New integrated resort for Manila

 Ollie Quiniquini, Subic (2010-02-08)

HOT on the heels of unveiling its Resorts World Manila integrated resort, Travellers International has announced plans for another international tourism project in Metro Manila.

The company, a joint venture between Philippines’ Alliance Global and Malaysia’s Star Cruises of the Genting Group, will build a 40-hectare integrated resort called Bayshore City within the Entertainment City Manila development along Manila Bay.

Alliance Global president Kingson Sian said Bayshore City would have close to 5,000 rooms, gaming facilities, shopping arcades, museums and conference venues. “We will also team up with our partner, Star Cruises, to bring big cruise ships to Manila Bay. We are currently studying the feasibility of turning Metro Manila into a cruise destination and hub.”

Development on Bayshore City will start this year but Sian declined to provide a completion date for the project.

Meanwhile, Travellers International’s Resorts World Manila will be fully opened by next year. Presently operating in the eight-hectare project that soft-opened last August are the 342-room Marriott Hotel and one of four gaming floors in the eight-storey building that will house a 172-suite Maxims Hotel, scheduled to open this year. The 700-room Remington Hotel, a budget condotel-type property, will start welcoming guests by early 2011.

Conference highlights challenges for Philippines MICE

Ollie Quiniquini, Subic (2010-02-08)

ACCESS, infrastructure and the lack of longterm strategies are among the challenges the Philippines must overcome to become a viable MICE destination, said speakers at the Philippine MICE Conference in Subic that concluded yesterday.

Anthony Wong, Asian Overland Services group managing director, suggested tapping into the low-cost carrier (LCC) network to improve access. Noting that LCCs have changed the regional playing field, Wong encouraged the Philippines to court more LCCs. “Even MICE groups nowadays do not mind flying on LCCs.  The Philippines can become a hub of LCC activity.” As AirAsia and Tiger Airways already fly to Clark’s Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Wong was eager to explore Clark-Subic packages for Malaysia’s leisure and MICE groups.

Proper infrastructure was key for Martin Sirk, president of the International Congress & Convention Association. The lack of venues, access and mobility was holding the Philippines back in its MICE ambitions, he said.

Elizabeth Rich, CEO of Australia’s Business Events Council, would like to see greater “Swiss precision” in holding events and also urged the country to clean up its environment.

For MCI Group president Robin Lokerman, it was about longterm strategies and execution. “Look into partnerships and leverage your unique cultural spirit,” he said.

Sirima Eamtako, Bangkok (2010-02-08)

BANGKOK-based tour operator, All Asia Exclusive (AAE), will launch its own line of border-crossing tour products at ITB Berlin.

Sales director Phaopan Anankamnee said the new products would allow AAE to provide a one-stop service for customers of its two main European accounts - Tischler and Tourasia - and other emerging accounts from Italy and Portugal to book combined tour programmes between Thailand and Cambodia, Laos or Myanmar.

Currently, partners book the Thailand portion with AAE while the border-crossing option is handled by local or regional tour operators.

AAE's new products will highlight the Thailand-Cambodia package with crossings from Thailand's Aranyaprathet through Cambodia's Poipet to Siem Reap. The Thailand-Laos tour will offer two crossing options - Chongmeg to Pakse or Nongkhai to Vientiane - and the Thailand-Myanmar programme will be from from Maesai to Tachileik.

AAE is also looking at ways to conduct its own programmes in Cambodia and Laos while partner AAE (Myanmar) will be the groundhandler for the Myanmar portion.

Singapore (2010-02-08)

THE first of three buoyant foundations for the world's first floating island was laid in Seoul on February 6.

The 9,995m2 artificial floating island in the Hangang river will comprise three islets, namely Vista, Viva and Terra, joined together to form the Soul Flora.

Each islet of the island will have different themes and functions and will provide spaces for various activities.

