#Thailand to host Amour Asia Pacific 2018

Show will boost Kingdom’s reputation as world-class honeymoon destination

Thailand will host the first ever Amour Asia Pacific 2018, a luxury travel trade event that will cement the Kingdom’s reputation as the destination of choice for lovers and honeymooners from around the world. To be held from February 14-17, 2018, at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park, Amour Asia Pacific 2018 will help spur continued growth in the elite romance travel market.

Mr. Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT Governor said “TAT is proud to support the Amour Asia Pacific 2018. We are confident it will help to underscore Thailand’s reputation as a world-class romance and honeymoon destination, building on the success of the Destination Wedding Planner Congress 2017, which we also hosted. As a leader in this sector, we will continue to increase our competitive advantage in the romance and honeymoon market by innovating to deliver the latest products and services that couples value, while providing opportunities for Thai operators to meet with sellers from across the globe through platforms such as, the Amour Asia Pacific 2018.”

Thailand’s reputation as a host for honeymoons and weddings helped the Kingdom attract 1.1 million international romance travellers in 2016, representing 3.37 percent of all international visitors, and generating 1.65 billion USD for the Thai economy (or approximately 1,500 USD per visitor, per trip).

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Mr. Richard Barnes, CEO of Worldwide Events said “Thailand is truly at the heart of romance and honeymoon travel in Asia, so we are pleased to be able to showcase the plethora of products and services on offer for today’s discerning luxury romance traveler. The sector has seen tremendous growth, which has led to a demand for experience-based products that cater to a diverse range of interests; all of which will be on show at the Amour Asia Pacific 2018.”

The Amour Asia Pacific 2018 is a luxury travel trade event specifically designed for the elite romance travel market, including honeymoon curators, destination wedding planners and romance travel designers. Organised by Big Worldwide Limited, a leading international tourism promoter behind major events such as M&I Forums in 2016 (including Europe, the emerging markets, and the Americas), PRIVATE Luxury Forums in 2016 (the Americas and Europe), and the Amour Europe Forum 2016.

The Amour Asia Pacific 2018 will welcome 77 high-quality buyers including both Romance Travel Buyers and Destination Wedding Planners. The show will also feature 84 exhibitors, ranging from hotel and accommodation providers to destination management companies from across the Asia Pacific including 15 from Thailand.
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As a co-host, TAT will ensure that Thailand’s hospitality is extended to every delegate, from seamless on-ground transportation, to networking activities, and an exclusive gala dinner and after party at the Nai Lert Park Heritage Home. As a TAT partner, Thailand Elite (Thailand Privilege Card) will welcome delegates on arrival, provide fast-track immigration services, and offer access to a Welcome Lounge.

To enrich the delegates’ experience and offer them a glimpse into the various shades of Thai heritage and culture, TAT is also hosting pre- and post-tour activities. Pre-tour activities include a Thai Boxing Class – The Legend Thai Boxing, a Thai Cooking Class at the Blue Elephant Cooking School, a Bangkok Food Tour – Historic Bang Rak Food Tasting and Culture Tour, a tour of Khlong Bang Luang (Royal Barge Museum + Baan Silapin), and a tour of Rattanakosin Island. Ensuring guests will leave Thailand with memories to last a lifetime, TAT’s post-tour trips are to the island paradises of Krabi and Ko Samui, two of Thailand’s key wedding and honeymoon destinations.

Amour Asia Pacific 2018 will be held from February 14-17, 2018, at the Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park.

 

Source - TheNation 

 

#Indonesia - Pertamina resumes fuel shipments to Karimunjawa Islands

Underwater paradise: A diver explores coral reefs near the Karimunjawa Islands in Central Java in this undated photograph

State-owned energy company Pertamina has resumed shipments of fuel to the Karimunjawa Islands following a disruption of about two weeks due to bad weather.

Pertamina shipped at least 1,500 3-kg canisters of LPG from Jepara Port on Friday and 115 kiloliters of gasoline from Semarang on Saturday, according to Pertamina’s spokesman for Region IV distribution, Andar Titi Lestari.

