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THAI hosts special
flight for children
of Southern Thailand
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI)
recently hosted a special flight for children of Southern Thailand at Hat
Yai International Airport, Songkla Province.
Dr. Sorajak Kasemsuvan (front row, center), THAI president, hosted the
special flight for children of Southern Thailand by taking 200
underprivileged children affected by the unrest in the four provinces of
Southern Thailand, such as Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and the outskirts of
Songkla. The special flight on TG 8976, operating with the Airbus A330-300
aircraft, took an aerial tour of the Gulf of Thailand, Samui Island, Pangan
Island, Songkla Lake and Tinsulanonda Bridge.
Other similar CSR activities by THAI this year include the special THAI
flight in January to celebrate Children’s Day, taking 300 underprivileged
children and students from the surrounding area of Suvarnabhumi Airport on
an aerial tour of Bangkok metropolitan and the Gulf of Thailand.
The special flight for children of Southern Thailand was also supported by
the THAI Pilot Association, PTT Public Company Limited, Royal Thai Air Force
Wing 56, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited, Southern Border
Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC) and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand.
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Centara Grand Residence Pattaya
EIA approved
Tulip Group start construction of their latest luxury Pattaya Condominium
Tulip Group has confirmed that their latest luxury property, Centara
Grand Residence, has now received official EIA approval (Environmental
Impact Assessment) and that construction has now begun.
The world class luxury property will consist of three towers with two
residential towers and a five star hotel, Centara Grand Jomtien, in the
third tower. Located in Na Jomtien on a secluded private beachfront, the
property is set to raise standards in the area and is likely to become
the most luxurious branded residence on Jomtien Beach. The property
offers 7 swimming pools, water park, an aquarium, tennis club, and 5
restaurants with over 15000 SQM of lush landscaping. All rooms benefit
from 100% sea views. To date the project is 50% sold.
Specialist piling contractors Thai Bauer have commenced piling works,
which is expected to be completed in March 14, and the entire project
will be finished and open in 2016. Projects Asia have been appointed as
the project management company, August Deesign and August as interior
designers, and the project on completion will be fully managed by
Centara Hotels and Resorts.
Speaking at a press conference at Tulip Groups’ recently opened 5 Star
hotel, Centara Grand Phratamnak Pattaya, Tulip Group Vice President
Jason Payne said he was “ extremely happy that approval had been finally
granted and that the group was now driven to delivering a true world
class development.”
Tulip Group currently have 9 projects either under construction, or in
planning stages and expect to launch 3 new hotels during 2014, with
further expansion expected with the group moving into retail centers and
office buildings in 2015.
Online: For further information http://tulipgroup.co.th/
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ASEAN and the rise of tourism in Cambodia
In this interview, Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon, says that
enhanced cooperation with ASEAN, aviation liberalization and membership of
‘The Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club’ will further boost the country’s
already fast-growing tourism industry.
Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon.
What synergies between Cambodia and ASEAN hold the most potential for
Cambodia?
I would like to reaffirm that we are pleased to push forwards towards ASEAN
economic integration and development. In tourism there will be ‘one billion
tourists, one billion opportunities’ by 2015.
How supportive is Cambodia of the Common Smart Visa Scheme within ASEAN?
Cambodia is strongly supportive of the Common Smart Visa Scheme within
ASEAN. This initiative was built on the single visa program for tourists
travelling between Cambodia and Thailand, which was implemented on January
1, 2013. The Scheme should also benefit non-ASEAN nationals visiting the
region.
Is the estimate of around four million international visitor arrivals to
Cambodia in line with predictions for 2013?
Cambodia is peaceful with security and safety. Accordingly, in the first
nine months of 2013, Cambodia received 3.5 million international tourists, a
growth rate of 18.6% over 2012. We expect around 4.2 million international
visitor arrivals this year. We forecast that the total number of
international tourist arrivals will reach five million by 2015, and 7.5
million by 2020. We are satisfied with these numbers.
