Lomprayah in Magazine Issue 25 (08/2013) www.facebook.com/lomprayah

Issue 25 / August 2013

NICH MARKET

T O U R I S M

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Editor’s Talk Hello every one, welcome to August.

This month has a special day, which is Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Birthday, who resemble as a mother of all Thai people.

Well, according to The Queen’s birthday, so we provide you some information about the National Mother’s Day in special column, including the place guide column, if you are looking for the place to travel with your mother, we recommend you to visit the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, the museum which is established by the Queen.

For the ‘Highlight’ we proudly to present you about ‘Niche market’ in tourism industry. This will be useful for both of tourists and the people who want to join the niche market. Besides, we still have many topics about travelling as another issue for the people who interested and love travelling.

Check out the details of what you’ve just read above right now. Thank you for always supporting our Lomprayah magazine. Have a nice time.

Lomprayah Team

Editor in Chief

Photjanard Kantiwong

Executive Editor Wanitcha Sukchet Tinn Chacalanuwattanapong

Editorial Staff Vorapong Vongvarothai Juntiya Laoniyomthai Areeya Pichittanabordeekul Jiraporn Boonta Saksid Boonrawang

Art Director Methakritsada Wanngoen

Photjanard Kantiwong

Graphic Designer Seattakit Meunnak

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Hilight

NICH MARKET

T O U R I S M

N

NICH MARKET NICH MARKET NICH

Nowadays, Niche market is very popular and spared all around the world, but not everyone knows about it clearly. Someone knows the word “Niche market”, but don’t know the definition. Someone joint the Niche market, but doesn’t know that’s called Niche market.

MARKET

Niche marketing is a business strategy that targets small, well-defined segments of the population who have similar demographic, buying behavior, and/or lifestyle characteristics rather than the population as a whole. The philosophy is that while your business can’t be all things to all people-and it shouldn’t even try to be--you can dominate one segment of the market if you understand it well enough and appeal to it in a manner that resonates with its members.

There are many kinds of niche market, including products, services or tourism.

NICH MARKET NICH MARKET NICH

A niche tourism market is a specific market segment, usually with a well-defined product, that can be tailored to meet the interests of the customer. Note that “niche” does not necessarily mean “small” – niche markets can generate large numbers of tourists. It should also be noted that niche market tourists are not necessarily high spenders (although many are). Therefore developing niche market tourism does not necessarily increase the average spend of tourists. However niche markets are good for diversifying the product, minimizing the effects of seasonality, and reducing pressure on “honey pot” areas by distributing tourists to lesser-visited places on the islands.

In Thailand, there are many types of niche tourism, as the example below.

Wedding and Honeymoon

The wedding and honeymoon market has exploded in recent years, especially from India. It has been one factor driving the boom in boutique-style properties designed for guests seeking total privacy in a charming ambience. In April 2012, Thailand was awarded the ‘Best Wedding Destination’ category from Travel + Leisure India & South Asia.

Golf

Thailand today has an expansive range of golf tour operators and over 200 top-quality golf courses nationwide. Golfers come from all around the world, especially places such as Japan and Korea, to play and attend international tournaments. The cost of playing in Thailand is generally much lower than that of many countries.

Health and Wellness

Visitors are coming to Thailand for everything from sex-change operations and dental treatment to meditation and detox programs. Recently, Thailand won the “Best Spa Destination (Asia)� voted by readers of Asia Spa India, the most popular spa and wellness magazine in India. Moreover, TAT has launched a website for dedicated promotion of medical tourism www.ThailandMedtourism.com.

Green Tourism

This has now become an important nichemarket as the impact of global warming and climate change is making global travelers more conscious of their environmental footprint. Thailand’s product range offers everything from quiet treks in the jungles to soft adventure like zip lining and rock climbing. Thailand is also using the carrot approach that rewards Thai companies for best practices and provides them with publicity and marketing exposure at local and international travel shows.

Senior Tourism

Senior tourism is a fast-growing form of tourism which has attracted the attention of the tourism industry around the world. Thailand also has the capacity to develop as a senior tourist destination due to the good reputation of Thai hospitality, the variety of tourism attractions and available activities, the offer of beach, mountain, rural and urban tourism options, the existing image of Thailand as a health tourism destination, etc.

