New rail links a boost for tourism
- Published: 25/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Horizons
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans a double track railway system linking Phrae and Chiang Rai in the North and Nakhon Ratchasima and Nakhon Phanom in the Northeast to facilitate the movement of logistics and tourist traffic.
One day you may be able to travel to Nakhon Phanom by train.
Estimated to cost about 95,000 million baht and take four years to build, construction should begin within a year start after the feasibility studies are completed, disclosed Gen Surachai Tansitpong, permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry.
The Chiang Rai route starting from Den Chai district in Phrae is 280 kilometres long and cuts through pristine forest and A1 watershed areas.
SRT Governor Youdtana Tupcharoen said the route would boost local economies significantly because, once operational, it will be transporting 1.3 million tonnes of goods and more than 1.7 million passengers annually, among them tourists travelling on to southern China.
The Nakhon Phanom route, 364 kilometres long, originating in Bua Yai in Nakhon Ratchasima and connecting Mukdahan, will be able to commute 64,000 passengers daily and transport up to 3.8 million tonnes of goods yearly.
VN bullet train
Vietnam plans to build its first bullet train linking Hanoi in the north to the southern Ho Chi Minh City.
The route, about 1,600 kilometres long, will cut travel time from 30 hours to 10 hours. The train will have a speed of 300-350 kilometres per hour. Construction, expected to cost US$56 billion, will start in 2012 and the service will be launched in 2020.
Incheon top airport
Incheon International Airport in Seoul was voted world's best in 2009 for the fifth consecutive year in an airport service quality (ASQ) passenger survey conducted by Airports Council International (ACI).
ACI Director General Angela Gittens said 2009 was a tough year for airports worldwide as traffic numbers fell while competition rose. It was a year of balancing tight budgets with high customer expectations for service excellence.
"The results of the year-long ASQ passenger survey help identify the leaders in meeting that challenge and demonstrate that airports have continued to invest and focus on customer service despite falling traffic numbers," she noted.
The survey was based on regular monthly questionnaires filled in by passengers passing through well over 100 airports in some 45 countries.
Ten factors identified as essential for high customer service ratings were, by order of importance: the ambience of the airport, cleanliness of the terminal, comfort of the waiting areas, availability of washrooms, cleanliness of washrooms, courtesy and helpfulness of the airport staff, business lounges, ease of making connections, passport/ID inspection experience and good shopping facilities.
Following Incheon on the list were Changi in Singapore, Hong Kong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Rajiv Gandhi in Hyderabad, India.
"All hail from ACI's Asia-Pacific region, a reflection of the region's strong customer service culture, airport management commitment to service delivery and the high quality of modern passenger facilities at each of these airports," she said.
In addition to airports worldwide, top performers were also named for each of the six regional categories and five by traffic size.
Region-wise leading the list was George in South Africa (Africa); Incheon (Asia-Pacific); Keflavik in Iceland (Europe); Cancun in Mexico (Latin America-Caribbean); Tel Aviv in Israel (Middle East) and Austin in the US (North America).
By traffic size, leading the list was Halifax in Canada (under 5 million), Hyderabad (5-15 million), Baltimore/Washington in the US (15-25 million), Seoul (25-40 million) and Hong Kong (over 40 million).
The official awards ceremony will take place on May 13 at the ACI Asia Pacific region's annual conference at Sanya in Hainan, China.
Visit http://www.aci.aero for details.
Fossil attraction
Kalasin plans to promote a site where dinosaur fossils were excavated as the province's new tourist attraction.
The site, Phu Noi in Kham Muang district, made news earlier this month when dinosaur experts Dr Eric Buffetaut and Dr Haiyan Tong formally announced their find.
They found 15 dinosaur fossils including a hipbone (150x50cm) and a front leg (120cm long) dating probably to the late Jurassic period and belonging to a new species of sauropod, a herbivore.
Lovers' getaway
This weekend Kanchanaburi is wooing couples with its "River of Love" package that promises outdoor activities, rafting on the rivers Kwai Noi and Yai, a candlelit riverside dinner with live music by saxophonist Mr Saxman, a visit to Nong Khao village to observe the traditional way of life of the locals, and a night at a luxurious resort deep in the mountains.
Priced at 5,000 baht and organised by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the offer is open to 50 couples only on a first-come-first -serve basis.
For more information, call 02-152-1477 or the TAT's Kanchanaburi office at 034-511-200 and 034-512-500.
Travel fair kicks off
The Thai International Travel Fair 2010 starting today at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre features more than 1,100 booths offering visitors attractive tour and holiday packages at bargain prices.
Representing hotels and resorts, airlines, travel agents and so forth, the booths do provide visitors with plenty of options, with some of them there to tailor packages to suit their taste and schedule. Also, on sale spa packages, camping, trekking and dive equipment.
The four-day fair from Feb 25-28 is jointly organised by the Thai Travel Agents Association, the Association of Domestic Travel, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Krungthai Card, and Thai Amadeus.
Visit http://www.ttaa-thai.com for details.
If you have any comments or news to share, please feel free to send them to karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th
About the author
- Writer: Karnjana Karnjanatawe
- Position: Reporter
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