TRAVEL TITBITS
KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE
Raksa Warin hot spring in Ranong is a popular tourist jaunt. |
Following a survey commissioned in 2006, the Office of Tourism Development (OTD) has drawn up a list of 120 hot springs nationwide it plans to develop to attract high-end foreign tourists.
The hot springs - 16 of them in Chiang Mai, five in Ratchaburi, four in Phetchabun, nine in Surat Thani and five in Krabi - are scattered over 27 provinces.
According to its director-general Khanittha Maneechot, the office has shortlisted five hot springs under a pilot project that aims to study how to develop them and make best use of this natural resource to optimise their potential.
Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kohsurat, who oversees the OTD, has high hopes that some of them, particularly those in Krabi. could be developed to match standards overseas by incorporating the traditional Thai expertise in massage and spa treatment to attract high-end tourists.
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Cutting losses
If mobile phones could be used as passenger tracking devices at airports, airlines could save up to US$600 million in losses incurred from flight delays, according to SITA, a specialist IT provider to the air transport industry.
According to a SITA research, there are around 3.2 billion mobile phones users worldwide today and the number will increase to five billion by 2011. Mobile phones are already proving capable for handling information relating to boarding passes, baggage tracking and e-payment.
In the future it would be possible to store visa and biometric information allowing passengers to do self check-in and boarding via their mobile phones, according to SITA's chief technology officer Jim Peters.
For the air transport industry, this opens the door to a new way of doing business. The research also found out that by the end of 2010, 67 percent of airlines worldwide plan to offer mobile check-in and 82 percent notification services on mobile phones.
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Portal adds new cities
Travelfish.org, a portal specialising in tourist destinations in Southeast Asia, recently added Luang Prabang in Laos and Kanchanaburi to its list of online city guides.
Luang Prabang comes in 24-page PDF format downloadable at a cost of US$4.95, and contains information such as places to visit including the nearby villages of Nong Kiaow and Muang Ngoi, where to stay, five maps and travel advice.
Kanchanaburi, available in the same format and 17-page long, costs US$3.95 if you download the content. It too comes with maps, sightseeing tours, places of interest, entertainment and a list of places to stay.
For more information, visit its web site at http://www.travelfish.org.
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Discount booklet
The Korea Tourism Organisation is handing out booklets, Benefits in Korea, that offer 10-50 percent discounts to holders of the International Student Identification Card (ISIC).
The discounts extend to entry fees to cultural attractions like palaces, museums, cultural performances, theme parks, restaurants, accommodation and transportation within South Korea.
For more information, call its Bangkok office at 02-354-2080/1.
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More Colombo flights
Citing traffic growth, SriLankan Airlines last week added three more flights from Bangkok to Colombo, raising the number of weekly flights from here to the Sri Lankan capital to 10.
Previously, the airline linked Bangkok and Colombo with daily flights.
The new flights depart Bangkok at 3:05pm every Tuesday and at 1:15pm every Wednesday and Friday, combining for an additional 900 seats weekly on the route, said its country manager for Thailand, Amitabh Anthonypillai.
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Thailand Grand Sale '08
The annual Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2008 kicks off today at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and runs until July 27.
The fair has a "Grand Sale Zone" featuring consumer products at discount prices, and a "Grand Service Zone" where hotels and resorts are offering discounts of up to 70 percent on tour packages.
Admission is free and the gates open 10am-8pm. The four-day event is expected to attract 120,000 bargain hunters. For more information, visit http://www.amazinggrandsale.com.
Meanwhile on the same dates, the Impact Muang Thong Thani will host India Fair 2008 that brings together some 120 exhibitors showcasing products and services in the fields of engineering, high technology, health care, tourism, food and culture to fashion shows.
The first two days are reserved for VIPs and invited guests, but it is open to the public on July 26 and 27.
If you have any comments or news to share, mail them to karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th.
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