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Khao Kheow Open Zoo introduces funny little birds in tuxedos
Penguins part of “Summer Zoo” activities April - June
Suchada Tupchai
Penguins from the South Pole are the newest attraction at
the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi. These snappy little “birds in
tuxedoes” and their hilarious antics are drawing crowds of locals and
tourists alike. They are the stars of the zoo’s new image, which was
unveiled on March 29.
Sophon
Damnui, Zoological Park Organization director (center)) and celebrities cut
the ribbon to officially open the “Summer Zoo” activities and Penguin
Exhibit at Khao Kheow Open Zoo.
Sophon Damnui, Zoological Park Organization director and
Supakit Thamsatitman, Sriracha district chief presided over the opening
ceremonies for the “Summer Zoo” penguin exhibit, which marked the
beginning of the summer season at the zoo. Many VIPs and honored guests were
in attendance.
After
the official opening, the zoo’s officers invited celebrities, press, the
public, and especially youths, to visit the penguins.
Suriya Saengpong, Khao Kheow Open Zoo director said,
“April is the start of the summer season and is a relaxation period for
the public because of the school holidays and long public holiday. During
this time there are many tourist activities.
“Chonburi is a favorite place for visitors, and this
high season we had an idea to use the zoo to educate visitors. We are using
4 different approaches: educating youths, studying and researching wild
animals; promoting conservation; and promoting the zoo as a good
recreational choice for the public,” Suriya explained.
The
penguins delight visitors, especially during feeding time.
“In 2005, the Zoo Project will bring in as many as
200,000 students and their parents to study at the zoo,” said Siriya.
“The highlights of the ‘Summer Zoo’ are the 23
Humboldt penguins, which are on display for 3 months, from now until June.
We’ve created a cool and comfortable environment for them to live in that
imitates the South Pole,” concluded Siriya.
These
penguins are 65-70 cm tall, cannot fly, and eat fish as their main source of
food.
After the official opening, the zoo’s officers invited
celebrities, press, the public, and especially youths, to visit the
penguins. These penguins are 65-70 cm tall, cannot fly, and eat fish as
their main source of food, which they find on the coasts.
The penguins were sent from Chiang Mai Zoo as a favor.
They delight visitors, especially during feeding time.
Anyone interested in attending the “Summer Zoo” activities can obtain
more information at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, tel. 038-298195 and
038-298270.
Pattaya happiness rocks the buses in Singapore
A venture with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is
helping to promote Pattaya in Singapore, one of the city resort’s main
Asian markets.
Pattaya is an increasingly well-known international
tourist destination. In 2004, visitors to Pattaya and Chonburi totalled
5,020,564, with official tourism receipts recorded at 48,671.72 million
baht. The majority of visitors were from East Asia and Europe.
One
prominent bus stop display in front of the Thai Embassy in Singapore plays
Thai music for passers-by.
With very diverse facilities there is a great deal more
potential for tourism, and promotional campaigns work to enhance Pattaya’s
image and position the resort as a quality destination.
Within Asia, the prime tourist markets for Pattaya are
Singapore, China and Korea.
An advertising and press campaign, with a budget of 1.5
million baht from Pattaya City, is underway in Singapore. With a further
budget of 1.5 million baht from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and
500,000 baht from the tourist agencies, the STB will publish a series of
advertisements for Pattaya. These will be placed on the back of five buses.
During the same campaign, editorial material will be placed in various
Singapore magazines.
PFive
buses in Singapore have been decorated with promotional material for Pattaya
tourism.
The bus advertisements cover the full depth of the
double-decker bus, and advertising at bus stops is included. The theme,
taking the “Thailand Happiness on Earth” concept, is “Happiness rocks
the beach in Pattaya.”
One prominent bus stop display is in front of the Thai
Embassy in Singapore, where passers-by will also hear Thai music playing.
For more information please contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Central Regional Office Region 3. Tel 0-3842-8750, 0-3842-7667.
Transport minister moves
to soften airport fee hike
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungruangkij said he was
moving to improve the efficiency of Bangkok airport in a bid to offset a
looming 15 percent increase in fees for airlines using the facility.
Suriya told journalists after a meeting last month with a
delegation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that a
committee was being set up to ensure improved air traffic handling, and that
airlines suffer no net increase in costs.
