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Haripunchai bathing ceremony in Lamphun
The bathing
ceremony for the Haripunchai Pagoda is being held next week, from April 29
to May 5.
The bathing ceremony for Hariphunchai
Pagoda (Phraboromathat Hariphunchai) is an ancient ceremony regarded to
Lamphun Province and is being held from April 29 to May 5, 2012 at Wat Phra
That Hariphunchai Woramahaviharn from 06.00 a.m. till 10.00 p.m. On April
29, the procession of the royal water, that conferred by H.M. the King to
bathe for the Hariphunchai Pagoda, will be set along the historical Chiang
Mai-Lamphun Rd to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai Woramahaviharn. As well, the
procession of bringing the sacred water from Kha Mhor Mountain (Doi Kha
Mhor) to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai Woramahaviharn will be held on May 2,
2012. The ceremony will be held throughout the week with many cultural
performances, a Giant drum competition, a Victory drum competition, local
music competitions and local dance performances to pay homage to the pagoda.
For further information please feel free to contact TAT Chiang Mai at Tel.
66 (0) 5324 8604, 66 (0) 5324 8607 every day from 08.30-16.30 Hrs. (TAT)
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Chiang Mai Night Safari provides hot weather relief for the animals
The Chiang
Mai Night Safari staff have been working overtime to offer the animals a
break from the heat, providing a small pond for the tigers to swim in near
the Giraffe restaurant. Dr. Sarawuth Srisakun, the CEO of the Chiang Mai
Night Safari , said that the very hot weather has prompted him to order
construction of further pools for the animals, including the tigers, and
white lions. Staff have installed sprinklers and sprayers to provide relief
from the heat. Additionally they have been offering the animals ice cold
water. He added that they do this every year during the hot weather season.
Chiang Mai's Miracle Tourism Forum announced
By Reinhard Hohler
According to Mr. Sarawut Saetio,
President of Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association (CTBA), Chiang Mai in
co-oporation with concerned tourism sectors and organizations in Lamphun,
Lampang and Mae Hong Son will be organizing the mega initiative of a very
welcomed B2B tourism forum to boost up the tourism business to the upper
north of Thailand as well as new tourism products in the region. This
event will be organized under the government budget sponsorship.
The Miracle Tourism Forum 2012 is set
to convince key entrepreneurs like inbound travel agents, domestic travel
agents, editors of travel magazines, editors of online travel magazines and
NTOs to know more about destination development and to impact the sales.
The Miracle Tourism Forum 2012 event is
scheduled during May 26-29 at the Holiday Inn Chiang Mai, including two-day
sight-seeing inspections to Lamphun, Lampang, Chiang Mai and Mae Sariang in
Mae Hong Son. All delegates will be assured that the announced Miracle
Tourism Forum will be a great success.
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Mekong Tourism Forum to Evaluate 20 Years of Cross-Border Cooperation
The Mekong Tourism Forum 2012 will take
place in Chiang Rai, Thailand, 13-14 June. The forum will address the theme,
"20/20 Vision: Building on Two Decades of GMS Cooperation."
The main focus will be to assess the
challenges of human resources, pro-poor sustainable tourism, sub-regional
product development and marketing for the next 20 years, in light of
achievements in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) over the last 20 years.
Speakers will deliver a candid
assessment of what progress has – and has not – been accomplished by
Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and donors such as the
Asian Development Bank. The grouping united in 1992 to build the Greater
Mekong Sub-region as a single tourism destination.
The GMS countries are collectively
targeting 52 million international tourist arrivals and US$53 billion in
sub-regional tourism revenue by 2015. There were 10 million arrivals in
1995, rising to 35 million in 2011.
"A great deal has been achieved," said
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, Executive Director, Mason Florence.
"Multi-country holidays are now common in the GMS, but we still need to
reduce red tape, increase cross-border flows and boost sustainable tourism
in rural areas where incomes are still too low," he said.
