A celebration of the Eastern Seaboards participation in the 13^th Asian Games

Local athletes gilded in 13th Asian Games

4 Gold Medals earned on Eastern Seaboard

Thailand came in an impressive fourth in the 13th Asian Games with a total of 24 gold medals, 26 silver and 39 bronze.

Ratanaporn Alaisukh and Manasanan Paengka rejoice in winning the gold in Women’s Beach Volleyball after upsetting the highly touted Japanese team at Pattaya Park Beach.

Pattaya had the honor of hosting the water sports events and the host country’s winners are as follows:

In the rowing competitions, Ms. Phutaraksa Nikri took home the bronze. She was Thailand’s only winner in this event, as the Chinese team captured all the gold in this event.

Approaching the final mark in the highly competitive Women’s Windsurf competition off Jomtien Beach. Photo by John C. C. Gibson

As predicted by the windsurfing association of Thailand, Aran Hormraruen and Suhaimi Muhammed Kasem brought home the gold for Thailand. Kookiart Sakulfaeng also earned a bronze medal. All three are Pattaya natives.

Hong Zhang from China sails past Aiko Saito from Japan to win gold in Women’s Class Europe at Sattahip. Photo Justin Brierty.

In the sailing competitions, Thailand was gilded again by Master Sergeant Damrongsak Vongtim. Two of his colleagues also garnered honors for the country with 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.

Two of Thailand’s fairest, Ms. Ratanaporn Alaisukh and Ms. Manasanan Paengka, won the gold in the Beach Volleyball.

Comment: This shows Pattaya’s potential for being a world class venue for water sports competitions on an international level. The beautiful Jomtien Beach and the paradisal Dong Tan Bay have been accepted by the international community. Pattaya has also proven that it can produce world class athletes.

Lessons to be learned from the 13 th Asian Games events in Pattaya

Enthusiasm was up, but organization could have been better

The 13th Asian Games have now ended and the mascot, Chaiyo the elephant, is back in his cage.

The games were also known as the ‘Friendship without Borders’ games. The province of Chonburi and the city of Pattaya have done their duty fantastically be it in the cheering of the Thai teams or welcoming athletes from other countries.

A patriotic young supporter cheers on the Thai sailors in Sattahip. Photo Justin Brierty

However, there are lessons that Pattaya should learn from these games.

1. Food and drink vendors shouldn’t cheat unknowing tourists on prices. Why the authorities let this happen is mystifying. One example was the shop in front of the Pattaya Park Beach Resort, which was near the windsurfing area. The prices posted on the sign were very inflated and much higher than the general prices. The prices at this small shop were as high as those inside a hotel. The vendors also gave no consideration to the Thai people who came to see and cheer. Thais were cheated with the same temerity as foreigners. Food prices were nearly doubled, drinking water prices were more than doubled, and even the price for Pepsi, one of the Games’ major sponsors, was increased by as much as 50% by local vendors. In these days of the IMF, it behooves people to be careful what they do as the eyes of this organization are upon them.

Showing true Thai spirit whilst cheering on the home windsurf team out to sea off Jomtien Beach. Photo by John C. C. Gibson

2. The Rowing Association of Thailand seemed to have the most problems. The Association used a temple to house athletes and worse, rowing equipment. This is considered sacrilegious in Thai culture. Temples give shelter to the needy but not to wealthy athletic associations and their worldly equipment. In the end, everything had to be moved to the Sattahip District Office. In a worse incident, one of the Rowing Associations member’s oars hit a float supporting a wharf and broke in half. The Rowing Association demanded 20,000 baht in compensation from the athlete. The athlete had to pay a large sum of money for his enthusiasm. Onlookers said there was no carelessness involved on the athlete’s part.

A large, enthusiastic crowd turned out to cheer on the volleyball action at Pattaya Park Beach. Photo by John C. C. Gibson

3. Non-Standard Playing Fields. This was especially true of the Beach Volleyball field, which was the responsibility of the Pattaya City engineers. The use of the beach in front of the Pattaya Park Beach Resort showed poor planning as no thought was given to the huge number of people who were attending. This resulted in dangerous and inconvenient overcrowding. There were also several arguments among spectators and several cases of ‘field rage’.

4. The VIP passes were given out indiscriminately. A ‘VIP’ should be issued an identification stating they are so. At the Asian games, it was more an issue of ‘who knew who’. The local press was excluded from vantage points which gave a good view for the best possible reporting of events. The organizers gave preferential treatment to the Bangkok and foreign press. The Chonburi Governor should have issued passes to the provincial press but did not dare to do so.

