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Marriott unveils its
“great room concept”
Marriott International has announced plans for its “great
room concept”, a move that will transform the public spaces of its Marriott
Hotels and Resorts and Renaissance Hotels and Resorts.
The new concept will cater to the work patterns of modern business travelers
by creating adaptable spaces for guests to more easily meet and work in
small groups, or casually dine in more open spaces with easy access to the
latest technologies.
It will comprise of the Welcome Zone with its front desk, personalized
concierge services and retail outlets; the Individual Zone offering quiet
spaces for personal rest and leisure; the Social Zone with areas for guests
to snack, converse or hold impromptu meetings; and the Business Zone, which
will include a multifunctional boardroom, spaces for small groups and a
revamped business centre. (TTG Asia)
THAI halts Australia-Phuket service
Thai Airways International has announced it will halt its
direct service from Australia to the resort island due to poor response.
THAI commercial executive vice-president, Vasing Kittikul, said the
thrice-weekly flight linking Phuket, Sydney and Melbourne was suspended on
February 1 after losses of around 260 million baht (US$6.6 million).
The national carrier launched the service following the December 2004
tsunami to help resuscitate the tourism industry. But Vasing said a cabin
occupancy of between 62 to 65 percent meant the service was running at a
loss. “We are not even breaking even. With higher fuel prices, we have to
review non-profitable routes. If there is a contribution from other areas,
we still can fly. But for Australia-Phuket, there is no contribution from
other areas.”
Vasing said passengers flying from Australia and New Zealand to Phuket could
connect through Bangkok. (TTG Asia)
New pollution-free tourist destination discovered in southern Thailand
A new naturally pristine resort island has been
discovered in Thailand’s southern Surat Thani Province and has been declared
as a pollution-free tourist destination.
Deputy Governor of Surat Thani Thawatchai Terdphao told journalists that
“Koh Tan”, the newly-discovered resort island, is located three kilometers
South of Koh Samui.
The resort island with white-sand beach, abundant resources and ecological
attractions was discovered in a recent survey by local authorities, he
disclosed. Deep in the sea around the isle of 18 household-dwellers, there
are plenty of charming reefs and a variety of attractive marine life. In the
near future, hundreds of tourists and divers will be welcome daily, said the
deputy governor.
“Koh Tan has been declared a pollution-free tourist destination and the
province is developing town planning and infrastructure on the island,
including local power systems and communication networks,” he said.
“To preserve its pristine natural environment, local authorities have
decided to ban all engine-based vehicles and motorcycles from the isle,”
added the deputy governor. (TNA)
More public-private
sector partnerships wanted
The Thai tourism industry has called for more
collaboration between tourism-related government agencies and the private
sector at the first monthly ‘meet the press’ function brokered by the
Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), held yesterday.
The private sector has also called for more involvement in the annual
tourism budget planning and negotiations, and foreign meetings such as
bilateral trade talks. This year, the private sector expects 13 million
international tourist arrivals, which falls short of predictions of 13.8
million by the Tourism and Sports Ministry and 13.2 million by the Tourism
Authority of Thailand.
ATTA, together with the Thai Hotels Association, the Thai chapter of PATA,
the Domestic Travel Association and the Thai Travel Agents Association,
initiated the event in order to regularly update the media on the tourism
situation from the private sector’s standpoint.
ATTA president, Apichart Sankary, said the industry has pushed for
government agencies to set up a Tourism Intelligent Unit and a Tourism
Crisis Management Centre to keep tourism operators abreast of competitors
and to professionally handle crisis.
Apichart said violence in the southern provinces, high fuel prices, and
aggressive media reports on crimes against tourists would post as major
threats to the tourism industry. “There are, however, three key positive
factors that could help spur the tourism industry. These are His Majesty the
King’s Diamond Jubilee, the opening of the Suvarnabhumi Airport, and the
positive impact from the recent tsunami anniversary.” (TTG Asia)
Ibis makes Bangkok debut
Accor has recently launched its three-star Ibis brand in
Bangkok with the opening of the 180-room Ibis Siam Bangkok, located near
Pratunam shopping district, and the 269-room Ibis Huamark Bangkok, situated
near Ramkamhaeng University and some 25km from the new Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Both hotels offer high speed WiFi Internet coverage in all guestrooms and
meeting facilities. Ibis Huamark also features a swimming pool, pool bar and
fitness facility for guests.
