Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Cambodia, Myanmar Agree On Tourist Air Links

Cambodia and Myanmar have agreed to direct flights between the two countries, home to some of Southeast Asia's greatest cultural treasures, Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said on Wednesday.

"There will be direct flights from Bagan and Mandalay, which are Myanmar's main tourist destinations, to Siem Reap," he told reporters, referring to the tourist town near Cambodia's famed Angkor temples.
"We have the same culture, same civilizations as we're Buddhists," he said. "We need to have direct flights so that we can attract more international tourists to visit our two countries."
Hor Namhong, who accompanied Prime Minister Hun Sen on a two-day official visit to Myanmar, said other direct flights were planned between the Southeast Asian countries.
The 800-year-old Angkor Wat temple complex is largely responsible for an explosion of tourists to the war-scarred nation, which attracted 1.7 million visitors last year.
Cultural aficionados say the similar-aged Buddhist temples in Bagan in central Myanmar are a close rival to Angkor, but a chronic lack of infrastructure in the former Burma power cuts are a daily problem and foreign credit cards are rarely accepted means they attract only a fraction of the number of visitors.

Airlines in Thailand have tried to promote a similar "cultural package" in the region, with flights linking Angkor to the ancient Thai and Lao capitals, Sukhothai and Luang Prabang, and Hoi An in central Vietnam.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Cambodia, Myanmar Move To Strengthen Tourism Ties


Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met with junta head Senior General Than Shwe in military-ruled Myanmar on Tuesday, officials said, as the two nations moved to improve tourism links. Officials from both countries have said the focus would be trade and tourism.

Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told AFP that Hun Sen would discuss ways of making travel easier between Myanmar and nearby Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, with possible direct flights and package tours.

"Buddhism will be the potential tourist link for these four countries -- like Cambodia, there are a lot of temples in Myanmar," Khieu Kanharith said.

These talks are hoped to spur action on a tourism agreement already signed between the two countries, but which has not been implemented yet. Tourism is a key industry in impoverished Cambodia, and tourist arrivals in Myanmar are also creeping up.

On Monday, Hun Sen met with acting premier Thein Sein and a number of officials, including the transport and foreign ministers and the deputy minister for tourism, the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.

Source: Asian News from AFP

Sunday, May 20, 2007

UN aids Cambodia to develop eco-tourism

The United Nations' World Tourism Organization (WTO) has signed an agreement with the Cambodian Tourism Ministry to help the country develop eco-tourism in its northern province of Kratie, local media said on Saturday.

According to the agreement, the WTO will grant technical assistance worth 700,000 U.S. dollars to help establish sustainable eco-tourism system, improve protection of environment, and develop tourism promotion programs in the resort areas in Kratie, Cambodian daily newspaper Koh Sonthephea reported.

The development projects aim to attract more tourists to Kratie, which boasts primitive scenery and endangered species habitants, and contribute to poverty reduction in the country, the WTO said.

Source: Xinhua

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Mondulkiri as a Potential site to attract eco-tourists



