VISITOR NUMBERS SOAR 22% IN APRIL, MORE DUE
Play
Two million foreigners visited Thailand between April 1 and 27, an increase of 22 per cent year on year. The number is expected to soar next week because of a long holiday, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said yesterday.
Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said tourists from China and Malaysia topped the April arrivals. The ministry expects the number of international arrivals to continue to grow at a similar rate during the first week of May, which the government has declared a long holiday.
Kobkarn said 11 tour companies had cancelled their trips from Thailand to Nepal this week because of the earthquake. Two companies with Thai tourists were affected while travelling in Nepal: Mitr Maitree Tour with 34 tourists and Kasem TPM Group with 30 customers. They were in a safe place and some have already returned home.
She said tourists whose travel companies are members of the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) – the outbound tourism body – would be covered by travel insurance of Bt500,000 for injury and Bt1 million for death.
The ministry also plans to work with Nepal soon to help rebuild tourism there.
Kobkarn said her ministry would give assistance to Thai tourists affected by the earthquake in Nepal.
In a bid to increase tourist numbers, the minister promoted Thai tourism at the “World Travel Mart Latin America 2015” in Brazil. Last year, 46,539 Brazilians travelled to Thailand. The number is expected to reach 56,000 this year, more than 20 per cent growth over last year.
ONYX INKS TWO NEW PROPERTIES IN MALAYSIA
Onyx Hospitality Group has signed contracts with two new properties in Malaysia, OZO and Shama, part of the new UMCity Medini Lakeside development. The projects are set to open in 2018.
During the “Italthai Expo” in Bangkok, subsidiary Onyx Hospitality Group held a management agreement exchange ceremony for two new projects under the select-service brand OZO and serviced-apartment brand Shama in Iskandar, Malaysia.
Located in the township of Medini in Iskandar, the two new developments, OZO Medini and Shama Medini, will be part of the multi-purpose UMCity Medini Lakeside complex of developer United Malayan Land.
GOVT PLANS TO LIFT
SAGGING PALM OIL PRICE
A government subcommittee on palm oil will today propose various ways to solve the falling price of palm fruits soon.
It will encourage public warehouse organisations to buy palm oil from the market, ask for private enterprises such as refinery plants to purchase palm oil at prices accepted by farmers during harvest season, and encourage the Energy Ministry to use more palm oil for biodiesel production.
Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarikulya said the government would consider many methods to help farmers. In particular, the price of palm oil should not be lower than Bt3.38 a kilogram.
