TRAVEL & TOURISM
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Krabi Airline postpones launch till August

China scraps charges at most museums

“Hot” investments in Thailand


Krabi Airline postpones launch till August

Start-up Krabi Airline has again postponed its plan to inaugurate the Krabi-Bangkok (Don Muang)-Oslo and Krabi-Bangkok (Don Muang)-Munich services from April 5 to August 30.
The airline, which has been in the making for about two years, initially planned to launch the services in November last year but postponed the dates to January and later to April.
Chief commerce officer and co-founder, Mr. Kosol Vongsrisart, told TTG Daily News: “We cannot take off on April 5 as we are still working on several aspects, including airline operation certification and wet lease of a Boeing 747-300 aircraft.
“Also, we have decided to postpone the inauguration date to August 30 as it is closer to the high tourist period and our key markets - Scandinavia and Europe - are seasonal.”
Mr. Kosol said the airline expected a cabin factor of 80 per cent for the high season from October to March and 40 per cent for the remaining months in the first years of operations. He added the airline’s e-booking engine would be ready by the end of March.
Krabi Airline has appointed International Travel Service and Aviareps as its general sales agents in Norway and Germany, respectively. (TTG)


China scraps charges at most museums

From March, 2008, all state-owned museums in China have stopped charging admission fees.
According to government officials, more than 300 museums, libraries and galleries across China have opened their doors to the public at no charge.
The move is part of a new push to encourage more people to experience Chinese history and culture up close.
There are some concerns, however, that the increasing number of visitors to museums as a result will impact some of the relics.
China has over 2,300 museums, which received some 150 million visitors in 2007. (TTG)


“Hot” investments in Thailand

Thai tourism and sports minister, Mr. Weerasak Kowsurat, plans to invite Thai and foreign investors to develop around 112 hot springs throughout Thailand as tourism destinations.
Speaking at a seminar on Hot Spring Tourism Destination Management and Development on March 5 in Bangkok, Mr. Weerasak said they could help to attract more foreign leisure visitors and international meeting and incentive groups to the country.
In a bid to attract investors’ interests, the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion will fund the development of a hot spring in Chiang Rai into a tourism attraction. (TTG)