Thailand’s first and only International Balloon Festival will be held on March 4 and 5, 2016 in Thailand’s northern city of Chiang Mai. The 9th annual event is a fabulous fun filled event with early morning balloon rides with pilots from around the world, spectacular night glow balloon shows with original music, dance performances, concerts, activities for the whole family and delicious food from top hotels and restaurants in Chiang Mai.
This year the festival is being held at the beginning of March to give everyone a better opportunity to visit the fair. Payap University is a great location for the event with easy access and plenty of parking for visitors. The organizers are looking forward to promoting Chiang Mai in March when there aren’t as many events filling up the calendar and offering tourists yet another great reason to visit this beautiful city in Northern Thailand.
A special feature of the Thailand International Balloon Festival this year will be Chiang Mai’s diverse international community in the International Heritage section with booths from India, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Germany and many other countries featuring performances, special activities, food and more.
The focus on the cosmopolitan and international nature of Chiang Mai continues with night time concerts from popular and talented locally based international musicians. Chiang Mai is a hugely popular destination for expats in Thailand due to its arts and music, diverse culture, great climate, beautiful nature, friendly people and modern lifestyle. This is reflected in the diversity of musicians and artists taking part in the event.
Payap University will offer the ideal location for balloon shows, performances and the spectacular balloon night glow show which will feature original compositions by Ajarn Bringkop “Joe” Vora-urai and the Lanna Orchestra. This amazing performance will be the first of its kind in the world and Ajarn Bringkop promises an inspiring and moving performance set to the beautiful sight of glowing balloons in the night sky. He said that he wants to convey not only the movements of the balloon but also the emotions of the pilots as they fly their balloons.
This unique festival will draw members of the diverse international community of Chiang Mai and the North of Thailand as well as pilots and balloons from around the world. One of the highlights of the event calendar in Chiang Mai, this event proves to be a huge hit year after year.
Mrs. Jaruwan Suwannasat, Exhibitions and Events Department Director of the Thailand Exhibition and Convention Bureau (TCEB) said that the organization is a big supporter of events of this nature in Thailand and believes that Thailand offers many advantages including long history and venues around the country. The launch of the ASEAN Economic Community makes Thailand ideal to become the hub for mega-events in Asia. The TCEB works under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office to develop and expand business events and ensue that we are one of the destinations for business events in Asia.
She continued, “We work closely with strategic partners like the Thailand International Balloon Festival to improve visitor quality and quantity, event quality, promote public partnerships, offer integrated marketing and provide industry intelligence reports. We encourage events like the Thailand International Balloon Festival because it stems from the country’s art & culture, lifestyle and creative goals that we wish to promote to draw quality visitors and place Thailand at the forefront of the events sector in the AEC. We see the Thailand International Balloon Festival as one of the highlight festivals in Chiang Mai where readiness of infrastructure, accessibility and accommodation are in place to welcome international visitors.
This year we aim to assist the festival in increasing the international awareness, especially in ASEAN, where both air and land transportation allows travelers to transfer within the region so easily. We also give importance to auditing the economic and social impact of the festival on the city. The Thailand International Balloon Festival is an important part of promoting the city’s unique Lanna history and culture.”
The Thailand International Balloon Festival was recently awarded the Most Popular Festival in Asia at the Now Travel Asia Awards. The Now Travel Asia Awards were started in 2012 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate service excellence across all sectors of the travel industry in the region of Asia-Pacific and the great Middle East. This year saw a record number of participants voting in the competitions with over 365,000 people taking part to see TIBF win the vote for Most Popular Festival in Asia.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand is a proud sponsor of the event with TAT Chiang Mai Director Wisoot Buachum noting the long history of the event being held in Chiang Mai. This year is being held in March to promote tourism in Chiang Mai and draw tourists to the city in a period when there aren’t many festivals and events.
As part of the Thailand International Balloon Festival’s commitment to community they are proudly hosting the Chiang Mai International Rotary Club’s annual Golf Ball Drop in which tickets are sold for ball numbers and on March 5 at 5 pm golf balls will be dropped out of the balloon and the numbered ball closest to the target wins 30,000 baht! Tickets are three for 1,000 baht or one for 500. The Chiang Mai International Rotary Club is closely involved in working with the local community with programs to prevent drowning in young children, winter clothing distribution, clean water for schools and eyesight clinics for children among the many projects they have worked on or are still working on. Interested parties can contact cmirotary.org for more information on the Golf Ball Drop.
Thailand International Balloon Festival 2016 is organized by All About Arts Co.,Ltd withThailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau –TCEB Main Sponsor, Department of Tourism, Tourism Council of Chiang Mai, Tourism Authority of Thailand,Provincial Administration Organization, Chiangmai Municipality, Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai International Rotary Club. Business Partner, True Corporation, Doi Tung Lifestyles, Oman Air, Tigerblam, Art Bridge Chiang Rai, Robinson Department Store, Duangtawan Hotel, Centara Khumphaya Resort & Spa, Le Meridien Hotel Chiangmai, Holiday Inn Hotel Chiangmai, Dusit D2 Hotel Chiangmai, Dusit Princess Hotel Chiangmai, Imperial Maeping Hotel Chiangmai, Ratilanna Riverside Spa & Resort, Shangri-La Hotel, De Naga Hotel, Eastin Tan Hotel Chiang Mai, Rimping Supermarket, , J Kitchen Vegetarian, Chiang Mai Lanna Business Service – CLBS, The Color Factory Shop ,Lanna International School Thailand, Nakornpayup International School, Chiang Mai International School,American Pacific International School ,Christliche Deutsche Schele Chiang Mai.
Media Partner: Rakluke Group, Honeymoon & Travel Group, Le Petit Journal, Barefoot, Dontree Season, Travel Channel Thailand (True Vision) , Chang Puak Magazine, L’officiel, Optimum, WOW, Thailand Today NBT World, AROUND, Spoon & Fork, City Now, Now Travel Asia
For more information please visit: www.facebook.com/thailandballoonfestival
Ticket: Adult: 200 Baht Ticket available @ Rimping Supermarket
Children 7-12 year and at the door
Under 7 free of charge
Contact:
1. Ms. Shana Kongmun (English) Tel. 084 848 367 Email: smbkongmun@gmail.com
2. Ms. Napat Sonto (Thai) Tel. 081 306 8914 Email: napat.sonto@gmail.com
SOURCE / TCEB
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