Vista, the largest of the three islets, will feature a 692-seat multipurpose hall for plays, concerts, festivals and other cultural performances. It will also have a rooftop terrace, a sunken deck, a flower garden and a pedestrian trail.

Viva, the second islet, will also be able to accommodate cultural and entertainment activities.

Terra, the smallest of the three, will serve as the base for water sports and leisure activities and will accommodate a club house and dock for boats.

Funded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to the tune of US$84 million, construction of the island started in March 2009 and is expected to be fully operational by August. 

Singapore (2010-02-08)

OPTIMISING hotel spend, improving traveller compliance, optimising simple bookings, and driving air and ground transportation savings are the top four areas of higher priority for travel managers in 2010, according to a survey by Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT).

“Driving savings was the mandate for travel managers throughout 2009...This will be the case in 2010 as well, even as the economy improves and business travel picks up,” said Cathy Voss, CWT executive vice president, global programme solutions.

The report surveyed 169 travel managers to identify their key priorities for 2010.

Forecasting the year ahead, CWT anticipates a decline in negotiated hotel rates; little, if any, demand for dynamic hotel pricing from travel managers and buyers; higher average ticket prices for air travel as industry consolidation and capacity reduction continue; and the reinforcement of ancillary fees. Furthermore, competition for rail travel will increase and car rental companies will continue to control costs while increasing rates and no-show fees.

CWT also foresees efforts to enhance the  traveller experience through mobile services, paperless boarding passes and wireless Internet for air and rail travel.

Singapore (2010-02-08)

WYNDHAM Hotel Group will launch two new properties in Singapore.

The 391-room Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park and the 405-key Days Hotel Singapore at Zhongshan Park will be the first under the Ramada and Days Inn brands respectively to be developed in Singapore.

Both properties, located at Balestier Road, will be developed by HH Properties, a joint venture between Hiap Hoe and SuperBowl Holdings. Construction will begin early this year and completion is slated for 2014.

Hong Kong (2010-02-05)

SHERATON Hotels & Resorts has launched a US$20 million multimedia campaign, unveiling the brand's relaunch following a multi-billion dollar revamp.

In a February 4 earnings call, Starwood Hotels & Resorts CEO Frits Van Paasschen described it as the brand's "biggest marketing campaign ever".

The 'Rediscover Sheraton' campaign encourages travellers to take a new look at the brand, which has undergone a three-year overhaul costing US$6 billion, US$2 billion of which went on new hotels overseas.

Another US$4 billion will be invested in developing the brand over the next three years, Van Paasschen said.

"We've opened 65 new hotels, renovated 100 others, redesigned over 300 lobbies and rolled out over 100,000 new Sweet Sleeper Beds," Van Paasschen said. "We've also pulled the Sheraton flag off 40 hotels that could not meet our standards."

'Rediscover Sheraton' leverages the insight that a growing number of travellers are blending business with leisure and there is growing demand for space that allow for social interaction.

Hong Kong (2010-02-05)

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts has reported that guests are returning to luxury accommodation after what it described as “the worse downturn in our lifetimes” in 2009, during the February 4 earnings call.

The group, which owns brands such as Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien and W Hotels, saw revenue per available room (RevPar) for the year fall 20 per cent as luxury properties were hardest hit in the global slump.

“As we have been predicting for some time, guests are coming back to luxury,” said Starwood CEO Frits Van Paasschen.

Regionally, he said Asia-Pacific stood out with RevPar for the luxury segment growing one per cent against declines of three per cent for the company as a whole.

Starwood chief financial officer Vasant Prabhu also said that Asia showed “the sharpest base of recovery” on trends such as the declining rate of cancellations and a rise in production for 2010. “The recovery was broad-based across Asia led by China. The only market that lags is Japan.”

Van Paasschen also revealed that the region was far and away the company’s largest growth driver, accounting for 50,000 of the 85,000 rooms in the pipeline.

Starwood plans to double its China portfolio and increase its inventory in India by 60 per cent by 2012.

