Thailand Travel Talk M

AY

— JUN

E 2

013

OUR annual sale extravaganza is coming back. The Amazing ThailandGrand Sale 2013 would be on from June 15-August 15, 2013.

As usual visitors can expect discounts of up to 80 per cent on selecteditems at participating department stores, shopping malls, King Power DutyFree, jewelry shops, golf courses, Thai products, spa and massage, hospi-tals, as well as from the leading airlines and online travel agencies.

The aim of the ATGS is to provide shoppers with discounts on pro-ducts from all over the world. Not only brand name clothing and acces-sories but also Thai handicrafts and electrical appliances would be onsale.

There are also discounts to be enjoyed at participating merchants atselected tourist attractions in Bangkok, Chiangmai, Phuket, Hat Yai, HuaHin, Pattaya, Koh Samui and other famous destinations in Thailand.

The event attracts many target tourists such as those from Malaysia,Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to travel and goshopping in the low season of Thailand.

Shoppers are also recommended to check the credit card promotionsthat are involved in the campaign.

Participating department stores in the Ratchaprasong area will also of-fer a diverse selection of products, especially brand names, at incrediblebargain prices.

Contact :TAT Bangkok Office, Tourism Investment DepartmentTel : +66 2250 5500 ext.2951E-mail : businessdiv@tat.or.thWebsite : http://thailandgrandsale.tourismthailand.org

Amazing ThailandGrand Sale 2013Grand Sale 2013Grand Sale 2013Grand Sale 2013Grand Sale 2013

SAWATDI KHRAP.

I HOPE you have had a chance to enjoyour Thai New Year and Songkran Festivalin mid-April. Now I am happy to invite youfor another popular event among Malay-sians. And to make sure that you do notmiss out, we are having it for a whole twomonths.

That's right, it's the annual Amazing Thai-land Grand Sale from June 15-August 15.Participating outlets in Bangkok, Chiang-mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Hua Hin, Koh Samui,Pattaya and other famous destinations inThailand would be offering up to 80 percent discounts on selected items.

Jazz lovers are also reminded that theHua Hin Jazz Festival would be held againthis year in early June. Better make yourtravel plans early.

July is a special occasion for the peo-ple of Loei Province in North-East Thai-land as this is when the Phitakon Festivalwill be held. The festival is held to worshipspirits, the protectors of the village, and toask for plentiful rain for the coming farm-ing season.

Another equally colourful festival wouldbe held in Yasothon Province, that is therocket festival or the Bun Bang Fai. Thefestival stems from the Thai traditional be-liefs of supernatural powers and is heldannually to ask for rain.

Travels agents should also take notethat the Thailand Travel Mart+ 2013 wouldalso be held in June. More than 300 sell-ers from various sectors of the tourismand hospitality industry are expected totake part in the TTM+ 2013.

Good news for food lovers as well. Fol-lowing last year's success, the ThailandSplash and Spice has returned with anattractive variety of dining and accommo-dation specials.

We are also happy to announce thatThai Airways International, through ThaiSMILES, had started four weekly flightsbetween Phuket and Kuala Lumpur fromthe beginning of April, adding to the vari-ous flights available currently.

In conjunction with the flight, we hadorganised an agent and media educatio-nal trip to Phuket and beyond. The addi-tional flights open up more avenues forvisitors to travel to the island, which isamong the most popular destination forMalaysians, known for its beautiful bea-ches, popular golf courses, great foodand shopping.

So my dear friends, there is no excusefor you not to visit Thailand in the next twomonths. We have everything to suit yourtastes and fancies, be it shopping andfestivals to food and music.

See you soon in Amazing Thailand.

WIBOON NIMITRWANICHDirectorMalaysia & Brunei

Director’s Message TTTTTTM+ AmazingTM+ AmazingTM+ AmazingTM+ AmazingTM+ AmazingGateway in JuneGateway in JuneGateway in JuneGateway in JuneGateway in June

THAILAND Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gate-way to the Greater Mekong Subregion – the larg-est business-to-business travel trade fair of thekingdom – will be held between June 5-7, 2013at the Exhibition Centre Hall, IMPACT, MuangThong Thani.

