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Major travel show plans for November
Jiraphat Warasin
The Chiang Mai Tourism Promotion Board (CTPB) has met to
review its operations and prepare for the “Chiang Mai & North Travel
2004” bonanza.
 Pornchai
Jitnawasatien (right), Mayor Boonlert Buranupakorn’s secretary flanked by
Vorapong Muchaotai, the president of THA, Northern Chapter.
The board consists of representatives from both the
public and private sectors in Chiang Mai province so that the two can work
together towards promoting tourism. Mayor Boonlert Buranupakon was
introduced as the president of the CTPB’s new executive committee.
The board announced it has agreed on a plan, budgeting
and media campaign for efficient short and long term public relations and
marketing, and discussed preparations for the travel show that will run from
November 29 to December 2.
Jint Kusumaraphan, adviser to the CTPB, said a travel
show had been organized two years ago but did not get good support from the
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) offices abroad. It was also not properly
marketed.
Vorapong Muchaotai, president of the Thai Hotels
Association (THA), Northern Chapter, said that they were ready to tackle any
problems that may arise during the travel show. Teams with specific areas of
responsibility had been set up.
For example, the TAT would be responsible for promoting
it abroad, and producing VCD’s for the media campaign. The THA would take
care of accommodation and food arrangements, and organizing the sales table
displays.
The Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association would take care of printing,
booth preparations, tour program arrangements and bookings, while the Chiang
Mai Guide Association would take responsibility for escorting tour groups.
AirAsia links Hat Yai to Kuala Lumpur
Luc
Citrinot
AirAsia continues to provide more connections between
Thailand and its largest hub, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. AirAsia, a low
fare, no frills airline within Southeast Asia will start its first
international route from Hat Yai, Southern Thailand to Kuala Lumpur on
August 5. Hat Yai will then become the third destination in Thailand, after
Bangkok and Phuket, to benefit from non-stop connections to Kuala Lumpur.
From Bangkok, people can also fly daily to Johor Bahru - with easy transfer
to Singapore, Kota Kinabalu and Penang.
Flight AK863 will leave Hat Yai at 2.40 p.m. to reach
Kuala Lumpur at 4.45 p.m.. The return flight AK862 leaves Kuala Lumpur at
2.05 p.m. to land in Hat Yai at 2.15 p.m. local time. The flight will use a
Boeing 737-300.
To celebrate this new routing, AirAsia offers a special
promotional fare of 500 baht or 49.99 RM for bookings done between July 1
and July 15. Travel must be completed between August 5 and October 30.
AirAsia’s network in Thailand presently includes
domestic flights from its hub in Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat
Yai, Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani
(Vientiane/Laos) in Thailand as well as international flights to Macao,
Singapore, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Tourism Ministry aims
for 20 million tourists by 2008
The kingdom is aiming to attract 20 million
tourists by 2008, a significant increase on the 17.5 million it had previously
targeted, and nearly double the 10.5 million who visited the country last year.
A spokesman for the minister of tourism and sports, Sontaya
Khunplome, said the new figure is considered “totally realistic” and the
country is already developing the infrastructure required to meet the new
target.
The spokesman said, “We are confident we can host 20
million with Suvarnabhumi Airport opening in 2005, an additional runway at
Phuket, extensions and modernization at Chiang Mai airport, the new subway in
Bangkok, new roads and numerous new hotels in Bangkok and throughout the
kingdom.” (TTG Asia)
New air link to Taipei
Fly with a Mandarin
Sampham
Changtong, PRD Department
Mandarin Airline has launched a new flight route between
Taipei and Chiang Rai to stimulate tourism between the two cities.
The carrier offers one flight a week, on Wednesdays, from
Taipei to Chiang Rai and Chiang Rai to Taipei. The flight from Taipei arrives
in Chiang Rai at 6.30pm and departs at 7.30pm.
It takes only three hours to travel between the two cities.
The Boeing 737-800 aircraft can carry 168 passengers.
Pratuang Sornkham, vice-director of Chiang Rai Airport, said
that the new flight would support tourism between the two countries and
contribute to the continued growth of tourism to Chiang Rai. He also announced
that direct flights between Chiang Rai and Singapore are being planned.
For more information on the Taipei flight, please contact
Mandarin Airline’s Chiang Mai office on 0-5320-1268-9.
New road route to the North opened
Public
Relations Department, Chiang Rai
The new R3W route to the North has been built to provide
trade and transport facilities between Northern Thailand and the Mekong
sub-region. It links Thailand’s Mae Sai district with Tachilek and Chiang
Tung provinces in Myanmar, and Sibsong Panna province in southern China.
