Tourism Ministry Launches ‘Thailand Trusted Destination’ Campaign

Krabi (NNT) - The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has launched the “Thailand Trusted Destination” campaign to raise the nation’s tourism standards. Visitors can now look for venues and attractions bearing the campaign’s dancing elephant logo. The logo certifies attractions that meet the standards promoted by the ministry.

The Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports took business operators on a field trip to Krabi province to observe venues and attractions certified under the Thailand Trusted Destination campaign.

The campaign was introduced as an incentive for business owners to improve their services and boost confidence among tourists. Participating venues will be granted the dancing elephant logo, which represents cleanliness, safety, fairness, good management, and green practices.

During the field trip, business operators visited Krabi International Airport, which has been certified for toilet cleanliness; Laemsak Community which was certified as a community-based tourism attraction with historical value; and Than Bok Khorani National Park, which has been certified for its success in environmental conservation and tourist safety.

Source - ASIAN NOW 

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Bangkok sees only 1500 arrivals for REBOOT

There were only 1500 foreign arrivals in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to Thailand in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against the bug.
There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

These are total arrival numbers. It is not known how many of these are returning foreigners with property and family or actual holiday makers.

The waiver covers more than 60 countries, including the United States and China, plus several places in Europe, from where some were escaping the winter blues.

“Right now, in Europe as you know it’s quite cold, so we decided to go come here,” said German national, Simon Raithel, among the first arrivals.

Thailand, one of the Asia-Pacific’s most popular tourist destinations, has enforced strict entry curbs that were criticised in the travel industry for being too onerous and economically damaging.

More than 3 million Thai tourism-dependent jobs and an estimated $50 billion a year in revenue have been lost.

Before the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 12% of Thai GDP, with one survey ranking Bangkok as the world’s most visited city.

Thailand tested the waters with the reopening of the island of Phuket, but the pilot scheme had mixed results, drawing just 1% of its monthly pre-pandemic level when it started in July.

Under the new national programme visitors must await a negative COVID-19 test on arrival then can travel freely the following day.

“It is much easier,” said Marguerite Jeason from France. “Before at first it was 14 nights.”

Airlines have rushed to ready the country for the hoped influx of visitors, bringing jets back from hibernation.

Still, the pickup is expected to be relatively slow, with only 180,000 foreign arrivals anticipated this year and 7 million next year, compared with some 40 million in 2019.

Source - BangkokJack

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Cambodia expects Chinese tourists to drive its tourism growth after COVID-19 outbreak

Cambodia is hoping that Chinese tourists will drive its tourism growth when the world is cleared of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said on Saturday.

Khon said the COVID-19 pandemic had made profound impact on the country's tourism. However, he was optimistic that Chinese tourists would support the kingdom's tourism growth when the coronavirus is over.

The minister said mutual help and trust between the two countries in the fight against COVID-19 has not only deepened bilateral ties, but also earned praise from the two countries.

"The visit of Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen to Beijing in February during the virus outbreak has received lavish praise from the Chinese people, and through this visit, I believe that more Chinese people will spend their holidays in Cambodia when the COVID-19 crisis is over," Khon told Xinhua.

China has become the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia since 2017. Cambodia's tourism industry, which amounted to 4.92 billion US dollars, is currently being hit hardest by the ravaging pandemic. A tourism data showed that Cambodia received a total of 223,400 foreign tourists in March, a decrease of 65 percent over the same month last year.

Air passenger numbers dropped by more than 90 percent in April, according to the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, while ticket sales at Cambodia's world famous Angkor archeological park fell by 99 percent in April.

Secretary of state and spokesman of the Tourism Ministry Top Sopheak said, "Before COVID-19, the Angkor archeological park in Siem Reap province received up to 9,000 foreign tourists a day, but now, it gets only 20 per day and those are foreigners living and working in Cambodia."

To be ready to receive Chinese tourists during the post-COVID-19 era, Cambodia will continue to promote the "China Ready" strategy and urge tourism businesses and other tourism destinations to further implement health and safety measures for all tourists, he said.

Cambodia has banned entry of foreign visitors from six countries - the United States, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, and Iran - since mid-March and has imposed entry restrictions for all foreigners since March 30 to curb COVID-19.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said all tour and travel companies across the kingdom have suspended their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting more than 30,000 employees.

"Although Cambodia has detected no new COVID-19 cases for over one month, there are still only a few foreign tourists coming to the country because they're still scared of the virus and our travel restrictions remain in effect," she told Xinhua.

Sivlin agreed that Chinese tourists will be the main driver of tourism growth in Cambodia after the pandemic, and tour and travel companies will unveil new tour packages to attract Chinese tourists when the pneumonia-causing virus is over.

"We will design our strategy again to attract tourists during the post-COVID-19 era, and the strategy will focus on hygiene, health and social distancing on buses and in restaurants," she said.

Clais Chenda, president of the Cambodia Hotel Association, which represents about 250 hotels in the country, said almost all of the hotels have either partially or completely suspended their businesses due to the virus.

