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Expert sees crucial need for ‘responsible tourism’

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:29:12 +0000

Expert sees crucial need for ‘responsible tourism’
In Thailand, tourism plays a vital role in socio-economic development. It has generated huge revenue over the years but, due to the irresponsibility of many of its stakeholders, the industry has also created many problems for the country.

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Indian Medical Tourism Tremendously Attracting Medical Travelers to Visit India

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:23:28 +0000

The unwell gloomy faces can now smile as India has been declared an ideal destination for medical tours. Even the failing hearts are now treated more successfully at a much lower cost as compared to other parts of the world. In medical field, India has seen much growth and advancements. In the offing, the most complicated by pass surgeries or bone marrow transplants are viable in India. As a part of Visit India 2009, the Ministry of Tourism has discussed with all major hospitals of India to offer incentivised deals to the medical tourists. “We have met representatives from major hospitals and I am waiting for their offer. ” said Sujit Banerjee, Tourism Secretary. “We would like to include medical tourism in in the Visit India incentive scheme. ” The major hospitals of India as Wockhardt, Apollo, Lakeshore, Moolchand, Manipal Seven hills and Gangaram took part in the discussions held with the Tourism Ministry of India. It is reported that over 1. 5 lakhs medical tourists visited India for medical tourism in 2002 alone that brought about $300 million of earnings. Ever since then this figure of influx of medical tourists is increasing year after year by at least 25%. According to the reports of CII – McKinsey the total earnings from medical tourism would go up to $2 billion by 2012. The reports of Planning Commission of India says that a heart by pass surgery is much cheaper in India as compared to other countries of world. It would cost a patient around $6, 000 in India but it is much expensive in Thailand ($7,894), Singapore ($10, 417), US ($23, 938) and Britain ($19, 700). So the cost difference of surgery in India is very huge. Not only moderate treatment cost, but Indian hospitals are also preferred as they offer global facilities. The hospitals of India are equipped with state-of-art infrastructure, well trained qualified and experienced team of doctors and dedicated hospital staff. The most advanced medical technologies are administered by Indian doctors and nurses. The Ministry of Indian Tourism is introducing these benefits as a part of the ‘Visit India’ programme under which great bargains to incentive travels are included. The tourism industry of India has its plans. It has geared up itself. The aviation, hospitality and tour and travel industries have come up with some exciting offers. Major airlines, hotels and tour operators have already launched promotional packages to offer free travel for spouse or an extra day’s stay at hotel or even sightseeing tours after recovery. The incredible offers are attracting many clients. These deals are beneficial for the tourists as they have many offers to choose from and the tourism is also reaping benefits of tourism in India. Complimentary air tickets from major aviation companies like Jet, Kingfisher and Air India and hotel stay offers from the Oberoi, Taj group, ITC Welcome groups, Trident and Park hotels are alluring tourists. Apart from this, the travelers also have chance to enjoy complimentary sightseeing tours and even rural eco-holidays in India. One such tour operator www. indiatouristspots. com has launched offers to promote medical tourism and ease the difficulties of medical tourists to India. As this tour operator is a leading name in the tour and travel industry, medical tourists can trust the services it offers. Goa is destination that is a hotspot for tourists. The hospitals of Goa are well equipped with world class medical facilities. So it has become a favorite for medical tourists as well. The tranquil ambiance of Goa helps the patients recover soon. For the medical tourists bookings are open online that make the bookings hassle free. The dedicated customer care team understands your requirements, sorts out any of your queries and provides assistance round the clock. Come to India and have a healthy disposition Indian Medical Tourism Tremendously Attracting Medical Travelers to ‘Visit India 2009′ Medical Tourism in India is on its boom. Travelers are coming to India for by pass surgeries and bone marrow transplants. Tour Operators, hospitals, airlines all have something to offer to the foreign tourists coming to India.

