Travelling for Thailand

Sukothai Turns Back the Clock

Rim Yom Market, Kong Krai Las District, circa 1894

Miss Saratwadee Asasupakit, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Sukhothai Office, together with the Kong Krai Las sub-district of Sukhothai, would like to invite you to the Rim Yom Market to look back on life and commerce in the year 1894. This special celebration held the first Saturday of every month will allow tourists to experience the turn-of-the-century lifestyle and culture of the Chinese community there.

The market, once an important port named “Koh Kong,” was where groups of Chiu Chow and Hainanese went to do business with the Ban Kong people who lived simply and peacefully in rafts on the Yom River. Even though this port is not used commercially in the present day, the locals have conserved its history and have replicated the way the market felt in the golden age.

Visitors to this modern-day re-creation can experience the local lifestyle through demonstrations of Thai dessert-making done in the traditional Kong Krai Las way, and by sampling the delicious flavors: Thong Muan (rolled coconut wafers), Cha Mok Nga Dam (milk tea with black sesame seeds), and Khanom Phing (tapioca flour cookies) and, they can check out the Yom River Basin fishery and its various products made by the local fishermen, such as delicious pickled fish and fish sauces made from minnows.

And film buffs should know too that the market is acclaimed for being the site of the film Ka Wao Tee Bang Pleng, the Thai Sci-Fi thriller written by the famed Mom Rajawongse (M.R.) Kukrit Pramoj

The TAT Sukhothai office would like to announce a special promotion for tourists as well. We are providing FREE transportation to Rim Yom Market from the center of Sukhothai, the first Saturday of every month. The shuttle departs TAT headquarters once per day at 17:00 and returns at 19:30, and runs from November 2012 through November 2013. Feel free to wear attire reflecting the people of this golden era for historical photo opportunities!

Huge Chinese Incentive Group to Convene in Thailand in November

  In Photo: From left to right: Mr. Sansern Ngaorangsri, Deputy Governor for Asia and South Pacific Market, Mr. Jason Tao Li, President & CEO of Pro – Health International Ltd. and   Mr. Puripan Bunnag, Senior Regional Manager - ASEAN, South Asia and Oceania and Acting MI Director of Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) welcomed the huge of Chinese incentive group to convene in Thailand, at Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Bangkok, November 4, 2012: More than 10,000 employees of leading Chinese health food supplement company Pro-Health are to be in Thailand between 4-20 November as part of their incentive award for meeting sales targets.

The award-winners, who will split their annual conference and associated events between Bangkok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya and Pattaya, are the third in a series of huge incentive groups to choose Thailand as their primary destination this year. In April 2012, about 16,000 award-winners of the Amway direct-marketing group in China were in Thailand, followed by another large group of staff and sales-persons from Infinitus (a direct sales company) in May 2012.
Mr. Sansern Ngaorangsri, Deputy Governor for Asia and South Pacific Market, said that because the incentive award-winners do not have to incur hotel and other travel costs, they have a high level of personal expenditure, especially on shopping. As such, the entire group is expected to generate tourism income of about 1,500 million baht for Thailand.

So far, the registration is confirmed for 10,011 Pro-Health staffers. Special welcome arrangements are being made at the various stops, courtesy of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau and Pattaya City.
Established in 1995, Pro-Health (China) Co., Ltd is a pioneer in the Chinese health-food supplement industry, and the largest in Beijing. It organises more than 40 incentive trips a year covering 20 countries, with most of the groups numbering in the thousands.

Thanks to geographical proximity, easy accessibility, affordability and great standards of service and hospitality, Thailand is becoming a hugely popular destination for Chinese travellers. The steady flow of incentives and many other categories of visitors has allowed China to overtake Malaysia and Japan as Thailand’s top source-market.

In Jan-Sept 2012, Chinese visitor arrivals to Thailand totalled 1.94 million, up 30% over the same period of 2011. The forecast for 2012 is 2.3 million, which will be up 35% over 1.7 million in 2011.
In 2011, Chinese visitors stayed an average of 7.61 days and spent an average of 4,470 baht (US$146.63) per person per day. This generated 58 billion baht (US$1,902 million) in foreign exchange revenue for the Thai economy, the second highest tourism earnings figure after Russia.

