Magazine

BANGKOK, 28 July 2011 – Tourism New Zealand hopes to convince Thai Airways International to resume flights after it reduced capacity to Auckland following the February earthquake. Outlining its marketing directions to Thai travel agents, Monday, TNZ manager Thailand, Roskamol Vongchowanart, said the focus now was on regaining seat capacity on the Bangkok-Auckland route  in a bid to revive...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 27 July 2011 – Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau is reconsidering its five-year plan (2012 to 2016) that could include stricter measures to control foreign workers in the MICE sector. It will present the revised plan to the new government, which is currently being formalised by the election winning  Pheu Thai part and...
Read more »

BANGKOK 25 July 2011 – The Pacific Asia Travel Association, last week, took a step forward in its recovery and rehabilitation campaign by appointing two senior-management executives to help revive its profile in the Asian region and rebuild its membership base. But the appointment of two Thailand-based expatriates, Stu Lloyd as Senior Director –...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 25 July 2011 – Thailand’s leading travel agency association says it will build business for its members by helping them prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community that rolls out 2015. That was the pledge made by the Association of Thai Travel Agents’ acting president, Sidivachr Cheewarattanaporn, who outlined the association’s policy statement for...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 25 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand southern market division will host road shows and a consumer fair in Northeast Thailand, this week, to boost bookings to resorts in South Thailand. TAT southern market division will host the event southern travel products in two northeast or Isan provinces, Nakhon Ratchasima and Udon...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 21 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand launched a domestic tourism campaign, last week, to encourage travellers to explore secondary destinations. The campaign will be sold by 40 travel agents and each tour will be led by professional guides TAT is spending Bt14 million on a domestic tourism campaign tagged “Khon Lao...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 21 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan and Phetchaburi offices, will  jointly host an annual golf event August to September at 10 participating golf courses in Hua Hin and Cha Am. TAT announced, Tuesday, the annual golf festival, now in its 10th year, will get underway at the two...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 21 July 2011 – Foreign Visa cardholders spent US$95.8 million during the first weeks of the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2011, a 62% increase on sales during the same period in 2010. Visa released details of card spending late last week indicating a substantial increase in retail spending when compared with the same...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 20 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s northern office will host a road show to eastern seaboard provinces, 4 to 5 August, to attract MICE business. The road show will target corporate and government organisations in Chonburi and Rayong provinces. The first stop will be in Chonburi at the Tide Resort, Bangsaen...
Read more »

Thailand Public Holiday 15 July to 18 July BANGKOK  14 July 2011 - Thailand marks the annual Asalaha Bucha Day Friday, 15 July, followed by the start of the annual three-month Buddhist lent  Saturday 16 July. Asalaha Bucha marks the day the Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to his disciples. It’s a day to...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 14 July 2011 – Thailand’s Highways Department confirmed, Wednesday, that construction of the Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, across the Mekong River, at a site 8 km north of Nakhon Phanom’s town centre, will be completed by 11 November. The department’s bridge construction bureau confirmed work on the bridge and support roads, both in...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 14 July 2011 – Thailand enjoyed a 53% increase in tourist arrivals in June according to the latest data from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Tourism Department. Releasing the latest statistics, Wednesday, the department reported international tourist arrivals, through 30 immigration checkpoints, stood at 1,485,074 compared to 964,959 in June 2010. Comparisons...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 14 July 2011 – Thailand’s central bank raised its key interest rate Wednesday for the fifth time this year, warning that the incoming government’s populist policies were likely to fuel inflation. The Bank of Thailand’s Monetary Policy Committee voted unanimously to increase the cost of borrowing to 3.25%, up from 3% previously, at...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 13 July 2011- If tag lines and quirky slogans win hearts then Tourism Authority of Thailand’s latest market plan, released 1 July, will be overwhelmed with fans. TAT governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, made a point of telling a packed audience of mainly hoteliers that the Amazing Thailand campaign continues for at least another year....
Read more »

CHIANG MAI, 13 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand has launched a new promotion campaign, Chiang Mai Best Deals, to boost tourism during the off season. The campaign offers discount up to 50% until 31 October the TAT announced Monday. A first in the market, the Chiang Mai Best Deals are jointly organised...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 13 July 2012 – Tourism Authority of Thailand honoured its executives and team leaders at its Innovation Marketing Awards presentation at the close of its Marketing Action Plan release, 1 July. The awards were designed to encourage TAT officials to think out-of-the -box about marketing campaigns as well as develop ways to improve...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 13 July 2011 – Events Thailand, a hospitality management company, announced last week it will host the second Asian Hospitality & Travel Show, 18 to 20 November, at Royal Phuket Marina Exhibition Centre in Phuket, Thailand. It is contracting 2,500 square metres of exhibition space for the three-day event, which will feature over...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 12 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Nakhon Nayok office is supporting a white water rafting festival at Hin Pueng cataract in Prachinburi province due to kick off over the public holiday 14 to 18 July. The five-day festival marks the white water rafting season that runs from July to August. The...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 12 July 2011 – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Department of Tourism will host Thailand 360 degrees Fair at MCC Hall the Mall Bang Kapi, 22 to 24 July, to support tourism-related companies that have achieved quality certification. There will be 150 exhibition booths representing homestays, restaurants, tour agencies and airlines offering ....
Read more »

BANGKOK, 8 July 2011 – Airports of Thailand reported, Thursday, passenger traffic improved 39% during May at six airports under its management, nationwide. AOT stated aircraft movements increased by 20.22% (30,442 to 36,596) and passengers by 39.04% (3,615,066 to 5,026,279) respectively. The main gateway of Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, also showed growth both for aircraft...
Read more »

Yingluck Shinawatra must work out how to keep her better campaign promises—and quietly ditch some of the others AFTER a long and tense election campaign, it was all over surprisingly quickly. By the afternoon of polling day, July 3rd, it was already evident that the Pheu Thai (PT) party had won by a...
Read more »

Yingluck Shinawatra must keep her word on reconciliation and break it on spending THE lesson from Thailand’s general election could not be more emphatic. Five years of strenuous attempts by the Thai establishment to destroy Thaksin Shinawatra as a political force have come to naught. In 2006 the army pushed the democratically elected...
Read more »

More sisters, daughters and wives of powerful leaders are taking the top political jobs “LET’S hear it for Dubai!” Yingluck Shinawatra led the crowd’s roar of approval at a campaign stop in Thailand, leaving little doubt of where her political allegiances lie: the Gulf city is home to her brother, the deposed and...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 7 July 2011- Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau says it remains committed to its Green Meetings programme to encourage the MICE industry to raise standards to meet green credentials. Most of the credentials are outlined under ISO 50001 that focuses on energy saving and environment. TCEB president, Akapol Sorasuchart, said every MICE business and...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 7 July 2011 – Department of Tourism, which is supervised by Ministry of Tourism and Sports, will improve tour guide skills in the lead-up to adopting the ASEAN Economic Community 2015. The department’s general director, Supol Sripan, said strengthening tour guide standards was a priority to raise Thailand’s competitiveness among neighbour countries. Mr...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 7 July 2011 – Thailand’s Ministry of Education deputy director, warned Sunday, that schools selling language courses to enable foreigners to apply for educational visa must show proof students complete their courses . Thaivisa.com  reported details, based on a Pattaya newspaper that said the ministry had uncovered evidence that schools were not abiding by the...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 6 July 2011 – Thailand is set to get its first female premier in Yingluck Shinawatra, but observers say her victory as her famous brother’s political proxy cannot be seen as a milestone for women’s rights. Virtually unknown just two months ago, Yingluck led the Puea Thai party to a stunning victory Sunday,...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 6 July 2011 – Ratings agency Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday warned that Thailand’s fiscal position was at risk if the election-winning opposition party implements all the policies it promised on the campaign trail. The Puea Thai party, fronted by premier-in-waiting Yingluck Shinawatra, won a majority of seats in Sunday’s vote after pledging...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 5 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Udon Thani office links tourism with folklore in a new package that promotes the trail of the legendary Naga’ the northeast office reported last Friday. The TAT Udon Thani office is selling the idea to mainly domestic travellers to beef up the province’s attractions in...
Read more »

BANGKOK, 5 July 2011 – Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Loei office has postponed a caravan tour to celebrate 60-year Thai-Lao diplomatic relations, 10 to 16 July, due to heavy rainstorms and flood threats. According to TAT Leoi office director, Achaphan Buncharoen, the caravan will now roll out of Loei at the close of the...
Read more »