The company said it had adopted a new strategy for its flagship Cheers brand aimed at “optimising its product lines and driving growth in the mainstream beer market” this year.

Patcharachanok Sil-udom, marketing manager, mainstream (Tiger and Cheers) for TAP, said the company is redesigning the Cheers Selection Riceberry product as well as launching Cheers Selection Siam Weizen, a German-style wheat beer with the essence of Thainess.

“This reinforces its premium brand image to further penetrate the upper mainstream market, which tends to have an increased appetite for a variety of beers,” Patcharachanok said. “This also signifies the brand as a quality Thai-owned beer that uses |international manufacturing standards and quality control processes.

“Our goal is to offer unique beers that are distinct from other products in the mainstream beer segment.”

She said that the overall beer market has dropped about 3.9 per cent. However, the upper mainstream market has performed well thanks to popularity of craft beers. The main consumers in this segment are those aged 20 and 44.

Cheers holds a 0.5 per cent share in the mainstream beer market, which is worth around Bt139 billion.

“Cheers has optimised its product lines and adopted a new marketing strategy for 2019 to be more relevant with different target groups,” said Patcharachanok. “There are traditional mainstream consumers consisting of those aged between 20 and 49 with moderate incomes and who favour beverages with a higher alcohol content and then there are the upper-mainstream consumers consisting of those between 20 and 44 who have an appetite for a variety of beers and enjoy exploring new tastes in addition to traditional lagers.

“Consequently, the product lines of Cheers have been divided into Cheers as the flagship product line consisting of Cheers Classic, a lager with 4.8 per cent alcohol content, and Cheers Xtra, a lager with a 6 per cent alcohol content and Cheers Selection as the secondary product line.”

Patcharachanok said the company expected the sales of Cheers to double for this year compared with last year.

TripAdvisor has awarded the world’s carriers based on the quantity and quality of reviews and ratings for airlines by TripAdvisor flyers, gathered over a 12-month period.

Charita Leelayudth, Acting Chief Executive Officer of THAI Smile Airways, revealed that the prize from 2019 TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards has reflected the airline’s readiness to compete in the region and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees, and the heartfelt service which is at the centre of the organization.

“We also strive to provide the best experience for our customers in every touch point and create a superior travel experience for our customers in every flight. As the best airline in Thailand and one of the best regional airlines in Asia for the third consecutive year, we are proud of it and this award is a reflection from our customers who have used our service.”

“It can guarantee the success of THAI Smile that focuses on providing excellent service coupled with the value for money. The cleanliness of the cabin can substantially meet the needs of our customers. I, as a representative of the management and all staff, would like to thank everyone, passengers review and the tireless effort of our staff. This is a great opportunity for us to continue our journey.”

At the same time, the most important thing that we always hold for the standard work of all personnel is to provide service with the heart. It’s not easy to foresee the customers’ needs, but we will continue to develop and deliver the best of our services to reach that goal.

Bryan Saltzburg, president of TripAdvisor Flights, Cruise & Car, said “Congratulations to THAI Smile Airways for being named a Travelers’ Choice Airlines winner again this year. This prestigious award recognizes travelers’ favorite airlines worldwide based on review data from our global community.”

“This consumer accolade is a testament to outstanding service, world-renowned quality and amazing value. The THAI Smile Airways team should be proud of their awards, as travelers around the globe have said this airline is among their preferred carriers when choosing to fly.”

To read TripAdvisor traveler reviews and opinions of THAI Smile Airways, go to https://www.tripadvisor.com/Airline_Review-d8729212-Reviews-THAI-Smile-Airways

For the complete list of Travelers’ Choice award-winning airlines for 2019, visit: https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Airlines

Khin Maung Soe, chairman of MyTel, said the telco would expand digital services for both corporates and SMEs, and the agreement would play a crucial role in improving efficiency of small businesses by helping them achieve digitisation for their sustainable growth.

“As more businesses in Myanmar usher in an era of digital economy, we will work together with Blue Ocean to create a digital ecosystem for SMEs,” he said.

“The majority of our businesses are SMEs, and they have limited access to high-quality technical services because they cannot heavily invest in technology due to budget constraints. So, we have decided to fill the gap by providing our technology products at a reasonable price.”

According to the top executive, Mytel has invested US$1.5 billion (Bt47.66 billion). As a joint venture with Vietnam’s Viettel, 51 per cent of the are owned by the Myanmar side, while the remainder is held by the Vietnamese company. Within eight months from the first day of its commercial operations last year, Mytel has received more than 5.5 million active subscribers on its network.

“Our business performance is really impressive. It will take at least two or three years for other telcos to result in such a positive performance,” he said.

“We are fully aware that customers want to get quality services at the cheapest price, and this is what we are trying for. We stand ready to provide the most competitive solutions for SMEs in Myanmar.”

Htun Htun Naing, chairman and CEO of Blue Ocean Co, said a total of 15 digital products would be available in the digital ecosystem, focusing on three main services – mobile, connectivity, and Cloud & ICT.

“Here in Myanmar, SMEs cannot afford to buy expensive software such as SAP and ERP. We do not want them to lag behind. We believe our offerings will help them grow further in this age of digital economy,” he said, adding that small businesses would witness cost effectiveness and increased productivity in a short time.

Htun Htun Naing expects more than 30,000 SMEs to use the products by the end of this year, and foresees the number of SME customers to grow to 75,000 by the end of 2020.

Zaw Min Oo, chief external relations officer at Mytel, said the telco would continue offering innovative products at an affordable price for everyone in Myanmar.

“Provided that we have covered more than 90 per cent of the population in Myanmar, we are targeting 7 million active subscribers by the end of this year. Our 4G network rollout is also on the rise – we now have more than 7,000 sites, operating an extensive fibre network of 30,000 kilometres,” he said.

He said the telco’s 5G trial would be conducted over the next six months, while the commercial launch is expected within a year.