Road to Recovery: Royal Orchid hits back in discounting war
Adventure World, the global selling agent for Royal Orchid Holidays in Australia, has responded to the comments made by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), as reported in TravelMole on June 3.
Neil Rodgers, head of marketing wholesale, Tourism and Leisure Holdings, said 50 percent discount in room rates offered by Royal Orchid Holidays was launched in April in conjunction with the celebration of the company’s 50 years in operation.
“It is important to note the sale started prior to the political unrest in Thailand and was not in any way in response to the current environment.”
Rogers said Royal Orchid Holidays and Adventure World are dedicated to ensuring “that Thailand continues to benefit from tourism resulting from the Australian market and is committed to rebuilding the industryâ€.
Thailand PATA Chapter criticised Thai Airways International’s Royal Orchid Holidays division for asking its hotel partners to provide promotional deals to speed up the country’s recovery.
In a press statement, Thailand PATA Chapter chairman, Bert van Walbeek, accused Royal Orchid Holidays of inventing a “self-defeating tourism recovery strategy for Thailand – price reductions of 50 percentâ€.
He stated, “ROH expects hotels to sweeten the pot further with free dinners, cash vouchers and room upgrades.â€
Pacific Asia Travel Association president, Greg Duffell, also came out against discounting last week. 


“We believe that we must rebuild international confidence in Thailand as a destination that already offers tremendous value. 


“As we now enter the low season, hotel rates are extremely competitive. We prefer to see an image building campaign, rather than a strategy based on product discounting. 


“We are also advising hotels to add value to room rates by including free wi-fi, breakfast rather than simply slash prices,†Duffell said.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
All eyes on Qatar as Qatar Airways leads a season of global events