The award was for Thai Life Insurance’s “Mother Knows Best” advertising campaign created by Ogilvy Group Thailand, a campaign based on an emotional story, and driven by data and technology.

Part of the Central Group, the renowned Thai conglomerate, Centara is an award-winning international hotel group with a global collection of hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos and Vietnan, the Middle East, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It operates a series of leading brands, including six distinct hotel concepts, SPA Cenvaree, the Thai wellness brand, and COAST, the beachfront F&B concept.

The group already has an intuitive knowledge of the Vietnamese market: Centara Sandy Beach Resort Danang is a popular upscale beachfront resort on the country’s stunning central coast, and Central Group operates a range of top retail brands all across Vietnam, including GO! (formerly Big C Vietnam), LanChi Mart, B2S, Robins, SuperSports, Home Mart and Nguyen Kim.

Building on this long-term success, Centara is now pursuing a major nationwide growth strategy, with the target of opening at least 20 new hotels and resorts across Vietnam by 2024. Targeted destinations include key economic hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Haiphong, and other high-growth areas like Danang, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh and Hoi An. There is also strong potential in the southern coastal areas of Vung Tau, Ho Tram and Mui Ne, due to new road infrastructure connecting the region with HCMC and the development of a major new airport in nearby Dong Nai province.

Centara foresees opportunities for all six of its brands in Vietnam, which include Centara Grand, Centara, Centara Residences & Suites, Centara Boutique Collection, Centra by Centara and its latest concept, COSI, which caters to freedom loving and tech-savvy travellers.

Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO, Centara Hotels & Resorts said that Vietnam’s tourism industry enjoyed a great year in 2018 and the company expects this to continue for many years to come. Boosted by booming intra-Asian travel, more relaxed visa policies and impressive improvements to transport infrastructure, the country is already well on track towards another record-breaking tourism year in 2019. With its collection of hotel concepts, global hospitality expertise and local market experience, the company is well placed to achieve the targets in Vietnam.

International visitor arrivals to Vietnam reached a record total of 15.5 million in 2018, the majority of which came from Asia, where the Centara brand is well known and respected. This upward surge is continuing in 2019: Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) show that almost six million overseas travellers visited the country in the first four months of this year, and a buoyant economy is boosting domestic tourism.

Positive tourism trends are driving demand for new hotels and resorts. Recent data from industry analysts STR shows that more than 23,000 new hotel rooms are currently being constructed in Vietnam – a reflection of the continued rise of the country as a global tourism hotspot. This creates opportunities for Centara, which has a proven track record of operational success and strong partnerships in the country.

Centara’s focus on Vietnam will form an important part of its global strategic vision, which includes the overall goal of doubling its total hotel portfolio by 2022. At present, the company has 71 hotels and resorts either operating or in the pipeline worldwide, comprising more than 13,000 rooms.

For 30 years, Centara has developed a reputation for blending gracious, Thai-style hospitality with world-class accommodation and exceptional amenities. Now, with an expanded collection of innovative brands, Centara is aiming to build on this legacy by introducing new hotels and resorts all across Vietnam.

AOT president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said King Power will now be able to enter the concession areas and start electricity wiring work in consultation with the construction department of Suvarnabhumi Airport.

He said the Satellite building currently under construction at Suvarnabhumi Airport is part of the second phase of the development of the national airport. The installation of electricity wiring in advance will help ease work on the electricity system within the complex.

Meanwhile, development of commercial areas in the Satellite building will proceed in tandem with the construction process. As far as premises in the existing building is concerned, King Power will wait for the current contract to expire before beginning redecoration work.

Wichai Boonyoo, executive vice president for business development and marketing of AOT, said that the authority will gradually deliver its spaces at the airports to King Power Group, not later than six months before the existing contract expires on September 27, 2020, to allow the company to improve and spruce up the areas. Afterwards, King Power Group will have to seek approval from the AOT board.

Regarding the bidding for a pick-up counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the duty-free area at Don Mueang Airport, he said the AOT will wait for a clear policy from the new transport minister.

AOT plans to invite bids for the duty-free project at Don Mueang Airport this year or the beginning of 2020. For the pick-up counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport, AOT aims to complete the project by the beginning of 2020. The project will come with two options: AOT will operate the service and allow the private sector to rent the space for product deliveries or it would operate the service in collaboration with the bid winner.

