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.

Justin Malcolm

“We sell the destination linking it to the benefits of a relaxing resort experience and are focusing on new markets  particularly in Asia. This is one of the few remaining provinces that can still deliver a genuine traditional Thai experience without a single compromise.”

2012 is a banner year for Chiang Rai as it celebrates the 750th anniversary of the city’s founding by King Mengrai the Great who ruled over the Lanna Kingdom in 1262.

Today, 26 January, city residents gathered at 0959 for the official 750th anniversary ceremony held at the foot of the revered king’s statue, a landmark for both visitors and residents alike.

In the evening around 600 residents, VIPs and representatives of the town’s communities and associations will gather for a gala dinner at the Mae Fah Luang Arts and Crafts Park.

Back at the Le Meridien, Mr Malcolm talks of other events that will not only underscore Chiang Rai’s claim to arts and crafts status, but also help to establish it as gateway to the Mekong Region.

Le Meridien with other riverside hotels are jointly hosting the Mekong Tourism Forum this June an event that will attract over 300 leading tourism executives from Thailand and its Mekong Region neighbours.

“Our challenge is to build international tourism,” says Mr Malcolm. “There are no international airlines serving Chiang Rai and this is something we have to work on seriously.”

There are reasons to be optimistic that airlines will show interest in the future following positive media cover in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Travellers from Singapore were among the top nationalities staying at the resort hotel in December mostly couples, in the 40 to 50s, seasoned travellers looking for something rewarding and relaxing.

The 159-room Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort fits that bill perfectly with its 26 rai of gardens on the banks of the River Kok, just a one –hour journey to the famous Golden Triangle and within minutes of historic temples and outstanding examples of Lanna art at its best.

It starts with the open lobby and the panoramic view of the gardens, the river and mountains on the far horizon. The views are similar from all room balconies.

If location makes a great hotel, go no further.

But Le Meridien in the style, layout and standard of service goes much further to deliver a holiday experience that both visitors and residents alike say is in a class of its own.

Ask the restaurant customers, the town’s business folk and expatriate residents, who have made this resort hotel their weekend dining retreat to enjoy an “amazing and affordable brunch.”

Word of mouth recommendations say it all and when critical well-travelled expatriate residents say this is the place to be seen  we have to admit they usually know what they are talking about.

“We have tried to be part of the community,” says the GM. “We deliberately priced our food and beverage to attract locals and this has paid off by giving us recognition for quality dining.”

Apart from a healthy Sunday brunch that would keep a rugby player satisfied, the hotel offers traditional Italian in its signature restaurant, Favola.

You will also feel equally at home at the hotel’s Latitude 19 lobby lounge that claims to be modern Lanna chic. In other words a place to relax, where you can browse through the library of books linked to Chiang Rai and its Lanna art.

I am sitting at the hotel’s poolside Chill Bar soaking up the view and weather. It’s a cool 20 degrees, well below what Bangkok properties create in their air-conditioned lobbies. But I am out in a garden surrounded by huge ancient trees that were there long before the environmentally sensitive architect got down to work.

On the sidelines the hotel’s efficient events team is setting out an evening cocktail reception for 40 media representatives from Bangkok here to help celebrate a new air service from Bangkok.

I muse over the future, recognising Chiang Rai’s day in the sunlight is approaching. There is a buzz in town as it prepares to celebrate its 750th anniversary. There is an emerging confidence too that the town is about to discover its true identity; a gateway to the Mekong Region for visitors looking for a quality, lifestyle holiday.

Le Meridien’s team hopes to play a role in reach that goal.

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.

There is no other reason to be there, unless the cameras are covering the life and times of canal fishermen. It’s not a landmark bridge and the view is tacky, what with all rusty tin roof shacks anchored to a slither of land now covered in dirty brown water.

So the TV crews are there to watch us lose our sandbags. As the well-being of my household, three dogs and budgie depends on the barrier staying firm, I view the TV crews with a degree of malice.

Now, the shoe is on the other foot. We are in the gold fish bowl and someone is going to thrust a microphone under my nose and ask me if I am enjoying my Thailand holiday.

Standing on a canal bridge is not exactly text book stuff on how to cover a flood close up. TV crews usually prefer a puddle so the TV audience is left in no doubt that they witnessing a flood.

They got a ticking off from a government spokesperson after two days of puddle shots, but as the week progressed there was not much dry land north of Bangkok left to place a camera tripod anyway. Back to the puddle shots.

Despite the battery of cameras, the sand bags are holding and North Bangkok, just 2 km south, is reasonable dry, because like so many other provinces Pathum Thani is now soaking up the floods.

Muang Ake, my home turf, stretches 4 km along the banks of Rangsit canal that connects with the  Chao Phraya River to the west and extends a good 90 km east to Nakhon Nakyok with supporting canals feeding into the River Bang Pakong.

On the strategic Klong Rangsit bridge, an army colonel explains: “If we don’t keep the water at bay at Klong Rangsit it will flow through Don Mueang inundating the northern districts of the capital within a day.”

To the north vast areas of Pathum Thani and neighbouring Ayutthaya province are water logged. Over 1,000 factories have closed in this province alone. Possibly 300,000 workers will have to wait months to get back to work.

If you live in these flooded areas the only question you want answered is: “When will my house dry out enough for me to return home?”

No one has the answer to this vital, but simple question. We are dealing with nature – run off from the north, rain storms, high tides in the Gulf of Thailand and vast areas of land that need to shed water that has settled across the provinces adjacent to Bangkok.

Apart from dropping sandbags on the banks of canals we are pretty helpless. But it won’t be for the lack of trying.