Thailand Earns Several Top Honors in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards:Bangkok Voted #1 City in Asia

 

   Bangkok, October 25, 2012: Thailand has once again been recognized as a premier travel destination in Condé Nast Traveler’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards, one of the highest accolades in the industry. This year’s awards – the 25th annual – reflect the opinions of a record 46,476 readers who participated in the survey, and who honored the Land of Smiles in several categories including the world’s top cities and the top cities, best islands, and favorite resorts in Asia.

Judged on factors such as Shopping, Ambience and Friendliness, Bangkok came in with a #4 ranking on the Top Cities in the World list, one spot behind Florence, Italy, and ahead of other world-class destinations like Vancouver, Sydney and Buenos Aires. As for the Top Cities in Asia, Condé Nast’s readers rated Bangkok #1 - edging out Hong Kong and Kyoto, who took 1st place in the 2011 survey - giving it high marks for its Restaurants, Lodging and Culture. Readers also heaped praise on Northern Thailand’s largest city and cultural centre, Chiang Mai, which earned the #5 spot in Asia sandwiched between Singapore and Ubud, one of Bali's major arts and culture centres, and ahead of Tokyo and Shanghai.

   Moving from the cities to the sea, Thailand continued to score high marks. In the Top 10 Islands in Asia category, it rang in with two of the top five selections once again. Phuket, ranked #2 on the list behind this year’s winner Bali, was favored for its beautiful beaches (scoring second-highest in Asia on that criteria behind only Lombok, Indonesia) and its wealth of activities; and Koh Samui, the #5 island in Asia, was buoyed by its lovely scenery and its diversity of lodging options and placed just a fraction of a point behind fourth-place Langkawi, Malaysia and one spot ahead of Hokkaido, Japan. Others making the list include Philippines favorites Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao, and Malaysian Borneo.

   Perhaps the most contested categories in the Readers’ Choice survey are the ones dealing with accommodation, and Thailand has no shortage of quality options there. For the Top 15 Resorts in Asia, Condé Nast’s readers rewarded four Thai properties, starting with the Four Seasons Chiang Mai at #5, which happens to be the 2nd favorite resort in Southeast Asia behind only the Sofitel Angkor in Siem Reap. Phuket scored twice, with the Anantara Phuket Villas coming in at #7 (the 3rd highest island resort on the list, and where the best room is “any, even the standard rooms hit the sweet spot”) and the JW Marriott Phuket at #15 (tied for the final spot with the Grand Soluxe Angkor in Siem Reap). The other Thai property honored this year was the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai - a “simply stunning property” - which was regarded as Asia’s 11th best resort.

 Thailand to Hold Majestic Royal Barge Procession on 9 November 2012

   Bangkok, October 17, 2012: Global travellers seeking to add another masterpiece event their list of lifetime experiences should pencil 9 November 2012 into their calendars and be in Bangkok to watch the majestic Royal Barge Procession along the Chao Phraya river, The River of Kings.
One of the grandest spectacles in Thailand and indeed, the world, the Royal Barge Procession is an ancient tradition that was revived by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1959. This breathtaking water-borne procession is reserved for nationally auspicious occasions and has been held only 16 times during His Majesty’s reign.

   The official name of the event is: The Royal Barge Procession to Present the Royal Kathin Ceremony in a part of The Celebration on the Auspicious Occasion of His Majesty the King’s 85th Birthday Anniversary 5th December 2012.
The main procession will be held between 15.00-16.00 hrs. on 9 November but full dress rehearsals by the Royal Thai Navy will also be held on 2 November and 6 November at 1500. Tickets are available at the website listed below for those wishing to watch the Procession in comfort from the Royal Thai Navy pavilion. Alternately, the Procession can be viewed from various public spots along the river.

  King Bhumibol, the ninth monarch of the Chakri dynasty, founded in 1782, is the longest-reigning monarch in Thai history, and has since 1989 been the world’s longest reigning incumbent monarch.
The Procession involves barges carrying the deeply revered Buddha image (Phra Buddha Sihing) and members of the royal family to present offerings of saffron kathin robes, food and other necessities to the monks at Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn).

   Truly a sight to behold, the procession consists of a flotilla of 52 traditional-style barges arranged in five columns, based on a battle formation from ancient times. This is made up of four major royal barges — Suphannahongse, Narai Song Suban H.M. King Rama IX, Anantanagaraj and Anekchatbhuchongse, ten barges with animal figureheads and 38 smaller vessels. The five-column flotilla stretches 1,280 metres in length and 110 across. A total of 2,200 sailors from various units within the Royal Thai Navy will serve as oarsmen.

