2008-06-11

TAT INVITED FRENCH COUPLES TO GET MARRIED IN THAILAND

Bangkok, Thailand, 11 June 2008 — A former Miss France 2002, Ms. Sylvie Tellier will be joining 14 French couples due to participate in a lavish Thai-style wedding ceremony at the Rose Garden Riverside on 11 June, 2008, under a Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) campaign to develop the French weddings and honeymoon market.
Each of the 14 couples will pay their own travel expenditure, but TAT and the Rose Garden Riverside will organise the Thai wedding ceremony including Thai cultural activities, cooking classes, Thai lifestyle show and some health and beauty treatments.
TAT Governor Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn will be the honorary guest at the wedding ceremony on 11 June, 2008 at the Rose Garden Riverside.
Weddings and honeymoons are part of the TAT’s global marketing campaign to stress niche market tourism, and France is a market with significant potential.
More than 300,000 couples tie the knot in France every year, and then go abroad for a honeymoon. Normally, they choose to travel to the Pacific islands and other islands still under the French administrative mandate, but the TAT Paris office felt this time some of the couples could be persuaded to try something different.
In February, the major French department store Galleries Lafayette organised a global weddings show called “Mariage du Monde” in which the Thai traditional wedding party was selected to represent the Asian countries. This was followed in April 2008 with another advertising campaign conducted with another French department store chain, Printemps.
The two department stores and their travel agency units, Galleries Lafayettes Voyages and Printemps Voyages, launched special packages for French couples to get married and honeymoon in Thailand by adding the travel programme as a “special gift” for married couples.
In support of the campaign, the TAT Paris office published 6,000 brochures inviting couples to get married in the Thai traditional style. These brochures were distributed at major French tourism exhibitions and also published on the TAT website www.tourismethaifr.com during February through May 2008.
The first batch of 14 French couples are now set to have a wonderful time.
They will start their new lives after arrival at the Rose Garden Riverside with a briefing of the entire programme followed by a welcome lunch at the Inn-Chan restaurant and a honeymoon spa treatment.
The following day will be the actual wedding ceremony complete with Thai traditional costumes in the splendour of an antique Thai house. The grooms will be transported to the bridal house in Thai villages by elephant, rickshaw and boat.
They will enjoy the full ceremony, complete with the Holy Water ceremony during which guests will offer their blessings by pouring the Holy Water onto the couple’s hands.
In the evening, a grand wedding reception will be held on the riverside lawn, with wedding couples arriving at the venue by rice barge. The party will come alive with music and dance, and end with all couples being invited to float their “Krathong” and make their wishes.
Over the next two days, they will enjoy visits to the renowned Thai village cultural show and elephant show, participate in a traditional Thai cooking class, take in a leisure sunset cruise along the Tachine River to Wat Raikhing and its fish sanctuary, and honey spa treatment.
Mrs Phornsiri said “We are sure that this first group of couples from France will have a really nice time and go back to tell their friends and relatives about their experience.”In 2007, visitor arrivals from France totalled 373,090, up 16.13% over 2006, and well above the overall average growth in arrivals from Europe of 11%. France is now the fourth biggest source of visitor arrivals from Europe, after Germany, the UK and Sweden but is gaining ground rapidly.
In 2008, TAT expects to welcome about 420,000 French visitors. French citizens are granted visa-free entry to Thailand. Recent trends indicate strong growth in female visitors, repeat visitors, independent travellers, business travellers, convention delegates, senior citizens and young people.
Contact information: International Public Relation DivisionTel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th Web site: www.tatnews.org

H.M.Queen Srikit Park in Thailand

SMALL FOREST IN THE CITYThis lush and colorful 56-acre park was builtto commemorate Her Majasty the Queen’s fifth cyclee birthday in 1992. Basically, it’s massive botanical garden with some value-added features like an actual forest, devoted to the Queen’s banevolence. The premises also serve as a recreation area for the public and a the environment. The gardens, which reveal Mother Nature’s artistry in a painter’s palette of colours, are divided into a number of correctly classified groups of water lilies,hibiscus, bananas and rare species of plants from all over the country. Located vin the city of Bangkok, near Chatuchak Market and park , this family-friendly facility boasts an array of attractions, like the Children’s Discoery Museum, as well as gushing fountains and fairy tale-like gazebos. Come and enjoy the enchanting atmosphere.EXHIBITION IN HONOR OF H.M> THE QUEEN "S SIXTH CYCLE BIRTHDAYThis multimedia museum was established to pay tribute to Her Majesty’s life but also her long-abiding interest in projects that sustain the environment and support homegrown handicrafts. One of the main attractions is a video that shows the Queen’s dedication to her subjects while documenting her travels throughout the Kingdom. The video and many of the photo captions are inThai only, butthese images speake louder than words. Also on display are photos of the country’s exotic flora and a showcase of eye-catching handicrafts, sush as wood carvings and basketry, which prove Her Majesty is a real matron of the arts.PROVINCAL TREE GARDENTake a mini-tour of Thailand ’ s remarkable flora by visiting this garden, which is shaped like a map of Thailand and contains 76 smbolic tree stands (one for each province), which were donated officially by H.M. the Queen. All of the different species, from the Yellow Saraca that is the provincial tree of the south’s Yala province to the flame Trees of the north’s Chiang Mai province, are lableled so you can see their vernaculars and Latin names.ROYAL PONDSPractically the park’s centerpiece, this haven of serenity is mapped out like a combination of the English letter "s" and the Thai equivalent. If you’re looking at a map, or from the air, these two ponds, connected by swirls of canals, spell ot a lovely homage to the Queen’s first name: Sirikit. The grassy banks of the pond make for an ideal picnic place.LOTUSES & WATER LILLIESThe sacred water-lily is revered by many Thais and Indians because of its age-old roots in buddhism and Hinduism. In the latter faith, it is a symbol of heavenly beauty; Vishnu is called the "Lotus-Eyed One". In Buddhism , it symbolizes the purity of body, mind and soul, because it’s rooted in the mud but the flowers float on the surface. Take the time to enlighten yourself by taking in this incredible collection of closely related aquatic plants that come in shades of white, pink and royal blue. So visitors can get a closer look, some of the flowers have been put in earthenware pots.HIBISCUS YARDIdle awhile in this idyllic spot near the Lotus Garden. No doubt you’ve seen these flowering plants before. All over the tropics, they’re grown as ornamental plants. The reason is clear as sunlight: the hibiscus has large, trumpet-shaped flowers - red, yellow and purple - which look like they should adorn a flag. Indeed, one species of the 200-ood species that make up this genus, the "Chinese hibicus," is the national flower of Malasia, while another is South Korea’s natural emblem. This is an excellent place to pose for photos.

BANANA GardenThe banana us a Multipurpose fruit in Thailand, whether its grilled or deepfried, whether is leaves are used to wrap food or its flower served on the side of Pad Thai. In the "Banana Garden", the park has built up one of the collections of this fruit in the entire country. There are more than 100 varieties, from the finger-sized to the just plain huge. In fact, the pseudostem of some of these plants can grow up to eight-metres high.PLUMERIA YARDThis lavishly landscaped area pays tribute to a staple of the tropics and subtropics. These flowering trees are better known as frangipani. But in India they’re called "temple trees" and in Thailand the "tree of sorrow". Throughout Asia, plumeria are associated with the supernatural. You will find the world’s several species here, as well as some places to sit and relax and admire them.
CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY MUSEUMThis multi-storey facility is a playground for the body and mind. Outside there are swings and slides for kids to play on. Inside are displays on science and art that make learning fun. Many of them are interactive. That means kids can bang on drums, look through microscopes at living organisms, and even see how a real TV Station works. These ’lessons’ are interspersed with some amusing optical illusions and fun-park mirrors. On the weekend, clowns entertain children outside ; and other booths are set up for art classes.(www.bkkcdm.com)HOW TO GET THEREIf you take the skytrain to the Mor Chit Station, or the subway to the Chatuchak Station, H.M. Queen Sirikit Park is shot walk. The park is open from 5 am. until 6:30 pm. Admission is free. Please refrain from smoking or drinking in the park.NEARBY ATTRACTIONS CHATUCHAK PARKOpened in 1980, this is one of the oldest public parks in Bangkok. The park’s main attraction is a manmade lake. Many bridges span the lake. After shopping in the hectic and raucous market, come here for some peace of mind. On weekends, the Railway Museum is open from 4:30 am. until noon.ROTFAI PARKThe only public park in Bangkok with cycling trails where you can also rent bicycles, this green lung is extremely photogenic. Another popular attraction here is the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectariums (8:30 pm.-4:30 pm. Tues-Sun; free admission). Combining academia with aesthetics, the center offers visitors an opportunity to learn more about the insect world through multimedia presentations and enjoy all the beatiful butterflies flying right past them in the special enclosure with the glass dome.
From:www.tourismthailand.org

Hua Hin Jazz Festival

Jazz lovers know exactly where they should be come mid-June. They will be catching an invigorating sea breeze and dining on fresh sea food at Hua Hin’s famous beachside restaurants.But only when they are not soaking up the serious stuff – musical concerts delivering the very best in jazz, compliments of a variety of local and international bands.Hua Hin shakes off its low season blues, 13 to 14 June, every year for its international jazz festival at sites on the beach and in the centre of this lively resort town that graces Thailand’s western coast of the Gulf of Thailand.Hua Hin is approximately 220 km from Bangkok and is noted for being the country’s first beach resort discovered by royalty and nobility in the post in the 1930s when the only feasible way to reach its golden beaches was by steam train.
Today, it is a popular beach town with more than its far share of five-star hotels. One of the main jazz festival stages is set up close to the Sofitel Central Resort, a heritage property dating back to early 1900s and Marriott Resort and Spa.In all, there are three stages custom-built for the jazz festival on the beach and in the town near the historical railway station and another near Phone Kingpet complex.Of course, the beach venue serves up a winning ambience, as thousands of jazz lovers sit on deck chairs or mats laid out on the sand and enjoy the very best selections of traditional and modern jazz.
The beach venue will feature world-class jazz artists such as the Kenny Garrett Quartet, Mike Stern, Dave Weckl and Chris Minh Doky. Thai singers join international celebrities such as Kop Songsit, T-Bone, Luk Pad Cholanan, Surachai Jantimatorn, Rudklao Amaraditra and Jirasak Panpoom.In town at the railway and shopping complex stages Thai artists such as Viyada Komarakul na Nakhon, B Crescendo, Monotone Group, Calories Blah Blah, Lula, ETC, Doobadoo and Tewan Sapsanyakorn will perform.All performances during the three-day festival are free and continue from 1530 until midnight. No wonder this “Royal Town” is sometimes renamed “Jazz Town” when its streets are packed with music lovers of all ages, who gather to enjoy the best of jazz from both international and Asian musicians. Definitely, this is a festival that adds value for any holiday maker visiting Hua Hin during the 13 to 14 June weekend.More Information : TAT Central Region Office : Region 2Tel : 0 3247 1005-6Website : www.huahinjazzfestival.com

Thailand Grand Sale 2008

Thailand Grand Sale 2008 If your hobby is shopping, you have to visit the country from 16 June to 15 August. During the sale, we have goods from all over the world from renowned brand names of clothing and accessories to new collections of Thai handicrafts for home decorations. Products made of Thai silk will also be on sale. Moreover, the beautiful folk-designed and hand-woven fabrics can fill your heart with joy. Sports equipment, sportswear and electrical appliances are reasonably priced, too.To make your stay more convenient, different services are meticulously arranged to ensure luxurious convenience while you do your shopping here. We have a wide selection of hotels, serviced apartments, restaurants of various cuisine, theme parks, and travel agencies, to name just a few.
Contact: Tourism Investment Department, Tourism Authority of ThailandTel : 0 2250 5500 ext. 2951Website : www.tat.or.th/festival