Nightly for the last two weeks hundreds of Rangsit University students turn out to fill sandbags. There is almost a carnival spirit at the base camp inside Muang Ake housing estate. Another base at the foot of the bridge is where thousands of sandbags are despatched to build up the 4 km long barrier. Slowly the barrier rises in height to around 175 cm and 2 metres wide at its base. It gives us a 50 cm clearance from the water level.

There is a battle unfolding on to save homes and keep the water at bay. If they win, Bangkok sails through the crisis relatively safe and these volunteers will be justly proud of their efforts.

Just a couple of kilometres from that scene, I board a 29 bus and take the Bt18 trip to Mor Chit to connect with the BTS skytrain.

There is flood water near Future Park and on the side of the highway to Zeer Square and the Royal Air Force base. But once the bus passes the boundary marker between Pathum Thani province and Bangkok, the road is remarkably dry all the way to Mor Chit. From the vantage point of the bus window, I can see the height of the water in the roadside drainage channels; a good 50 centimetres below normal.

Watching the news can be very stressful. The camera is brutal. It  just stares at someone in their misery without a word of comfort.

They capture your neighbours crying. I can imagine what the villagers of Bang Pa-in are suffering without the TV crew thrusting a microphone under their noses.

I have friends in Bang Pa-in. They sell noodles and coffee at my favourite cycle stop on the rural road between Bang Pa-in and Ayutthaya. Another runs a small roadside shop on one of the suburb’s most picturesque lanes next to Prem Canal, 10 km north of Rangsit canal. They always give me a cheery wave calling out; “how are you doing Khun Don” as I cycle past. Their shop is under water, their livelihood washed away for the months to come.

Another friend along the road to Ayutthaya is a university professor of art who hangs some of his valuable paintings in his roadside coffee shop, a spot where hundreds of weekend cyclists gather on a typical weekend.

There’s the guy who repairs punctures at Bt10 a pop in Ayutthaya town and they are so good you can continue using the tube for another year. His shop is under water. I wonder if he will have the strength to reopen his business.

As international news zeros in on the crisis, there are telephone calls from Tokyo and London asking if we are safe. They have seen the chaotic scenes on TV screens and wonder if we still have our heads above water.

Travel agents worry, too, about sending their clients to a destination that could land them in costly litigation or compensation claims beyond what their insurance will covers.

They want a simple answer. Can their clients visit Thailand.

The army colonel on the bridge jokes: “Sure tourists are safe, but they should bring a boat.”

He points at the measure that sticks out of the canal bed. It reads 35 cm.

We are 15 cm below the red alert zone. It’s looking good today,” he adds, but he is not saying he has it licked, not just yet. Perhaps in a week will have that answer.

There is a mountain of sandbags waiting to be dropped into place to the raise the barrier yet again and there are plans to extend the barrier far to the east.

It’s reassuring. No one is taking chances this time and no one is making silly statements. There is a sense of urgency.

In my 43 years living here I have come to understand that when Thais are serious about a task, they get it done. Perhaps at the last minute, but they dig deep and harness resources in a manner that never ceases to amaze onlookers.

Perhaps that explains how more than 1,000 ships, an odd mix of fishing trawlers, naval gunboats and pleasure cruisers sailed to the mouth of rivers yesterday to start their “Push Water” effort.

Over 800 vessels are now moored in line at the estuary of the Chao Phraya River propellers working overtime at anchor thrusting a huge volume of water down stream towards the sea.

Another 100 boats are anchored at the Ta Chin River west of Bangkok and around 200 on the Bang Pakong River 60 km east of the capital all attempting to speed up the flow of water. Together they should increase the flow by around 15%.

So what’s the bottom line this week? It’s the same as last week. Thailand’s tourist destinations are open. It’s October so it rains. Bangkok may suffer the inconvenience of flooding, mostly near the river, but nothing that will stall this vibrant city’s tempo or cause a risk to visitors. There is not a single reason I can think of why a visitor should postpone  their trip.

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.

flooding in Autthaya

Actually, less than 5% of all international visitors to Ayutthaya bother to stay overnight. It is even less in Lopburi where the average length of stay is counted in hours from the early morning train’s arrival to the afternoon when the next train bound for Chiang Mai makes a short stop.

The popular Around Thailand overland tours have already been diverted to miss the flooded towns.

Of all the visitors to Thailand just 15% head north mostly on flights to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai two destinations that are enjoying bright blue cloudless skies and not a hint of floods.

The remaining 85%  head for beach resorts, or the bar land of Bangkok and believe me none of those spots are in danger of serious  flooding.

Someone hit the panic button on Bangkok earlier in the week. Can we blame the media? Or did government agencies take their crisis management instructions too seriously  advising residents to take specific  precautions linked to colour-coded text book recommendations?

Whatever, there was a dash to the super market to stock up on instant noodles and bottled water, while thousands of cars disappeared off the streets of the capital to be moth-balled for the weekend  in high-rise car parks across the city or any other place a few metres higher than street level.

But is Bangkok heading for ducking in dirty river water?  It is very unlikely that a single tourist will be inconvenienced even if the city floods. This is not a tsunami threat, although for  towns north of Bangkok  felt it was very close.

If the capital floods it will have a dreadful impact on the country’s tourism performance, but take a deep breath, Bangkok is going to be just fine. My bet is that tourism will scrape through to enjoy its best year since the yellow shirts closed airports in 2008.

We know we have a silly minister of tourism, but as much as I hate to say so, he is right this time; tourism is safe as long as Bangkok stays dry.

Actually, October is performing right on cue. It has always been a dreadful month to tour Thailand.  We like to call it the green season, but October always reminds us  this is a tropical grey, not green, monsoon season that will always go out with a blast.  This year we have a triple whammy — the usual  heavy rains and high seasonal tides have been  joined by massive run-off from northern dams that has caused the worst flooding in 50 years mostly in the central plains and lower north provinces.

