THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: International resort and villa rental company, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, Asia, has become the first company to establish a regional head office approved by Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) on the island of Phuket and claims foreword bookings are looking extremely promising.

Though the company currently only has the Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas on the island, senior vice president (Asia), Darren Edmonstone, said there were eight or nine properties in Asia “operating or under development” among a total of 50 Outrigger projects totaling 12,000 rooms worldwide.

The establishment of the BOI-approved regional head office in Phuket by the 60-year-old Hawaii-based company will see it gain unique privileges in the areas of taxation, human resources, research, product development, sourcing of raw materials and parts, credit management, marketing, sales, and technical support, while Thai employees will have greater opportunities to become regional managers with enhanced skills, greater responsibilities, and higher salaries.

Mr. Edmonstone said that, “with a headquarters in Phuket, Outrigger can easily access resort areas of potential business interest in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and around Asia”.

While occupancy rates for Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas during April, May and June were well below what was anticipated, Mr. Edmonstone said the figures are bouncing back, with occupancy rates for July in the high 80s.

“With its great aviation access, human resources and culture of hospitality, Phuket is a perfect regional headquarters for us in Asia”, he said

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for July 05, 2010