forces patrolling the dangerous vast regions in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, infested with Somali piracy.
On Friday, a Thai naval fleet left its shores on a 98-day-long anti-piracy mission in the dangerous waters off Somalia.
A warship and a supply ship, carrying officers and sailors, departed from Sattahip Naval Base, south-east of Thai capital Bangkok, for its week-long journey to the Gulf of Aden.
Rear-Admiral Chaiyoth Suntornnak, leading the 371-member Pirate Suppression Mission, said the team is "100 per cent ready" to "play a role in cooperating with the international community" in protecting one of the world's busiest shipping areas..
Vessels are being seized frequently in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean off the African coast despite the strong presence of international naval forces, including from the NATO and the European Union, in the region.
Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program, says Somali pirates are now operating near the Maldives and India, beyond the Seychelles.
Somali Pirates hold merchant vessels and sailors demanding multimillion-dollar ransoms for their release. Most of the gangs are based in northern Somalia's Puntland region.
Friday, September 10, 2010
All Nippon Airways to Start Discount Carrier Amid Surging Travel in Asia - Bloomberg
All Nippon Airways Co., Asia’s largest listed carrier by sales, will team with a Hong Kong investor to set up a discount airline amid rising demand for budget travel.
The carrier will be based at Kansai International Airport in Osaka and will start flying in the second fiscal half of 2011, All Nippon, also known as ANA, said in a statement in Tokyo today. ANA will hold a 39 percent stake in the venture, while Hong Kong-based Victor Chu’s First Eastern Investment Group will own 33.3 percent, the maximum foreign ownership permitted in Japan.
The airline’s plan to join the low-fare fray comes after China’s Spring Airlines and Qantas Airways Ltd.’s budget unit Jetstar started discount flights to Japan. ANA’s biggest local rival Japan Airlines Corp. has also said it is considering setting up a low-cost carrier.
“ANA has to set up a low-cost carrier to keep up with overseas carriers,” said Mitsushige Akino, who oversees $450 million in assets in Tokyo at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. “The lessons they learn with a discount carrier could help them cut costs in their main flying unit.”
The new budget airline will consider buying five Boeing Co. 737 or similar aircraft to start domestic routes and then expand to China and other overseas destinations, Chu said today in a phone interview.
All Nippon rose 1 percent to 316 yen at the close of trade in Tokyo today. The announcement came after the market closed.
Profit Outlook
Japanese investors will own 66.7 percent of the discount carrier, including ANA’s stake, the airline said in the statement. Start-up capital for the venture will be between 10 billion yen and 15 billion yen ($179 million), Yuji Hirako, ANA vice president of corporate planning, told reporters in Tokyo.
“We hope to make a profit from the third, fourth or fifth year,” said Hirako. Setting up the discount carrier will help ANA to cut up to 70 percent of costs, President Shinichiro Ito told reporters.
At least 20 budget carriers have started in Asia-Pacific in the past decade as economic growth in the region, home to the world’s two most-populous countries, enables more people to fly. The potential for cheap flights in the region has also attracted investments from Virgin Group’s Richard Branson in a Malaysian no-frills carrier.
Tiger Airways Ltd., a budget carrier part-owned by Singapore Airlines Ltd., last month said it’s starting a new low-fare airline in Bangkok with Thai Airways International Pcl.
Japan Air
ANA set up an office in Hong Kong in 2008 to examine the possibility of starting up a low-cost carrier. It delayed a decision on a new carrier after a global recession led companies to slash travel and tourists cut back on overseas travel.
Japan Airlines, which is restructuring under bankruptcy protection, last month said it’s studying prospects for starting a low-cost carrier. The carrier has agreed on an 872 billion yen turnaround plan that waives 88 percent of unsecured liabilities, cut jobs and sells planes.
ANA predicts it will return to profit this fiscal year as the company reduces its workforce and adds flights. ANA forecasts net income of 5 billion yen in the year started April 1, compared with a loss of 57 billion yen last business year.
ANA’s partner First Eastern is a Hong Kong-based investment group, founded by Chu, with stakes in more than 100 projects in China, including infrastructure and real- estate development, according to the statement.
