SOUTH African travellers are
increasingly requesting “other
destinations” within Thailand
and tour operators are looking for
new drawcards, says Lesley Simpson,
marketing representative of the
Tourism Authority of Thailand in
SA, who says requests for northern
Thailand are on the rise.
“The fact that internal flights are so
affordable makes exploring this vast
country much easier and, of course,
more appealing – not forgetting
the overnight train option between
Bangkok and Chiang Mai.”
Thompsons Holidays pr and media
manager, John Ridler, says the
increase in interest is largely due
to the information that is available
and what the region has to offer.
“Traditionally, the southern regions
have had the most exposure and
therefore demand for the northern
region needs to be stimulated.”
Exciting itineraries
Lorraine Clinton, sales manager
of Checkout Tours, says northern
Thailand is a great option for repeat
travellers looking to extend their
beach holiday to include something
more cultural and authentic. “A mix
of clientele would love this area, from
the adventure traveller who enjoys
trekking to the those looking for
culture and tranquillity,” she says.
“The night markets are a shopper’s
paradise for those in search of
authentic Thai textiles and ceramics.
I personally would love to take my
children to this area to experience
the peacefulness of the local
people,” adds Lorraine.
Shona Pittaway, director of Perfect
Destinations, recommends starting a
northern Thailand itinerary in Chiang
Mai. “The city is incredible, with
many new experiences to be had.
These can be part of a day trip, and
include trekking or cultural activities
such as a visit to the traditional longnecked
hill tribes.” She says Chiang
Mai is very different from the cities
in southern Thailand. “The night
market in the centre used to be a big
attraction, but becoming even more
popular is Nimmanhaemin Road,
which in recent years has become
Chiang Mai’s most vibrant strip.”
According to Lesley, Chiang Mai is
worthy of at least a four-night stay,
and agents can also package the city
with the attractions up north, such as
the Golden Triangle, and even cross
into Myanmar or Laos to experience
other cultures of South East Asia.
“Northern Thailand appeals to all
markets of holidaymakers, even
families, although my personal
recommendation would be for older
children from the age of 12.” She
says it’s also well suited to women
travelling in small groups, or for
those with special interests such as
cooking, wellness and golf.
Shona believes South Africans have
an appetite for northern Thailand, but
admits that there is a lot of scope
for educating clients on the different
experiences they can have within
the region. “I think too often there
is a preconception that Thailand is
great for beaches and entertainment,
and this is true, but there is a lot
more on offer.” She says this is
particularly true for luxury, repeat
and adventurous travellers. “The
north offers a whole new world
of shopping, dining, culture and
exploration that is very different to
the south and the islands.”
Northern Thailand gives guests
the opportunity to understand the
culture, way of life and history, says
Shona, while also offering ample
opportunities for shopping, dining
and exploration. “Chiang Mai is
considered the adventure capital,
with white-water rafting, trekking,
quad biking, climbing and rope
traversing all on offer.”
Stand-alone or add-on
She says northern Thailand is easily
combined with a beach stay at the
end of a trip, with connections into
Phuket possible from both Chiang
Mai and Chiang Rai. “It can also be
packaged with another Asian city
stop such as Singapore if your clients
are not interested in beaches.”
The region also packages well with
other cultural destinations outside
Thailand, says John, particularly
Cambodia and Myanmar.
Lorraine agrees and says that
while the northern region could
provide a fantastic holiday experience
as a stand-alone destination, a
combination with a beach experience
may be more popular with South
Africans. She says the main
challenge in selling the region is
that agents need more knowledge
on the area to gain the confidence
to promote it. “A solution would
be for agents to attend workshops
and destination training through
wholesalers.”
Where to stay
The Shangri-La Chiang Mai is
just a few hundred metres from
the city’s vibrant night market,
as well as a selection of
restaurants, spas and shops.
Positioned as an urban resort
hotel, the Shangri-La also
offers Chiang Mai’s biggest
conferencing facility, including
boardrooms, auditoriums and
function rooms. The property
is popular with families and is
in the process of constructing
a new playground area for
children.
Lesley adds that aside from
the well-known hotel brands,
there is a wide selection of
smaller boutique hotels and
villas to choose from, “even
jungle-type resorts such as
Hmong Hill Tribe Lodge en-route
to Chiang Rai, in the heart of
the rolling hills and forests”.
Did you know?
Singapore Airlines operates 42 flights
a week between Singapore and
Bangkok. Through its regional wing,
SilkAir, and its low-cost subsidiary,
TigerAir, it also flies to Phuket 35 times
a week, Chiang Mai 12 times a week,
Langkawi three times a week and Krabi
seven times a week.
New SilverKris lounge opens at Bangkok Airport
A NEW SilverKris
Lounge has opened at
Suvarnabhumi International
Airport in Bangkok for
Singapore Airlines’
premium customers.
The 313-sqm lounge has
space for 102 guests
and is located on Level
3 Concourse A, after the
immigration area.
It has been designed in
a modern, contemporary
style with high ceilings
and fabric-laminated
glass panels to enhance
privacy. It is equipped with
127cm plasma televisions,
business areas where
passengers can work, as
well as high-speed WiFi.
A selection of the
latest newspapers and
magazines are on offer,
along with a variety of
food, including delicacies
from Singapore.
