Phuket

FlightFriendshi · #1 27-01-2005, 15:15

Have you heard about our mission?
www.flightoffriendship.com

aussie dollar · #2 27-01-2005, 15:24

Had A Quick Look
Good Luck Sounds Interesting
Have A Good Time

Captain · #3 27-01-2005, 16:39

Why do you call it a mission?
The only thing you do is sleep in big hotels, holding receptions, speaking with the governors and if there is some time left walk around and "spend" money by eating in some restaurants. I don't see anything more than that in the trip.
We do the same but call it holidays.

dizbuster · #4 27-01-2005, 17:23

Quotes from website...

"...provide a conduit for information and give face to face support by traveling to those areas and help those who need to stay working, we know we are giving something that matters..."

Money matters to BG's, so you're going over to help out the LBFM's then ?? Sounds like a shagfest !!

"...Serve as the catalyst in a regional initiative to replicate our efforts..."

First off, replicate what ?? You haven't done anything yet. Secondly who else is in the regional initiative and what specifically will you be doing that makes you the catalyst, not them ?? Surely people from the area know what's best, not a bunch of backpackers from Oregon ??

Your website is full of nice words that pull on the heart-strings, but doesn't actually say what you intend to do. What is your plan ?? What are you intend to do in order to help, giving specific details ??

Diz

jimholio · #5 27-01-2005, 19:05

Sounds like politics to me, which is never a good thing.

IRISH JONNY · #6 27-01-2005, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain

Why do you call it a mission?
The only thing you do is sleep in big hotels, holding receptions, speaking with the governors and if there is some time left walk around and "spend" money by eating in some restaurants. I don't see anything more than that in the trip.
We do the same but call it holidays.

alibaba · #7 27-01-2005, 19:37

Sounds like a load of old boll*cks to me.

marc26 · #8 27-01-2005, 19:46

i didnt bother reading the website. but anyone willing to go to phuket, and spend money shouldnt be critisized. now are they patting themselfs on the back, maybe but oh well. one thing you have to understand is that the american media has focused on thailand, phuket to be specific, and grouped it wioth indonesia and sri lanka. so people in america have this image of a devasted area that they are heading to, when in fact, alot the area, 85%, is perfectly fine. it all has to do with politics, and since the us has a greta diplomatic relationship with thailand, and alot of foreigners died in phuket, thats what the media has focused on

FlightFriendshi · #9 27-01-2005, 23:04

To those wondering or questioning - What we are are a group of people who have connections to travel and tourism. We know at most we can return to the US and say, through the media, that exaggerated claims of destruction in some places is hurting local economies - especially those which need visitors. We are not the government, we're just people. When we did a similar thing, going to New York City after 9/11, we didn't move a nation to return, we just did it to try to help. The fact that we're bringing travel leaders and the US travel press with us might convince agents to book trips to South Asia. That's our mission.

Captain · #10 27-01-2005, 23:23

OK
This makes more sense to me.
Travel agents looking for an opportunity to help Phuket and in doing so make some money out of it. Travell agents do it all the time: cheap trips, a lot included for the purpose of visiting their potential holliday destinations. Sometimes it makes me think at those medical congresses in places like Buenos Aires, Capetown, Paris, Vienna, Prague...never in Djibouti, Ryad or Kinshasha...
Still, you can help the people in Phuket if you have success in bringing some tourists here.
Have fun and good luck

dwango · #11 27-01-2005, 23:44

I wonder why ppl go Phuket when they say they want to help or assist the tsunami victim? If ppl seriously want to help, they should go Aceh or Sri Lanka. I got a buddy in Aceh still pulling out bodies out of wreckage.. Don't get me wrong, I like Phuket. I too when to Phuket a week after the tsunami. Lost some friends in kamala, went to khao lak to give a hand at the orphange... What irks me is that hearing all this aid organisation, millions of dollars, this and that... but when I'm on the ground, I dun see these "millions of dollar aid" beside the donated food and clothes. Not in thailand, not in Aceh. All they have is these BIG meeting of organisation, BIG press conference, BIG hotel.. BIG venue.. these thing cost money, BIG MONEY.. while the real victims sleeping in tentage, no proper sanitation, damp condition and some aren't even allowed to rebuild their home..

