New green-space near Khao San

Khao San Garden Museum will soon open in a new green space near Khao San Road that will feature a French atmosphere and beautiful architecture. Scheduled to open around the middle of this month, the museum is located inside a century-old teak-wood house called Ban Kraijitti. About 20 million baht has been spent on the renovation by Buddy Group Hotels & Resorts. When complete, the project,located on an 800m2 plot of land, will comprise the museum, a library, a French restaurant, a coffee shop and a bakery. The museum will be the highlight, exhibiting information and items telling stories about the old Phra Nakhon quarter of Bangkok, as well as the history of Khao San Road itself. Beauty finalists promote Thailand The Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) Hong Kong office has joined with Hong Kong's Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) to bring the 10 finalists of Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2012 to Thailand. The participants had a chance to join activities in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom and Koh Samui, such as wearing traditional Thai dress and experiencing Thai massage, medical and wellness services. TAT has supported the event in order to promote tourism among Chinese-language speaking countries, according to TAT Hong Kong office director Thitiporn Maneenate. She said the contest could reach not only 2.43 million households in Hong Kong, but also 300 million Chinese-language speakers in 40 countries. TAT expected that the television programme would encourage audiences to visit Thailand. Banks offer cardholder points at fair Six banks have joined hands with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to organise Redeem Travel Fair 2012 on September 14-16 at Fashion Hall of Siam Paragon. The aim is to promote domestic tourism by offering special promotions for those who want to redeem credit-card points at the fair. Banks joining the event include Bangkok Bank, City Bank, Kasikorn Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Thanachart Bank and UOB Bank. The small fair will host about 20 booths, including the highlight, "Point Plus Play Center", where cardholders of those banks can gain an extra 1,000 points by registering their name. Special packages to be offered include promotions for hotels, resorts, spas, tour packages, car rental services and dining places. TAT expects to attract up to 50,000 visitors who will spend about 40 million baht during the three-day fair. Airlines update - Philippine Airlines (Pal) will spend US$7 billion to buy 54 new Airbus' as part of its three-year plan for businessexpansion. About 10 units of A330-300s and A321s will be delivered next January and the rest of the fleet will be ready for operation in 2015. "The orders we are placing with Airbus will play a key role in revitalising Pal and growing trade and tourism in the country," Pal chairman Lucio Tan said. - Emirates will operate its inaugural A380 flight from Dubai to Singapore on September 8. The 517-seat double-decker A380 aircraft will replace the regular 354-seat Boeing 777-300ER. The airline plans to use the bigger aircraft because of an ongoing demand of passengers between the two countries, said Emirates manager Nick Rees. The A380 will feature 14 private first-class suites, 76 flat beds in business class and 427 seats in economy. Wireless internet will also be available on-board. Hotels update - Holiday Inn is hosting a photo contest to give away a week-long vacation at any Holiday Inn worldwide as a part of its 60th anniversary celebration. Visit the Holiday Inn Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HolidayInnHotels) and click on the Celebrate First app to participate. Then upload two photos _ one from the past that displays a memorable first event, such as a first family holiday, first car or first day of school, and another picture from the present day that recreates the past image. The contest is open to residents in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The last day for participation is on October 31. The grand prize includes round trip economy-class air tickets for four people, six nights' accommodation and US$2,000 cash. From bangkokpost