MCI chief points to rise of meetings hybrid

Ollie Quiniquini, Manila (2010-02-05)

A NEW hybrid of meetings is emerging, having taken on board MICE lessons learned during 2009’s recession, say MICE industry leaders.

MCI Group president Robin Lokerman said the days of long plenary sessions are over. “The format of meetings will change completely. Venues need to be hyper-connected. Layouts need to change – there will be a need for more small breakout rooms and networking space.”

Lokerman believes meetings and conferences will be more interactive in different ways, thanks partly to new technology. While admitting that virtual meetings will never replace one-on-one contact, he said conferences would most likely have 12-minute presentations by speakers and “then people will digest the information, discuss this and come back with new insights”.

Elizabeth Rich, CEO of the Business Events Council of Australia, said small meetings might lose out with the advent of new technology but “when you’ve got issues that require heart, you need that direct person-to-person contact still”.

- Read more in TTGmice

New challenges ahead for meetings business

Ollie Quiniquini, Subic (2010-02-05)

INTERNATIONAL association meetings remained buoyant in 2009 but events planning grew a bit tougher as companies made fundamental changes to the way they did business.

Martin Sirk, president of the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), noted that despite 2009's grim economic climate, there were very few cancellations for association meetings last year.

Calling the sector the most resilient in the whole meetings industry, Sirk attributed the positive showing to companies' recognition of the power of a knowledge economy, i.e. such events were necessary for transfering knowledge and for growth.

But shorter lead times, apparent since last year, have made event planning more challenging, according to Asian Overland Services group managing director Anthony Wong.

With associations now requiring destination management companies to share responsibility on results, one of the main challenges was meeting client requirements without sacrificing on service and quality. Human resource training therefore has become more vital this year.

- Read more in TTGmice

Ahir Bhairab Borthakur, Bangalore (2010-02-05)

MORE than half a year after a Kerala High Court ruled in agents’ favour, India’s Ministry of Law and Justice on February 3 asked the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) to look into the legality of airlines paying zero commission.
 
The travel agent fraternity is expecting the ministry will take a favourable stand and intervene to resolve the long-running row with airlines.

Associations such as the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), IATA Agents Association Of India (IAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) are preparing for another round of meetings with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) next week.

“(Last July) the Kerala High Court and now the law ministry have made DGCA the arbiter on this matter. We have full faith in the ministry and are optimistic that we will reach a favourable solution,” said Pradip Lulla, president of TAFI.  

The verdict of the Kerala High Court needs to be passed by DGCA as a directive, which all international airlines must abide by when flying into India.

Agents across the country are asking airlines to reinstate the five per cent commission on air tickets after about 14 foreign carriers moved to zero commission last year and introduced a transaction fee-based model. Air India and Jet Airways have reinstated a three per cent commission.

Karen Yue, Singapore (2010-02-05)

MOVENPICK Hotel Saigon will close for a major revamp and reopen on August 1.

The US$15 million renovation will give the property, which occupies the former Omni Hotel Saigon, 279 rooms instead of the current 251, reconfigured meeting spaces and refreshed f&b outlets with new menus.

The hotel's general manager Dominik Stamm said there was a need to close the property to avoid disruptions to guests. Alternative accommodation has been arranged for guests affected by the temporary closure.

Stamm believed that the hotel would no longer be referred to as the Omni after the overhaul.

Jakarta (2010-02-05)

BOUYED by passenger demand, Indonesia’s Lion Air will expand its services to Saudi Arabia from February 10.

The airline will increase its Jakarta-Jeddah direct flights from twice-weekly to five a week on its two-class, 506-seater B747-400 aircraft.

Lion Air managing director Edward Sirait said: “The flight frequency increase is a consequence of a high average load factor, around 80 per cent, since we launched the service last year and there is still a big potential market to develop on this route.”

Singapore (2010-02-05)

HONG Kong Airlines has placed orders with Airbus for six A330-200 aircraft for regional and longhaul route development.

