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

Agents face challenges of change

MACAU 29 November 2011: The Indian head of an aviation consultancy has called on Indian travel agents to move beyond talking about change to focus instead on the challenges that go with it.

That comment at the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) annual convention here last week set the scene for a boisterous discussion amongst TAFI members on preparing for life after the “unending torture” of the IATA Agency Accreditation Programme.

Moderating one of the panel sessions, Kapil Kaul, CEO, subcontinent and Middle East, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, highlighted the myriad of changes occurring across a range of geopolitical, economic and industry sectors.

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World Cup venue told to play fair

BANGKOK 21 November 2011: The awarding of the 2022 World Cup football extravaganza to Qatar has allowed the global trades union movement to jack up pressure on the Gulf states to safeguard the rights of the hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers who endure “inhuman working conditions” in building the gleaming new hotels, convention centres and airports.

A report, entitled “Hidden Faces of the Gulf Miracle”, was released by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) last week. Documenting stories of the “migrant worker misery which lies behind the gleaming towers of Gulf cities,” it calls on both the governments of the Gulf states as well as the companies now queuing up for the lucrative World Cup-related contracts to fulfil their responsibilities.

“Conditions for migrant workers in the Middle East are unacceptable,” ITUC general secretary, Sharan Burrow, is quoted as saying. “The World Cup is a time when the eyes of the world will be on Qatar and the other nations in this region. We will do everything to see that FIFA lives up to its responsibilities, that multinationals providing goods for the World Cup and their supply chains are actually respectful of workers’ rights.” Read more

Local touches work for wellness

LONDON, 14 November 2011: Spiritual & Holistic Services are set to be the most important assets and demand components of the health and wellness sector in the Far East and South East Asia by 2020, according to a research report distributed at the World Travel Market 2011 here last week.

Published by Wellness Tourism Worldwide, a newly formed alliance of wellness and tourism related businesses, organizations and institutions, the research also forecasts that private health insurance will play a more important role in providing policies that cover wellness travel.

Entitled “The 4WR: Wellness for Whom, Where and What? Wellness Travel 2020,” the report was prepared by Xellum Ltd. (Hungary) with the support from Global Spa and Wellness (USA) and the cooperation of Hungarian National Tourism Plc.

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India’s religious tourism takes off

Bodhgaya/Lumbini, 9 November 2011 – Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims from Thailand and worldwide are flocking to the holy sites in North India and Nepal in what is becoming one of the travel industry’s biggest growth sectors; religious tourism.

The numbers are growing in line with significant improvements being made in infrastructure as well as the quality of supporting travel and transportation arrangements. Roads, airports and railway services are being upgraded.

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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.

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Transparency comes first

SINGAPORE, 25 October 2011 – The Secretary of an Indian dental association says that transparency is a critical factor in both earning membership trust as well as in winning bids for international conventions to visit a host country.

Speaking at a session on business and trade associations during the ITB Asia trade show here last week, the Indian Academy of Aesthetic & Cosmetic Dentistry secretary, Ajay Kakar, said his appeal for transparency on major internal operations issues such as finances had initially met with stiff resistance from the directors but is now “winning rave reviews.”

It is also attracting the attention of India’s 22 other medical associations who are seeing the advantages of moving away from a culture of minimum disclosure, cronyism and personal gain.

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Soaking up the stress

BANGKOK, 17 October – It is all about snapshots, or quick takes in the world of TV media. The camera lens is about the size of those silly postcards we sent to relatives that always ended with the fib; “wish you were here”.

Of course, we didn’t and I suspect that TV news editors,  if they had their way, would have us all lolling aimlessly on sofas back home glued to the box twenty-four seven rather than travelling and posting our snapshots on Facebook.

They do warn us every 15 minutes or so; “don’t go away we will be straight back with….”

But occasionally we see the TV media up close on location. They are now loitering around Klong (canal) Rangsit  bridge obviously waiting for the sand bag barrier to burst.

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UNWTO demos transparency

BANGKOK, 17 October 2011 – The UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) ended its 19th biennial General Assembly in Seoul last week by setting new standards of transparency and accountability for the entire travel industry and its myriad of membership-based associations.

Fulfilling one of the key pledges made by the Secretary-General Dr Taleb Rifai upon his election to the post two years ago, the UNWTO posted its entire set of meeting documents on line for full public view.

The public now has unrestricted access to full, unedited information on the world’s apex tourism body, including its detailed finances, membership status, projects, activities, staffing and much more. Read more

Someone hit the panic button

BANGKOK, 13 October 2011 – Thailand’s Foreign Ministry has instructed embassies, worldwide, to concentrate on delivering accurate updates on the flood situation after 21 nations posted travel advisories earlier in the week.

They have a battle on their hands. TV channels worldwide present an image of a nation under water. Maps of Thailand are painted red suggesting the entire country is a disaster area. Predictably it triggers the panic button and scribes who pen travel advisories scribble away like there is no tomorrow.

The bulk of advisories are relatively mild with just three (Japan, Spain and the US) suggesting travellers postpone trips. Mild or not they are pressing a panic button that raises doubts about Thailand’s ability to host travellers safely.

Safety should never be in doubt as all of Thailand’s major tourist destinations are flood- free with the exception of  Lopburi and Ayutthaya that attract mainly day-trippers from Bangkok. Read more

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