I am trying not to panic. but every morning I look at the height of the water in the canal next to my house. I live in Muang Ake just 2 km north of the city boundary on the edge of Klong Rangsit, now a red alert zone. It looks more like a war zone, possibly because the Prime Minister said this was where the water had to stop. The army turned up the next morning with their heavy equipment, pumps and earth movers  to pack 500,000 sandbags  along a battle-line barrier stretching nearly 4 km along the south side of this important canal, a gateway to Bangkok. They are holding the water back and if it goes over the edge then my house is under 2.5 m of water along with Rangsit University and thousands of other households bordering Don Mueang district.

Occasionally we get daft advice. Residents were told to move  to higher ground. I couldn’t find any high terrain this side of Khao Yai National Park, 150 km to the east . So like everyone else I opted to drive my car to a high-rise parking lot in Bangkok. Those who panicked earlier got free parking at Don Mueang Airport. The rest of us had to make do with bridges, flyovers or grass patches in the centre of highways.

But we are still the lucky ones. The roads in Muang Ake are  dry and the army stands between us and the water sending a reassuring message to thousands of residents and university students who daily bag more sand to raise the barrier by metre, or so, to keep the creeping Chao Phraya water out and away from Bangkok.

A crisis brings out the best in Thais. They dig deep to tap their community spirit and get to work. People are friendly, chatting more than usual as they work around the clock to keep the water at bay. So should you visit Thailand now?

Bangkok

Sure, I have lived here 43 years and while I have never seen a flood on this scale before, I will bet my last baht that Bangkok will remain safe for tourists.

It is possible over the next week that some areas of the capital will be flooded, but not to the extent that central plains towns suffered.

TTR Weekly was asked by a reader on our website whether they should continue with their plans to visit Bangkok.

What’s the problem? You will stay in high-rise hotels, travel on the BTS sky train and the only flooding you are likely to encounter is a spill over on streets close to Chao Phraya River and major canals.

Of course, people are panicky, the situation is critical; homes and lives have been lost.  Thousands could be made homeless over the next week. But that does not change the fact that life goes on and tourists will enjoy the same hospitality at all destinations in the country.

As for tourism, October is a  damp, dreary, rainy month to visit Thailand at the best of times. Why we think it can be promoted is beyond me. It is one of those months when you get our your Thailand map and ponder over travel plans for the cool season November through to February. That’s a superb time to visit Thailand; absolute magic.

So while my travel plans to go north cycling from the capital to Chiang Ra are on hold for now. I have no doubt at all that I will out on my touring cycle exploring this wonderful country when the cool breezes blow in November.

It one of the finest months to travel in Thailand.  Blue skies, cool season weather  and travel opportunities across Thailand whatever takes your fancy. If you don’t have an umbrella and welligogs then wait a couple of more weeks for the cool season to kick-in around the time the country’s celebrates Loy Krathong. Then go for it. That’s  my game plan.

The association’s chairman, Hiran Coorey confirmed the 2012 event would be held, 25 to 28 September, at the SMX Convention Centre, the largest private venue in the Philippines and one of the flagship establishments of the country’s MICE industry.

It will be the first PATA Travel Mart in the association’s history to be outsourced to a third party, a company that is currently being established by the association’s deputy CEO office of marketing services, Sheila Leong.

She was given the option to either resign from the association or accept an outsource contract that will give her newly registered company management of PATA events for a period of 15 months.

Her outsource career begins 1 October when the 15-month contract kicks in and will continue to 31 December 2012 when she and PATA have an option to renew for another year.

PATA will retain a skeleton staff in the events department to work with Ms Leong’s new company.

It is understood she is registering in the company in her home country Singapore to start with and may establish a branch office in Bangkok to co-ordinate activities with PATA.

Outsourcing was a key endeavour of the interim CEO, Bill Calderwood, who started by ending the communications director, Punam Mohandas’ contract earlier this year and outsourcing the public relations activities to Scott Asia Communications, owned by PATA’s former communications director Ken Scott.

Mr Scott attended the PTM in New Delhi as part of his contract, all expenses paid by the association, plus an hourly service fee.

John Koldowski

Mr Calderwood followed through by offering an outsource option to the association’s deputy CEO office of strategic management, John Koldowski, who will start his new career as an independent supplier to PATA , 1 October, on similar terms to those offered to Ms Leong.

PATA heads into a new era with three key membership services now in the hands of former PATA employees – communications, events and research. They are free to pursue other commercial activities as long as they ensure the content provided to PATA remains exclusive to the association. Ms Leong will be looking for other events to manage, while Mr Koldowski plans to sell research data on travel to major corporations and governments.

TTR Weekly often posted a question to former CEOs; “ what is PATA’s core value to members?”

They invariably identified “research” claiming it kept national tourist offices, hotel groups and airlines paying dues that could exceed US$20,000 a year.

Then they suggested that if members signed up for the annual PTM and the annual conference, the discounts on registration fees for members covered their annual dues of US$1,000 a year.

Sheila Leong

The annual conference was dropped in 2006 and revived in 2010 as a stripped down version attracting a few hundred PATA zealots compared to nearly 2,000 industry executives in its heyday.  The event has lost its way as a meaningful networking event and critics say online services such as Facebook are a more viable options to stay in touch.

Now the PTM has been outsourced to a commercial company owned by a  former employee who has served PATA faithfully for more than 15 years. Commercially it may face changes to justify the management fees  paid to the outsource company and considerable associated  travel expenses.

