Thailand Travel TalkJU

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COME August 12, the nation celebrates the 81st birthday of Her Ma-jesty Queen Sirikit. The day is also observed as Mother's Day in Thai-land.

From the time she was Queen of Thailand 63 years ago, she had travelledthe length and breadth of the Kingdom in an effort to meet the people,learn of their needs and find out how best to help them by initiating se-veral projects such as the Foundation for the Promotion of Supplemen-tary Occupation and Related Techniques (SUPPORT), which was estab-lished on 21 July 1976.

Two main multi-craft training centres, in the compound of ChitraladaPalace in Bangkok and in Bangsai, Ayutthaya, had been set up. She hastaken a role in promoting these crafts both through her trips abroad andby using them personally.

In the medical field, the Queen also travels with a mobile team ofvolunteer doctors to provide free medical check-ups, to advise peopleon health issues, to treat the sick and to dispense much needed medica-tions to those who can ill afford them.

Her Majesty's concern for educational opportunities of children inremote areas had prompted her to set up the Foundation for SupportingNon-affordable Students in 1963 with the money from her own privypurse and donations from the public. This had enabled them to finishcompulsory education or higher.

Queen Sirikit’s humanitarian work is widely known and internatio-nally recognised today, as is manifested by the award of the prestigiousCeres Medal by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UnitedNations in 1979, and an Honorary Fellowship in Great Britain’s RoyalCollege of Physicians in 1988. The honour was conferred in recognitionof her work and “deep concern for the health and welfare of the peopleof Thailand.”

Her Majesty is also concerned about the promotion and improvementof environmental conditions and had initiated several projects such as

Queen celebrates 81st birthday

the Forest Preserving Water Project, and Little Houses in the Big ForestProject.

In view of the exemplary role of Her Majesty as a mother, the govern-ment decided in 1976 to designate Queen Sirikit's birthday on August 12as National Mothers’ Day of Thailand.

It is indeed a most befitting tribute to the most beloved mother of theland. On the occasion of Her Majesty's 81st birthday, we wish Her Ma-jesty Happy Birthday and Long Live the Queen.

SAWATDI KHRAP.

TO my friends in the tourism industry and outside the tourismindustry, it seemed only like yesterday that I arrived in KualaLumpur to take up the post of Director in charge of Malaysia andBrunei Darussalam. Come mid-August, I will be completing myfour-year term in Malaysia and I would like to take this opportunityto introduce and welcome my successor Mr Suwat Kumwong.

In the mean time, let me remind you that in my amazingThailand, things go on as usual. Many events and festivals awaityou.

We start with Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's birthday on August 12.This year our beloved Queen turns 81 and we wish her long lifeand prosperity. Travel to Thailand at this time and you would seestreets lighted up to mark the occasion. The Queen's birthday isalso celebrated as Mother's Day in Thailand in honour of HerMajesty's contribution to the nation in all fields, from supplemen-tary occupation and health to the environment and education forthe less privileged. Her tireless efforts had also resulted in shebeing awarded the prestigious Ceres Medal by the Food andAgriculture Organisation of the United Nations in 1979, and anHonorary Fellowship in Great Britain's Royal College of Physi-cians in 1988.

At the same time I would like to remind you that the AmazingThailand Grand Sale is in full force and would last until the middleof August. Participating outlets in major cities would be offeringpromotions and discounts of up to 80 per cent on selected items.Do drop by to enjoy the bargain.

Some of you may still remember the Thailand Elite Card thatwas introduced several years ago. We re-launched it globally inJune. For those not familiar, the Elite Card provides the ownerwith numerous privileges such as fast track lane at internationalairports in Thailand and usage of high-standard, five-star golfingand spa facilities 24 times per calendar year.

Those who are travelling to North East Thailand would behappy to note that the biggest festival in Ubon Ratchathani Pro-vince, the candle festival, would be held from July 22-23. Duringthe festival, giant candles are prepared by people from templesthroughout the province and paraded through the city streets onfloats. The festival marks the beginning of the rainy season retreatfor Buddhist monks.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand had also launched the FindYour Amazing campaign to help you relive your visits to Thailandor become inspired to create new ones, at the TAT’s all new virtualtravel destination, Find Your Amazing. Share your favorite storieswith the social sphere via Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to shareit with your followers.

