TAT Launch the Wonderful Thailand Grand Sale 2011 Website

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 10, 2011

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) cooperating with VISA credit card providers and tourism entrepreneurs are delighted to present Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2011 which will be held from June 15th to August 15th, 2011. The site will highlight info of the event, tourist attractions, spas, accommodation, and restaurants in seven participating provinces which are: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Samui, Phuket, and Had Yai. Tourists can get pleasure from discounts from participating stores in:

1.

TAT Launch the Wonderful Thailand Grand Sale 2011 Website

2011 Global Spa Summit will Shine Spotlight on Fastest-Growing Global Spa, Hotel and Tourism Market

New York, NY (PRWEB) January 19, 2011

The Global Spa Summit (GSS), the leading annual event for spa and wellness industry executives, heads to Asia for the first time in its five-year history when the conference convenes in Bali, Indonesia from May 15-18, 2011. And, under the 2011 Summit theme Engage the Change: The Customer. The Money. The Future, a key focus of the agenda will be to explore the diverse, emerging spa and wellness markets; investment opportunities; and hospitality/tourism models across the Asia-Pacific region – the fastest-growing hotel and spa economy in the world.

“With the Global Spa Summit coming to Bali in 2011, the entire Asia-Pacific region will benefit from a wealth of up-to-date industry knowledge and the collective insight of the global industry players that will gather, noted Andrew Jacka, Chairman of the Asia Pacific Spa & Wellness Coalition (APSWC), a non-profit organization formed to bridge organizations across the regions spa and wellness industries. Diverse therapies that spa operators around the world now consider standard spa menu offerings all have their roots firmly in Asia. We look forward to welcoming the worldwide spa industry to Asia Pacific.”

Research firms concur that across nearly every metric, from overall economic and tourism growth – to the hotel/spa pipeline – to hotel financial performance measures, Asia Pacific is the current leader and future market to watch.

A Few Facts:

2011 Global Spa Summit will Shine Spotlight on Fastest-Growing Global Spa, Hotel and Tourism Market

Global Spa Summit"s 2011 Student Challenge Winners Announced

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 06, 2011

The Global Spa Summit (GSS), the premier event for the spa and wellness industries, formally announced the winners of its third annual Student Challenge competition today. This year the challenge was to create a spa business concept that is not only innovative and aesthetically pleasing, but completely feasible and structured for profitability.

With the Summit traveling to Asia for the first time, four leading universities from across the region were selected to compete. Student teams from business or hospitality management programs developed the conceptual and financial details of their spa project and collaborated with an assigned professional architect to help realize their designs. Then, on May 17-18 at the Summit in Bali, Indonesia, the student team that had won their individual universitys competition presented their concept before a distinguished panel of judges and the Summit delegation, competing for cash prizes and global industry recognition.

The VIP judging panel was comprised of Sharilyn Abbajay (VP, Global Spa and Retail, Marriott International, U.S.), Filip Boyen (COO, Orient Express, U.K.), Christopher Norton (Chair, Global Spa Task Force, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, France), Niamh OConnell (VP, Spa Operations, Hyatt Hotels, U.S.) and Krip Rojanastien, (Owner, ChivaSom, Thailand). The 2011 Student Challenge coordinators were GSS Board Members Sue Harmsworth (CEO & Founder, ESPA International) and Mary Tabacchi (PhD, Professor, Cornell University of Hotel Administration).

Each competing project this year was executed at such an extraordinarily high level, combining real creativity with detailed business plans and financial analyses, noted Mary Tabacchi. The judges deliberated long and hard, praising every project, and the competition has never been so close.

2011 Student Challenge Winners:

The student presentations/project images are available at: http://www.globalspasummit.org/index.php/summit-2011

1st Place: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel and Tourism Management. ($ 1000USD prize)

Student team: Tommy Gu, Kitsun Lau, Joyce Ng and Carol Zhang

Faculty Advisors: Dr. Ada Lo and Dr. Xiao Qu

Partner Architect: J Lee Rofkind of Hong Kong-based BUZ Design Consultants

Spa Concept: Yi Spa

Yi Spa represents an entirely new spa franchise business model (a hot topic at the 2011 Summit), targeting stressed-out, time-crunched urban spa-goers. Its comprised of two components: a fixed-locale day spa and Yi Spa on the Go, a mobile spa van that travels to central business districts on weekdays and to beaches, parks, etc. on weekends/holidays. Modularity, adaptability and mobility are Yi Spas hallmarks and guarantors of profitability. For instance, the day spa features movable cubicles, where the lightweight, soundproof, bamboo-covered walls are easily expanded into spa suites or retracted to provide more treatment rooms – and the spa is easily dismantled and reconstructed if a change of locale is needed.

