World Comedy Film Festival 2009

Title             :   World Comedy Film Festival 2009

Concept       :  A Day without Laughter is a Day Wasted - Chalie Chaplin 
                      So come laugh with us.

Time frame   :  10-16 June, 2009 

Venues         :  Paragon Cineplex, Siam Paragon , SF World Cinema, Central World 
                       and Siam City Hotel
                       Open Ceremony : 10 June 2009 at Paragon
                       Closing Ceremony : 16 June 2009 at Central World

Objectives:

1. Improving the image of the country after the political, economic, and social crisis of 
    the past two years.
2. Regaining the confidence of foreign tourists and investors.
3. Bringing in income during the time of recession.
4. Creating an atmosphere of harmony and reducing   
    tension among the people.

Target Groups and Beneficiarie:  
  
1. Foreign tourists. 
2. Foreign investors and film industry operators: Fortifying the country‘s strength as 
    an investment and production base.
3. Thai people: Increasing consumer spending and stimulating the economy.

Main Activities:

1. Opening Ceremony Welcoming guests from various foreign film industries, 
   beginning with a fancy parade of local comedians dressed as the world’s 
   well - known comedians and characters.

2. Closing Ceremony A gala night for comedians and festival participants, 
    joining to pay tribute to one of the world’s renowned film comedians with 
    an honorary award for his or her contribution to the art and world of comedy. 

3. Film Screenings 50 films in total.  

Scope and Contents:

1. The screenings of comedy films from all over the world. Tentative program 
    includes twenty films from Asian countries; such as, China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, 
    Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Palestine, 
    Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka and Syria, twenty films from Europe, America and Africa, 
    ten Thai classic and contemporary films, and some internationally regarded shorts. 
    The goal is to bring together highly successful comedy films, directors and actors 
    with a special focus on Asian cinema.

2. There are seven comedy film festivals existing internationally. This is the first one 
    to be held in Asia. 

3. This is the first time the Comedian Association, the Federation of National Film 
    Associations, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand co-operate together to showcase 
    the local prowess of comedy acts in films and other kinds of media.

Expected Results:

1. Atmosphere of fun and pleasant feelings between the Thai people and foreigners 
    touring the country.
2. Consumer spending with more jobs and income for those involved in the film industry 
    and tourism generated from having 1,000 expected participants, film industry operators,
    and the press from various parts of the world, joining the festival. 

Organizers:

1.  The Federation of National Film Associations of Thailand 
2. Tourism Authority of Thailand

www.thailandworldcomedyfilm.com

copy from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand

Sawadee.com Regatta 2009

Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, Thailand 

Announcing the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009,  Samui – the 8th Samui International Yacht Regatta Bangkok, Thailand. February 2, 2009 - The 8th Samui International Yacht Regatta, now with a new title sponsor and known as the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, will take place in Koh Samui from the 1st - 6th June .

A favourite amongst competitive and social sailors, the five day regatta is one of Asia’s leading sailing events and is also part of the Asian Yachting Grand Prix Championships. Registrations are already being received, with a full fleet expected from Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai and further a field.

In addition to the competitive sailing, the Sawadee.com Regatta is also about fun parties and is firmly established as a ‘must attend’ regatta on the international sailing circuit. Its headquarters will again be the Centara Grand Beach Resort, Samui, which has been the home of the regatta since its conception and that has now become synonymous with the event. 

Callum Laing is the Chairman of the Regatta for the second year “Every year the regatta has gone from strength to strength and we’re really looking forward to a memorable 2009 event. In 2008 we welcomed over 300 participants from 10 countries and registrations received so far point toward the biggest Samui Regatta to date. The 2009 regatta will also provide great opportunities for individuals, families and groups to join one of the regatta spectator boats and see these races up close whilst enjoying the famous Thai hospitality”.

The Regatta will feature six classes, Racing, Premier Racing, IRC-1, Cruising, Sports Boats and Multihulls – ensuring that the on-water action is both competitive and fun to watch. In 2008, Ray Roberts and ‘Quantum Racing’ won the IRC-1 Class with Matt Allen and ‘Ichi Ban’ taking the IRC-2 honours. Kipsan Beck and ‘Pornstar’ lifted the trophy in the Sports Boats Class with Andrew Short and ‘Constanza’ securing the top Cruising Class placing. Radab Kanjanayanit and ‘Cedar Swan’ came in first in the Multihull Class.