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Renowned Diving Tourism In Phuket

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:25:21 +0000

There are so many reasons why Phuket is one of the best tourism destinations in the world. It is located off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. The region features an area of approximately 570sqm and it’s constituted up of 1 large and 39 small islands. It features so many fantabulous places to have a lot of fun such as the sport courts, shopping stores, and many other recreational options for the tourists. For some tourists who want to have some water sport activities, there are many things that they could do such as snorkeling, windsurfing and also diving.
Yes beyond its beautiful beaches and glamorous nightlife, Phuket is also heaven for divers. Surrounded by Andaman Sea, there are many great diving sites around this island. Some of them even have top rated from enthusiast divers.
Enthusiast divers come to Phuket with the main goal, dive to great diving sites around Phuket. No wonder since Andaman Sea has great marine ecosystem and even the clear water could give up to 30 meters visibility underwater. Diving is also become one of the most favorites activities for tourist while they stay in Phuket. There are many diving services in Phuket. Most of them are PADI licensed.
However, most of Phuket villas are also offering diving tours. Well, if you are visiting Phuket with family or loved one, and willing to get the best accommodation, there is no better option than rent one of the great villas in Phuket. There are many Phuket villas you can rent, they are varies in features, size, and location. Since of Phuket Villas are beachfront villas, they offers varieties of marine activities, including diving trip. If you want diving as one of your main goal while in Phuket, make sure that you choose Phuket villas offering diving trip. It is not difficult since you can find lots of information about Phuket tourism on internet. You can choose from many different five stars PADI diving points. Even if you are a beginner, there are five stars PADI diving course lead you to PADI diving license.

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Cambodia Plugs Khmer Rouge Stronghold as Tourism Spot

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 04:20:13 +0000

Cambodia Plugs Khmer Rouge Stronghold as Tourism Spot
Hoping to divert visitors from the well-worn temple-beach circuit, the Cambodian government is trying to turn a former Khmer Rouge stronghold into an unlikely tourist attraction

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Top in Category › Thailand hosts 500 travel agents, media reps to boost tourism

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:15:27 +0000

Top in Category › Thailand hosts 500 travel agents, media reps to boost tourism
To help recover from the recent political turmoil in Thailand, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Thai Airways International hosted the “Thailand Today” Mega…

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Tourism Boom for Nakhon Nayok Province in Thailand

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 16:23:03 +0000

Over one million tourists a year visit the Thai province of Nakhon Nayok. Remarkably, 95% of them are Thai.

If you ask westerners to name tourist destinations in Thailand, most would list the famous beach resorts such as Pattaya, Phuket and Koh Samui. Some might even mention the cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Those that really know the country may mention places like Kanchanaburi, Pai, The Golden Triangle and the smaller islands and beaches. Absolutely nobody would mention Nakhon Nayok.

Yet this small Thai province, only 100km east of Bangkok, is one of the most visited destinations in Thailand. The area is renowned for its waterfalls, rivers and forest. It sits at the foothills of Khao Yai National Park, which is one of the finest natural attractions in Thailand. The cool mountain water that flows out of this park feeds the rivers and waterfalls of Nakhon Nayok.

Every weekend, thousands of Thais flee the heat of the city to play in the refreshing water of Nakhon Nayok’s famous waterfalls such as Sarika and Nang Rong. Others picnic by the stream, under the towering trees of Wang Takhrai Botanical Gardens.

However, it is the latest attraction that has really seen tourism in the area boom. The completion of the Khlong Tha Dan Dam in 2005 has been a huge boost to Nakhon Nayok’s tourist trade. The dam is the biggest in Thailand and the biggest of its type in the world. It is an imposing structure and an attraction to tourists in itself. Its biggest benefit is that Nakon Nayok River now has water all year round. Nakhon Nayok’s tourist trade had always been seasonal, relying on the rainy season as the waterfalls dry up to a trickle during the dry season. The construction of the Klong Tha Dan Dam means they can now release water into Nakhon Nayok River all year round.

Other attractions in Nakhon Nayok include rafting or kayaking down Nakhon Nayok River. There is also trekking around the forested foothills of Khao Yai National Park or even 3-day treks right into the heart of the park. Nakhon Nayok has plenty to offer for those looking for soft adventure sports.

Thai tourists have enjoyed visiting this area for a long time. Surely, it is only a matter of time before western visitors start to discover the charms of Nakhon Nayok.

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Tourism & Scuba Diving returns to Thailand – tsunami 5 years on

admin — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 04:17:52 +0000

Scuba Diving in Thailand has many rewards for Recreational Scuba Divers, and world class dive sites in Phuket and the Similan/Surin islands are recognised for their vibrant marine life, nutrient-rich coral reefs and clear blue, warm water. Adventurous tourists flocked to Thailand in search of palm fringed golden sand beaches, luxurious beachside accommodation, endless watersports and countless family activities, value for money that few tourists to Asia could resist. Late December 2004 saw an event that would scar the lives of so many people and my account of this tragedy is based on what happened on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, though I fully appreciate that other countries and continents were also affected. In Thailand, more than 8,000 people were killed in the disaster, or have never been reunited with their families. This also included over 2,000 foreign tourists, most of which were taking holidays in and around Phuket. This southern province contributed approximately 40 percent of Thailand’s annual tourism income. The Indian Ocean tsunami was triggered by an undersea earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and as the huge waves of tumbling water struck the Andaman shores, Phuket and its surrounding regions suffered raw nature at its worst. Phuket Scuba Divers who were actually under water at the time, recall a surge of water that pushed and pulled with all its might. Dive Boats were smashed, snorkelers were dragged along the beaches, and sunbathers were completely overwhelmed by a wall of water crashing overhead. As you may expect, tourism in this region suffered tremendously, and has not yet fully recovered. Scuba Divers in Thailand are trying other diving destinations and during the last five years, Scuba Diving in Pattaya has seen a positive increase in the number of divers making a trip to dive in the Gulf of Thailand. The Pattaya Scuba Diving community are united in their efforts to attract more tourists and also to satisfy its expanding number of residing expats. The islands near to Pattaya offer divers and snorkelers a mixture of shallow calm bays sheltered from the strong currents, to deep dives around World War II US Landing Crafts that have been intentionally sunk by the Thai Navy, creating artificial reefs. Most of the Pattaya Dive Sites can be reached by a dive boat withing two hours and there are many PADI Dive Centers that offer daily Scuba Courses for beginners, Fun Diving Daytrips for certified divers and Snorkeling Tours for a relaxing day out to the Pattaya Islands. Information, tips and advice for Scuba Diving in Pattaya Most of the Pattaya dive sites have year-round diving and a good variety of diverse dive sites. From shallow coral dives to wreck diving, deep diving and drift diving, there are numerous scuba activities that can entertain beginners and even the most experienced scuba divers. The Pattaya Near Islands include Koh Sak, Koh Larn and Koh Khrok. Koh Larn means “Coral Island” in Thai, and the Thai’s feel that Koh Sak and Koh Khrok resemble a mortar and pestle, so they named them after the kitchen tools that they use to crush peppers. The Pattaya Far Islands include Koh Rin, Koh Man Wichai and Koh Phai. Because these island dive sites are around 15 km from Pattaya, they tend to be less crowded by dive boats and water sport activities. The boat trip takes about 90 minutes to get there, but the clearer visibility and the vibrant marine life makes these Pattaya dive sites worth the trip. Pattaya ‘near’ islands;Koh Sak – A sheltered, shallow bay, which makes this dive site ideal for beginners, novice divers, and snorkeling in Pattaya. The maximium depth is around 11 meters, with lots of hard coral formations providing a home to Rabbitfish, Butterflyfish, Octopus, Morays, Stingrays, Wrasse, Angelfish and Damselfish. Koh Larn – The Golden Bay on the western side of Koh Larn provides a variety of dive sites for divers of all levels. With hard and soft corals extending to 20 meters, this dive site is best known for spotting Tawny Nurse Sharks and blue spotted Rays. Koh Khrok – A finger shaped island that is suitable for drift diving. Maximum depth reaches around 12 meters, with an abundance of sea anemones, clown fish, nudibranchs, and turtles. Pattaya ‘far’ islands;Koh Rin – Koh Rin has many diving areas, including two small satelite islands called North Rock and South Rock. With an abundance of hard and soft corals, coral whips and feather stars, divers will not be disappointed with the aquatic