2nd place: The Chinese University of Hong Kong ($ 500USD prize) Partner Architect: Angelene Chan, Director, Singapore-based DP Architects

Spa Concept: SPArmony

SPArmony marries ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine with a strategically positioned, modern, 4-star hotel spa concept. Important components of the concept: design that brings the outside in (utilizing natural materials like bamboo) and diverse strategies (such as yield management) to reduce spa operations, design, human resources and marketing costs.

3rd place (Tie): Gadjah Mada University (Indonesia) ($ 250USD prize) Partner Architect: Jeffrey Wilkes, Design Wilkes, Malaysia

Spa Concept: Spice of Life Spa

Every aspect of the Spice of Life spa concept reflects Indonesias indigenous culture and its heritage as the Spice Islands: from the menu featuring treatments/products from across the Indonesian archipelago to the integrated tropical-Balinese architecture to the local hiring policies.

3rd place (Tie): Cornell Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (Singapore) ($ 250USD prize) Partner Designer: Chris Singer, WATG, Singapore

Spa Concept: th

Global Spa Summit"s 2011 Student Challenge Winners Announced

(PRWEB) December 17, 2010 HotelTravel.com is ringing in the New Year with an upbeat twist on what the future holds with its second annual list of truly amazing travel predictions for 2011. According to HotelTravel.com Chief Marketing Officer, Tom Racette, travellers will be looking for light hearted and affordable getaways during 2011. “The ‘Grinch’ already tried to steal the joy of travel during 2010. From grim faced TSA employees with latex gloves patting down passengers to paying extra for everything on flights, people yearn to get back to basics and enjoy travelling again. “Naturally, HotelTravel.com intends to help customers laugh hard in the face of travel adversity by making hotel bookings a breeze. Along the way we also intend to keep lampooning those who try to mitigate the joy of travel, during this holiday season and beyond,” Mr Racette added. So on that note, the entire HotelTravel.com team would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year with its truly amazing list of zany and unbelievable travel predictions for 2011. TSA Smack Down Television’s hottest new reality show will pit real TSA (Americas Transportation Security Administration) agents versus actual airline passengers in this modern twist on Roman gladiators. Constants on either team are eliminated once they successfully touch, slap, punch or grope the opponent’s ‘junk’ region. Ouch. Fortunately it will be cancelled after one season. Fly by the Pound Airfares As airlines continue their efforts to ‘lighten up’, they will be forced to calculate fuel loads on tighter margins. Hence airlines will launch ‘Fly by the Pound’ (or kilo) fares in economy class. Passengers will weigh in’ with all luggage and carry on items to determine their airfare. This will lead to economy sections full of passengers in swimwear and sandals, with no luggage other than credit cards and passports. Iraqcations The Iraqis certainly are a resilient bunch. It has been a while since anyone promoted inbound travel to an active war zone. But the Iraqi government did just that when it sent a tourism delegation to the recent World Travel Market in London last November. ‘Birthplace of Civilization’ or ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ tours could become hot sellers (body armour included). If the Iraqis are indeed successful, keep an eye out for ‘Visit Somalia Year 2012. Payotels Rising hotel operating costs in developed countries will force resorts to charge extra for everything from pillows, bed sheets, slippers, bath robes, soap, shampoo and toilet paper. Get ready to pay through the nose for those little items holiday makers used to steal as vacation souvenirs. Fuelbys Airlines will of course screw up the math on weight-based fares (see Fly by the Pound). Expect more flights to make forced landings short of their destination and sit on a roasting (or freezing) tarmac in order to refuel. Spamcations No not email, rather the very much maligned luncheon meat ‘Spam’. Inspired by a backlash against overpriced, superficial resort cooking classes, travellers will flock to single comfort food tours. A sample menu might include scrambled spam and eggs for breakfast, spamwich for lunch, followed by spam loaf with spam flavoured ice cream for dinner. Of course the Monty Python tune of the same name will provide themed music. Body Scans on Facebook It is just a matter of time before someone leaks more TSA body scan images that in turn get posted on Facebook. Or maybe someone tags their best mate’s wall with his body scan image. Yuck. It will make one wonder where such a leak could possibly originate from, given how good government agencies are at keeping secrets. Road Warriors 2011 is set to be the year of the road trip. People want to take simple vacations, and they dont want the hassles of paying airlines extra for luggage (and everything else), wait in long security queues or be subjected to pat-downs and body scanners. Bangkok Not Dangerous Travellers will return to the Thai capital in mass during 2011, as Bangkok hotels continue to offer some of the best deals on the planet. For popular Sukhumvit hotels, log onto HotelTravel.com for the Swiss Park Hotel (from US$ 34 per night), Regency Park Hotel Bangkok(from US$ 43 per night), Imm Fusion Sukhumvit Hotel(from US$ 43 per night), Le Fenix Sukhumvit(from US$ 53 per night) or the Davis Hotel(from US$ 60 per night).*** *** All hotel rates are as of 17 December, 2010, priced in US$ and subject to change. About HotelTravel.com HotelTravel.com provides the inside track for the best value online hotel deals. Its brand statement – Real People | Real Service | Real Choice – is the keystone of the company’s customer centric business culture and its core value. HotelTravel.com has set the global standard for worldwide hotel bookings since 1999, constantly updating its multi-lingual website published in eight languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Korean. Its 24-hour service centre is staffed by highly trained professional native speakers in each language, guaranteeing only the very best customer experience with each hotel booking. HotelTravel.com is proud to remain privately owned and operated, employing over 300 staff in its offices in Thailand, Malaysia and China. ### HotelTravel.com"s Truly Amazing 2011 Travel Predictions