TTM+ is expected to be attended by 344 buy-ers from 51 countries including India, the UnitedKingdom, Russia and USA.

Said TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni,“This year marks the 12th anniversary of theTTM+. Visitor arrivals have nearly doubled inthis period and the industry itself has undergonea phenomenal change.

“Our priority this year is to develop niche-market tourism as we move into a new era ofmarketing and development. Hence, the entirestructure of the TTM+ has been geared towardsmeeting this strategy, and connecting the rightbuyer to the right seller.”

The four key niche-market segments to behighlighted this year are Ecotourism, Golf, Health& Wellness, and Wedding & Honeymoon.

In addition to the business sessions, the TAThas carefully chosen the niche-market productsto be showcased during the pre- and post-toursfor the buyers and media. These include:1. Thainess through Supreme Arts: Arts of the

Kingdom (New Collections) and Queen Siri-kit Museum of Textiles

2. Heritage of Thai Wellness: Thai Herbal Lo-zenges, the First Thai tradition of MedicalSchool

3. Thainess through Culinary: Thai cooking bythe River (Amita Thai Cooking Class)

4. Thainess through Trading Street: Chinatown,

Sampheng Wholesale Market, Little India,Flower Market

5. New Fun in Bangkok: The Flow HouseBangkok, and Thai Wake Park and

6. Thainess through Martial Arts: Thai KickBoxing.

The post-tours include a biking tour to SuphanBuri in the Central region; the beach resorts ofPattaya, Rayong and Chanthaburi in the Easternregion, as well as those of Chumphon, Koh Taoand Koh Samui in the Southern region.

The North and Northeastern regions are cove-red in the form of three connecting routes to theneighbouring countries of the Greater MekongSubregion, thus:— Thailand and Beyond Myanmar: Bangkok-

Chiang Mai-Lampang-Yangon— Thailand and Beyond Cambodia: Bangkok-

Buri Ram-Chanthaburi-Siem Reap— Thailand and Beyond Lao PDR: Udon Thani

–Vientiane–Vang Vieng–Luang Prabang.In addition, TAT in coordination with the Pa-

cific Asia Travel Association (PATA) will alsocreate a buyer's forum under the topics of Crea-tive Tourism, Dynamic Packaging, and ASEANEconomic Community (AEC).

For further information about TTM+2013,please visit http://www.thailandtravelmartplus.-com.

Contact information :International Public Relations DivisionTourism Authority of ThailandTel : +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4544-48Fax : +66 (0) 2253 7419E-mail : prdiv3@tat.or.thWeb site : www.tatnews.org

Splash & Spice Festival returnsTHE Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) andVisa International (VISA), drawing on the suc-cess of last year's first Thailand Splash and Spicefestival, have teamed up again to offer visitorsan expanded promotion for Thailand Splash andSpice this year.

The campaign, for this year, running until May31, has grown beyond Bangkok to include ChiangMai, Pattaya, and Phuket. An attractive and tastyvariety of dining and accommodation specialsare being offered under the rubric of the 2013Splash and Spice extravaganza.

These special promotions coincide with theThai New Year and its phenomenally popularwater festivals throughout the country, held everyyear between 12-15 April, although celebrationsand festivities take place a week before and aweek after the official holiday dates.

TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni noted that,“This exciting campaign will showcase Thai foodat its best to a worldwide audience. The varietyand unique flavours of Thai food has won fansfrom around the world and is one of the greatdraws of foreign tourists to Thailand.”

All visitors and travellers are invited to enjoydiscount packages and promotions at some 57

five-star hotels, as well as more than 30 participa-ting outlets at the Suvarnabhumi Airport andselected shopping malls.

Splash and Spice 2013 aims to show off theKingdom's luxury hotels, must-visit restaurants,and signature dishes prepared by renowned in-ternational chefs.

Contact information :International Public Relations DivisionTourism Authority of ThailandTel : +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4544-48Fax : +66 (0) 2253 7419E-mail : prdiv3@tat.or.thWeb site : www.tatnews.orgWeb site : www.tatnews.org

IN conjunction with thefirst anniversary of Bang-kok Airways direct flig-hts between Kuala Lum-pur and Koh Samui, theairline together with TATKuala Lumpur organiseda media and agent trip tothe resort island.

The 14 media and tra-vel agents also had achance to go island hop-ping by visiting the is-lands of Phangngan andNang Yuan.

Bangkok Airways fliesdaily between KualaLumpur and Koh Samui.

THAI Smile opens KL-Phuket route

THAI SMILE has opened a new route between Phuket and Kuala Lumpurin April with four weekly flights.

In conjunction with the launch, TG together with the Tourism Author-ity of Thailand had organised an agent and media educational trip to Phuketand Khao Lak.

A total of 52 travel agents, the media, TG and TAT officials were on theinaugural flight on April 2.

The flight leaves Phuket at 09.20am and arrives in Kuala Lumpur at11.40am. The return flight from Kuala Lumpur is at 12.30pm and arrivesin Phuket at 12.55pm.

The group also had a chance to visit Khao Lak, 60km to the north ofPhuket in the Takuapa District of Phangnga Province. Khao Lak is fa-mous for its quiet, up-scale, secluded coastal resorts; not so crowded bea-ches; and family-friendly night-time environment.

FFFFFAM trip to SamuiAM trip to SamuiAM trip to SamuiAM trip to SamuiAM trip to Samui

Category : Festival and CultureWhen : 10-12 July 2013Where : Dan Sai district, Loei Province

PHI Ta Khon is a type of masked procession celebrated on the first day ofa three-day Buddhist merit making holiday known in Thai as Boon PraWate.

The annual famous festival takes place on the second or third weekendin June at the village of Dan Sai, Loei Province. The festival is held toworship spirits, the protectors of the village, and to ask for plentiful rainfor the coming farming season.

Phi Ta Khon is paraded by young men who wear huge masks madefrom carved coconut-tree trunks, topped with wicker work and sticky-rice steamers, and dress as ghosts to parade a sacred Buddha image.

The procession is marked by a lot of music and dancing. In addition, onthe second day of the festival, the villagers gather at Wat Ponchai to listento the messages of the thirteen sermons of Prince Vessandorn recited bythe local monks.

Contact : TAT Loei OfficeTel : +66 4281 2812E-mail : tatloei@tat.or.thDan Sai District Office : +66 4289 1266

Category : SportsWhen : June 9, 2013Where : Laguna Beach Resort, Phuket

THE Phuket International Marathon on June 9 is a race in which anyonecan participate as it features five different achievable courses for you tochoose from. The races include a full marathon (42.195km), half mara-thon (21.097km), fun run (10.5km), community walk (5km) and kids'run (2km).

The topography of Phuket provides participants with the challenge ofrunning flat sections as well as ones involving rolling hills and at thesame time runners can enjoy the beautiful scenery as the course take invillages, ruber plantations and beaches.

To complement the run, there would be a Pasta Party on the eve of theevent at which runners can stock up on the carbohydrates to providethem with the energy for the race, as well as the opportunity to minglewith other runners.

Contact : TAT Call Centre: 1672TAT PhuketTel : +66 76212213/211036E-mail : www.tourismthailand.org/

www.phuketmarathon.com

Laguna PhuketInternational Marathon 2013

Phi Ta Khon Festival

Category : Festival and CultureWhen : 11-12 May, 2013Where : Phaya Thaen Park,

Yasothon Province

BUN Bang Fai Rocket Festival is an anci-ent local festival, which is associated withThai traditional beliefs in the supernaturalpowers that help promote the productionof rice crops for the coming planting sea-son.

In the rainy season, the local people beli-eve that the god would hear the entreatiesthat they create a rocket or Bang Fai tosend to heaven, and bless them with plenti-ful rain for rice cultivation. So, the celebra-tion is entirely to the god of rain.

On the festival day, the beautiful roc-kets in different styles are paraded to thelaunch site. The local people dress in col-ourful traditional costumes and dance toaccompany the procession. The highlightof the festival is the launch time.

The rockets are fired from their launchplatforms one by one. Noisy folk musicand cheers can be heard for each liftoff andthe rocket that reaches the greatest heightis declared the winner.

