MINISTRY MAY TAKE OVER ALL TOURISM UNITS

Tourism-related units currently under the Prime Minister’s Office could be moved into ministry for more flexibility.

Withaya Kaewparadai, an NRSA member, proposed that private resorts in national parks set for demolition should be confiscated and allowed to operate for rent under certain conditions. 

 

TOT, AIS NEAR DEAL

ON 3G-2.1GHZ

TOT and Advanced Info Service (AIS) are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding this month on a partnership to offer third-generation cellular service on the state agency’s 2.1-gigahertz spectrum, TOT president Montchai Noosong said.

There are three related contracts under the partnership deal, comprising the MoU, a six-month initial contract, and the official contract. The period of the official contract will end in 2025. They will sign the MoU first.

Montchai said the Office of the Attorney-General recently asked TOT to clarify whether the contract should proceed according to the Public Private Joint Venture Act. He said TOT believed the contract would follow the existing partnership model between CAT Telecom and True Corp to offer 3G on the 850-megahertz spectrum jointly. Therefore, there is no need to proceed according to the Public Private Joint Venture Act.

According to the deal, TOT is expected to net around Bt3.9 billion per year from the wholesaling and resale of 2.1GHz bandwidth. AIS will install a 3G-2.1GHz network for TOT, which will lease 80 per cent of total capacity to AIS and the remaining 20 per cent to other telecom operators.

 

RECORD SIGN-UPS FOR TRAVEL MART PLUS 

First-time buyers and sellers have signed up in record numbers to attend the 15th “Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion”, to be held for the first time in Chiang Mai from June 8-10, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The event, which will also be opened for first time to Asean national tourism organisations, had registered 321 buyers as of last Thursday, of whom 142 were first-timers.

By country, the largest number of buyers (79) are from India. This is the highest number so far and projected to grow further before the registration deadline ends on March 15.

In addition to the regular list of buyers from traditional markets such as Europe, Japan, Australia and North America, registrations have been received from new source markets such as Moldova, Ireland and Ukraine.

Sellers as of Thursday totalled 305 companies and exhibitors, of whom 72 were first-timers. This has already surpassed the total of 258 sellers and 49 first-timers recorded in March 2015 for the TTM+ 2015, said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn.