Thailand Travel Talk M

ARCH — APRIL 2011to have buckets and containers of water thrownat you by teams of merry makers in the backs oftrucks as you make your way down the street —particularly in major tourist areas like Bangkok,Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai.

The people of Thailand work hard in a veryhot climate, so it only makes sense that their big-gest party is the world’s largest water fight ac-companied with music, dancing and tons ofsplashing, as the typically mellow populace ex-plodes into wild celebration.

In Hat Yai, there is something called the Mid-night Songkran, where festivities and splashingof water begin at the stroke of midnight on April12 to cater to the large number of tourists fromMalaysia who trooped to the southern Thai cityto join in the fun.

This year, the Thai New Year falls on a Wed-nesday. Make sure you book your accommoda-tion early as you don’t want to miss out on thisyearly celebration.

Songkran Venue list in Page 2...

of Thailand.The festival is celebrated over three days, Ma-

hasongkran on April 13, that marks the end ofthe old year, Wan Nao (April 14) is the day afterand April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok when the NewYear begins.

On New Year’s Day, families and friends ga-ther to offer prayers to the Buddha, clean tem-ples and houses, offer alms to the monks andsprinkle scented water on elders as a mark of res-pect and on each other’s hands as an act of wish-ing good luck.

The pouring of water is symbolic of the clean-sing of the spirit, mind and body. The water isalso supposed to wash away bad luck — so consi-der yourself blessed if you get drenched.

In recent years, the tradition of sprinkling wa-ter has been interpreted by youngsters as a greatexcuse for a water fight, and it is not uncommon

AS mid-April’s temperature rises, ushering in thebeginning of the hot season in Thailand, thewhole country reverberates with the sounds ofcheerful laughter and merry-making.

The occasion is the Songkran Festival, whichushers in the Thai New Year, celebrated nation-wide from April 13-15 yearly.

It is a time when much of the worries of thepast year are left behind so that a new beginningcould be planned for the year ahead.

The water-splashing that usually accompaniesa Thai New Year is certainly most appropriate,especially during the hot month.

Step out of your hotel rooms and you wouldprobably be greeted by young and old alike withbuckets of water or water guns, especially desig-ned for the occasion. And if you are lucky, thenthe splashing would be followed by a face make-up with talcum powder and perfume.

‘Songkran’ (from the Sanskrit word Sankranti,signifying the sun’s shift from one zodiac to ano-ther) heralding the beginning of the solar yearand is the most important festival for the people

April 13 — 15, 2011

Happy Thai New Year

Bangkok April 13-15 Rattanakosin Island

Hat Yai Mid-night Sanehanusorn Road, Thammanoonvithi RoadApril 11-April 13 and Nipatuthit 3 Road

Nakhon Sri April 13-15 At the Phra Isuan and Phra Narai HallThammarat Ratchadamnern Road

Nong Khai April 13-15 At Wat Pho Chai temple and Hat Chomanibeach near the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridgethat spans the Mekong River

Chon Buri April 13-15 Beach in Bang Saen, Siricha and Pattaya

Chiang Mai April 11-15 Tha Phae Gate, Wat Phra Singh

Ayutthaya April 13-15 Sala Phra Ram & Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit

Nakhon Ratchasima April 13-15 Thao Suranari Monument

SAWATDI Pee Mai or Happy Thai New Year.Come April 13, Thais nationwide would go

back to their hometown to usher in the Thainew year. Of course, it would always be a wetnew year as part of the celebration is theSongkran or water festival.

The water festival could not come at a bet-ter time as April is usually the beginning of thedry and hot month with temperatures rising allover Thailand. So a drenching by ones friendsor even complete strangers is most welcomed.

The festival has become one of the high-lights of the Thai tourism calendar with tou-rists from all over the world joining in the re-velry. Malaysians have also found a way tojoin in the fun, especially in the southern cityof Hat Yai, which introduced the Midnight Song-kran from a few years ago.

Anglers would also be happy to note thatthere would be a fishing competition in KohChang, Trat Province. Open to both local andforeign fishing enthusiasts, the event is expec-ted to attract hundreds of participants from allover, including Malaysia.

In the meantime, we would also like to an-nounce that the devastation caused by thehot weather conditions last year had resultedin coral bleaching in a number of areas. Torectify the situation, the authorities had closedseven dive sites temporarily in the AndamanSea and the Gulf of Siam.