The archipelago, located some 80 kilometers off Central Java’s northern coast, has been grappling with fuel shortages. Home to some 90,000 people, the islands are famous for a marine garden and sea nature park and are a popular weekend destination for Central Java residents.

Karimunjawa is vulnerable to fuel crises, because the islands can only be reached by sea.

Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has called on Pertamina to construct fuel storage facilities on the island to overcome the frequent supply disruptions. “With such storage, the fuel supply would not be disrupted,” Ganjar said in Semarang on Jan. 30, as reported by kompas.com.

Pertamina’s general manager for distribution in Region IV, Yanuar Budi Hartanto, said his company currently had no plans to construct such facilities, adding however that demand for storage would be discussed.

For the time being, he said, Pertamina might resort to using bigger ships to transport fuel to Karimunjawa, so that they could be on standby on the island with the remaining fuel.

 

Source - TheJakartaPost 

#Indonesia - Bali Marathon 2018 to welcome runners in March

The annual Maybank Bali Marathon is set to return on Sept. 9.

Runners who seek to participate in the competition can enroll via online registration from March 1 until April 15.

Entering its seventh year, the race’s categories consist of a marathon (42,197 kilometers), half-marathon (21,097-km), 10k run and children sprint.

Prior to the competition, the committee will hold an exhibition on sports and health, RUNXHIBITION, on Feb. 24-25 at Sentral Senayan Building III in Senayan, South Jakarta.

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 “Through RUNXHIBITION, we encourage runners and sports enthusiasts to gain knowledge about running from an expert and sports apparel suppliers,” said Effendi Hengki, Maybank Bali Marathon 2018 project director, in a press release. 

 

Established in 2012, Maybank Bali Marathon is an international competition that has been included among the "Remarkable Races in the World that One Must Participate before You Die" by The Active and "The 52 Best Races on Earth 2016" by Runnersworld. 

 

Source - TheJakartaPost

 

Indonesia - Travel app makes exploring Cirebon easier

The Sunyaragi Cave is one of the tourist attractions of Cirebon, West Java

Thinking about visiting the city of Cirebon in West Java, only around 3.5 hours from Jakarta by car? The city administration has released an app that helps visitors plan their trip with information on where to go and what to eat.

Named Cirebon Wistakon, the app provides information in 10 categories: Attractions, Food, Hotels, Shopping, Events & News, Favorites, Religion, Healthcare, Finances and Services.

Although tempo.co reported that some of the categories are currently still empty, the Attractions category contains 10 places, namely Taman Sari Gua Sunyaragi, Kacirebonan Palace, Wisata Kera Plangon, Kanoman Cirebon Palace, Kasepohan Palace, British-American Tobacco Cirebon, Dewi Welas Asih Temple, Cirebon Waterland Ade Irma Suryani, Kejawanan Beach, and Setu Sedong. Meanwhile, the Food section recommends eateries for dishes like nasi jamblang (fried sambal for rice wrapped in teak leaves), mi koclok (a noodle dish), empal gentong (a curry-like beef soup) as well as signature snacks of Cirebon. There is also information on traditional and modern markets, such as Pasar Harjamukti, Pasar Batik Trusmi Cirebon, Pasar Pagi Cirebon,  the Manisan Sinta souvenir shop and Pasar Mundu Cirebon.

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 "Cirebon Wistakon is available on the Google Play Store and connected with Google Maps," said Cirebon Statistics, Information and Communications Agency head Iing Daiman in Cirebon on Wednesday, adding that the app aimed to help visitors explore the city's tourist destinations.

The app is part of the city's Smart City initiative. The Cirebon administration has released several apps and is aiming to develop eight more this year.

Source - TheJakartaPost

#China - Beijing inches closer to becoming the world's busiest airport

China is forecast to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest air-travel market as soon as 2022.

Beijing inched one step closer to taking the crown for the world’s busiest airport.

As the ranks of the Chinese middle class swell and more people take to the skies, passenger traffic at Beijing’s international airport rose to a new record of 95.8 million last year.

This increase at the world’s second-busiest air hub -- at least the fifth straight year of gains -- has allowed Beijing Capital International Airport to narrow the gap with top placed Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, whose passenger numbers fell in 2017.

