marketing
platform for deals and ideas. This is particularly the case when new
business opportunities are more of a challenge because of the current global
economic turndown,” said Ms Yong Mee Hiong.
One significant activity of the campaign will be to
commission a research study. This will assess international opinion
regarding Singapore as a MICE (Meeting, Incentive Travel, Convention and
Exhibition) destination, and to establish whether the international business
community’s confidence in Singapore has returned post SARS.
EVA adds 1st Airbus and unveils new ‘Premium Laurel’ Business Class
EVA Air took delivery of its first A330-200 in Toulouse on
June 26. The new A330-200 is presently being deployed on routes to Manila,
Hong Kong and then on Japanese routes in the middle of August. It’s
advanced, state-of-the art equipment will provide passengers with
world-class service and comfort.
The new A330-200 is the first of 10 to be delivered to
EVA Air between now and 2005. The introduction of the A330-200 showcases the
carrier’s new generation of business class, Premium Laurel.
EVA’s new A330-200 also upgrades economy class. Every
seat on the plane is served by Matsushita Avionics Systems Corps’s
interactive IFE system 3000i - the most advanced in-flight entertainment
system on the market and comes with a 6.5 inch screen and stereo headset.
Lavatory faucets now incorporate proximity sensors and
there is a lavatory 60 inches wide for handicapped people. The broadened
lavatory has also been equipped with a baby care station.
Cambodia calls on Thailand to open new road link for tourism
Cambodia is asking Thailand to construct a new road link
and permanent border crossing in Kantharalak district, citing enormous
benefits for cross-border trade and tourism.
The request was made when Gen Jum Su Jiet, leader of the
Cambodian-Thai Border Liaison Department, and Prieb Tan, governor of Phra
Vihear Province, called on Sri Saket’s deputy provincial governor, Lt
Warong Siriphanich, and local politicians and police officers.
Gen Jum said that Cambodia had already built a road from
Alorngweng district to within 500 meters of the Thai border at Ta Thao, and
now wants Thailand to construct a road to link up with it on the Thai side.
He called for negotiations to open Ta Thao as a permanent checkpoint.
Since the Khao Phra Vihear border crossing was re-opened
on May 31, tourists have flocked into Sri Saket Province, and tourist
numbers have bounced back to an average of 500 a day. Sri Saket is now
liaising with Phra Vihear Province to draw up regulations for visiting Khao
Phra Vihear’s ancient Khmer temple. (TNA)
Tourist arrivals starting to pick up
According to TAT Governor Juthamas Siriwan, the number of
foreign visitors to Thailand is expected to reach normal levels within the
next two months. Arrivals of tourists from countries formerly identified as
SARS-affected rose by up to 30 percent between June and July.
TAT contributes the improvement to several factors
including its intensive public relations campaign, improved infrastructure
and better management of tourist attractions. New international convention
centers and boating piers are also expected to boost arrivals once they are
completed.
“The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is expecting
higher tourism revenue this year as soon as its new marketing campaigns are
launched. A total of 11 million foreign tourists are expected to visit
Thailand this year, bringing in about 340 billion baht in foreign
currency,” Juthamas said.
The targets are tourists from 37 countries worldwide,
mainly from Europe, the USA and Japan. TAT will continue its plan to make
Thailand ‘The tourism capital of Asia’ under its marketing plan for
2004. The plan will be launched in October, the beginning of the 2004 Thai
fiscal year, though it will cover the calendar year of 2004. The scheme is
geared to draw well-heeled tourists who will enter the kingdom for longer
stays. (TNA)
Thailand number one destination for Singapore tourists
Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) Singapore office
director, Uemporn Jeeraganwisan, recently stated that Thailand has emerged
as the top tourist destination for Singaporeans venturing abroad for the
first time after the SARS crisis.
Attributing Thailand’s popularity among Singaporeans to
its proximity to Singapore and its low costs, Uemporn said that TAT and Thai
Airways had sold over 20,000 packages to Singaporean visitors as part of the
‘Thailand Smile Plus’ program. “At the moment Singaporeans have a
problem with costs, as the economy is not good. This means they are choosing
short-haul destinations in preference to long-hauls,” she said.
On August 7, the Thai Hotels Association and Association
of International Conference Promotion will hold a road show in Singapore.
Rayong, Chantaburi, Trat and Pattaya and are planning road shows in
Singapore in September.
In order to stimulate the Singapore market in the latter
half of this year and in 2004, the TAT will introduce new tourism
destinations in provinces already favored by Singapore tourists, plus
shopping tours and programs that allow Singaporeans to taste Thai fruits. (TNA)
Phuket to spend over 5 million baht on beach guard scheme for tourists
The government has allocated Phuket province a budget of
14 million baht for its project to establish a center to oversee tourists’
safety on the island. As part of the project the province has trained three
batches of life guards and beach guards to act as volunteers to help
tourists during the monsoon season.
This year the provincial administration has set aside a
budget of over 400,000 baht to train 100 life guards with help from the
local police force, Wachira Hospital, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand
(TAT). A total of 5.5 million baht will be spent this year on expanding the
program.
Life guards and beach guards will be spread out along
four key points: Kamala Beach, Nakhale and Patong beaches, Karom and Kata
beaches, and Ao Sen and Yanui beaches. While in the past the scheme had
focused only on Karom and Kata beaches, the growing number of tourists
necessitated better coverage. (TNA)
Dragonair flies high
Dragonair is roaring back into action. Revived after a
severe bout with SARS, the Hong Kong carrier says passengers to both China
and regional destinations are coming back strongly. At the same time, the
airline is poised to start charter services to Japan and Bangkok.
Dragonair chief executive, Stanley Hui, plans to have 80%
of all scheduled flights back in the air by August and expects load factors
will be back to 80% of the pre-SARS level by December. “It’s a happy
problem to manage,” he said, talking about working on recovery plans. (TGG
Asia)
Tourism minister in global bid to prevent tourism crisis
Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Sontaya Kunplome
is appealing to leaders of tourism industries across the globe to work
together in order to prevent a global tourism crisis.
Sontaya, who was invited to give a special lecture at a
two-day meeting in Hong Kong organized by the World Tourism Organization on
the revival of Asia’s tourism industry, told the 500 delegates gathered
for the meeting that over the past seven years the global tourism industry
had passed through a series of crises. “These included attacks on various
world currencies, terrorism in the United States and Bali, the war in Iraq
and SARS,” he said.
Accusing the tourism industry of doing too little to
protect itself from these crises, he noted that SARS in particular had had a
devastating impact on tourism, with the blow from SARS three times as severe
as that from the Iraq war.
“The tourism industry plays an extremely important role
in Asian nations. When the tourism industry falls, it has repercussions on
the overall economies of several countries. This in turn leads to a chain
reaction, causing a slowdown in Asia’s regional economy. It is now time
that people within the tourism industry, both from the public sector and
from the private sector, work together to manage a danger warning system to
protect the industry from crises in the future, so that we do not need to
use public taxpayers’ money to solve problems after they occur,” Sontaya
said. (TNA)
SWISS: 5.3 million passengers carried during the first half-year
In the first six months of 2003, SWISS carried a total of
5.3 million passengers on its scheduled flights. The average seat load
factor from January to June was 68.7 percent.
On the European network, an overall seat load factor of
54.7 percent was achieved during the first six months. This figure is
marginally below the previous year level of 55%.
During this period high seat load factors were achieved
on services to Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Norway and the Czech
Republic. The reduced demand in Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands
and the UK resulted in seat load factors below expected targets on these
services.
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