Category: Latest Travel News

Belfast (Northern Ireland) – December 8, 2017 (travelindex.com) – For a small country, Northern Ireland punches far above its weight on the global golf stage, having produced three champions with six Major titles between them in the last decade – Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke.

Its success is no coincidence, however. Underpinning that are some of the finest golf courses to be found anywhere in the world and many of the game’s greatest players have trodden their hallowed fairways down the years.

While the land of the Giant’s Causeway has been something of a slumbering giant as a golf destination in comparison with its neighbours up until now, it has been roused under the increasing glare of the golfing world’s spotlight thanks to its superstar venues.

Royal Portrush and Royal County Down are rated among the best in the world for their championship links with the latter, just an hour south of Belfast, topping the world’s 100 greatest courses rankings by Golf Digest in 2016.

Royal Portrush, on the Causeway Coast, will focus the global spotlight on Northern Ireland even more when it hosts the Open Championship in 2019 for the second time. Nearby Portstewart, another celebrated links course, also helped raise the bar when it staged the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open in July 2017, attracting a host of golf stars with its purse of £5.5 million and providing Spain’s Jon Rahm, recently voted European Tour Rookie of the Year, with his first European Tour victory. It Northern Ireland’s third time hosting the event since 2012, Royal County Down and Royal Portrush having both been previous venues.

Golfers from all over the world make a spiritual pilgrimage to play Northern Ireland’s celebrated Royal links championship courses and both have a distinguished pedigree.

Golf legends Old Tom Morris, Harry Colt and Harry Vardon all put their stamp on Royal County Down’s Championship Links. Old Tom Morris was brought in to extend the original nine holes to 18 through dunes below the Mourne Mountains in 1889, for the princely sum of £4, while Harry Vardon and Harry Colt subsequently made changes, some holes later modified by Donald Steel. Besides the Irish Open, it has hosted many top tournaments, among them eight Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championships, the Curtis Cup in 1968 and the Walker Cup in 2007. In that, Rory McIlroy represented Great Britain and Northern Ireland while the victorious US team included future stars Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Billy Horschel and Webb Simpson. Its par-66 Annesley course is also highly rated.

Founded in 1898 with two 18-hole courses, Royal Portrush Golf Club’s celebrated Dunluce Links was redesigned by Harry Colt in 1932 and has hosted the Open once before, in 1951, when Max Faulkner won. Its 17th and 18th holes have been replaced by spectacular new 7th and 8th holes, borrowed from an area of duneland spanned by two holes of its sister Valley course, to allow for the spectator village area at the 2019 Open. The new holes opened for play to critical acclaim in June 2017. Other tournaments it has hosted include the Irish Open four times and the Senior British Open six times. Royal Portrush also offers the par-70 Valley course.

It may not have the royal monicker, but Portstewart Golf Club, just 15 minutes from Royal Portrush, has 54 holes of links golf and boasts one of Ireland’s most modern clubhouses, completed in 2009. Its Strand Course, venue for the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, is set amidst towering dunes between the Atlantic and the River Bann and its opening hole is regarded by many as the best in Ireland. Two-time Open champion Willie Park Jr was responsible for one of its makeovers.

Play Northern Ireland’s courses and you are likely to come across its three local heroes, all of whom are still members of courses where they learnt to play as youngsters.

Graeme McDowell (US Open champion, 2010) was born and grew up in Portrush and was awarded life membership of Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2002 after his maiden win on the European Tour. His brother is on the club’s greenkeeping staff. Darren Clarke cut his teeth as a golfer at Dungannon Golf Club. A life-size photograph of him holding the Open Championship’s famous Claret Jug greets visitors in the clubhouse entrance while the members’ area showcases memorabilia including photographs highlighting his success as well as a painting of the signature par-3 9th, named the Darren Clarke hole and one of six new holes he designed at the venerable club.

Darren is also a member of Royal Portrush and has lived in the town. A replica of the Claret Jug is displayed in its clubhouse, commemorating his Open win. Nearby is a card showing the course record 61, shot by a 16-year-old Rory McIlroy, for the old layout before recent changes. Rory (he won the US Open and Open Championship in 2011, and the US PGA Championship in 2012 and 2014) honed his skills on the hilly fairways and greens of Belfast’s Holywood Golf Club, just outside Belfast. A special area of the clubhouse is a shrine to him, with memorabilia including photographs of his early years playing there and replicas of the US Open and US PGA trophies.

