Published January 7, 2009

Free stay at Banyan Tree's Thai resorts

By NISHA RAMCHANDANI

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TO help lure tourists back to Thailand, resort operator Banyan Tree Holdings is giving away 1,000 complimentary room nights at Banyan Tree Bangkok and Banyan Tree Phuket.

Under the promotion, which is part of a collaborative effort with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, guests will get one free night's stay with a minimum of one paid night's stay for online bookings made from Jan 8-31.

Recent political clashes between the Thai government and People's Alliance for Democracy, which led to a week-long closure of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and left more than 300,000 tourists stranded, have sparked a drop in arrivals.

The global economic downturn is also putting a damper on travel.

This could have significant impact on Banyan Tree, as its businesses in Thailand contribute about 70 per cent of group revenue. The group has another Thai resort, Banyan Tree Koh Samui, scheduled to open late this year.

It warned in November last year that it expected fourth quarter 2008 results to be down from the year before.

Its outlook for 2009 is also more cautious, amid the global downturn and continuing political uncertainty in Thailand.

Still, Banyan Tree Bangkok's director of sales and marketing Sunee U-Thaikittisup reckons Thailand will remain an attractive tourist destination, saying, 'We are confident that tourists will return. Thailand has much to offer and Banyan Tree would like to give an additional incentive to draw new and old guests back to Phuket and Bangkok.'

The complimentary rooms are valid for stays from Feb 1 to April 30, 2009.

Santichai Euachongprasit, deputy governor for international marketing with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: 'Our experience with other crises has shown us how to cope, by helping one another. Everyone in the tourism industry is working hard to get Thailand smiling again.

'We welcome Banyan Tree's efforts to contribute to the growth of Thailand's tourism industry and build traveller confidence in these challenging times.'