Visiting travel agents from 15 countries, some as far
away as Sweden and the U.S., and some as close as neighbouring Vietnam
attended the Pattaya & the East of Thailand Travel Trade 2003 (PETT
2003), hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) The event on June
24-26.
Delegates
enter the fair at the Dusit Resort Pattaya through a colorful gate.
Juthaporn
Rerngronsa, TAT director of marketing & promotion at Nongnooch Trpical
Gardens & Resort.
Chonburi
Deputy Governor Pisit Boonchuang at the Hard Rock Hotel party.
The
general view of the trade fair professionally laid out, comparable to the
best in the world.
Members of local tourism related businesses in Chonburi
and Pattaya showed their best to over 200 buyers and sellers in the travel
industry.
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Sports Krirkkrai Jirapeat
presiding over the official launching ceremonies of PETT 2003 at the Dusit
Resort Pattaya. In his opening speech the deputy minister expressed the
importance of tourism in the eastern region and Thailand. “The Thai
tourism industry creates direct and indirect jobs for nearly two million
people. A leading earner of foreign exchange, the industry has a multiplier
effect. About 70 percent of the tourism revenue benefits hospitality and
tourism-related businesses outside Bangkok. This helps create jobs and
boosts investment in rural areas and helps thousands of small and
medium-size enterprises which are the backbone of the country’s
economy,” Krirkkrai said.
The opening ceremonies included a walkthrough of booths
from hotels and service related businesses, tabletop sales of products and a
video presentation, which highlighted the desirability of eastern Thailand
as a tourist major destination.
Manit Boonchim, director of the TAT Central Region 3
office said in an interview, “This is part of the TAT’s plan to widen
the tourist market abroad and enable our visitors to experience firsthand
the many destinations available in Chonburi, Pattaya, Rayong, Chantaburi and
Trat.”
Delegates
enjoy the Foam Party at the Hard Rock Hotel, a real fun experience.
Guests
seek merit by releasing paper hot air balloons at the Nongnooch Tropical
Gardens feast.
These
talented girls of the Dusit Resort show off their synchronised swimming
skills with beauty and perfect poise.
At the
Hard Rock Hotel, even men can lay golden ping pong eggs. All part of the
entertainment.
Guests
are invited to perform the ‘Lao Kratop Mai’ dance (skipping between
bamboo poles) at the Nong Nooch Gardens.
Buyers,
sellers and guests enjoy cocktails before the gala dinner at the Dusit
Resort, Pattaya.
A Dusit
Resort Honey Bee in one of the spectacular dance numbers.
Chatchawal Supachayanont, general manager of the Dusit
Resort Pattaya and president of the Thai Hotels Association Eastern Chapter
added, “We have planned this event since the beginning of the year, even
before the war in Iraq and SARS. This is just one of the activities
organized to promote Thailand and we look forward to improving the economic
status of the tourism industry, particularly in the eastern region.”
“We still have many things planned as we can see from
the start of the ‘Pattaya 4 Fun’ fair and the upcoming Pattaya Marathon.
We will be able to see the results of PETT 2003 as one these activities soon
enough. Our goal was to invite travel agents from Asia and further away and
show them the region. We are promoting both Pattaya and Chang Island as dual
destinations,” Chatchawal said.
Tourism on Chang Island has yet to reach a saturation
point but is becoming a popular travel spot, according to local and TAT
reports. Chatchawal commented that the benefits of these activities could
eventually lead to the injection of 100 million baht from tourist dollars.
The following day visitors were taken to Nong Nooch
Gardens where Juthaporn Rerngronsa, TAT director of marketing &
promotion greeted the guests and gave them a brief description of Nong Nooch.
The visitors were then treated to a variety of unique Thai shows and culture
before enjoying a sumptuous buffet dinner.
The Pattaya & the East of Thailand Travel Trade 2003
concluded on Thursday evening with visitors and dignitaries enjoying the
hospitality and the poolside atmosphere of the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya. The
hotel provided a superb international buffet for their special guests on the
final day of the 3-day trade fair. Stunning cabaret shows, the in-house band
and staff from the Hard Rock Cafe entertained guests during dinner. There
were also plenty of games and prizes handed out to lucky winners. Also
spotted in the crowd was Chonburi Deputy Governor Pisit Boonchuang and
Somsak Yonokphan, Banglamung district chief.
The evening finished off with the Hard Rock’s inventive
‘foam party’ with many of the visitors diving into head-high foam for a
fun evening.
Along with many private businesses and organizations, PETT 2003 was also
hosted and co-organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chonburi
Provincial Administration Organization, Thai Hotel Association Eastern
Chapter, Pattaya Business and Tourism Association, Pattaya Hotel Chapter and
Pattaya City as part of the ongoing effort to promote the region as a
gateway to Thailand and Southeast Asia with the aim of stimulating the local
and national economy by boosting the travel industry.