Jakgrich Pibulpairoj, the president of EGCO Group, said Paju Energy Service Co Ltd (Paju ES), a company in which EGCO Group owns a 49 per cent equity interest, will build and operate the Gangdong Fuel Cell Project, a 19.8 MW grid-connected fuel cell project in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea.

SK E&S Co Ltd retains the remaining 51 per cent equity in Paju.

Construction of the Gangdong Fuel Cell Project is to commence in August, with commercial operations expected to begin the fourth quarter of 2020, said Jakgrich.

The project will sell electricity to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), the sole off-taker of wholesale power generation in South Korea, through the Korea Power Exchange.

It will also sell thermal energy, as well as receiving renewable credits in the form of renewable energy certificates for its electricity generation output.

“We are excited to further strengthen our partnership with SK E&S to meet growing demand in South Korea for clean and reliable electricity,” Jakgrich said.

“The Gangdong Fuel Cell Project will enable Paju ES to fulfill a portion of its renewable-portfolio standard obligations on a long-term basis and generate incremental economic earnings to Paju ES.”

After the completion of the new project, EGCO Group will have interests in two power plants in South Korea, with a total equity capacity of 902.97 MW.

A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that combines hydrogen from natural gas and oxygen to produce electricity and heat. Fuel cells operate without combustion and are considered an option for a reliable source of power.

CPN have followed the required protocol and submitted permission requests to all relevant government organisations, said the company’s statement. The construction permit was granted and meets the safety standard within the area of the Air Navigation Safety Zone.

Currently, there is no act of trespassing into any land under the authority of the government, the statement continued. CPN gives uncompromised attention to the safety and the sustainability of the environment and community development.

In addition, CPN have taken into consideration the opinions of the residents in Bang Chalong in Bang Phli district, including the nearby area, and received a very positive response in the collaboration to develop the community near Suvarnabhumi Airport.

CPN’s statement said they would like to clarify certain issues which they saw as misinterpreted. Central Village was granted a legal construction permit from the relevant government organisation, said the clarification. For each architectural structure in the project, the area comprised no more than 2,000 square metres and the height did not exceed 23 metres. All structures were located within the area of the land that CPN legally acquired from the private sector. Although the project is near Suvarnabhumi Airport, it is not situated on and does not trespass into any area of Suvarnabhumi Airport and/or any plot of land that belongs to any government organisation, the statement said.

Central Village was authorised for construction in the area of the Air Navigation Safety Zone near Suvarnabhumi Airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, the statement continued. CPN believes that a proper course of action will be taken towards a fair and justified competition to promote Central Village, in good intention, as Thailand’s first “international luxury outlet”, with a unique Thai sensibility.

The statement added that the developer sees the Central Village as an aerotropolis that contributes to the prosperity of the tourism experience, the Thai economy, local community development and employment, as well as enriches the quality of life of residents nearby Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The company said that about 3,000 electric motorcycles are so far being ordered. It will adjust the cost of its electric motorcycles to about Bt70,000 per unit in order to gain the a commercial sales volume benefit.

Wittawat Svasti-Xuto, chief technology and engineering officer, said that PTT’s involvement in electric motorcycles follows the group’s support of Thai startup ETRAN, which is a designer and developer of electric motorcycles, to test the market.

“The investment in the electric motorcycle business is in line with PTT’s strategy to invest in the electricity value chain,” he said.

“Initially, we admit that the investment cost in manufacturing electric motorcycles is still high at about Bt100,000 per unit. We plan to reduce the manufacturing cost for each electric motorcycle to about Bt70,000 to support its commercial purpose. So far, we have received orders from interested customers for about 3,000 units,” said Wittawat.

He said that to test the market, the group’s startup has ordered the manufacturer to make 10 electric motorcycles under a sub-contract manufacturing agreement. As the motorbikes are not being mass produced yet, the retail price is still high. However, if the price is reduced to about Bt70,000 per unit, they could be more easily sold, Wittawat said.

The investment plan for electric motorcycles is one example of the directions that PTT is going following a reshuffle aimed at embracing disruptive technology, as well as the changing behaviour of consumers.

Launching today at Commart Joy 2019, the pre-installed version of Office Home & Student 2019 on Lenovo devices comes with genuine Office applications including Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint. This enables customers to regularly update their device for protection and security. The lifetime validated licence provides users with all the necessary functionalities to get started on their report or presentation as soon as they are done setting up their device.