Tourists surveyed in the six countries
say that the friendly people are one of the area's most important assets.
The forum will assess how the attraction, retention, training and
development of the Mekong workforce has progressed and what needs to be
done.
Participants will address the recent
changes in Myanmar and the impact of ASEAN Economic Cooperation, due in
2015. There will be a session on how private and public sector tourism
operators in the GMS can better leverage the shift to electronic
distribution, social media, and mobile.
"Anyone with a stake in the future of
tourism in the GMS should be at the forum," said Florence.
The Mekong Tourism Forum 2012 will take
place in northern Thailand at the Dusit Island Resort Hotel in Chiang Rai, a
city which celebrates its 750th anniversary this year.
The registration fee for MTF2012 is
US$375, with a special early bird rate of US$275 on offer until 15 May.
Members of PATA, SKAL and selected GMS tourism associations may register at
the reduced rate of US$245. The conference fee includes full access to the
two-day conference, coffee breaks, lunches, dinners and complimentary
post-forum tours on 15 June. An accompanying spouse rate of US$150 is being
extended to all delegates.
For program information visit
www.MekongTourismForum.org. Bookings: mtf2012.eventbrite.com. (PR)
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Oasis Spa Unveils Its Newest Day Spa in Bangkok at Sukhumvit 51
Chiang Mai’s
hometown spa has opened their latest spot in the big city.
Oasis Spa, a Day Spa leader known for
its cutting-edge treatments and massages, is redefining the spa experience,
announces the opening of The Oasis Spa Bangkok at Sukhumvit 51.
The vibrant Spa in Bangkok at Sukhumvit 51 is new and different. Those who
appreciate style with a more casual approach to life will instantly find
this Urban Bohemian chic day spa a refreshing relief and freedom from its
stuffy world and formal contents.
The new spa offers all the Signature treatments and effectual massages for
which Oasis Spas are famous along with professional pampering; Lanna Style.
This laid-back ambiance is a natural venue where anyone can peace out in one
of its eleven state-of-the-art private treatment rooms equipped with Jacuzzi
hydrotherapy and herbal steam. Recapture the essence of life that has been
purposely combined to bring out ones inner beauty and sense of wellbeing.
The public is invited to visit by calling 02-2622122 for reservations and
more information or to visit www.oasisspa.net. Also, free transportation
from the BTS Phrom Phong station is provided.
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AirAsia offers enhanced Fly-Thru service between China & Indonesia
AirAsia continues to revolutionize air
travel with more connecting destinations added to its Fly-Thru list.
Fly-Thru is AirAsia’s innovative solution to flight connections which offers
guests more convenience.
The Fly-Thru service was introduced by AirAsia last year with connecting
flight options from selected destinations in the AirAsia route network which
spans across 150 routes, 76 destinations and 22 countries.
Due to popular demand for Fly-Thru, AirAsia has decided to extend the
service from Indonesian cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, and Surabaya
direct to cities in China such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau and Hong Kong
via AirAsia’s Kuala Lumpur hub (Low Cost Carrier Terminal).
Guests are also able to enjoy the Fly-Thru service from Chennai, India to
Singapore with the Fly-Thru connection via Kuala Lumpur as well.
As part of the introduction of new connecting points for Fly-Thru, AirAsia
is offering promotional all-in-fares starting from as low as RM379 inclusive
of Fly-Thru service. The destinations applicable for this promotion would be
from Bandung, Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau and
Hong Kong; and Chennai to Singapore (all via Kuala Lumpur as the connecting
point).
This promotion is available exclusively on www.airasia.com and is available
for booking from 9 – 29 April 2012 for the travel period from 1 June to 10
August 2012.
Apart from the promotional Fly-Thru fares, AirAsia is also offering
all-in-fares from as low as RM59 one way to destinations in Indonesia such
as Bali, Jakarta, Medan, Semarang and Surabaya.
