A tale of two Asian luxury markets

March 23, 2018

Alison_Gilmore_pic_2017-WEB — Alison Gilmore

Why carve ILTM Asia into two separate shows?
Suppliers told us that they increasingly have two business strategies – one for China and one for the Asia-Pacific region – so we have responded by creating ILTM Asia-Pacific in Singapore (in May) and ILTM China (staying put in Shanghai, in October); two separate events to support two demanding economies.

The Asia-Pacific region has grown, and continues to grow, faster than any other. The 2017 UNWTO Asia Travel Trends talks of the perfect climate for “exceptional performance” in international tourism into Asia and how, also considering economic growth, this has given an added “boost to tourism, particularly through a vibrant and affluent middle-class, with 80 per cent of travel intra-regional”.

The creation of ILTM Asia-Pacific supports and taps into this dynamic growth in travel. This will be the first intra-regional luxury travel show with curated buyers from 21 countries across Asia-Pacific as well as from key international markets.

There will only be a limited number of Chinese buyers present at ILTM Asia-Pacific. Chinese agents will be invited to ILTM China.

So there will be buyers from Asia-Pacific who were never at ILTM Asia previously?
Yes, the size of ILTM Asia-Pacific allows us to increase the number of buyers to the event and we are currently expecting some 600 to be attending (Editor’s note: ILTM Asia fielded around 800 buyers, many of them Chinese buyers).

As regards new faces from key Asia-Pacific source markets, we have already received a 60 per cent increase in interest from Australian buyers as well as key source markets including Singapore (+47 per cent), India (+50 per cent) and Japan (+32 per cent). There is also intensified interest from Hong Kong and South Korea, as well as the Philippines and Indonesia.

What budgets do these buyers work with?
All buyers who are invited and apply to attend must prove they have a client base of high net worth individuals. In processing applications individuals have to be established, provide references, be a senior decision maker and have to be dealing with regular outbound travel for their clients.

To give an idea of spending power, at ILTM Asia 2017, 59 per cent of buyers placed orders at the event and 90 per cent planned to place orders in excess of US$10,000 as a direct result of the show. Over a third of all buyers expect to spend US$100,000+ with clients they met at the event.

What luxury products are in demand?
One buyer describes her clients and some trends in the sector of high-end luxury weddings in Asia. Evelyn Mills, founder of Marriage Maestros and Wedding Maestros in Hong Kong, said she is seeing a healthy increase in spend and demand for more diverse venues and destinations for the regions wedding ceremonies. Clients can spend anything from US$300,000 to US$1 million, depending on the size and duration of the wedding. Equally more and more couples are opting to do multiple celebrations as opposed to one main big event, so destination choice for not only the happy couple but also their guests means some of these ceremonies take out entire resorts. Eighty per cent of her clients plan their weddings inter-regionally.

Why incorporate ILTM Japan into ILTM Asia-Pacific?
With the continuing global demand for Japanese luxury travel experiences, ILTM Japan is now part of ILTM Asia-Pacific with its own area of the show and more space to grow. This new location for the event means that not only suppliers have access to all of the buyers attending, but they also can take advantage of the networking and social themes, all of which will add more opportunities to do business. We are expecting some 30 brands including, Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills, Cox & Kings Japan and Kyushu Railway Company, and just over 40 specialist buyers and agents.

What percentage of the exhibitors who were at ILTM Asia last year are coming to ILTM Asia-Pacific?
We expect the majority of those who were with us at previous ILTM Asia events to be part of this new experience. So far that’s about 74 per cent of the brands, and a number of new suppliers who want access to the increased spread of Asia-Pacific and international buyers.

Established global brands returning include: Accor Luxury Brands, Alila Hotels and Resorts, Belmond, Capella Hotel Group, Como Hotels, Edition Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Heavens Portfolio, Langham Hotels International, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Marriott International Luxury Hotels, Oetker Collection, Pandaw River Cruises, Ponant, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Relais & Chateaux, Rocco Forte Hotels, Rosewood Hotel Group, Silversea Cruises, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and also, Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts and Conrad Hotels and Resorts. A full list of exhibitors is available over the coming months on the show website.

New destinations so far include Fiji, South Korea, New Zealand, Dubai and Botswana who will be joining many destinations who have been with the event over the past years, including Catalonia and Los Angeles, Switzerland and Spain, with others due to confirm in the coming weeks.