The skipper receiving the most top placings on the eight regatta Asian circuit will also be crowned Asian Yachting Champion Skipper at the end of the sawadee.com Regatta. In 2008, it was Quantum Racing’s Ray Roberts that lifted the trophy and wore the coveted ‘Armani Blue Blazer’ that was presented at the fabulous prize giving dinner on the lawns of the Centara Grand Beach Resort at Chaweng Beach.

The 2009 regatta will also play host to the second running of the ‘Samui Junior Sailing Squadron Challenge’ – giving local children from the island the opportunity to be out on the water experiencing the excitement of competitive yacht racing. The challenge is led by John Stall – one of the original founders of the Samui Regatta in 2001. The regatta also provides on-going support to this initiative, contributing Thai Baht 5,000 every month to pay for sailing equipment.

Web Sawasdee Plc, one of Thailand’s leading inbound travel companies, is the new naming sponsor of the regatta for the next three years. Through www.sawadee.com and www.r24.org, the company provides online travel/tourism-related information along with a user-friendly booking system and a secure payment gateway.

Public tickets will be available for the legendary sailing parties that occur most evenings during the regatta and that will feature bands and DJ’s from around the world. 

Koh Samui, rich with natural resources, white sandy beaches and coral reefs, is the perfect location for an international regatta that not only provides great sailing, but that also supports tourism on the island and helps raise the profile of Thailand as an idyllic and exciting vacation destination. The regatta provides the perfect blend of Thai charm and world-class sailing.  

Images from the 2008 Samui International Yacht Regatta are available at:www.flickr.com/photos/sawadee-com-regatta-2009-samui 

Media Contacts: 

Citrus Public Relations	or	MobyElite Sports
Ian Grundy		Siobhan Kennedy
ian.grundy@citrus-pr.com		siobhan@mobyelite.com
Tel: +65 83226890		Tel: +66 (0) 8 60028458

About the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui 
The Sawadee.com Regatta 2009, Samui, is an annual event that takes place on the beautiful Thai island of Koh Samui. Now in its eighth year, this ‘Tropical Island Regatta’ has become one of the main events on the Asian sailing circuit and attracts an international fleet.

For further details see www.samuiregatta.com

copy from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand

Laguna Phuket International Marathon

4th Laguna Phuket International Marathon
Date : 14 June 2009
Venue : Laguna Beach Resort, Phuket

A scenic route along some of Phuket’s most spectacular west coast bays makes this an event that attracts runners ready to achieve a personal best.

Some marathons shine brighter than others in this highly competitive field of events. The Laguna Phuket International Marathon is one of them, due its incredibly scenic route along some of the island’s best beaches and on roads that wind through shady rubber plantations.

The date for the next Laguna Phuket International Marathon has now been confirmed for 14th June 2009. The event will again feature a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 Km Run, 5 Km Walk and a 2 Km Kids Run. Registration will open on 1st October 2008 with an early bird discount fee until 31 March 2008. Accommodation packages at Laguna Phuket will also be available for booking from 1st October.

Of course, the fun starts on the evening of the 13 June when runners meet for the traditional pasta party, a carbo loading exercise to prepare them for the demanding races on the following morning. Laguna Phuket’s chef conjures up a mammoth buffet at the hotel, the official headquarters for the event, while Thai musicians and dancers entertain participants

Runners who finish the marathon in less than four hours receive a certificate.

Go Adventure Asia, a Bangkok based professional event organizer with a focus on running and multi-sport events, is organising the event. In addition to managing the Laguna Phuket International Marathon for three years, it is also manages the Laguna Phuket Triathlon.

The Laguna Phuket International Marathon has nominated HOPE worldwide (Thailand) as its official charity. HOPE worldwide (Thailand) is dedicated to helping needy children and underprivileged girls in Thailand.

For more information, click http://www.phuketmarathon.com/

from TourismThailand.Org - The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.

Hua Hin Jazz Festival

Date : 12 - 14 June 2009
Venue : Hua Hin Beach, Prachuap Khiri Khan

Hua Hin is approximately 220 km from Bangkok and is noted for being the country’s first beach resort discovered by royalty and nobility in the post war years when the only feasible way to reach its golden beaches was by steam train.