To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Cooper in Tokyo at ccooper1@bloomberg.net; Kiyotaka Matsuda in Tokyo at kmatsuda@bloomberg.net
The carrier will be based at Kansai International Airport in Osaka and will start flying in the second fiscal half of 2011, All Nippon, also known as ANA, said in a statement in Tokyo today. ANA will hold a 39 percent stake in the venture, while Hong Kong-based Victor Chu’s First Eastern Investment Group will own 33.3 percent, the maximum foreign ownership permitted in Japan.
The airline’s plan to join the low-fare fray comes after China’s Spring Airlines and Qantas Airways Ltd.’s budget unit Jetstar started discount flights to Japan. ANA’s biggest local rival Japan Airlines Corp. has also said it is considering setting up a low-cost carrier.
“ANA has to set up a low-cost carrier to keep up with overseas carriers,” said Mitsushige Akino, who oversees $450 million in assets in Tokyo at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. “The lessons they learn with a discount carrier could help them cut costs in their main flying unit.”
The new budget airline will consider buying five Boeing Co. 737 or similar aircraft to start domestic routes and then expand to China and other overseas destinations, Chu said today in a phone interview.
All Nippon rose 1 percent to 316 yen at the close of trade in Tokyo today. The announcement came after the market closed.
Profit Outlook
Japanese investors will own 66.7 percent of the discount carrier, including ANA’s stake, the airline said in the statement. Start-up capital for the venture will be between 10 billion yen and 15 billion yen ($179 million), Yuji Hirako, ANA vice president of corporate planning, told reporters in Tokyo.
“We hope to make a profit from the third, fourth or fifth year,” said Hirako. Setting up the discount carrier will help ANA to cut up to 70 percent of costs, President Shinichiro Ito told reporters.
At least 20 budget carriers have started in Asia-Pacific in the past decade as economic growth in the region, home to the world’s two most-populous countries, enables more people to fly. The potential for cheap flights in the region has also attracted investments from Virgin Group’s Richard Branson in a Malaysian no-frills carrier.
Tiger Airways Ltd., a budget carrier part-owned by Singapore Airlines Ltd., last month said it’s starting a new low-fare airline in Bangkok with Thai Airways International Pcl.
Japan Air
ANA set up an office in Hong Kong in 2008 to examine the possibility of starting up a low-cost carrier. It delayed a decision on a new carrier after a global recession led companies to slash travel and tourists cut back on overseas travel.
Japan Airlines, which is restructuring under bankruptcy protection, last month said it’s studying prospects for starting a low-cost carrier. The carrier has agreed on an 872 billion yen turnaround plan that waives 88 percent of unsecured liabilities, cut jobs and sells planes.
ANA predicts it will return to profit this fiscal year as the company reduces its workforce and adds flights. ANA forecasts net income of 5 billion yen in the year started April 1, compared with a loss of 57 billion yen last business year.
ANA’s partner First Eastern is a Hong Kong-based investment group, founded by Chu, with stakes in more than 100 projects in China, including infrastructure and real- estate development, according to the statement.
To contact the reporters on this story: Chris Cooper in Tokyo at ccooper1@bloomberg.net; Kiyotaka Matsuda in Tokyo at kmatsuda@bloomberg.net
Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan: Asia Local Bonds, Foreign-Exchange Preview - Bloomberg
The following events and economic reports may influence trading in Asia’s local bonds and currencies today. Bond yields and exchange rates are from the previous trading session unless stated otherwise.
Financial markets will be closed for holidays in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore.
Japan: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku and Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda will hold media briefings after a Cabinet meeting in the morning. Sengoku will have another press briefing at 4 p.m. in Tokyo.
The Bank of Japan will publish at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo the minutes of its Aug. 9-10 policy board meeting.
The Cabinet Office will release at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo its final figures for the nation’s gross domestic product in the second quarter. Japan’s GDP rose an annualized 1.5 percent in the three months ended June 30, according to a Bloomberg News survey of economists.
The Bank of Japan will release at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo its report on producer prices in August. Japan’s producer prices fell 0.2 percent in August from a year earlier, after a 0.1 percent decline in July, a separate Bloomberg survey showed.
The yield on the 1 percent government bond due September 2020 was at 1.12 percent, according to Japan Bond Trading Co., the nation’s largest interdealer debt broker.
The yen traded at 83.87 per dollar at 7:13 a.m. in Sydney.
China: A government report today will show exports exceeded imports by $26.9 billion in August, compared with $15.7 billion in the same month a year earlier, according to the median forecast of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Exports probably rose 35 percent and imports 27.5 percent.
The finance ministry will sell 91-day bills.
The yield on the 2.52 percent note due July 2015 was 2.71 percent. The yuan was at 6.7832.
Thailand: The central bank will report foreign reserves for the week ended Sept. 3 today. The holdings were a record $154.7 billion on Aug. 27.
The yield on the 3.625 percent note maturing in May 2015 was 2.70 percent. The baht was at 30.88.
Taiwan: Taiwan will sell NT$100 billion of 364-day negotiable certificates of deposits today.
The yield on the 1.125 percent note maturing in September 2020 stood at 1.20 percent. The Taiwan dollar was at NT$31.939.
Financial markets will be closed for holidays in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore.
Japan: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku and Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda will hold media briefings after a Cabinet meeting in the morning. Sengoku will have another press briefing at 4 p.m. in Tokyo.
The Bank of Japan will publish at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo the minutes of its Aug. 9-10 policy board meeting.
The Cabinet Office will release at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo its final figures for the nation’s gross domestic product in the second quarter. Japan’s GDP rose an annualized 1.5 percent in the three months ended June 30, according to a Bloomberg News survey of economists.
The Bank of Japan will release at 8:50 a.m. in Tokyo its report on producer prices in August. Japan’s producer prices fell 0.2 percent in August from a year earlier, after a 0.1 percent decline in July, a separate Bloomberg survey showed.
The yield on the 1 percent government bond due September 2020 was at 1.12 percent, according to Japan Bond Trading Co., the nation’s largest interdealer debt broker.
The yen traded at 83.87 per dollar at 7:13 a.m. in Sydney.
China: A government report today will show exports exceeded imports by $26.9 billion in August, compared with $15.7 billion in the same month a year earlier, according to the median forecast of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Exports probably rose 35 percent and imports 27.5 percent.
The finance ministry will sell 91-day bills.
The yield on the 2.52 percent note due July 2015 was 2.71 percent. The yuan was at 6.7832.
Thailand: The central bank will report foreign reserves for the week ended Sept. 3 today. The holdings were a record $154.7 billion on Aug. 27.
The yield on the 3.625 percent note maturing in May 2015 was 2.70 percent. The baht was at 30.88.
Taiwan: Taiwan will sell NT$100 billion of 364-day negotiable certificates of deposits today.
The yield on the 1.125 percent note maturing in September 2020 stood at 1.20 percent. The Taiwan dollar was at NT$31.939.
2010 Thailand Travel Mart will highlight the return of confidence to the destination - eTurboNews.com
THAILAND (eTN) - The Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) is a core element for the travel industry to look at Thailand’s latest trends for its tourism activity, as well as an important meeting time for all tour operators eager to put Thailand in their programs. Originally planned during the first days of June, the TTM was postponed at the last minute as uncertainties at the time continued to plague the Kingdom. Three months later, however, Thailand continues on the path of its normalization.
Although the State of Emergency is still going on in Bangkok and some of the provinces surrounding the capital, it has been lifted in almost the entire country. Less than a week ago, Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted the State of Emergency in the provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, despite the fact that both are perceived as bastions of the Red Shirt opposition movement.
Normalcy is what the TTM will be all about: the travel show which takes place from September 8 to 10 at the Impact Muang Thong Thani Convention and Exhibition Center. There are over 340 buyers from 49 countries registered. Apart from India, the largest buyer delegations come from the USA (26), United Kingdom (24), Russia (22), and Korea (16). The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) decided to invite new buyers from Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, Turkey, Lithuania, and Kazakhstan to experience Thailand’s tourism range. Buyers will then meet some 428 sellers from various business categories such as
hotels and resorts, tour operators and travel agents, ecotourism and adventure, wellness and spa, and airlines, as well as entertainment/theme parks/culture products, golf courses, and associations. As the gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion, NTOs and private travel operators from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam will also be present.
TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said: “This year’s TTM is very important to all of us, because it comes as part of our recovery program from the recent political unrest. It is also part of our strategy to diversify the sources of visitor arrivals and expose Thailand and the GMS region to new buyers from countries and regions which could deliver promising results in the future.”