What opportunities could Cambodia tourism could capitalize on more?
Sokha Beach - Cambodia Bay, now a member of the
Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club.
Domestic tourism. In 2012, Cambodia received about 3.5 million international
tourists (a growth rate of 25%, over 2011). There were approximately eight
million domestic tourists, a sector growing at 3%, bringing about US$2
billion revenue into the Cambodian economy and creating approximately
350,000 direct jobs. According to forecasts, by 2020, Cambodian tourism will
generate approximately US$5 billion revenue, and create 800,000 direct jobs.
Cambodian tourism is considered as ‘Green Gold’, a priority sector,
contributing to socio-economic development and poverty reduction.
How important are ASEAN initiatives to the future of Cambodia’s tourism?
In the spirit of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015, ASEAN member states
endorsed the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professionals (MRA),
which facilitates the mobility of tourism professionals in the region. It
aims to share best practices among ASEAN member states for 32 job titles,
including: Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage Services, Food
Production, Travel Agencies, Tour Operations, Hotel and Travel Services.
Both Cambodia and other ASEAN member states will seize this opportunity.
What are your priorities for infrastructure development in the tourism
sector?
Cambodian tourism still faces certain challenges such as hard and soft
infrastructure. The priorities for Cambodian tourism development include: 1.
Tourism product development; 2. Marketing and promotion; 3. Connectivity and
facilitation in travel and transportation; 4. Tourism safety systems and
impact management; 5. Legal systems and managerial mechanisms; 6. Human
resource management.
What aviation developments would you like to see more of for Cambodia?
We would like to see more national and international flights connecting
Cambodia and the region as well as the world, in addition to Siem Reap-Preah
Sihanouk connectivity of local flights. We will conduct a study about
airfares and service quality to determine air transport competitiveness. We
encourage the reduction of landing and parking taxes, airport taxes, and
other services. We also want to see more direct flights from ASEAN countries
such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, and big cities in China, Japan,
India, Russia and Europe (such as Germany and UK). Particularly, we are
pushing for more low cost carriers to connect Cambodia and the region.
What steps is the government taking to promote Cambodia - and not just
Angkor Wat?
We are promoting antique temples, pagodas, ancient architectural buildings,
court dances, Sbeik Thom drama, Khmer ancient battle heritage and
traditions. They are vital to develop our tourism industry. For ecotourism
we have a wide variety of natural resources in the northeast, Tonle Sap
Lake, Tonle Mekong region, the Cardamom Mountains and the Bay of Cambodia,
which is now a member of the World’s Most Beautiful Bays Club.
What do you feel about the opportunities and challenges for tourism in
Cambodia presented by the ASEAN Economic Community?
When the ASEAN Economic Community is established by 2015, ASEAN will become
a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a
place of equitable economic development, a region fully integrated into the
global economy. There will be free movement of goods, services, investment
and skilled labor. There will be opportunities to further integrate Cambodia
into the region and the world.
What new tourism marketing campaigns will Cambodia be announcing soon?
The Ministry of Tourism will continue promoting “Cambodia: Kingdom of
Wonder” and “Clean City, Clean Resort, Good Service.” We will finalize
marketing plans for attracting Chinese tourists, pushing for further direct
flights from the region, and facilitating travel across borders.
Importantly, we are now linking the Siem Reap / Angkor areas with the coast.
In order to promote Cambodia Bay, we are now a member of the Most Beautiful
Bays in the World Club. We recently hosted the 9th General Assembly of the
Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club, from December 5-8, in conjunction
with the 2013 Sea Festival. This invaluable event aims at bringing key
players and other relevant stakeholders in tourism together to network,
collaborate and share their experiences, best practices and technological
innovations.
I would like to invite visitors and investors from the ASEAN region, and the
rest of the world, to come to visit and invest in Cambodia: Kingdom of
Wonder.