She said her two hotels, Terres Rouges in Ratanakiri province and Rajabori Villa in Kratie province, have also been closed temporarily as there were no customers.

"Our tourism mainly depends on foreign tourists. Due to the pandemic, there are very few foreigners coming to Cambodia at this time, so most of the hotels have been temporarily closed," she said. "Currently, we are negotiating with landlords who lease premises to hotels to reduce their rental prices in order to enable us to survive this difficult time."

Chenda said for the hotels that are still open during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association has advised them to stick to health and hygiene measures by screening guests' temperatures routinely, providing them with alcohol or antibacterial gel for handwashing, and keeping social distancing among them.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Domestic Tourism Campaign “We Love Thailand” to be Launched

Thailand’s Tourism Council is preparing to start its “We Love Thailand” campaign to stimulate domestic tourism after thing normalize. Council president Chairat Trirattanajarasporn said they were in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

“This campaign will promote new local products and attractions, especially those involving tourism communities,” he told the Nation. Chairat also said domestic tourism needs to be promoted for one to two years.  Above all while the market waits for foreign tourists to regain confidence.

In the initial phase, it is expected that people from China, South Korea or Asean would return to Thailand, he said.

“Thailand needs Chinese tourists as we recover,” Chairat added. “When the situation becomes safe again, Chinese will return to Thailand as our country is near. Moreover, the Chinese market has the capacity to expand.”
Mass Unemployment in Thailand’s Tourism Sector

Up to six million people are expected to lose their jobs in the tourism sector due to Covid-19 a report says.

Reports from the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said that unemployment will affect millions of people in Thailand’s tourism sector. A critical industry that accounted for 21 percent of the country’s GDP.

“Thailand’s tourism sector has overcome many past shocks. Including natural disasters and political instability,” the UN report said. “However, there may be new emerging sources of risks that may need to be considered.”

It added, “The magnitude of the current socio-economic shocks that come from the health and economic effects tied to the current COVID-19 pandemic are, however, unprecedented in recent history.”

The industry’s woes were rooted in the total collapse of inbound tourism. International tourist arrivals in January and February dropped to 5.9 million. Compared with 7.3 million in the same months last year.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, income in this time dropped from 381 million baht to 293 million baht, or a decrease of more than 23 percent.

From January to March alone, 139,000 people in the tourism sector already lost their jobs, mostly those working in accommodation.

The number of unemployed people could even rise to 10 million if the pandemic does not subside by the end of June, the report by Thai University of Commerce warned.

Source - Chiang Rai Times 

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Online hotel booking sites may be duping travelers: Consumer rights group

A new study out of Britain shows that travelers could score better bargains if they go directly through the hotel rather than book with an online travel agent like Booking.com or Expedia.com.

That's according to Which?, a consumer rights group that found that when they contacted hotels directly they were able to score a better room rate compared to the prices listed on secondary travel websites or snag other incentives including free breakfasts or upgrades.

For the study, Which? contacted 10 hotels in Britain and asked if the hotels could offer a better deal than the ones posted by online travel agents (OTA) like Booking.com or Expedia.

In eight of the 10 cases, hotels offered discounts on rooms, food, spa treatments, or freebies like breakfast and parking. A hotel in Cornwall offered a discount of £20 (US$25.63), slashing the rate from £170 to £150.

"Customers shouldn't be duped into thinking they're getting the best price from a hotel booking site when more often than not, they can get a better deal by avoiding its commission and booking directly with the hotel," said Which? Travel editor Rory Boland in a press release.

"Hotel booking sites might be a good place to start your search, but you should always call or email the hotel for the best chance of getting the cheapest deal – even in cases where they can't offer a better price, there's a good chance they'll throw in a freebie or two."

Online travel agents typically charge commissions of between 15 percent to 25 percent on every booking, a fee that's often passed down to the consumer.

To get the best room rate, Which? editors recommend using an OTA as a starting point, and then calling the desired hotel directly. Quote the rate listed on Booking.com or Expedia.com, and ask if they can do better. A reasonable discount is between 15 percent to 25 percent. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Not just Chinese travelers staying away as virus shakes Asian tourism

As a driver of one of Thailand's renowned "tuk tuk" motorized rickshaws, Amonchai Laodoungdee is used to busy days ferrying tourists around Bangkok, but on Tuesday he waited for four hours at a shopping mall without a single customer.

Since word of the new coronavirus spread from China last month, he's seen his daily income drop from about 1300 baht ($41) per day to around 400 baht. At first, he noticed not as many Chinese tourists were around. Now, there are few tourists from any country.

"Not too many foreigners come to visit Thailand now," Amonchai said. "Now is very difficult."

Such laments are becoming more common across Asia's tourism industry, from street food hawkers to luxury tour operators, as more countries advise citizens to be cautious as the coronavirus toll surpassed 1,000 deaths, most of them inside China.