Foreign tourist arrivals during the first six months of this year reached 7.52 million, a growth of 13.7 percent over the same period in 2009. Although the evolution is positive, this growth could have been stronger if April and May did not experience tourist arrivals plunging because of political unrest.
Source: With the support of a news release from the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Although the State of Emergency is still going on in Bangkok and some of the provinces surrounding the capital, it has been lifted in almost the entire country. Less than a week ago, Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted the State of Emergency in the provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, despite the fact that both are perceived as bastions of the Red Shirt opposition movement.
Normalcy is what the TTM will be all about: the travel show which takes place from September 8 to 10 at the Impact Muang Thong Thani Convention and Exhibition Center. There are over 340 buyers from 49 countries registered. Apart from India, the largest buyer delegations come from the USA (26), United Kingdom (24), Russia (22), and Korea (16). The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) decided to invite new buyers from Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, Turkey, Lithuania, and Kazakhstan to experience Thailand’s tourism range. Buyers will then meet some 428 sellers from various business categories such as
hotels and resorts, tour operators and travel agents, ecotourism and adventure, wellness and spa, and airlines, as well as entertainment/theme parks/culture products, golf courses, and associations. As the gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion, NTOs and private travel operators from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam will also be present.
TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni said: “This year’s TTM is very important to all of us, because it comes as part of our recovery program from the recent political unrest. It is also part of our strategy to diversify the sources of visitor arrivals and expose Thailand and the GMS region to new buyers from countries and regions which could deliver promising results in the future.”
Foreign tourist arrivals during the first six months of this year reached 7.52 million, a growth of 13.7 percent over the same period in 2009. Although the evolution is positive, this growth could have been stronger if April and May did not experience tourist arrivals plunging because of political unrest.
Source: With the support of a news release from the Tourism Authority of Thailand
Visitors from 36 nations to pay $14 fee to travel to U.S. - aysor.am - Hot news from Armenia
Since September 8, travelers from 36 nations will be required to pay $14 travel fee when they visit the United States, against previous $10 fee.
The American Visa Bureau said in the statement that “$4 of this government fee will go to administrative costs and $10 will go towards funding the activities of the Corporation for Travel Promotion.”
“The U.S. Senate introduced the ESTA charge to raise funds to strengthen the image of the country abroad, and to try and reverse declining numbers of visitors to the country,” it said.
ESTA (the Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is a mandatory online procedure for US-bound passengers from 36 Visa Waiver Program countries, which includes most European states.
Those 36 nations that participate in the Visa Waiver Program are Andorra, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, South Korea, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg Switzerland, France, Malta, Great Britain, Germany, Monaco, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary and New Zealand. These nations are allowed to travel to the United States for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
The American Visa Bureau said in the statement that “$4 of this government fee will go to administrative costs and $10 will go towards funding the activities of the Corporation for Travel Promotion.”
“The U.S. Senate introduced the ESTA charge to raise funds to strengthen the image of the country abroad, and to try and reverse declining numbers of visitors to the country,” it said.
ESTA (the Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is a mandatory online procedure for US-bound passengers from 36 Visa Waiver Program countries, which includes most European states.
Those 36 nations that participate in the Visa Waiver Program are Andorra, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, South Korea, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg Switzerland, France, Malta, Great Britain, Germany, Monaco, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary and New Zealand. These nations are allowed to travel to the United States for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
Chinese Travel Agents To Explore Wonders Of Brunei | Local News
Bandar Seri Begawan - Sheikh Jamaluddin Shiekh Mohamed, the CEO of Brunei Tourism, yesterday had a fruitful discussion with four Chinese travel agents who are interested in promoting the Sultanate's tourist attractions in China.
The visiting travel agents from China comprise Miss Zang Yan Lin and Miss Wang Fang of BTG International Travel & Tour, and Mr Huang Jian Liang and Ms Cheng Shen of Guangdong Tianma International Travel Co Ltd.
They will begin their tour of Brunei tomorrow after visiting Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia today.
Mr Huang hoped to bring in a group of Chinese photographers to take photos of Brunei's stunning sceneries. The photos would be used as illustrations for a book promoting Brunei's places of interest to the Chinese market, he explained.
Noting that the Sultanate has vast potential for the China market, he said: "The population size is ideal for tourism development... there are many attractions in the country."