At the same time, sun and sea worshippersare warned to take the government’s warningabout jellyfish seriously. Please watch out forwarning signs that had been put up in areaswhere it had been spotted and avoid swim-ming in those areas.

Those interested in certain specialised travelpublications, that is, Local Insight, MemorableWeddings and Meditation in Thailand can getthem by writing in at the email given in thestory.

TAT Kuala Lumpur had also set up a newwebsite as some of you would have noticed.This is so that we could keep up with thetimes. And for those who wanted to read pastcopies of our newsletter, they may do so byvisiting the archive section, where past copiesare stored.

Locally, as most travelling enthusiasts arewell aware, the MATTA International Travel Fairwould be held at the Putra World Trade Cen-tre. Don’t forget to visit our booths in Hall 1.You would certainly not be disappointed.

Last but not least, we wish to thank all Ma-laysians who continue to show their undyingsupport for Thailand. In spite of all the prob-lems that we faced last year, your belief andsupport had helped turn things around, espe-cially in the month of December.

Thank you and we hope to see you soon inThailand.

MR WIBOON NIMITRWANICHDirectorMalaysia & Brunei

Director’s Message TAT launch mobile applicationTHE Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT) has launched the AmazingThailand mobile application to runon iPhone, Blackberry and Android,as well as popular devices such asiPad and iPod Touch.

This underscores TAT’s success inpromoting tourism through onlinemarketing, and raises the organisa-tion’s profile in the digital world,while revealing its digital marketingstrategy for 2011.

Mr Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of TATsaid, “We introduced the Amazing Thailand mo-bile application because of our success in promo-ting tourism online to reach the digital worldthrough digital marketing and social media mar-keting.”

At present, Amazing Thailand has more than120,000 fans on its Facebook fan page, and TATis currently ranked one of the top three tourismpromotion organisations in the world. TAT is also

extending its digital reach throughTwitter@ThailandFanClub for for-eign tourists and @Go2Thailand forThai travellers.

Mr Suraphon remarked that TATintroduced the Amazing Thailandmobile application to develop newchannels to promote Thailand’s tou-rism to more than 300 million poten-tial target users worldwide.

This new marketing tool makes themost of the information on TAT's website, ex-pands Thailand’s tourist databases, increases thenumber of fans and followers in social media,and will support new marketing campaigns inthe future.

The three key functions of the Amazing Thai-land mobile application are varied content, geo-localisation search and user experience.

As for the future development of the mobileapplication, this will target all platforms and de-vices popular among tourists.

VISIT our new and improved websiteat www.tourismthailand.my.

The new updated website is a muchimproved version of our old websitewith news of the going-ons in andaround the country.

Those who would like to read someof our old newsletters can also findthem in the archive section of thewebsite.

TATKUL'snew website

Songkran Venue

THAILAND ranks fifth out of a total of 25 destinations in the overall ran-king for tourism and leads the Top 10 list in Value for Money.

The 2010 Country Brand Index (CBI), an in-depth study that exploresthe complexity, dynamics and benefits of how nations manifest as brandsis presented by FutureBrand in partnership with the BBC New World Newsat the the World Travel Market in London.

The scores from a number of attributes including attractions, resort andlodging options, food and value for money, determine the overall rankingsfor the tourism dimension. A very diverse group of countries lead the ran-kings for tourism in 2010.

Thailand also scores in a few other categories such as Value for Money(1st), Food (4th), Beaches (6th), Nightlife (8th) and Shopping (9th).

Mainly Asian destinations — led by Thailand, followed by Vietnam, Cam-bodia, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia in the Top 10 — are perceived as thestrongest performing nations for value for money. New Zealand ranks thirdfor this attribute.

The strength of a country brand is determined in the same way as anyother brand. It is measured on levels of awareness, familiarity, preference,consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit.

However, the most important factors that truly differentiate a nation’s

Country Brand Index: Thailand in top 5

brand are its associations and attributes — the qualities that people think ofwhen they hear a country’s name, read or see images of a location, or plana business or leisure trip.

Country brand strength is a nation’s ultimate intangible asset and goesbeyond its geographic size, financial performance or levels of awareness.

Two resorts for the price of one‘RUSTIC CHIC’ is possibly not a descriptionthat comes to mind when speaking of Phuket,but then Centara Villas Phuket, perched on asmall hill overlooking Karon Beach, is like noother resort hotel on the island.