The airlines plans to launch new services to destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to the Middle East and Europe.

The latest commitment will increase the number of A330s ordered by Hong Kong Airlines to 23. In addition to A330s, the carrier also has 30 single aisle A320 aircraft on firm order for future delivery.

Singapore (2010-02-05)

PREMIER properties in Hua Hin and Cha Am have collaborated on a marketing strategy to increase awareness of the region internationally.

The group launched its initiative on www.itsinhuahin.com to promote accommodation and activities available in and around Hua Hin and the neighbouring beach town of Cha Am.

The promotional partners include Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, AKA Resorts, Anantara Hua Hin, Banyan Resort, Courtyard by Marriott Hua Hin, Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Veranda Resort & Spa Hua Hin, Banyan Golf Club and Hua Hin Hills Vineyard.

Hong Kong (2010-02-05)

WESTIN will open in China’s sixth largest city tomorrow (February 6), with an introductory package pegged at RMB1,001 (US$147) per room night.

The 275-room Westin Tianjin – located in the city’s historic and business district – has seven f&b outlets, a spa, gym and a dedicated MICE floor, offering 1,250 sqm of meeting and function.

The introductory offer includes RMB 400 per room in hotel credit that can be spent anywhere on the property but cannot be redeemed for room and service charges or used for the next stay.

Sunny Heng, who was until recently with sister Starwood hotel Sheraton Tianjin, has been appointed general manager of the new property.

Hong Kong (2010-02-05)

CHINA-based GDS TravelSky has extended its 15-year relationship with Travelport under a new agreement.

The mainland’s only licensed GDS extended its agreement for the Travelport E-Ticket Interchange system and its interline e-ticketing facility.

TravelSky processes more than 200 million passengers a year in China and its customers include 30 domestic airlines and nearly 200 regional and international carriers, 147 domestic airports and 7,000 ticketing agents.

Singapore (2010-02-05)

JETSTAR has extended an agreement with Abacus as part of moves to further develop its distribution network.

The Australian low cost carrier is banking on the agreement with the GDS to provide travellers greater access to its network of more than 50 destinations across Australasia, South-east Asia and the US.

The airline’s Jetstar Pacific subsidiary will join the arrangement by March.

Sirima Eamtako, Bangkok (2010-02-04)

BANGKOK-based Siam Express has mapped out a growth strategy that will see the established inbound operator venture into the outbound space.

An April launch is on the cards for the outbound business, which will see the company develop itineraries and operate tours for the Thai market.

“In the past, we have only focused on inbound and corporate travel, but we recognise the potential in the untapped outbound segments within our database,” said executive director Tanya Pirapokin.

The agency is making its outbound bet even after bookings for the Globus’ family of brands – for which it serves as GSA in Thailand – plunged 40 per cent last year, on par with regional patterns.

The other leg of its growth strategy was to focus on the FCm Travel Solutions Thailand operation, a joint-venture business that was established in late 2008 with Australia-based FCm Travel Solutions.

Pirapokin said the plan was to double FCm Thailand’s base of seven multinational clients.

Karen Yue, Singapore (2010-02-04)

MCI Group Asia-Pacific and Suntec Singapore kicked off the first initiative of a joint strategy to beef up the city’s bid to increase its share of the association meetings market.

An educational seminar to help associations in the city hone their management expertise crucial to drawing regional association meetings to Singapore was held today. The seminar focused on ways associations could keep up with the changing times. A second seminar is planned for later in the year.

The initiative is part of a joint marketing deal signed by MCI and the venue operator during ITB Asia last October to jointly pitch for business events to be held in the city. The two parties are putting together a strategy to reach out to 250 associations in the region, which have been identified as having conferences with more than 1,500 delegates attending.

MCI Singapore director – institutional division Chester Chu said associations in Singapore functioned differently from their western counterparts and there was much local associations could learn through these seminars and networking with other associations.