Who’s new?
New brands to ILTM Asia-Pacific will be Crystal Cruises, Joali and Kudadoo in the Maldives, new Ganges experience Aqua Indica and new wellness resort Alba Vietnam, to name a few.

Are there any unique aspects to ILTM Asia-Pacific?
Yes! ILTM Asia-Pacific is going to have the feel and style of ILTM Cannes, famous for its ability to draw the very best quality buyers and suppliers to an annual gathering where business merges with a lot of entertaining, parties and serious networking. It’s what the ILTM Collection is all about: L events that explore the world of luxury travel.

TTG Asia Luxury is the exclusive trade media partner for ILTM Asia-Pacific 2018 and will be producing a special edition to be distributed at the show, in addition to its normal circulation to luxury travel planners across Asia-Pacific.

TAT marks 58th anniversary with traditional ceremonies

By TTG Asia

March 22, 2018

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TAT-58th-Anniversary-1 — Kalin Sarasin and Yuthasak Supasorn leading a traditional ceremony

Kalin Sarasin and Yuthasak Supasorn leading a traditional ceremony

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) celebrated the 58^th anniversary of its founding with traditional Thai ceremonies on Monday.

At the TAT headquarters, TAT board chairman Kalin Sarasin and governor Yuthasak Supasorn led the ceremony, with staff, former TAT governors as well as private sector and media representatives in attendance.

Ceremonies to mark the occasion included a Buddhist monk blessing; a ritual to worship the Cham Devi Shrine, which houses a statue of Chao Mae Cham Devi; and the paying of respect to a bronze image of Field Marshall Sarit Thanarat, who established TAT (then the Tourism Organisation of Thailand) in 1960.

In the afternoon, former TAT governors were presented with Buddha images, and senior staff were awarded for their long-serving contributions.

End of SkySea shows Chinese prefer global cruise brands

By Raini Hamdi

March 22, 2018

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skysea-golden-era — Many Chinese cruise goers want newer, bigger ships over local brands

The first Chinese cruise company targeting the mid- to high-end mainland China market will be gone by the end of this year, proving a short-lived experiment by Ctrip and Royal Caribbean Cruises and spotlighting once more the question: do Chinese really want a ‘China-centric’ brand?

Those who believe that Chinese passengers prefer global cruise brands win the bet in this round. When asked why Ctrip and Royal Caribbean are ending the joint venture after only three years in the waters, SkySea outlined the reason: The market has made it clear that it prefers newer, bigger ships from other well-known global brands. It is hard for a local Chinese brand to gain awareness among the competition now. Shareholders have agreed this makes the most sense for the global deployment strategy of the Royal Caribbean brands.

How times have changed in just three to five years for the Chinese cruise market. SkySea Holdings was established in 2013, with Ctrip and Royal Caribbean owning 35 per cent each in the venture, while Shanghai-based private equity firm Stone Capital holds the rest. It is indeed the first “real” Chinese cruise company (i.e. not built for ‘the gambling at high seas’ crowd) and it is a wager that the Chinese will take cruising like fish to water if a line fields ships that meet their specific needs.

Golden Era, built in 1995 as a Celebrity Cruise ship, now competes with new, big ships that bear international brands

Any wonder that its first – and lone – ship is named the Golden Era. It was the former Celebrity Century, an aged Royal Caribbean ship which first entered service in December 1995 and was retuned to meet Chinese needs in 2006.

With hundreds of new balconies, brighter paint schemes, a grand new staircase, a chandelier with LED lighting, a more modern and spacious retail area, more table games in the casino to appeal to Chinese preference for group play, the addition of two Asian restaurants, a traditional teahouse and a new spa, it started operation in 2015 and was SkySea’s torchbearer as “the first contemporary cruise line specifically created for the Chinese market”.

However, in the past three to five years, the global cruise lines have also made a flotilla for the Chinese market, including even Royal Caribbean, which anointed the first-ever Chinese nationality godmother for a ship – famous actress Fan Bingbing for its most technologically advanced cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas.

Genting Hong Kong, parent of Star Cruises, fielded “the first Asian luxury cruise line”, Dream Cruises, basing the inaugural ship, Genting Dream, in Guangzhou. Norwegian Cruise Line re-entered Asia and based the Norwegian Joy in Shanghai – “a ship that Chinese VIPs deserve”, it told this editor.

