Features

Thailand: Amazing again

31 Aug 2009 by Business Traveller Asia Pacific
Bangkok National Museum

When Roger and Maria Sobkowiak were roused from their sleep at 1am on November 26 last year by staff of the Shangri-La Bangkok, where they were staying, and told that Suvarnabhumi Airport had been temporarily occupied by anti-government protesters, they were naturally concerned.

The semi-retired couple from Vero Beach, Florida had just completed a cruise and land tour around Asia, which started out from Beijing and ended up in Bangkok, where they chose to extend for a few days’ holiday. They were scheduled to fly home on the morning of the 26th.

The husband, a management consultant, recalls: “We had seen worse things in our travels – bombings in France and the UK. So when we learned the disturbance was restricted to the airport, and the city was functioning normally, we carried on and did more sightseeing.”

For the Sobkowiaks, their first visit to Thailand was not only memorable for the sensational events, but also for the “special help and consideration” they said Shangri-La Hotel and their local travel agent provided them. During the extra week the pair were forced to stay, they were offered discounted room rates, free internet access (important not just to keep family and friends abreast of their situation, but to work out travel arrangements as well), extended cash advance, and provided with information whenever they needed it. “Your staff created an oasis for us during this period of high anxiety,” the Sobkowiaks wrote warmly to hotel general manager Michael Cottan.

To Paddy Costall, director of the London-based Conference Consortium, the Suvarnabhumi stand off couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. In the middle of arranging the 20th IHRA (International Harm Reduction Association) Conference in Bangkok set the following April, political unrest was the last thing he needed to convince the expected 1,000 over delegates not to fly from their home countries in various parts of the world to a trouble-wracked metropolis.

When the crisis had cooled off and the airport was up and running, Costall assessed the situation, deciding to go ahead with original plans. “Discussions with our DMC (destination management company – the people in charge of logistics) and colleagues on the ground in Thailand, as well as officials of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), who were very honest about the national condition, extended financial support and answered promptly whatever questions we had, were responsible for our decision to bite the bullet and continue with the event.”

Costall’s saga did not end there.

Between March 26 and April 9, it was the turn of supporters of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to take to the streets. They even went all the way to the seaside town of Pattaya and managed to disrupt the Asean Summit, causing it to be postponed to October (the dates are the 23rd to 25th, but at press time, the venue has still to be confirmed).

Again, Costall found himself hitting the phones and pounding the keyboard trying to assure people the conference would take place on April 19 to 23. “Governments had issued travel advisories on travel to Thailand and delegates’ insurance policies would be invalidated against this backdrop,”  he says. “We assured people that things (in Bangkok) were as normal as they could be, and that we were in the city itself.”

The conference, Costall says with pride, “was one of our best judging from participant feedback”. Attendance was what he had hoped for: over a thousand people flocking to and making use of the Imperial Queens Park Hotel’s extensive meeting facilities.

While acknowledging the prevailing tense environment in Thailand at the time, Costall adds: “We didn’t underestimate the difficulties, but at the same time, we weighed the risks based on the advice of a number of contacts and was guided by that.”

In the end, Costall was vindicated in his choice of Bangkok and Thailand as the venue for the security meet. “First, it’s a pivotal place for the field (of security) which we are concerned with and the city has fantastic links with the world. It made sense to hold it there.

“I will always remember the service attitude of the people I worked with: immensely helpful and flexible, nothing was ever too much trouble.”

Prior to the conference, Costall had never been to Thailand until he was required to conduct an occular inspection in February 2008. “I can’t forget that first visit; it was my birthday! The next time I return to Thailand it will be for a holiday.”

Such support from visitors like the Sobkowiaks and Paddy Costall are the impetus and inspiration for a vigorous, concerted effort by Thai authorities to improve arrival flows, affected not only by past political upheavals, but the global recession and H1N1 virus as well. Since last December, incentive after incentive (see below) has been rolled out in quick succession. It’s really never been a better year for first time or repeat guests.

“Everyone realises the importance of travel and tourism to the country’s economy,” says Juthaporn Rerngronasa, deputy governor for marketing communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). “We are receiving the maximum possible assistance and cooperation right across the industry during these challenging times.”

The action plan steps up TAT’s long-term vision of showcasing other destinations in Thailand that have not figured on the tourist map. Says Juthaporn: “We are trying to get visitors to branch out from the regular itineraries and consider regions like Isan in the northeast.”

In line with that intention, a group of local resort owners banded together to form the Isan Boutique Collection that pairs upscale properties with unusual activities geared toward helping guests discover the auWindsurfing in Thailandthentic side of the area.

Certainly no portion of Thailand, or Southeast Asia for that matter can boast the sort of primeval landscape, made up of great sandstone plates, promontories and swirling rapids, found in Isan. Four key sites – Kaeng Tana, Pha Taem, the Mekong River and Phu Pha Toeb – contain these works of nature as well as those by pre-historic men (over 300 drawings of objects related to hunting and fishing plus hand prints of young and old, running along the cliff face of Pha Taem).

After years of standing in the shadow of its more developed sisters, Phuket and Samui, Krabi is fast carving a niche as an eco escape, whose character and future direction is firmly managed by the villagers themselves. Besides picture-perfect beaches and sparkling clear waters, the Railay Peninsula with its soaring limestone karsts has been attracting rock-climbing enthusiasts without any heavy publicity. But the word is getting out, and both experienced sportsmen as well as newbies are descending on the picturesque coast to test their skills on some of the most daunting and rugged headlands in the world.

