TRAVEL & TOURISM
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Always read the fine print

Hotel boost for Pattaya

Siam Royal View, Koh Chang: Fresh & Hot in Singapore

Always read the fine print

Security concerns and increasing oil prices have altered the face (and price) of travel in more ways than one. One of the consequences of these changing conditions has been the addition of taxes and charges levied on air travel by various sectors of the industry and governments. When you see the price of an air ticket being advertised, read the fine print, because it is likely the price would not include additional charges and taxes which, in some cases, could amount to more than the base price of a ticket.

To help you better understand why and what you have to pay each time you travel, here is a list of different charges that could be added to your air ticket. These would vary from country to country, and in some cases, from city to city. Please check with your travel agent or airline for specific charges.

There are generally three different bodies that could levy taxes and charges. These are the governments, the airports, and the airlines.

1. Security taxes – these are taxes that could be levied by both the governments and the airlines to cover the escalating costs of security at airports, the destinations, and on the airline itself. After 911, these have been in place for most, if not all, airlines and countries.

2. Fuel surcharge – these are charged by the airlines to cover the rising costs of fuel. Many airlines have been impacted heavily by the high fuel costs.

3. Departure/Airport taxes – some of these are charged at the airport itself (like in Thailand) but most are charged at the time of ticket purchases. Some airports do not charge a departure tax. In the US, this is called Passenger Facility Charges.

4. Government taxes – these would vary greatly from country to country. Within these could include taxes like noise tax, pollution tax (like in Australia). In Europe, there is a Poverty Tax being suggested by the French government. The idea behind this is for airlines to collect a nominal sum from each passenger – the funds will then collectively be used to alleviate poverty in third world countries.

5. Insurance surcharge – in some instances, you would have to pay an insurance surcharge to account for the rising costs of aviation insurance. Canadian air carriers for example, have this in place at US$2 each way for all tickets issued.

If you are buying a ticket from a retail agent, you will likely be charged an agent service fee for the services rendered to you. These may include delivery charges of a paper ticket, or booking fee for helping you secure a seat.


Hotel boost for Pattaya

J2K Management Group, which operates Alangkarn Theatre in Pattaya, will spend one billion baht (US$23.8 million) building two new hotels in Pattaya. It will spend approximately 500 million baht developing a four-star, 500-room hotel on land opposite the theatre. Construction is slated to be completed in 2008. A new company will be set up to manage the property. The management team will comprise of staff from The Twin Towers hotel in Bangkok, which is operated by J2K’s sister company, Golden Asset.

Golden Asset is expected to spend another 500 million baht developing a boutique property with 80-pool villas near the Royal Varuna Yacht Club. That hotel is expected to be completed in 2007 and will be managed by an international hotel chain. (TTG Asia)


Siam Royal View, Koh Chang: Fresh & Hot in Singapore

Newly launched holiday bungalow and villa project on Koh Chang, Siam Royal View, recently kick-started their marketing at the SMART International Property Expo at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition Center in Singapore. The two-day show generated a large number of visitors with great interest in the new and exciting destination: Koh Chang.

Siam Royal View - Koh Chang, will open a sales office on Koh Chang in the middle of December.

“We just wanted to introduce Koh Chang, as it is new in the property market ... but (during the introduction) we didn’t stop one couple from reserving a beautiful beachfront plot at 4.1 million, even though we haven’t opened a sales office on Koh Chang yet. Also, 4 families have decided to come here to see our two projects before the New Year,” the project sales and marketing manager, Ms. Tiger said.

At the moment, Siam Royal View’s first project in Soi Khao Talo, Pattaya, is 60% sold because of their high quality construction and view. Phase 2 will be launched in January 2006, a year sooner than originally planed.

Their second project, Siam Royal View - Koh Chang, will open a sales office on Koh Chang in the middle of December. Special Thai style bungalows and villas are being built on an estimated 400 properties on 200 rai covering beaches and hillsides. There are 118 land plots in the first phase. 6 plots are already sold, and another 7 plots have been reserved by their island loving clients.

For more information please visit Siam Royal View’s Pattaya sales office in Soi Khao Talo, tel. 038 332 640, or visit www.siam-royal-view.com