“All the new villa properties that have beenbuilt on Phuket in recent years have tended tofeature contemporary styling,” says AlexandreGlauser, General Manager of Centara VillasPhuket.

“The villas here are however evocative ofrural Thailand, and as they are equipped with thelast word in comfort, we feel the term rural chicis very appropriate.”

Anyone wishing to temporarily desert their ru-

ral hideaway can make the easy journey a shortdistance along Karon Beach to the newly openedCentara Grand Beach Resort Phuket.

Set on an incline and with their own naturaljungle-gardens, each of the 72 spacious villas fa-ces the ocean.

Some of the villas offer a private pool or spa.Direct access to the wide sweep of Karon Beachis literally just steps down from the pool area bycoastal pathway.

There is a split-level swimming pool with wa-terfall, two restaurants, and a sumptuous ocean-front spa.

These facilities ensures that the resort providesa perfect retreat for couples who like their rustic

holidays to have plenty of style.“This new property is designed for literally

everyone, singles, couples, families, groups andmeetings,” he says. “It is located right on thebeach, and has its own water park with waterslides.

“We have a dine-around programme so thatanyone from Centara Villas Phuket can sign formeals and drinks and enjoy all the facilities atCentara Grand, making this a very outstandingpair of properties at Karon.”

For more information and reservations, callTel: 0 662 101-1234 Ext.1 or email: reservations-@chr.co.th or visit www.centarahotelsresorts.-com.

A group of journalists from various publications had aglimpse of a wedding with a difference during a fami-liarisation trip to the Trang Underwater Wedding recently.

They joined a group of romantic couples who camefrom various countries to tie the knot and make theirwedding vows several metres underwater off Pak MengBeach.

The underwater wedding is held every year on Valen-tine's Day.

During the trip, the group also visited several places ofinterest in Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Songkhla.

Journalists visit Journalists visit Journalists visit Journalists visit Journalists visit TTTTTrangrangrangrangrang

Koh Chang International Fishing CupKoh Chang International Fishing CupKoh Chang International Fishing CupKoh Chang International Fishing CupKoh Chang International Fishing Cup

THE east of Thailand will again playhost to a fishing competition aimedat promoting conservation and pro-mote tourism.

The 2nd Koh Chang InternationalSustainable Fishing Cup — Asiafrom March 11-13, 2011 is aimed atdeveloping fishing game in Trat atpar with universal standard; to pro-mote fishing game to be more popu-lar game in society; to raise fund forartificial coral (house for fishes); topromote etiquettes of the anglersand recognise its own prestige; andto let anglers develop camaraderieand unity with one another.

The venue of the competition isthe East Gulf of Thailand and theregistration date is March 11, 2011,from 10:00 — 12.00 noon.

Those interested can contact Ms.Udomporn at phone number: 084-7782234 and Mr. Chonnabot: 082-4610101. Application must be recei-

ved by February 28.The fee is 4,000 Baht per team

(this fee will be divided into twoparts, the first 3,000 Baht will bekept for building artificial coral andthe second part of 1,000 Baht willbe used for meals during the clos-ing ceremony).

The number of team members ineach team should not be less thanfour and not to be more than eightpersons and all participants shouldprepare their own fishing equip-ment.

All fishing participants need toprovide their own boat and each

fishing participant has to register byhim or her own self. No one is allo-wed to register on another person’sbehalf.

All fishing participants and eachboat captain without exception haveto be ready at the registration pointfor the briefing on the fishing rulesand then all boats leave at the sametime.

All the competition boats canleave the departure pier only after4:00pm. The banquet and award ce-remony will be held at Ko Wai Pa-karang Resort at 12.00pm and3.00pm on March 13, 2011.

The competition is jointly-organi-sed by the Trat Province, WorldSport Fishing Federation-Asia, De-signated Areas for Sustainable Tou-rism - Administration (DASTA),Trat Tourism Association, TourismAuthority of Thailand - Trat Office,Trat Provincial Office of Tourismand Sports, Moo Koh Chang Natio-nal Park, Fisheries Department -TratOffice, Trat Coastal AquacultureStation, Koh Chang Tai LocalAdministration, Ko Wai PakarangResort, Sea Hunter Tour and Inter-national Cultural Education Foun-dation-ICEF.