Contact : TAT Udonthani OfficeTel : +66 4524 3770,

+66 4525 0714E-mail : tatubon@tat.or.th

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FestivalFestivalFestivalFestivalFestival

Koh Koh Koh Koh Koh TTTTTaoaoaoaoaobest island in Asia

THAI islands took four of the spots in the list oftop 10 island destinations in Asia, with Koh Taocoming in at number one in a poll by TripAdvisor.

Koh Lanta in Krabi is in number three, follo-wed by Phuket at number six and Koh Samui atnumber seven.

The TripAdvisor's Travellers' Choice Islandsjudged destinations based on the quality andquantity of the most highly-rated hotels, restau-rants and attractions listed for each island onTripAdvisor over a 12-month period.

The survey recognised more than 100 islandsacross the globe, with dedicated lists for Africa,Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, theSouth Pacific and the US.

Indonesia followed with Nusa Lembongan(Bali) at second place and Gili Trawangan (GiliIslands) at fourth, while the Philippines saw Bo-racay at fifth place and Palawan at eighth.

Rounding up the list for Asia were Langkawi,Malaysia (ninth) and Havelock Island, India(10th).

On the international list, Koh Tao was the soleAsian representative, coming in eighth. The topthree spots were occupied by Ambergris Caye,Belize; St John, US Virgin Islands; and BoraBora, French Polynesia.

Koh Tao can be reached from Malaysia byfirst travelling to Koh Samui or Surat Thani andtaking a speed boat to the island.

Category : Festival and CultureWhen : 8-9 June 2013Where : Hua Hin,

Prachuap Khiri Khan

THE Hua Hin Jazz Festival invitesjazz lovers to listen to their all-timefavourites and contemporary tunes ina relaxing beach atmosphere.

The stages on the beach featurerenowned Thai and international jazzartises.

The sound of the waves accompa-nying the beautiful jazz music makesfor a relaxing ambience.

In addition to jazz music, visitorscan also enjoy a variety of exotic cuisi-nes and refreshments available at thestands along the beach.Contact :TAT Call Centre : 1672TAT Prachuap Khiri KhanTel : +66 32513885/

32513871/32513854E-mail : www.tourismthailand.org

Hua Hin Jazz Festival

For more information, contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Suite 22.01 Level 22, Menara Citibank, 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.Tel: 03-21623480 • Fax: 03-21623486 • Email: info@tourismthailand.my • Homepage: http//www.tourismthailand.org, http//www.tourismthailand.my

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THE Tourism Authority of Thailand Kuala Lumpur joined more than200 other exhibitors, consisting of airlines, national tourism organisa-tions, travel agents, hotels, state tourism promotion boards, and othermembers of the hospitality industry to take part in the MATTA InternationalTravel Fair at the Putra World Trade Centre in March.

Some 100,000 people visited the three-day event, where TAT gave outbrochures and information to the visitors.

Also at the TAT booth were Bangkok Airways and Divana Spa.

Amazing ThailandRoad Show

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand organised an Amazing ThailandRoad Show in Kuala Lumpur recently.

A total of 18 hotels and resorts and two travel agents from Bangkok,Koh Chang, Koh Samui, Pattaya, Krabi and Phuket representing the sell-ers took part to introduce new products to the buyers.

Some 150 travel agents and journalists from Kuala Lumpur and Ipohattended the road show.

THE annual Cleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenGrand Finals this year would again be held in Thai-land.

The two-leg grand finals would be in Pak Chong,Nakhon Ratchasima Province and in Bangkok.

Recently the organisers, CSSB Events togetherwith the Tourism Authority of Thailand did a recceto work out the venues for the event to be held inSeptember.

The Cleveland Srixon CSSB Golf Tournamentis held over 12-legs at various clubs in Kuala Lumpur,Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Penang, Kedah and Sabah.

The top two winners of each leg qualify to playin the grand finals in Thailand.

For more information, visit www.cssbgolf.-com.my

Cleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenCleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenCleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenCleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenCleveland Srixon CSSB Golf OpenGrand Finals in Pak Chong, BangkokGrand Finals in Pak Chong, BangkokGrand Finals in Pak Chong, BangkokGrand Finals in Pak Chong, BangkokGrand Finals in Pak Chong, Bangkok