TRAVEL TITBITS
People’s Choice voting
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will launch the People’s Choice Awards Thailand, voted by the Chinese Tourists programme, tomorrow.
“Now in its third year, the project reflects the huge and growing popularity of Thailand among tourists from China,” said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.
The online vote is opened for Chinese tourists who have travelled to Thailand. They will be asked to vote for their favourite places in 14 categories, including luxurious hotels, boutique hotels, city hotels, beach hotels, airlines, shows and entertainment, medical and wellness services, restaurants, spas, golf courses, shopping centres, tourism activities, attractions and destinations.
To promote the campaign, TAT will work with Tencent, a leading provider of internet value-added services in China. The company owns WeChat (570 million users per day), QZone (330 million), QQmessenger (27 million) and Tencent News (27 million).
TAT expects to attract at least 3.2 million votes from Chinese visitors like last year’s campaign.
The 14-day online vote will run from May 26 until June 8 at www.peopleschoiceawardsthailand.com
Winners will be announced at the award ceremony in Bangkok on June 12. The event will be presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn. The top 10 places in each category will receive a certificate from Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.
Voters will have a chance to win luckydraw prizes including a five-day holiday for two in Thailand, round-trip airline tickets for two to Thailand, and vouchers for accommodation, spa treatments, dining and shows. Thailand expects to attract 9 million tourists from China this year, up from 8.8 million in 2016.
Bangkok fifth-best city for British tourists
Bangkok has been named among the top 10 most affordable shopping cities for the British, according to Marbles, a credit card of NewDay company in England and Wales.
According to Marbles, the research looked at not only the shopping costs, but travel, hotel stays and whether a visa is needed to visit the country.
Bangkok is in fifth place, for the cheapest costs on local transport and hotels across the entire study. Bangkok also offers low costs on food and drink.
“Bangkok is a very affordable place to stay — it’s pulled down to fifth on the list by its more expensive flights,” according to the study.
The most affordable shopping city for British is Istanbul, thanks to its renowned bazaars and street traders, along with affordable travel and the four hours’ travel time from Britain.
The second city is Prague, followed by Berlin, Madrid, Bangkok, Barcelona, Vienna, Amsterdam, Dublin and London.
Visit www.marbles.com/ shopping-cities.
Airlines update
Star Alliance and its member carriers have launched an online competition to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Winners will receive a million frequent flyer miles from each participating airline.
To join the campaign, an applicant must be a member of a Star Alliance Frequent Flyer Programme. He or she must upload a profile picture, a photo showing his or her favourite cultural experience, plus a caption explaining why it so special and how it relates to the broader Star Alliance anniversary-campaign theme of connecting people and cultures.
The competition is available in Chinese, English, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish languages. Final judging will be carried out independently by Star Alliance’s 20th-anniversary partner, National Geographic, and winners will be announced on Sept 28.
The last day for submission is July 31.
Visit www.staralliance.com/ mileage millionaire.
Vietjet has launched a daily flight between Hanoi and Yangon.
The flight departs from Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 12.05pm and the return flight from Yangon International Airport is at 2.30pm. Flying time is one hour and 55 minutes.
Vietnam’s capital city is the second destination to be connected with Yangon after the daily flight between Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon, launched October 2015.
Visit www.vietjetair.com.
Hotels update
Bangkok-based Onyx Hospitality Group has launched its first hotel in Malaysia.
Called Amari Johor Bahru, the hotel features 242 rooms, including six Deluxe Pool access rooms, spa, a restaurant, café, swimming pool with a pool bar and a ballroom.
The hotel is 30km south of Senai International Airport and 43km northwest of Singapore Changi Airport.
“Amari Johor Bahru has been designed in response to market demands and trends, as tourism in Johor Baharu is currently undergoing a major transformation,” said the hotel-group CEO, Douglas Martell. The opening of Amari Johor Bahru will pave the way for upcoming projects, including Ozo Medini and Shama Medini.
Visit www.amari.com/ johor-bahru. Dusit International will open its first Dusit Thani hotel in Nepal.
Called Dusit Thani Himalayan Resort & Spa, the hotel is owned by Omstone Asia Capital Nepal, which signed the management agreement with Dusit International last week.
Located about an hour’s drive from Kathmandu and Tribhuvan International Airport, the luxurious mountaintop resort will be comprised of 44 rooms and 20 villas. The hotel will also have a Devarana Spa, a restaurant, a bar and lobby lounge, meeting facilities and swimming pool. The hotel will open in 2020.
Visit www.dusit.com.