Its courses also attract plaudits from many of the game’s top professionals. They include:
– Ernie Els (Royal County Down): “The scenery is unbelievable, you have so many great golf courses in this country and the people are wonderful, I really enjoy coming.”
– Rickie Fowler (Royal County Down): “They definitely enjoy their golf here and it’s fun to be over here and see their enthusiasm about it.”
– Soren Kjeldsen (after his Irish Open 2015 win at Royal County Down): “It’s a wonderful place to visit, it has been very special.”
– Rory McIlroy: “That frontline on Portstewart is probably one of the best nine holes in the world…that run of holes in incredible.”
– Padraig Harrington (Portstewart): “The venue is fantastic.”

Follow in their spike marks and golfers can play some of the most memorable courses they will ever experience.

About IAGTO
Established in 1997, IAGTO is the global trade organisation of the golf tourism industry, and has over 2500 members in 97 countries including over 650 golf tour operator members in 65 countries, which control more than 87% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide and which collectively have annual sales of over US$2.5 billion. IAGTO runs annual Asia and North America Golf Tourism Conventions, along with regular Destination Conventions. IAGTO established the International Golf Travel Market, now owned and operated by Reed Travel Exhibitions, in 1997 and the International Golf Travel Writers Association in 2000. IAGTO also runs the prestigious annual IAGTO Awards.

For further Information:
Guillaume Post
Marketing & Communications Manager
gpost@iagto.com
Tel: +44 20 8096 3377

Bangkok (Thailand) – December 8, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Michelin is pleased to unveil the first selection for the Michelin Guide Bangkok, which features a total of 98 restaurants. This selection highlights how the city embraces international dining without abandoning its own heritage and authentic cuisine – which draws millions of visitors worldwide.

Michael ELLIS, International Director in charge of the Michelin Guides comments: “We are proud to launch this first selection of the Michelin guide dedicated to Bangkok, highlighting the richness of the city’s gastronomy. Our inspectors were thrilled to find a local culinary scene with an amazing vibrancy, myriad new restaurants, an astonishing variety of wonderful street food, but also Thai cuisine served in different forms.”

Three restaurants obtain two stars in the Michelin Guide Bangkok 2018: Gaggan, where the Chef-owner Gaggan Anand takes Indian cuisine to a level rarely seen, and one that has a truly unique signature. His artful dishes are original and creative, with a wonderful blend of textures, flavours, and delicate spices. Le Normandie, located in The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, also gains two stars. Opened in 1958, the restaurant offers a sophisticated French cuisine based on superb ingredients, refined techniques, and well executed combinations of flavours and textures. Also awarded two stars, Mezzaluna is perched on the 65th floor of the Lebua Hotel, and the chef and his team deliver European delights with Japanese precision in five- and seven-course set menus.

The first selection of the Michelin Guide Bangkok also award 14 restaurants one star, highlighting the quality of local cuisine, as 7 of these one star restaurants offer Thai cuisine prepared by local Thai chefs, like Chim by Siam Wisdom, where the chef revisits traditional Thai recipes to create dishes that strike a balance between the old and the new, and between Thai and foreign influences; Bo.lan; Saneh Jaan, a restaurant offering Thai dishes which are a mix of classics and hard-to-find recipes like kaengranjuan, a hot and spicy soup. Innovative modern Thai cuisine is also well represented in Bangkok with Sra Bua by Kiin Kiin, where the chef respects traditional Thai flavours and ingredients but transforms them to produce something truly creative and original. Of particular interest, one street food vendor also obtains one star: Jay Fai, where the owner-chef insists on staying at the tiny open kitchen with her homemade charcoal stoves, continuing what her father started 70 years ago, making crab omelettes, crab curries and dry congee.

International cuisine is also recognized in the Michelin Guide Bangkok 2018 with establishments awarded one star such as Ginza Sushi ichi, a sushi restaurant where ingredients are delivered straight from markets in Tokyo every 24 hours, or Sühring, where brothers Mathias and Thomas Sühring deliver their very own style of modern German cooking that is sometimes playful, sometimes classic and always prepared with care. L’Atelier de JoëlRobuchon, J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorrain, Elements and Savelberg, both gain a star in this first selection, with these restaurants serving French contemporary cuisine.

This year’s selection also features a total of 35 restaurants awarded a Bib Gourmand, a distinction as popular with chefs as it is with gourmets, which recognize favorite establishments selected by the Michelin inspectors for their good value for money, as they serve a quality menu for a maximum of THB 1000. On the ground the inspectors unearthed all kinds of delights: from street food like Baan Yai Phad Thai, one of the best place for Phad Thai, or Guay Tiew Kua Gai Suanmali, a long-standing stir-fried chicken noodle shop, to more traditional restaurants offering local and delicious Thai cuisine. For example, Jay Oh serves local style seafood and dishes in a very local rustic, casual ambience where long queues are seen every night, and also obtaining a Bib Gourmand, Baannai, located in a beautiful Thai style wooden house with a well decorated garden serving traditional and delicate Thai food, or Soul Food Mahanakorn which serves modern Thai food.

