REBUILD IT AND THEY WILL
COME. That seems to be the expectation in the areas of
Thailand hardest hit by last months tsunami. The Bank of Thailand
approved nearly $1 billion in low-interest loans to victims of the
disaster, while the government pledged to give another $800 million
in grants to affected individuals and businesses. Sethaphan
Buddhani, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailands New York
office, said the government estimates it will take about three
months for the affected resorts to rebuild enough to reopen.
Several resorts wont reopen until later in the year. The tourism
authority, the Thailand Hotel Association and the private sector
met Jan. 7 in Bangkok to develop a plan to minimize economic
damage. The urgency to rebuild reflects the regions dependence on
tourism. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Phuket
alone is losing more than $10 million a day during the peak tourism
season. Although 90% of Phukets rooms are intact, only 20% of the
rooms are occupied, most by rescue and relief workers. Still,
Buddhani said the tourism authority is sticking with its projection
that tourism will grow by 10% this year to more than 13 million
visitors.
SOFITEL, the luxury brand of Accor hotels,
launched a Getaway Invitations promotion at 130 properties
worldwide -- including in Asia -- for all of 2005. Through Dec. 31,
guests will pay daily rates that are discounted by as much as 40%
and receive complimentary breakfast. In addition, children under 12
stay for free. Also, members of Sofitels loyalty program, Sofitel
Privilege Card, will receive additional benefits and points for
booking the package. For information or reservations, call (800)
763-4835 or visit www.sofitel.com.
SRI LANKAN
AIRLINES will award 130,000 miles to a customer who earns
the most miles in business class by Aug. 31. The prize equates to
one free business-class return ticket between Colombo, Sri Lanka,
and any of Sri Lankans European destinations or two economy class
tickets between the same destinations. The air miles are valid for
three years and the tickets or upgrades can be given to
others.
PAN
PACIFIC Hotels and Resorts opened the Haneda Excel Hotel
Tokyo, located just a few steps from the Haneda Airport departure
lobby of Terminal 2. The hotel is linked to downtown Tokyo by
multiple modes of public transportation, including the Tokyo
Monorail and Keihin Kyuko Lines. The hotels 387 rooms and suites
have high-speed Internet access. Additionally, All Nippon Airways
and Japan Airlines auto-boarding machines and flight information
boards are installed in the hotels lobby.