Thailand Tourism Festival 2009

Thailand TourismFestival 2009
June 3 - 7, 2009
At Challenger Hall 1-2, Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Centre
Pakkred District, Nonthaburi

Admission is free.

At 40,000 square metres, the Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) is billed as the country’s largest travel and tourism showcase event that includes a vast range of activities to promote the preservation of Thai culture, traditions and local way of life.

Spectacular stage performances and live demonstrations of local arts and crafts add a colourful festive feel to the event as hundreds of professional travel and tourism operators and service providers from all regions of Thailand offer quality tourism products and services and travel specialists help individual travellers and families to plan their trips.

For first-time visitors to Thailand, TTF provides an excellent introduction to the Thai kingdom. A visit to TTF is also a quick and convenient way to get the latest updates on new tourism products and services, as well as to compare prices and shop for the best bargains and attractive deals — all in one stop.

Given the popularity of the event with Thai travellers, especially families, travel and tourism operators and service providers, particularly small and medium enterprise (SMEs) which are noted for their unique one-of-a-kind niche product offerings, turn up in strength.

The domestic travel fair is divided into 3 key zones:
- Exhibition zone
- Tourism Activities zone
- Regional Cuisines zone

TRAVEL AND TOURISM OPERATORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS
The 2009 Thailand Tourism Festival will feature the following exhibition categories: Tour operators, airlines, hotels and resorts, car rental and Thai crafts. Travel or tourism-related state agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will also be located in this zone.

THE TOURISM ACTIVITIES ZONE
Highlights

- Cultural and Community-based Tourism
Exhibits, cultural presentations and live demonstrations in this zone offer insight into local customs and traditions. Activities undertaken reflect the local way of life. In addition to live demonstrations of traditional village crafts, enjoy the lively scenes presented by the traditional markets and floating markets.

- Ecotourism and Adventure Travel
For nature lovers, Thailand offers a tremendous diversity of natural habitats that includes land-based eco-systems, forests and mountainous landscape, waterfalls and streams, mangrove forests as well as marine eco-systems. Learn about environmentally-friendly travel and ecotourism options that will help to minimize our carbon footprint and help reverse the effects of global warming. Also make the most of this rare opportunity to learn about environmentally-friendly initiatives spearheaded by a selection of award-winning organizations. For adventure seekers, Thailand’s military camps are offering innovative Green Adventure activity programmes.

- Health Tourism
This special activity zone promotes a better understanding of health tourism. Visitors will be able to witness (or experience) a live demonstration of traditional Thai massage and the regional variations of this ancient healing technique. Leading hospitals participating in the fair will be offering visitors a basic health check-up on site. Wellness promotional packages will also be available on offer. In addition to live demonstrations of food for health and yoga for health, health and wellness professionals will also be on-hand to provide health tips and advice.

- Traditional Crafts and Souvenirs
Thai artisans are noted for their tradition of artistic excellence and superb craftsmanship. Enjoy live demonstrations of a range of village crafts from various award-winning communities throughout Thailand and shop for some of the finest hand-crafted items brought together under one roof at the Thailand Tourism Festival.

For more information please call 1672

PHUKET FILM FESTIVAL 2009

June 4 - 11, 2009
Phuket Film Festival to Turn the Spotlight on Taiwanese Film

The Phuket Film Festival is proud to announce a Spotlight on Taiwanese Film will take place during the second edition of the festival which will run June 4 - 11 2009 at the Coliseum Theaters in Phuket Town, on the beautiful international resort destination of Phuket, Thailand.

The 2009 edition of the Festival will screen over 40 award winning movies from 17 countries.

Supporting the Academy Award nominated and other award winning Taiwanese films will be directors, producers, actors and actresses traveling to the Festival from Taiwan. They will join other Festival VIPs on a special tour of the island to raise awareness of Phuket as a world-class film location providing a comprehensive range of international class production services.

Attending will be:

Keeping Watch – Fen Fen Cheng
The Most Distant Course – Liin Jing-Jie
Island Etude – En Chen
Sumimasen Love - Lin Yu-Hsien
Step by Step – Kuo Chen – ti

Producers Patrick Mao Huang and James Liu will also attend the Festival.

A number of "stars" from Taiwan will also attend the Festival in support of the "Spotlight". Talent are still being confirmed however the Festival has learned Joseph Chang and Jani Tsai will probably attend as well as Asian superstar Chie Tanaka who will be awarded the Festival's Asian Talent of the Year Award. Huai-Jhong Wu has also been confirmed to attend.

The Spotlight on Taiwanese Film is being held in line with the Festival's goal to "diversify cultural activities" on Phuket and to mark the growth of the Taiwanese film industry for film lovers around the world.