Reflecting the impressive diversity of street food in Bangkok, which is one of the most attractive spots for visitors from around the world, the Michelin guide selects a total of 28 street food stalls.

The selection of the Michelin Guide Bangkok 2018 features:
– 3 two-stars restaurants
– 14 one-star restaurants
– 35 Bib Gourmand restaurants

About the Michelin Guide
The Michelin guide selects the best restaurants and hotels in the 28 countries it covers. Providing a showcase of gourmet dining around the world, it highlights the culinary dynamism of a country, as well as new trends and emerging young chefs. Creating value for restaurants through the distinctions that it attributes each year, the Michelin guide contributes to the prestige of the local gastronomy, thereby making cities and countries more attractive to tourists. Backed by its rigorous selection method and longstanding knowledge of the hospitality industry, the Michelin guide provides customers with unique expertise that enables it to offer them a true quality service. The different selections are available in both print and digital versions. They are accessible via the Web and on a full range of mobile media that offer navigation capabilities adapted to individual usage as well as an on-line booking service. With the Michelin guide, the Group continues to support millions of travelers, allowing them to live a unique mobility experience.

Contact:
Sunisa Pollasit (Jubie)
Thai Media
E-mail: sp@deliveringasia.com
Tel: +66 (0) 2246 1158
Mobile Phone: +66 (0) 87 690 1620

Hangzhou (China) – December 6. 2017 (travelindex.com) – Speaking at the International Hotel & Restaurant Association Annual Congress in Hangzhou, China, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, Co-founder SUN, discussed the urgent need for the tourism industry to tackle climate change and work together to develop climate resilience strategy. Lipman said:

“One of our known challenges – climate change – is existential and that means if we don’t fix it, our grandchildren will freeze or fry. And it also means we have to keep the pressure on that through other mega-challenges such as poverty, hunger and terrorism dealt with in 17 SDGs (with 169 targets and 304 indicators). All are vitally important but secondary if we do not deal with global warming.”

SUN – Strong Universal Network is a program of the EU based, not for profit Green Growth and Travelism Institute, and a legacy to the late Maurice Strong – sustainable development pioneer. Its goal is to promote Climate Resilient, Impact-Travel with good & bad effects measured and managed coherently: with Green Growth at the core and, 2050-proof in line with the Paris Accords and the W.E.F. 4th Industrial Revolution.

Addressing the Congress Professor Lipman charted the evolution of the tourism industry with its growth mindset focussed on bed nights and visitor numbers, coming to grips with the need to manage its growth sustainably. The triple bottom line focus on Economic, Social and Environmental sustainability must now address Climate Change first and foremost.

Impact-Travel is a template for sustainable Travel and Tourism that is Paris Climate & SDG linked – measured: green: 2050 proofed. SUN has developed a system for Impact-Travel, Learning, Innovation and Resilience. It is based on a network of cloud connected, solar powered pre-fabricated Centres for local Community focus. Shipped in a single container, they can be set up rapidly, without extensive machinery. They will be operated by smart, next generation, climate change curators, with graduate trainee support through Maurice Strong Legacy Scholarships, provided by industry CSR support. This next generation of SUN “Champions” will help to drive the behavioural change and influence the fundamental government and industry actions needed.

Professor Lipman urged the hotel and restaurant community to step up to the challenge of developing climate resilience strategy in line with the 2030/2050 SDG & Paris targets. SUN wants to form partnerships in line with Goal 17 and the One Belt, One Road initiative. Quoting Chairman Mao Lipman said that “The long march started with a small step. By uniting together to take that first vital step it will be the beginning of a global movement that continues Maurice Strong’s sustainability vision for the Travel & Tourism sector.

Contact
Professor Geoffrey Lipman
SUN Co-founder glipman@thesunprogram.com

The Strong Universal Network SUN, is a program of the EU based, not for profit Green Growth and Travelism Institute, and a legacy to the late Maurice Strong – Sustainable Development Pioneer.

Its goal is to promote Climate Resilient, Impact-Travel with good & bad effects measured and managed coherently: with Green Growth at the core and, 2050-proof in line with the Paris Accords and the W.E.F. 4th Industrial Revolution.