(PRWEB) December 17, 2010

HotelTravel.com is ringing in the New Year with an upbeat twist on what the future holds with its second annual list of truly amazing travel predictions for 2011.

According to HotelTravel.com Chief Marketing Officer, Tom Racette, travellers will be looking for light hearted and affordable getaways during 2011.

“The ‘Grinch’ already tried to steal the joy of travel during 2010. From grim faced TSA employees with latex gloves patting down passengers to paying extra for everything on flights, people yearn to get back to basics and enjoy travelling again.

“Naturally, HotelTravel.com intends to help customers laugh hard in the face of travel adversity by making hotel bookings a breeze. Along the way we also intend to keep lampooning those who try to mitigate the joy of travel, during this holiday season and beyond,” Mr Racette added.

So on that note, the entire HotelTravel.com team would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year with its truly amazing list of zany and unbelievable travel predictions for 2011.

TSA Smack Down

Television’s hottest new reality show will pit real TSA (Americas Transportation Security Administration) agents versus actual airline passengers in this modern twist on Roman gladiators. Constants on either team are eliminated once they successfully touch, slap, punch or grope the opponent’s ‘junk’ region. Ouch. Fortunately it will be cancelled after one season.

Fly by the Pound Airfares

As airlines continue their efforts to ‘lighten up’, they will be forced to calculate fuel loads on tighter margins. Hence airlines will launch ‘Fly by the Pound’ (or kilo) fares in economy class. Passengers will weigh in’ with all luggage and carry on items to determine their airfare. This will lead to economy sections full of passengers in swimwear and sandals, with no luggage other than credit cards and passports.

Iraqcations

The Iraqis certainly are a resilient bunch. It has been a while since anyone promoted inbound travel to an active war zone. But the Iraqi government did just that when it sent a tourism delegation to the recent World Travel Market in London last November. ‘Birthplace of Civilization’ or ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ tours could become hot sellers (body armour included). If the Iraqis are indeed successful, keep an eye out for ‘Visit Somalia Year 2012.

Payotels

Rising hotel operating costs in developed countries will force resorts to charge extra for everything from pillows, bed sheets, slippers, bath robes, soap, shampoo and toilet paper. Get ready to pay through the nose for those little items holiday makers used to steal as vacation souvenirs.

Fuelbys

Airlines will of course screw up the math on weight-based fares (see Fly by the Pound). Expect more flights to make forced landings short of their destination and sit on a roasting (or freezing) tarmac in order to refuel.

Spamcations

No not email, rather the very much maligned luncheon meat ‘Spam’. Inspired by a backlash against overpriced, superficial resort cooking classes, travellers will flock to single comfort food tours. A sample menu might include scrambled spam and eggs for breakfast, spamwich for lunch, followed by spam loaf with spam flavoured ice cream for dinner. Of course the Monty Python tune of the same name will provide themed music.