Chiang Rai Governor Narin Panichkij said the R3W route
facilitated the provincial and Lanna aims of introducing Thai products to
international markets, especially in the Mekong sub-region. It would indirectly
strengthen international relations between Thailand and China as well.
Thailand’s Industry Minister Pinij Charusombut and Yunnan governor Xu Rongkai
officially opened the new R3W route on July 1.
Nok Air postpones launch indefinitely
Nok Air – the low-cost airline backed by
Thai Airways International (THAI) – has once again delayed its launch and
this time has not set a new date for the commencement of operations. A Nok
spokesman said the process of getting approvals and permissions from the
regulatory authorities had taken longer than expected and “everything is
behind schedule”.
Nok originally intended to start services between April and
June following a pledge by THAI chairman, Dr Thanong Bidaya, to give “support
and assistance” wherever it was required to get the new venture into the air.
Despite having the weight of the flag carrier behind it, Nok was unable to meet
its earlier deadline and postponed the launch to June 1, then to July 1 and now
to an unspecified date in the near future. (TTG Asia)
Suvarnabhumi Airport
prepares 15,000-vehicle car park
The New Bangkok Airport Authority (NBA) is
preparing to construct a car park for Bangkok’s new international airport
which will have a capacity of over 15,000 vehicles. Revealing that construction
on the Suvarnabhumi Airport - due to open in September 2006 - the NBA said that
the car park would be one of the airport’s most important facilities.
Work on the car park began in May, and is scheduled for
completion shortly before the airport opens. Two six-storey concrete car park
buildings will front the passenger terminals, with a combined area of around
93,000 square meters to take around 5,000 vehicles. There will also be two
additional car park areas for temporary parking, able to take a further 1,000
vehicles. Other car parks dotted around the airport compound will bring total
vehicle capacity to around 15,600. Construction costs are expected to run to
898.6 billion baht. In its initial phase, the airport hopes to handle around 45
million passengers a year. The construction of the Suvarnabhumi Airport is now
54 percent complete. (TNA)
Upgraded Sihanoukville Airport ready
Sihanoukville Airport in Cambodia’s
emerging beach resort destination has undergone a major upgrade and is now
ready to receive regular international flights. The airport recently reopened
after extensive work, including a 100m runway extension, the addition of five
new parking bays and a new two-storey terminal building with customs and
immigration facilities, a VIP lounge, four large airline offices and several
smaller offices.
“Discussions are now under way with several airlines
interested in serving the Sihanoukville market from the commencement of the
next tourist season,” said airport manager Geoff Rider. (TTG Asia)
TTG Asia to launch International Travel Show
Ambitious plans for inboard, outboard and domestic travel
Surat Tantanawiwat and
Suparat Photivichit
A one-stop shop for all travelers, the first International
Travel Show Thailand (ITS Thailand), and organized by TTG Asia, will be held at
the IMPACT Exhibition Center from August 20-22 this year. A first of its kind
event in Thailand, ITS Thailand is promising bargains on a huge selection of
travel destinations in Thailand and around the world.
The three day event is expected to draw 100,000 visitors,
with exhibitors putting together an array of dream holidays and travel
bargains, promotions and prizes for Thai travelers and expatriates looking for
holidays and tour packages within and outside Thailand. ITS Thailand is being
promoted as the perfect platform for tourism markets and travel suppliers to
tap into the domestic and international travel potential of Thailand.
ITS Thailand is fully supported by many travel associations
in Thailand, including the TCT (Tourism Council of Thailand), ATTA (Association
of Thai Travel Agents), ITA (International Ticketing Association), and TTAA
(Thai Travel Agents Association).
“This is a good timing for the show. The Thai economy has
recovered and has been registering positive growth rates since 2000. With the
population numbers and the number of people who travel either domestically and
internationally, we see a high potential in expanding the market”, stated
Darren Ng, TTG Asia’s Managing Director.
As another incentive, after spending a minimum of 5,000 baht
at ITS Thailand, visitors can win air tickets sponsored by the Star Alliance
group of airlines as well as other participating airlines.
Besides travel packages and prize giveaways, TTG is
organizing a travel forum for the travel trade. Aimed at all segments of the
Thai travel trade - inbound, outbound and domestic markets, the forum, themed
“Thailand: Charting the New Course of Total Tourism” will be held on
Friday, 9 August 2004. Travel seminars for consumers will be held on the
Saturday and Sunday 21-22 August at ITS Thailand.
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