The major convenience factor that Fly-Thru offers would be the ease of
having their check-in baggage tagged to final destinations, which would mean
guests no longer need to pick up their bags and check-in again to their
onward destination. This ultimately saves time as guests can skip the
immigration clearance process as well.
Guests who opt for the Fly-Thru service will also find a hassle-free
experience as their flight bookings will be reflected in one simple flight
itinerary and booking number instead of having separate ones for each
destination. This would assist AirAsia guests to enjoy a smoother and faster
check-in process, especially via Web Check-In. Guests will also be able to
save cost on visa applications as the Fly-Thru service exempts our guests
from transit visa. (PR)
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It's time to lift sanctions against Myanmar
By Reinhard Hohler
According to media sources in Phnom
Penh, ASEAN leaders are pushing for the international community to lift
sanctions against one of its poorest member nations, Myanmar, as they meet
in Phnom Penh.
Myanmar held elections last Sunday were
monitored by Asean members and saw gains by the opposition party of Aung San
Suu Kyi. Burmese President Thein Sein told reporters in Phnom Penh Tuesday
that the elections had been a success.
Now some ASEAN leaders say it is time
for the US and other Western nations to lift long-running sanctions.”They
believe the lifting of the sanction could contribute positively to the
democratic process and economic development," said Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary
of State for the Cambodian Foreign Ministry, following the first day of the
two-day ASEAN summit. Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, called
sanctions against countries "inhumane" and often do not hurt their intended
target. "It's time to lift sanctions," he said.
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Thai to offer special prices over Songkran
As part of their Songkran promotion, Thai Airways is not
only increasing their domestic flights by 3,000 seats by adding daily
flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi but is also offering discounted one
way fares for travel from the provinces to Bangkok from April 12-15 and from
Bangkok to the provinces April 15-18 in a bid to boost inbound Bangkok
traffic.
Daily flights will be added to Phuket
and Chiang Mai on April 12, 13, 16 and 17 and to Krabi on April 12, 13, and
17.
All-in fares to Bangkok are: Chiang
Mai, Bt1,540; Chiang Rai, Bt1,785; Khon Kaen, Bt1,330; Udon Thani, Bt1,380;
Ubon Ratchathani, Bt1,450; Krabi, Bt1,705; Phuket, Bt1,820; Surat Thani,
Bt1,635 and Hat Yai, Bt1,995. (PR)
Cotton fair 2012 promotes regional textiles
The cotton fair opened on
March 30 and runs until Sunday, April 8 at the Industrial Promotion Center
on Thung Hotel Road.
Nopniwat Krailerg
The 14th annual Cotton Fair
was opened at the Industrial Promotion Center Region 1 headquarters on Thung
Hotel Road on March 30, 2012. The event, which features cotton textiles from
8 Northern provinces runs until Sunday, April 8, 2012 and is open daily from
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Dr. Chao Duangduan na Chiang Mai,
President of the Chiang Mai Cultural Council was joined by Deputy Governor
Workarn Yokying and Prasong Ninbanjong the Director of the Industrial
Promotion Center Region 1 I presiding over the opening ceremony.
The Industrial Promotion Center Region
1 is a pioneer in the industrial sector, helping to develop and promote
local handicraft products and offer support in the development, production,
marketing and financial management to those in the agricultural sector in a
bid to reduce unemployment and increase incomes.
A co-sponsor of the event was the
Association of Thai Small and Medium Enterprises which helps to market and
promote products.
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Chiang Mai Zoo offers traditional Songkran
The Chiang Mai Zoo announced
that they will offer traditional Songkran ceremonies during April 13-17 at
the Zoo to promote the local tradtions and beliefs.
Activities include bathing the Buddha image, traditional Lanna music and
performances, and donations to feed the animals as merit making for the New
Year. For more information, please contact Public Relations at 053-221179,
053-358116 and visit www.chiangmaizoo.com. (PR)
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