ONCE in a lifetime, make your wedding dayunique and unforgettable at Zeavola Resort,the only luxury villa resort on Phi Phi Island.

Zeavola Resort introduces the ‘WeddingPackage’, where you can enjoy your ‘Bare-foot Dream Wedding’ on Phi Phi Island likeno other and create wonderful memories tolast a lifetime.

The ‘Wedding Package’ is priced fromTHB 58,000* for Western Wedding Cere-mony and THB 69,000* for ‘Thai WeddingCeremony’.

Prices are inclusive of ceremony set-upand flower decorations, champagne and

Zeavola Resort introduces Wedding PackageWedding PackageWedding PackageWedding PackageWedding Packagewedding cake cutting ceremony, Bridal bou-quet, and the Groom’s corsage, wedding flo-ral hearts decoration in your villa, a plantingof the ‘love tree’ and releasing of the cere-monial fish and presentation of the Zeavola’smarriage certificate.

Wedding Packages are available from nowuntil December 31, 2011.

For more information, please visit www.-zeavola.com or contact Tel. 075 627 000 oremail reservation@zeavola.com or callBangkok Sales & Marketing Office Tel. 02656 0818 or email sales@zinchospitali-ty.com.

FAM trip to KrabiTRAVEL agents and journalists from thesouthern states of Malaysia went on an edu-cational trip to Krabi to look at the varioustourism products available that would be ofinterest to their clients.

Krabi is slowly gaining popularity as aweekend getaway among Malaysians whodesire a quiet and peaceful holiday destina-tion. It is also ranked among the best placesin the world to visit for rock climbing andisland hopping.

Krabi is served by daily flights onAirAsia from Kuala Lumpur.

BETONG: A town in the mistSITUATED in the province of Yala at the San-kalakhiri mountain range and bordering the Ma-laysian states of Kedah and Perak is the bordertown of Betong.

With an area of 1,328 sq. km, its terrain ismostly mountainous and hilly with forested pla-teaus. About 1,900 feet above sea level, it is 140km from Yala and 1,224 km from the capital cityof Bangkok.

Betong, which means bamboo in Malay, is ad-ministratively divided into four villages or tam-bons — Yarom, Aiyerweng, Tanah Merah, TanNamtip, and one municipality — the Tambon Be-tong Municipality.

Climatically speaking, Betong is under the in-fluence of the Southwest and Northwest mon-soons. Therefore, there is a lot of rain and theweather is nice and cool with fog in the morn-ing. This is perhaps how it got is name — ‘A Townin the Mist with Beautiful Flowers’.

Betong also lays claim to the world’s largestmailbox, located at the Clock Tower Intersectionin the town centre. It was built in 1924 by Mr Sa-Nguan Jirajinda, the former head of Betong Postand Telegraph Office and the Lord Mayor ofBetong.

The purpose of this mail-box is to distributenews and to give services in posting and distri-buting mails for the people of Betong. It is madeof reinforced concrete, with a cylindrical shapedivided into 2 parts — the base and the box. Thecircumference of the base is 265cm and that ofthe box is 240cm. At a total height of 320cm, it isat present used as an ordinary mailbox.

Betong is also famous for her wonderful andgastronomic cuisine at an affordable price. A va-riety of Thai, Ethnic Chinese & Malay food hasbecome a favourite to visitors especially fromMalaysia, one of which is the Betong chickenrice.

Another tourist attraction is the Piyamit Tun-nel, an underground tunnel built by the Commu-nists in the 1970s. Used as a hideout duringformer times, the tunnel located at the Friend-ship Village, just outside of Betong town, hadbeen turned into a tourist attraction. Entrace feeis 50 Baht.

Meanwhile, located on a foothill in RattakijRoad is the most gorgeous and biggest stupa ofthe south, in Buddhathiwad temple. The Phra Ma-hathat Chedi Phra Buddha Dhamma Prakat isboth famous with the locals and visitors alike.

Betong is also famous for its Siberian swal-lows, hundreds of thousands of which migratethere every year to perch on the city’s rooftops.

Betong has a population of about 50,0000, themajority of its people are farmers. It is multi-cultural with a population mix being 50 per centMuslims, 40 per cent Chinese and 10 per centThais.