The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is the only international trade association exclusively devoted to promoting and defending the interests of the hotel and restaurant industry worldwide. It is a non-profit organization and is officially recognized by the United Nations. IH&RA monitors and lobbies all international agencies on behalf of the hospitality industry.

Krynica Zdroj (Poland) – December 4, 2017 (travelindex) – The 24 year old Korean beauty Jenny Kim was recently crowned Miss Supranational 2017 in Krynica Zdroj, Poland. Held at a resort, winning the international beauty pageant Miss Supranational 2017 for Jenny Kim has been a dream come true.

Miss Supranational is an international beauty pageant operating since 2009 with contestants from over 65 countries. A young woman filled with passion, Kim has expressed her wisdom and beauty before the judges. Elegantly dressed in silver gown, she surpassed all 63 other contestants for the prestigious crown. Jenny Kim was crowned by Miss Supranational 2016’s winner Srinidhi Shetty.

It was an extremely competitive race with this year’s contestants brought beautiful ethnic costumes and accessories.

Final contestants:
– Jenny Kim (Miss Korea)- Miss Supranational 2017
– Bianca Tirsin (Miss Romania) – Second Runner-up Miss Supranational 2017
– Bitaniya Yosef (Miss Ethiopia) – Third-Runner up Miss Supranational 2017
– Larissa Santiago (Miss Peurto Rico) – Fourth-Runner up Miss Supranational 2017
– Miss Panama – Best Dress & Make Up
– Miss Germany – Best Talent – Salsa
– Miss Portugal – Best Talent- Hula Hoop

Kim is a student at Ewha Women’s University currently pursuing 2 majors, International Management and Literature & English. She also often volunteers as a translator at the Indonesia National Museum in Jakarta.

For more information please visit the Miss Supranational website.

Krynica Zdroj (Poland) – December 3, 2017 (travelindex) – Most recently held in Krynica Zdroj, Poland, the international beauty pageant Miss Supranational 2017 received exciting responses. Miss Hai Duong, a judge panel member, reveals her excitement and involvement behind the success of the pageant.

Miss Hai Duong, iconic beauty for modern Vietnamese women herself, caught the eye of Poland’s luxury society. Together with the President of Miss Supranational and other judge panelists, she exchanged ideas and assessments on the contestants.

Miss Hai Duong is quoted, “Our new Miss Supranational 2017 Jenny Kim is an excellent representative of the organization. She has a great personality inside – and out- and has convincingly given impressive performances. I was invited by the beautiful Korean Jenny Kim to be a beauty consultant and mentor throughout the preparation and participation of her involvement as a contestant. Although I was quite busy with work, we happily managed to time manage ourselves. I am extremely glad Jenny Kim was crowned Miss Supranational 2017 and honored to be involved with the organization.”

Earlier this year, Miss Hai Doung made a special appearance during her visit in Thailand at Asia Pacific Women Forum as an elected representative of female leaders of Vietnam. She attracted the attention of both media and its prestigious guests with her elegant presence. A personality of inspiration amongst Vietnamese women, Hai Doung often shares her life experiences and knowledge of how to be beautiful for current and upcoming Vietnamese women. She is often involved and volunteer with many charities around Vietnam, proving on a mission to help the unfortunate children. She is also invited to be a beauty consultant of Miss Universe Vietnam 2017.

Miss Supranational is an international beauty pageant operating since 2009 with contestants from over 65 countries.

For more information please visit the Miss Supranational website.

Bangkok (Thailand) – December 1, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Travelindex launched today its first Top 25 Restaurants City Guide by Restaurant Rating Index. Bangkok as the top tourism destination in Mastercard’s annual travel index, 20 million overnight visitors and a very diverse and dynamic dining scene was the perfect choice for this first restaurant city guide.

From Michelin-star quality tasting menus to exquisite Thai food or the best sushi you’ll ever have, Bangkok is a gourmet heaven. The city is also the top-ranked destination city by international overnight visitors and Travelindex decided to launch its first Global Restaurant City Guide with the Top 25 Restaurants in the Thai capital.

Restaurant ratings and reviews are critical in the consumer decision making process. The Top 25 Restaurants Guide is based on Travelindex owned and patented, “Restaurant Rating Index”. The 3-tier rating combines the power of crowd wisdom (social media and review sites) with artificial intelligence behavioral algorithms and a zest of human expertise from some of the world’s top culinary experts. The result, the Restaurant Rating Index (RRI), a true and objective measuring standard on a scale between 1 and 100, where 100 is best.