Industry critics and even a former PATA CEO acknowledged the mart fails to make a profit if all costs are attributed to the show rather than hidden under other balance sheet categories.

PATA has saved very little so far by outsourcing. It is now paying an hourly fee to Scott Asia and it is very unlikely that it is saving on the outsource packages negotiated with Mr Koldowski and Ms Leong.

The association has successfully sidelined two long serving executives without having to pay them at least a year in severance pay if their services had been terminated under Thailand’s strict labour laws.

PATA calls it outsourcing, but critics might view it as a cynical move to remove the only remaining two executives who know how to run PATA and had the historical background to work with the membership.

The move saves work permits, reduces the payroll costs on the balance sheet until the new CEO arrives who is reputedly getting a US$300,000 salary plus fringe benefits. That is higher than the previous record paid to former CEO Peter de Jong.

Members may challenge Mr Calderwood’s management strategy demanding to know just what are the net benefits  related to outsourcing these two key elements of research and events. They may challenge PATA’s management to explain what are the core benefits that a new expensive management team based in a prime office location in downtown Bangkok can offer to justify even their monthly salaries.

Members may just stop paying their dues. This year the association claims to have 650 members on the books. Some of them have not paid their 2010 or 2011 dues, but they are still listed.

D-Day cometh in November when the association says it will scratch off all non-paying members. That could result in a further drop of around 15% to 20% in the membership. That in itself is a travesty for an association that proudly claimed 2,0000 members at the time it shifted its head office from San Fancisco turf to Bangkok Thailand back in 2000.

Possibly to ensure the association can balance its books at the end of the year, three overseas offices in the US and Europe were closed, directors terminated. It leaves the association with just a filing cabinet and a desk in a lawyer’s office in Oakland, California, to remind members just how far this association has come since the days it could afford swank offices on Grant Ave  in downtown San Francisco.

When asked in 2010 what was the future of PATA, a founding member wrote to the association’s consultant saying it should be closed, it had done its job with honour and had fulfilled all of the objectives set out by its founders. He should know he was there 60 years ago and a photo copy of his letter was mailed to TTR Weekly to confirm his sentiments that were not reflected in the consultant’s recommendations.

One expatriate asked me why low-slung road bikes are called “Sua Morb” in Thai. It’s a reference to the handlebars that position the rider like a crouching tiger. Most of us look more a like a luckless rabbit about to be overhauled by a 10-wheel truck.

Occasionally, there is an interesting snippet on cycle tours and this particular one highlights salient points about niche travel markets.

Cycle touring is one of  those niches, but it hardly ever works financially unless it is led by people who cycle and are prepared to lead the tours. Like other sports orientated tours, the participants are interested in the company’s pedigree. That is probably why general tour companies fail in these markets when they just tack on a new “department” and shift a couple of staff to look after the bookings.

There is still room  to grow the cycle tour market, but operators in Asia have to consider that there is now an established market on their doorsteps. In the past, if you wanted to sell cycle tours your customers were in Europe or North America. Not today, they could be right here in Bangkok, but they will ask for a different cycle tour product that the specialists have yet to identify.

It is still early days, but the demand for “lifestyle” holidays  is growing faster than any other sectors led by golf, diving and tennis. However, cycle tours are catching up along with a growing demand for events such as triathlons.

A recent PRWeb release chronicles the arrival of a new bike tour company in the cycle Mecca of California.

Bike Tours to Go is a new full service travel agency specialising in bike tours in the US, Europe and other worldwide destinations.

It is an interesting example of how a retiree passionate about his hobby transformed it into a successful business in a narrow but lucrative niche market.

The company was formed by a retired Methodist pastor and previous bike store owner, Bob Murphy.

“I started riding eight years ago at the age 59 and have travelled over 40,000 miles on my bike since”, he explains. “I am especially sensitive to the needs of aging baby boomers in finding tours that are age and ability appropriate.”

There are plenty of tour companies that are bike tour specific in Asia, but they are mainly catering for the inbound travellers from the US, Europe and Australia.

Very few would specialise in travel in the other direction – hobby cyclists who want to tour Europe and Australia or even neighbouring countries. There are exceptions, Spiceroads being one of them, is based in Bangkok offering a wide range of cycle tours for all levels but limited to Asia.

Spiceroads admits that their main emphasis is selling bike tours  that explore Asian destinations to travellers resident elsewhere.

Not a single cycle tour operator in the region does what Bob does for his local cycle community by offering tours globally. It is usually left  to local cycle clubs to design their own trips and they will feel overly ambitious organising a ride to a neighbouring country. Following in the steps of the Tour de France is way off the radar.

Mr Murphy’s tour company offers tours to the Danube Cycle Path in Austria. It is a mostly flat 250 mile ride from Passau in Germany to Vienna. It is appropriate for riders of all ages and abilities. One can either stay at cozy inn along the way or can take the trip accompanied by a barge, which provides accommodations and meals. This is great trip for the first-time cyclist visiting Europe.

Another recommended tour spends a week in at one of 12 bike hotels in Riccione Italy. Three and four-star hotels provide all meals and daily bike tours into the surrounding hills. They supply the bikes and the guides and cater to all levels of cyclists.

Through its alliance with major players in the bike tour field, Bike Tours can offer tours for the budget conscious to five-star tours with gourmet cuisine. Tour operators represented include REI, Trek Tours, DuVine Adventures, Backroads, Abercrombie and Kent as well as over 30 smaller European tour companies.

So what is stopping the bike tour companies of ASEAN from looking closer to home for a market that can sustain their business year-round?

Passion rather than profit, I suppose. It would take a lot of hard work to get it going. But like any niche market if you are relying on customers far away to keep your business ticking, you are vulnerable to economic swings. Building a business on domestic demand is more sustainable in the long-run. It can also be used to test drive domestic cycle tours that can then be fine-tuned for the more lucrative long-haul markets later.