The "Spotlight" also supports the recent Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) "Two Islands, One Culture" promotional campaign held to stimulate travel between the two islands of Taiwan and Phuket.

A gala reception will be hosted by the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in Thailand on Friday June 5, 2009

Web site: www.phuketfilmfestival.asia

Sawadee.com Regatta 2009

Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, Thailand

Announcing the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui – the 8th Samui International Yacht Regatta Bangkok, Thailand. February 2, 2009 - The 8th Samui International Yacht Regatta, now with a new title sponsor and known as the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, will take place in Koh Samui from the 1st - 6th June .

A favourite amongst competitive and social sailors, the five day regatta is one of Asia’s leading sailing events and is also part of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championships. Registrations are already being received, with a full fleet expected from Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and further a field.

In addition to the competitive sailing, the Sawadee.com Regatta is also about fun parties and is firmly established as a ‘must attend’ regatta on the international sailing circuit. Its headquarters will again be the Centara Grand Beach Resort, Samui, which has been the home of the regatta since its conception and that has now become synonymous with the event.

Callum Laing is the Chairman of the Regatta for the second year “Every year the regatta has gone from strength to strength and we’re really looking forward to a memorable 2009 event. In 2008 we welcomed over 300 participants from 10 countries and registrations received so far point toward the biggest Samui Regatta to date. The 2009 regatta will also provide great opportunities for individuals, families and groups to join one of the regatta spectator boats and see these races up close whilst enjoying the famous Thai hospitality”.

The Regatta will feature six classes, Racing, Premier Racing, IRC-1, Cruising, Sports Boats and Multihulls – ensuring that the on-water action is both competitive and fun to watch. In 2008, Ray Roberts and ‘Quantum Racing’ won the IRC-1 Class with Matt Allen and ‘Ichi Ban’ taking the IRC-2 honours. Kipsan Beck and ‘Pornstar’ lifted the trophy in the Sports Boats Class with Andrew Short and ‘Constanza’ securing the top Cruising Class placing. Radab Kanjanayanit and ‘Cedar Swan’ came in first in the Multihull Class.

The skipper receiving the most top placings on the eight regatta Asian circuit will also be crowned Asian Yachting Champion Skipper at the end of the sawadee.com Regatta. In 2008, it was Quantum Racing’s Ray Roberts that lifted the trophy and wore the coveted ‘Armani Blue Blazer’ that was presented at the fabulous prize giving dinner on the lawns of the Centara Grand Beach Resort at Chaweng Beach.

The 2009 regatta will also play host to the second running of the ‘Samui Junior Sailing Squadron Challenge’ – giving local children from the island the opportunity to be out on the water experiencing the excitement of competitive yacht racing. The challenge is led by John Stall – one of the original founders of the Samui Regatta in 2001. The regatta also provides on-going support to this initiative, contributing Thai Baht 5,000 every month to pay for sailing equipment.

Web Sawasdee Plc, one of Thailand’s leading inbound travel companies, is the new naming sponsor of the regatta for the next three years. Through www.sawadee.com and www.r24.org, the company provides online travel/tourism-related information along with a user-friendly booking system and a secure payment gateway.

Public tickets will be available for the legendary sailing parties that occur most evenings during the regatta and that will feature bands and DJ’s from around the world.

Koh Samui, rich with natural resources, white sandy beaches and coral reefs, is the perfect location for an international regatta that not only provides great sailing, but that also supports tourism on the island and helps raise the profile of Thailand as an idyllic and exciting vacation destination. The regatta provides the perfect blend of Thai charm and world-class sailing.

Images from the 2008 Samui International Yacht Regatta are available at: www.flickr.com/photos/sawadee-com-regatta-2009-samui

Media Contacts:

Citrus Public Relations	or	MobyElite Sports
Ian Grundy		Siobhan Kennedy
ian.grundy@citrus-pr.com		siobhan@mobyelite.com
Tel: +65 83226890		Tel: +66 (0) 8 60028458

About the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui
The Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, is an annual event that takes place on the beautiful Thai island of Koh Samui. Now in its eighth year, this ‘Tropical Island Regatta’ has become one of the main events on the Asian sailing circuit and attracts an international fleet.

For further details see www.samuiregatta.com

Pepsi Thailand World Foot Volley Tournament

Footvolley comes to town

Here’s a chance to see first hand in Bangkok how footie skills can apply to volley ball.

While it doesn’t grab headlines in the sporting press, footvolley should stimulate our imagination as to its pedigree and origin. Now, courtesy of Pepsi Cola we can see for ourselves how this sporting spectacle compares with the traditional volley ball.