On the positive side, the enthusiasm and support shown by the Thai spectators was a cultural extravaganza. There were classic Thai long drums, cymbals, gongs, Thai ‘hollering’ and various methods of cheering which gave the games color.

By Plane, Train and Mortor Cars

Packages to Paradise

Air Lanka launches Paradise Package to Sri Lanka from November 1st 98 until March 31st 99. Starting as low as Baht 16,125 for 5 days/4 nights and Baht 23,650 for 8 days/7 nights.

The cost covers return air ticket, full board, star class accommodation, Airport transfers, air-con car with chauffeur/guide throughout tour in Sri Lanka, entrance fee to all places of interest and portage. These special packages are available through any travel agent or at Air Lanka office directly. Tel. 02-236 92 92-3, Fax: 02-236 76 17, E-mail: [email protected].

Emirate Air has been voted Best International Airline by readers of the Daily Telegraph, UK’s leading newspaper for travelers with a readership of four million. The success came from a survey of nearly 6000 readers analyzed by independent market research company NOP, for the first Daily Telegraph Travel Awards. The award was presented to Emirate’s Group Managing Director Maurice Flanagan and General Manager UK & Ireland Nabil Sultan by supermodel and TV travel show presenter Caprice Bourret at a ceremony held at London’s national History Museum.

New Zealand - experience the most enchanting season with a "Free & Easy Kiwi Holiday" from only Baht 25,900 from now until February 28th.

Bangkok - Christchurch, 5 days/4 nights: Baht 25,900.
Bangkok - Auckland, 5 days/4 nights: Baht 26,500.
Bangkok - Auckland - Christchurch, 6 days/4 nights: Baht 32,000.
Bangkok - Christchurch - Queenstown, 6 days/5 nights: Baht 31,000.

Every package includes return economy class airfare on Air New Zealand/Singapore Airlines between Bangkok and New Zealand, meet and greet service, return transfers airport-hotel, accommodation with daily breakfast, city tour. Contact New Zealand Tourism for more information about booking, tel. 02-231 64 50 or56-7, Fax: 02-231 64 51.

Ocean Marina Yacht Club, managed by Dusit Hotels & Resorts, presents a package for only Baht 3,200 for single and 4,200 net for twin deluxe room for one night. The price includes a game of 27 holes at the Phoenix Golf Course, only 5 minutes away from the hotel. Late check out until 18:00 hours and free usage of all sports facilities of the hotel. For more information contact tel. 038-237 310-23 or tel. 02-636 3333.

Ocean Marina is also offering a very special "Honeymoon package" for 9,400 baht per couple, including a two night suite, daily American breakfast, a romantic candle light dinner at the Captain’s Table Restaurant, a bottle of wine, a bouquet with a framed photo, floral decoration, rose fragrant amenities, use of sport complex and a complimentary deluxe room for one night return visit.

Romantic Destinations

Kho Chang, the second largest island of Thailand, declared a Marine National Park in 1982, still has an untouched rainforest, virgin jungle with an exotic world of animals, idyllic waterfalls, surrounded by fascinating mountain-scopes and crystal clear water. It is one of the last paradises of nature in this world and still a legendary dream.

Plaloma Cliff Resort, located on the West Coast, is a typical family resort with personal service provided. The bungalows, constructed from natural materials, are skillfully blended into tropical gardens with huge palm trees, colorful flowers and a small zoo. Their restaurant, with an overwhelming sea view, serves the most delicious Thai cuisine and best European dishes. For reservations call Mr. James, tel. 01-323 01 64 or tel/fax: 039-597 060.

Jimmy P.S. Sng, Area Manager Southeast Asia of Lauda Air (center) recently hosted a dinner cruise and disco theme party "Fly your dreams" for travel agents, corporate clients and media on the Oriental Queen. The lucky winner, Khun Kamol Assavathiwattanakul (right) from Union Freight Forwarder Co. Ltd., received a return ticket to Vienna plus 2 nights accommodation at the Renaissance Vienna Hotel from Jimmy PS Sng and Sales Manager Watanyu Sirichanya (left).

Airline News

The surge of UK tourists to Thailand, flying with British Airways, continues to improve with an increase of 44% over the same period last year. The recent strengthening of the Baht does not seem to have hit passenger bookings from the UK and the Christmas period saw record inbound figures.

Staying with UK issues there has been a recent boost to capacity with TG putting on three extra daylight flights and BA adding three extra Sydney services over Kuala Lumpur. The point to make with BA is that the funneling of business over Kuala Lumpur will significantly free up access to BA aircraft both into and out of Bangkok. BA has also started a code share service Bangkok to Brisbane with Qantas three times a week.

Eva Air announced new weekly cargo services to Frankfurt in cooperation with Lufthansa Cargo AG. They will operate the service with MD-11 all freighter aircraft. The carriers will jointly promote services between Germany and Taiwan and will have access to each other’s cargo networks, including destinations in Europe, Asia, India and the Middle East.

Eva Air’s cargo fleet will have expanded to a total of nine MD-11 freighters by the third quarter of 1999. This will enable the airline to increase capacity on a burgeoning cargo network which at present includes: Amsterdam, Brussels and London in Europe, Dubai in the Middle East, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas and New York in USA, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Manila and Jakarta in Asia.

Indian Airlines offers exciting discounts on domestic Dollar fare tickets in effect from Nov. 1st 98 until March 31st 99. A 40% discount on its domestic US $ published fares in conjunction with its international sectors ex-South East Asia and Gulf. A 40% discount will be given on published US $ sector fares on one domestic sector immediately succeeding or preceding the gateway point in India. This discount will especially appeal to tourists and businessmen travelling on Indian Airlines international sectors in South East Asia and the Gulf and connecting domestic flights from/to gateway points. IA has also revised its winter schedule for the benefit of its travelling public. Please contact the airline offices for further information. Tel. 02-235 5534-5, Fax: 02-252 5256.

Lauda Air sponsored Thai travel agent representatives and staff of the National Austrian Tourist Office "Bon voyage" for a flight to Vienna to attend the "Asia Meets Vienna" workshop.

Qantas Airways has won one of Australia’s most prestigious Internet awards. The airline’s web site triumphed over more than 230 other entries in the commercial category of the Australian Financial Review/Telstra Internet Awards.

On November 13th, Qantas and British Airways announced a further expansion of their codeshare arrangements to provide more travel choices for their customers travelling between Australia and all in Europe. For the first time there will also be direct links between Australia and the two UK destinations Birmingham and London Gatwick.

SAS’s 16,000 uniformed staff will change into fresh new uniforms, created by three Scandinavian designers, at the end of March next year, following the introduction of the "new SAS" in September. This presentation marks the climax of a long-term strategic development process that has been going on for a couple of years already. Elements in this process include the establishment of Star Alliance and the cooperation with regional partners and the purchase of the new generation Boeing 737-600/700/800 and Dash 8-400 airplanes.

Sport events

The next big Amazing Volleyball Tournament of Club Aldiana in Hua Hin/Cha Am will be held on January 12th. The sponsors are Hotel Sophitel Central Hua Hin, TAT Hua Hin/Cha Am, Long Beach Hotel Cha Am. Since the last tournament held in December was a great success, all sponsors and the organizer are looking forward to this next tournament.

Thailand’s cruising potential

The Andaman Sea, Gulf of Thailand, Mekong River and the Chao Phraya make for a winning river and sea cruising combination.

Cruising is recognized today as one of the fastest growing segments of the travel & tourism industry. Not only is it becoming more lucrative for travel agents to sell the huge additional capacity due to come on-stream over the next few years, but it is one market segment that has tremendously high levels of customer satisfaction. The new ships coming on-stream are floating entertainment complexes with unlimited recreational opportunities. Truly, there is no limit to human ingenuity and some of the new cruise ships are clear testimony to that.

Thailand is better known as a regional aviation hub as well as the gateway to Indochina. But it also has tremendous seafaring and cruising potential. Cruising in Thailand began in 1988. In 1995, Thailand received 158,703 visitor arrivals by sea, up 22.47 per cent over 1994. In 1996, Thailand received 136,689 visitor arrivals by sea, a drop of 13.87 per cent.

Americans tend to be the largest customer base. On most regional cruise itineraries, Thai points get roughly a three-day stop. With various new products like Star cruises having coming on line this year, Thailand is anticipating strong continued growth in the years ahead.

The TAT defines cruising as referring to both sea and river-cruising. Thailand’s 2,600 kilometers of coastline is perhaps unique in Asia. It borders both the Andaman sea, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea. This gives virtually all-year tourism potential, with reduced fears of typhoons, hurricanes or other assorted storms.

The aquamarine waters of the Gulf are best between the May-October south-west monsoon season. Between November to April, the good weather shifts over to the other side of the peninsula. In the gulf, the cruise potential includes the islands of Samui, resorts like Hua Hin, Cha-am and Pattaya, cities like Bangkok, and future links to the upcoming Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. In the Andaman Sea, there is the well-known ‘pearl’, Phuket with its bountiful beaches, and strong links to the cruising potential of Myanmar, which is also being developed by our neighbor government.