Body Scans on Facebook

It is just a matter of time before someone leaks more TSA body scan images that in turn get posted on Facebook. Or maybe someone tags their best mate’s wall with his body scan image. Yuck. It will make one wonder where such a leak could possibly originate from, given how good government agencies are at keeping secrets.

Road Warriors

2011 is set to be the year of the road trip. People want to take simple vacations, and they dont want the hassles of paying airlines extra for luggage (and everything else), wait in long security queues or be subjected to pat-downs and body scanners.

Bangkok Not Dangerous

Travellers will return to the Thai capital in mass during 2011, as Bangkok hotels continue to offer some of the best deals on the planet. For popular Sukhumvit hotels, log onto HotelTravel.com for the Swiss Park Hotel (from US$ 34 per night), Regency Park Hotel Bangkok(from US$ 43 per night), Imm Fusion Sukhumvit Hotel(from US$ 43 per night), Le Fenix Sukhumvit(from US$ 53 per night) or the Davis Hotel(from US$ 60 per night).***

*** All hotel rates are as of 17 December, 2010, priced in US$ and subject to change.

About HotelTravel.com

HotelTravel.com provides the inside track for the best value online hotel deals. Its brand statement – Real People | Real Service | Real Choice – is the keystone of the company’s customer centric business culture and its core value. HotelTravel.com has set the global standard for worldwide hotel bookings since 1999, constantly updating its multi-lingual website published in eight languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Korean. Its 24-hour service centre is staffed by highly trained professional native speakers in each language, guaranteeing only the very best customer experience with each hotel booking. HotelTravel.com is proud to remain privately owned and operated, employing over 300 staff in its offices in Thailand, Malaysia and China.

###

HotelTravel.com"s Truly Amazing 2011 Travel Predictions

(Vocus/PRWEB) February 09, 2011 The recently launched Sarawak Integrated Packages (SIP) by Sarawak tourism has more enticing promotions to offer Singapore tourists since its introduction last October and will run till June 2011. Consisting of compelling new packages to cater to the diverse needs of tourists it has been well-received by operators and visitors alike, enhancing the level of interest and awareness within the Singapore tourism trade and aims to double tourist arrivals from Singapore to Sarawak. Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer Dato Rashid Khan said: The SIP has even more exciting programs and promotions install for Singapore tourists as we participate in the NATAS Travel fair next month. New initiatives to elevate our standing with the international community have also been planned, including the Internship and Volunteers Program whereby STB as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, will collaborate with the academia in an industry advisory capacity to enhance the quality of graduates with skills that are relevant to the needs of the industry. Travelers will be overwhelmed by the tempting holiday packages on offer at the NATAS Fair. For example, travelers could choose from a leisure-laden 3D2N Destinaku Kuching Showcase for only SGD200 to the 5D4N Borneo Explorer for the more adventurous at only SGD595 per pax with numerous other attractive promotions by participating travel agents at the fair. The SIP momentum further intensifies with the upcoming Borneo Jazz Festival, Rainforest World Musical Festival and Borneo Cultural Festival enticing visitors with a blend of varied art forms music, dance, crafts and artwork from across the world. The Borneo Jazz Festival (formerly known as the Miri International Jazz Festival) has been extended to a four-day event running from May 12th to 15th at the Parkcity Everly Hotel. STB aims to attract 10,500 visitors to the festival with 60 per cent expected to be foreigners. Performances by artistes from various countries will spice up the festival featuring a wide range from the genre. Grammy nominee Maria Muldaur from the United States will headline the festival. Other performers include Cunha & Piper (Brazil), Les Doigts De LHomme (France), SIU2 (China), State of Monc (Holland), Victor Yong and the Electric Carniva (Malaysia/Canada), Yuichiro Tokudas RALLYZZ DIG (Japan) and Dhruv (India). Bringing together world-renowned musicians and indigenous musicians from the far-reaches of the island of Borneo on one stage is the Rainforest World Music Festival. The hotly-anticipated event will feature informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts throughout the three-day festival at the Sarawak Cultural Village from July 8th -10th. The SIP campaign continues to attract Singaporeans and foreigners by way of improved air connectivity with direct flights to Kuching operated by Malaysia Airlines, SilkAir, AirAsia and Tiger Airways with a joint-collaboration with SilkAir will see further options for flights to Sarawak in the first quarter of 2011. The multi-racial society in Sarawak has culture and food we cant experience in other parts of Malaysia. The structure of the houses here are really beautiful and the people here are very friendly. Sarawak truly captures the adventure and spirit of Asia and well return for a second visit for sure, said Michelle Rondilla, a recent SIP visitor to Sarawak from Singapore. Sarawak Tourism Board will be participating in NATAS Travel 2011, the largest travel fair in Singapore scheduled for 25 27 February, 2011. An estimated 75,000 visitors will visit the fair this year. Come by and discover the splendour of Sarawak at Booth No 4H58, Hall 4, Singapore Expo. Issued on behalf of TBWA\TEQUILA Malaysia. For media enquiries, please contact Eric Lim at 03-2080 8318 or eric.lim(at)tbwamy(dot)com ### Integrated Packages Ups The Tempo for Sarawak Tourism at Natas Travel Fair 2011

