Tourism bodies have introduced the first Thailand Boutique Awards 2010 in a bid to promote small hotels and help revive the economy in the wake of the recent political turmoil.
Krungthai Card (KTC), Krungthep Turakij newspaper, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and MasterCard have been working the project, which is expected to help promote the tourism industry and give smaller hotels nationwide the opportunity to gain more recognition among consumers. The project will also to enhance business longevity.
The 61 awards will focus on small boutique hotels of distinctive quality and with four to 50 rooms in all regions of Thailand.
Interested hotels can apply at www.thailandboutiqueawards.com. A panel of judges consisting of individ¬uals from different professions will determine the winners, to be announced on November 17.
Staporn Sirisinha, senior executive vice president for travel and leisure marketing at KTC, yesterday said this would be a good opportunity for enterprises, particularly smaller bou¬tique hotels that had potential and creativity but found it difficult to compete with major hotels.
The awards will be aimed at help¬ing smaller boutique hotels nation¬wide that may have been affected by the redshirt demonstration and con¬tinued economic difficulties.
Krungthep Turakij editor Duangkamol Chotana called bou¬tique hotels an upand coming trend in Thailand, consistent with the changing lifestyle of today's trav¬ellers, who seek a different experi¬ence in their leisure.
Boutique accommodation offers these travellers a chance to enjoy unique and creative personalities and services. Unfortunately, most boutique hotels are small or medi¬umsized enterprises with limited capital and marketing expertise. It is indeed difficult for them to compete with major operators, she said.
"That's why we have devised this programme to help identify the best boutique hotels in different cate¬gories. This will effectively boost the morale among these smaller hotels and introduce them to partners that are capable of fortifying their mar¬keting efforts and promotional cam¬paigns. These boutique hotels will see improvements in the future as a result," Duangkamol added.
TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni said he was aware of the lasting effects on the tourism industry from both the reverberating economic cri¬sis that has encompassed all of Southeast Asia and the recent domestic political chaos.
The TAT is working with agencies from all sectors quickly to identify measures that will help larger and smaller entrepreneurs alike.
Thaweejit Chandrasakha, presi¬dent of the Association of Siamese Architects, under royal patronage of His Majesty the King, said candidate hotels would compete in six major categories: architecture; renovations and modifications; nature and the environment; culture; the overall experience; and community travelling.