The SilverKris Lounge
is open daily from 05h15
to 23h00, except on
Thursdays when it is open
until 19h00.
Selling responsible elephant interactions
THAILAND’S elephant
interaction tourism offering
was recently thrust back
into the spotlight with the
publishing of a World Animal
Protection document stating
that the vast majority of the
country’s elephants were
kept in “severely inadequate
conditions”.
So how can South African
agents ensure that they are
selling only ethical elephant
experiences? According to tour
operators, there are a number
of important factors to take
into consideration.
Celeste Gordon, product and
pricing executive of STA Travel,
says the company commenced
a full audit of all animal
practices associated with
its products in early 2014.
“Following this audit process,
we made the decision to stop
selling elephant riding. We only
work with a handful of wellrespected
partners who have
proved that they run ethical
projects and can clearly define
what the project delivers to
the host community.”
Early 2014 was also a
turning point for Perfect
Destinations, says Shona
Pittaway, with the operator
removing all elephant trekking
and riding packages from its
portfolio. “Often in Thailand,
young elephants are stolen
from their mothers before
they are mature enough to
be separated, then they
frequently end up in unhealthy
situations and are used for
paying customers to ride,
bathe or trek.
“We were the first operator
in the South African market
to offer Elephant Hills
Tented Camp in the Khao
Sok National Park as an
eco-friendly alternative
elephant experience product
in Thailand,” says Shona.
Elephant Hills works with
rescued elephants and,
following traditional Mahout
culture, elephants are
unchained and are free to
roam within their natural
surroundings. “It offers the
chance to understand why
elephants form such an
important part of Thai culture,
but it does so in a way that
supports the elephants,
causing them no harm.”
Shona adds that Elephant
Hills is the only elephant
operation Perfect Destinations
currently works with. “We
would be open to alternatives,
provided we had inspected
them and were equally
assured of their integrity.”
Checkout Tours has taken a
similar stance and only deals
with rehabilitation sanctuaries
where travellers can get
a better understanding of
elephants. Lorraine Clinton
of Checkout Tours says:
“Unfortunately, we cannot
change how elephants have
been treated in the past
but we can support the
organisations that are healing
the elephants and ensuring a
better life for them.”
FAM trip experience
Expectations:
I started to count the sleeps
long in advance in anticipation
of my trip. Expectations
build up and there is always
a chance that you may be
let down, however this was
certainly not the case when
I flew into Chiang Mai and
explored northern Thailand.
The destination left me
feeling rejuvenated and excited
to be exploring a part of the
country that is slightly less
travelled than down south.
I came home feeling that I had
made a life-long friendship with
a beautiful destination!
While it was probably the
most turbulent flight I have
been on in a long time,
Singapore Airlines was a
pleasure to fly on. The crew
were calm and professional
and looked after their
passengers.
Changi Airport is great and
probably one of the best
airports to have a connection
– you almost wish you could
have more time there. There
are numerous activities and
attractions, from rooftop
sunflower gardens to terminal
slides for the kids and,
obviously, WiFi.
Highlights:
I had previously been to a
night market in Bangkok,
however the Chiang Mai
markets really give you a
different experience. The
market has an authentic and
cultural feel to it that you don’t
get elsewhere in the country.
My suitcases came back
packed with Thai-style pants,
cotton scarves, dried fish (for
the cat) and pink elephant keyrings
(for the office).
It is always refreshing
travelling to countries that
offer a different perspective
on cultures and religions and
one comes back feeling a
little worldlier. I loved seeing
Wat Prathat Doi Suthep
temple and, through our guide,
gained more knowledge of the
Buddhist way of life.
The food in northern Thailand
is less spicy than in the south,
but certainly no less tasty. We
were treated to a selection of
delicious dishes, my favourite
being khao soi, which is a
curry-based soup with coconut
milk and noodles, followed
closely by a cold Singha beer.
Coffee is now grown in the
area instead of opium, so an
iced coffee is essential in the
tropical heat!
We were welcomed like
friends into the hillside tribe.
The world would be a different
place if more people could
experience their way of life.
The people living there are
peaceful and happy living a
simple life surrounded by
natural beauty.
I had my reservations
about visiting the Elephant
Sanctuary. Truth be told, there
are loads of illegal and cruel
activities that elephants are
put through around Thailand,
however there are also ethical
sanctuaries that are healing
these beautiful giants and
giving them a better life. We
visited one of these places,
which opened our eyes to
the plight of these animals
as well as the importance of
supporting organisations so
that they can carry on their
dedicated work.
I always prefer travelling off
the beaten track and we were
fortunate to become ‘lost
tourists’ on our longtail boat
on the Mae Kok River. It was
just ourselves, the beautiful
landscape, a few fishermen
and a once-in-a-lifetime
memory.
How often can you say that
you have stood and looked
upon three countries at once?
The Golden Triangle is a must
for anyone’s bucket list. South
Africans generally visit the
southern part of the country,
but northern Thailand easily
matches its beauty, adventure,
culture and tradition.
Top tips:
Pick up a free SIM card at
the airport and buy data for
the duration of your stay.
Recommend that your clients
order a selection of dishes
from restaurants and share
with friends so they can try a
variety of different things.
Organise a guide to
accompany clients on temple
tours to provide more insight.
Sell northern Thailand – it is
good for the soul!