Deputy CEO and head of the office of strategic management, John Koldowski, was negotiating an exit settlement with interim CEO Bill Calderwood,Wednesday, that will lead to the shut down of the strategic management office in late September.

Earlier in the week, the association announced it was outsourcing most of its research projects to Mr Koldowski, who has worked for PATA for 15 years.

John Koldowski

Financial and management details underpinning the outsourcing role are still being negotiated. Under Thai labour law Mr Koldowski would be eligible for around 14 months pay if it could be shown his employer was closing a department that led to job redundancy.

At the same time, Mr Koldowski, confirmed two of his research colleagues, Kris Lim, director of strategic Intelligence Centre and Rochana Maiyaroj, assistant director business services had been made redundant.

PATA  has not  officially confirmed these changes. But its latest press release reads, “three internal positions will be abolished, and five PATA head office staff redeployed internally to add resources to membership services.”

Interim PATA CEO, Bill Calderwood, said in a telephone interview the“three internal positions” was a reference to Mr Koldowski, Mr Lim and Ms Rochana.

“The strageic management office will close, but not the core function of strategic management, which will continue under the outsourcing agreement with John.”

Fiver other staff members in the office of strategic management, who have been working on data collection, publishing reports and co-ordinating foundation activities, will be moved to membership services.

Mr Calderwood said an internal team would continue to work with the high-flying TIGA project mainly in an input and output data role. 

Commenting on the decision to outsource research, the interim-CEO said, ” all the research we supply now will still be produced and I am confident members will see an enhancement of what we provide. Mr Kowdowski  continues as our primary supplier and manager of research.” 

Mr Koldowski told TTR Weekly he intends to set up a company in September to handle the PATA account that guarantees him projects for at least a year.

The Bangkok-registered firm possibly called JohnK Inc will have only Mr Koldowski on the payroll with just PATA as the single contracted customer at the outset.

“But it’s not an exclusive deal,” he noted. “I will be free to offer research services to others and plan to accept a visiting professorship at a university something I have wanted to do for some time.”

His contract will involve providing PATA with monthly research based on content  pricing rather than houly fees.

“The bare package is being negotiated right now,” he said. “But it will include options for additional support that will be paid for on project basis.”

A core element of his plan is to establish a virtual research network of experts, worldwide, using the soon to be established Google Plus network.

“It will mean I can bring into play top researchers, worldwide, recruit them for projects… a pool of expertise that will benefit PATA.”

Google Plus in its full release will allow video conferences and shared libraries between researchers, worldwide, on a scale not possible previously.

Mr Koldowski is adamant the formula will work for all parties and will not dilute value for PATA members.

But there are likely to be questions on whether outsourcing PATA research will in time prompt corporations to contact Mr Koldowski directly to tap the same data and save membership fees.

Mr Koldowski claimed the outsourcing deal would not exclude him from selling services to others, but  Mr Calderwood  insisted that PATA specific data or research would only be available through the association.

“He will be free to do work on outside projects, but not replicate PATA research for others. They cannot go through the backdoor,” he said. 

With the handover scheduled for mid to late September, Mr Koldowski, is currently negotiating the nuts and bolts of  his contract with the PATA interim CEO.

He probably has the upper hand as he can always fall back on Thailand’s labour law and claim he was given a Hobson’s Choice.

Mr Calderwood called that a highly cynical view and not the intention of the association.

PATA would have to pay out possibly more than US$140,000 in compensation if  exit negotiations fail.

That is unlikely, as Mr Koldowski hinted even during the tenure of former CEO, Greg Duffell, that he was ready for a change and had suggested he would eventually consider an outsource option.

Asked why the hurry to clear the decks and outsource core activities, Mr Calderwood cites references to outsourcing and restructuring in his printed strategic plan  (Page 16) delived to the board last April in Beijing.

“This not out of the blue, it was mentioned in Beijing in the strategic plan and again shortly after the public relations director left and we outsourced that activity earlier this year,” he countered.

Mr Calderwood confirmed he was also having  discussions with a senior executive on how  to outsource the events department over the next two months, but details have not been finalised.  

“We are talking opportunities that will have the flexibility to retain services through outsourcing, while still providing  a support team,” he added.

He dismissed asertions that he was simply clearing the decks to make way for the next CEO, possibly already identified and  waiting in the wings.

“That’s a conspiracy theory, a cynical assumption,” he said. “No decision will be made on any of the CEO candidates until after the interviews take place.” 

But there is no doubt that events at PATA have accelerated in just a week suggesting a sense of urgency, although Mr Calderwood insists if  members read the strategic plan he wrote posted on the association website (about PATA) they will agree outsourcing is not a bolt out of the blue.

Strapped for cash and the prospects that it cannot count on all 755 members to pay their dues this year, Mr Calderwood could be accused of leading the association into the wilderness.

By stripping away core services such as the office of strategic management and planning the imminant outsourcing of events, he might well be giving some members a perfect excuse not to pay their dues. They may ask what is the value of PATA without these core activites?

Mr Calderwood will argue that they are still there and capable of delivering identical if not improved services to members.

If Mr Koldowski’s departures is smooth and outsourcing proves practical, PATA members may be reassured that the almost sacred jewel of research, the hall mark of PATA, remains intact and safe even if it is no longer resident in the HQ citadel. If outsourcing falters, this 60-year association could go down like a pack of cards. Mr Calderwood would then gain the distinction of being the last CEO; the one who flicked a single card that toppled the pack.

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.