Likewise, Princess Cruises with the Majestic Princess, also based in Shanghai. MSC Cruises reconfigured the MSC Lirica to suit Chinese needs, while Costa Cruises, one of the first international cruise lines to tap the China market, ordered two new ships built with the China cruise market in mind, to be delivered in 2019 and 2020.

In short, the Chinese are now so spoilt with newer ships, global brands, and prices going south as capacity goes north. The announcement that Ctrip and Royal Caribbean are ending the joint venture by autumn comes even as SkySea are making big announcements, including its most expansive deployment of the Golden Era to a record five seasonal homeports this year and for the first time to Taiwan.

Asked if he was surprised by what seemed an abrupt ending, SkySea Cruise Line CEO, Ken Muskat, said: “We never stop being creative and aggressive, and even with this latest announcement, we will continue to do everything to provide guests sailing on Golden Era during our last season with the best cruise experience possible.”

Muskat: focus now on SkySea’s final season

Muskat is a long-time Royal Caribbean executive (18 years) before jumping ship to MSC Cruises USA as executive vice president, then returning to the Royal Caribbean family as CEO of SkySea in mid-January last year.

Asked if he would be going back to Royal Caribbean and what the fate of the rest of the SkySea staff would be, Muskat said: “One hundred per cent of my focus at this time is on SkySea and making our last season in China the most successful ever as well as managing the wind-down process of the company later this year.

“Our shareholders at Royal Caribbean and Ctrip have committed to doing everything possible to absorb our eligible staff, which is under 1,000 employees, the majority are crew members onboard SkySea Golden Era. We will work to re-assign the crew to other ships within the Royal Caribbean family of brands and believe we will be very successful doing this for the large majority of crew. For our shoreside employees, we will also assist in trying to find new homes at Royal Caribbean or Ctrip to the best of our ability.”

SkySea had the ambition to add one ship a year. Instead, the Golden Era will be sold to TUI Germany’s Marella Cruises, with the transaction expected to be completed end-2018 and its specific last voyage to be announced in the coming weeks.

Not yet a golden era for any ambition towards creating a Chinese cruise company.

Japan walking tours step up in popularity

By Pamela Chow

March 22, 2018

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Discover Hiraizumi on foot during the Basho-themed self-guided tour

An alternative form of land tours – self-guided walking tours – is stepping into the spotlight among travellers in Japan.

Japan tourism representatives at the recent ITB Berlin told TTG Asia that there has been an uptick in new itineraries and operators offering such unique tours through both popular and lesser-known regions.

Discover Hiraizumi on foot during the Basho-themed self-guided tour

Inge Leibmann, German representative, Kyoto City Tourism Office, said: “Travellers don’t want anything cookie-cutter any more. It’s no longer just about shopping and taking pictures. There has to be some kind of unique experience.”

Popular itineraries can include a temple stay where visitors can meditate, explore mountain trails and visit hot springs. Walk Japan has also launched a self-guided Basho Wayfarer trail, which follows haiku poet Matsuo Basho’s famed classic poetic travelogue Oku-no-hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Deep North).

Leibmann shared that such tours are especially popular with Europeans and Americans, and that the office is working closely with Kyoto’s DMCs to reach out to these markets.

The rise of such self-guided tours presents a business opportunity that Japanese DMCs can take advantage of, observed Tetsuro Goda, consultancy & sales representative with Cox and Kings Japan.

Goda noted that while transportation and hotel booking is convenient in Japan, foreign visitors can benefit from “local knowledge” – that is, a reliance on DMCs – in finding ground tours and authentic local activities across different cities, from Kyoto to Kanazawa.

“It’s so easy to find hotels online, but it can be difficult to find local activities and land transfers in Japan (without local help). Moreover, DMCs can help visitors arrange transport to and identify their hotels. Tour planners can make it more convenient for travellers, and we get better rates from hotels too,” explained Goda.

A destination that will stand the test of time

By Rosa Ocampo

March 22, 2018

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When Mart Evers Travel and Tours invited me to join a group tour to Turkey in October 2017, I was not daunted by the political and terrorism concerns in the destination, and neither were the rest of the 37-member group. After all, we Filipinos grapple with our fair share of image issues when it comes to our country.

And so our motley crew of well-travelled bankers, lawyers, businessmen, architects, professors and managers – from the 20-something to the sprightly lady of 80 – embarked on a week-long discovery of Turkey.