Accompanying the Chinese travel agents are Major (Rtd) Abd Samad Hj Abd Sani of Guagga Travel and other officials. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
The visiting travel agents from China comprise Miss Zang Yan Lin and Miss Wang Fang of BTG International Travel & Tour, and Mr Huang Jian Liang and Ms Cheng Shen of Guangdong Tianma International Travel Co Ltd.
They will begin their tour of Brunei tomorrow after visiting Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia today.
Mr Huang hoped to bring in a group of Chinese photographers to take photos of Brunei's stunning sceneries. The photos would be used as illustrations for a book promoting Brunei's places of interest to the Chinese market, he explained.
Noting that the Sultanate has vast potential for the China market, he said: "The population size is ideal for tourism development... there are many attractions in the country."
Accompanying the Chinese travel agents are Major (Rtd) Abd Samad Hj Abd Sani of Guagga Travel and other officials. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
THAILAND TRAVEL MART 2010 Thailand looks to balance its tourism strategy - eTurboNews.com
BANGKOK (eTN)- Originally the Thailand Travel Mart was scheduled in June, like every year. But political turmoils in April and May forced to postpone the event to September. TTM took then place on September 9 and 10 and it has been a blessing in disguise. The belated hosting served to see if Thailand is now recovering from a turbulent year. “ This TTM ediion is part of our recovery program. And we are so far very satisfied with the outcome of the show which recorded some 335 buyers from 50 countries. We have invited many emerging inbound markets to participate such as Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, Poland or Kazakhstan”, explained at TTM traditional press conference Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Mr Svetasreni has some good reasons to be relatively optimist. Once again, Thailand is bouncing back from a gloomy time, and it bounces back quicker than expected. “Many of us predicted that the market would take six to twelve months to recover. We started to see business back after only six weeks following May events,” tells Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International (see an exclusive interview with eTN early next week). Mr. Svetasreni indicated that international arrivals to Thailand finally grew by 13.8% from January to July totalling 8.7 million travelers. All markets are recovering strongly except the Americas up by only 1.6% during the same period. Thailand experienced especially a jump in arrivals from the Middle East and South Asia.
“It is a good performance even if we had expected originally a better outcome for the year 2010. Until March, tourist arrivals were growing by 20% on average and all indicators then pointed out to a futher growth in this range for the next months. However, we saw a drop from 20% to 25% in April and May due to political instability. We believe that Thailand will be able to welcome again at least 14 million international tourists in 2010 bringing some US$ 16.5 billion in revenues”, he explains. For 2011, TAT estimates that the country would see over 15.5 million travelers.
For TAT Governor, this rapid recovery is due to the many strong assets of Thailand’s tourism: “The sense of service and welcome of our people, the charm of our Thai culture and Thai way of life bring a strong feeling to many visitors. This emotional connection of travelers to our country is an asset that we will use in our marketing campaign”, he says.
The new marketing campaign is all in balancing trends to speed up tourism’s recovery. Mr. Svetasreni has then developed with his team a marketing strategy including three key dimensions to tourism: the economy, the environment and the society. The well-known emblematic “Amazing Thailand” will be retained for 2011 marketing campaigns and will be underlined with a new slogan “Always Amazes You”. The slogan will reinforce then the emotional value of the country’s brand but also highlights all the assets offered by Thailand to its visitors, from its numerous attractions, sense of welcome to amazing good value offers. However, Mr Svetasreni will also give more emphasis to promote the country to domestic travelers. “We can then reduce the dependence to international markets which are easier affected by events such as recession or natural disasters,” he adds. Of course, political instability would also take its toll on international travelers decisions to come to the Kingdom. International markets identified with a promising potential for Thailand are Eastern Europe, the CIS and North Africa. Thematic activities will also be fostered such as Golf, diving, wellness or luxury wedding and honeymoon. Sustainable tourism as well as eco tourism will be then promoted during the off peak season to turn Thailand into a year-round destination.
Positioning Thailand as a premium luxury destination for honeymooners or medical treatment will help to slowly move away from the period of heavily discounts which were made available following March and April political violences. “Discounting hotel rates is just good for a short time to bring back confidence into our destination. But it is not a long-term solution,” estimates Mr Svetasreni.