Opening rates at Ibis Huamark Bangkok start at 888 baht net (US$22) a night,
and 999 baht net (US$24) a night at Ibis Siam Bangkok until April 30.
Accor senior vice-president for sales and marketing Asia Pacific, Ray Stone,
said he hoped both Ibis properties in Bangkok would be just as well received
as the ones recently opened in China and South Korea. “We had over 90
percent occupancy within one month,” he said.
Stone said Accor was under discussions with potential partners to open
‘several’ Ibis hotels throughout Thailand. Slated to open later this year is
the 150-room Ibis Fenix Bangkok on Sukhumvit near the Queen Sirikit National
Convention Center. Fenetex International, which owns the Ibis Fenix Bangkok,
has already committed to developing two more Ibis hotels in the city over
the next two years. (TTG Asia)
Vietnam-Israel direct flights soon
The governments of Vietnam and Israel signed an aviation
agreement to begin direct flights between the two countries - a move
expected to benefit Vietnam in more trade and visitors.
Every year, approximately 140,000 Israelis travel to Thailand, according to
Israel Ambassador to Vietnam, Ephraim Ben-Matiyau, who signed the agreement
with Deputy Transport Minister, Nguyen Tien Sam, who is also head of
Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Administration, local press reported.
The aviation service agreement paves the way for the countries’ airlines to
begin negotiations on flight routes, codeshare arrangements, licensing,
tariffs and other formalities. Officials could not predict when direct
flights would actually begin, but Ben-Matiyau said Vietnam is an attractive
destination for Israeli tourists. (TTG Asia)
Thailand named
World’s Best Tourist Country
Thailand has been named as the World’s Best Tourist
Country in the 2005 Grand Travel Award held in Norway early this month.
It is the third consecutive year Thailand won the award with Greece and
Italy coming second and third.
Chitriya Pinthong, Thai Ambassador to Norway, and Nattheera
Kachornserilikitkul, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s
Stockholm Office in Sweden, represented Thailand at the annual award
presentation ceremony.
The accolade was granted to Thailand under the deliberation and decision by
the Travel Trade Jury and 300 tour companies in Norway.
It shows tourists remain impressed by the friendliness of Thai people, as
well as natural beauties and charms of Thailand’s tourist sites, although
the country experienced great loss from the tsunami disaster in late
December 2004. (TNA)
Shangri-La Asia buys Parisian palace
Shangri-La Asia, parent company of Shangri-La Hotels and
Resorts, has plans to convert its latest acquisition, the 110-year old
historic palace of Prince Roland Bonaparte, into Paris’s first luxury hotel
fully owned and operated by an Asian hotel group. This will mark the group’s
entry into Europe.
Scheduled to open by late 2008, the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, will have its
inner spaces renewed and enhanced in keeping with its original architectural
touches.
Located at 10 avenue d’Iena, near the Trocadero, the seven-storey property
will have 140 deluxe guestrooms and suites with some featuring private
balconies. It will also have meeting facilities, pool, health club, retail
space, business lounge and restaurants. (TTG Asia)
PATA’s top five winners for third quarter 2005
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has published
its report on Asia-Pacific destination performances for the third quarter
2005.
The top five origin-destination growth performances are: Indonesia to Taiwan
(up 181.9 percent), China to the Philippines (up 161 percent), Spain to
China (up 115.9 percent), South Korea to Cambodia (up 95.1 percent) and
South Korea to Malaysia (up 73.5 percent).
However, in purely volume terms, the top five origin-destination pairs
showing the greatest gains were the US to Canada (up by 1,079,000), Hong
Kong to China (up by 1,049,000), Macau to China (up by 950,000), Canada to
the US (up by 411,000) and Russia to China (up by 181,000).
The top five destinations in terms of arrivals growth, from all markets,
compared to the third quarter 2004 were Vanuatu (up 50.9 percent), Cambodia
(up 41.78 percent), Laos (up 23.8 percent), Nepal (up 23.8 percent) and
Macau (up 19.1 percent). (TTG Asia)
ATTA reports drop
in Thailand tourism
The Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) said there
was an 8.5 percent drop in tourists handled by its member companies at
Bangkok International Airport last year.
ATTA members served 2,457,548 travelers at the airport last year, down from
2,688,455 in 2004.
The association said the decline was mainly the result of economic concerns
such as rising fuel prices and strong competition from other destinations.
Security concerns in Thailand’s restive South and the tsunami fallout were
also contributing factors behind the fall. (TTG Asia)
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