Barrett farewells Diethelm
February 3, 2012 by Don Ross
Filed under News, Trade Talk
BANGKOK, 3 February 2012: Events specialist, David Barrett, said farewell to Diethelm Travel Group end of January after a 12-year stint heading the company’s events division at its Bangkok head office.
His departure is part of a restructuring of Thailand’s oldest privately-owned travel company that began in 2010 and has resulted in what the CEO, John Watson, describes as “right sizing,” company-wide.
In the events division it began with some redundancies leading up to Mr Barrett’s negotiated departure. Some of the group’s satellite offices in Thailand were closed or outsourced. Read more
THAI Smile to fly to Macau
BANGKOK 30 January 2012: Thai Smile, a light premium airline due for launch this July, will serve Macau as its first destination according the Thai Airways International president, Piyasvasti Amranand.
He was addressing 80 travel executives attending PATA’s first Hub City Forum held at the Landmark Hotel earlier today.
THAI Smile is part of the airline’s latest strategic positioning that calls for the airline to be more competitive with low-cost and Middle East airlines that have eroded THAI’s yield and market share.
TG CEO calls for visa lobby
BANGKOK 30 January 2012: Visas are a more important subject for the Pacific Asia Travel Association to address than lobbying for a change to a European carbon tax, Thai Airways International president, Piyasvasti Amranand, told the PATA forum, Navigating Headwinds.
He was presenting an airline update to 100 travel executives attending PATA’s first Hub City Forum held at Landmark Hotel earlier today.
Asked by PATA CEO , Martin Craigs, to include the Europe’s carbon tax in his presentation the airline president admitted it was a losing battle.
Different perspective on Chiang Rai
CHIANG RAI, 26 January 2012: When you ask Le Meridien Resort’s general manager Justin Malcolm to profile his hotel, he invariably starts by saying let’s first talk about Chiang Rai.
Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort is the far north town’s only five-star resort and the affable general manager is showing me the landscaped gardens that merge with an infinity pool. From the vantage point of my bar stool the pool melts into river, a blurry placid line of water and beyond in the distance, hazy forested mountains complete the tranquil tapestry.
“Marketing the resort is inherently linked to Chiang Rai,” he explains. “First we introduce a fascinating new destination to customers who are looking for art and culture. Read more
Third Mekong Bridge opens
November 17, 2011 by Don Ross
Filed under Mekong Region, News
NAKHON PHANOM, 17 November 2011: The Third Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, spanning the Mekong River, at a site 8 km north of Nakhon Phanom’s town centre, officially opened last week.
Thailand’s Princess, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, presided over the opening of the bridge, 11 November, at a ceremony attended by high ranking government officials from both Thailand and Laos.
The Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, connects the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Phanom with Khammouan province in central Lao PDR.
SQ suspends some BKK flights
BANGKOK, 11 November 2011 – Singapore Airlines will suspend some Bangkok flights, initially until 20 November, due to a drop in advance bookings on routes from Singapore or Europe.
Suspended flights are:
• SQ 974 (Singapore-Bangkok) and SQ977 (Bangkok-Singapore) from 9 to 20 November
Suvarnabhumi high and dry
BANGKOK 9 November 2011 – Airline managers are confident Suvarnabhumi Airport can withstand floods that are encroaching Bangkok eastern districts claiming the sprawling airport complex has the best flood protection in the country.
They made the comments during an airline panel discussion Monday organised by the Bangkok Skal Club.
BAR (Bangkok Airlines Representatives) president, Brian Sinclair-Thompson told about 100 travel executives the AoT had demonstrated it has a comprehensive flood management plan in action and has been “proactive presenting daily updates” for airlines serving the airport.
PATA and Ridgway part company
November 9, 2011 by Don Ross
Filed under News, People, Trade Talk
BANGKOK 9 November 2011 – Pacific Asia Travel Association and its recently appointed regional director Asia, Reid Ridgway, will part company effective 30 November.
Reports surfaced, last week, that Mr Ridgway had either quit, or had held discussions with the CEO regarding a mutually agreeable exit. PATA Communications told Phuket News yesterday that it does not comment on human resources or employment matters that remain confidential.
He was appointed 21 July by the interim CEO, Bill Calderwood, who returns to Australia this month after working for the associations for nine months.
Bangkok’s crisis not over by far
BANGKOK 3 November 2011 – Floods will continue to advance on inner Bangkok and water diverted to the eastern suburbs will reach areas in Lat Krabang just north of Suvarnabhumi Airport within seven to 10 days.
University professors, experts in water management, agree that the volume of flood water backed up on the edge of northern suburbs far exceeds the carrying capacity of the Chao Phraya River or the city’s extensive canals system.
Flood water is being diverted east through suburbs, but sluice gates at Min Buri and Nong Chok are damaged and this has caused seepage back to the Sam Sen Canal that runs southwest towards the city’s Prakanong district to eventually connect with the river.
PATA CEOs flash the cash
October 21, 2011 by Don Ross
Filed under Associations, News, Trade Talk
BANGKOK, 21 October 2011 – Pacific Asia Travel Association is spending a packet funding travel expenses to send two CEOs to the World Travel Market in November.
PATA communications states that both the incoming CEO, Martin Craigs and interim CEO, Bill Calderwood, will conduct media interviews at the World Travel Market, next month.
They will both be in London to stir the debate on Europe’s proposed emissions trading system and the United Kingdom’s existing air passenger duty tax, that they claim will damage tourism to the Asia Pacific region. Read more