The growth of tourism will however only be successful if the country truly embarked into a quality sustainable tourism. “For the first 50 years of Thai tourism, our development largely focused on maximizing economic benefits. However, the next 50 years will require an equivalent focus on minimising the ecological impact of tourism”, adds Mr Svetasreni. Initiatives such as Community-Based tourism or Green tourism have been launched with new awareness campaigns to come over the next months.
Building up an environment-friendly tourism product is probably one of the biggest challenges that Thailand faces. For decades, business practices and political decisions have been closely linked to corruption, most of the time to the detriment of environment protection. However, Mr Svetasreni perceives some positive changes. “ A new way of thinking is emerging and it is very different of what we used to see in the past", he says. “I see more and more investors or public administrations looking at the environmental impact or at the green issue, often under the pressure from local people, foreign visitors and also the media, prompt to point out issues. It is a good and necessary evolution”, adds the Governor.
Mr Svetasreni has some good reasons to be relatively optimist. Once again, Thailand is bouncing back from a gloomy time, and it bounces back quicker than expected. “Many of us predicted that the market would take six to twelve months to recover. We started to see business back after only six weeks following May events,” tells Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International (see an exclusive interview with eTN early next week). Mr. Svetasreni indicated that international arrivals to Thailand finally grew by 13.8% from January to July totalling 8.7 million travelers. All markets are recovering strongly except the Americas up by only 1.6% during the same period. Thailand experienced especially a jump in arrivals from the Middle East and South Asia.
“It is a good performance even if we had expected originally a better outcome for the year 2010. Until March, tourist arrivals were growing by 20% on average and all indicators then pointed out to a futher growth in this range for the next months. However, we saw a drop from 20% to 25% in April and May due to political instability. We believe that Thailand will be able to welcome again at least 14 million international tourists in 2010 bringing some US$ 16.5 billion in revenues”, he explains. For 2011, TAT estimates that the country would see over 15.5 million travelers.
For TAT Governor, this rapid recovery is due to the many strong assets of Thailand’s tourism: “The sense of service and welcome of our people, the charm of our Thai culture and Thai way of life bring a strong feeling to many visitors. This emotional connection of travelers to our country is an asset that we will use in our marketing campaign”, he says.
The new marketing campaign is all in balancing trends to speed up tourism’s recovery. Mr. Svetasreni has then developed with his team a marketing strategy including three key dimensions to tourism: the economy, the environment and the society. The well-known emblematic “Amazing Thailand” will be retained for 2011 marketing campaigns and will be underlined with a new slogan “Always Amazes You”. The slogan will reinforce then the emotional value of the country’s brand but also highlights all the assets offered by Thailand to its visitors, from its numerous attractions, sense of welcome to amazing good value offers. However, Mr Svetasreni will also give more emphasis to promote the country to domestic travelers. “We can then reduce the dependence to international markets which are easier affected by events such as recession or natural disasters,” he adds. Of course, political instability would also take its toll on international travelers decisions to come to the Kingdom. International markets identified with a promising potential for Thailand are Eastern Europe, the CIS and North Africa. Thematic activities will also be fostered such as Golf, diving, wellness or luxury wedding and honeymoon. Sustainable tourism as well as eco tourism will be then promoted during the off peak season to turn Thailand into a year-round destination.
Positioning Thailand as a premium luxury destination for honeymooners or medical treatment will help to slowly move away from the period of heavily discounts which were made available following March and April political violences. “Discounting hotel rates is just good for a short time to bring back confidence into our destination. But it is not a long-term solution,” estimates Mr Svetasreni.
The growth of tourism will however only be successful if the country truly embarked into a quality sustainable tourism. “For the first 50 years of Thai tourism, our development largely focused on maximizing economic benefits. However, the next 50 years will require an equivalent focus on minimising the ecological impact of tourism”, adds Mr Svetasreni. Initiatives such as Community-Based tourism or Green tourism have been launched with new awareness campaigns to come over the next months.
Building up an environment-friendly tourism product is probably one of the biggest challenges that Thailand faces. For decades, business practices and political decisions have been closely linked to corruption, most of the time to the detriment of environment protection. However, Mr Svetasreni perceives some positive changes. “ A new way of thinking is emerging and it is very different of what we used to see in the past", he says. “I see more and more investors or public administrations looking at the environmental impact or at the green issue, often under the pressure from local people, foreign visitors and also the media, prompt to point out issues. It is a good and necessary evolution”, adds the Governor.
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