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 China is forecast to overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest air-travel market as soon as 2022. To cope with the surge in fliers, Beijing is building a $12.9 billion mega airport in a southern suburb that’s scheduled to open next year. It would accommodate as many as 100 million passengers annually, with the existing and new airports likely sharing 170 million travelers a year by 2025, according to official estimates. 

 The new airport has been designated by authorities as the hub for members of the SkyTeam alliance, a global group of airlines that includes China Eastern Airlines Corp. and China Southern Airlines Co. The two state-owned Chinese carriers will each be allowed to capture 40 percent of the airport’s passengers, gaining coveted time slots to Europe and the U.S. in flag carrier Air China Ltd.’s backyard.

Beijing will also be joining a select list of major cities with two or even three international airports, including London, New York, Tokyo and Paris. Unlike in Beijing, though, those airports usually take complementary roles, such as one serving international or intercontinental routes and the other focusing on domestic or regional flights.

Source - TheJakartaPost

 

Foreign tourists rescued after mountain hike goes wrong in #Vietnam

Lan Ha Bay in Hai Phong where two European tourists were lost up a mountain.

The exhausted travelers from Austria and the Czech Republic were found on an island by rescue forces.

Border guards in the northern city of Hai Phong have rescued two foreign tourists who went missing while hiking on an island on Thursday.

Macko Maschez, 36, from Austria, and Aneta Londova, 27, from the Czech Republic, rented a boat to sail to Cat Ba Island and go hiking on Thursday afternoon.

The tourism company lost contact with the pair a few hours later, and staff were unable to locate them.

Local rescue forces were scrambled and the exhausted tourists were found up a mountain above Lan Ha Bay at around 6:15 p.m., the border guard station said.

They said they had lost their way after becoming captivated by the scenery.

Early last month, Hai Phong border guards also saved a British tourist who became stuck in a mountain crevice while exploring an island.

#Laos - Luang Prabang focuses on Boosting cultural Tourism

The Luang Prabang tourism sector has been focusing on boosting cultural tourism and sustainable development to ensure socio-economic development in the province, according to a Luang Prabang tourism official.

Luang Prabang is one of the ancient cities of the Lao PDR that was established more than 1,200 years ago. It is endowed with rich, beautiful, natural scenery, historical culture, ancient temples, architecture and unique arts and crafts. Because of these unique qualities and attributes, UNESCO declared Luang Prabang a World Heritage Site in 1995.

“The tourism sector has provided a huge contribution to socio-economic development such as job creation and the improvement of livelihoods of local people, as well as to the reduction of poverty of people in rural areas,” said last week Luang Prabang Governor Khamkhan Chanthavisouk.

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“Over the past 20 years of preservation and development of the World Heritage Site, the Provincial Administration, together with Lao multi-ethnic people, businesses and entrepreneurs both domestic and foreign, as well as international organizations, have been working together to preserve and maintain the cultural values of this World Heritage Site in a sustainable manner,” said Mr Khamkhan.

As a result, lovely Luang Prabang has been a favorite tourist destination for many consecutive years, and was nominated as “Best City” in the Wanderlust Travel Awards.

Moreover, Luang Prabang has received the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award and has also become a non-smoking city to promote a healthy and smoke-free environment.

“Over the past years, Luang Prabang has been selected to host meetings at various levels including provincial, national, sub-regional, and ASEAN regional meetings with great success,” Mr Khamkhan said.

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We are honoured that at this time, Luang Prabang has once again been given the honour of hosting such important ASEAN related meetings and we do hope that we will have another opportunity to host important meetings like this in the near future, he said.

Luang Prabang is very proud of its peacefulness and safety, and its many cultural and natural tourist attractions.

The National Tourism Committee has approved a plan to develop routes along the Mekong River to link to Loei and Nong Khai in the northeast with Luang Prabang and Vientiane in Laos.

At the same time, the infrastructure of the province has been developed in order to ensure that it benefits from the ASEAN Economic Community integration which took place in 2015.

Source - Laotian Times