Stepping up Public Relations Campaigns for the 24th SEA Games

Thailand is stepping up public relations campaigns for the 24th Southeast Asian Games, or SEA Games, to be held from December 6 to 15 this year.As Thailand is celebrating the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 80th birthday anniversary, 5 December 2007, the 24th SEA Games is considered part of the special celebrations. It will be the biggest games ever in the history of the SEA Games, with 45 sports to be contested (two of them demonstration events) and 485 gold medals up for grabs.The forthcoming SEA Games will take place in five provinces. The northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, commonly referred to as Khorat, will be the main venue for the Games. The opening and closing ceremonies will be held in this province. Other venues include Chon Buri in the East, and Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Bangkok in the central region.In order to facilitate the coverage of the Games by members of the media, the Main Press Center and the International Broadcasting Center will be established in Nakhon Ratchasima. Three sub press centers will be set up in Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, and Bangkok. This is the sixth time for Thailand to host the Games, and it is the second time that the main venue of the SEA Games will be held outside of Bangkok, after it was successful in the city of Chiang Mai in 1995.Among the 11 countries participating in the Games, Thailand will send the highest number of athletes and officials, with 1,1,38. The remaining 10 countries have confirmed they would send more than 8,600 athletes and officials. The 24th SEA Games is called, in short, KOSOC, which stands for Khorat SEA Games Organizing Committee. Interested persons may obtain more information about the SEA Games at its two websites: www.2007seagames.com and www.2007seagames.th. One of the theme songs being use for the Games is “Rhythm of the Winner.” After the SEA Games, Thailand will host the 4th ASEAN Para Games from January 17 to 26, 2008 in Nakhon Ratchasima.Myanmar has reportedly informed the organizers that it would send a number of athletes and officials to Nakhon Ratchasima by a charter flight. Thai authorities are preparing two airports in this province to accommodate charter flights. One is the military airport, which is suitable for small aircraft for VIPs, and the other is the commercial airport, suitable for larger aircraft transporting athletes and officials.According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Northeastern Office, Region 1, tour programs will be arranged for participants in the upcoming SEA Games. It is expected that the Games will help promote tourism, not only in the host provinces, but also in other areas of the country.In Nakhon Ratchasima alone, at least five to six million tourists are likely to visit the province this year, compared to 4.9 million in 2006. The increased number is expected to earn the province 8.2 billion baht in tourism income, against 7.8 billion baht last year.