Thailand News
Thailand Boosts Medical Tourism Industry
Over the past ten years, the Land of Smiles has been one of Asia’s hotspots for medical tourism, with its leading hospitals known for offering a high standard of healthcare at a reasonable cost. The number of foreigners visiting Thailand for treatment has increased significantly. Bangkok remains the leading destination for medical tourism, with Phuket becoming the second preferred destination for treatment in terms of patient volume.
According to the Department of Health, around 1.5 million foreign patients has sought treatment in the country last year, as compared with a mere 630,000 patients in 2004. The growing popularity of traditional Thai and alternative medicine has also contributed to the country’s renown for medical tourism.
According to public health minister Jurin Laksanavisit, the initiative to revive the growing sector would require a significant amount of support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. “We are planning to do a series of roadshows that will restore the interest of foreign patients as well as their confidence in going to Thailand for getting treatment,” he reveals. Laksanavisit further added that the opinion of stakeholders in the health care industry would be very important at this point to create a successful campaign for the industry’s revival.
A series of marketing initiatives under the slogan “Together We Can” has been launched recently to help recoup the losses of the tourism sector. The Medical Tourism Cluster (MTC) was also formed as an alliance of businesses that would offer a wide range of medical services in the country. The group will be working closely with overseas partners to help promote the new healthcare campaigns and promotions.
However, these ideas are met with opposition as some people believe that roadshows are not enough to restore faith in Thailand’s medical tourism industry. Suraphon Svetasreni of the Tourism Authority of Thailand asserts that before these efforts, Thailand must first seek to rebuild its links with other Asian markets. “We must be able to capture the confidence of prospects in China, Hong Kong, and Japan, as these are our dynamic target markets in the region,” he declares.
Thailand Wins Top Asian Beach Destination Awards
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reported that the islands of Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Phangan, and Koh Samui were ranked among the Top Beach Destinations in the region, getting the most awards in this category, ahead of its neighbours Vietnam, Maldives, and the Philippines.
Thailand was also lauded with several other citations in TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Ayuthaya were named as cities among the “Top 10 Culture and Sightseeing Destinations in Asia”. Chiang Mai also won one of the spots in the “Top 10 Relaxation and Spa Destinations in Asia”, sharing it with Koh Lanta and Koh Samui, with the latter two islands also counted among the “Top 10 Romance Destinations in Asia”. Bangkok, known as the city of Angels, also landed a well-deserved place as one of the “Top 10 Food and Wine destinations in Asia.”
Srisuda Wanapinyosak, the Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand in New York, expressed the organization’s gratitude for the several awards that the country has received. “We are definitely proud of the fact that Thailand was recognized in various categories reflecting the country’s diversity, with its beaches, cultural sites, restaurants, and spas,” she said.
TripAdvisor is one of the worldwide web’s leading sites offering traveler reviews of vacation destinations, enjoying over 9 million views a month. The votes for its Traveler’s Choice Awards came from its registered members, who regularly contribute their reviews of their trips on the website.
Thailand Becoming Asia’s Newest Golf Destination
A total of 350 participants have confirmed their participation in this highly-anticipated tourney, which will be held from April 30 to May 1 at the Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel. Asia’s own chapter of the PGA will also be officially inaugurated during the said conference.
According to Mike Sebastian, Managing Director of the Asia Pacific Golf Development Conference, this event marks the rise of Thailand as the newest destination for golf in Asia. “The overwhelming turnout of participants indicate that the market is growing fast,” he affirmed.
Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Suraphon Svetasreni believes that the upcoming international golf tournaments would help boost the country’s tourism market as well. “Our revenue from golf tourism is on the rise with around 400,000 tourists coming to play in Thailand each year,” he revealed. The Governor also added that majority of these golfers come from Japan and South Korea.
Other upcoming major golfing tournaments slated in the country would be the Asia Pacific Golf Summit to be held on October 18-20, 2010, along with the Southeast Asia/ India Golf Merchandise Exposition set on March 18-20, 2011. Thailand is also the host country for the Global Golf Tourism Forum next year.