Tyfon · #12 27-01-2005, 23:47

The world's largest scientific/medical congress is ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) and it used to be held every year in Sarasota, Florida. A few years ago they decided to move the venue elsewhere and I suggested Anchorage, Alaska, because I'd never been there. For some reason they chose Fort Lauderdale, Florida where it remains to this day - go figure... I mean what does Fort Lauderdale have that Anchorage doesn't...?

K.

#13 27-01-2005, 23:52

Agree with Dwango,have also seen vast amounts af 'aid' lying rotting at various airports as there is no organised system of distribution.

Also,what about the families left behind of tourist victims?Even if they had travel insurance I don't think a natural disaster is covered in the insurance.Haven't heard of any organisations helping widowed families getting on with their shattered lives.

In my local pub we are having a calender launch this Friday featuring some regulars in dodgy poses so hopefully we can do our little bit to help

Captain · #14 28-01-2005, 04:28

Tyfon,
The port of Fort Lauderdale has an anchorage, while the port of Anchorage does not have a Fort Lauderdale, nautically speaking.

Apollo · #15 30-01-2005, 09:14

Let me first state that I LOVE Phuket; perhaps more than anywhere else in the world.

Now to your point: even a deaf and blind monkey knows the overwhelming number of casualties took place in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and NOT in Phuket. It wasn't even close, in fact. Ergo, my question: why are you making such a "mission" to beautiful Phuket and not those places MUCH worse off, that were also poorer regions to start with?

Somehow my guess is your "mission" will be more of a holiday than anything else...pardon my cynicism, BMs, but that's my take on this.

LivinLOS · #16 30-01-2005, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tyfon

The world's largest scientific/medical congress is ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) and it used to be held every year in Sarasota, Florida. A few years ago they decided to move the venue elsewhere and I suggested Anchorage, Alaska, because I'd never been there. For some reason they chose Fort Lauderdale, Florida where it remains to this day - go figure... I mean what does Fort Lauderdale have that Anchorage doesn't...?

K.

er.. enough hotel rooms !!

Cheap easy flight access.. etc..

Nicke · #17 30-01-2005, 17:52

I posted an article from Bangkok Post yesterday how to help Khao Lak and it's people, so either donate money to them or do some volonteer work. They do real work. In other cases it is difficult to know how the money will be spent or help distributed.

andy50 · #18 30-01-2005, 19:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollo

Let me first state that I LOVE Phuket; perhaps more than anywhere else in the world.

Now to your point: even a deaf and blind monkey knows the overwhelming number of casualties took place in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and NOT in Phuket. It wasn't even close, in fact. Ergo, my question: why are you making such a "mission" to beautiful Phuket and not those places MUCH worse off, that were also poorer regions to start with?

Somehow my guess is your "mission" will be more of a holiday than anything else...pardon my cynicism, BMs, but that's my take on this.

absolutely agree with this post-just imagine a coach load of rich people on a "mission"arriving i banda aceh, what is the first thing they will demand?a 5 star hotel,with top quality food and aircon--etc while all around people are homeless and traumatized, thats why phuket is the carefully chosen destination

Baltic · #19 30-01-2005, 20:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy50

absolutely agree with this post-just imagine a coach load of rich people on a "mission"arriving i banda aceh, what is the first thing they will demand?a 5 star hotel,with top quality food and aircon--etc while all around people are homeless and traumatized, thats why phuket is the carefully chosen destination

I agree also fully!
But Americans to Phuket is thread name

Nothing else to comment...

Baltic

urtheman · #20 30-01-2005, 21:22

We dearly need tourists back! I manage a large restaurant and I don't want to layoff staff everyone needs jobs. Perhaps you would like to arrange an event at my restaurant. We can seat over 100 guests and would love for your group to come by.

Cheers!

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlightFriendshi

Have you heard about our mission?
www.flightoffriendship.com

Baltic · #21 30-01-2005, 22:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by urtheman

We dearly need tourists back! I manage a large restaurant and I don't want to layoff staff everyone needs jobs. Perhaps you would like to arrange an event at my restaurant. We can seat over 100 guests and would love for your group to come by.

Cheers!

Hi Urtheman,
that makes a sense!

Hopefully Americans with big US$$$$$$

will understand this,
cheers,
Baltic