   The procession takes approximately 55 minutes to make the 4.5 kilometre journey down the Chao Phraya River to Wat Arun, covering the section from Thonburi Bridge to Phra Phutta Yodfa Bridge. The official ceremony is expected to end at approximately 5.30 pm.
The royal barges of Thailand are the last of their kind in the world. The last time that a royal barge procession was organized was on 05 November 2007 for commemorating His Majesty the King’s 80th Birthday Anniversary.

   This year, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over the Royal Barge Procession and Royal Kathin ceremony at Wat Arun on behalf of His Majesty the King.

Thailand to Host Miss Tourism World 2012 Final in December

Thailand Hosts Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2012 Finalists

 

 

Hong Kong, August 31, 2012: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hong Kong office joined together with Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) to bring the 10 finalists of Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2012 to Thailand to mark 40th anniversary of the pageant.

According to Mrs. Thitiporn Maneenate, Director of the TAT Hong Kong Office, “Reaching over 2.43 million households, Chinese-language TVB is Hong Kong’s largest television station. It has also extensive global reach, as TVB’s programs are broadcast in more than 40 countries, reaching about 300 million households globally. Our collaboration with TVB highlighted the beauty and attractions of Thailand to Chinese-speaking audiences in Hong Kong, Macau, China, as well as overseas Chinese around the world. The Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2012 broadcast reached an estimated 129 million viewers through the live broadcast, program archives, and mobile applications.”

The ten finalists in the Miss Hong Kong 2012 Pageant enjoyed a variety of activities in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, and Koh Samui. During the final round, viewers of the pageant broadcast enjoyed seeing the finalists experience the beauty of Thai culture, art, traditional dress, Thai massage, medical and wellness services, seas and beaches. Miss Cheung Ming Nga Carat, who was crowned Miss Hong Kong 2012 in the pageant finale on 26 August, will have the opportunity to visit again to experience more of Amazing Thailand.

Thailand welcomed 531,192 visitors from Hong Kong in 2011, a 35% increase over the previous year. From January until the end of July 2012, Thailand has seen 247,231 visitor arrivals from Hong Kong. The average stay in Thailand for a visitor from Hong Kong is 6.54 days, with average daily spending of 5,599.70 baht. Over 80% of Hong Kong arrivals are repeat visitors.

Roadshow for Amazing Thailand to Punjab & West Bengal

 






New Delhi, August 20, 2012 - The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) organized a roadshow to North & East India, with 14 travel trade partners invited from Thailand, consisting of hotels, handling agents, attractions, entertainment options and airlines.

The roadshow was held in two cities - Kolkata on 31st July and Chandigarh on 2nd August. Over 100 travel agents were invited from Kolkata and nearby cities and Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Amritsar.

There were two B2B sessions held in each city. The first session was held exclusively for the top agents to interact with travel trade from Thailand one on one. This was followed by table-top sales sessions for the rest of the agents followed by a Thailand products presentation and a Thai dinner.

The presentation was done by Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi Director Ms. Runjuan Tongrut, who updated the agents on new destinations and new trends for Thailand. The new destinations introduced were Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Khao Yai, Rayong, Samui, Krabi, Phuket, HuaHin/Cha-am, and Chiang Mai among others. The director also gave a brief explanation about the different segments such as weddings, celebrations, golf, health & wellness, adventure as well as women’s groups.

Over 100 Indian weddings have been held in Thailand in the past year and many other celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduation parties were held in Thailand. There are many options for Indian weddings in Thailand such as banquet space, floral services, temples and Gurudwaras in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Ko Samui, and Chiang Mai. Thailand has received two awards from Travel + Leisure Magazine, India readers as The World’s Best Destination and The Best Wedding Destination.

The evening ended with fun-filled activities in both of the cities, where several agents received exciting and attractive prizes sponsored by the TAT. There was also a lucky draw with prizes sponsored by the Thai travel trade as well as a grand prize of a return ticket sponsored by Thai Airways International as well as in Kolkata, where the Thai Consul-General (Mr. Prasitidesh Vichitsorasatra) from Royal Thai Consulate-General Kolkata presented the prize.

Ms. Runjuan mentioned, “By the end of 2012, we aim to have at least one million Indian visitors to Thailand.” She also thanked the Punjab agents and West Bengal agents for their co-operation and support for Amazing Thailand.

The Road Shows were a big success and Indian agents as well as travel trade partners from Thailand appreciated the event.