According to Suriya, the IATA representatives said they
would not object to the mid-October fee increase provided air traffic
management was more efficient and operating costs were cut.
Suriya argued that Thailand’s airport service fees were
50 percent cheaper than the tariffs in Singapore and Malaysia.
Apart from reforming the current practices of air-traffic
handling, the new committee will also look into how to manage the smooth
transition from the current Bangkok International Airport to the new
Suvanabhumi Airport. Construction of the new airport is scheduled to be
complete by late September, but it will not be in service until 2006. (TNA)
Bus fares to rise soon
Thailand’s bus fares will rise after the Songkran
holiday period in mid-April, according to a senior transport official. The
fares of cross-province bus service are expected to be increased by 0.03
baht a kilometer, the director general of the Department of Land Transport,
Piyapan Champasut, announced on March 30.
The Transport Ministry would also allow a 1.0 baht
increase in public bus fares charged by the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority
(BMTA).
Deputy Transport Minister Adisorn Piengket discussed the
details of the fare increases with the bus operators on April1st.
The fare increases will become effective from May 1,
after the Songkran festival in mid-April, said Mr. Piyapan.
Thais usually spend a long-period Songkran holiday
traveling. Most laborers in Bangkok also return home during Songkran—the
traditional Thai New Year.
Any bus operators who try to take advantage of passengers
by increasing their fares in advance will face a fine of up to 50,000 baht
each, while the bus drivers will face a 5,000 baht fine each, he said.
On another note, the government has launched a campaign
to reduce road accidents during the forthcoming Songkran festival. The
campaign also urges drivers to check their cars at service centers. (TNA)
Second earthquake dashes Thai hopes of speedy recovery
Thailand’s tourism industry is trying to come to terms
with the impact on business of the latest earthquake in Indonesia.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told TTG Daily
News on March 29, about 10 percent of the 1,200 tourists they evacuated from
Phuket’s West Coast the night before, mostly Patong, had said they wanted
to cut short their holiday and go home.
“There are a lot of people at Phuket Airport right now.
This couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Our New York and European
offices have been flooded with calls. It’s too early to quantify the
impact on future business but this is not what we needed at this stage, it
won’t help at all,” said TAT spokesman Tanes Petsuwan, said.
Diethelm Travel Asia vice president sales &
marketing, Richard Brouwer, said he had been up all night taking calls from
suppliers around the world. “We are monitoring the situation. Some clients
want to check out and go home to Europe, but not more than 10 percent. I’m
now pretty scared for the low season market. This will definitely have an
impact,” said Mr Brouwer.
He had been hoping for good business from South Africa,
Australia and the Middle East. “Now I think we have to accept that this
low season is going to be just that, low, very low,” he added.
By stark contrast, Asian Trails managing director, Luzi
Matzig, dismissed the earthquake as a non-story so far as Thailand is
concerned. “We have had only one enquiry and that was from Canada. Forget
it,” said Matzig. (TTG Asia)
More fuel-surcharge increases on the way
Thai Airways International (THAI) is leading a wave of
fuel surcharge increases for Thailand-based airlines in order to offset
rising fuel prices.
A THAI spokesman confirmed this morning that new
chairman, Wanchai Sarathulthat, had asked the Civil Aviation Board to
approve a surcharge increase of US$5 from May 1. If the request is accepted,
as expected, the new surcharge will be US$25 on intercontinental routes, and
US$15 on regional flights. In addition, a new US$2.50 surcharge would apply
to domestic flights.
PB Air has also announced a fuel surcharge increase, from
US$9 to US$12 for international flights, and from US$7.75 to US$9 on
domestic flights.
Low-cost carriers are also about to increase surcharges.
One-Two-Go commercial manager, Herman Ha, said a fuel surcharge would be put
in place after the Songkran holiday in mid-April. “Low cost carriers can
survive the fuel increases, but fuel surcharges are inevitable,” he said.
