"Several manufacturers are reluctant to raise prices for fear of losing clients to competitors," Somboon Prasitchootrakul, chairman of the Thai Marketing Association, said yesterday, adding that promotions are expected in the last quarter to boost sales.

Retailers expect sales to increase by 5 per cent this year, having risen 4 per cent in the first eight months. - The Nation.

VN visitor numbers solid

Though last week's coup has resulted in the cancellation of many tour and hotel bookings, Vietnamese still rank seventh in terms of the number of Asian visitors to Thailand so far this year.

Thuavarasukha Vunsadej, executive director of public relations and advertising at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said yesterday that Vietnam came in behind Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The TAT's target is to receive 250,000 Vietnamese visitors this year, 50,000 more than last year. - Viet Nam News, Asia News Network.

HACCP accreditation 

Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts has been accredited the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP), the first hotel in Thailand to meet the international standard.

In 2000, the hotel was also the first in the Kingdom to receive ISO 14001 certification.

To achieve the HACCP standard, the hotel set up a Food Safety Management System.

"It is a great honour for the hotel. It is very important not only to prevent our guests from food-borne illness and [to provide] health protection, but also [to protect] our own employees' good health," Gerard Sintes, general manager, said this week. - The Nation.