JAPANESE “PEACE BOAT” TO DOCK IN PHUKET, VISITING THAILAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
Bangkok, October 11, 2011 — A Japanese "Peace Boat" which carries only passengers dedicated to promoting peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development will be docking for the first time in the southern Thai island resort of Phuket on May 19, 2012 with approximately 1,000 people on board.
Most of the ship's passengers are Japanese youth groups and senior citizens travelling with their family members. The three-month global tour costs 99,000 to 440,000 Yen (about 376,200 -1,672,000 Baht) per person.
Miss Benjawan Sunatevorakul, Director of the TAT Tokyo Office said, "This will be the Peace Boat's 76th Global Voyage but its first visit to Thailand. To promote this event, the TAT Tokyo Office will participate in two global festivals in Yokohama and Kobe cities, as well as publish information and updates on TAT's Japanese language website."
The first festival will be held on October 29-30, 2011 from 11.00-15.00 hrs while the ship is docked in the Port of Yokohama. The second is a joint event with the key city of Kobe, and will be held inside the Kobe Cruise Ship Passenger Terminal on November 6, 2011 from 10.00-18.00 hrs.
Both events will allow visitors to learn more about Peace Boat voyages, the countries and regions they visit with their ship, and their chartered passenger ship, The Oceanic. Between 1,500 and 3,000 people typically attend each of the Open Ships which are held three times a year. The event in Kobe will be promoted by Kobe City, and it is expected to draw up to 8,000 visitors.
Miss Benjawan said, "Japan and Thailand have a very special relationship. There are excellent relations across all sectors between our two countries – at the Royal Family level, government level and people-to-people level. We are also proud that Thailand remains one of the world's most popular destinations for Japanese golfers and divers."
She added, "Japan has long been our single largest source of investment as a country. Many of our tourism and transportation infrastructure projects including Suvarnabhumi Airport as well as many of our other airports, seaports, highways and national parks, have benefitted from Japanese low interest loans and funding. Thailand is also the home of many of Japan's top car assembly plants."
According to information posted on its website, the Peace Boat is a Japan-based international non-governmental and non-profit organisation "that works to promote peace, human rights, equal and sustainable development and respect for the environment."
It seeks to create awareness and action based on implementing positive social and political change in the world, by organising global educational programmes, responsible travel, cooperative projects and advocacy activities, in partnership with other civil society organisations and communities in Japan, Northeast Asia, and around the world.
The main activities are carried out through a chartered passenger ship that travels the world on peace voyages. The ship creates a neutral, mobile space and enables people to engage across borders in dialogue and mutual cooperation at sea, and in the ports that they visit. Activities based in Japan and Northeast Asia are carried out from the seven Peace Centres in Japan.
Since April 2009, the Peace Boat has been chartering The Oceanic for its global voyages, a 238-metre vessel with a passenger capacity of 1,550. Its public spaces have been adapted to serve as lecture halls, classrooms, offices, workshop rooms and rehearsal areas.
At the hub of the Peace Boat's activities is the Peace Centre or "P-Cen," an office space used by both staff and participants to coordinate onboard events, edit videos, produce posters, plan campaigns and publish the Peace Boat newspaper.
According to the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI), Japan was the number one investor in Thailand accounting for 40% of the total foreign investment in Thailand in 2010 ahead of Singapore (12%) and South Korea (6%). Japanese companies have contributed significantly to industrial development in Thailand, especially in the automotive, electrical and electronics, and chemical products sectors.
Japan was once Thailand's second largest source of visitor arrivals after Malaysia and the top market for tourism revenue. In 2010, Japanese visitors to Thailand fell 1.19 percent over 2009 due to the domestic political disturbances in the country as well as the downturn in the Japanese economy.
In January - August 2011, Thailand attracted 799,527 Japanese visitors, up 24.65% over the same period of 2010.
Phuket is one the most popular beach resorts for the Japanese market, and today Thailand's second most important direct access gateway with a total of 521 domestic, regional and international flights per week. In 2010, the island attracted over five million domestic and international visitors, generating an estimated one billion Baht in income.
Contact information:
TAT Tokyo Office
Tourism Authority of Thailand Yurakucho Denki Building,
South Tower 2nd Fl., Room 259, 1-7-1 Yurakucho Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 100-0006, JAPAN
Tel: (81 3) 3218 1077
Fax: (81 3) 3218 0655
E-mail: tattky@tattky.com, tattky@tat.or.th
Web site: www.thailandtravel.or.jp
International Public Relations Division
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 ext. 4545-48
Fax: +66 (0) 2253 7419
E-mail: prdiv3@tat.or.th
Web site: www.tatnews.org
Credit: TAT News (www.tatnews.org)
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