Phuket to host travel congress

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PHUKET: The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will hold its 59th Annual Travel Congress (convention and exhibition) in Phuket, from September 17-19, according to the Mumbai-based Travel Biz Monitor.

The convention will be held at Laguna Phuket.

From January through May this year, Thailand has received 277,393 Indian visitors, many of whom came to Phuket, and theTourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is seeking to regain travellers’ confidence through different B2B and B2C strategies.

“Phuket is an up-market destination which is not tapped to its fullest potential at the moment. With the convention to be held in Phuket this year, it will definitely help the trade [association’s] members to explore the destination and benefit Thailand [by helping] to revive the tourism industry after the political turmoil,” said Pinki Arora, Marketing Manager of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s New Delhi office.

TR Weekly
A medical tourism network to boost business in Thailand was introduced at a seminar in Bangkok on Monday.

The Medical Tourism Cluster (MTC) intends to recruit a wider range of tourism players who offer wellness and medical services in Thailand.

It will coordinate business contacts and sales leads between cluster members and overseas medical tourism providers. Apart from a new website currently under construction, the network is on Facebook.

Medical tourism grows by an estimated 10% to 15% a year. Revenue from the sector reached an estimated 360 billion baht last year, with medical treatments alone accounting for around 108 billion.

Thai Hotels Association president and the network founding vice president Prakit Chinamourphong told delegates at the seminar that the MTC could help boost medical tourism by connecting local companies to overseas markets and suppliers.

Within Thailand, Phuket has become a major participant in the medical tourism sector and is said by industry sources to rank second only to Bangkok in terms of the volume of foreign patients seeking treatments.

For related stories on medical tourism in Phuket, click here and here.

PR Web
As part of its continued expansion in Asia, US-based LaTour Hotels and Resorts, which offers personalized luxury hospitality management services for four- and five-star properties worldwide, will now manage Grove Gardens Phuket, an exclusive residential estate located on Cape Yamu on the East Coast of Phuket.

Grove Gardens Phuket, overlooking Phang Nga Bay and the channel entrance to the Phuket Boat Lagoon Marina and Royal Phuket Marina, is a four-star resort-style development consisting of 36 modern townhomes and condominium villas. Its grounds feature amenities that embrace the Phuket island lifestyle, including a spa with private massage and treatment rooms.

E Global Travel News
Following closely on its recognition in the coveted Conde Nast Traveler (USA) Hot List for 2010, Andara Resort & Villas Phuket has received a second “Hot List” award in regional luxury real estate magazine Property Report South East Asia.

Located on ‘Millionaires Mile’ in Phuket, the resort offers 37 lavish residence suites and 26 luxury pool villas. The resort’s service includes a dedicated villa attendant for each villa as well as a private Thai chef.

“This is the second time Andara has featured on the Hot List,” Property Report Editor-in-Chief Terry Blackburn says. “They were also on our inaugural list in 2009.

Our team of editors in Thailand and Singapore decides the list and it was a unanimous decision to include Andara again this year.”

Belfast Telegraph
Thai Airways is so proud of its in-flight food that it plans to start selling takeaways.

They are introducing a line of seven ready-made curry sauces to be sold starting later this month at shops in Phuket, Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

The company said its target market was the business traveller who had enjoyed the in-flight meal but had no time to cook Thai food at home.

The campaign is part of THAI’s drive to help reverse losses from the recent political strife in Bangkok. It is also aimed at helping the airline to standardize its Thai curries.

The Phuket office of THAI, on Ranong Rd in Phuket Town, has long had a ‘pastry wagon’ at its entrance, serving the same delicacies that it offers passengers on board.

TR Weekly
Thai Airways International’s board of directors has approved the acquisition of 15 new aircraft to support fleet renewal and growth plans out to 2014.

The board also gave the nod to a new seat supplier to install economy class seats on five A330s.

Last February, the board gave the initial green light to an acquisition plan that recommended financial leases for seven aircraft (of about 300 seats each) to be used on regional routes, and for eight intercontinental aircraft of about 350 seats.

While passenger traffic was negative, Cargo Revenue/Ton/km in May increased 61% compared to the same period last year, with a load factor of 67.8% for 2010.

On raising capital, the board approved the company’s borrowing of 8 billion baht from Siam Commercial Bank for a period of seven years.

Bankok Post
The Thai government plans to develop a land transport route linking Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province with the port of Dawei in Burma as a gateway to markets to the west of the Kingdom.

Authorities say better land transport is needed because the Pak Bara deep-sea port in the southern Thai province of Satun cannot be developed on a scale to compete with other other deep-sea ports in the region.

Mr Putthipong said a link with Dawei would have great benefits for Thailand because China also wants to use the town as a possible site for a major trading port for western and eastern markets.

Situated in the southwest of Burma, the deep-sea port at Dawei is now under construction and should be completed in 2013. It will be capable of handling 300,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent) containers a year.

— Gazette Editors