MICE Tourism

M = Meetings

I = Incentives

C = Conferences/Conventions

E = Exhibitions/Events

‘MICE’ is a type of tourism in which large groups, usually planned well in advance, are brought together for a particular purpose. According to the statistics from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the growth of MICE tourists is increasing every year and the revenue derived from MICE activities accounts for 10 percent of overall tourism income or 3 times higher than that of the other types of the tourists. At present, Thailand is considered as a major regional hub for the MICE industry. This is not only because of the modern convention/exhibition centers and 4-5 stars hotels that can accommodate large group meetings, but also the strong promotions and strategies by the government.

Cultural/Heritage Tourism

Cultural heritage tourism as traveling to experience the places, artifacts and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes cultural, historic and natural resources. Heritage tourism is quite fast growing in Thailand, because our country has many interesting and unique culture.

NICH

Nothing is perfect, niche market is also. Niche market may have many good points, especially proprietor compete against few competitors comparing with the mass market, but it is a small/ medium business and it has a special target, so it’s quite difficult to grow.

However, if the proprietors know what is the important point of their business, it will be fast growing.

MARKET

Destination Guide

Tham Morakot Trang - Thailand

E m e r a l d

C a v e

Tham Morakot is one of the fantastic attractions of the Unseen in Thailand is located at the west of Ko Muk. The exciting journey to Morakot Cave besides seeing the marvelous nature creation is the way to reach the cave by swimming one by one into the entrance of the cave with the width of not more than 10 metres and little area above the sea level.

Tham Morakot is visited by swimming or by small inflatable boats. Starting from a ship, the swimmer has to enter the cave until he reaches a water filled chamber, which is lit by sunlight through a hole in the ceiling.

The entrance passage is rather small and low, and it is passable only during low tide.

If visitors miss the time inside, they have to wait for the next low tide to get out again.

This can allow only a small boat to pass through during low tide along the channel of 80 metres long. After passing the entrance to the other side, one will stand at the large hall roofed by the sky looking like standing inside the very large funnel. The sand beach will be seen in the middle to the hall surrounded by high cliffs. Some species of plant are found either on the beach or at the cliff such as Caladium, spurge (Euphorbia antiquorum) etc.

The name of the cave means Emerald Cave. It describes the emerald colour produced by sunlight filtered through sea water.

Inside the cave is a secluded beach of white sand.

The sunlight during midday will be straight through the mouth of the funnel.

The reflection of the sea creates the emerald color as the name “Morakot Cave” which means”Emerald Cave”. To get to Ko Muk and Morakot Cave, boat service leaves Kuan Tung Ku Pier at 08.00 hr everyday charging 40 baht per person. One trip by the rented boat will charge 400 baht and takes 30 minutes to Ko Muk. Upon arrival at Sapanyao Pier in front of the island, one have to rent a long-tailed boat to Morakot Cave rested at the other side of the island (100 baht each).

Another way is to rent the boat from Pak Meng Pier straight to Morakot Cave at Ko Muk. The rate is 1,800 baht/day taking about 40 minutes.

Place Guide

QUEEN SIRIKI T MU S E U M OF T E X T I LE S

The museum’s mission is to collect, display, preserve, and serve as a centre for all who wish to learn about textiles, past and present, from Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Asia, with a special emphasis on the textiles of, and related to, the royal court and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. Additionally, its goal is to create public awareness of Thai identity and culture, and the beauty of Thai traditional textiles, through research, exhibition and interpretation.

The museum’s objectives, set by Her Majesty, are being achieved by the museum staff, guided

by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The official store of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles, the Museum Shop is also the premier retail venue for SUPPORT Foundation products. The Museum Shop offers a wide range of museum-related and SUPPORT products, both traditional and newly designed, including decorative and functional items for the home, cotton and silk fashions and accessories, jewellery, books, stationery, and handmade silk flowers.

Open Daily from 9am - 4.30pm Last admission is at 3.30pm Location: ​Ratsadakorn-bhibhathana Building, The Grand Palace, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand For more information : ​+662 225 9430, +662 225 9420

Restaurant Guide

Fresh

Restaurant

One of the largest restaurants in the Old Town with a beautiful wooden pier extending out towards the southern islands. ‘Fresh’ lives up to its name, as it serves fresh seafood in traditional Thai dishes or from the BBQ as well as having a good range of Western foods, including burgers.

