Bangkok Airways welcomes two Airbus320 to the fleet
Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, Bangkok Airways president,
recently welcomed its two latest Airbus320s named “Maha Mongkol” and
“Sawadee Umporn” at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
This type of aircraft consists of 162 economy class seats and will serve
both domestic and international routes, including Chiang Mai, Phuket, Yangon
(Myanmar), Siem Reap (Cambodia), Mumbai (India), and Dhaka (Bangladesh).
Bangkok Airways’ fleet now consists of 21 aircraft: 8 ATR72s, 5 A320s, and 8
A319s.
Deputy Minister of Transport visits THAI and observes
New Year travel readiness
General Prin Suwanatat, Deputy Minister of Transport, recently made a visit
to observe Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI)
readiness to provide the following passenger services at Suvarnabhumi
Airport during the New Year: catering, passenger services, baggage sorting
and handling.
THAI President Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan and THAI management welcomed the
Deputy Minister of Transport at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
2012 Golden Year of Thai tourism
Inbound tourists to Thailand hit a historic record of almost 22 million
people this year, generating at least Bt900 billion (US$30 billion), a
prominent Thai tourism industry leader said this week.
Piyamarn Techapaibul, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT),
described 2012 as the ‘golden year’ for Thailand’s tourism industry as
circulating revenue from local tourists has also increased to Bt500 billion
(US$17 billion).
She said that political stability and the increasing popularity of tourist
attractions in Thailand have contributed to the tourism boom, while the
ongoing Sino-Japanese conflict has diverted travelers from both countries to
Thailand.
Number one ranked in numbers of visitors to Thailand this year is China with
2.5 million travelers. Russia placed second with one million visitors, while
India, South Korea and Japan each produced almost one million people from
each country.
She said the Tourism and Sports Ministry will be asked to plan a strategy to
wider tourist attractions from the traditional locations in the North and
beach resorts on the Andaman Coast to other potential areas such as
provinces along the Gulf of Thailand.
Piyamarn said the TCT has also targeted extending foreign tourists’ average
five-day stay in Thailand to six days and increasing their daily spending of
Bt3,000 (US$100) per person to Bt5,000 (US$170).
According to the plan - expected in the next three years - room rates in
Thailand, currently the cheapest in Asia, must be adjusted while locally
made merchandise should be redesigned to attract Asian tourists.
She urged the government to the lower import tax on luxury goods to make
Thailand more competitive with destinations such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
(MCOT)
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Live, learn, ride like a mahout
Thai Elephant Conservation Centre
Previously a training centre for baby elephants, this sanctuary has become
the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, aka the National Elephant Institute.
It is considered to be the first mahout-training centre in the world, as
well as an elephant hospital. Here, there are many veterinarians and mahouts
ready to take care and provide medical care for sick and old elephants
nationwide, free of charge. Not only is it a research centre studying the
nature of elephants, but also an attraction for tourists who want to have
the ultimate mahout experience.
The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre provides home stay accommodation for
tourists who are interested in the program. Tourists will learn techniques
of elephant riding, elephant bathing, and elephant training. They will dine
with mahouts and exchange experiences with them. Most importantly, they will
also get to be a part of the elephant show, performed daily for visitors at
the center.
The program starts with mahouts taking elephants to bathe and leading
elephants to walk back in a row to the staging area; adorably holding each
other’s tail with their trunks. The show is followed by the demonstration of
logging techniques. Tourists will get to experience and enjoy peaceful
nature through elephant riding and trekking in the forest, experiencing the
lifestyle and culture of a mahout at the Mahout Village. The show will end
with the demonstration of recycling elephant dung into fiber pulp, used in
the production of dung paper.
Know before you go
Open daily from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. An annual event called
Kantoke Chang / Satoke Chang, the grand elephant feast, will be held on the
first Friday and Saturday of February. Mahouts will ride over 70 elephants
down from the mountain to enjoy specially prepared food in this event in a
well-trained manner.
Additionally, a religious ceremony, Hindu ritual and Mot-Meng Spiritual
Dance (the ritual of ancestor veneration) will be held to bring luck and
prosperity to Lampang province.
Recommendation: The mahout home stay experience should be booked with
the minimum of 7 days in advance.
Awards: The Thai Elephant Conservation Centre has received the Award
of Excellence for Recreational Attraction from the Tourism Authority of
Thailand in 1998.
Travel info: From Lampang, take Highway 11 (Lampang-Chiang Mai). Thai
Elephant Conservation Centre is on the right, between Km 28 and Km 29.
GPS location: N18° 21.52’, E99° 14.53’
Contact: Thai Elephant Conservation Centre, +66 5482 9333,
www.thailandelephant.org
Facilities & services: Tour guide, home stay, food, restroom and parking.
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