Ground handler Glorious DMC fixed an itinerary, which included six out of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of natural and manmade wonders in the country, namely Troy, Ephesus, Hierapolis in Pamukkale, Goreme National Park and rock sites of Cappadocia, Pergamon near Izmir and the historic areas of Istanbul.

Sunset over Sultanahmet Camii, or the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul

Turkey is literally where East meets West, one geographical foot in Asia and the other in Europe. Apart from its involvement during the Crusades, Anatolia was part of the Silk Road and we saw remnants of the caravanserais where merchants stayed. Istanbul, on the other hand, was the imperial capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Turkey is as exotic as the names of its towns and cities. There was no trace of the political tension and terrorism as our luxury coach passed lovely panoramas of mountains, seas and bucolic scenery. The roads were wide, well-paved and traffic-free, a respite from our traffic-clogged urban thoroughfares. Even during rush hour, the streets of Istanbul compared favourably with its Asian counterparts.

Bordering Syria and Iraq, Turkey has taken in three million Syrian refugees and a million Iraqi refugees, which has taken a toll on its economy. Perhaps signs of this are beggars on the streets of Istanbul, a way more common sight now than before.

We visited several archaeological sites beginning with the ancient city of Troy that we know from Greek mythology. That morning it was bereft of tourists except for our group. Pergamon in Izmir has an ancient medical complex called Asklepion, the world’s first psychiatric hospital. As a majority of our group were Christians, we could relate to the ruins of Ephesus which was frequently mentioned in the New Testament and home to the apostles Paul and John. It has the world’s biggest amphitheatre which sits 25,000 and is still used for concerts and other events.

‘Cotton Castle’, stunning terraces of white lime rocks and cliffs

Picturesque Pamukkale, which means ‘cotton castle’, got its name from the terraces of white lime rocks and cliffs formed by hot mineral spring water that seeped through for thousands of years. Nearby is Hierapolis with its ruins of bathhouses, temples and the biggest necropolis or graveyard of the ancient world. Tourists here are mainly Chinese and other Asians.

Cappadocia, with its acre upon acre of surreal rock formations resulting from volcanic eruptions, is often chosen as the backdrop in many international films because of its unusual formations. It is also a favourite among Insta-happy Filipinos.

Early Christians built their houses and churches upon these rocks, including those in the underground city of Kaymakli to escape Roman persecution. Many of these cities are linked to other cities by underground tunnels.

The gung-ho elderly in the group, including the 80-year old lady, gamely joined the hot air balloon ride to see Cappadocia during sunrise. They also joined the jeep safari for a peek at the cave houses and churches.

We also passed by Konya in Ankara, a pilgrimage site for Sufis, with the tomb of Rumi in Mevlana Museum. Konya is also where the whirling dervishes originated.

Our historical and geographical immersion was punctuated by shopping sprees. Turkey is a real shoppers’ paradise. A number of Turkish designer brands are available in factory outlets at reduced prices. We also stopped by a huge carpet manufacturing shop with a dizzying array of high-quality carpets valued based on number of knots, instead of size. Other shops include those selling leather goods, handmade pottery, souvenir items, lamps and other artefacts not found elsewhere in the world.

Of course shopping in the city is incomplete without a visit to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. This is the biggest covered shopping place in the world, although it is getting smaller – from 3,000 shops when it first started centuries ago to the 1,000 today.

Still, the bazaar was impressive and for the shopaholics among us, a truly beguiling force. A family in this group even extended their stay by three more days so they could shop some more.

We visited several architectural wonders of Istanbul including the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and of course the Haggia Sofia which was a Muslim mosque that became a Catholic cathedral, before becoming a museum for the public. It’s a transition that did not erase the past, much like Turkey’s transition into a modern republic that it is today.

Our day tour of Istanbul was capped by a late afternoon cruise along the Strait of Bosphorus, which connects Asia on the left to Europe on the right. The connection is through the world’s biggest suspension bridge built in 2016, and also the third bridge on the Bosphorus. The Bosphorus is lined with elegant buildings and mansions and palaces of the wealthy.

The sky’s colours changed as the sun set, burning a fierce orange until the darkness crept in, leaving the suspension bridge and the surrounding palaces awash with a myriad of lights. From light to dark and back to light again. What a dramatic sight to behold.

Our tour guide Nami Ardakoc, who is also a political science professor, predicted that Turkey’s tourism will pick up soon after two years of downtrend. I couldn’t help but agree.