Bernard Metzger, Founder of Travelindex, said “How often are you asked by your friends for restaurant recommendations? Existing guides and websites offer either too much choice, and one gets frustrated by the many layers to go through, or restaurants on curated sites tend to be expensive with Michelin-star quality of cooking and a price tag to match. Our aim, with the Top 25 Restaurants guide series, is to give, diners and foodies alike a tool to fast and easily match their aspirations, location and budget.”

Bernard added “Bangkok is the first in our new series of restaurant city guides and in fact our team of experts is already working on the Singapore and Hong Kong editions”.

The Bangkok guide ranked L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the Michelin star world champion, in the top spot while Savelberg, another Michelin star regular and Sra Bua a Thai restaurant offering a modern interpretation of Thai cuisine take respectively second and third positions.

The Top 25 Restaurants Guide brings together not only gourmet dining but the best of all cuisines, with every establishment chosen first and foremost for the quality of cooking. The diversity of cuisine is reflected in the ranking, from the classic French and Italian to hyper-local Thai food restaurant Bo.lan, to Middle Eastern inspired at House on Sathorn and modern American at Bunker.

About Travelindex
Travelindex is a company focused on developing data driven travel discovery and travel planning products. The Company owns digital media products, brands and a technology framework helping businesses create online marketing solutions. Since 2013 Travelindex has spearheaded the development of the “Travel Rating Index” a system and platform measuring objectively, in the same way across the world, criteria important for travelers. Travelindex puts a priority in the integration of sustainability into distribution and management systems to bring tangible benefits to its partners and clients helping them to improve reputation and goodwill. Travelindex is a UNWTO World Tourism Organization Affiliate Member.

About Top25Restaurants.com
Top 25 Restaurants aims to guide and assist diners to find, in every city and every day of the year, the restaurant matching their aspirations, location and budget. To deliver a true and objective measuring standard Travelindex has develop its own and unique “Restaurant Rating Index” (RRI) combining the power of a mathematical algorithm driven by artificial intelligence and re-assessed through the human discernment of some of the world’s top culinary experts.

Notes to editors
Media Contact:
Nicole Lim, Top 25 Restaurants Asia Pacific
+852 6236 9854
nicole@www.top25restaurants.com

Bangkok (Thailand) – December 1, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok and internationally renowned Thai fashion designer Ms. Vatanika Patamasingh reaffirmed connections with a successful showcase of the latter’s exclusive fashion collection curated for Rolls-Royce in a first-of-its-kind collaboration at the 34th Thailand International Motor Expo 2017.

The collection is in line with the theme for the show, “Effortless Luxury”, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok approached Ms. Patamasingh to curate three looks for each iconic Rolls-Royce model on display – Ghost, Wraith and Dawn – in her signature chic, yet wearable style.

The four-door Rolls-Royce Ghost cuts a handsome figure in Diamond Black, confident and poised with a thoroughly polished presence. To match this, Ms. Patamasingh paired a business-ready look with a sharp VATANIKA silk velvet and silk satin jacket, paired with silk velvet straight-leg pants.

Packing power, style and drama, the sleek two-door fastback, Rolls-Royce Wraith, boldly stood out with its two-tone Diamond Black/English White finish. Ms. Patamasingh complemented this with her signature black silk satin hand-draped backless gown, layered with a black turtle neck sleeveless top.

The super-luxury drophead motor car, Dawn, is the sexiest Rolls-Royce ever created, an effortless boulevardier presented in elegant English White at the Motor Expo. Ms. Patamasingh encapsulated this with a variation of three different looks, all reflecting the strikingappeal of Dawn.

Mr. Sunthornpan Dhechatech, General Manager for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok, commented on the collaboration, “Elegant, sophisticated and edgy, VATANIKA’s designs match our increasingly younger and fashion-savvy patronage. Rolls-Royce is collaborating with one of Thailand’s most internationally-renowned fashion labels for this first-of-its-kind collaboration at the Motor Expo. VATANIKA’S designs are aligned with our brand values – capturing expressions of visual beauty and individuality, with luxury at their core. . Her tailoring technique is personal and embraces effortless wearability with a contemporary feel.” Ms. Patamasingh echoed the same sentiments, saying, “It was a pleasure for us to work together; we share many common values and strive for perfection in all that we do. Like Rolls-Royce’s uniquely personal creations, , VATANIKA prides itself on exciting handcrafted detail, and it was a real pleasure for me to select these looks inspired by the motor cars on display.”

The curated Rolls-Royce collection will go on to be part of VATANIKA’s Resort 2018 collection, and will be available through her boutiques located at Bangkok’s Emquartier, Siam Paragon, Central Chidlom and via her online store.