Opening Hours: Daily 08:00 – 22:00 Location: On the main road into the Old Town, on the sea side before Mango House Tel: +66 (0)75 697 041

Real Story

Diving at

Ko Lanta by: swhayden Credit : http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-blogs/25264/Diving-Ko-Lanta-10

Today was my day to go diving at Ko Lanta. I went diving with Lanta Diver and they picked me up at my hotel and brought me to the dive shop where I met my dive master. From there we headed over to the pier in the back of a pickup truck and loaded onto the boat. Lanta Diver is one of the bigger operations in town and they had a lot of people going diving today so we were in their bigger boat. As is Thai custom our boat was stacked up with another boat so we walked across the other boat to get to our boat which was a big two deck boat with the dive gear on the bottom level and a galley and sitting area up above. There were about 25 divers on board and everyone was divided into groups with their divemaster.

Everyone was aboard so we left the pier and then it was breakfast time. They gave us a buffet style breakfast of a breakfast sandwhich which we made ourselves in a buffet line (egg, cheese, tomato on a piece of bread). It was actually pretty good. We were headed out to Ko Bida which is just south of Ko Phi Phi and about an hour boat ride away. That gave me time to get to know my dive buddy (Wolfgang) and our Divemaster (Nora) gave us a pre dive briefing.

Wolfgang was from Germany and he spoke just a little bit of English. Nora was from Switzerland so she was able to talk to Wolfgang and me in both our languages.

We arived at ko Bida Which is just a steep sided rock sticking out of the water.

There were several other dive boats milling around the area picking up or dropping off their divers. Our big dive boat got into production mode and got all of us out pretty quickly.

ONce in the water it was nice to be back under water again. I usually have some trouble gettng my ears to adjust to the pressure of deedp water but this time I had no trouble at all. I attribute that to all the snorkeling I did last

week geting my ears lubed up. I had been doing a lot of diving deep while snorkeling so I had gotten my ears used to the pressure. Today the weathere was mostly cloudy so we didn’t have all that much sunlight in the water so visibility and underwater colors were a little flat.

We did have good visibility though and for our maximum depth of about 45 feet we could still see the surface clearly.

The dive was OK. Nothing too spectacular. There were a few rock formations to add to the interest but nothing special. The best part of it was the fish were not scrambling away from you like they do for snorkelers so I could take pictures in a more relaxed way without having to chase after them. There were some cool wildly patterned boxfish, some triggerfish and the divemaster found us a lobster tucked deep into a crack. You could just see the feelers sticking out of the crack. After about 50 minutes under water we came up and loaded back on board and headed over to the next dive spot.

The next dive spot was Hin Bida which is a small rock that just barely pokes out of the water. We tied off our big dive boat to the rock and had lunch.

It was so small it was surprising that she found it. It was black and white striped and the stripes were highly contrasted. This was another mediocre dive. Nothing too spectacular just fun being underwater. The second dive had the possibility of seeing Whale Sharks. That would have been awesome. Some of the other groups of divers saw cuttlefish. That would have been pretty cool too.

Once we were all back on the boat we started back towards Ko Lanta. I talked to a guy from Brazil up on the bow of the boat. It was interesting sharing travel tales and watching the sea pass by.

Back on dry land they brought us back to our hotels. I took a little break and then headed towards town by way of the beach.

I took the road along the channel between the islands to get to the main part of town. There is not much up here along this part of the road, It is not bad real estate so I could see that some day in the future this could get developed. I wandered around town exploring all there was to see. I checked out the side street that T’s into the main road and parallels the channel between the islands. This street has pierside restaurants and a few dive shops.

I browsed some of the restaurant menus. They all look pretty good. I headed back toward my hotel on the main street and grabbed a piece of fried chicken, as a snack, from a street vendor. Yesterday they had told me it was 10 baht but today they sold it to me for 20 baht. It was good and it was a lot cheaper than in the United States so it was not a big deal. I grabbed a few more snacks along the way at a 7-11. Once I was back at my room it started to rain really hard so I had a few of my snacks and decided not to venture out tonight for dinner. I had had a late snack anyway. No need to gain weight on a vacation.