March Lim Kor Neo Festival Pattani

March Fire Walking Festival Yala

March Barred Dove Singing Contest Narathiwat

April Saiburi Fishing Competition Pattani

April Betong Variety Fair Yala

April Luang Pu Thuad Image Bathing Ceremony Pattani

Calendar of Events

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

CORAL BLEACHING: 7 diving sites closedTHE National Parks, Wildlife and Plant ConservationDepartment (DNP), Ministry of Natural Resources andEnvironment, has reported that coral reefs at severalsites along Thailand’s Andaman coast and in the Gulfof Thailand have been affected by coral bleaching — aphenomenon in which coral loses colour and becomespaler or completely white. Corals that have been expo-sed to environmental stress for an extended period oftime are vulnerable to bleaching.

The key to stopping and reversing the situation is toimmediately alleviate the environmental stress to pre-vent further damage to the affected reefs and create amore favourable environment that allows the coral co-lonies to recover and regenerate.

Hence to facilitate the speedy recovery and rehabili-tation of affected areas, the DNP, announced the tem-porary closure of several key diving sites in seven ma-rine national parks in January. Coral bleaching at thesesites extends over 80 per cent of the areas concerned.

SAFETY WARNINGVISITORS are advised to avoid swim-ming in the sea where jellyfish arepresent.

October to May is the season forjellyfish.

Please avoid affected areas wherelocal authorities have posted signswarning of the presence of jellyfish.

Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 20Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 20Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 20Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 20Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 20111111 briefing1 briefing1 briefing1 briefing1 briefingVISA Thailand did a briefing to selected travelagents in Kuala Lumpur recently to update themon the upcoming Amazing Thailand Grand Salefrom June 15-Aug 15, 2011. The travel agentswere informed of the various promotions that canbe obtained from the various establishments.

The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, Thailand’sannual shopping extravaganza offers world-classshopping, a diverse selection of quality productsand services, special discounts of 10-80 per cent.

The discounts and promotional offers are be-ing extended by leading department stores, shop-ping complexes, King Power Duty Free shops,airlines, hotels, spas, golf courses, online travelagencies, hospitals, jewellery shops and participa-ting retail outlets along designated ShoppingStreets in Bangkok and at special events held inthe popular tourist destinations of Chiang Mai,Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Koh Samui, Udon

Thani and Hat Yai.The Shopping Streets provide a convenient op-

portunity to spot great buys in an exotic range ofunique crafts and cottage industry products, in-cluding exquisitely hand-crafted decorative itemsand fashion accessories, available in the tradi-

tional as well as contemporary design.In addition to discount offers from participat-

ing establishments, check out the special promo-tions offered by retail and service outlets display-ing the Thailand Grand Sale decal. These includefree gifts, vouchers and lucky draw prizes.

RarinJinda Wellness Spa opens branch in PhuketRARINJINDA Wellness Spa has opened in Pa-tong Beach, Phuket adjacent to the back of Jung-ceylon Shopping Center, the third branch of theRarinJinda Wellness Spa Chain.

Designed to a modern contemporary style, thespa features over 20 treatment rooms with singleand double rooms and private suites for couplesover 2,000 square meters area in the new four-storey building.

Besides RarinJinda’s various signature treat-ments such as Shirodhara Treatment and Ele-ments of Life, other range of spa experiences isthe After Sun Paradise, which brings together thenewly created Cold Stone Massage with AloeVera Body Wrap, designed to relieve the sun-burn after a long day at the beach.

For more information, visit http://www. rarin-jinda.com/

Marine National ParksDiving sites temporarily closed as a result of

extensive coral bleaching covering over80 per cent of the concerned areas

Hat Chao Mai Marine National Park Koh Chueak islandin Trang province

Mu Ko Petra Marine National Park Koh Bu Lone Mai Pai islandin Satun province

Tarutao Marine National Park The islands of Koh Takieng, Koh Hin Ngam,Koh Rawi,Hat Sai Khao and Koh Dong

Chumphon Marine National Park Koh Ma Prao

Hat Nopparattara — Mu Ko Phi Phi Hin KlangMarine National Park

Mu Koh Surin Marine National Park Ao Mae Yai bay, Ao Mangkon bay, Ao Jak bay,in Phang-nga province Ao Tao bay, Koh Torinla

Mu Koh Similan Marine National Park Ao Fai Wap bay, Koh Payu or East of Edenin Phang-nga province

NOTE:NOTE:NOTE:NOTE:NOTE: All other marine national parks remain open and are operating normally.