This pre-loaded version also comes with secured 5GB Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage, so users can securely save and share files to anyone on any devices.

Thaneth Angkasirisan, the general manager for Lenovo Indochina, said: “As part of our intelligent transformation strategy, we are constantly finding ways to serve the needs of our customers and improve the way they live, work and play. Our joint effort with Microsoft to integrate hardware and software promises higher productivity and value for our customers. With the pre-installed Office apps, consumers can now unlock their potential immediately after purchasing a Lenovo device.”

Said Anne Lepissier, Microsoft’s Southeast Asia general manager for consumer and devices sales, “Microsoft’s mission is to empower every organisation and every individual to achieve more. To this end, we are delighted to partner with Lenovo in this first-to-market collaboration.

“We are looking forward to delighting customers with a complete solution of modern productivity tools for their work and life, while ensuring that their data is always safe and secure.”

Lenovo devices with pre-installed Office Home & Student 2019 include: IdeaCentre A340, A540; IdeaPad D330, C340, L340 Gaming, S340, S540; Yoga S730, S740, S940, C640, C740, C940; and Legion Y540, Y545, Y7000 and Y740.

Its aim is to also generate substantial economic benefits for hosts and communities.

According to a new survey, Airbnb’s community generated over Bt33.8 billion in estimated earnings in Thailand last year. The survey also found that Airbnb’s network generated over US$100 billion (Bt3 trillion) in estimated earnings across 30 countries in 2018.

Airbnb’s community-based model means this economic impact is shared by local families, businesses and communities across the country, including in places that have traditionally missed out. According to the survey, 80 per cent of Airbnb hosts in Thailand say they recommend restaurants and eateries to their guests, and on average Airbnb guests say 46 per cent of their spending is done in neighbourhoods where they stay.

Mike Orgill, general manager for Airbnb in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said: “The Airbnb community of hosts and guests make a large and increasingly important contribution to the Thai economy. As our community of hosts grows, it generates more opportunities for local businesses and communities across the country.”

Following its key objective to tap into the lifestyle of consumers, especially the younger generation that is seeking value-for-money experiences, UnionPay has partnered up with Wongnai – Thailand’s largest food lifestyle platform – to sponsor the yearlong Bangkok Restaurant Week 2019.

Under the event’s “Local Produce” theme, UnionPay is offering a 15 per cent discount until July 31 at eateries that use quality local ingredients. It is also offering cardholders a 20 per cent discount at 50 restaurants chosen by Wongnai.

UnionPay cardholders can also make use of instant promotions without having to redeem points.

Participating restaurants include Zen Japanese Restaurant, Maisen, S&P and Vanilla, as well as major chains such as Bar B Q Plaza, On the Table – Tokyo Café, AKA, the Pizza Company, Sizzler, Swensen’s, Burger King, BreadTalk, the Coffee Club and Nara Thai Cuisine.

The initiative coincided with International Plastic Bag Free Day, held on Wednesday. The retailer is promoting the move under the concept of “Go Green Every Day”.

The Mall Group is encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags. If needed, customers can donate Bt1 for each plastic shopping bag they request; the money goes towards WWF Thailand’s efforts to curb the use of disposable plastic. The initiative has been rolled out at every branch of The Mall, The Emporium, The EmQuartier, Paragon Department Store, BluPort Hua Hin, Gourmet Market and Home Fresh Mart.

Voralak Tulaphorn, chief marketing officer of The Mall Group Co., Ltd. said: “Due to the plastic waste crisis in Thailand, which sees over 2 million tons of plastic waste and half of that in the ocean, Thailand is ranked sixth in the world for releasing the most trash into the ocean. This impacts the marine ecosystem and humans directly and indirectly. As reported by the journal of Environmental Science and Technology, there are plastic particles in food, water and air, so over 102,000 pieces of 250 grams of micro plastic enter the human body – an average of 5 grams per week or the size of a credit card.”

The Mall Group is the first retailer in Thailand to join the UNEP’s Climate Neutral Network.

“The Green Every Day project is a measure to reduce plastic bag usage in Thailand and within the retail industry in Thailand. The campaign started on July 3 to coincide with International Plastic Bag Free Day,” Voralak said.

“Customers who do not require plastic bags will receive extra loyalty scheme points, with up to 100 points at Gourmet Market, Home Fresh Mart and department stores.”