At brainstorming sessions, earlier in the year, “expatriate” travel executives argued the campaign theme had been worked to death and could be misinterpreted as a negative exclamation.

That’s like saying amazing when you see an elephant destroy a noodle stall in a single swipe of his trunk. Or the tourist police tell you that they cannot actually arrest anyone or even hand out a parking ticket.

By the time the TAT’s MAP meeting got underway the consensus was the Amazing Thailand campaign and its host of derivatives were here to stay. There is just nothing better in the pipeline and it is probably doubtful if TAT can find the spare cash to hire a global branding agency to create a replacement.

Slogans galore

Having settled the “Amazing” branding issue, the TAT governor went full pelt into his presentation rhyming off lists of tag lines and sub plot brands that frankly were simply amazing.

There was a slogan for every conceivable plan and market. Not stone was left unturned to create pithy and sometimes wacky descriptions for every possible niche market in the tourism game.

It was all very impressive. We have to concede considerable time was spent to transform each 1,000-word marketing brief into a succinct three to four word tag line.

There was no disagreement with the governor’s opening remarks. The world is in chaos; tourism faces chaos at every twist and turn on the road to success. If we are to believe today’s business gurus the only solution is to stand on a ledge and twitter or possibly bore the pants off people who we now call friends, collected like stamps and old coins in Facebook space.

In a nutshell, the TAT believes these social media channels are a lifesaver. They are going to push tourists to these shores by the million.

If social media can deliver the goodies Thailand hopes to attract 18 to 18.3 million tourists this year up from 15.93 million in 2010 and 19.5 million in 2012.

For a second, listening to the governor, I thought he was prepared to chuck the numbers games into a garbage truck for more meaningful benchmarks. Not a chance, as long as politicians rule the TAT roost.

Yet Mr Suraphon did acknowledge the country’s tourism leaders would have to get their heads around a few challenges, not least the delivery of value for money and a safe environment that will keep tourists returning year after year.

Thailand has been a top value-for-money destination for the last three year. Yet, TAT’s marketing planners know there are destinations, such as Vietnam and India, are keen to outdo Thailand.

Then there was the subject of sustainability a fine word if only we could agree on a definitive meaning or what we have to do to achieve its lofty goals.

Mr Suraphon did venture to say the tourism industry would have to think more about safeguarding culture and not destroying the country’s fine but delicate heritage in the drive to draw more tourists to Thailand.

“There’s a need to revive a spirit of service,” the governor told the audience which explained why legions of TAT employees were sporting T-shirts with the message TAT Spirit across their chests.

There was a manta to go along with the spirit, too, that shone in bullet points on a large screen; “love all, serve all, help for ever and hurt never.”

What a commendable set of rules, I thought at the time, musing over how TAT officials would ensure tourism loves all and hurts no one in the course of a vacation.

The presentation moved on to those little boxes that marketing gurus employ to zone us appropriately, text book style.

One of the boxes is RICHI . Ah we know what that means. It’s a friendly term for those who have too much to money to spend and we need to get them over here pronto. No, it’s a really boring acronym for four markets that some bright spark has decided to lump into one category – “Russia, India, China, and Indonesia.”

On to the marketing boxes. Promotiosn will hit Europe with beaches and cultural messages, while Asian markets will chill out with food and lifestyle themes.

‘Gamification’ is coined to explain TAT”s efforts to break into the digital games space. It will include Muay Thai adventures, the hot spicy trail of Som Tam dining and tuk tuk races. The downside for travel is that the games might turn out to be better than the reality.

Fun in words

Here are some of the more creative tag lines that TAT will employ for its international marketing campaigns in 2012.

On the family market there is “Time together in Thailand” for the French market or “Amazing Thailand Fun for the Family” for the UK market. The difference escapes me.

To attract seniors, or the silver generation, there is the enthralling theme “Back in time to the Past,” If only that was possible.

Then there is the US market tag line that promises “Thailand Forever You, Forever Young.” Dream on.

For some reason that was not fully explained the Indian market will be cultivated with the tagline “Vineyard Thailand.”

If ever a tagline begged an explanation it was the one created for the wedding and honeymoon market. TAT will tag its promotions “Say yes again in Your Thailand Honeymoon Paradises”. Targeting the European market we have to assume this is the second attempt at bliss.

There was even space for a “lady friendly destination.” I though the politically correct description was female or women? The campaigns target “ladies” in Taiwan with the tagline “Beauty Secret Inside” and “Carefree Weekend in Thailand” for Japanese women.

There are special treatments for some nearby markets, too, such as the attempt to woo Singaporeans with “Amazing Thailand 99 ways.”

Try counting 99 ways to be amazed in Thailand, but why would that be specific to Singaporeans? Then there was “72 hours hideaway in Thailand,” for Japanese who have a yen to return to Thailand.

A TAT plan could not pass by without a mention of golf and the assertion that Thailand is world class golf hub. In Asia, there is the Golf Summit and Golf Travel Mart planned for 2012 and US golfers can look forward to “Thailand Endless Green,”perhaps a nightmare image for avid golfers on par with endless bunker?

Hear the sunshine

Some of the features of the Amazing Thailand Always Amazes You campaign were actually beyond amazing. One was a short film “Hearing the Sunshine that touched on the magical. Soaked in a celebrity soap opera flavour, the video clip weaved a soppy tale of romance. A western tourist preoccupied with art photography is stalked by dishy Japanese female tourist who turns up at all of the finely tuned photo shoots. It’s a distraction he enjoys.

“The title “Hearing the sunshine,” was about as surreal as the content. At first I thought my hearing was going.

Perhaps it was “Here in the Sunshine,” I mused. But then what’s so special about Thailand’s sunshine other than you need to plaster suntan block 50 SF to fend off a bright red tint.