On July 21, running enthusiasts would be happy to note thatthe annual Pattaya International Marathon would be held. ThePattaya marathon is one of the most popular Pattaya events and itis also known as the King's Cup marathon. It is a large scalemarathon and half-marathon running that attracts athletes from allover the world to participate.

The month of June also saw two Malaysian travel agents andjournalist being awarded with the Friends of Thailand Award 2013for their efforts in helping to promote Thailand to Malaysians.They were among 38 organisations, institutions, companies andindividuals worldwide who were judged to have made worthycontributions to the promotion of Thailand tourism in their coun-tries. This year the three recipients from Malaysia were Mr TeohWeng Kim of PCP Publications, which publishes the magazinesTravelution, Travelmate and Advanced Images; Madam VickieYeong Mei Choo of Airlink Travel & Tours and Mr Richard Sim SoGuan of HYT Travel Services. We congratulate them on theirachievement.

As you can see, Thailand is never short of events and festivalsand we are always ready to welcome you. Last but not least, it ismy fervent hope that we would meet again soon and I wish youwell. I look forward to welcoming you to Amazing Thailand.

Thank you.

Director’s Message World classMedical & Wellness

destination

rative Medicine Centers, Fertility Cen-ters, Dental Centers, Dermatology Cli-nics, Medical & Wellness Spas, andLuxury Health Resorts.

The TAT will ensure that buyers andmedia stay completely up-to-date onthe products and knowledge that Thai-land has to offer, and engage them intourism activities that potential medi-cal travelers would enjoy, enablingbuyers to better sell them to their cli-ents.

For decades, Thailand has been oneof the world's favourite tourism desti-nations due to its diverse attractions,great tourism infrastructure, excellentfood, and friendly people.

Recently, Thailand has also becomea leader in the medical tourism mar-ket, rising to the top of the listings inAsia with a constantly growing num-ber of medical tourists.

Further details are available at http://www.thailandmedtourism.com/Tra-deFAM.

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT) is organising the 2013 ThailandMedical & Wellness Tourism TradeFAM Trip, from August 12th-17th, toshowcase Thailand as a world classMedical & Wellness destination. Thiseducational trip will raise awarenessabout the quality of the products andservices that Thailand has to offer.

Designed to showcase Thailand asa world-class Medical & Wellness des-tination, the six-day trip will be fullyfunded by the TAT, including airfare,hotels, transfers and meals.

The event will consist of two mainactivities – Trade Conference & Busi-ness Meeting on 13 August 2013 andOne-on-One Meetings with Local Bu-sinesses.

The trade conference will consist ofa Product Presentation & DiscussionForum on topics such as plastic sur-gery, fertility, anti-aging medicine, celltherapy & regenerative medicine andholistic medicine using Thai Herbs.One-on-One Meetings with local busi-nesses are by scheduled appointmentsonly.

The TAT will also organise an Edu-cational and awareness program wherebuyers and the media would be takento visit high-quality local providerssuch as Accredited Hospitals, CosmeticSurgery Clinics, Anti-aging & Regene-

The magic & mysteryof Amazing Thailand

photo contestTAT is pleased to announce the sec-ond TATNews Photo Contest, now be-ing held through its official media web-site TATNews.org.

The aim of the contest is for you toshow the world what Amazing Thai-land looks like to you – through thelens of your camera – and to share yourincredible Thailand experiences. Plus,you get the chance to win cash awardstotalling USD2000 as well as havingyour images of Amazing Thailand sha-red globally by the TAT.

Contestants need simply register anaccount on www.tatnews.org and sub-mit entries according to the rules statedon the website. The submission periodis now open and will close on 2 Aug-ust 2013 and you can enter as manyimages as you like, along with a cap-tion in English.

Three winners will be chosen. The1st Place Winner will receive a cash

prize of THB 30,000 (approximatelyUSD$1,000), the First Runner-UpTHB 20,000 while the Second Run-ner-Up THB 10,000 plus a Photo Con-test Certificate for each.

The winners will be announced onTATNews.org on 7 August 2013, andthe three lucky winners will also benotified via email the next day.

So look through your Thailand pho-tographs now, or grab your cameraand head to your favourite Thailanddestinations. We want your originalphotographs that are exciting and ins-pirational, that tell a story or share anexperience – in short, images that willmotivate viewers to visit this spot andturn their own cameras to this andsimilar subjects.

