TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Sunday, 14th December 2025
Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Building a new world
TTG Asia | Le Méridien Putrajaya welcomes new GM
TTG Asia | Salter Brothers Hospitality names Chris Curran as COO
Page 1411

TAT brings Thailand Travel Mart 2018 to Pattaya yacht club

By TTG Asia
0
TTM+ will spotlight romance at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club (pictured)

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is bringing its annual Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) to Pattaya in 2018, but this year’s event will take place in a yacht club instead of a convention hall setting.

TTM+ will be held at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Pattaya from June 13 to 15, highlighting a ‘Summer Beach’ theme that invites participants to put away business attire and dress for ‘sea, sun and sand’.

TTM+ will spotlight romance at the Ocean Marina Yacht Club (pictured)

Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “We are delighted to bring TTM+ to the Ocean Marina Yacht Club for the first time. The event theme encourages participants to dress in resort attire for three days of business meetings and fun with travel colleagues.”

The Ocean Marina Yacht Club was chosen given its capability to hold large events, having hosted over 6,000 visitors at its 2017 boat show last November, according to a TAT statement.

Organising the TTM+ 2018 at a marina also supports the Thai government’s push to position Thailand as Asia’s premier sailing and superyacht destination targeting high net worth individuals.

“After years of meeting indoor, we are opening (up) to the new shades of business experience against the beautiful backdrop of the Gulf of Thailand,” Srisuda Wananpinyosak, TAT deputy governor for international marketing – Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas said.

TAT’s ‘Million Shades of Romance’ campaign will be front and centre during TTM+ 2018, focusing on Thailand’s offers of luxury and romantic travel attractions.

This year’s edition of Thailand’s largest annual trade show marks its return to Pattaya for the first time since 2001 when the event was expanded to include the Greater Mekong Sub region (GMS) countries.

TAT expects 300 international buyers from over 60 countries to attend this year, in addition to 300 Thai sellers. Preference was given to buyers specialising in luxury, honeymoon, weddings and romantic holidays.

Pre- and post-show tours will focus on Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces and the neighbouring GMS country of Cambodia, which borders Trat province and is easily accessible by both land and sea.

Nok Air losses significantly reduced in 1Q

By TTG Asia
0
The airline's aircraft utilisation was up by 21.5 per cent

Nok Air’s consolidated losses in the January-March 2018 period narrowed significantly to 26.9 million baht (US$843,505) from 295.6 million baht in the same period of last year, which it attributed to marketing efforts to capture several market segments, stricter cost control and productivity enhancements.

Despite the 23.3 per cent rise in fuel costs, revenue grew by 5.6 per cent from the same quarter of last year to 4.3 billion baht as average cost per seat declined; cabin factor improved 6.1 percentage points to 93.8 per cent; and passengers carried increased to 2.52 million, up 3.83 per cent.

The airline’s aircraft utilisation was up by 21.5 per cent

Notably, passenger numbers on the Chinese routes jumped 149.57 per cent to 235,363, up from 94,308, as the airline boosted its Chinese coverage to 19 cities from eight in the same quarter of 2017.

As a result, contribution of revenue from the Chinese operation to the airline’s overall income was at 19.8 per cent, compared to 7.5 per cent in the same quarter last year.

The quarter saw Nok Air increase aircraft utilisation by 21.5 per cent to 10 hours per aircraft per day from 8.2 hours, contributing to higher productivity.

At the end of the quarter, Nok Air operated a fleet of 29 aircraft, down from 31.3 a year ago. The airline added two domestic routes in the first quarter to a total of 25, while its international scheduled routes remained unchanged at three.

BHMA plans new eco-resort under X2 brand in Hoi An

By TTG Asia
0
Rendering of the eco-resort

BHMA Hotels has partnered Vietnamese developer Ixora Real Estate to manage the new X2 Resorts & Residences at the UNESCO World Heritage destination of Hoi An, scheduled for phase one opening in 1Q2019.

The seven-hectare eco-resort will be located on 650m of river frontage along the Coco River, offering 70 two- to four-bedroom villas with private pools as well as a hotel comprising 31 loft units and 56 suites.

Rendering of the eco-resort

The resort will feature facilities such as infinity swimming pools, a library, spa and health club, restaurants and bars, a canoe station, children’s play zone, and both organic and hydroponic gardens.

Minutes from the white sands of An Bang and other popular beaches, the eco-resort is also close to the historic old town of Hoi An.