Mondulkiri as a Potential site to attract eco-tourists

Cambodia, flush with its success in attracting half a million foreign tourists to the massive temple complexes at Ankor in Siem Reap Province, is now turning to the eastern province Mondulkiri as a potential site to attract eco-tourists.
Already the government, with help from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, is now processing a master plan for new destinations in the province on the border with Vietnam.
Thong Khon, secretary of state for tourism, said the more than 200-page master plan covers the background, characteristics, assessment of tourist sites, the tourist market and infrastructure projects for the two provinces to begin sustainable development. But development will not be easy.
Mondulkiri is some 400 kilometers from Phnom Penh, a distance that requires 12 hours to traverse by car over a still poorly developed road system.
And within the province itself, roads and tourism services are still minimal -- only two guesthouses and an electricity supply that shuts down at 9:30 p.m. each evening.
But Long Vanny, deputy director of tourism in Mondulkiri, said his province has a great potential for naturalists and other eco-tourists because of its waterfalls, hill-tribe villages, plateau grasslands, highland forests, mountains and rare wildlife.
He said there are at least 60 waterfalls that would be as attractive to adventure tourists as would the many kinds of wildlife species still in the area, including wild buffaloes, wild elephants, tigers, deer, bears and Cambodia's national animal the kuprey, a kind of wild cow.
So far, Mondulkiri receives only about 100 to 200 tourists annually, far less than Siem Reap's 500,000 visitors.
But the government is keen to develop natural, ecologically friendly tourism in the region particularly because Mondulkiri's mass forests are being illegally logged.
Tor Soeuth, the provincial governor, said infrastructure development in his province will contribute to poverty reduction and if that infrastructure includes making Mondulkiri more accessible to tourism, then the provincial living standard can be lifted and more resources devoted to fighting the illegal logging.
At the national level, Thong Khon, the tourism secretary, wants to add eco-tourism to Cambodia's already successful cultural tourism program represented by the Ankor temples.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, pointing to both Cambodia's vast natural ecology and its 1,080 temples in 14 provinces, said, ''We pride ourselves to be a nation rich in tradition, unparalleled cultural heritage, archeological treasures, pristine tropical ecology and diversified natural beauty.''
Cambodia sees tourism as one of the six key directions for accelerating economic growth and promoting poverty reduction.
It already earns about $120 million a year from tourism and hopes to see that double, or more, by attracting at least one million visitors annually from 2003.
''We have to think about the trend of tourism in this new world in which tourists prefer a variety of destinations offering culture, entertainment and eco-tourism,'' said Ruos Sam Ear, director of tourism planning and development.
Provincial tourism deputy director Long Vanny said more tourists visiting Mondulkiri would mean more income for his people.
The population in Mondulkiri is just 39,600, almost 80% of them from 20 hill-tribe minority groups who are ready to welcome tourists.
People in Mondulkiri can grow coffee, bananas, corn and tea, but because there is so little infrastructure and too little tourism to create new markets, few provincial citizens farm now.
But with an increase in ecologically friendly, culturally neutral tourism, officials such as Long Vanny believe his province, Cambodia as a whole, and foreign visitors can all benefit.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Official e-Visa by Kingdom of Cambodia


The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has launched e-Visa, which enables you to apply for a Cambodia tourist visa online. Instead of applying through Cambodian Embassy, all you need to do is to complete the online application form and pay with your credit card. After receiving your Visa through email, print it out and bring it along when you travel to Cambodia.

Tourist Visa
Entry Type:
Single entry only
Fees: USD20 + USD5 (processing charge)
Validity: 3 months (starting from the date of issue)
Length of Stay: 30 days. Minimum length of stay is 24 hour.
Processing Time: 3 business days
Requirement: A passport validity of more than six months balance at time of entry, a recent passport-size photo in digital format (JPEG or PNG format), a valid credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express/Discover).
Visa Exemption: Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
Countries not supported: Afghanistan, Algeria, Arab Saudi, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan (Please apply your Visa from your nearest embassy or on-arrival at all major checkpoints)


Cambodia eVisa Blog: http://www.cambodiaevisa.com/

Thursday, May 10, 2007

TOURISM WILL DRIVE ADDITIONAL US$110 BILLION TO ASIA PACIFIC TO 2009

TOURISM WILL DRIVE ADDITIONAL US$110 BILLION TO ASIA PACIFIC TO 2009

Eighteen Asia Pacific destinations are expected to receive more than US$110 billion in additional tourism revenue over the next three years, according to a new report by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Thailand will be one of the biggest beneficiaries, gaining almost US$13 billion by 2009. Other markets likely to receive strong receipts growth over the forecast period include Malaysia with close to US$11 billion; Korea (ROK) with US$7 billion, China (PRC) with US$36 billion; and Macau SAR with US$5 billion.

These findings are contained in the Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2007-2009 report which was just released by PATA.

The predicted windfall for Thailand follows on from the results of the recent Asia Travel Intentions Survey 2007 which revealed that nine percent more travelers were looking at Asia as their next travel destination. One in five ranked Thailand as their most likely destination with 84% of Swedish respondents most likely to consider the destination for a holiday within the next two years.The survey was jointly conducted by Visa International Asia Pacific (Visa) and PATA.

