Barrett farewells Diethelm

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

TCEB adopts educational role

BANGKOK, 3 February 2012: Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau join hands with Thai Incentive and Convention Exhibition and Thai Exhibition Association to build a MICE curriculum for students.

Identified as MICE 101 it will help prepare students for the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community 2015.

TCEB president, Akapol Sorasuchart, said MICE 101 will introduce students to corporate meetings, incentive activities, international conventions and international exhibitions and trade show management. Read more

Onxy signs Indian property

BANGKOK, 3 February 2012: ONYX Hospitality Group, a Thailand based hotel management company will step into the India market with a management contract with Apna Punjab Resorts company.

Located in Ludhiana, Punjab region, the hotel is the group’s first property featuring 127 rooms. It is due to open in the second half of 2012.

“This project will mark the entry of the Amari brand into India and it is a very significant milestone for us,” noted ONYX Hospitality Group president and chief executive officer, Peter Henley. Read more

Thailand awash with illegal hotels

BANGKOK, 3 February 2012: Over 300 unregistered hotels in Bangkok are being promoted heavily through internet hotel booking sites without service or security monitoring, Thai Hotels Association vice president, Surapong Techauvichit reported earlier this week.

He claimed hotels that failed to register and comply with the nation’s hospitality laws were a potential hazards and also deterred genuine investment in the industry.

He was speaking at a joint THA and Association of Thai Travel Agents meeting on Monday. Read more

HCMC will tap emerging markets

HO CHI MINH CITY, 3 February 2012: City officials say they are confident tourist arrivals can reach 3.8 million this year.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Tourism Promotion Division deputy head, Nguyen Bao Anh, said promotions will focus on South Korea, the United Kingdom, India and Ukraine.

“Tourist arrivals from those four countries remained small, last year, but the growth rate was promising.”

Read more

Cebu Pacific opts for long-haul

CEBU, 3 February 2012: Philippines’ low-cost carrier, Cebu Pacific, will commence long-haul flights in the third quarter of 2013. The airline will lease eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft to serve new markets. “We are exploring cities where large Filipino communities reside — Europe, Middle East, Oceania and the US. Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier can fly them there nonstop,” said Cebu Pacific president and CEO, Lance Gokongwei. Read more

Fudging allegations flatly denied

BANGKOK, 2 February 2012: Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ Department of Tourism hits out a critics saying its international and domestic tourist arrivals figure are reliable and follow the standards set by the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation.

In response to constant travel industry criticism that its data lacked credibility, TTR Weekly forwarded questions to a Department of Tourism official who asked not to be identified.

Officially, the department declined to be drawn into a debate on data collection. Read more

TAT will close privilege company

BANGKOK, 2 February 2012: Tourism Authority of Thailand plans to close the ailing Thailand Privilege Card company in March pending Cabinet approval.

TAT assumed sole ownership of the debt-ridden operator Thailand Privilege Card company, last year, under a directive from the previous government, but it needs the current government to sign off on the decision to close the company.

Thailand Privilege Card was established to manage the Thailand Elite Card, which was supposed to be an exclusive lifetime benefit card, priced at Bt1 million, for multi-millionaires visiting Thailand. Read more

TTAA rolls out 10th fair

BANGKOK, 2 February 2011: Now in its 10th edition the popular Thai International Travel Fair will open 23 February at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Thai Travel Agents Association reports the four-day show will have 1,110 registered booths mainly promoting travel deals and holidays to the consumer market.

They represent hotels, tour operators, national tourism office, airlines, car rentals and tourist attractions.

Read more

Garuda cuts sole Euro service

Jakarta, 2 February 2012: Garuda Indonesia will reduce flights to Amsterdam in March and expand its Asian network including new services to Japan and Taiwan.

Blaming economic conditions in Europe  Garuda said it was reducing  its daily service Jakarta – Dubai – Amsterdam to four a week starting 1 March.

Amsterdam is Garuda’s only destination in Europe, launched in June 2010 after the airline was removed from EU’s safety blacklist. Read more

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