“Central Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing areas in Southeast Asia for tourist arrivals thanks to its array of attractions, beautiful landscape, historical townships, and a full range of activities,” said BHMA CEO Anthony McDonald, CEO of BHMA, commenting on the region’s tourism prospect.

“This particular part of the country truly provides the perfect opportunity for us to further establish and grow our presence here in Vietnam,” he added.

Glamping in Ladakh for cultural nomads

By TTG Asia
0
TUTC's luxury tented suites in Ladakh
TUTC’s luxury tented suites in Ladakh

The Ultimate Travelling Camp (TUTC) is welcoming guests to a glamping experience in India’s Ladakh, with two seasonal camps up and running from today till September 30.

Through the Chamba Camp Thiksey and Chamba Camp Diskit, TUTC will introduce travellers to different aspects of the Ladakhi culture in three-, four-, five- and seven-night itineraries, or customised stays.

Tents complete with mod-cons such as en-suite bathrooms with hot shower and a safety deposit box

Apart from visits to monuments, monasteries, oral literature, art forms, fairs and festivals, guests may also choose from activities from the ancient sport of Polo, brought to Ladakh in the 17th century by the Royals, to rafting on the Indus River.

In keeping with its promise of luxury, the camps feature triple-layered tents fitted with wooden chandeliers, four poster beds, en-suite bathrooms with hot showers, safety deposit boxes, private decks and climate-controlled interiors.

Services available to guests include personal butlers, laundry, unlimited Wi-Fi at the reception, 24/7 security and on-site paramedics, while TUTC’s in-house chef prepares regional, Indian and international cuisine.

Bali, Jakarta on highest alert after Surabaya bomb attacks

By Mimi Hudoyo
0
A representative office in Surabaya on the horizon for Tourism Malaysia

The Bali and Jakarta Police Offices have put both destinations on highest security alert following a series of bombings in Surabaya and neighbouring Sidoarjo on Sunday.

Additional security personnel and more stringent security checks are being imposed at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport and all entry points to the island.

A Surabaya police office is the latest target in a series of bombings in Surabaya and neighbouring Sidoarjo

Budi Karya Sumadi, Indonesia minister of transportation said the number of security personnel at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport had been increased from 500 to 700, including members of the bomb squad and bloodhounds.

The situations at both Indonesia’s busiest airports are running as normal.

The suicide bombing took place at three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second biggest business city after Jakarta, almost simultaneously yesterday morning.

Last night, another bomb blast occurred in a flat in Sidoarjo, and another blast took place this morning (08.50 local time) at a police office in Surabaya.

At press time, at least 17 people have died including the nine suicide bombers, plus 45 people injured.

President Joko Widodo strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in East Java, saying they were “beyond humanity measures”.

Warming North-South ties, Pyeongchang Games raise hopes for Korea tourism

By Pamela Chow
0
KTO wants to ride the Pyeonchang 2018 hype to promote the Gangwon region to tourists; Seoraksan national park pictured

The easing tension between North and South Korea is expected to bolster tourism numbers into both nations, with Vietnam, Canada and Japan leading the tourism revival, alongside the Chinese market which last year took a hit amid souring diplomatic relations.

Speaking to TTG Asia at the Korean Tourism Organisation’s (KTO) MICE Roadshow last week, Yoon Seung Hwan, its director of Singapore office, said that the impression of North Korea as a safe destination is “getting better”.

KTO wants to ride the Pyeonchang 2018 hype to promote the Gangwon region to tourists; Seoraksan national park pictured

He added that riding on the popularity of the recent Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games, KTO is also promoting the Gangwon region as an outdoor destination.

“Singaporeans like to ski in (South) Korea, and we’ve had a lot more facilities and winter sports activities since the Pyeongchang Olympic Games, so we can introduce complementary activities other than skiing and develop more unique experiences using these new facilities,” Yoon explained.

Indeed, ForwardKeys figures show that the Winter Olympics has boosted tourism in South Korea, which also saw a rebound from the Chinese market.

Last year when Beijing objected to the stationing of US Thaad missiles in South Korea, China’s government took action by discouraging group travel to the country; consequently, 84 per cent of Chinese arrivals are now independent travellers, compared to 35 per cent a year ago.

During the period of the Winter Olympics, arrivals were up 13.7 per cent, with Vietnam seeing an unprecedented 635.4 per cent increase, due to improved air connectivity, a visa waiver during the Olympics and the Vietnamese New Year.

The data further shows other big arrival increases came from China’s FIT segment, Hong Kong, the US and Canada.

