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PACIFIC-ASIA WATCH
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MEKONG INSTITUTE PROMOTES REGIONAL AGENDA
The Mekong Institute in Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand, on January 14 launched its Learning Program on Tourism: A Regional Approach to Development. Twenty participants from the six GMS countries attended the two-and-a-half week workshop which is part of the institute's professional development series. The course aims to promote effective regional economic cooperation and build partnerships in four areas: 1) sustainable tourism and pro-poor development 2) community-based tourism 3) regional tourism marketing and promotion, and 4) regional tourism and management. On her January 14 address at the launch of the program, MTCO coordinator Ms. Christine Jacquemin told participants that greater subregional loyalty was desirable and good for the region. She said there were productive parallels between the Greater Mekong Subregion and Europe where people still had national loyalties but also felt European.
Pictured here are Dr. Suchat Katima, Mekong Institute director (centre); Jacquemin, coordinator, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (seated 2nd left); Mrs. Sanda Thant, Mekong Institute program manager (seated 2nd from right) at the opening ceremony, January 14.
THE RITZ-CARLTON, BEIJING OPENED DEC. 12 IN CHINA CENTRAL PLACE; NEW LOCATION CONTINUES AWARD-WINNING HOTEL COMPANY’S CHINA EXPANSION
With the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics just months away, and the city embarked on an aggressive upgrade of its tourism facilities before the arrival of millions of athletes and visitors The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. opened its third property in China in the central business district at Central Place on December 12, 2007. The 305-room Ritz-Carlton, Beijing offers introductory rates as low as U.S. $200 through February 29, 2008.
“We are very pleased to open our third China hotel in Beijing, a city which has undergone an impressive transformation as both a major commercial center and a world-class tourism attraction,” said Simon F. Cooper, president and chief operating officer, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. The company currently manages hotels on Beijing’s Financial Street and in Shanghai. Future expansion plans include locations in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Sanya, Pudong (Shanghai), Macau and Hong Kong.
Centrally situated in one of Beijing’s most fashionable areas, and adjacent to the exclusive Shin Kong Place shopping center, as well as the soon-to-open J.W. Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing offers both business and leisure travelers the advantage of a prime location in the city, convenient to all the many attractions Beijing has to offer.
The English-country manor inspired interior of The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing was created by the renowned design consultants, Hirsch Bedner Associates of Atlanta, Ga. Reminiscent of the 1700s when Chippendale furnishings and a gracious lifestyle welcomed guests, the hotel’s décor is unique in Beijing. The guestroom wing rooms and suites also follow the English country manor theme, with color palettes of buttery yellow and apple green. The classic furnishings blend seamlessly with the latest in-room technology from flat screen televisions to iPod docking stations and wireless Internet access.
While most of The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing is classic in its décor, at the top of the building the feel is considerably more contemporary in the fitness center and spa. In addition to lavish treatment rooms, a VIP suite comes complete with Thai massage bed, pedicure station, massage tables and whirlpool. The colors of the suite are aqua blue, paired with leather in the men’s salon and a warm persimmon shade for the women’s salon.
More than 14,000 sq. ft. of meeting and special occasion space is offered at The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing. A Grand Ballroom of 2,296 sq. ft. can seat up to 400 guests. The nine meeting rooms take their name from famous Chinese teas including I Hong (red tea) and Yin Zhen (white tea).
For more information call the toll free reservations line at (800) 241-3333, visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com, or call the hotel directly at +86-10 5908-8888.
