Amazing Asia Tours

Placement organization

Name of organization: Amazing Asia Tours
Town/city: Bangkok
Country: Thailand
Website: http://www.amazingasiatours.com / www.thailanddirect.nl

Student

Name of student: Lotte Kuijstermans

Specialist area: MTT
Placement period: 2012-2013

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Amazing Asia Tours (AAT), an inbound tour operator. Our main market is 90% Dutch and 10% worldwide whereas our partner “333 Travel” (www.333travel.nl) and “ThailandDirect” (www.thailanddirect.nl) provides holiday planning. We deal around 12,000 tourist per year. AAT manage their own guide, transport and tour leaders. They also have their own sales counters in two Eastin Hotels.
Target group of the organization: 90% Dutch and 10% worldwide
Company culture: Within the office there is an informal and casual atmosphere. The majority of the employees are Thai. The GM and the manager are Dutch. You need to be aware of the differences in culture. Thai people are friendly and they will help you with everything.
Number of employees: 10 – 15
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Accounting, Ticketing, Reservations, Sales and Operations.
I worked in Sales and Operations
Brief description of your daily activities: I have worked within the Operations Department, they handle all the services concerning a tour; from tour leader till transfers, excursions and accommodations. Some other tasks during my internship were helping with the hotel contracts and updating the welcome-packages.

I have worked within the Sales Department as well. I have worked in the lobby at the sales counter and tried to sell tours, transfers, hotels etc.

I have been 2 weeks in Chiang Mai for helping my colleague over there. I helped him with new brochure pictures, hotel checks and taking care of the guests (for example, pick them up from the airport or railway station).

Brief description of your company assignment: My assignment was about a new project of social media.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: The company gave me a lot of freedom concerning my assignments and tasks. When I’ve had some questions, they always helped me with everything.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, social, assertive, spontaneous, flexible, able to work in a multi-cultural team.
Additional company requirements for this placement? Word, Excel, Internet, SEO. Amazing Asia Tours uses its own system for reservations and bookings, if you’re generally comfortable with computers you can manage to work with it.
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch excellent

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? When I arrived, the company arranged an apartment for me during my internship.
How did you go to work every day? By foot (walking 10 minutes)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, non immigrant ED visa with multiple entries
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: I went to the Thai embassy in Amsterdam. They needed a copy from my placement-contract, a few statements from the company, flight ticket and the visa form which you can download on the website of the embassy. The Visa is valid for 90 days, and you can extend it in Thailand by crossing the border.
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? n/a

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 800,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 250,00
Local transport (monthly): € 10,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 250,00
How long in advance did you apply for visa 6 months (only for Hepatitis B), ask your doctor / GGD what you need.
Costs of visa: € 130,00
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Accommodation, mobile phone, a lot of excursions and trips for free or net price.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Reading
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Yes, of course. It is a different world comparing to the Netherlands. Bangkok is a huge city, there is always a traffic jam and people live more ‘on the streets’. People are very friendly and they will always try to help you even though most of them do not speak English. I never felt unsafe or threatened; as long as you respect them they will respect you to. At the beginning of my placement, I needed to get used to the Thai-English, their pronunciation is different but you get used to it very quick.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 111451@edu.nhtv.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Bangkok is a great and huge city, although you sometimes really need to escape from it and enjoy a weekend on the beach or upcountry.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: In Bangkok are many things to visit and to do; temples, markets, parks etc. You really have to do the cycling tours; it is a great way of exploring the local life.
It is very easy to travel around through Thailand. I have visited Koh Samet, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Chiang Mai when I had more days off. It is easy to travel by train or domestic flights.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link