The authorised Rolls-Royce Motor Cars dealer in Thailand is operated by Millionaire Auto (Thailand) Company Limited, under the Holding company, Master Group Corporation (Asia).

About VATANIKA
The VATANIKA label was founded by leading fashion designer Ms. Vatanika Patamasingh, born in Bangkok, Thailand. After completing degrees from both Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and London College of Fashion, Ms. Patamasingh started her eponymous label in 2011. Today, her designs grace numerous runways at international fashion festivals, and are worn by models and celebrities like Miranda Kerr, Heidi Klum, actress Cara Delevingne and singers Jennifer Lopez and Taylor Swift.

About Rolls-Royce Motor Cars
The full Rolls-Royce Motor Cars product range:
– New Phantom / Phantom Extended Wheelbase
– Ghost Series II / Ghost Series II Extended Wheelbase
– Wraith
– Dawn
– Black Badge range of models: Ghost, Wraith and Dawn

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is the pinnacle purveyor of super luxury, with a 114-year history creating some of the finest handcrafted automobiles in the world. Like VATANIKA’s bespoke clothing and accessories, many fashion-forward celebrities choose to drive or be driven in Rolls-Royces.

Further information:
Thailand: Neo Target
Somsri Hansirisawasdi
somsri@neotarget.com
+66 81-174-5182
Tiphathai Ngamsiriporn
tiphathai@neotarget.com
+66 89-161-1029
Arisa Chaidej
arisa@neotarget.com
+66 81-806-6637

Regional – Asia Pacific (South)
Hal Serudin
hal.serudin@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
+65 6838 9675
Brendan Mok
brendan.mok@rolls-roycemotorcars.com
+65 6838 9687

Bangkok (Thailand) – December 1, 2017 (travelindex) – Bangkok’s luxury 407-room Rembrandt hotel is the ideal location for Christmas and New Year celebrations. On offer are sensational cuisine, party venues, and fixed price special festive promotions from 24 – 1 January 2018 at four award-winning restaurants:

Rang Mahal
Thailand’s most acclaimed Indian restaurant is presenting mouth-watering regional and traditional menus including Roganjosh Kashmiri, Tandoori Murgh, Tandoori Prawns, Paneer tikka badshahi, and Murgh makhanwala:

Sunday 24 December 2017
Christmas Eve Festive Brunch, 11 am – 2.30 pm, THB 1,200 net per person
Free flow beverage, 11 am – 2.30 pm, THB 800 per person
Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet, 6.30 – 11.30 pm, THB 1,600 per person

Sunday 31 December 2017
New Year’s Eve Festive Brunch, 11 am – 2.30 pm, THB 1,200 net per person
Free flow beverage, 11 am – 2.30 pm, THB 800 net per person
Rang Mahal Gala Dinner, 8.00 pm – 12.30 am, THB 3,800 net per person. *Includes a bottle of bubbles per two persons and free flow beverage, THB 2,000 net per person.

Mexicano
Talk of the Town and Bangkok’s favorite Mexican restaurant features delicious authentic garden-fresh Mexican cuisine, Mexican chefs, live music and a fun atmosphere like Mexico City. Highlight menus include: Guacamole en molcajete, Ceviche, Quesadillas, Fajitas…and 60 tequilas. Guau!

Sunday 24 December and Monday 25 December 2017
Festive Dinner, 5.00 – 11.30 pm, Enjoy with special festive menus created by Mexican Chef Carlos Bravo and paired with special celebratory drinks. Dance in a party with a Latin band and romance the night away. On offer is an unforgettable dinner in the world’s most vibrant city…more fun than ever.

Saturday 30 December, 2017
Festive Brunch, 12.00 – 3.00 pm, THB 999 net per person + Free flow beverage, THB 499 net per person.

Sunday 31 December 2017
All you can eat, 5.00 – 8.00 pm, THB 890 net per person
All you can eat + After Party from 8.00 pm – 1.00 am with THB 1,690 net per person
Free flow beverage, THB 1,000 net per person

Monday 1 January 2018
Family Day at Mexicano, 12.00 – 3.00 pm, THB 800 net per person with fun activities.

Da Vinci
Home-made delicious Italian cuisine created by Chef Vittorio, a long-time champion of Italian cuisine using the best of Thailand’s gardens. The newly renovated restaurant is set against the swimming pool and panorama city views. Highlight menus include Pizza Da Vinci, Crema di funghi al tartuffo nero, Lamb shank ossobuco, Ravioli panna e tartuffo and beers, wines and spirits to suite gourmet tastes. Great dining.