Proponents of the game point out that footvolley can be played by people of all ages, and was selected as a demonstration event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The first ever Pepsi Thailand World Foot Volley Tournament will be played out in downtown Bangkok, 30 to 31 May, at the Central World’s outdoor activity arena.
The competition will include teams from South America, Europe and Thailand.
According to the organisers, international football stars have been invited to attend the tournament to entertain the audience with a VIP demonstration match at the Outdoor Arena at Central World – a mega shopping complex in the heart of Bangkok.
Organised by the Footvolley Association of Thailand (FVAT) the tournament will feature eight professional teams, with sides from Brazil, Spain, France and Portugal lining-up against four Thai squads. The event is sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Footvolley (FIFV) and forms part of the Footvolley World Tour 2009.

These so called world championships have been held since 2004 starting in Brazil. Thai foot volley players participated in that tournament and the following year in Spain.

Footvolley was established on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and has quickly grown on to become a highly popular beach sport around the world. It was first introduced to Thailand 2003 and strangely gained its roots in Loei, a northern town surrounded by mountains and far from the Gulf of Thailand beach resorts.

Miss Tiffany Universe 2009

Tiffany in the TV spotlight

Contestants vie for the Miss Tiffany Universe crown and raise cash for charity.

Spotlights and TV cameras will focus on Pattaya, mid-May, as the resort’s most famous transvestite show hosts the annual Miss Tiffany Universe contest.

It started off as a local contest, a natural extension of the fantasia that acts out, nightly, on the stage of the Tiffany theatre. But largely due to the attention it gained from the likes of CNN and BBC it quickly grew into a well organised beauty contest.

TV channels love it for its obvious shock and entertainment value. It’s a reality show that takes our minds off an otherwise slate of bad news. Miss Tiffany Universe is on the map and it helps to provide Pattaya with miles of media promotion.

The five-day contest plays out with elements of grandeur that could justify comparisons with global mainstream contests such as Miss Universe or Miss World. Contestants spend nearly a week in the warm up stages struggling to be noticed and eventually it all narrows down to a single evening of entertainment and extravaganza on stage, 15 May, that continues well past midnight.

While its organisers claim the event champions the rights of people who have crossed the line to a transgender or transvestite lifestyle, visitors to Pattaya view it as superb entertainment and choreography, spiced with comedy that would be at home on the stages of Las Vegas.


Tiffany Show has been entertaining tourists in Pattaya for over 35 years with more than 1000 visitors a night enjoying the three nightly performances. Over 100 performers dance and lip-snyc their way through popular songs from musicals and international pop charts.

From this make-believe world a brainwave emerged to go a step further and organise a Miss Tiffany’s Universe contest. Now it is one of the highlights of Pattaya’s annual calendar with an estimated live audience of 15 million viewers glued to their televisions as the pageantry unfolds.

Miss Tiffany’s Universe winners have even visited the US to participate in the “Miss Queen of the Universe” contest and came home with the first prize. With such worldwide media coverage, Tiffany’s viewers and the live audience, attending the final rounds of the contest, marvel at the achievements of medical science and the cosmetic industry. Some will even be tempted to question their ability to discern between genders as the contestants strut their stuff on the runway.

This year’s event will again support the Royal Sponsored AIDS Foundation; a charity programme, which Tiffany’s Show has been part of for many years. Held at the Tiffany Show Theatre, Pattaya II Road, Pattaya City, the final round of the contest will run from 2030 to 0030.
Judges will first select Miss Congeniality, Miss Best Costume, Miss Photogenic and finally Miss Tiffany Universe 2009. In between the rounds, the Tiffany Shows will perform. Tickets are priced at Bt2,000 for VIP seats and Bt1,000 for Mezzanine seats.

For more details visit www.misstiffanyuniverse.com or www.tiffany-show.co.th

Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day

Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day
Date : 11 May 2009
Venue : Sanam Luang, Bangkok

Signs of the times. A Brahmin ceremony seeks a sign to guide the nation to a healthy harvest. Economists have their own ideas on how 2009 will pan out. They take stock of the rice crop, the inbound flow of tourism and fluctuations on the foreign exchange market to provide a peep at where we might be heading. There is a much more colourful way to reach the same conclusions and it is at the heart of a century old custom, the annual Ploughing Ceremony.

Held at on the spacious grounds of Sanam Luang against the backdrop of imposing government buildings and the Grand Palace, this ancient Brahmin ceremony takes place 9 May at an auspicious time set even to the seconds hand of the clock by custodians of this custom.

Having their origins in India, the rites of the Ploughing Ceremony can be witnessed in Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

Once the Brahmin priests have set the auspicious time after consulting the stars and interpreting omens, the stage is set for Bangkok to turn the pages back from modern commercial endeavour to a ceremony that touches the soil and essence of life itself.
To the sound of tambourines and flutes the royal ceremony draws various players to a pegged area of “Sanam Luang” where omens will be interpreted to chart the course of the nation’s economy and wellbeing.