All performances during the three-day festival are free and continue from 1530 until midnight. 
No wonder this “Royal Town” is sometimes renamed “Jazz Town” when its streets are packed with music lovers of all ages, who gather to enjoy the best of jazz from both international and Asian musicians. Definitely, this is a festival that adds value for any holiday maker visiting Hua Hin during the 12 to 14 June weekend.

Contact : TAT Phetchaburi Office, Tel : 66 (0) 3247 1005-6

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.

Amazing Thailand Grand Sale 2009

Date : 1 June to 31 August 2009
Venue : Department stores, hotels, restaurants, and tourist attraction nationwide

Thailand’s annual “Amazing Thailand Grand Sale” got underway this month and continues to offer visitors great bargains right through to 31 August.
This year, as fuel prices escalate, both visitors and residents are looking for more value and bigger discounts when they are shopping. Thailand never disappoints.
Most mega stores and shopping malls are offering discounts of between 10 to 70%, so there are bargains galore for the shopper prepared to browse around the stores.
Fortunately, most of Bangkok’s major shopping malls and stores are located close to the city’s skytrain or metro transport systems, making it very convenient to hop from one store to the next.
Both the Skytrain and the Metro, offer day use stored-value cards for visitors to make it even more convenient to use the two systems. 
Bangkok’s main shopping districts and streets are to be found along Ploenchit and Sukhumvit roads.
Many of the department stores have direct bridge linking them to Skytrain stations. Just a short walk from the Skytrain stations and visitors discover some pretty impressive department stores and shopping plazas namely Siam Discovery Centre, Siam Centre, Central World Plaza, Erawan Bangkok, Amarin Plaza, Gaysorn, Central Chidlom, Home Pro Plus, Robinson Department Store, The Emporium and The Mall Department Store. 
Discounts are also available in King Power duty free shops, both at Suvarnabhumi Airport and downtown locations. There are even discount deals on luxury treatments at spas, a round of golf at a selection of courses at all major tourist destinations, travel packages and even medical check-ups at world-class hospitals.
The three-month campaign also embraces a variety of destinations beyond Bangkok such as Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hua Hin, Cha-am, Pattaya, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udorn Thani, Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai and Samui Island.
Grand Sale prizes are offered in conjunction with the campaign sponsor, Visa Card, and include bargain holiday packages to premier destinations such as Phuket and Samui.

Contact : Tourism Investment Department, Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel : 66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 2951

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand. 

Thailand TourismFestival 2009

June 3 - 7, 2009
At Challenger Hall 1-2, Impact Muang Thong Thani Exhibition Centre
Pakkred District, Nonthaburi

Admission is free.

 

At 40,000 square metres, the Thailand Tourism Festival (TTF) is billed as the country’s largest travel and tourism showcase event that includes a vast range of activities to promote the preservation of Thai culture, traditions and local way of life.

 

Spectacular stage performances and live demonstrations of local arts and crafts add a colourful festive feel to the event as hundreds of professional travel and tourism operators and service providers from all regions of Thailand offer quality tourism products and services and travel specialists help individual travellers and families to plan their trips.

 

For first-time visitors to Thailand, TTF provides an excellent introduction to the Thai kingdom. A visit to TTF is also a quick and convenient way to get the latest updates on new tourism products and services, as well as to compare prices and shop for the best bargains and attractive deals — all in one stop.

 

Given the popularity of the event with Thai travellers, especially families, travel and tourism operators and service providers, particularly small and medium enterprise (SMEs) which are noted for their unique one-of-a-kind niche product offerings, turn up in strength.

 

The domestic travel fair is divided into 3 key zones:  
 - Exhibition zone 
 - Tourism Activities zone  
 - Regional Cuisines zone

 

TRAVEL AND TOURISM OPERATORS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS 
The 2009 Thailand Tourism Festival will feature the following exhibition categories: Tour operators, airlines, hotels and resorts, car rental and Thai crafts. Travel or tourism-related state agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) will also be located in this zone.

 

THE TOURISM ACTIVITIES ZONE
Highlights  

  - Cultural and Community-based Tourism
Exhibits, cultural presentations and live demonstrations in this zone offer insight into local customs and traditions. Activities undertaken reflect the local way of life. In addition to live demonstrations of traditional village crafts, enjoy the lively scenes presented by the traditional markets and floating markets. 

