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Pattaya represented at
Moscow Travel Industry Fair
Neil Maniquiz (center), head of Bangkok Hospital
Pattaya’s international marketing department, promotes medical tourism at
the Moscow Autumn Travel Industry Week.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s pavilion was a
standout at the Moscow Autumn Travel Industry Week, or MATIW-Leisure 2012,
one of the world’s biggest leisure trade fairs. The TAT pavilion occupied
274 square meters to show off various tourism products and services from the
Land of Smiles.
The highlights of the event were spa/massage and medical services. Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya was selected by TAT to join the event and promote Thailand
as a Medical Tourism Hub for Russians.
The first two days of the four-day event were only for trade visitors, and
the rest for the public. There were 37 participants including hotels, travel
agencies and other tourism-related business, while 31 buyers from Belarus,
Kazakhstan and Ukraine were invited to meet 17 Thai operators.
Thailand is one of the key tourism destinations for Russians. According to
TAT, about 1.05 million Russian travelers visited Thailand last year, an
increase of 63.45 percent from 2010. Also during the period, there were
101,425 travelers from nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States,
the former Soviet republics including Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,
Belarus and Turkmenistan.
This year, it is expected that the number of Russian and CIS travelers
coming to Thailand will total 1.27 million, an increase of 10 percent from
2011. In the first half of this year alone, the number of Russian visitors
to Thailand was recorded at 671,122, an increase of 18.72 percent year on
year.
According to a TAT release, travelers from Russia and CIS nations spend
Bt4,297 per day per head, with an average stay of 13.29 days at present.
However, medical treatment is also becoming popular draws for Russians. In
the former category, they like to undergo beauty surgery and herbal
treatments, beyond treatment for medical ailments.
“Medical and beauty treatment will be the focus of the TAT, which wants to
attract quality tourists with high spending,” the TAT reported. Currently,
the high number of Russians coming to Thailand is important, with quality
niche travel for this market to come later.
Neil Maniquiz, head of the international marketing department of Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya, welcomed the move and said after attending the leisure
market in Moscow for three years, the number of Russians coming to Pattaya
has increased annually.
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Bangkok Airways introduces Premier Class
Bangkok Airways has blocked out the middle seat
in the first 3 rows of special flights to give passengers more arm room in
their new “Premier Class” service.
Bangkok Airways has introduced a “Premier Class” service for Bangkok - Kuala
Lumpur (via Samui) on PG951 and PG952 starting 28th October 2012 and Bangkok
- Phnom Penh route on PG931, PG932, PG933, PG934, PG935 and PG936 from 1st
December 2012 onwards.
Premier class seats offer single aisle configuration with 2 seats on each
side from row 1 - 3 leaving the middle seat empty to provide more convenient
space for passengers as a center armrest and table. Premier class provides a
seat pitch of 31 inches and is 19.83 inches wide.
Passengers will be offered a selected in-flight menu and will be entitled to
privileges including a separate Blue Ribbon check-in counter, 30kg baggage
allowance, priority baggage claim and up to 40 points to be accrued on Flyer
Bonus Program.
Currently, Bangkok Air is offering a special 40% discount for Premier class
passengers on the Samui - Kuala Lumpur route on PG951 and PG952. Booking
runs now until November 9 for travel between October 28 and November 30,
2012.
For more information, please contact the call center 1771 (24 hrs.) or visit
the website www.bangkokair.com
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