The Olympics boost was sustained, as March and April registered double-digit growth. Bookings for May, June and July are 8.5 per cent further ahead than they were at the equivalent time last year.

Meanwhile, Ding Xianqin, owner of Heartlink Holidays, shared that despite political tensions and even before the Olympics, her clients have been “very interested” in South Korea, but are often concerned about the high cost.

This leaves her agency the responsibility of finding higher value experiences in the destination, she said.

SE Asia’s largest gathering of hotel owners, investors meet in Bangkok

By TTG Asia
0
Investors gathered at the summit's opening last year

The two-day South-east Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (SEAHIS) kicks off this afternoon at Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok, promising heavy-hitting discussions among owners and investors on the most challenging issues facing the region’s hotel industry.

Sixty of the region’s leading hotel owning companies are among over 220 registered delegates at SEAHIS 2018 from 15 different countries in Asia, according to organiser HOFTEL, the world’s leading association of hotel property investors.

Investors gathered at the summit’s opening last year

“It is an exciting time to be in South-east Asia, the only place where significant new supply is also being backed by lots of new demand,” said HOFTEL chairman & CEO, Simon Allison.

“The Middle East is seeing a lot of new demand but vast amounts of supply, which is storing up problems; Europe and the US are stable with adequate demand growth and relatively few new hotels being built. Only in South-east Asia is there not only a strong pipeline of new hotels and serviced apartments but surging demand.”

Among 82 confirmed speakers, more than half are new faces to SEAHIS including Brian Williams, deputy chairman of Swire Hotels; Suchad Chiaranussati, founder of SC Capital; Puneet Chhatwal, CEO of Taj Hotels; Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels; Olivier Do Ngoc, managing partner of Dynasty Investments; Siew Kim Beh, CEO of Ascott Residence Trust Management, Markland Blaiklock, deputy CEO of Centara and David Hamblin, vice president, Lodging Partner Services, Expedia.

SEAHIS will address the latest market trends, the rise of OTAs, the challenges faced by markets seeing massive new supply like Vietnam and challenging logistics like the Philippines; ask whether Thai resorts can ever compete on price with the Maldives, and question the big brands about whether their scale is now allowing them to squeeze owners on fees and terms.

A roundtable format provides guests a unique opportunity to grapple with the issues close at hand with owners and entrepreneurs, and startups seeking capital and investment an opportunity to get in front of the industry’s key decisionmakers.

More information about SEAHIS 2018 is available at www.seahis.com including discounted rates for hotel owning groups. Enquiries about the summit can be directed to simon.allison@hoftel.com

Inbound demand robust for Vietnam in first four months

By TTG Asia
0
Growth seen from most major Asian markets; Halong Bay pictured

Vietnam recorded more than 5.5 million tourist arrivals from January to April 2018, a year-on-year rise of 29.5%, according to the General Statistics Office.

The strongest growth came from Asia, which climbed 36% from the same period last year, with improvements reported in most of the major markets such as South Korea (67.3%), China (39.7%), Malaysia (16.3%), Taiwan (14.3%), Thailand (9.2%), Singapore (8%) and Japan (7%).

Growth seen from most major Asian markets; Halong Bay pictured

Meanwhile, the number of European visitors rose by 12.9%, with growth seen from a number of countries including in Italy (19.7%), Russia (13.4%), the UK (11.1%), France (8.6%) and Germany (8%).

Vietnam also welcomed more holidaymakers from Africa (22.5%), Americas (13.4%) and Oceania (12.6%).

In April alone, Vietnam greeted over 1.3 million international vacationers, up 25.2% due to various happenings in the country such as the Vietnam International Travel Mart and Vietnam’s Ethnic Culture Day in Hanoi, the tourism festival in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mon Asian Food Festival in Hanoi and Quang Ninh Province, and the opening ceremony of the National Tourism Year 2018 in Quang Ninh.

In 2017, Vietnam achieved a record of 12.9 million foreign visitors, a year-on-year increase of 29.1%.

The country is targeting more than 15.5 million international tourists in 2018.

Cathay Pacific rolls out blockchain loyalty campaign

By TTG Asia
0
Leveraging blockchain for quicker and more seamless transaction settlements

The Cathay Pacific Group and its rewards programme, Asia Miles, are launching their first application of smart blockchain technology in a marketing campaign, in collaboration with Accenture.

