Two Gold Awards for Thailand at 53rd PATA Conference 2004

Thailand won two Gold Awards at the 53rd annual conference of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) held in Jeju Island, Korea, last week.

The Hall of Opium, Golden Triangle Park, located in Thailand's northernmost province of Chiang Rai, won the Education and Training Award for its sensitive and detailed exhibition and museum on the history of opium and the impact of illegal drugs.

THAI Airways International won the Travel Advertisement Awards for its campaign Electronic Media Wonders.

The winners were among three Grand Awards and 27 Gold Awards chosen from 332 entries. The awards were open to all PATA and PATA chapter members, with the exception of the journalism awards, which were open to all published writers and photographers.

The Hall of Opium/Golden Triangle Park is situated on over 40 acres of land at a site near The Golden Triangle, 10 kilometres northwest of Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai Province.

It is part of a project initiated in 1988 by Her Royal Highness the Princess Mother Somdej Phra Srinagarindra Baromarajajonani, The Prencess Mother, mother of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, to rehabilitate the forests and improve the lives of the people by ending their dependence on opium cultivation and use.

The site incorporates an exhibition area and information centre and a museum on the history of opium and the impact of illegal drugs, with an information centre for research and extension education on opium, opiates and other narcotics.

A walk through the 5,600 sq-metre world-class exhibition area within the Hall of Opium highlights different aspects on the subject of "Opium". The information presented through the dramatic use of state-of-the-art multimedia innovation is vivid and poignant.

The award was accepted on behalf of the museum by Tourism Authority of Thailand Deputy Governor for International Marketing, Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn.

She said, “It is an honour for Thailand to receive this award. Hopefully, it will attract more visitors to the museum and boost public awareness about the dangers of drugs.”

Mrs. Phornsiri noted that the next two big PATA events will be held in Bangkok, the 27th Annual PATA Travel Mart (PTM) during September 22-24, 2004, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre (QSNCC) followed by the PATA Board of Directors meeting between September 24-26, 2004.

Designed to raise the profile of one of the world’s fastest growing tourism regions, the PTM in Bangkok will be the first since PATA decided to return to the system of rotating the mart around Asia-Pacific cities after six years of fixed location in Singapore.

Mrs. Phornsiri said, “We have been working closely with PATA to ensure that it attracts a high attendance and is a success. Sellers throughout the region will have more opportunities to network with buyers from North America, Europe and Australia as well as from emerging markets like Russia, Eastern Europe, China, India, the Middle East and Northeast Asia.”

Thailand has also won the bid to host the 2006 PATA annual conference and will host it in Pattaya.

“All these PATA events will play a major role in making Thailand the ‘Tourism Capital of Asia’ by 2006,” added Mrs. Phornsiri.