But Thailand’s established holiday icons such as Phuket and Samui in southern Thailand, and Chiang Mai in the north have never stopped evolving. First discovered and made popular by backpackers of the ’60s and ’70s, they’ve now been colonised by an older generation – perhaps the former grunge travellers themselves – that has bought a second or retirement home of their dreams.

Entrepreneurs like Gulu Lalvani have even bigger ambitions for Phuket – to turn it into the Asian Riviera with projects like his Royal Phuket Marina complex, consisting of 66 condominium units and penthouses plus villas and another condo block right on the water, called Aquaminium. A convention centre, which opened earlier, rounds up the ambitious project.

Lalvani, a huge yachting proponent, believed Phuket had all the ingredients of becoming a world-class lifestyle hub, citing the year-round balmy weather, reasonable operating costs and the warmth of the Thai people.

Chiang Mai that has always exuded unhurried, rustic charm remains doing so, despite commercialism creeping in over the years. To the credit of property mavericks, they have respected traditions and gone in with choice properties that blend with this mountain resort, resulting in a brace of boutique boltholes such as the exquisite Chedi and Dusit’s funky orange-oriented dusitD2.

Regarding hotel openings, there’s no dearth in that department with new players coming online, including 13 in Bangkok alone, among them Sofitel Sukhumvit, Renaissance, Crowne Plaza Sukhumvit and Radisson Suites.

The accommodation veterans, meanwhile, haven’t been slacking, several of them completing major refurbishment works. For example, Grand Hyatt Erawan launched the Campus meeting product while Royal Orchid Sheraton and Holiday Silom unveiled refreshed looks.

Despite formidable challenges from regional competitors and emerging destinations within the Kingdom, the Thai capital continues to thrive and reinvent itself.Thailand\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Ratchaprasong district
If it’s not serving up a plethora of shopping and dining possibilities, there’s now the option of medical check ups and procedures or wellness experiences while on vacation. So successful has the medical travel tactic been, TAT expects about two million visitors this year to bite the health bait.

Famous for its lively street markets, Bangkok’s malls are just as tempting, especially since many new ones have sprung up recently such as Siam Paragon or been re-imaged as have Gaysorn Plaza and Central World Plaza.

No one doubts Thailand’s ability to bounce back from the tourism doldrums, given the wealth of goodwill it has built up with the international market over the years. Danish businessman Klaus Fogemann, who has been visiting Thailand since 1974, summed it up simply: “It is always a great joy to go there.”

TAKE ADVANTAGE, TRAVELLERS

• Exemption of tourist visa fees are in effect until March 4, 2010 for applicants for the visa-on-arrival at all international airports in Thailand as well as those applying at Thai embassies and consulates abroad.

• 50 percent discount on entrance fees to national parks, historical sites, wildlife reserves and marine national parks around the Kingdom.

• Transfer passengers on a six- to 12-hour stopover at Suvarnabhumi International Airport can take short tours of Bangkok and surrounding areas for free.

• “Bangkok Smiles Card”, backed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, promises discounts of 5 percent or more, including for medical treatments.

TIP OFF: smart travel intelligence
Bangkok is the quintessential Asian city with its gridlocks, bustling markets and colourful street life, but it has a meditative side as well if one cares to look

AT SUVARNABHUMI

After clearing customs and exiting to the arrival hall, pick up your local SIM card from providers Digital Phone, DTAC or CAT Telecom which have booths side by side each other. Fierce competition between the phone companies ensures there’s always a promotion on offer. You can also pick up SIM cards at many 7-Eleven convenience stores.

Don’t change too much at the airport money changers. Thailand is not only the Land of Smiles but also the Land of ATMs, there’s always one within sight.

While awaiting the 28km Suvarnabhumi Airport link to down Bangkok, expected to go into full service in March 2010, travellers still have to make do with metered taxis (besides the flagdown rate, you have to pay the highway toll fees, amounting to THB75/US$2), airport limousines (pricier at THB900/US$26) and Airport Express buses (THB150/US$4) that ply four routes, dropping off passengers at major hotels.

And if you haven’t had time to pop into one of Bangkok’s multitude of grooming salons and want to look presentable for your next destination, there’s a Toni&Guy (level 3, Main Terminal), whose services, one blogger described as “not cheap by Asian standards, but cheaper than London’s”.

JIM THOMPSON OUTLETS

This iconic purveyor of Thai silk (est 1951) is not known for selling its merchandise at cheap prices, nor should they, as their quality is always top notch. (Jim Thompson fabrics are featured regularly in Architectural Digest spreads). However, they’ve found a way to move last season’s items by setting up factory outlets in Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket. Check out the discount bins for lovely finds. Click here to locate a Jim Thompson outlet.

INNER JOURNEY

Meditation is one of the lynchpins of Buddhism, the official religion of Thailand. Besides being a religious tool, it has been found to improve concentration and enhance one’s physical, mental and emotional states. Even in busy Bangkok, there are centres which teach techniques to master the inner life. Those that welcome overseas guests and conduct classes in English include the International Buddhist Meditation Centre (tel 66 2 623 5881 press 1) and Wat Mahathat Yuwaratransarit (tel 66 2 222 6011).

Margie T Logarta

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