Many Asian tourism professionals say the drop in tourism has spread from Chinese tourists to visitors from other Asian and Western countries now also staying away, raising fears that much of the 2020 travel season may be severely diminished.

"It's not just China. Travelers from other countries are also postponing or canceling visits not just to Singapore, but we are seeing evidence across Asia,” Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, told reporters.

Some tourism officials says the market is resilient and may well bounce back once the virus is contained.

Still, as the number of total confirmed cases surpassed 40,000 this week, many worried that the slump would continue for months.

"We forecast an overall decline of up to 50 percent in the number of bookings for the first half of the year, compared with same period last year," Alicia Seah, director of communications at travel agency Dynasty Travel, based in Singapore.

Sharp decline

Tourism-heavy economies like Thailand, which derives around 12 percent of its GDP from foreign visitors, are especially affected by travel restrictions and warnings.

"Today the impact has not been just on Chinese tourists but on all tourists," Chairat Triratanajaraspon, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, told Reuters.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted a revenue loss of 95 billion baht ($3.05 billion) from fewer Chinese tourists from January to April, but that number could rise higher as travelers from other countries are now staying away.

The decline has been swift and sharp. From Feb. 1 to Feb. 10, arrivals booked by the Association of Thai Travel Agents dropped by were down 71 percent from last year overall and 99 percent from China, according to the associations.

Chairat said 50-60 percent  of the usual 3 million expected tourists for February are expected to now stay away, adding "This situation is likely to continue into March."

In Indonesia, the tourist island of Bali alone has seen 20,000 cancellations, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, head of Indonesia’s hotels and restaurants association.

He did not know how many were from Chinese tourists or from other countries, but he said there is concern of a sustained slump because from now until April is usually when bookings for summer holidays usually are made.

"In the toilet"

In Vietnam, cancellations are coming in for well into the year.

The official state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said last week that many inbound tours to Vietnam scheduled for March and April had been canceled.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimated the damage to Vietnam’s tourism sector from the virus will range from $5.9 billion to $7.7 billion, VN Express reported on Friday.

A tourism source in Hanoi, who did not wish to be identified given the sensitivity of the situation, said hotels were suffering from a 20 percent drop in budget in terms of occupancy.

"It's really pretty bad. We are re-forecasting now. But February and March are of course in the toilet.”

Thai tour operator Virat Chatturaputpitak, managing director of Marwin Tours (Asia) Co. Ltd., said he has seen a reduction of tourists from Canada, the United States, and also the United Kingdom.

"For me, the Easter outlook in April is also not good," Virat said.

"We simply don't know how long it will take to contain this virus and every day the news of more infection mean more people are reluctant to travel," he added.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#Bangkok tops Agoda’s 2018 list of Asian destinations

Online travel agent Agoda has found Bangkok to be the most popular Asian destination of 2018, “not only a convenient transit point to explore the rest of Thailand, but also teeming with energy, quirks and fascinating culture”.

 According to the year’s booking data from Agoda, beachside city Pattaya has been the 10th most popular Asian destination.

Tokyo is No 2, followed in descending order by Hong Kong, Osaka, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore and Bali, and then Pattaya.

 Thailand ranked second-most-booked Asian country this year. “From historic temples and sparkling white sandy beaches to rich culture and world-famous cuisine, it’s no wonder why Thailand continues to draw in travelers from around the world,” Agoda says.

 Japan has claimed the crown for top Asian country overall, the credit going to “ephemeral sights like cherry blossoms to the endless quirky, wonderful experiences such as robot cafes”. Malaysia ranks third.

Thai travelers have mainly enjoyed domestic trips in 2018, with Japan and Singapore the most popular countries further afield. 

 

Agoda says Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Phuket have been the top five destinations in Thailand for Thais, followed by “laid-back destinations” Khao Yai, Chonburi, Krabi and Chiang Rai.

Tokyo appeals to Thais because it has no visa requirements, additional flight routes and diverse cultural highlights.

Source - TheNation

#Indonesia - Mount Prau to be closed to hikers for three months starting Jan. 6

The hiking trail on Mount Prau in Central Java is to be closed for three months between Jan. 6 and April 5.

The closure will include all hiking base camps on the mountain, as decided during a meeting conducted by the Indonesia Mount Prau Coordinating Forum in Kalilembu, Wonosobo, on Nov. 26.

Among the reasons for the closure are the needs to repair the trail, clean up trash, conduct reforestation and collect and evaluate ecosystem data. 

Hikers, tour guides, travel agents and base camps that do not comply with the closure would be fined, kompas.com reported on Dec. 3. 

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 However, climbers are still allowed to visit the mountain on Jan. 9 to participate in reforestation. To join in, they can simply go to the Dieng base camp on Jan. 8 or early morning on Jan. 9. 

The reforestation is to be conducted around the Telaga Wurung area with at least 1,000 plant seeds. The seeds will be provided for free by the event committee; hikers are only requested to bring their personal supplies and small shovels if possible.

Source TheJakartaPost

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