”One of the fast growing regions in the world, Asia Pacific stimulates some 60% of global tourism demand. Last year, we recorded 350 million international inbound trips - that's almost 100 million more arrivals to Asia Pacific shores than we saw at the end of the twentieth century, only a few years ago”, says John Koldowski, Director of PATA's Strategic Intelligence Centre.

”And PATA expects this momentum to continue in the medium-term with arrivals growth averaging around six cent per year to 2009.”

”While inbound flows are expected to continue in the medium-term, Asia Pacific shall remain largely an intra-regional bloc. Most of this growth will come from other Asia Pacific markets with some of these expected to show double digit growth. Hong Kong traffic into Japan is expected to grow by 17% over the forecast period; China (PRC) to Singapore by 16%; India to China by 15%; and USA and Canada to China each by 13%”, he added.

Produced by PATA's Strategic Intelligence Centre, the Asia Pacific Tourism Forecasts 2007-2009 is a must-have resource for travel industry decision-makers and researchers who need in-depth knowledge to formulate winning business strategies.

It is researched and prepared by the noted Professors Lindsay W. Turner and Stephen F. Witt, both of whom are internationally recognised as leading experts on the econometric modeling and forecasting of tourism demand.

For more information, visit http://www.pata.org/catalogue or email sic@PATA.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
ABOUT PATA
Mission statement: ”The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. In partnership with PATA's private and public sector members, we enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the region.”

Founded in 1951, PATA is the recognised authority on Asia Pacific travel and tourism. PATA provides leadership and advocacy to the collective efforts of nearly 100 government, state and city tourism bodies, more than 55 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies. In addition, thousands of travel professionals belong to dozens of PATA chapters worldwide. PATA is a not-for-profit organisation. Find out more at http://www.pata.org/

ABOUT THE ASIA PACIFIC TOURISM FORECASTS 2007-2009 Regarded as the travel industry's essential business planning tool for the next 3-year period, the report features comprehensive numeric insights into the pattern of this year's growth, detailing those sub-regions that are riding high and which are slowing down, which destinations are enjoying a tourism boom, and which ones are still on the road to recovery.

39 Asia Pacific economies are profiled, offering detailed arrivals forecasts and trends analysis, detailed departure forecasts for 12 economies, receipts forecasts for 18 and accommodations projections for a further 13. This edition includes a new chapter on regional forecasts for China PRC and Thailand, plus forecasts for US destinations, Guam and Hawaii; and Sarawak in Malaysia.

ABOUT THE ASIA TRAVEL INTENTIONS 2007 SURVEY Commissioned by Visa Asia Pacific and PATA, the research conducted between 20 February and 2 March 2007, using an online methodology. The research was conducted by panel partner GMI Research in 10 countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Sweden, the UK and the US. A total of 5,050 respondents were identified and categorized as committed or possible Asia travelers and were asked to comment on the following potential barriers: travel experience and intentions, attitudes to travel in Asia and particular destinations, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, perceptions of negative events and culturally and environmentally sustainable tourism.

ABOUT VISA
Visa connects cardholders, merchants and financial institutions through the world's largest electronic payments network. Visa products allow buyers and sellers to conduct commerce with ease and confidence in both the physical and virtual worlds. Visa is committed to the sustained growth of electronic payment systems to support the needs of all stakeholders and to drive economic growth.Visa products currently generate more than $4 trillion in sales volume worldwide. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In addition, Visa/Plus is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 170 countries. http://www.corporate.visa.com/

PATA Press Release Online pressroom: http://www.pata.org/news
PATA Corporate Communications
Ms Min Min Wong
Tel: +66 (0)2 6582000 extension 107
E-mail: minmin@PATA.org

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Thailand Travel Mart 2007

AMAZING GATEWAY TO GREATER MEKONG SUBREGION (TTM+2007) June 7 - 10, 2007


Since 2001 Tourism Authority of Thailand and Thai Tourism Industry play host to Thailand Travel Mart, Thailand biggest annual travel mart which has continue to gain a recognition as an important distribution channel to present quality tourism products as well as a platform for travel trade to meet and exchange ideas on tourism trends of Thailand and beyond. This year’s TTM 2007, targeted quality invited buyers from key and emerging markets and sellers from Thailand and the Mekong Region countries. In addition, TTM2007 will be held in conjunction with Thailand Tourism Festival for Thai consumer which will help to boost the publicity of the event.

Three of Thailand’s primary travel and tourism showcase events are to be merged into one large function targetted at both the trade and consumer during 7-10 June 2007 at Challenger Hall, Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Center.

The event will bring together the Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) 2007 Plus Amazing Gateway to Greater Mekong Subregion and Thailand Tourism Festival 2007 (TTF 2007), making it the biggest such event to be ever held in the country.

About 315 sellers from Thailand and GMS countries are expected to participate in the Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) 2007 Plus Amazing Gateway. These include 224 hotels, 5 airline, 8 ecotourism and adventure operators, 18 medical & health tourism facilities, NTOs and other services, 29 tour operators and 31 companies from the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The broad range of sellers will mean that the 350 invited buyers will have an opportunity to get information about products and services about Thailand as well as all its neighbouring countries.

Hosted buyers are carefully selected by the TAT with cooperation from its overseas offices and private sector. The registration fee is US$200, EUR155 or Bt7,400 for each hosted buyer with complimentary air fares, accommodation and transportation to and from the venue provided.

Other local and overseas operators are also allowed to participate at their own expense. The registration fee is USD70 or EUR55 or Thai Baht 2,590 for each non-hosted buyer.

About 50 corporate buyers from Thailand will be invited to attend on the afternoon of the final trade day to give additional exposure to the sellers. This will be followed by two days of consumer participation on June 9-10.

The event is especially important for the small and medium sized enterprises which do not have the large marketing budgets to afford participation in the major international trade shows.
Meetings between buyers and sellers are arranged by a matching appointment system with 70% of scheduled appointments being pre-arranged before the mart opens, leaving the rest to be done on-site. Each appointment will last 15 minutes.

The official programme will begin on June 6, 2007 with a welcome reception in the evening at Siam Paragon, a newly-opened world class shopping and entertainment centre. The business functions will be held on June 7-8 at the Challenger 3, Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Center, the world’s largest column-free exhibition hall, Asia’s largest indoor exhibition center and Thailand’s largest ballroom.

Media are those invited by TAT's overseas offices to cover the travel mart as well as participate in the fam trips. Several complimentary post-mart tours are being organised by the TAT to take buyers and the media to surrounding areas such as:

> Trendy Bangkok
Route: Boutique and Hip Hotels in Bangkok
> A Legend of Historical River
Route: Bangkok - Chachoengsao - Nakhon Nayok
> Journey Back to History - Classic Amphawa
Route: Bangkok - Samut Sakhon - Samut Songkhram – Ratchaburi
> Colors of the East - Country of Tropical Fruits and Peaceful Beaches
Route: Bangkok - Rayong – Chanthaburi
> Classical Central - Chic Vacation by the Romantic Coastline
Route: Bangkok - Samut Songkhram - Phetchaburi-Prachuap Khiri Khan
> Pattaya - City of Variety
Route: Bangkok - Pattaya (Chonburi Province)

For more details, please check out prdiv3@tat.or.th

Fair Information
VENUE: Challenger 3, Impact Exhibition and Convention Center.
Schedule : June 7-10 ,2007

Trade Days & Consumer Days

June 7-8 (Thursday and Friday), are Thailand Travel Mart (TTM) or “Trade Days” – the show will be opened to Trade Buyers only.

From evening of June 8 onward to June 9-10 (Friday – Sunday), are “Consumer Days” – the show will be opened to the publics. More than thousands of Thai consumers and expatriates expected to visit TTF to shop and book for their holiday and travel.

Sellers are invited to participate for both Thailand Travel Mart and Thailand Tourism Faire as this will be a good opportunity of conjoined events to meet with both travel business partners for negotiation and trade deals as well as consumers to promote and expand direct sell channel.
For latest Tentative Programme, Please visit:

Welcome to the Thailand Travel Mart and Experience the Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion!