BANGKOK, 19 August 2020: Panorama Destination Thailand remains operational and has no intention to close, hibernate, or otherwise cease activities in Thailand, country manager, Nicola Scaramuzzino, asserted on Tuesday.
He was commenting on questions from TTR Weekly following social media chatter that claimed four reputable travel firms in Thailand had closed operations. Panorama Destination Thailand was the only firm to respond.
He acknowledged certain pragmatic measures had been taken to ensure the long-term survival of the company beyond these challenging times.“Closing is certainly not an option that’s on the table at this time,” he stated.
Speculation was rife with social media chatter fueling gossip that tour operators called blatant fake news. One offended tour operator apparently fumed he was prepared to sue the “Facebook and Line” netizens.
But the Panorama Destination Thailand boss said it could have been a simple case of “mistaken identity, originating in a social media post about our office neighbour, who has indeed closed recently. The info was posted on Facebook, alongside a photo that included our logo, as the two offices are located next to each other.”
He reiterated in the email response to TTR Weekly that Panorama Destination Thailand “remains open at this time but that being said, the Covid-19 situation has impacted many companies over the last few months, and we are no exception.”
To remain operational, Panorama Destination Thailand has taken steps to lower costs while still offering information, products and services for travellers in Thailand, both now and in the future.
Cost-cutting
In an effort to lower operational costs during this extended period without inbound clients, the team has been restructured (from 40 to 25 members of staff), with remaining personnel are taking voluntary salary cuts and unpaid leave.
Downsizing
The newly streamlined team will move to a smaller office on 1 September 2020.
“We’re not going far – simply relocating from the 18 to 17 floor in our current building location. Our existing rental agreement is scheduled to expire at the end of this month, so we are taking the opportunity to downsize our office facilities.”
Operational hours
The company office opens just three days a week, in order to respond to requests from worldwide agents for travel in 2021.
Payments, future plans
“Panorama Destination Thailand is carefully monitoring cash flow; vigilantly lowering overheads, while continuing to settle pre-existing payments and honour our agreements with suppliers, in accordance with predefined schedules agreed between both parties. We have no intention to obtain a bank loan, as our finances are robust enough to absorb the impact of the current situation.”
New products, services
“We are using this downtime productively; our team is currently working on a completely new set of products and services for clients to enjoy when they return to Thailand. This innovative range of experiences will focus on sustainable itineraries, with activities tailored to the new normal.”
Safety measures
To ensure the safety of clients Panorama Destination recently achieved official certification under Thailand’s SHA programme, which helped the company implement targeted anti-Covid-19 measures, both in the office and on tours.
In conclusion, he noted: “Like everyone else, we are finding the current conditions difficult, but are also finding solutions to meet the challenges and navigate our way through to the other side. We don’t yet know when international tourism will return to Thailand but are doing everything we can to ensure that our clients can travel in safety and with peace of mind when this happens.”