For more information and furtherdetails, please go to TatNews.org/pho-to-contest-2 or contact photocontest-@tatnews.org.

holds the key to all the travel inspiration youneed.

Share your favourite stories from Find YourAmazing with the social sphere via Twitter, Face-book and Pinterest by clicking directly on thepost to share it with your followers.

What are you waiting for? Travel inspirationawaits you.

Thailand Elite CardThailand Elite CardThailand Elite CardThailand Elite CardThailand Elite Card re-launched re-launched re-launched re-launched re-launched

and Phuket Airport, including a fast-track channel at the immigration coun-ters and airport transfers by BMW series 7 limousines. They will alsohave a 24-hour call centre access for any special assistance.

One of the most important privileges is usage of high-standard, five-star golfing and spa facilities 24 times per calendar year.

Mr Suraphon Svetasreni said, “The Thailand Elite Card will go a longway towards helping TAT raise the level of visitor arrivals to new heights.It will certainly be good for our luxury hotels, boutique properties, shop-ping malls and the many niche-market products that we are now focussingon.”

Later on, special marketing representatives will be appointed to workon a commission basis to sell subscriptions.

THE Thailand Elite Card has been re-launched following a meeting ofTAT Directors and Marketing representatives in Russia and the Asia Pacific.The meeting, called by Mr. Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the Tour-ism Authority of Thailand in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of theThailand Privilege Card (TPC).

The Thailand Elite card project is designed to attract high net worthindividuals and encourage them to make repeat visits to Thailand, whetherfor business or leisure. It is within the scope of the strategy to grow visitorexpenditure and the economic impact of travel and tourism across Thai-land.

Ms. Vilaiwan Twichasri, Deputy Governor of TAT and the Acting Ma-naging Director of TPC stated that, “There were some key adjustmentsaccording to the change of the business environment and consensus of theThai Cabinet; namely, privileges, sales and purchase conditions, as wellas the marketing tools and sales kits.”

TAT and TPC are projecting about 1,300 new members within the firstyear after the launch, with about half expected before the end of 2013.The countries targetted in the first phase of the membership drive areChina, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Russia, and the ASEAN and Common-wealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

Under the revamped membership terms and conditions, cardholderswill be able to join up for an initial down payment fee of two million Bahtfollowed by a 20,000 Baht annual fee over a 20-year validity period.

Cardholders will be eligible for a five-year Multiple Entry Visa to Thai-land and a one-year stay privilege per visit. They will also be able to availof the Thailand Elite Personal Assistance (EPL) at Suvarnabhumi Airport

TAT presents FindYourAmazing.comTHAILAND has been long recognized as oneof the most beautiful countries in the world butthere's so much more to Thailand than its stun-ning white-sand beaches and rolling mountains.

The Land of Smiles evokes thoughts of mouth-watering cuisine, rich culture and some of thehappiest people on the planet.

All of these qualities, along with numerousothers, make for vacation memories that last alifetime.

Don't leave your memories behind in Thai-land, relive them, or become inspired to createnew ones, at the Tourism Authority of Thailand'sall new virtual travel destination, Find Your Ama-zing.

With so many unique attributes, AmazingThailand has something for everyone and it's no

wonder why so many people share a mutual lovefor Thailand.

Whether you're looking for the most roman-tic honeymoon there is or trying to decide whereto take your next family vacation, you've cometo the right place. Find Your Amazing is here toinspire your journeys.

So, you want to upload your extraordinaryexperiences to Find Your Amazing, what's next?

Sharing your prized travel memories is as sim-ple as tweeting using the hashtag #FindYour-Amazing or by logging in with Facebook.

If you haven't caught the social bug yet, donot worry, you can register via email and beginuploading your memories today.

Remember, Find Your Amazing is so muchmore than a place to share your stories, it also

Pattaya Marathon: Calling serious runnersWhen : 21 July 2013Where : Pattaya City Hall, Pattaya, Chon Buri Province

THE Pattaya marathon is one of the most popular Pattaya eventsand it is held annually. Also known as the King’s Cup marathon,this annual event is a large scale marathon and half-marathon run-ning that attracts athletes from all over the world to participate.

The King’s Cup marathon is such a big deal for athletes that ithas become one of the most celebrated sports-related Pattaya fes-tivals.

