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Artificial coral reefs installed
in Andaman Sea to attract tourists
More than 100 designs of fiberglass sculptures have been placed on the
seabed in Thailand’s Andaman Sea as artificial coral reefs to boost tourism
and to save the country’s marine environment.
The artificial coral reefs in various designs have been recently placed at
the bottom of the sea off the six Andaman coastal provinces to attract
divers and to be new diving sites, according to the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment.
It is expected that the new underwater tourist sites will help the country
earn an extra Bt.10-20 million each year.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Natural Resources and Environment Somchai
Piensathaporn said the artificial coral reef project is part of the
rehabilitation project to revive tourism industry in the six Andaman coastal
provinces hit by the tsunami in 2004.
Lecturer Thorn Thamrongnawat of the Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart
University said at a press conference that the Natural Resources and
Environment Ministry cooperated with Kasetsart University, Ramkhamhaeng
University, and Prince of Songkla University to make artificial coral built
in the form of sculptures.
This is the first-ever such project in the world. The artificial coral reefs
will help protect the real coral reefs which can be unintentionally
destroyed by newly trained divers, said the university lecturer.
Deputy Director of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation
Department Samran Rakchart said that an increase in the number of the divers
has affected the marine environment.
The department may consider raising the diving fee in the national marine
park from the present Bt200 to as much as Bt500 or Bt1,000 to limit the
number of divers as part its measures to preserve the coral reefs. (TNA)
BCCT looking for sponsorship of Eastern Seaboard Networking
The BCCT is seeking corporate sponsorship for a BCCT Eastern Seaboard
Networking Evening to take place at Shenanigans in Pattaya on Friday October
20.
Eastern Seaboard Networking Evenings are traditionally well attended and
offer the sponsor an excellent opportunity to showcase their products and
services.
If you would like to sponsor please contact - [email protected] - as soon as
possible. Sponsorship is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The sponsorship fee is THB 20,000 plus VAT payable direct to the venue. The
sponsor may decide to invest a larger sum to keep the evening going a little
longer.
The benefits to the sponsor are as follows:
- Naming publicity plus company logo on the circular (and reminder circular)
which goes to all BCCT members (over 1,800 e-mail addresses in 620
companies) and Eastern Seaboard non-members (over 275 email contacts)
- Event photos published in the BCCT magazine, The Brief and the Pattaya
Mail (space permitting)
- Signage/publicity inside the venue (supplied by sponsor and subject to the
venue’s approval)
- Display of company brochures and other promotional material brochures at
the registration desk
- Photocopy of name cards of those attending the Networking Evening
- Access to those attending on the day for marketing purposes
THA Eastern visits Suvarnabhumi Airport
The Thai Hotels Association (THA) - Eastern Chapter led by
vice-president Ms. Bundarik Kusolvit (back, 4th from right) and Mr. Charoen
Nudpobsuk (extreme right), THA’s Chairman of Airport Affairs, recently
organized a familiarization trip at the Suvarnabhumi Airport for its member
hotels. The Photo shows Ms. Bundarik and Mr. Charoen with the managers and
executives of various hotels in Pattaya and the eastern region of Thailand.
Charity tops the agenda for gathering at Amari Watergate Hotel
Mr. Kamron Chalermroj, Director of events planning division, Tourism
Authority of Thailand, Mr. Pierre Andre Pelletier, General Manager of the
Amari Watergate Hotel, Dr. Frank Roesler, President of BMW Group (Thailand)
and Saisom Wongsasuluck, President of Caring Hearts for Aids Foundation
recently held a press conference to promote “The 9th Amari Watergate & BMW
Group Thailand Midnight Run” scheduled to take place this Saturday, October
7 and “The 10th Aerobic marathon for Charity” to be held in The Watergate
Ballroom of the Amari Watergate Hotel. Pictured at the press meeting sitting
from left to right are: Saisom Wongsasuluck, Pierre Andre Pelletier, Kamron
Chalermoj and Dr. Frank Roesler.
Thailand switches focus
to brand building
Strong brand building is to be the primary strategy of the Tourism Authority
of Thailand as it seeks to achieve a target of 13.8 million international
arrivals in 2006 and 15 million in 2007.
The new marketing slogan, “Thailand Unforgettable”, expected to be utilised
for at least three years, is a key component of the strategy which will also
include strong efforts to maintain a market share, boost tourism revenue
earnings, and enhance Thailand’s competitive edge.
TAT has set its 2007 targets at 15 million international visitors and 82
million domestic trips, respectively generating estimated revenues of 547.5
billion baht (US$14.5 billion), and 377 billion baht (US$10 billion). These
targets were agreed at last week’s annual marketing meeting, which also
included extensive consultations with the private sector.
This year, TAT researched its competitive position and found that Thailand
featured amongst the top ten destinations in the holiday segments of beach
holidays, family destination, nightlife and convention.
Research conducted by other publications like Lonely Planet show that
Thailand is already the top-rated destination in terms of value and food. It
has also been rated as having the “Most Exciting Outdoor Market.”
Under the new “Thailand Unforgettable” slogan, the marketing activities will
seek to accentuate Thailand’s key strengths as a destination; 1) Sun, Sand
Sea; 2) Modern and Traditional; and 3) Shopping, Dining and Golfing.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, Ms Juthamas Siriwan said, “We
want to ensure that all visitors have good memories of Thailand as a kingdom
of unforgettable beauty, luxury, culture and adventure.”
Efforts will be directed at ensuring a good mix of source markets in terms
of both customer segments and geographical distribution. Markets targeted
for intensive promotions are mainly in Europe (UK, Scandinavia, France,
Italy, Russia and Spain) and North East Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong
and Taiwan). Short-haul markets where people are travelling for shorter
periods but more frequently include Malaysia and Singapore.
Five new tourism products and services have been identified to cater to the
needs of specific market segments; Classic Destinations, Emerging
Destinations, Sport Activities, Trendy Products, and Special Product of the
year.
Mrs Juthamas said, “This will allow us to better target the required market
segments and also promote the geographical distribution of visitors
nationwide so as to better distribute tourism earnings and also prevent
over-congestion at popular tourist spots.”
Other strategies will be designed to build Thailand’s image as a gateway to
the Greater Mekong Sub-region, increase tourism revenue and make better use
of technology, both as a means of marketing as well as a medium of getting
updated customer feedback. - Hotel Executive News.
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