Although the seminars are now limited to Singapore-based not-for-profit associations, a spokesperson for MCI said future seminars may be expanded beyond the city-state.

S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur (2010-02-04)

AIRASIA X is temporarily suspending its Kuala Lumpur-Abu Dhabi service, three months after the route’s launch.

In a statement, the longhaul budget airline said flights would resume “once we are able to have a more economical aircraft to service this route. We remain optimistic about the potential of Abu Dhabi, and we believe with the right aircraft, the economic upside can be very promising especially if we can pair up Abu Dhabi with another on-route destination”.

Travel agents said the suspension would not make a dent in their business.

World Avenues executive director Ally Bhoonee noted that most inbound tourists from the Middle East preferred flying on full-serviced airlines.

Sri Sutra Travel managing director Syed Razif Al Yahya said Abu Dhabi was not a popular mono destination for Malaysian tourists and had to be twinned with the more popular Dubai.

Singapore (2010-02-04)

BANGKOK Airways and EVA Air have signed a codeshare agreement, which has been hailed as beneficial for Thai tourism.

The agreement, for services from Amsterdam, Vienna, London (Heathrow) and Taipei to Koh Samui, Phuket and Chiang Mai, will be come into effect in March.

EVA will operate the international flights while Bangkok Air will handle the domestic service.

“With the strength of Bangkok Airways’ feeding network coupled with EVA Air’s longhaul expertise, I strongly believe this partnership will benefit Thailand's tourism outlook to a great extent,” said Captain Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth, president of Bangkok Airways.

Hong Kong (2010-02-04)

CATHAY Pacific is bringing frequency on the Hong Kong-Seoul route back to 2008 levels in a two-phase expansion.

Beginning May 2, the airline will add four flights a week to the Korean capital and another three flights from July 1, which will take its frequencies back to five flights a day on the route.

The Hong Kong carrier will also shift flight times on the Mumbai routes. From March 28, daily flights to the Indian city will depart 21.50.

The new schedule offers better connectivity for travellers arriving in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to connect with the service as well as provide passengers a full day in Hong Kong before departure.

Singapore (2010-02-04)

CHINA’S Jin Jiang International Hotels (Group) has launched a new GDS chain code.

The group will use JJ as its code for all hotels owned, managed and operated by Jin Jiang International Hotels Management Company. The company believes having its own code will better differentiate it from rivals in the GDS booking space, said to provide the largest source of corporate bookings for hotels.

Travel agents and corporate bookers will now be able to access all of Jin Jiang's properties through the new code on all major GDS.

Singapore (2010-02-04)

AIR France KLM and Amadeus have extended their full content agreement until December 2013.

The agreement provides travel agents worldwide access to the airline group's full range of fares, schedules and inventories on the Amadeus platform.

Currently, Amadeus also has full content agreements with key airlines including British Airways, Iberia, Lufthansa, Swiss, Virgin Atlantic and the SAS Group.

Hong Kong (2010-02-04)

FURAMA Hotel Dalian in China’s north-east has joined as an affiliate of WorldHotels’ Deluxe Collection.

The 620-room hotel has a large stock of meetings rooms to capitalise on MICE demand from the area’s large base of industries, from manufacturing to logistics, petrochemicals, electronics, IT and finance.

The property has 11 function rooms offering 2,300m2 of meeting space, which can accommodate 1,200 delegates in a classroom setting.

“Dalian is not only a booming city attracting a large number of business travellers, but has also been rated as one of the most livable cities in China,” said WorldHotels’ vice president for Asia-Pacific, Roland Jegge.

Bangkok (2010-02-04)

SIAM Bayshore Resort and Spa in Pattaya has completed a 300 million baht (US$9 million) top-to-bottom renovation.

All 270 rooms and suites are now equipped with facilities such as a Hi-Fi stereo and CD player, 32-inch flat screen LCD TV, precision control air-conditioning and high-speed Wi-FI internet access, while bathrooms have been re-modelled to feature marble countertops, a walk-in shower, a bathtub and aromatic amenities.