Diving at Ko

Lanta

by: swhayden

Special

The National Mother’s Day of Thailand

The National Mother’s Day falls on August 12, which is generally observed as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Birthday. The National Mother’s Day was established officially for the first time on 1976.

August 12, National Mother’s Day, is regarded as one of the most important and memorable days for the Thai people. ‘A white jasmine’ is considered the emblem of kindness and love of a mother. This is because its white color represents the essence of purity which implies that a mother’s love for her children is pure. Furthermore, the scent of jasmine symbolizes the true love of a mother which is infinite and unchangeable.

Horoscope Predictions for the month of

August 2013

By Mr.

Rup Krishen Baqaya

Aries: The Sun makes its way through a creative region of your chart shedding new light on areas which you might have never considered.So move ahead and you will accomplish much.A good time for falling in love too.

Taurus: You are the soul of the party. You may make expensive purchases,mostly in the nature of investments.Go ahead with your plans as there is very little that you can do wrong.

Gemini: This is your month for sure,as you make short work of all opposition and zoom away to glory.Short distance travel is likely.There may be changes at the workplace.

Cancer: Your parents,spouse and even the extended family are all a great source of strength.Press ahead at work and even in leisure activities.Aim to come first everywhere as the stars seem to be supporting all your ambitions.

Leo: Your past efforts will yield results.Financial and and work pressures will ease.The most important thing for you to do is to learn from your mistakes.

The adventurous zones of your chart are being triggered now making it likely taht you may set off on a new venture now.

Virgo: Take a break from your commitments. Right now a brief period of solitude may do you good.Also think ahead and arrange gatherings for next month,so that your social diary is nice and full.

Libra: You are now inspired to great achievements. You also find time to help the less fortunate, the needy,the poor and the destitute. You may also embark on a self improvement drive. Acquaintances,colleagues, your children all will rally around you. and thus inspire you.

Scorpio: At work your performance will be spectacular as all enterprises of yours will be crowned with success.Your stars indicate new collaborations in business. In love you may put demands on partners which they cannot fulfill.

Sagittarius: There is a shift in your focus making you keen on achieving peace of mind., harmony and balance with your own self.A family matter may involve a legal dimension,so be thoroughly prepared.An old relation will offer you the best advice.So be sure to ask.

Capricorn: Your stars are taking a rather lively turn.Take a more adventurous line,and also consider the moral and ethical consequences of your action.If you have any doubts,hold on until you have been reassured.

Develop foreign contacts to the full.

Aquarius: You may take necessary steps to ensure that if you are let down in the future, no problems ensue. You should also make a point of encouraging other people to see that their choices are theirs alone, and that you are not holding them back.

Pisces: A relaxed period. You will be fun loving and easy going. This is the time for love, laughter, warmth, companionship, shared joy etcYou will also be very generous this month. This is not to say though, that you will be exploited.

Trend

Mandatory Makeup

During Rainy Season “You should always consider the weather when wearing makeup and hair set. And you also have to look natural because you have to look fresher and younger than your age,� says celebrity makeup artist Hollywood, Jacqui Phillips.

Less is More Matching makeup applied when the rainy season is a simple makeup. “It is much better if you keep it simple makeup and hair with a touch of minimalism,� said Phillips. For hair, you could try the classic ponytail style by adding a scarf around the neck or a chic hat on your head.

Foundation and Powder Arrange use of foundation and powder so that when you are stuck in the middle of bad weather, such as heavy rain, makeup display will remain intact.

Note The Tone

Avoid using makeup is too heavy. You will look a mess if accidentally exposed to rain. Phillips recommends that you choose a lighter makeup, such as BB cream, CC cream or tinted moisturizer that evens out your skin.

Cream or Gel Blush On Powder-based blush is not too good outcome if exposed to water. So, choose a light cream or gel to better absorb into the skin and not dwell on the surface of the skin.

Water Resistant

“Everyone should have waterproof mascara for special occasions,” said Phillips. Some brands of waterproof mascara or eyeliner will keep your eyes still look pretty when you sweat or when exercising.

Durable Beautiful lips will make anyone look beautiful and charming. Wear lipstick that can last for hours.