Activities held during the weekend-long Pattaya marathon inc-lude a number of racing competitions. There are wheelchair races,a quarter marathon, a half marathon and a full length marathonrunning.

Not only Thai residents are allowed to participate, but peoplefrom all over the world are also welcomed to participate. It bringsmany people to Pattaya, especially serious athletes from aroundthe world that are looking to dominate in the races.

Contact : TAT Pattaya office +66 3842 7667, +66 3842 8750E-mail : tatchon@tat.or.thPattaya City Hall : +66 3825 3129

Ubon Ratchathani Candle FestivalUbon Ratchathani Candle FestivalUbon Ratchathani Candle FestivalUbon Ratchathani Candle FestivalUbon Ratchathani Candle FestivalCategory : Festival and CultureWhen : 22-23 July 2013Where : Muang District,

Ubon Ratchathani Province

UBON Ratchathani Candle Festival is a traditio-nal festival in I-san and the largest religious cere-mony in Ubon Ratchathani, which is held onAsalha Bucha Day and Khao Phansa Day everyyear.

This day marks the beginning of the rainyseason retreat for Buddhist monks.

During the celebration, huge candles are prepa-red by people from temples throughout the pro-vince a couple of days before the procession andthen paraded through the city on floats with abeautiful lady representing an angel for each can-dle, each representing a local temple, district orother institutions.

The procession moves from in front of WatSi Ubon Rattanaram along the road to Thung SiMuang.

There are also the dancers and the musiciansin traditional dresses in the parade. In addition,there are the impressive exhibition of wax sculp-

tures, which are created by international artistsfrom various countries.

Contact :TAT Ubon Ratchathani Office :

+66 4524 3770, +66 4525 0714Email : tatubon@tat.or.thUbon Ratchathani Provincial Office :+66 4525 482733

MR Suwat Kumwong, 56, has been appointed the newDirector of TAT Kuala Lumpur Office in charge of Malay-sia and Brunei Darussalam. He takes over from Mr Wi-boon Nimitrwanich, who is completing his four-year termin Kuala Lumpur in August.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Architecture, Mr Suwatworked as a freelance architect before joining the Tou-rism Authority of Thailand as a Tourism Planner in 1983.

In 1991 he was promoted to Chief of the GovernmentInvestment Section before assuming the position of Di-rector, Project Planning Division in 1994.

Seven years later, Mr Suwat was transferred to Ger-many as Director of the Frankfurt Office and upon hisreturn in 2005 he was the Director of Investment Plan-ning.

Two years later he left for Stockholm to further hisstudies and in 2012, he returned as Director of the Investment Planning

Division, a position he held until his transfer to KualaLumpur.

Mr Suwat is also a columnist and illustrator for TAT'smonthly magazine, writing under the pen name AlienArchitect.

In addition, he had undergone training in various ar-eas of tourism. These included Conservation & Deve-lopment of Tourist Destination, China; The FriendshipProgramme for The 21st Century, Japan; the 5th PataAdventure Travel & Ecotourism, The Philippines; Aus-tralia Cave & Karst, Australia; Planning & Training forSustainable tourism, Indonesia; Seatrade Cruise Ship-ping Convention, USA; The World Conference on Sus-tainable Tourism, Spain; Development of Rural tourism,Israel; Ecotourism in Australia, Australia; Promoting theCultural & Historical Heritage of the APEC, The Philip-

pines; and the PATA Foundation, Duncan Sandys Scholarship, UK.

TAT Kuala Lumpur gets new Director

MyFM DJs, journalists visit BangkokMyFM DJs, journalists visit BangkokMyFM DJs, journalists visit BangkokMyFM DJs, journalists visit BangkokMyFM DJs, journalists visit Bangkok& beyond& beyond& beyond& beyond& beyondFOUR DJs from popular radio station MyFM together with two journa-lists recently visited Bangkok and beyond to sample the new productsavailable.

Upon arriving Bangkok the group had gone to the seaside resort of HuaHin before stopping first at the Siam Cultural Park, Baan Hom Tien andScenery Vintage Sheep Farm.

In Hua Hin they also visited the Luang Pu Thuad Temple, the SantoriniPark, Cha-am Premier Outlet before pampering themselves at The BaraiSpa. They later visited the Cicada Trendy Weekend Market and the HuaHin Night Market.