In the Ocean Wing, the public spaces and f&b outlets have been re-modelled with a new open-air main lobby, a lounge-cum-museum, a bar and all-day dining.

Hong Kong (2010-02-03)

CHINA’S online travel services provider Ctrip plans to pay US$88 million to acquire a 90 per cent stake of Hong Kong listed agency Wing On Travel in a deal to capture a greater share of the booming Greater China travel market.

In the deal announced Tuesday, the Shanghai-based company plans to pay cash for the 45-year-old leisure tour operator, which has 20 branches in Hong Kong and a call centre.

“Through this investment, Ctrip will significantly increase its presence in Hong Kong, in addition to mainland China,” said the Nasdaq-listed company in a statement. “...Wing On Travel’s solid track record in the leisure travel market will bring an innovative platform to service the increasing number of business and leisure travellers in the Greater China area.”

The acquisition announcement came as the Nasdaq-listed online operator reported a fourth quarter revenue surge of 43 per cent to US$83 million, pushing full year 2009 revenue to US$291 million or 34 per cent more than last year. The gain pushed year-on-year profits up 48 per cent to US$97 million in 2009.

Hotel reservations provided the biggest chunk of Ctrip’s overall revenues for the year at US$140 million, up 25 per cent over 2008; followed by air bookings at US$130 million or an increase of 35 per cent and package tours at US$26 million, up 62 per cent.

Sirima Eamtako, Bangkok (2010-02-03)

BUFFALO Tours is adding to its emerging regional network, launching an office in Laos following openings in Cambodia and Thailand last year.

The Hanoi-based tour operator, which has been operating in Vietnam for 15 years and which has a presence in neighbouring countries through local operators, opened the Luang Prabang office last month. Its Cambodia office is in Siem Reap and Thailand’s in Bangkok.

Further to its expansion, the operator has also won the Netherlands’ Fox Vakanties account for its Thai operation.

With the expansion, the company aims to grow client numbers by 35 per cent this year. It enjoyed a 20 per cent increase over 2008, bringing last year’s total passenger yield to nearly 30,000 visitors.

 – Full report in TTG Asia, February 19 issue

S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur (2010-02-03)

MALAYSIA is laying the ground work at home to prime the government and private sector to grab a larger share of the regional MICE dollar.

Launched a little over a year ago, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) will underscore MICE’s importance as a foreign exchange earner to government ministries and departments at a seminar this month.

The February 11 event will also highlight their role in aiding the development of Malaysia’s MICE industry, said MyCEB CEO, Zulkefli Sharif.

A second event for local MICE companies in April aims to help them encourage association meeting planners and incentive operators abroad to consider Malaysia as their next host country.

Industry partners will also be encouraged to participate actively in major MICE trade shows abroad, to network, establish contacts and strengthen existing business partnerships.

As part of the ramp-up of activities, MyCEB will expand its payroll from four to 15 people this year.

Malaysia placed eighth in the region in the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA) 2008 rankings, based on the number of international association meetings hosted.

MyCEB is aiming to move the country into the top five ranking for the region by 2015.

Karen Yue, Singapore (2010-03-02)

AIR France KLM has extended the launch of its Premium Voyageur product in Asia with roll-outs on the Beijing and Hong Kong routes in January.

The carrier credited the new premium economy product, which debuted in Asia mid-November on the Paris-Tokyo route followed by Singapore in December, for reducing the impact on its yield after last year’s recession decimated front-end demand for major carriers.

Air France KLM general manager for Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, Paul Rombeek, said Premium Voyageur had provided companies that had trimmed travel budgets in response to the global slump with an alternative to trading down to economy class.

But the product had been created to target business travellers from small-and-medium sized enterprises and families who were willing to pay for a little more comfort.

The Premium Voyageur product costs eight per cent more than the economy fare but comes with a mix of economy and business class benefits. While the inflight meal service is the same as in economy, Premium Voyageur passengers enjoy other business class benefits such as priority check-in, 30kg baggage allowance, boarding at passengers' convenience and priority baggage delivery and complimentary travel kit. Seats are also 40 per cent bigger than in economy.

“With the increase in supply of low cost fares, the (price) gap between economy and business class will widen, and when that happens, I foresee demand for such in-between products will go up. Our challenge now will be to make sure we get to up-sell the product rather than a downgrade (by customers).”

Singapore (2010-02-03)

ACCOR Hospitality will open two new properties in Lavasa, located between Pune and Mumbai, to attract more MICE groups to India.

Opening in April, the Lavasa International Convention Centre (LICC) will be able to host 1,500 people over 3,300m2 of convention space.

Complementing the LICC will be the 150-key Mercure Lavasa, the first internationally branded hotel in Lavasa, also opening in the same month.

Jean-Michel Casse, senior vice resident (operations) of Accor India, said: “Mercure Lavasa and LICC will provide a world class new location for meetings and conferences in India.”

Singapore (2010-02-03)

ETIHAD Airways has launched flights between Abu Dhabi and Nagoya.

Etihad will initially fly four times a week to Nagoya, via Beijing, increasing to five flights a week from March 29, operating A330 aircraft on the route.

The airline will also expand its Japan operations with the launch of Abu Dhabi-Tokyo services on March 27 .

In addition to its own operations, Etihad will also offer codeshare services with Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) from March 1.

Hong Kong (2010-02-03)

SHANGHAI-based China Eastern Airlines will begin flying between Kunming in Yunnan province and Dubai on February 22.

The country’s third-largest airline, which late last month completed its takeover of city rival Shanghai Airlines, will operate three flights a week with B767-300 aircraft.

New flights have also been launched across the Taiwan Straits in the lead-up to Chinese New Year. EVA Air subsidiary Uni Air of Taiwan has begun once-weekly services from Taipei to Wuhan and Chongqing and twice-weekly flights to Nanjing.

Prudence Lui, Hong Kong (2010-02-01)

CHINA’s inbound volumes dipped but domestic and outbound powered ahead from January to November 2009 as an economic slump gave way to a robust turnaround.

China National Tourism Administration reported a three per cent slide in overall inbound arrivals to 126 million. The fall was more pronounced among international arrivals, a category that excludes visitors from Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Macau (22.7 million arrivals) and Hong Kong (77.3 million) contributed the bulk of arrivals but were down one per cent. Taiwan, where warming ties have opened new transport links, was projected to have increased by two per cent to 4.45 million.

Among international arrivals, Russia fell the furthest, down 40 per cent, while US arrivals dropped five per cent to around 1.7 million. Japan recovered swiftly beginning July and replaced South Korea as the top visitor source. An estimated 3.3 million Japanese visited in that period, a four per cent decline.

Some 1.9 billion mainland Chinese travelled within the country in that period, an 11 per cent gain with receipts reaching RMB1 trillion (US$146 billion).

Outbound numbers were pegged at 47.5 million, up 3.6 per cent, putting China nearly at the halfway point of 100 million travellers by 2020. 

Singapore (2010-02-01)

THE International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that in 2009 intra-Asia Pacific travel had eclipsed the number of travellers in North America as the world's largest aviation market.

Asia-Pacific's travellers numbered 647 million compared  to the 638 million who travelled within North America (including domestic markets). By 2013, an additional 217 million travellers are expected to take to the skies within Asia-Pacific.

“Achieving Asia-Pacific's tremendous potential is contingent upon short-term efforts to battle the impacts of the economic downturn with cost reductions and efficiency gains. Longer-term Asia-Pacific must also face global challenges including environment, security and liberalisation,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and CEO.