 

- Ecotourism and Adventure Travel
For nature lovers, Thailand offers a tremendous diversity of natural habitats that includes land-based eco-systems, forests and mountainous landscape, waterfalls and streams, mangrove forests as well as marine eco-systems. Learn about environmentally-friendly travel and ecotourism options that will help to minimize our carbon footprint and help reverse the effects of global warming. Also make the most of this rare opportunity to learn about environmentally-friendly initiatives spearheaded by a selection of award-winning organizations. For adventure seekers, Thailand’s military camps are offering innovative Green Adventure activity programmes.  
    
- Health Tourism
This special activity zone promotes a better understanding of health tourism. Visitors will be able to witness (or experience) a live demonstration of traditional Thai massage and the regional variations of this ancient healing technique. Leading hospitals participating in the fair will be offering visitors a basic health check-up on site. Wellness promotional packages will also be available on offer. In addition to live demonstrations of food for health and yoga for health, health and wellness professionals will also be on-hand to provide health tips and advice.  
 
- Traditional Crafts and Souvenirs 
Thai artisans are noted for their tradition of artistic excellence and superb craftsmanship. Enjoy live demonstrations of a range of village crafts from various award-winning communities throughout Thailand and shop for some of the finest hand-crafted items brought together under one roof at the Thailand Tourism Festival.  

For more information please call 1672

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand. 

Phuket Film Festival 2009

Phuket Film Festival 2009
4 Jun 2009 - 7 Jun 2009
The Phuket Film Festival is proud to announce a Spotlight on Taiwanese Film will take place during...

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.

Sawadee.com Regatta 2009

1 Jun 2009 - 6 Jun 2009

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.

5 Region Thai Travel Fest

5 Region Thai Travel Fest
1 May 2009 - 20 Sep 2009
Experince all that amazing in 5 regions in this outstanding fest!

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand. 

Pepsi Thailand World Foot Volley Tournament

 

Footvolley comes to town

Here’s a chance to see first hand in Bangkok how footie skills can apply to volley ball.

While it doesn’t grab headlines in the sporting press, footvolley should stimulate our imagination as to its pedigree and origin. Now, courtesy of Pepsi Cola we can see for ourselves how this sporting spectacle compares with the traditional volley ball. 

Proponents of the game point out that footvolley can be played by people of all ages, and was selected as a demonstration event at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The first ever Pepsi Thailand World Foot Volley Tournament will be played out in downtown Bangkok, 30 to 31 May, at the Central World’s outdoor activity arena. 
The competition will include teams from South America, Europe and Thailand. 
According to the organisers, international football stars have been invited to attend the tournament to entertain the audience with a VIP demonstration match at the Outdoor Arena at Central World – a mega shopping complex in the heart of Bangkok.
Organised by the Footvolley Association of Thailand (FVAT) the tournament will feature eight professional teams, with sides from Brazil, Spain, France and Portugal lining-up against four Thai squads. The event is sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Footvolley (FIFV) and forms part of the Footvolley World Tour 2009.

These so called world championships have been held since 2004 starting in Brazil. Thai foot volley players participated in that tournament and the following year in Spain.

Footvolley was established on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro and has quickly grown on to become a highly popular beach sport around the world. It was first introduced to Thailand 2003 and strangely gained its roots in Loei, a northern town surrounded by mountains and far from the Gulf of Thailand beach resorts.

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.

Rayong Funkky Fruit Festival

Rayong Funkky Fruit Festival

Date : May 15th - 19th 2009
Venut : Rayong City

We welcome all to the brand new "Rayong Funky Fruit Festival"-a borderless celebration of heritage, nature & culture in this stunning province of Rayong. We celebrate Rayong's natural gifts with "StarFruit", an exhibition and promotion of Rayong's great agricultural tradition as well as "Rayong in Pictures". The heritage & peoples of Rayong are given new life in Live Poetry in the "Suntorn Pu Lives!" performances as well as "the Originals"-musical performance by artists from the original peoples of Thailand's East - the Khmers, the Tai, even the rare Chong peoples. To this festival of great food, culture and exhibition we add a full-blown Funky Fruit Musiq  Festival featuring the Best of Thai Musiq & our own original World Musiq recipes...

Come join the Funk 'n Fun right here in Rayong. Call us at 0 2733 2709 for details or email us at toddeastwest@yahoo.com 
for a full schedule of shows and activities, go to toddeastwest.com or call Jeep at 08 9666 1184

Funky Fruit & Culture-Rayong Rocks He!

from TourismThailand.Org  -  The Official Website for Tourism in Thailand.