Hence, we can take advantage of circular cruising itineraries on both sides of the border, Singapore, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket and Yangon in the Andaman Sea, and Singapore - Kota Bahru - Kuantan - Samui - Bangkok - Pattaya - Sihanoukville in Cambodia. Note that the Cambodian island of Koh Kong is also likely to be developed in the next few years.

Thai waters include a dozen marine national parks, all of them awe-inspiringly beautiful natural preserves. Hundreds and hundreds of islands, many of them uninhabited, provide an abundance of coral reefs, beaches, and other scenic marvels for the visitor. The dramatic, sheer-sided islands of areas such as Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and Ang Thong Marine National Park are of limestone. Holed with sea-caves, snaggled with stalactites and fringed with jungle, they thrust hundreds of meters out of the sea. Other island groups are granite, of lower relief and more heavily forested. Some of them - the Similan Islands, for instance - have shorelines jumbled with enormous sea-sculpted rocks.

So, when it comes to sea-cruising, Thailand is very well-placed in terms of product and position. However, if one includes river-cruise potential, that’s one area which will show boundless growth in the years ahead. The famous river-cruises up the Chao Phraya River from Bangkok to Ayutthaya have been traditional tourist fare for many, many years. Many years ago, some rice-barges were converted to river-cruise boats which go leisurely down from Bangkok to the ancient capital of Ayutthaya for one-night journeys. Visitors can even stop along the way and offer food to monks making their early-morning rounds. That is one element of cruising that no-one else can offer in all of Asia.

And then there is the massive potential of river-cruising along Thailand’s trump card, the Mekong River. Surveys are now being done to ascertain the potential of this mighty river about which much will be heard in the future. The Mekong forms hundreds of miles of border between Thailand and Laos and is at the center of the rapidly developing Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Along the way lie some of the most exotic and beautiful tourist spots in the world, many of which will be amply equipped with infrastructure facilities to handle this lucrative element of tourism.

In Thailand there are only three ports that can accommodate large cruise-ships, namely Bangkok seaport and Laem Chabang deep seaport in the Gulf of Thailand, and Phuket in the Andaman Sea. Even so, the huge ships still cannot be accommodated in these places. Passengers still have to transfer by small boat to the destinations. A few details about each:

1. Bangkok port at Klong Toey. Several kilometers upstream in the Chao Phraya River, this has been Thailand’s historic port. In the future, however, it will be replaced by Laem Chabang deep sea port, which will hopefully ease the dense traffic in Bangkok. Today, small-size cruise ships can berth in Bangkok and passengers can visit the capital as well as its surrounding provinces like Ayutthaya and Nakon Pathom.

2. Laem Chabang Deep Sea Port: Millions of dollars have been poured into the development of this Eastern Seaboard port destined to be one of Thailand’s biggest in the next few years. Its deep-sea facilities are good for both cargo and cruise-ships. In the future, it will be linked with the second Bangkok International airport at Nong Ngu Hao and U-tapao Airport with many nearby tourist attractions, i.e. Pattaya, Rayong, Trat, and Chanthaburi. A feasibility study for the expansion of the second phase is under way.

3. Phuket Sea Port: In 1995, Phuket accommodated 100 cruises with 80,000 passengers. That was a threefold increase in the number of passengers and a doubling in terms of the number of ships. Because of the growing popularity, the Port Authority has set up a development plan to reshape one area of the port for tourist visits.

In addition to the many major international cruise lines that stop in Thailand, cruising is also gaining rapid popularity among the Thai domestic market. There are some strongly emerging domestic cruise lines which offer Thais the opportunity to visit Samui, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Similan National Park, Ko Ang Thong National Park, etc. The size of this market is estimated at about 20,000 - 30,000 Thais per year.

There are five significant criteria that have to be considered when targeting Thai tourists for cruising:

1. They are of a younger age group than those from Europe and America and hence a strong future market.
2. "Sanuk" (fun) is the Thai spirit, therefore, a lot of activities must be added into the program.
3. Length of stay should be only 3-5 days instead of 10 days. Otherwise they get bored.
4. Casual style is preferable for Thais. To dress in formal wear sometimes makes them uneasy.
5. Pricing is to be carefully considered. The cruise has to be affordable.

There are a small handful of luxury passenger liners which are providing services in these waters at present. Aside from cruise liners, of course, there are many tour boats running regular day trips from bases such as Pattaya, Ko Samui, and Phuket to the out-lying islands. In many areas as well, local long tail boats operate to nearby scenic islands and coral reefs for snorkeling.