The global aviation industry is expected to reduce losses from US$11 billion in 2009 to US$5.6 billion in 2010. The loss reduction is being led by Asia-Pacific carriers who are expected to see their losses shrink from US$3.4 billion in 2009 to US$700 million in 2010. “Asia-Pacific's prospects are improving faster than other regions,” said Bisignani.

By Karen Yue, Singapore (2010-02-01)

THE Changi Airport Group (CAG) has signed on Jetstar Group as its first partner under the new Changi Airport Growth Initiative (CAGi) programme, launched on January 1 to replace the Air Hub Development Fund that expired end last year.

Unlike the latter that provides across-the-board cost relief for airlines and airport partners, CAGi offers customised incentives to partners that will drive both parties' growth.

The three-year partnership deal will see Jetstar make the airport its largest air hub in Asia for short- and longhaul operations.

The low cost carrier (LCC) plans to expand its route network, especially to mainland China, add larger aircraft to its fleet and grow passenger traffic through Changi by tapping on interlining opportunities.

A spokesperson with the LCC said the partnership was “specifically tailored to build more services and passenger numbers, and to accommodate new future flying opportunities.”

In return, CAGi will help Jetstar lower its operation costs, improve its ground operations and enhance passengers' airport experience. Jetstar will also receive incentives for launching services to cities not currently connected to Changi.

Any airline can qualify for CAGi support, and CAG is presently in talks with other airlines for such partnerships.

South-east Asia catching the eye of US associations and educational sector

Karen Yue, Brunei Darussalam (2010-02-01)

SOUTH-EAST Asia is growing in appeal among US medical associations and advanced education sectors as a venue for their conferences and exchange programmes.

American travel planners Global Tracks vice president for business development Dr William Chaney said business schools in the US hold frequent exchange programmes to Asia. Lasting from 10 days to two weeks, such trips occasionally feature a leisure component.

“At present, China, Vietnam and Korea are often visited for special interest and educational tours, but countries like Cambodia and Thailand are becoming increasingly important (as case study subjects).”

Associations for doctors, nurses and dentists are also becoming more interested in South-east Asia, where a typical programme would combine study visits to local hospitals and clinics, conferences with the local medical community and sightseeing. These programmes run for one to three weeks and comprise 40 to 80 pax.

Global Tracks executive director Joann Chaney said as destination choices for such association conferences should offer educational opportunities to participants, “we intend to take the programmes to Asia because that's where learning opportunities lie.”

Brunei to market destination through reps

S Puvaneswary, Brunei Darussalam (2010-02-01)

BRUNEI will appoint marketing representatives to promote the destination in key markets -  the UK, Australia and New Zealand, South-east Asia, China, Korea and Japan  - by May this year.

Brunei Tourism will also continue promoting the destination in the Middle East through the annual Arabian Travel Mart, said its CEO Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed.

Gran Melia sees MICE surge but maintains conservative Expo outlook

Karen Yue, Brunei Darussalam (2010-02-01)

RECENTLY-opened Gran Melia Hotel Shanghai is seeing a surge in incentives but remains subdued about 2010 expectations.

The 686-key property in the Lujiazui financial district opened 50 per cent of its rooms last December 16 and is enjoying full occupancy throughout January. Its banquet facilities are also fully booked on weekends.

Melia Hotels and Resorts area vice president sales Asia Pacific, Sharon Lee, said the encouraging demand for banquet facilities stemmed from wedding bookings and a surge in corporate dinners and events, as companies rushed to deplete their allotted 2009 budgets.

The upcoming Shanghai World Expo is also generating further business. The Spanish delegation will contribute over 1,000 room nights. The hotel has also confirmed bookings from the Cuban and Filipino delegations.

New bookings, however, are slow to come due to shorter lead times. Expectations for new business during the six-month Expo are therefore optimistic but cautious.

“We have many, many enquiries for the Expo period but these potential clients are just shopping around. At this moment we don't know how (the incentives business) will turn out for us during the Expo,” Lee said.