(Vocus/PRWEB) February 09, 2011

The recently launched Sarawak Integrated Packages (SIP) by Sarawak tourism has more enticing promotions to offer Singapore tourists since its introduction last October and will run till June 2011. Consisting of compelling new packages to cater to the diverse needs of tourists it has been well-received by operators and visitors alike, enhancing the level of interest and awareness within the Singapore tourism trade and aims to double tourist arrivals from Singapore to Sarawak.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) Chief Executive Officer Dato Rashid Khan said: The SIP has even more exciting programs and promotions install for Singapore tourists as we participate in the NATAS Travel fair next month. New initiatives to elevate our standing with the international community have also been planned, including the Internship and Volunteers Program whereby STB as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, will collaborate with the academia in an industry advisory capacity to enhance the quality of graduates with skills that are relevant to the needs of the industry.

Travelers will be overwhelmed by the tempting holiday packages on offer at the NATAS Fair. For example, travelers could choose from a leisure-laden 3D2N Destinaku Kuching Showcase for only SGD200 to the 5D4N Borneo Explorer for the more adventurous at only SGD595 per pax with numerous other attractive promotions by participating travel agents at the fair.

The SIP momentum further intensifies with the upcoming Borneo Jazz Festival, Rainforest World Musical Festival and Borneo Cultural Festival enticing visitors with a blend of varied art forms music, dance, crafts and artwork from across the world.

The Borneo Jazz Festival (formerly known as the Miri International Jazz Festival) has been extended to a four-day event running from May 12th to 15th at the Parkcity Everly Hotel. STB aims to attract 10,500 visitors to the festival with 60 per cent expected to be foreigners.

Performances by artistes from various countries will spice up the festival featuring a wide range from the genre. Grammy nominee Maria Muldaur from the United States will headline the festival. Other performers include Cunha & Piper (Brazil), Les Doigts De LHomme (France), SIU2 (China), State of Monc (Holland), Victor Yong and the Electric Carniva (Malaysia/Canada), Yuichiro Tokudas RALLYZZ DIG (Japan) and Dhruv (India).

Bringing together world-renowned musicians and indigenous musicians from the far-reaches of the island of Borneo on one stage is the Rainforest World Music Festival. The hotly-anticipated event will feature informative workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini concerts throughout the three-day festival at the Sarawak Cultural Village from July 8th -10th.

The SIP campaign continues to attract Singaporeans and foreigners by way of improved air connectivity with direct flights to Kuching operated by Malaysia Airlines, SilkAir, AirAsia and Tiger Airways with a joint-collaboration with SilkAir will see further options for flights to Sarawak in the first quarter of 2011.

The multi-racial society in Sarawak has culture and food we cant experience in other parts of Malaysia. The structure of the houses here are really beautiful and the people here are very friendly. Sarawak truly captures the adventure and spirit of Asia and well return for a second visit for sure, said Michelle Rondilla, a recent SIP visitor to Sarawak from Singapore.

Sarawak Tourism Board will be participating in NATAS Travel 2011, the largest travel fair in Singapore scheduled for 25 27 February, 2011. An estimated 75,000 visitors will visit the fair this year. Come by and discover the splendour of Sarawak at Booth No 4H58, Hall 4, Singapore Expo.

Issued on behalf of TBWA\TEQUILA Malaysia. For media enquiries, please contact Eric Lim at 03-2080 8318 or eric.lim(at)tbwamy(dot)com

###

Integrated Packages Ups The Tempo for Sarawak Tourism at Natas Travel Fair 2011