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Extended time for the penguin show
Suchada Tupchai
Khao Kheow Open Zoo, with a big success on its hands in
the form of the penguin show, brought in initially for the school summer
holidays, has now extended the exhibition until November to meet the demand.
The
penguin show at Khao Kheow Open Zoo has been extended until November.
These are Humboldt Penguins from the seashores of Chile
and Peru. They are about 60cm high, 4.5 kg in weight, reach adulthood in one
year, and live for 14 years. These are rare birds that have never been seen
in Thailand, and they have attracted visitors from far afield.
Also popular at Khao Kheow Zoo is the “Unseen Zoo”
attraction that includes rare species including chameleons, turtles, giant
spiders, and a giant anaconda 18.9 metres long. The Night Safari continues
to draw the crowds, attracted by the nocturnal life of the animals and
birds. If daily tickets are presented, customers enjoy a 50 percent
deduction for the Night Safari, making this an economical as well as
educational visit.
For more information contact Khao Kheow Open Zoo at tel 038 298 195.
Marriott staff cycle for the environment
Suchada Tupchai
Somsak Tanruangsri, general manager of the Pattaya
Marriott Resort & Spa, led hotel employees in ECHO, Environmentally
Conscious Hospitality Operations, to mark World Environment Day. ECHO is
designed to show hotel employees and guests how they can actively
participate in energy conservation.
 Grandfather
Wichian Suntharot came in his trademark Superman costume.
A bicycle caravan was organised with 40 cyclists
participating, including 72-year-old grandfather Wichian Suntharot who came
dressed as Superman. The bicycles started from the hotel at 9 a.m. and went
to the Public Health Centre on Soi Buakao, the centre of activities for
World Environment Day. Unused objects and materials from the hotel were
given to Abbot Payom to recycle at the Suan Kaew Temple Foundation.
The hotel also had food stands for distributing environmentally safe
produce, the income being given to Abbot Payom.
Dental training aims
to catch tooth decay before school age
Suchada Tupchai
Pattaya Deputy Mayor Wuttisak Rermkijakarn on June 3
performed the official opening on a dental hygiene program for pre-school
children, organised by the city sanitation and environmental department for
health care officers and parents and held at the Public Health Centre on Soi
Buakao.
Sanitary services chief Sunai Leetranon said that data on
dental hygiene for 2004 collected by the sanitation and environmental
department found that 44.5 percent of primary school children had tooth
decay. Dental service is not enough, he said, it is necessary to take
preventive measures before school age as well, because teeth and gums can be
protected if parents and children are taught how.
Wuttisak said that this training was useful to increase
knowledge and to teach not just parents but babysitters and kindergarten
teachers about dental health for the very young.
Specialists on dental care from Banglamung Hospital were present to give
information and advice, and the Public Health Centre also held a dental
exhibition.
Qantas - British Airways receive awards for tsunami relief effort
Ian
Stevens (center), Qantas Airways Recognition Programs manager recently
presents a special eXcel Award to Julianne Rogers (4th from left), manager
Thailand and to the Thailand Commercial and Operations teams for their
significant contributions to the Qantas and British Airways’ relief effort
following the tsunami in the South of Thailand.
Filipina model welcomed to Amari Watergate Hotel
Alexander
Frenkel (left), resident manager and Nichaya Chaivisuth (right), director of
public relations at the Amari Watergate Hotel recently welcomed Ms. Juliana
Palermo (center), a famous model and actress from the Philippines on her
arrival for a fashion shooting.
Indonesia to
raise domestic airfares
Indonesia’s Department of Communications plans to
increase the minimum selling price of domestic airfares to an average of
338,386 rupiah (US$35.6 or about 2600 baht) per passenger per hour.
Minister of communications, Hatta Rajasa, was quoted by
the local media as saying the actual minimum selling price of each route
will be between five and 18 percent higher than the old one. This is still
lower than the earlier projected increment of 30 percent.
The airfare for the Jakarta-Palembang route for example
is expected to increase to 233,000 rupiah.
“This calculation is based on the assumption that fuel
consumption is 40 percent of the operational cost and the average load
factor of the route is 75 percent,” Rajasa said.
However, the deadline for implementing the new tariff has
yet to be decided. (TTG Asia)
Three Thai carriers
told to shape up
Jeremy Colson,
TTG Asia
Three of Thailand’s passenger airlines have been given
notice that their licenses will not be renewed if they do not get their act
together.