Nok Air executive vice president, Sehapan Chumsai, said
while the airline hoped to keep to its pledge of no fuel surcharges, the
possibility is now under consideration. “Although the introduction of
higher-revenue Nok Plus seats has somewhat offset increasing fuel costs, we
will be discussing the possibility of fuel surcharges at a meeting this
month,” Sehapan said. (TTG Asia)
AirAsia takes on more Airbuses
AirAsisa has confirmed orders for 60 Airbus 320 aircraft,
an additional 20 aircraft from the original purchase agreement inked last
December, to meet its expansion program into the region.
Delivery will start in late 2005 and is expected to
continue through to 2011. There is also an option to purchase another 40
A320s. Its fleet comprises 28 Boeing 737-300s, which will be gradually
phased out as the order comes in.
From April 25, Thai AirAsia will be the first budget
airline to fly to China when services between Bangkok and Xiamen begin. (TTG
Asia)
Bangkok to get new
world-class theater
A private sector company is pouring 1.5 billion baht into
the construction of a new theater for Thailand’s capital, which is hoped
will become a major draw for foreign visitors when it opens in November.
The Rachada Grand Theater, located on 24 rai of land near
the South Korean Embassy in Bangkok, is being constructed by the Rachada
Theater Co. Ltd.
Touted by the company as being the first theater in the
capital to show Thai cultural performances specifically for the benefit of
foreign visitors, the theater will open with a show entitled ‘Siam
Magic’. The theatre complex will also feature a four regions Thai village
and two restaurants.
Describing the theater as among the most modern in the
world, Rachada Theater Co. managing director Phannin Kittipraporn said that
it would also have one of the world’s largest stages, measuring 65 meters
by 40 meters, or the size of a four-storey building. Around 150 performers
will take part in the theatre’s shows, which will feature over 500
costumes.
“The show will be world class, beautiful, miraculous
and fun, and will help preserve Thai cultural traditions,” Phannin
promised.
With a target audience composed of 90 percent foreign
tourists and 10 percent Thai tourists, the 2,000-seat theater will give one
daily performance at &:30 p.m., with tickets priced at 1,500 baht (TNA)
Thai-Lao festival to celebrate Wat Wang Toom’s 100th anniversary
Visitors to Thailand’s central province of Nakhon Nayok
will be able to get a taste of Lao culture this month when the two nations
hold a festival to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Wat Wang Toom.
According to Miss Benjawan Sunetworakul, director of the
Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Central Region Office, Region 8, the
festival at the temple in tambon Khao Phra on April 8-16 will serve to boost
bilateral relations and promote the local tourism industry.
The event will be attended by monks from Thailand, Laos
and China, and will see cultural performances by troupes from both Thailand
and Laos.
Other highlights will include an old-fashioned open air
movie showing, a song contest, a traditional pantomime performance, comedy
shows and the sale of local food and handicrafts. (TNA)
easyCruise One launches
European voyages at budget rates
Forget luxury on board, instead live with the bare
essentials, pay as you eat and drink, and embark or depart as you wish at
any port along the route – that is the new easyCruise concept setting sail
on May 6 along the French and Italian Rivieras.
At US$57 per person per night, one can cruise for as
little as two nights on the seven-night itinerary which covers Nice, Cannes,
and St Tropez (France), Genoa, Portofino, and Imperia (for San Remo) and
Monaco.
And unlike traditional cruises, the ship will reach a
port in the afternoon and only leave in the wee hours next morning, giving
the targeted young passengers ample time to explore the destination and
party hard.
easyCruiseOne, a 170-passenger ship is the latest
brainchild of Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of the easyGroup of
companies. At the world’s first preview of the ship on March 29, at the
Singapore Cruise Center, he said this new cruise concept targeting
independent youths was “opening a new market” for the cruise industry.
“The South of France and Italian Riviera have for a long time been the
playground of the internationally rich and famous and now we are giving a
chance to a wider international crowd to visit this beautiful part of the
world.”
He revealed it was possible to introduce this budget
cruise by adding more cabins, charging for everything on board including bed
keeping, traveling short distances thus saving cost on fuel and selling the
cruise through the Internet.
Travel agents who are interested in selling easyCruise
can do so by joining the Passenger Shipping Association Retail Agent Scheme
in Britain, where they can get a five per cent discount.
Haji-Ioannou said should the easyCruise concept take off;
it would be introduced to other regions including the Caribbean and Asia.
(TTG Asia)
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