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Tourists on rails see another side of Pattaya
Chai yo! Passengers arrive in Pattaya happy
after a train ride from Bangkok.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Traveling to Pattaya usually means taxis, buses and cars.
But the Tourism Authority of Thailand says visiting the city by train can be
a fun, alternative way to see the sights.
Almost 170 Thai tourists left Bangkok’s Hua Lam Pong rail
station Oct. 23 for a whirlwind tour of Pattaya, including the Four Regions
Floating Market and Naklua’s Sanctuary of Truth. The journey was one of four
“Hugging the Bolster” tours TAT organized with Thailand’s state railway
authority during October to showcase tourist attractions in Pattaya,
Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin and Saraburi.
TAT Pattaya office director Niti Kongkrut said the tour
introduced travelers to local Thai artistic and cultural attractions and
showcased rail travel, which is often overlooked in favor of cars and buses.
The limited trains held between 150 and 170 people and,
during October, visited the Ayutthaya Floating Market, King Naraesuan
Monument, Huay Monkol Temple, Hua Hin Hill Vineyard and Saraburi Dairy Farm,
among other attractions.
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Direct air service between Pattaya, Laos takes off
History
being made - passengers prepare to board Laos Airlines flight QV410 from U-Tapao
to Luang Prabang in Laos, becoming the first to do so.
Patcharapol Panrak
Thirty-two Thai hotel and travel executives became the
first to fly directly from the Pattaya area to Laos as regular air service
between U-Tapao-Pattaya International Airport and Luang Prabang got
underway.
Laos Airlines flight QV410 left the Sattahip airport at
10:19 a.m. Oct. 29 landing in the ancient Laotian capital at noon. Laos
Airlines will fly two round-trips per week. One will connect Luang Prabang
and the other to the capital Vientiane.
Flights depart U-Tapao at 10 a.m. and arrive in Luang
Prabang at 12:15 p.m. The Vientiane flights leave Laos at 11:40 a.m. and
arrive at U-Tapao at 1:10 p.m. The planes will follow a triangular route
through the three cities, with flights leaving Pattaya for Vientiane to
return via Luang Prabang.
Before the inaugural flight, Saeree Piasai, managing
director of Swift Aviation Services, briefed the travel executives on the
new service. Then Capt. Sompob Suwitayalangkarn, deputy director of U-Tapao,
presented orchid garlands to flight Capt. Kakaew Nammawor.
Saeree said U-Tapao has come a long way since the tiny
facility was pressed into service in 2008 after yellow-shirted
anti-government protestors closed Bangkok’s two international airports. The
airport is now working on a major expansion and has gained the confidence of
international travel executives, he said.
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Dusit Thani Pattaya joins “We Care for Trees” Campaign organized by THA-E
and top environmental groups
Chatchawal Supachayanont (2nd right), general manager of Dusit Thani Pattaya
is seen with Dr. Jiraphol Sindhunava (middle), vice-president of the Green
Leaf Foundation and other officials after planting a young tree during the
“We Care for Trees” campaign.
On November 3, several members of the Thai Hotels
Association-Eastern Chapter together with representatives from the Green
Leaf Foundation (Thailand), Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Sunday Bike
Club and other civic-oriented groups assembled on the grounds of Dusit Thani
Pattaya and rode their bicycles at exactly 8:30 a.m. to head towards the
Jittapawan College Compound where the campaign, “We Care for Trees” was
held.
The event was aimed at reminding the public of the
benefits of using bicycles - both for better health and for environmental
reasons in the fight against global warming.
Some 200 participants also planted young trees on a vast
vacant lot at the compound and these trees will be nurtured by caretakers in
line with the objective of preserving a green environment.
Green Leaf Foundation vice-president Dr. Jiraphol
Sindhunava handed out certificates to all the participating hotels and
establishments and echoed the statement of Dusit Thani Pattaya general
manager Chatchawal Supachayanont who thanked everyone who joined the
campaign including the foreign guests at his five-star resort.
After the tree-planting activity, the hotel hosted lunch
for the participants and later performed their monthly merit-making ceremony
with prayers and staff donations for the monks and the community.
Chatchawal Supachayanont leads hotel staff, management and guests in
merit-making by bringing donations to the Jittapawan College, the resort’s
monthly gesture as part of its corporate social responsibility.
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Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya arranges “Family Photo
Contest” to celebrate 1st anniversary
Centara
Grand Mirage Beach Resort, Pattaya.
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, the Pattaya’s
first theme resort, is celebrating its 1st anniversary by arranging a
“Family Photo Contest”. Guests who stayed at the resort during the past year
are invited to send their family oriented photos that were taken during
their stay. Those photos must express love, care and fun of the family.
The prizes include gift vouchers of guest rooms,
restaurants and Spa Cenvaree. The entry submission period begins November 15
and ends December 31, 2010.
Rules for photo submission:
1. Family photographs must be taken in Centara Grand
Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya.
2. Family photographs must be in print at 5x7 inches or
jpeg file (1 MB) in CD.
3. Family photographs must be taken by the entrant.
4. Each entrant has to indicate the period of staying at
the hotel at the back of the photo as well as the name and address for
print.
5. One entrant can submit more than one entry.
6. Entry is open only to the resort’s guests. The
resort’s employees, executives and their relatives are not allowed to submit
an entry.
7. Submission: November 15 - December 31, 2010.
8. Mail Entries to: Attn: Public Relations (Photo
Contest)
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya
277 Moo 5, Pattaya-Naklua, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150
9. All entries will be selected for the 1st round by the
resort’s executives on January 10, 2010.
10. All selected entries will be voted by guests,
employees and executives of the resort.
11. Winner to be announced, January 24, 2011.
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