A spokesman for the kingdom’s Department of Civil
Aviation (DCA) told TTG Daily News this morning that Angel Air, Thai Pacific
Airlines and Thai Jet will lose their licenses in September unless they
start providing regular air services.
“We have told them that just making the occasional
flight here and there will not be good enough. They will have to show that
they are serious about it,” said DCA director general, Chaisak Angkasuwan.
The crackdown aims to clean up the registry and put off
applicants that do not have a “serious intention” to fly but want to
hold on to their permits in the hope they may increase in value.
Angel Air president & chief executive officer,
Somchai Bencharongkul, said he was discussing a new plan with investors but
he didn’t think Angel would be flying again before the end of the year.
There was no reply from the offices of Thai Pacific
Airlines or from Thai Jet.
Banyan group plans Koh Samui and London properties
Jeremy Colson,
TTG Asia
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts has
signed an agreement with Thailand’s TCC Land for new hotel projects in Koh
Samui and London.
Under the deal, which was quietly inked in Bangkok at the
end of April, Banyan Tree will design, develop and manage a 100-key
pool-villa development on the island of Samui for opening in 2008.
A source close to the deal told TTG Daily News the
property will be on an eight-hectare site with a long stretch of private
beach. “It will probably be called the Banyan Tree Resort and Spa, Samui.
We would like for it to open at the beginning of 2008 but it really is only
at the design stage at the moment so it’s more likely to open towards the
end of 2008,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Banyan Tree is also working on designs to
convert the old Adelphi Hotel in London into a contemporary boutique hotel.
The source said, “TCC Land purchased the property a few years ago with a
view to modernising it. Work is under way and it should open towards the end
of next year as an Angsana, but the name hasn’t been finally decided
yet.”
All Nippon Airways
increases fuel surcharge
ALL Nippon Airways has announced it will raise its fuel
surcharges on international tickets issued on and after July 7 this year.
The international fuel surcharge has been in place since
February 1 this year. The airline said the surcharge will return to current
levels if the average monthly price of fuel falls below US$60 per barrel.
Likewise, it will be discontinued completely if the average drops below
US$40 per barrel.
In Hong Kong, new surcharge will be raised from US$5 to
US$11 per person per sector whereas it will increase from US$10 to US$12 in
China. However, the Fukuoka-Shanghai is reset from US$10 to US$7. (TTG Asia)
Preserve religious sanctity: Thailand culture ministry says
Jeffrey Studebaker,
TTG Asia
Thailand’s Culture Ministry is urging national heritage
sites to apply for patents to prevent the commercial use of Buddhist art and
architecture, and provincial governors will be asked to monitor the use of
religious items at hotels and resorts.
The announcement by ministry permanent secretary, Ms
Tiphavadee Meksawan, comes in the wake of a protest by Buddhist monks over
the irreverent placement of a replica of a revered temple within the new
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Hotel in Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai Buddhist Association president, Bunchuay
Sirinthalo, urged the private sector to show respect for the deeply held
religious beliefs of the national religion. “Replicas of revered temples
and icons are not appropriate for use as decor in a private business,” he
said.
In response, Dhara Dhevi executive assistant manager,
Savas Rattakunjara, said the ministry should initiate a dialogue with
hoteliers before laying down clear guidelines regarding use of religious and
cultural imagery.
“The intentions of the investor should be considered,
since some hotel owners are seeking to preserve and respect Thai culture by
modeling their properties on ancient heritage sites,” he said.
Thailand gears up
for mega travel event
Jeremy Colson,
TTG Asia
The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) revealed that 519
buyers registered for Thailand’s biggest travel trade fair, Thailand
Travel Mart Plus (TTM).
A TAT spokesman said, “We have never seen so many
buyers here at one time. This is certainly the biggest TTM ever and we are
very optimistic that the interest being shown from around the world will
translate into some solid business.”
The buyers, representing outbound agencies from some 45
countries including all major source markets, are meeting with key personnel
from 400 suppliers participating in the event at Impact Exhibition Center,
Bangkok.
Although the bulk of the suppliers are from Thailand, TAT
pointed out Cambodia, China’s Yunnan Province, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam
are also well represented this year.
The two-day trade exhibition is taking place June 16 and
17 and was preceded on June 15 by a travel trade forum that focused on
Thailand: A Model for Sustainability.
Together with the International Travel Show Thailand, TTM
Plus will be opened to the public this weekend, June 18 and 19, as one mega
consumer travel show that is expected to draw up to 100,000 visitors.
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