By harnessing blockchain technology, the Cathay Pacific Group and Asia Miles are providing Asia Miles partners a single data source when managing account activity. This allows Asia Miles, partners and members a near real-time ability to manage rewards.

Leveraging blockchain for quicker and more seamless transaction settlements

The technology will kick off with an app for the Asia Miles dining promotion in Hong Kong – Unlock More Miles, allowing Asia Miles members to have miles credited to their accounts within the next day.

Cathay Pacific general manager IT solutions, Lawrence Fong, said the two “will continue to leverage the technology to develop more applications that our customers value”.

The mobile app was designed by Cathay Pacific and Asia Miles, and delivered by Accenture, using a mixture of deep blockchain, loyalty and aviation industry technology expertise.

Asia Miles CEO, Stephen SY Wong, said: “Asia Miles aims at improving member experience with blockchain technology through gamified miles earning and faster miles crediting.”

“Blockchain is helping industries across the globe to transform their workflows, making complicated business processes run more smoothly and added, including enabling quick and seamless transaction settlements,” said Peter Yen, a managing director at Accenture.

As the Cathay Pacific Group pursues new technology, the use of blockchain is expected to define the future of business using a transparent and secure transaction database.

IHG goes on deal spree in western China with 10 projects signed

By TTG Asia
0
IHG goes big in China with 10 hotels signed

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has signed 10 new deals under seven of its brands in western China.

The 10 hotels will sit under the InterContinental, Hualuxe, Crown Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Even and Holiday Inn brands, spanning the luxury, upscale and midscale segments.

Jolyon Bulley, CEO, IHG Greater China, commented that the signings are a reflection of the group’s “confidence and commitment to both the west and the entire Chinese market”.

IHG goes big in China with 10 hotels signed

The list of new properties includes:

  • InterContinental Chengdu Shawan, the third InterContinental hotel in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, will be located adjacent to a number of shopping malls within walking distance to the district government.
  • Hualuxe Guiyang Financial City will be located in the emerging northern Guiyang Financial City. Hualuxe Hotels & Resorts is the first-ever upscale international hotel brand designed specifically for Chinese consumers.
  • Crowne Plaza Mianyang High-Tech Zone will be situated on the main road of Mianyang City in Sichuan Province, known as the “Silicon Valley in Western China”. The hotel will be surrounded by international and local high-tech enterprises.
  • Hotel Indigo Puzhehei will be the first international branded hotel in the Puzhehei Scenic Area in Yunnan Province.
  • Hotel Indigo Jiuzhai will sit close to the entrance of Zhongzha Valley, west of the Jiuzhaigou Natural Reserve in Sichuan Province.
  • Even Hotel Chongqing Central Park will be located in Yubei District of Chongqing Province next to the Central Park. The hotel will boast convenient access to the Chongqing International Expo Centre, iconic city landmarks as well as Chongqing International Airport. The Even brand was first introduced to the Chinese market in October 2017.
  • Even Hotel Xi’an High-Tech Zone will take a prime location in the High-Tech Development Zone in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, surrounded by Fortune 500 companies. The hotel will be located on the 32nd to 38th floors of a 200m-tall building.
  • Holiday Inn & Suites Lanzhou Centre is situated in Lanzhou Centre, a building in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. Lanzhou West Railway Station and Lanzhou Metro Line 1 (to be completed in December 2018) will both be within walking distance. It will also be the first extended-stay hotel in the city.
  • Holiday Inn Express Guilin High-Tech Zone will be located in the heart of the High-Tech Zone of Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
  • Holiday Inn Express Meishan Dongpo in Meishan, Sichuan Province, will sit on higher floors of the landmark Chunxi Square. This project is signed under the Franchise Plus model that IHG tailored for its Holiday Inn Express brand in China, which will see IHG providing owners with more flexibility while assigning a general manager to the hotel.

IHG currently operates more than 330 hotels, over 100,000 rooms under a total of nine brands in Greater China. In IHG’s 2018 first quarter trading update, Greater China achieved another exceptional quarter with market leading RevPAR increase of 11 per cent, the company stated in a press release.

1...1,4101,4111,412...2,861Page 1,411 of 2,861

Tried and Tested

What to Buy Now

 
Subscribe To
Advertise With Us
 
Asia-Pacific's Leading Travel Trade Business Resource Since 1974

  • All Rights Reserved

Copyright TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd © 2024-2025
Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Building a new world
TTG Asia | Le Méridien Putrajaya welcomes new GM
TTG Asia | Salter Brothers Hospitality names Chris Curran as COO