creatures on view around these dive sites. The dive needn’t be deep here to see nudibranchs, sharks, razorfish, pipefish and morays. Koh Man Wichai – Dives around this dive site in Pattaya can stretch down to 25 meters. There are two main dive sites, one being the ‘Wall Dive’ and the other being the ‘Fingers’. Both areas provide a variety of corals including staghorn coral table corals, and here’s where you’re most likely to see larger fish such as Baraccuda, while you’re in Pattaya diving. Koh Phai – The beaches of this island are restricted because it is controlled by the Royal Thai Navy. The south of the island provides the best diving, with the small sheltered bay offering ideal conditions for beginner divers and those refreshing their dive skills. Close to Koh Phai is the wreck of the HTMS Khram, a WW II landing craft that was sunk in 2003 to create an artificial reef and a dive site for wreck diving. Information about Wreck Diving in Pattaya HTMS Khram Wreck – Early in 2003, the Thai Navy sank a decommissioned U. S. Warship between Koh Phai and Koh Larn island approx 15 km from Pattaya. The ship lies in 30 meters of water in the Gulf of Thailand, and was intentionally sunk to provide a breeding ground for fish, and a wreck dive for scuba divers. The Thai Navy prepared the ship as a dive site, and it is free from arms, oil and most of the other hazards to divers. The large holes that were made in many areas allow penetration dives through the ships passages whilst remaining in natural daylight. The wreck dive is a scuba diving gift for fish lovers’, with Baraccuda, Trevallys, Jacks, Fuseliers, Batfish, Turtles, Stonefish, Porcupinefish, Unicorn fish and Sharks to name just a few. HTMS Kood Wreck – Thailand dive sites are diving gifts for all divers, but wreck diving in Pattaya is ‘nautical’ miles ahead ! In September 2006, the Royal Thai Navy sunk the HTMS Kood a short 45 minute boat trip from Pattaya Beach. The Kood World War II US landing craft, became the nearest wreck to Pattaya, available for recreational divers with a diving certification above entry level. A sister ship of the HTMS Khram, the Kood is another fine example of a thriving artificial reef offering another great dive site in Pattaya. Just to the northeast of Koh Sak, the bottom of the wreck lies at 30 meters and the top of the tower at 12m. Hardeep Wreck – Originally an Indonesian-registered freighter, the Hardeep sank in 1943. More than sixty years of growth has seen the soft coral formations and tube sponge gardens firmly establish themselves, and the wreck provides a safe home for older and larger fish families. The fish life on the Hardeep Wreck includes Baraccuda, Angelfish, Jacks, Trevellys, Batfish and Butterflyfish. Laying on its starboard side in 27 meters of depth, the wreck is only 42 meters in length and contains some very large openings to allow divers a view of the engine room and crankshaft. Bremen Wreck – The Bremen is an 88 metre long Thai cargo ship that sank in the 1930’s following an engine room explosion. The wreck now lies on the sandy bottom in 22 meters between Sattahip and Koh Khram. Though the wreck is badly broken, the bow and stern sections are still relatively intact, but the center part is mostly mangled steel. Wreck Penetration is generally not recommended on this dive. Though the currents can be strong here, if you plan your dive appropriately, the highlight of wreck diving the Bremen, is trying to spot the large Eagle Rays that thrive in these waters. The Bremen Wreck is situated in open water and experiences strong currents for much of the year. The optimum time to dive the Bremen is from December to March. Pattaya, as a diving destination, cannot realistically compete with the natural underwater beauty of the pristine coral reefs of Phuket, but its aim for the near future is to attract scuba divers by hosting a special wreck diving region, having up to 5 new wrecks in the Pattaya diving area and helping to conserve and improve its marine environment. These artificial reefs provide a home for new coral formations and aquatic life, with the added bonus of being ‘off limits’ to the local fishermen which encourages larger fish to inhabit the wrecks. As Thailand continues to recover from the tragedy five years on, there’s little physical evidence of one of history’s worst natural disasters, other than an occasional Tsunami ‘Hazard Zone’ sign. Phuket remains one of Asia’s premier holiday resort islands, and although tourism is down, few people blame the tsunami. Tourism is down . . . . . but is it because of the global economy ?