Jessica Simpson Enjoys Thailand
As part of filming the first episode of her newest reality show, The Price of Beauty, Jessica Simpson flew to Thailand to take a few tips from Thai beauty experts. Thais are known the world over for their excellent beauty and healthcare regimens, including the famous Thai massage which Simpson and her crew tried at the Mandara Spa.
A fortune teller at the Wang Lang Market told the TV star that she is lucky in love. The forecast serves as hopeful reassurance for Simpson, who has been previously married to boy band heartthrob Nick Lachey and broke up with Dallas Cowboys’ star quarterback, Tony Romo, just last year.
Any visit to the Land of Smiles will not be complete without sampling its exotic delicacies, which serve as an exciting alternative to world-renowned Thai cuisine. Jessica and her friends willingly took the advice of a Thai street vendor and tried some fried bugs, which are widely believed to enhance beauty! The fried insect delights seemed to do the trick, that is, for the beauty-conscious Thais anyway.
Simpson and her crew also went for a dose of inner peace by visiting a nearby wat and meditating, with the actress’ attention span being put to the test. Capping off the show’s beauty tour are activities that make Thailand truly amazing—a jumbo elephant ride and a trip to see the Karen Long Neck people.
It was a great Thai adventure indeed for Jessica Simpson, who first rose to fame as a pop singer in the late 1990s. She then went on to star in a reality TV series, The Newlyweds, with her then-husband Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees.
She returns to reality TV with The Price of Beauty, as she goes around the world in search of beauty’s true meaning across various cultures. The show premiered March 15, 2010 on the VH1 Channel.
Bangkok Welcomes Chinese New Year
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in cooperation with China’s Ministry of Culture organized a two-day event featuring performances that showcased cultural elements from both countries. Among the performers include 200 talents from mainland China, who will be staging shows all over Thailand in the next couple of weeks this month.
Officially inaugurating the celebration for the Lunar New Year was no other than Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed his good wishes for the People’s Republic. “I wish the people of China more progress in the coming years,” he says.
While over a million revelers are estimated to have attended the “Chinatown Yaowarat BE 2553” event, more than THB 300M is expected to be generated as income from the celebrations.
Bangkok’s Yaowarat Road is not the only venue to witness a grand welcome for the Year of the Tiger. Hotels in Hat Yai and Songkhla in southern Thailand are fully booked for the week of festivities—breaking records from the previous years.
TAT Sets 2010 Plans
Svetasreni is a TAT veteran, previously heading the agency’s Public Relations, Marketing Communication, as well as the Policy and Planning departments. With his experience, he intends to take on this year’s challenges for Thailand tourism with some key strategies in place. Among them is improving the branding of the sector, adding “Amazing Value” to the main tag line of “Amazing Thailand”, encouraging tourists to visit the Land of Smiles as the world recovers from the economic recession.
TAT has divided key markets and relevant strategies into 3 groups; with group 1 comprising of tourists from ASEAN countries, South Asia, France, United Kingdom, Holland, Iran, Kuwait, and Jordan—which is expected to see growth this year. The agency intends to promote products such as medical services, golf, and weddings to this group for this year. Meanwhile, Thailand’s major markets remain in group 2, with tourists coming from Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Russia, Scandinavia, and Vietnam. For this group, TAT targets the high-end travelers with a focus on leisure tourism. As for Group 3, which is composed of tourists from Northeast Asia, the Americas, Singapore, and the UAE, the tourist arrivals are expected to recover from its significant decline in 2009.
The new governor also intends to analyze key consumer trends and habits with the establishment of a tourism analysis center. Among the more innovative strategies presented by TAT for this year would be the use of social media networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, to help promote the new tourism campaigns across the globe. “We want to encourage all travelers who have visited Thailand to share their experiences online through our related sites,” Svetasreni says.