During the May-October south-west monsoon season, domestic Thai cruise-fans have a choice of one, two, three, or four-night cruises leaving from Bangkok. The one-nighter goes from Bangkok to Pattaya and back. This is just enough time to leave behind the famous Bangkok traffic and remind them what it is like to be out on the sea. The two-nighter goes all the way down to Ko Chang and back to Bangkok. Three nights aboard cruises the islands of Samui, Ko Tao, and Nual Nuang - also extending the opportunity to do some good snorkeling. The four-night cruise goes through the Ang Thong island group, a scenic joy, and on to Nual Nuang and Ko Tao.

Aside from trips to deserted beaches along the way for swimming and snorkeling (masks and fins supplied), some of the ships have a jacuzzi and sauna room. The afternoon sees a variety of games on board. In the evening, after dinner, take in a show with songs and dancing. End the day with some drinks in the bar and disco.

All the same activities are available aboard the Andaman Sea cruises, which are scheduled from November to May. From Phuket, during the north-east monsoon season, there is a choice of two, three, or four night cruises. The shortest cruise takes in Koh Phi Phi and other islands in Krabi plus the Similans before returning to Phuket. The three-day package visits Krabi, the Similan Islands, and the Surin Islands, which lie just south of Myanmar waters. Or opt for Krabi plus Ko Rok Nok and Ko Kradan, in Trang Province. Stop to swim and snorkel on desert isles, on beaches right out of a dreamy, tropical paradise. Four-day cruises explore islands in the Tarutao group, on the border with Malaysia, and Malaysian islands such as Langkawi.

Cruising in Thailand is continuing to grow, with interest from both domestic and international cruise operators. The operators are also marketing cruising seminars and meetings to the large Thai companies. So Thai people are getting educated about this kind of trip. The government is supporting the private sector in terms of investment, infrastructure, etc. In the future, cooperation among the neighboring countries in this region will be essential to promoting home-based cruise markets, i.e. IMT-GT and chartered flights.

Cruise ships allow one to visit some of the most attractive parts of the region in great comfort and style. But we must all remember that each of us has a responsibility to that natural environment which is so much a part of Thailand’s and Southeast Asia’s wealth. We must take care to leave nothing but footprints on the beaches, nothing but bubbles in the sea.

Tourist arrivals to Pattaya up during Amazing Thailand campaign

Tourist arrivals to Pattaya marginally increased during the first six months of the Amazing Thailand 1998-99 campaign according to a summary of statistics on foreign tourists entering Pattaya provided by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The number of tourist arrivals to Pattaya rose by 6.32%, from 1,350,315 in the first six months of 1997 to 1,435,615 in the first six months of 1998 - the beginning of the Amazing Thailand promotion.

Chinese tourists account for the largest number of international tourists to Pattaya, with a total of 226,991 visiting during the time period, up 16,419 over last year, an increase of 7.8%. Chinese tourists account for over 15% of total arrivals.

Taiwan tourists are the 2nd largest group of international tourists visiting Pattaya, totaling 113,954 for the first six months of 1998.

Germany makes up the largest number of Western tourists to Pattaya, 3rd overall, with 111,564 visiting Pattaya in the first 6 months of 1998.

Thai national tourists to the resort suffered an 11% decline in 1998, yet still made up the largest overall number of visitors to Pattaya with 327,354 in the first half of 1998, compared to 367,859 in the first half of 1997.

The United Kingdom ranked second in tourist arrivals from the West with 78,201 arrivals, a whopping increase of over 71%. Russia ranked third with 38,587 arrivals, up over 11% from the previous year. USA ranked fourth with 35,423 tourist arrivals, up almost 5%.

The largest increase in the number of tourists to Pattaya came from the Middle East, up over 142% from 1997-98. 25,327 tourists visited the resort in the first half of 1998, compared to 10,458 over the same period in 1997.

Visitors from New Zealand saw the second biggest gain, up 97% from 1,894 in the first half of 1997 to 3,738 over the same period in 1998.

The downside of this increase is that there are increased problems in finding accommodation for tourists who do not come with tour groups. Tour companies have booked rooms full in 1st, second and third class hotels. Guest houses are filling as fast as lifeboats on a sinking ship.

To avert any problems the Tourism Authority of Thailand has requested that all hotels notify the organizations of the number of free rooms and prices during the Christmas and New Year season at regular intervals.

This will be announced on Jor Sor radio in both Thai and English, giving tourists who happen to listen to the little known radio station news on the availability of rooms.

From December 24-January 3, 1999, visitors may call the Tourism Authority of Thailand at (038) 328-750, 427-667 and Fax number (038) 420-113.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.