Make Up Kit If you know that this day will deal with the rain, do not forget to bring the equipment mirrors. “Fill your make up kit with concealer, pressed powder, lipstick, cotton swab, small comb, hair tie, and hair spray,” said Phillips.

Birthday Always apply your makeup so that you still look stunning all day.

Umbrella

Wherever you go, in the rainy season, make sure there is always an umbrella in your bag.

Lompraya News Samui organized Stop Smoking in Samui campaign.

On 30th August 2013, the City Municipality of Koh Samui organized the campaign to stop smoking in public area Samui. There were many private and government organization join this event, such as Koh Samui Hospital, Lomprayah and Samui Spa Association.

Lomprayah set a booth at Thai Teaw Thai #28 Lomprayah join ìThai Teaw Thai #28î which was organized on 5-8 September 2013 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, 10.00-20.00 oí clock.

Lomprayah in ìFood Diary by CPî The General Manager of Lomprayah was interviewed in ìFood Diary by CPî which broadcasted on 24th August 2013. The interview was about our new catamaran, Mae Haad, and our services.

Global News China loses its appeal for travellers Chinese media reported recently what could be a worrying trend for China tourism. China is experiencing a slowdown in arrivals from international travellers. Some neighbouring Asian countries have become strong competitors to China in the inbound tourism market, with foreign travelers’ online searches for Chinese tourism destinations increasing much more slowly than for other Asian countries.

Thailand wins ‘Best International Travel Destination’ at Travel Awards

By Taylor Williams Thailand won the ‘Best International Travel Destination’ award at the seventh edition of the CNBC AWAZZ Travel Awards last month, news that has encouraged more tourists to experience holidays to Thailand.

40 Chinese couples to get married in traditional Thai style For the second year running, the beach resort of Hua Hin will host 40 Chinese couples who have chosen to get married in the traditional Thai style. Known as the “2nd Romance in Thailand 2013,” the event is being organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in cooperation with a number of industry partners, at the Dusit Thani Hua Hin Hotel in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi Province, on August 8, 2013.

Tip to Trip

Travel Tips

Elderly For The

The great pleasures to be derived from travelling don’t have to end just because we happen to be getting older. People in their senior years regularly continue to cruise, fly and take road trips all over the world and have fabulous holidays. But of course they have to factor in a few additional considerations and take a bit more care on some aspects of their travel plans, from homelifts to packing, especially if they have a medical condition.

Before leaving

It’s a good idea to research the travel agents a bit, as many of them now specialise in travelling for seniors, and also to check out the medical facilities that are available at the destinations you’re considering. If you use a wheelchair or guide dog, make all the necessary arrangements such as seating on the plane. Your travel insurance also needs to cover any medical conditions to remain valid.

Luggage

Make sure you take a bag into the cabin that contains all the medication you’ll need during the flight. A pill-box is always a good idea too, because on holiday routines tend to get disrupted and you’ll need to know what you’ve taken each day of the week. Use a suitcase that has wheels to lighten the load.

Disabilities

You can call the airport well ahead of your flight to make arrangements about seating, services, meals and shuttles, and the travel agent should also have been informed of any disabilities.

Try to book only direct flights, but where this is not possible give yourself plenty of time for transfers.

At the destination end, you or your agent can contact the local authorities to see whether the transport system can handle your particular disability. You can also contact the local embassy to check the availability of things like wheelchairs, relevant medications or guide dogs.

Medication

Before booking a trip, ensure that your medication is legal in that destination country by contacting the consulate or embassy, and take a doctor’s letter confirming dosages and the fact that your medicine is purely for personal use. Always keep it in its original packaging, and take this with you even if you’re using a pill-box. Take a supply of needles and syringes to last the length of your stay.

Clothing With clothing, go for comfortable attire that allows for free blood circulation, and ensure beforehand that your body can handle a long flight as sitting motionless for prolonged periods can cause blood clots under certain conditions. Compression stockings are often recommended to stimulate circulation in the lower legs.

Infection avoidance Use an alcohol-based hand cleanser for your hands, especially before eating or after being in crowded places like a bus, plane or train.

credit:http://www.hotphuketvillas.com/phuket/tips-to-spend-luxurious-vacation-in-phuket.html