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Accor to launch advertising promotion
To support positive signs of travel picking up, Accor
Asia-Pacific will launch a major advertising promotion the end of June to
drive business back to destinations affected by the SARS outbreak.
From June 27 to September 30, Accor is offering
impressive discounts at its hotels in all major capital cities and main
resort destinations around Asia. Promotions with airline partners Cathay
Pacific and Thai Airways International will award guests with double miles
when staying at Accor hotels. Another promotion targeting Visa cardholders
with take place in August and September to expand the offer. (TGG Asia)
Amari hosts seminar on
“National Information System”
H.E.
Surapong Suebwonglee, Minister of Information Technology and Communications
(2nd left) recently chaired a seminar on “National Information System”,
organized by Chulalongkorn University and the Ministry of Information
Technology and Communications. The seminar was held at the Amari Watergate
Hotel, where the minister received a warm welcome from Pierre Andre
Pelletier (left), Prof. Dr. Suchada Keeranunt (2nd right) and Ms. Nichaya
Chaivusuth, director of public relations at the hotel.
First wireless Internet access at Don Muang Airport
Thailand is to get its first wireless Internet access
service when Millcom Systems launches a cutting edge new service for
passengers at Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport this month.
Rattana Meetem, executive director of Millcom Systems,
said that the service would provide businesspeople and tourists with fast,
reliable Internet access to surf the Web or check their email.
“We are installing the equipment near exit doors of the
domestic and international terminals, as well as in duty free shops. We are
calling this wireless Internet service ‘W Land Net’,” he said.
All passengers will need to access the service is a
notebook computer with a Wi-Fi 802.11 b card, and a W Land Net card that can
be purchased from various shops within the airport for 250 baht for an
hour’s usage.
The service represents a deal forged between the Airports
Authority of Thailand, Millcom Systems, and Far Eastern Net and Wireless
Link. Rattana said that in the near future the service would be expanded to
cover leading hotels, and that the W Land Net card would also be valid in a
number of other countries. (TNA)
“The Seas are Life” campaign aims at marine resource preservation
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and the
World Wildlife Fund (Thailand) jointly launched a public awareness campaign
on the importance of sea preservation called “The Seas are Life”.
The campaign encourages members of the public and local
fishermen to care more about environmental problems, ecological balance and
marine resource preservation.
NRE Minister Prapat Panyachatraksa said that at present
the marine resources are deteriorating from various factors. “Coastal
development mismanagement, coastal encroachment for tourism purposes and
over-fishing are among the major causes of the deterioration. We must join
hands to preserve the seas otherwise our marine resources will vanish,”
said the minister.
Coastal and Wetlands Resources Conservation Project, WWF
(Thailand) was assigned to oversee the campaign.
Prapat pointed out that that environmentally-friendly
tourism is encouraged and could play a much bigger role in the tourist
industry if the seas are properly protected. “But lifeless seas will not
draw tourists,” he said. (TNA)
THAI soon back on full schedule
Jeremy Colson
TGG Asia
Thai Airways International (THAI) will have completely
normalized its flights by July 1, according to the carrier’s president,
Kanok Abhiradee.
“We plan to have all aircraft back in the air in about
10 days’ time. That means the entire fleet of 81 will be flying again and
this is because business is picking up again quite quickly now,” said
Kanok. He said the road shows being spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism,
coupled with Tourism Authority of Thailand campaigns, such as Unseen in
Thailand, were beginning to pay off. “Efforts by other parties, plus our
own promotions will see traffic return to normal by about September or
October - that’s our view at the moment,” he added.
Direct Air India flights
to Kuwait/Dubai from Goa
Air India has introduced direct flights to Kuwait/Dubai
from Goa. Flight AI-867 will depart from Goa at 1400 hours on Mondays and
arrive in Dubai at 1545 hours, and leave Dubai at 1645 hours to arrive in
Kuwait at 1715 hours. On Sundays, flight AI-868 will depart from Kuwait at
0050 hours arriving in Dubai at 0315 hours. It will leave Dubai at 0415
hours arriving in Goa at 0855 hours. The flight will thereafter leave for
Mumbai at 0955 hours.
Air-India will, in addition, continue to maintain its
Mumbai-Goa-Mumbai flights on Thursdays. The flight will depart from Goa at
1400 hours to provide connections over Mumbai to Gulf/Middle East as well as
west-bound destinations.
Lufthansa to reinstate two grounded planes as North Atlantic traffic picks up
Frankfurt, Germany (AP) Germany’s Lufthansa said it
will return to service in mid-June two long-haul aircraft that were grounded
earlier this year as trans-Atlantic traffic begins to pick up.
Lufthansa and its regional partners have grounded 70
planes this year out of a total fleet of 420, citing global economic
weakness, the effects of the war in Iraq and the impact on air travel of the
SARS virus.
“A noticeable recovery of North Atlantic traffic, with
rising demand for flights between Europe, the United States and Canada,
prompted Lufthansa’s decision to bring back two of the aircraft,’
spokeswoman Sandra Kraft said.
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