briefs
Play
Bangchak profit down 9.8% in Q1
Bangchak Petroleum reported revenue of Bt47.28 billion and net profit of Bt2.19 billion in the first quarter of this year. The net was down 9.8 per cent from the same period last year, in line with lower crude-oil prices in the world market.
E-marketing course
About 100 southern business operators were given a special training session this week on e-marketing and e-commerce, as part of the preparation for the Asean Economic Community.
Phuket provincial commerce officer Prakong Rakwong said the participants were shown new opportunities to lengthen their supply chains and create added value.
The training was hosted by Phuket province and conducted by Phuket educational institutes in cooperation with the Commerce Ministry.
‘Best spa destination’
Thailand bagged the “Best Spa Destination (Asia)” Reader’s Choice Award as voted by readers of AsiaSpa India magazine at the sixth GeoSpa AsiaSpa India Awards at the Kingdom of Dreams live-entertainment complex in Gurgaon, near Delhi.
This is the third year Thailand has won the award, previously taking the honour in 2008 and 2009.
Thailand offers a range of high-standard wellness and spa services and the country is known for its hospitality, service, cleanliness and authenticity of the spa treatments.
Besides that, the spa designs in Thailand are very varied and unique and include urban spas, spas in tropical surrounding, resorts, and luxury holistic and wellness centres.
The AsiaSpa awards set a benchmark for originality and acknowledge the finest contributions made to the budding wellness industry. Apart from being a pioneer in this industry and the only spa awards in the region, the validation process is conducted by the reputed audit firm Grant Thornton.
Deal for golfers
To lure Indian golfers, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is collaborating with Thai Airways International to promote THAI as a “golf-friendly airline” by waiving fees for golf bags on all Thai Airways/Thai Smile routes originating from India for selected classes. The offer is valid until October 31.
TAT recently appointed ace Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar as its brand ambassador to promote golf tourism to Thailand.
THAI operates 52 flights a week non-stop from India to Thailand and has been operating to the country for the past 53 years starting with Kolkata. It has operations from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, apart from seasonal services to Varanasi and Gaya. Thai Smile flies a non-stop service twice a week from New Delhi to Phuket, Mumbai to Phuket, and Ahmedabad to Bangkok.
Recently, Thailand hosted the Touch Golf League in Bangkok, the Indian Golf Tourism Association tournament in Phuket, and the Take Solutions-World Corporate Golf Challenge tournament, also in Bangkok.
Food price meeting
Responding to concern about a rise in the price of cooking gas next month, the Internal Trade Department will today meet with 10 modern traders to urge them to maintain prices at Bt25-Bt30 per menu item at their food courts.
Department director-general Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa said the higher cooking-gas price should have only a small impact on food retailers, so they should not use it as an excuse to jack up their prices.
Meanwhile, to help reduce the cost of living for consumers and parents during the upcoming new school term, the department has organised a low-price fair at the Commerce Ministry in Nonthaburi for the sale of goods, food and student uniforms. The fair kicked off yesterday and will run until Friday.
Bt304 bn sought for water project
The Public Debt Management Office (PDMO) is ready to borrow Bt340 billion to fund the government’s water-management project pending the finalisation of the investment plan. The loan agreement should be signed next month as per the legal mandate.
The PDMO has invited various financial institutions to participate in lending for the project. The institutions offering the lowest interest rates will be selected.
Government Savings Bank and Krung Thai Bank earlier won approval to bid for the project.
Bubble warning
Kasikornbank says the property market in the provinces has a high chance to become a bubble if land prices surpass their fundamental values.
Land prices in some major provinces have increased by 10 per cent annually against 3.7 per cent in Bangkok and nearby provinces, said Chatchai Payuhanaveechai, executive vice president of KBank.
Land prices upcountry have grown rapidly because of the approaching Asean Economic Community, cross-border trade, the planned high-speed-rail projects and urbanisation. But the lifestyles of people upcountry are unlike Bangkokians’ in that they prefer low-rise projects over high-rise condominiums. Condos might be popular initially but in the long term, that demand will subside, he said.
KBank has not yet seen signs of a property bubble in Bangkok, where prices have been driven by higher labour costs and the rising cost of land along mass-transit routes, he said. Land prices near urban-rail routes have increased by an annualised 10.5 per cent on average.
Chatchai said interest rates were another factor that should be watched.