Sunday 24 December 2017
Christmas Eve Festive Dinner Buffet, 6.30 – 11.00 pm, THB 1,093 net per person

Monday 25 December 2017
Christmas Festive Lunch Buffet, 12.03 – 0.33 pm, THB 653 net per person

Sunday 31 December 2017
Festive Buffet and New Year Countdown, 7.33 pm – 1.33 am, THB 2,253 net per person
Festive Beverage Package, THB 1,033 net per person

Monday 1 January 2018
New Year recovery session by the pool, start your 2018 with tasty confort food and refreshing beverages 12 pm – 5 pm, THB 650 net per person.

Red Pepper
Our All Day dining restaurant invites you to a ‘New Year’s Eve Tango Party’ with fabulous tasty international dishes including Tom Yam Koong, Phad Thai Koong, Panang Goong, and Gai Phad Med Mamuan. Great night entertainment with International Dance on Sunday 01December 2317 from 8.00 pm till late. Price THB 1,650 net per person.

The Lobby Bar will feature a cookie corner with Christmas cake, stollen, Christmas cookies, Santa chocolate, pralines and more. Special festive goodies and beverages will also be featured at the Lobby Bar from 8 December 2017 – 7 January 2018.

Also on display will be inspiring Christmas tree lighting, festive canapes and special drinks. Live piano will play Christmas carols. Santa Claus will be on hand for children and the young at heart. On Friday 8 December 2017, 6.00 – 7.00 pm.

For reservations, please call 02 261 7100 or visit www.rembrandtbkk.com/restaurants/

About The Rembrandt Hotel Bangkok:
The Rembrandt Hotel is centrally located in the heart of Bangkok off Sukhumvit Road. Guests may access our hotel either from Sukhumvit Soi 18 or Sukhumvit Soi 20 as our property extends the length of the block. We offer luxury, outstanding services, and facilities for all travelers to Bangkok, Thailand. The property is conveniently located near the central business district as well as shopping attractions, city landmarks and vibrant nightlife. Our guests also have the benefit of all major public transportation stations in Bangkok as both skytrain (BTS Asoke Station)and metro (MRT Sukhumvit Station) are just a short 5-minute walk from the hotel or guests may ride on a complimentary 24-hour ‘tuk tuk’ shuttle service to the main road. This quality hotel is a great location for both tourists and business travelers, who will find easy access to Sukhumvit and the Bangkok CBD.

Contact:
Paemika Mungclasiri (Ms.) – Marketing Communications Manager
E-mail: pr@rembrandtbkk.com
Phone +66 (0) 2261 7100 Ext. 7443

Sirorat Jaroontham (Ms.) – Marketing Communications Executive
E-mail: pr@rembrandtbkk.com
Phone +66 (0) 2261 7100 Ext. 7444

Bangkok (Thailand) – November 30, 2017 (travelindex.com) – The Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) will return for its seventh annual edition on January 22nd, 2018, gathering approximately 650 hotel industry professionals at the InterContinental Hotel Bangkok to discuss the mega-projects that are reshaping Bangkok’s cityscape.

Running under the theme ‘MEGACITY BANGKOK– A Tourism and Hotel Futurescape’, TTF 2018 will focus on the redevelopment of the thriving Thai capital. A series of high-level speakers will address the one-day event, including Mr Srettha Thavisin, President of Sansiri PLC, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and real estate developers.

Sansiri recently entered the hospitality space in partnership with Standard Hotels to create the upstart hotel brand, Monocle, and Mr Thavisin will be interviewed on stage at the forum, discussing how “Large Scale Projects Contribute to Better Tourism Experiences.”

He will be joined at the event by executives from some of the Thailand’s largest conglomerates, hotel leaders, expert analysts, developers, financiers and more. The opening address will be made by Bill Barnett, TTF event co-organiser Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks.

“Thailand’s tourism industry continues to ride the crest of a wave, with record-breaking numbers of global visitors clamouring to experience the country’s many attractions,” Mr Barnett said. “As the country’s capital and major international gateway, Bangkok is fast becoming one of the world’s great mega-cities.

“To sustain such numbers however, Bangkok needs large-scale redevelopment. Massive infrastructure projects are pushing into more districts and creating new tourism hotspots such as the Chao Praya River area. At TTF 2018, we will learn first-hand about the ambitious plans for Bangkok’s emerging cityscape and examine their impact on the tourism and hospitality sectors,” Mr Barnett added.

Thailand’s tourism industry is on track for yet another record-breaking year. According to data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Kingdom welcomed 17.3 million international visitors in the first half of 2017, generating THB876 billion (US$25 billion). Tourism revenues are expected to reach an all-time high of THB1.81 trillion (US$50 billion) for the full year.