Then it twigged. The celebrities were hearing the sunshine and it would lead the way to a wedding or a fast-tracked honeymoon before the video closed.

It didn’t. They just stared at each other in blurry video frames, while the audience was left to ponder the significance of “hearing the sunshine,” in the context of Thai tourism. I haven’t worked it out either.

Next time I am out cycling at high noon I will listen carefully. Perhaps above the din of the wind and the distinctive drone of tyres on tarmac, I will hear the sunshine; a magical melody transported on sunbeams.

This is the death knell for every travel hack in town who has farewelled their teenage years and was hoping for a comfy room at Anantara to spin a tale on elephant polo.

Pitching all the goodies that seasoned travel writers enjoy, Anantara Hotels and Resort says the successful young reporter will “spend seven glorious days and nights at the royal seaside resort. But it is not all fun and games.”

The poor kid, sentenced to a career in journalism, “will have some hard hitting stories to cover for the rest of the world including interviews with the elephant vets, the players and of course the winners”, or so the public relations office would have us believe.

I mull over the possible hard hitting stories waiting to be exposed at a polo match. Perhaps the cub reporter will ponder over the wisdom of using elephants for a sport designed for mad colonial Englishmen and horses raised for the specific duty of chasing a ball at neck breaking speeds.

The weight of opinion might even suggest elephants are not really built for such an agile sport. They belong in a jungle as far away as possible from tourists lolling on a beach or urbanites riding their steeds to death on a football pitch.

The annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, 13 to 14 September, is in its 10th year at the Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ five-star property. This is a really swank hotel designed to cater for those who don’t need to a wallet. They pay by super titanium credit card as the nightly debit is far too much to carry in cash.

So what’s the big rush to con a kid into being a PR star or learning the art of writing for bed and breakfast? Anantara must be on a strict PR budget despite charging an arm and leg to stay there.

They put a good spin on the cash saving exercise, claiming the young winner will become a “media star in the making as they report on the week-long event and much, much more.” Next stop CNN to host a kiddie primetime show sponsored by the Save the Elephants from Boredom foundation.

Of course, like the most seasoned or pickled journalists sniffing at the PR trough, the cub reporter will enjoy an all expenses paid, seven-night stay at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Thailand, with an accompanying adult (groan) and return air fares.”

Fortunately for the hosting hotel, a 15-year old journalist is too young to order a crate of wine or drink the mini-bar dry. Well not officially.

Entries for the roving reporter lark can be filed on the resort’s website. Applicants must present in English on a one to two-minute video; all nationalities are eligible. Entries must be submitted by 1 August and winners will be announced by 4 August.

Parents note, if an elephant tramples on the brand new “media star”, as they chase down a hard hitting story it’s a called a fast track to glory in PR parlance.  Or chukka luck in club house chatter over gin and tonics.

Despite having 335 registered buyers, TTM was quiet. Perhaps it was the wide aisles and a considerable vacant patch of real estate at the back of the hall where another 100 booths could have been assembled with ample space to spare.

There were 368 seller organisations according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s official count, but was the turnout representative of the best Thailand and its Mekong Region neighbours have to offer?

It was not a hive of activity not even on day one, but the show motored on at a relaxed space and maintained the same momentum right through the second day. In previous year’s sellers would have been packing up by lunch time on a Friday, but not this time. They stayed the course, obviously keen to squeeze the last drop of value from the show. Pity the buyers were not in the same frame of mind, but the temptations to hit a round of golf or recover from a heavy networking session the night before in bar land caused a few no-shows.

Unfortunately, the event still lacked panache. It was trundling along almost without purpose, even the significance of the “Caring for the Earth” theme was lost on most delegates. Just how could we care for the earth at TTM?

There were very few themed pavilions. One exception was Chiang Mai that was supposed to tell buyers it was  a “creative” city. But the reality was no one in the know was there to explain  just what the city had in mind to secure “creative city” status. City or provincial tourism officials  book a booth and then forget to assign the right people to stand in it.

The pavilion, which should have presented a clear message to buyers, was manned by sales executives who had no idea of the “big picture” strategy. They were selling spas, detox sessions and healthy herbal treatments.

So just what is Chiang Mai’s grand campaign to gain creative city status you might ask?

“My boss is not here today, can we email you the details,” was the standard response.

Bangkok was in the same boat. If a buyer wanted to gain an overview of the hotel situation in Bangkok, the big picture plans and where the city was heading in tourism they would have been disappointed. That’s because Bangkok’s tourism office is too cheap to invest in a pavilion or recruit a team of people who can communicate the city’s latest developments to an international market. Didn’t see anything impressive on  the airport’s new rail link or the soon-to-open extensions of the skytrain.

To provide real service to new buyers exploring opportunities in Thailand the event needed quality seller representatives in city pavilions and destination booths to explain why they should be taken seriously. Big picture presentations rather than small picture – “this is the bathroom, here are our pool villas.”

There was lack of exciting products and innovative ideas. Viewed from the TTM perspective, the Thailand tourism experience was a narrow corridor of  chic boutique hotels, glitzy tourist attractions and copy-cat hotel brands .  The real Thailand was missing — the destinations of the Northeast, far North, soft adventure, while community-based  and volunteer tourism were poorly represented.  Why?

The Mekong Region representing tourism in six countries and one river that unites them had just 15 booths, mostly taken up by desperate sellers from Myanmar who smiled and said they had a wonderful government in office now.

Laos sent a sales team and occupied three booths. They were active handing out fine quality Dao coffee beans from plantations in southern Laos. It was very thoughtful and a change from cheap pens and key rings.

