Bangkok--24 Jan--Best Western International Best Western International welcomes Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism, who is visiting Thailand for the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2008 from 19-24 January. Best Western Asia’s Head Office coordinated with its recently launched Indonesia Area Development Office (ADO) to greet the minister and his entourage including 17 family members. Glenn de Souza, Vice President International Operations Asia, is scheduled to meet with the minister on 23 January. Best Western also has the honor of hosting a dinner on 20th January for the visitors, which was attended by the wife of Indonesia’s Ambassador to Thailand. A city tour was organized for the guests, with stops at Bangkok’s major shopping districts including a visit to Jim Thompson’s to browse Thai silks. An excursion to Thailand’s ancient capital of Ayuddhaya was also arranged. Recognizing the huge growth potential in the world’s fourth most-populated country, Best Western appointed its Indonesia ADO in August 2007, and has since received excellent feedback from hotel owners. Seven properties have already joined the chain, and a total of 20 properties are targeted within five years. According to Mr de Souza, “There is still plenty of potential for hotel development in Indonesia. The barriers to enter the country’s hotel management market are relatively low, and the government recently increased spending on tourism development, while implementing new marketing and promotional programs.” Mr de Souza pointed out that several well-known international hotel chains have yet to enter the Indonesian market. “With the escalation in the number of individual hotels not aligned with a group, and the projected economic improvement and investment growth due to the new government, the prospect of new entrants into the market is very real." Jusuf Sawirin, Managing Director of the Indonesia ADO noted that the country is the world’s fourth most populous, with millions of businesspeople, government officials and families traveling across its 33 provinces every year. “Indonesia is the home of Bali and several popular tourist destinations, which are visited by millions of domestic and foreign travelers,” Mr Sawarin said. “Though Indonesia has over 1,000 classified hotels with over 100,000 rooms enjoying an average stay of 3.31 nights, demand is calling for more.” PT Bangun Wahana Indan Indonesia has been contracted to operate the Indonesia ADO for a five-year term, and is targeting to launch four hotels per year during its tenure. Of these, 20% will carry the five-star Best Western Premium recognition, while 80% will open under the core brand. “The real success of BWI in Indonesia will be contingent upon successfully managing and operating and marketing between three-to-five-star products,” Mr de Souza said. He added, “It will be important for BWI to develop quality management if we want to penetrate the market and continuously open new properties to reach our goal of becoming the largest hotel chain/management company in Indonesia.” While business development will be handled by the Indonesia ADO, marketing and sales will be coordinated at Best Western’s Head Office in Bangkok. ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN?, providing marketing, reservations and operational support to 4,200* independently owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. Founded in 1946, this iconic brand is host to approximately 400,000 worldwide guests each night. A pioneer within the industry, Best Western is recognized for its distinctive business model and diverse hotel portfolio. The company continues to innovate and enhance both the business and leisure travel experience. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com. *Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate. Media contact: Kanapa Pitakpong Public Relations Coordinator BWI (Thailand) Co., Ltd. Phone: +662 656 1260 Fax: +662 656 1252 +662 654 1414 Kalaya Sukprasertchai Public Relations Coordinator BWI (Thailand) Co. Ltd. Phone: +662 656 1260 Fax: +662 656 1252 +662 654 1414 [email protected]