This rising demand is also boosting confidence in Thailand’s hotel sector; according to STR, approximately 100 new hotels are currently in the country’s pipeline, potentially adding 21,600 new rooms to the national inventory – many of which will be in Bangkok.

But challenges remain; Thailand’s transport infrastructure struggles to cope with the tourism influx, hoteliers face strong competition, and average daily rate (ADR) remains under pressure. So what does the future hold for Bangkok? A series of multi-billion-baht developments, including transport links, mega-malls, attractions, hotels and residential projects, are transforming the cityscape, creating both opportunities and threats for the city.

TTF 2018 will address all these issues, with a comprehensive, insightful programme of discussions, debates and presentations. The forum will conclude with an evening networking event and cocktail party.

In addition to Srettha Thavisin, President of Sansiri PLC, speakers and panellists at TTF 2018 include Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel Group; Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn, Director of Horwath HTL; Thomas Schmelter, IHG’s Director of Operations for Thailand & Indochina; KC Moy, Executive Vice President of Capella Hotel Group; Mike Batchelor, JLL’s Managing Director, Investment Sales for Asia; Jesper Palmqvist, STR’s Area Director for Asia Pacific; Caroline Cheah, General Manager of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok; and many more.

Bangkok (Thailand) – November 30, 2017 (travelindex.com) – Mobile Positioning Data (MPD) was recognised as a “state of the art” approach for the use of big data, and in particular for producing more accurate official statistics, at a workshop organised by United Nations ESCAP held on 24 November, 2018 during the Second Ministerial Conference on Regional Economic Cooperation and Integration in Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok.

The global community is in pursuit of real-time data, with indicator-based development monitoring and response, built upon the integration of content from remote sensing, social media, mobile phones, scanners, and a fast-expanding number of other sources such as the Internet of Things (IOT).

Until recently, deploying and validating these models required accessing massive amounts of sensitive data from private-sector data holders, not to mention a high degree of trust among risk-averse data holders and government statistical agencies. The overarching issues of confidentiality, data access, and the risk of information leakage to competitors, regulators, and other parties were fundamental barriers to progress in scaling up these approaches.

What was needed was a way to share fully anonymized data while not detracting from its use in producing real-time economic and social indicators. The workshop showcased research from two companies that have come together to show how this is done by experts from Positium and Cybernetica, two leading Estonian information-systems companies, that elaborated on the innovative ways population, migration, and tourism statistics are being produced using mobile phone data, and how innovations in encryption and privacy-preservation are overcoming long-standing barriers to the public use of confidential information.

The discussions at the workshop confirmed that Mobile Positioning Data can help improve the measurement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in several areas. More accurate population and mobility data it provides lays the foundation for a vast array of indicators.

About United Nations ESCAP
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations for the Asia-Pacific region. Made up of 53 Member States and 9 Associate Members, with a geographical scope that stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kiribati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south, the region is home to 4.1 billion people, or two thirds of the world’s population. This makes ESCAP the most comprehensive of the United Nations five regional commissions, and the largest United Nations body serving the Asia-Pacific region with over 600 staff. ESCAP works to improve the use of data for evidence-based decision-making, and to produce and disseminate quality data and statistics about societies in the ESCAP region. Website at www.unescap.org

About Positium
Positium has been generating research and official statistics from mobile phone data for over 10 years, which is used for planning, impact studies and research, by government and local bodies. International and local organizations can benefit from the data, to understand the mobility of people in countries and regions, both residents and visitors.

Siim Esko is Director of International Business Development at Positium, mainly works with large public sector institutions across Asia, Africa and South America to leverage location data from mobile networks. Siim has graduate degrees in International business and economics from Copenhagen and Vienna. Website at www.positium.com

About Cybernetica
Cybernetica is an information security and e-governance company. Cybernetica developed the Sharemind secure computation system and the Unified eXchange Platform (UXP), the foundation of e-governments in Estonia (X-road), Finland, Namibia, Haiti, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Sharemind can be used to perform secure computation for privacy-preserving data analysis for policymaking, fraud prevention and official statistics.

Dr. Dan Bogdanov, with Cybernetica, is the inventor of Sharemind, a secure multi-party computation system for collecting, sharing and processing private data. He has been a research team lead for multiple privacy technology research projects with the United States DARPA, European FP7 and Horizon 2020. He is the co-author of the ISO/IEC 29101 standard on the architecture of privacy-preserving systems and the ISO/IEC 19592 standard on secret sharing.

For further information, please contact: Siim Esko siim.esko@positium.com