One of the players is a high ranking official of the Ministry of Agriculture dressed in ancient regalia -- a white tunic sparkling with precious stones and wearing on his head a long pointed crown.
Two oxen covered in scarlet and gold cloaks wait to be attached to a plough.
Brahmin guards dressed in green officiate over the first of three important ceremonies.

At the Royal pavilion, three golden Pa Nungs (sarongs) of different length are presented to the Minister. He dons one of them and his choice is considered an omen that gives the Brahmin priest a hint of the year’s prevailing weather and its impact on the harvest.
If the minister chooses the shortest of the Pa Nungs it suggests abundant rain, while the longest hints of drought and hard times. The medium length Pa Nung is considered the most appropriate for the economy. It suggests harmony in nature, perfect conditions for a bumper harvest.

Emerging from the pavilion the Minister is led to the two oxen tethered to the plough. In front of a vast crowd he carefully ploughs three circular furrows to the sound of conch shells and trumpets.
Four maidens carrying baskets with blessed rice, follow the Minister as he begins the ploughing of three more furrows. They sprinkle the rice seeds in the furrows, while Brahmin priest sprinkle lustral water.

As the Minister completes the third furrow the crowds burst through the flimsy barrier to snatch the seeds from the earth. Farmers believe that mixing them with seeds bought from the market will guarantee a handsome harvest.
Finally, the oxen are led to the pavilion where they are offered seven bowls full of rice, corn, millet, beans, grass, rice wine, and water. Their choice is considered a vital omen that will assist the Brahmin priests to divine the year’s outcome for the nation.
If the oxen choose rice, it signals a plentiful harvest. If they ignore the rice it hints of scarcity. If they lower their heads towards the bowls of water, this suggests abundant rain.

Wisely, there is no evidence that the oxen have ever sipped the rice whisky, but on many occasions, the oxen lose their appetites and have to be encouraged to lower their muzzles to the bowls. Once the oxen have made their choice, the Brahmin priest evaluate all the omens, which are then read to the representative of HM the King by a civil servant of the Ministry of Agriculture. As the crowds disappear some will remain to search the earth for a little longer in the hope of finding a blessed rice seed and possibly a promise of a better year to come.

Amarin Outdoor Unlimited Chiang Mai Challenge 2009

marin Outdoor Unlimited Chiang Mai Challenge 2009
Amazing Thailand Adventure Race
Date : 9 May 2009
Venue : Chiang Mai

Adventure on the holiday menu

Taking up the challenge in Chiang Mai’s multi-discipline race requires team work.

Those who study travel trends up close, marvelling at the twists and turns, have concluded that sports sometimes called lifestyle tourism is now the cool holiday option. People are increasingly seeking an experience, or an opportunity to pursue a hobby, while on holiday.

There are plenty of examples of this trend in Thailand’s monthly calendar, so it comes as no surprise that Chiang Mai is the host of a fascination race and rigorous test of endurance, 9 May. The event gets underway during the one of Thailand’s public holidays that starts Friday 8 May with the Buddhist Visakha Bucha Day.

Enthusiasts from around Thailand and international participants will gather in this northern city for a fascinating test that focuses on fitness and relies heavily on team spirit

Tagged the Outdoor Unlimited Chiang Mai Challenge 2009, the day’s competition will start at the city’s landmark 700-Year Stadium, a popular venue for sports events and concerts.

But this all-day event spreads far and wide through the city and surrounding countryside, giving participants a completely different perspective on this northern heritage town.

Participants will bike on mountain trails, followed by woodland trail running, kayaking and swimming on a lake with a few obstacles thrown in to make the task even more challenging. Overall, the race runs from 0900 to 1400 covering around 35 to 50 km of trails plus the addition of the swim and kayak sections.

Chiang Mai’s outdoor challenge is actually part of a wider series of adventure style events in Thailand organised by Active Management Asia, a company that markets team building and sports events in the region.

Now in its second year, the Chiang Mai Challenge is based on multi-disciplines of biking, running, kayaking and swimming so it appeals to people with a high fitness level who are comfortable competing in triathlons, off-road bike races, orienteering and marathons. It’s not for the faint of heart, but the difference is the rules require teams of two to compete ensuring popularity with families and couples who can muster their team spirit.

The official contact location for the Challenge is at Green Lake Resort - Royal Thai Army's Lanna Recreational Home, Chollapathan Road, Chang Puek

For more information, Contact the organiser: Active Management Asia Company, at 02 718 9581-2 or visit www.chiangmaichallenge.com or www.active-asia.com