TRAVEL TITBITS
KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE
During the run-up to Thailand Travel & Dive Expo that kicks off today at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, its organiser, NCC Exhibition, invited a group of journalists to a day-long dive excursion in Chumphon on the Andaman coast.
It was a nice surprise as they got a rare chance to admire from close range a whale shark, the world's largest fish.
Around five metres long, it was spotted around Ko Ngam Noi during the morning dive and again around Ko Ngam Yai in the afternoon when it swam closer to their boat, allowing those who didn't go scuba diving to take lots of pictures of this close encounter.
According to Dr Thon Thamrong- nawasawat, a seasoned diver, marine biologist and founder of TalayThai.com, the whale shark is usually sighted in the sea around Chumphon a couple of weeks after Songkran, and before that - March to April - in the rock formations of Richelieu off Phangnga and Hin Muang Hin Daeng around Krabi.
Sporadic sightings of the fish have also been reported around Ko Tachai island, Moo Ko Surin National Park in Phangnga and Kong Hin Pad Mile off the Satun mainland. Sadly for shark watchers, they will have to wait until next year for another chance to see the fish in those waters.
In the meantime, they can learn about whale sharks and marine ecology at the expo that runs until May 18, where also available are dive courses. The expo runs parallel to Thailand Golf Mart 2008 taking place at the same venue.
For more information, visit http://www.thailanddiveexpo.com and http://www.qsncc.co.th.
Jet links Mumbai
Jet Airways has launched daily flights connecting Bangkok and the Indian city of Mumbai to cope with the growing number of business and leisure travellers on the route.
"India is one of Asia's biggest and fastest growing economies and we're already seeing strong growth in business travel between Thailand and India," said its regional vice president Gerry Oh.
According to him, more than 600,000 Indians are expected to visit Thailand this year, a 20 percent growth over 2007, while Thais see India as an increasingly exciting destination offering a diversity of experiences from culture and food to its picturesque mountains and white sandy beaches.
The Mumbai service will increase the number of Jet's weekly flights connecting Bangkok and India to 21 from 14 in the past when it flew seven times to Dehli and Kolkata each week.
For more information, visit the web site http://www.jetairways.com.
Emirates to Cape Town
Emirates Airline now flies twice a week from Bangkok to Cape Town in South Africa with a stop-over in Dubai.
Cape Town will be the airline's second stop in South Africa after Johannesburg. Cape Town is one of the world's most beautiful cities due to its geography and attractions such as the "Table Mountain" and Cape Point.
The airline will fly Boeing 777-200 and 777-300 aircraft on the route.
For mor information, visit the web site http://www.emirates.com.
TAT opens Dubai office
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has opened an office in Dubai with the aim to attract more travellers from the Middle East.
TAT governor Phornsiri Manoharn said the Middle East is a high-end market. According to statistics, Thailand welcomed 453,891 visitors from the Middle East in 2007, an increase of around 12 percent from the previous year.
The new office will focus on the markets of United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
TAT also plans to open offices in the Chinese cities of Kunming and Shanghai.
Wildlife photo contest
True Corporation has teamed up with the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department to host the 14th edition of a photo contest themed "Precious Wildlife, Valuable Forest to Ease Impact of Global Warming."
Contestants will vie for Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and Princess Galyani Vadhana trophies, and be rewarded cash prizes and scholarships worth around 400,000 baht. The aim is to promote wildlife and ecological conservation. The contest is divided into two categories: for the general public and students.
The entry deadline is September 30. Entry forms can be downloaded from http://www.truecorp.co.th and http://www.dnp.go.th. For more information, call 02-615-9762.
Rare citation
Bangkok Convention Centre has achieved Green Globe's benchmark for environment and social policy.
The Green Globe programme requires organisations to comply by an en- vironmental management framework regarded as standard for the tourism industry. The centre was cited for its commitment to efficiency in energy and water consumption, waste management and meeting its social responsibility.
If you have any comments or news to share, mail to karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th.
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