|
Courtyard comes to Thailand
Courtyard – the fastest growing of the Marriott brands
– is coming to Thailand for the first time. An informed source close to
Bangkok property company Amarin Plaza Group told TTG Daily News a letter of
intent had been signed with Marriott and the Courtyard flag will be flying
in Bangkok by early 2007.
“It will be a 300-room hotel in a 15-story building
just behind the Four Seasons hotel. It might be ready by the last quarter of
2006, but Q1 2007 is more likely,” said the source.
The US$25 million project, which was confirmed by an
anonymous source at Marriott Resorts & Hotels, will be pitched at the
junior executive business traveler, but with an average room-rate of US$75
is also expected to appeal to tourists.
Earlier, Amarin’s president & CEO, Kasama
Punyagupta, said the location was good enough to have made the project
5-star, but Amarin consultants believe the market urgently needs more 4-star
inventory.
Courtyard hotels are typified by high-speed Internet
access, ergonomic work spaces, business libraries, central courtyard,
swimming pool and 24-hour access to food. There are 638 Courtyards
worldwide; but only 55 are outside the US. (TTG Asia)
Diesel hikes cause tourists to tighten belts
The government’s recent decision to raise the price of
diesel could deal a blow to efforts to boost domestic tourism, with Thais
likely to make fewer trips as a result of the higher transport costs, the
head of the Domestic Tourism Association warned.
Speaking in response to the 3 baht per liter rise in the
price of diesel, Maslin Sukphattananarakul said that the increase would not
have a direct impact on the domestic tourism industry, as most tourists
traveled by airplane, and were now able to choose from a range of low-cost
airlines.
Nonetheless, she said that the diesel price rise would
see the public cutting back on household expenditures, with travel one of
the first luxuries to be jettisoned as people tighten their belts. As a
result, Thais were likely to make fewer trips.
According to Maslin, the main problem currently faced by
the domestic tourism industry is not the cost of fuel, but a shortage of
airline seats. However, she spoke of good news for the Andaman tourist
industry, badly dented by the December tsunamis, noting that large numbers
of Thais were choosing to travel to the Andaman region over the extended
Songkran holidays this month. (TNA)
Phuket governor told to halt destruction of coral
Local fisheries officials in Thailand’s southern resort
province of Phuket have promised to closely monitor the activities of
trawler vessels, following the discovery that trawlers are destroying coral
reefs which provide essential monsoon shelter for dolphins.
The move by the local fisheries office comes after local
hotelier Kritaya Sangiamkil submitted a petition to Phuket Governor Udomsak
Assawarangkura and Phuket fisheries chief Panya Assawarangkura, calling for
a ban on the use of trawler nets near the coral reefs.
Noting that trawlers had already caused extensive damage
to coral in the vicinity of Racha Yai Island, Kritaya warned that further
damage would be done unless urgent action was taken.
The sea around Koh Racha is not only noted for its coral,
which attracts large numbers of tourists, but also for its dolphins using
the coral to provide shelter from monsoon waves. Several dolphins have
already been killed after having been caught up in trawler nets.
Kritaya’s petition prompted a pledge from the local
fisheries chief that he would send his officials to monitor the problems,
and that the owners of fishing vessels operating illegally would face legal
action. In the long term, he said, fisheries officials would seek to create
artificial reefs to help compensate for the damage already done. (TNA)
Phuket Air suspends Bangkok-London
Phuket Air suspended its Bangkok-London service on April
1, less than 12 months after launching it.
Phuket Air director, Kavida Aisiri said the service,
which was cut from five times weekly to thrice weekly in February, was being
suspended indefinitely.
“Higher fuel costs, the tsunami and the arrival of the
low season are the main factors. But we hope to reinstate the service at a
later date,” she said.
The aircraft being used on the London flights, a Boeing
747-200 previously in service with KLM, will be redeployed on the
Bangkok-Amsterdam service the company which was scheduled to commence March
26.
The start of a thrice-weekly Kathmandu service which was
to have started on March 9 has also been postponed indefinitely, but the
thrice-weekly Bali flight using a B757 will still take off beginning Monday,
March 28. (TTG Asia)
KLIA a magnet for regional carriers
Thailand’s Nok Air and Indonesia’s Sriwijaya Air will
be flying into Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) this year in
addition to Indian newcomers Jet Airways and Air Sahara.
Nok Air is expected to fly into KLIA in April, pending
the green light from the Thai authorities. Its presence in KLIA is expected
to boost Malaysia’s budget airline industry.
Meanwhile, preliminary discussions are under way between
the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities for Sriwijaya Air to operate
between Medan and KL and Medan and Penang later this year. Malaysia will be
the full-service domestic airline’s maiden international destination.
Sriwijaya Air’s proposed routes are said to be in line
with the Indonesian government’s new policy to encourage its domestic
carriers to expand their services regionally.
According to its district manager, Heru Tony Hardjanto,
the new routes, which represent the airline’s mid-term plans, are based on
the growing traffic in Medan to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, particularly for
medical tourism.
Star Air, one of the four Indonesian airlines operating
to KLIA, also plans to start Surabaya-KL direct flights in June, in addition
to its daily Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur service. (TTG Asia)
Thailand exposed during eye candy event
Thailand will enjoy worldwide media exposure when it
hosts the 2005 Miss Universe Pageant for three weeks, starting on May 12.
More than 10,000 fans and 1,000 international media
members are expected to follow the 88 contestants as they participate in
pageant events in more than 10 locations around the country, including
fashion shows at northeastern historical sites, a charity fundraiser in the
south and a parade in Bangkok.
Major media coverage for Thailand will include a
nine-minute documentary promoting tourism, to be shown during the airing of
the pageant on May 30.
Former minister of tourism and sports, Sontaya Kunplome,
said the event was expected to provide a much-needed boost to Thailand’s
tourism industry. “Bringing the pageant to Thailand is one of the many
steps in rebuilding our economy and boosting our tourism. There is no better
time, for our people and our economy, for us to bring this worldwide event
to our country,” he said.
The government has invested US$6.5 million to be the
major sponsor of the DTC Group, the local organizer of the event. (TTG Asia)
AirAsia enters
the Philippines
As tipped in TTG Daily News on January 31, AirAsia
started flights to Diosdado Macapagal International Airport on April 5,
making it the first international low-cost carrier to fly to the
Philippines. Flights will be serviced from the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah.
One-way fares start from RM129.99 (about 1,360 baht) for
Kuala Lumpur-Clark and from RM119.99 (about 1,280 baht) for Kota
Kinabalu-Clark. Ticketing became available March 19. Visit the website
www.airasia.com or call AirAsia’s call center at tel: 1 300 88 99 33
(within Malaysia) or tel: 6 03 7884 9000 (outside Malaysia). (TTG Asia)
Government plans to reduce Songkran accidents
The Thai authorities plan to strictly enforce traffic
regulations during the forthcoming Songkran holiday period, as part of the
government’s campaign to reduce accidents by 10 percent, the Assistant
National Police Chief, Pol. Lt. Gen. Thawatchai Julsukhon, said.
The police will be especially on the look-out for anyone
riding motorcycles without helmets, drunk drivers and speeding.
The police will also strictly control non-consensual
water fights and unauthorized use of hi-power water guns during the Songkran
celebrations.
The government campaign aims to reduce the accident rate
by at least 10 percent, compared to last year. Pol. Lt. Gen. Thawatchai
said.
The police will also closely monitor the country’s
major traffic routes towards the North and Northeast to help prevent
accidents. (TNA)
Phang-nga to get 10 disaster warning towers
Thailand’s southern resort province of Phang-nga, the
Andaman province worst hit by the December tsunamis, is to get 10 early
warning towers to help mitigate the impact of any future natural disaster,
the committee appointed to establish a disaster warning system has
announced.
Kittin Udomkiert, advisor to the committee, said that
after surveying locations in the six Andaman provinces affected by the
disaster, the committee had determined that Phang-nga Province needed at
least 10 towers to cover the 35 kilometers of coastline thought to be at
risk of tsunami damage.
The committee has also decided that three pilot mobile
early warning towers will be established on Phuket’s Patong Beach although
it has yet to establish locations for the towers in the remaining four
provinces.
Between 20 and 35 meters tall, the towers will be
constructed from reinforced concrete, each on an area of one square meter of
land.
Inside, the towers will be equipped with digital radio
receivers which will be able to receive signals via satellite, and a
transmissions control room which will be linked to Bangkok, where the
signals from the tower will be analyzed by experts from a range of agencies.
If a warning is warranted, it will be sent out
automatically to local radio stations and the mobile telephones of around 20
million people.
The warning siren will be at least 121 decibels in
strength, allowing it to be heard across a 1.5 kilometer radius. Unmanned,
the towers will be powered using solar energy.
Describing early warning towers as an urgent necessity,
Phang-nga Governor Anuwat Methiwiboonwuthi noted that they would help boost
the confidence of tourists visiting the province. (TNA)
See Padang
on Tiger
Travelers can now fly to Padang in West Sumatra,
Indonesia from S$4.98 (about 170 baht), one-way, on Tiger Airways from May
19.
The low cost carrier will operate three flights a week.
Ticket sales start today and are valid from May 19 to June 30.
The airline is now actively recruiting pilots and cabin
crew in Singapore to resource the airline’s continued network expansion.
CEO Tony Davis said, “Tiger Airways is also keen to fly
to other Indonesian cities and have applied for landing rights to both
Jakarta and Medan.”
The airline currently flies from Singapore to Thailand,
Vietnam, Macau, The Philippines and Indonesia. (TTG Asia)
Bangkok banks on retail therapy
Thailand is making a renewed bid to establish itself as
the shopping capital of Asia, this time through the launch of a discount
card aimed exclusively at incoming foreign tourists.
The Thailand Visitor Card will entitle holders for five
to 30 percent discounts at some 3,000 upscale outlets nationwide including
leading department stores, restaurants, health and spa outlets, hotels and
golf courses.
The card, which is being produced by Visa in co-operation
with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), will be distributed through
tour operators and TAT offices worldwide.
TAT spokesman, Tanes Petsuwan, said the card would also
be available at major international airports – Don Muang, Phuket, Chiang
Mai, Chiang Rai and Hat Yai. He said the card would be available from April
1 and would be valid until the end of March 2006. “The card will be given
free of charge and has to be used in conjunction with a current valid Visa
credit card.” (TTG Asia)
|