The next day the group returned to Bangkok before flying to the north-ern city of Nan. Nestled amidst serene mountains, the ancient city has aunique culture and natural beauty, which serve as a magnet for tourists.

While in Nan, the group visited the Nan Museum, Wat Phumin andWat Chang Kham Worawihan. It is also a town where you could take atram to visit places like Wat Maha Pho,Wat Suan Tan, Wat Phra-that Khao Noi andNan Riverside ArtGallery.

After leaving Nan, they returned to Bangkok before proceeding to Pattaya.Here they visited the Sanctuary of Truth, a wooden construction that de-picts an ancient vision of earth, ancient knowledge and eastern philoso-phy. They also visited the 3D Art in Paradise Pattaya, which has over 1003D true life paintings.

The group returned to Bangkok and managed to do some shopping atAsiatique The Riverfront and Terminal 21 before returning toKuala Lumpur.

TAT-AirAsia media trip toChiang Mai, Bangkok & Hua Hin

THE Tourism Authority of Thailand and AirAsiarecently organised a media trip to Chiang Mai,Bangkok and Hua Hin to familiarise journalistswith the various attractions found in these areas.

While in Chiang Mai the journalists were takento visit the Chiang Mai Night Safari, the LannaWoodcarving Art Museum or Ban Roi An PhanYang, Tha Pae Night Market and Ban Tawaihandicraft village.

They also had the opportunity to tour the cityof Chiang Mai in a tuk tuk.

They later had a tour of Lampang, the neigh-bouring province, where they saw the town whiletravelling in a horse carriage.

Earlier, they visited the Hug You Sheep Farm,Wat Phra That Lampang Luang and Ban SaoNak before shopping at the Kat Kong Ta Walk-ing Street.

The next day they left for Bangkok before pro-ceeding to the seaside resort town of Hua Hinwhich is famous for its Night Market and theWat Huai Mongkhon where the biggest statueof legendary monk, Luang Pu Thuad, is located.

The group later visited Santorini Park in Cha-am before departing for Bangkok. In Bangkokthey had a tour of Asiatique The Riverfront, a

night shopping area.The next day they visited Terminal 21 Shop-

ping Complex before returning home.

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

A total of 38 individuals, institutions, companies and organisations whichhave provided unstinting support to the Thai travel & tourism industryover the years were presented with the Friends of Thailand Awards 2013at the Thailand Travel Mart 2013 Plus, the kingdom's most importanttravel trade show, on 5 June 2013.

Initiated by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) in 1996, the Friendsof Thailand Awards are conferred every two years to recognise and re-ward the efforts of the award-winners to maintain a positive image ofThailand and ensure a steady flow of visitor arrivals.

This year's awards will be particularly important because Thai tourismis generating record-breaking arrivals, a clear result of the successful con-tributions of the Friends of Thailand.

This year there were three recipients from Malaysia - Mr. Teoh WengKim of PCP Publications (publisher of Travelution, Travelmate and Ad-vanced Images); Madam Vickie Yeong Mei Choo of Airlink Travel &Tours and Mr Richard Sim Soo Guan of HYT Travel Services.

Commented TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “The awards pre-sentation ceremony for the Friends of Thailand, is normally organisedalongside the Thailand Tourism Awards towards the end of the year. Butthis year, for the first time, we are organising it alongside the ThailandTravel Mart Plus 2013 (TTM+) so that the award-winners can gain morerecognition and also see the results of their efforts.”

He added, “The TAT realises and appreciates the efforts of both Thaiand foreign organisations and individuals which have generated manybenefits for our tourism industry, including economic development, jobcreation and preservation of our culture and heritage.

The award-winners also include stakeholders who have contributed topreservation of the environment, culture and national identity.”

The ceremony for 2012 has been moved to this year's TTM+. Throughthe 14 years (1996-2010), the TAT has conferred 510 awards on recipi-ents from 59 countries.

Travel agents, media attend Grand Sale launch

3 Malaysians win Friends ofThailand award

EIGHT travel agents and four journalists attended the launch of the AmazingThailand Grand Sale 2013 in Phuket recently sponsored by Royal Jorda-nian and AirAsia.

The annual grand sale 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.

Apart from Phuket and Bangkok, the group also visited Pattaya duringtheir time in Thailand.

For more information, visit http://thailandgrandsale.tourismthailand.org.