Phuket Events: Yacht racing dominates

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PHUKET: The third SEA Property International Phuket Multihull Championship will take place July 16-18 in the Chalong Bay area. This increasingly popular event is expected to attract over 20 entries this year and is a perfect feeder for the Six Senses Phuket Raceweek.

The SEA event is sponsored by SEA Property and organised and hosted by the Ao Chalong Yacht Club, and consists of three days of racing and four parties. Registration is on the Thursday evening with a briefing on Friday at 0900 hrs at the ACYC prior to the first scheduled warning signal at 1100 hrs.

This is followed by a programme of five races to be held on the Friday (2), Saturday (2) and Sunday (1), with evening parties at the Club sponsored by Sea Bees, Corsair Marine and Derani Yachts.

Logistics sponsors include Andaman Cabriolet and Latitude 8. The media partner is IMAGE Asia, and Elite Wine is said to be promising some special prizes.

On July 21, just three days after the close of the SEA regatta, Six Senses Phuket Raceweek, now in its seventh year, will launch four days of world-class yacht racing and five nights of magical, beachside parties at the 5-star Evason Phuket & Six Senses Spa – all captured for international TV broadcast to 140 million households.

The regatta is run over seven classes, including cruising/bareboat/charter yachts. It’s competitive, high-octane racing for the serious boats and fun courses around the islands for the less serious racers.

Among others, Phuket Raceweek is sponsored by The Nation and Phuket Gazette newspapers, along with the Gazette‘s television arm PGTV.

TR Weekly
For the 12th consecutive year, Phuket is featured in the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale (ATGS).

Aimed at Thais, local expats and short-haul international travellers, the event sees retailers offering discounts of up to 80%, along with special promotions, prizes and even some tax deductions.

The Sale started last week and runs until August 15.

The event is organized by NCC Exhibition Organiser and sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand in coordination with VISA International Thailand, for the stated purpose of strengthening Thailand’s position as a major shopping destination.

Here in Phuket, shoppers will find many retailers participating in the ATGS at the Jungceylon shopping mall in Patong.

In addition to Phuket, the sale is running concurrently in seven other major tourism cities in Thailand, including Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Hua Hin, Samui, Pattaya and Udon Thani.

According to the TAT’s Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, the sale generated 1.2 billion baht last year, and is expected to see increased spending this year.

Today Online
Thailand has become the “value-for-money destination du jour” to entice travellers back to the country after a month of conflict.

Shops in Bangkok and seven other major tourism destinations, including Phuket, are offering discounts of up to 80 per cent in an ongoing summer sale and hotels have reduced rates and increased perks to fill rooms.

A three-night stay at the four-star Kingston Suites in Bangkok, for example, costs only 1,466 baht ($64) a night, inclusive of breakfast, Internet, an 8am check-in and a late 6pm check-out.

Asia Travel Tips
Phuket’s luxury Indigo Pearl has launched a ‘Hot Weekend’ promotion offering guests a 50% discount on any room type booked, with a minimum stay of two nights and a maximum of four nights.

The package includes a 25% discount on F&B and spa therapies throughout the guests’ stay, as well as complimentary airport transfers.

The promotion provides several accommodation choices at Indigo Pearl, with prices from 5,502 baht (US$ 238) for a two-night stay. Terms and conditions apply.

TTR Weekly
Marriott International says bookings are down and the length-of-stay at its Bangkok properties has dropped to just two to three days, but the group will resist pressure to cut room rates.

Managing director for international lodging Edwin D. Fuller said his group would not bow to pressure.

“Marriott will be aggressive in meeting one-on-one with travel partners, both retailers and wholesalers, and we will conduct sales missions in key source markets such as Russia, India, China, and some specific European countries,” he said at a press briefing on Monday.

A search of popular hotel booking sites indicated the JW Marriott Bangkok’s best internet rate was 4,990 baht, while the Marriott Resort and Spa on Bangkok’s riverside was quoted at 3,380 baht.
The hotel company’s Courtyard Bangkok was selling at 2,858 baht.

Earth Times
Thailand’s economy was expected to grow 6.1 per cent this year despite the political turmoil in March to May, without which it could have grown 7 per cent, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

The World Bank said a dramatic jump in exports during the first half of this year led to its projection for substantial GDP growth despite the anti-government protests.

“The good news is that Thailand continued to see a robust economic recovery in the first two quarters of 2010 despite the political turmoil,” World Bank economist Frederico Gil Sander said.

Thailand’s exports grew 34 per cent year-on-year in the first five months of 2010 and were seemingly unaffected by the political instability.

— Gazette Editors