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Thailand: Exports Boom Despite Tourism Collapse

admin — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:25:10 +0000

Thailand: Exports Boom Despite Tourism Collapse
Although recent riots have crippled tourism, Thailand depends largely on manufacturing and exports for growth, which is expected to hit 6 percent this year

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Kill Two Birds With One Stone – Medical Tourism

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:23:27 +0000

Medical tourism is a fairly new term used to describe an amazing amount of people globally that travel world-wide for health care. Why these people travel and for what differs, but basically there are two types of medical tourists – the regular tourist that adds a visit to the doctor for some minor treatment, as part of his or her holiday, and the tourist travelling primarily for medical treatment.
Before there even was a term ‘medical tourism’, it was common practice among the well-to-do in third-world countries to travel to the USA, Switzerland and Germany for medical care. However, since the year 2000, this trend has been reversed and now countries such as Thailand, are attracting patients from the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom.
This new market has grown as modern health care systems all over the world are struggling to meet the medical needs of their own populations. In the United States, the price of health care is beyond the means of most and there are an estimated 40 million people without health insurance. While in Britain, Canada and Holland, socialised health care ensures affordability, demand for medical services far outstrips supply and waiting lists for surgical procedures or specialty medicine can be as long as two-to-three years.
Today, governments, insurers and employers are carefully looking at outsourcing medical treatments as a way to improve access and lower health care costs for their citizens, policy-holders and employees.
Thailand’s health care services are about one-half the cost of similar services in Singapore, one-third the cost of Hong Kong and one-tenth the cost in the United States.
Who are the medical tourists and what are they coming for?
By and large, medical tourists are travelling for specialty surgical and medical services. The recent upsurge in the popularity of plastic surgery, however, has led to a new wave of medical tourists and headlines like “Sun, sea and surgery” or “Scalpel tourism” have helped create the buzz for this growing phenomenon. Medical tourism destinations, such as Thailand, promote the benefit of high-quality medical care as just one more reason to visit the kingdom.
Elective out-patient procedures like check-ups, dental care, and LASIK eye surgery are becoming increasingly popular and there is a growing interest on the part of the tourism industry to include these services as part of their travel packages. Higher intensity medical services, like spinal and cardiac surgery, pose a greater challenge because these medical services are not as easily packaged and require significantly more knowledge about medicine.
Bumrungrad Hospital, located in central Bangkok, is a major player in the medical tourism field in Thailand, attracting over 360,000 international patients every year from over 150 countries worldwide. But Bumrungrad is not alone. There are quite a few other hospitals in Thailand and also in out-lying regions that are aggressively marketing their hospitals to capture a slice of this fast growing market. Both Bumrungrad Hospital and the India-based Apollo Hospital were recently featured on the CBS award winning news program “60 Minutes” as medical tourism destinations for a growing number of Americans.
Reliable figures on the size and growth of medical tourism are hard to come by, as government and immigration statistics do not yet categorize inbound travellers coming for medical care. That said, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is actively promoting medical tourism as medical tourists on average spend more and stay longer than leisure travellers.
So, whether you are the casual visitor that will take advantage of some minor medical work while in Thailand, or you are planning your vacation around your surgery, Thailand is the place to go and get it done professionally and at an extremely good price.

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Medical Tourism Thailand – a Possibility to Treat Neurological Disorders

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:13:44 +0000

The causes of neurological disorders can be many, either some poor health condition or a strain on or damage to the nervous system. Treatment of neurological disorders can be extremely complex and problematic and are frequently incapacitating. However, Bangkok neuroscience facilities do their best in dealing with the risk factors and with specialized treatments. By undertaking medical tourism Thailand targeted, you will find the opportunity to have a series of common symptoms of such disorders treated successfully.

Such symptoms can consist of the gradual failure of synchronization of movements, of equilibrium, or even of the possibility to talk fluently. Regularly, warning signs begin with discontinuous convulsions or lack of sensation in one extremity of the body. Quivers, stiff muscles, painstaking motion, trouble with swallowing, failure of routine movements such as blinking and sooner or later dementia form the string of the most problematic signs. If you have these symptoms or have already been diagnosed with some form of neurological disorder, opting for medical tourism Thailand located can show you the way to successful treatment or to amelioration of the most troublesome symptoms.

Neurological disorders are multifaceted, but Bangkok neuroscience centers can offer the expertise and the researchers able to present a series of potential solutions for your troubles. Medical tourism Thailand situated can offer to the Thailand medical tourist the chance to find some of the innovative contributing factors to the roots of progressively damaged, which leads to the development of the condition.

You may find, in your medical tourism Thailand experience, that the opinions of examiners concerning the causes and the potential treatments of neurological diseases are rather different. However, a Bangkok neuroscience specialist will take care of recommending you the best there is and the least probable to affect negatively your general health. On the other hand, you will see that among the most commonly agreed on risk factors are heredity dynamics, sex, contact with chemical substances, decreased levels of estrogen and age.

Neurological diseases can repeatedly lead to hopelessness, and occasionally to acute states of depression. The point is not to allow the development of these diseases to prevent you from leading the independent lifestyle that you have led until the emergence of the condition. Bangkok neuroscience specialists may have the solution appropriate for you. By taking advantage of the opportunity to become a Thailand medical tourist, you can benefit from the treatments possibilities available in Phuket medical centers.

Treatment options differ significantly, according to the type of neurological disease. It is advisable not to let any neurological disease develop, as it will become more and more complicated to deal with the more that it advances. Specialized personnel in Phuket medical centers will handle appropriately such issues, provided that you opt for treatment in the early stages of the condition. Undoubtedly, amelioration exists for the more advanced forms of diseases, as well. However, like with any other problem in our lives, it is preferable to deal with it from its earliest phases, to avoid troublesome complications.