BKK travel agent enters epic race
March 12, 2010 by Don Ross
Filed under People, Trade Talk
Exotissimo’s Hamish Keith, 43, is taking eight days off his gruelling business routine to compete in an ultra endurance event in South Africa that attracts world-class off road cyclists.
TAT update on Bangkok security
Tourism Authority of Thailand’s News Desk issued an updated fact sheet, this morning, on political rallies that start Friday 12 March and are expected to continue throughout the weekend.
For official text see: http://www.tatnews.org/newsletter/e-News/sent/Fact_Sheet/Fact_Sheet-10-03-2010.html“
Based on the TAT assessment, it would appear that tourists visiting Thailand, 12 to 14 March, should travel up-country and enjoy the beaches of Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, golf courses and the peace and quiet of northern towns. Once the dust settles in Bangkok early next week they could resume their itinerary.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
ASEAN’s new tourism website http://www.southeastasia.org goes from soft mode to a full content launch at ITB Berlin this week.
Amari CEO introduces new brands
Following on from the Amari brand remake, last October, the Thai hotel group will now launch two new brands and a management company during the ITB later this week.
Amari Resorts and Hotels CEO, Peter Henley, reported in a widely circulated email: “We are now entering the next phase in our development and expansion. On 10 March during ITB, I will launch the ONYX Hospitality Group.”
TCT misquoted in foreign press
The Tourism Council of Thailand’s statements on how the crisis management centre would respond, if there was serious unrest in Bangkok in late February, were taken out of context.
Where are the TIGA’s teeth?
Pacific Asia Travel Association plugged into its new US$25,000 website, www.pata.org, yesterday, and it was bold enough to ask for feedback from the media.
Underlying principles of competition
The US Agency for International Development has revealed additional details of the procedures that govern its procurement contracts, for the on-going Asean Competitiveness Enhancement Project known as ACE.
It confirmed the selection process for sub-contractors is the sole responsibility of primary contractor, Nathan Associates Inc, an US consultancy company with an office in Bangkok, Thailand.
USAID mulls over responses
USAID says it will respond to seven questions posted with the government agency arising from reports and criticism focusing on the management and execution of its Asean Competitiveness Enhancement Project, known as ACE.
USAID confirmed yesterday that it will reply to the original seven questions, posted by TTR Weekly, 15 January, “when they have been reviewed and approved.”
Pata on a zero waste trip
Nepal is set to witness a five-fold growth in adventure tourism over the next three years, claims UK-based Exodus Travel’s managing director, Peter Burrell who was attending the Pata Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference in Kathmandu, earlier this week.
While offering an encouraging forecast, that particularly pleased Nepalese companies, attending the event, he stopped short of providing any numbers or explanation on how airlines would cope with such a dramatic improvement in traffic.
Wego chief spells it out
Asean Competitive Enhancement, a USAID project that funds www.southeastasia.org, made the approach to Wego.Com to provide “travel search functionality” in early 2009, according Wego.Com’s CEO, Martin Symes.
He was commenting on an earlier report, published by TTR Weekly and Travel Impact Newswire, in an email communication earlier today.
“I state categorically for the record that we were approached by ACE to provide travel search functionality for the southeastasia.org site in early 2009.