(ASEAN tourism press release)
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Mövenpick celebrates prestigious win
at 2013 Worldwide Hospitality Awards
with ‘Natural Enjoyment’
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts strolled away with top
honours at last week’s Worldwide Hospitality Awards when the company’s
integrated training programme was awarded ‘Best Initiative in People and
Talent Management’.
The award follows a detailed submission by the upscale hospitality
company, who competed with five other international hotel group
finalists. Each candidate’s submitted Human Resources initiative was
studied against criteria which included originality and measurable
efficiency.
‘Natural Enjoyment’ successfully engaged all Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts’
16,000 employees worldwide. A need for consistency in service delivery,
though fluid and not identical from property to property, was the
inspiration for the initiative.
Identified in 2011 as the new brand promise for customers and a key
differentiator of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, ‘Natural Enjoyment’ is
about delivering a personalised, relaxed and uncomplicated experience
that makes guests happy. It amalgamated the current needs and
perceptions of guests at the company’s hotels, with the unique heritage
of the brand, yet allowing for cultural diversity and adaption at the
same time.
Development of the new brand promise was initiated by Jean Gabriel
Pérès, president and chief executive officer of Mövenpick Hotels &
Resorts. “Providing a fantastic quality of service and creating great
stories for our guests to take away with them, is what is most important
for the company. ‘Natural Enjoyment’ has now embedded this ideal within
our culture and it has been wonderful to see our exceptional employees
striving to make a difference and continuously increasing quality
benchmarks,” said Pérès.
One of the objectives of ‘Natural Enjoyment’ was to train all employees
of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts on practical ways to consistently deliver
the company’s brand promise. Three ‘Service Ingredients’ were created
and supported with practical ways in which to make each of these come to
life. The interactive programme was rolled out in 2012 with “Discovery”
sessions and followed up with progress sessions in 2013. Results are
measured through guest feedback, employee surveys and mystery guest
audits.
Alex Rawson, vice president learning and talent development for
Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, managed the research, design and ultimate
creation of the training programme ‘Discovery’: “Phase one of the
programme zeroed in several hands-on possibilities our employees could
take ownership of, while phase two made sure this new approach was also
reflected in actual day-to-day behaviour. We are now shaping phase three
with the objective to inspire employees through storytelling and sharing
hero stories,” said Rawson.
The Worldwide Hospitality Awards is an international competition
established in 2000 by Paris-based MKG Group. It represents an
opportunity for hotels to highlight their teams’ exemplary achievements
in communication, marketing, innovation, human resources, customer
loyalty programmes, social and environmental responsibility. Winners are
chosen by an international jury composed of around 40 renowned figures
of the business world, tourism industry and marketing sector.
For more information please visit moevenpick-hotels.com.
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Tourism industry hit by political unrest
Thailand’s tourism industry has been hit by ongoing
political demonstrations with 20 percent of inbound tour bookings by
Asian travelers being canceled, according to the Tourism Council of
Thailand.
The Tourism Council consisting of 77 tourism-related associations and
122 tourism business operators on Sunday issued a report on the impact
on Thailand’s tourism industry of political unrest as of Dec 2.
The report found that 20 percent of Asian travelers, particularly
incentive travels, have canceled their trips to the kingdom and opted to
visit other countries instead, while 30 percent confirmed their trips to
Thailand but diverted their destinations to other provinces to avoid
political rallies in the capital.
Forward bookings by foreigners also slowed, said the report, adding that
30 percent of domestic travel and holding conventions and meetings has
also been suspended.
Those already confirming their trips, especially Europeans, however,
still visited Thailand but diverted instead to provinces which have not
been affected by political demonstrations.
Although travel advisories issued by 32 countries have not considered
Thailand’s situation as severe, the report said in practice some
countries including China have advised their citizens to reconsider
their planned trips here.
Tourism council president, Piyamarn Techapaibbon, expressed concern that
the tourism business is especially fragile during this period. She urged
tourism-related service sector agencies such as the Airports Authority
of Thailand to provide measures to boost confidence among tourists, as
well as ensure their safety. (MCOT)
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