Sellers love to complain about buyer quality, but it is also true that genuine buyers want to speak to people who are empowered to make decisions, not sales executives who joined the property two weeks earlier. I noticed that very few decision makers from the hotels bothered to stay beyond the coffee break on the first morning.

There aree obvious differences in job descriptions. Sellers  rent a small patch of real estate and stay put, and buyers are nomadic following an appointment trail or ducking out early as no-shows.

But I noticed that there were sellers who were just as likely to go missing. Some of the most impressive chic hotel booths were empty for hours at a time. Couldn’t quite work out why,  but perhaps next year the hotel owner could invest in a wax figure instead. At least it stays for the duration.

I noticed that most hotel sales executives just stand or sit in their booths and stare at the ceiling for long spells. In contrast, the more active hotel groups give their staff hell if they stand in the same spot for more than a minute because it costs money. They are ordered to strike out into  no-man’s land to button-hole buyers in the aisles or at  coffee tables. TTM is about picking up the maximum business cards to convince a hotel owner the investment in time and money was worthwhile.   I mull over a hobby enterprise; supplying fake business cards would mint a small fortune on the sidelines of a trade show.

This is the problem with travel marts. They don’t give you anything on a plate. You have to work them to death and a hotel needs to hire qualified sales executives who are comfortable working with international buyers. It’s not a tasks for the faint of heart or kids just out of school.

TTM works on the principle that if it is not broke, don’t fix it, but who will look more closely at the formula behind travel marts to see if  the underlying concept needs some heavy maintenance?

Probably no one, but the signs are there that TTM will need a fix soon enough. There were just five airlines – two major and three minor players. The Mekong Region was poorly represented with just two of five neighbours exhibiting. The show ticked over, but was it really an adequate reflection of what Thailand has to offer the international travel trade?

Like most trade shows we join every year, it happens and passes by and no one is sure whether in the passing it made a difference to business or not.  We will always question whether there are too many shows and which ones should be axed from the diary? Chopping or fixing  takes considerably more courage in management.

It didn’t because most hoteliers have learned to ignore inappropriate behaviour. It’s one of the downsides of travel marts. It begs the question, just who is a buyer and a seller these days?

But there was no doubt in my mind that the guy sitting right across from me at one of the mart’s coffee corner tables was a buyer. He had a badge to prove it and he sat down sighing like a senior citizen claiming he was bushed; walked off his poor feet such was the pressure of doing the buyer’s rounds at the TTM.

It’s only day one, I thought at the time. Poor guy needs to join a fitness programme.

Bitsiren business development director, Philip Evans, doesn’t mince words about his intent at TTM.

I asked what he was buying at the show. He boldly told me he was walking the rows on a selling mission on behalf of his web design and booking engine company.

He made no attempt to excuse his role switch. He was a buyer who wasn’t buying anything. He was using TAT’s  appointment system to walk the TTM aisles to sell “website designs and a booking engine”. The former Agoda.Com executive explained he had a wad of appointments with hotels and a couple came through as sales prospects. “ So it wasn’t a waste of time”.

Last week, TTR Weekly was alerted to the problem of companies registering as buyers but engaging in sales activities at previous marts. A comment on the TTR Weekly website from a seller organisation claimed it was a violation of the rules and gave companies an unfair advantage allowing them to compete against registered sellers without incurring costs.

I felt sorry for the hoteliers who were waiting to meet the Bitsiren buyer. They were hoping he would negotiate room allotments for his clients. It was going to be a disappointing afternoon at the trade show after all.

A TAT executive told me later these make believe buyers should be flamed and told to get off the premises.

But we might also ask how TAT selected  Bitsiren of Phuket to be a tour buyer in the first place. Didn’t anyone check the company’s credentials before handing over a buyer’s badge and entering  it in the appointment system?

I flipped through the pages of the TTM official buyers’ directory and came across Bitsiren in the Thailand section.

The manual describes the company as a “retail travel agency” and the main type of business as “business travel, honeymoon and individual travel”.

Did anyone ask for the company’s travel agency registration filed with the registrar at the ministry of tourism and sports to confirm legal retail travel agency status?

The buyers’ manual provides a website address www.bitsiren.com and guess what there is not a single reference to a travel enterprise on the site. Not even the scent of romance or honeymoon travel.

The website declares the company “is an integrated communications consultancy with a strong focus on bespoke IT & Marketing solutions that are customised for your precise business goals. BitSiren provides strategic Internet Marketing solutions, website and e-commerce development services while always emphasizing a maximum ROI. Seamlessly combination of cutting-edge online marketing techniques and traditional offline marketing methods to create innovative synergies that cross-promote your brand.”

So much for TAT’s screening process, although I am told some of the overseas offices do make telephone calls to double check credentials if there is any doubt about the company’s expertise in the field of travel.

There are other companies based in Thailand registered as buyers that are clearly online companies, but some will claim they are contracting hotels rates to display on their systems and in most cases they register under the category of an online travel agency.

But there are others who are clearly abusing TAT’s hospitality and brash enough to talk about it. The question is just how many of these so-called buyers are walking the aisles of TTM?

A TAT official reckons about 10% of the 335 buyers could be suspect. Sounds acceptable, but it is still 33 buyers who should have been told to take a hike.

To be kind, the official noted that the response to the likes of Bitsiren should have been “this is not the kind of show that fits your requirements.”

In other words pay you way and attend a free-and-easy show that doesn’t have buyer and seller distinctions and structured appointments.

“There are people who attend fairs to buy and sell,” the official explained. “They maybe travel agents, but they have a product on the side they also want to sell. They are not what we understand to be a buyer in the purest sense. So we have to explain to them to restrict their activities to the traditional role of a travel buyer while at TTM.”