He also adds that the Tourism Authority of Thailand seeks to promote new tourist hotspots in the country, as an alternative to well-known destinations such as Chiang Mai and Phuket. “We intend to launch Khao Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima and Saraburi as must-see places for eco tourism. TAT also plans to schedule more media trips into the deep south, to places such as Pattani and Narathiwat, to help the public view these places as tourist-friendly as well,” the new TAT governor reveals.
More Korean Airlines fly to Thailand
Thailand’s tourist sector welcomes the launch as an opportunity to increase tourist arrivals from South Korea. “Jin Air will help encourage more Koreans to visit Thailand, which is one of Asia’s most favorite destinations,” said Kim Jin Hee, the Marketing Manager for the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s branch in Seoul.
Although tourist arrivals from South Korea have decreased this year with the outbreak of H1N1 and political turmoil in Thailand, around a million Koreans still visit the Land of Smiles every year. Jin Air’s launch provides the additional seats to accommodate the growing number of tourists in the region.
According to its officials, flying with Jin Air is made more affordable as its ticket prices range up to 30 percent as compared to other low-budget airlines.
Thailand Reports Positive Growth
The second-largest economy in South East Asia has reported continuous growth for a second straight quarter this year.
According to a series of official reports, Thailand’s economy is experiencing a steady recovery as the country’s gross domestic product expanded 1.3% in the past three months, as boosted by the manufacturing sector.
While the actual growth rate was lower than the economic forecast, the reports were still met with positive feedback as it reflected Thailand’s steady recovery from the global recession as well as the result of political instability. Thailand went into its first recession since the 1998 Asian crisis when its GDP fell about 1.5% as export rates dropped this year.
The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has reported growth from key sectors in the last quarter, particularly in the manufacturing industry, which has rebounded by 2.6%. Exports and imports have also expanded by 5.2% and 2.0% in the last quarter, respectively.
In a news conference, Ampon Kittiampon, head of the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB), stated that Thailand’s economic growth depends largely on government policy. “The government is allotting 1.43 trillion baht ($43 billion) over three years from September to help the economy, following the $3.5 billion stimulus in the first half.”, the Chairman added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a recent conference that he expects the country’s economy to grow up top 3.5% percent by 2010.
Through the government stimulus, the NESDB expects the Thai economy to continue its recovery as the fourth quarter commences. Usara Wilaipich of Standard Chartered, has supported the positive outlook from the finance sector. "The economic recovery in Thailand is taking shape, given the fiscal stimulus and easing of monetary policy”, Wilaipich stated.
Analysts, however, retain an uncertain outlook on economic recovery in the light of the ongoing political instability in the country, as protests are anticipated starting November 28.
Investment Drop for Thai airports
BANGKOK, Thailand—Thailand’s airports may see a drop in investment over the next five years due to a decline in construction costs, according to a statement made by Airports of Thailand (AOT.BK), the country’s leading airport operator.
Pending the final decision on the company’s finance projections by November, AOT projects that the investments to be made over the next five years should cost less than 80 billion baht ($2.39 billion).
Included in AOT’s five-year plan would be the expansion of Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, which involves the construction of a domestic terminal and a third runway. A total of 6 billion baht will be spent to increase the capacity of Thailand’s major airport, currently servicing 40 million passengers a year.
AOT also plans to be able to double the capacity at Phuket Airport so that it can maximize its services, with a projected cost of 5.8 billion baht.
Company President Serirat Prasutanond has confirmed the investment review in line with the company’s five-year plan. "We will review our investment plans and want it lower. Construction costs have come down in line with weak demand and the poor economy. It should be a good opportunity for us," he said in a recent interview.
AOT is a majority state-owned firm, operating the country’s six main airports—Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang in Bangkok, Hat Yai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Phuket—and is responsible for 90 percent of Thailand’s air traffic. The company’s stock shares witnessed a 47 percent increase over the past three months.
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