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Amari explores India for first out-of-Thailand property
Anand & Madhura Katti, TTG Asia
Amari, Thailand’s largest domestic hotel management company, is
looking to enter India within the year, possibly making it its first
destination outside the kingdom.
CEO Peter Henley said, “We are currently in discussions with potential
developers and owners in India and are optimistic that Amari will make
its foray in the market by mid-2010.”
India is one of Amari’s top 10 business-generating markets, with Indians
buying 90,000 room nights last year, a 10 percent hike over 2008. The
group has thus appointed TRAC Representations India as its PR
representative to increase consumer awareness through a calendar of
media relations activities.
Amari recently unveiled an ambitious growth plan, which sees the company
expanding its portfolio from the current 11 properties to 51 hotels by
2018. It has allocated US$44.1 million to enhance systems and processes,
as it repositions itself as a “modern Asian experience” from the mid- to
upscale hotel sector.
Red shirts pledge not to seize Suvarnabhumi Airport
Thailand’s anti-government United Front for Democracy against
Dictatorship (UDD) on Wednesday gave assurances that the group
had no plan to seize the country’s main airport, but that the
issue has been raised by the group in an attempt to show that
the government has applied a double-standard to similar cases
involving so-called red shirt and yellow shirt activists.
The UDD red shirts announced on Tuesday they will rally at the
airport entrance to press for legal action against their major
rival the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the yellow
shirts, which seized the airport in late 2008 to topple the
Somchai Wongsawat administration.
Following the red shirt announcement, Deputy Prime Minister
Suthep Thaugsuban on Wednesday said he would not allow the
anti-government protesters to close Suvarnabhumi Airport, but
nonetheless ruled out enforcement of the Internal Security Act
(ISA).
UDD leader Nattawut Saikua brushed aside the concerns, saying
the planned airport rally has been discussed among red shirt key
leaders as legal action has not yet been taken against those who
seized the airport last year.
Nattawut said if there is any other means that would be more
effective, he is willing to follow the resolution of the red
shirt leadership.
“To seize the airport is totally wrong. The red shirts will
definitely not do such a thing,” Nattawut said. “The problem is
that one year has passed, but the persons who seized the airport
not only have not yet been prosecuted but also set up their own
political party.”
“What we really want is to have the government execute the law
in a fair manner to all,” he said.
The red shirt leader also challenged the authorities to arrest
him if his action violates the law.
In a related development, red shirt leaders Veera Musikapong,
Jatuporn Prompan, Weng Tojirakarn, Suporn Attawong, and Nattawut
on Wednesday afternoon submitted a letter to the Office of His
Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary via Legal Affairs Division
director Thakorn Thamprateep asking for a progress report on the
UDD petition seeking royal pardon for fugitive ex-premier
Thaksin Shinawatra submitted to the office last August.
Veera said that it has been five months after the UDD submitted
the petition which had been signed by 3.5 million Thai people,
but it has not reached His Majesty the King.
The red shirt leader claimed that the government’s verification
process of the petition has dragged on too long. So far only 1.2
million names have been verified. The Corrections Department
also forwarded the red shirt petition to the Council of State
for consideration, the action in which he said, could further
delay the case until it is expired.
On Tuesday, the red shirts also submitted a letter to the
Department of Special Investigation (DSI), demanding it take
legal action against the prime minister and the Ministry of
Justice for negligence of duty in a delay in submitting the
petition.
Toppled in a bloodless 2006 coup d’etat, Thaksin was sentenced
in absentia for his role in a conflict of interest regarding the
controversial Ratchadapisek land deal. He now lives in exile,
mostly in the United Arab Emirates. (TNA)
TAT seeks budget increase
to strengthen crisis center
Sirima Eamtako, TTG Asia
The Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to seek a one billion baht
(US$30 million) increase in the next fiscal year to strengthen capability and
boost readiness in response to challenges of its Tourism Intelligence Unit and
Crisis Communication Center.
The amount reflects a 20 percent increase in the budget for the current fiscal
year, from October last year to September this year, of 4.56 billion baht
(US$138.5 million) and a 1.9 percent increase over the previous period.
While half the amount is earmarked for tourism marketing, TAT governor Suraphon
Svetasreni said the extra cash flow would be spent on IT investments and related
crisis communication activities of the center, which was expected to be ready to
provide crystallized tourism marketing analysis within two years.
He said the ultimate goal was for the centre to be a super-sensitive sensor that
will be able to analyze past and present data to provide indicators for future
tourism trends.
THAI to begin major
aircraft upgrade
Thai Airways International (THAI) has approved a 1.1 billion baht (US$33.56
million) upgrade of its Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
The airline’s board of directors has given the green light for the amount to be
spent on upgrading the in-flight entertainment system in the economy class of
eight B777-200s, as part of the plan to boost competitiveness and improve
customer satisfaction.
The upgrading program is slated to be completed within two years, and the
renovated aircraft will be utilized on regional routes, including Tokyo, Osaka,
Seoul, Hong Kong and Kathmandu. (TTG Asia)
FHI opens new hotels in Pattaya and Khao Lak
Furama Hotels International (FHI) continues its regional expansion with the
opening of Furama Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, and FuramaXpress Bangniang Beach, Khao
Lak in Thailand.
Four-star, 450-room Furama Jomtien Beach, Pattaya will open on March 1 on the
east-side beachfront of Jomtien beach.
FuramaXpress Bangniang Beach, Khao Lak, opening on February 1, will offer
leisure travelers 34 suite rooms and 30 deluxe rooms. (TTG Asia)
Thailand and Switzerland agree to increase flights
Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Swiss Ambassador to Thailand Christine
Schraner Burgener on Monday signed an agreement for unlimited air services
between and beyond their respective national territories.
The accord was made between the Thai government and the Swiss Federal Council to
improve the previous version of such an agreement written in 1984 by changing
the currently limited number of airline flights for passengers and air cargo
between the two countries to ‘unlimited’, as well as to promote air services,
commerce, tourism and improved relations overall.
At present, 15 direct weekly flights are operated from Thailand to Switzerland
and vice versa, with 14 flights between Bangkok and Zurich and one flight
linking Phuket and Zurich. (TNA)
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