One cannot put a good destination down. Turkey with its pedigreed history, culture, geography and natural attractions is meant to be discovered by tourists. As for me, it merits a repeat visit.

Visit Miri campaign gets lift from Wings Air’s Pontianak flights

By S Puvaneswary

March 22, 2018

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miri-aerial — Miri wants to realise medical tourism potentials

Indonesian LCC Wings Air launched twice-daily flights between Pontianak and Miri on March 15, a timely addition amid the Visit Miri 2018 campaign.

With the only other international direct flight into Miri being AirAsia’s service from Singapore, the new Pontianak route is promising to lend strength to the travel industry’s push for the northern region of Sarawak.

Miri wants to realise medical tourism potentials

Among the activities and attractions highlighted as part of the Visit Miri 2018 are the Borneo Jazz Festival (May 11-12); Miri City International Deep Sea Fishing Tournament (May 10-13) as well as its UNESCO accredited Mulu National Park.

Visit Miri 2018 is a tourism initiative by Miri City Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports; Sarawak Tourism Board; Miri Resident Office; Miri District Office; Sarawak Forestry Corporation and non-government organisations.

Sarawak Tourism Board’s acting CEO, Mary Wan Mering, added: “The new flights will also help attract more medical tourists from Pontianak to the three main hospitals in Miri actively promoting medical tourism – Borneo Medical Centre Miri, Miri City Medical Centre and Columbia Asia Hospital.

“The flights could also help the state of Sarawak achieve its arrival target for 2018, pitched eight to 10 per cent higher than the 4.8 million arrivals into Sarawak in 2017,” she said.

Indonesia represents an important market for Malaysia’s medical tourism sector, contributing more than 60 per cent of the segment.

Miri is the second international destination in Wings Air’s network, after the airline launched Kuching flights in January 2018.

Blacklane rides now earn you KrisFlyer miles

By TTG Asia

March 22, 2018

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blacklane2 — Blacklane offers chauffeur service on premium vehicles

Blacklane offers chauffeur service on premium vehicles

Blacklane, which provides affordable chauffeur services, is now a partner of Singapore Airlines Group’s frequent flyer programme.

KrisFlyer members can earn two miles for every US dollar, euro or pound spent on Blacklane’s service. To start doing so, travellers need only to add their KrisFlyer membership number to their Blacklane profile.

Blacklane serves more than 500 airports, 250 cities and 50 countries around the world.

How to get Google to love you

By Industry Expert

March 22, 2018

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While tourism is still about enjoying visceral real world experiences, its modern marketing is not. Tourism marketing is increasingly dominated by the relentless science of artificial intelligence, specifically semantic search.

This means if you want your destination to earn market share or better, Google has to love you. And you can’t fool Google. Its AI-driven semantic search is exponentially more capable than historical search algorithms of delivering, fast, meaningful results tailored to each user’s search query.

When a person conducts online travel search today, Google takes into account information such as his or her geographical location, previous search history, and interests, as reflected by social media interactions.

Now all this is a boon to tourism businesses because it helps you connect with your customers in a targeted, relevant manner. Do your job right and your product, service or destination will be presented in search results that fully match the user’s intent and delivers you customers who will love your product.

It’s fair to say that Google is becoming more like a personal assistant than a search engine. To accomplish this Google has embedded its machine learning algorithms in a suite of products, apps and tools that are free, easy to use, and fully integrated.

White: get the basics right and Google will send the right customers your way

For example, today, the Google ‘suite’ includes Google Maps, Chrome, Plus, Home, My Business, Now, Calendars, Voice, YouTube, and more. The more you love Google, the more it loves you back.

I therefore strongly recommend travel organisations to embrace these tools in order to keep their marketing programmes on track and their content working for them.

This means tourism bodies need to create content that is relevant to the user by answering specific user questions, solving problems, and providing useful information in a variety of formats.

But before you post your great content – words, photos, videos, blogs, surveys – make sure your online fundamentals are in place:

Check your website structure Google cannot help you unless your site is easily navigated. Your site needs headings, titles and descriptions that Google can index (And don’t be fooled. You still need a website!)

Mobile compatible Google is designed primarily for mobile users (bring in an expert if you’re unsure about your site’s compatibility with mobile devices).

Don’t be caught NAPping Make sure your name, address and phone numbers (NAP) are consistent in listings.

Sign up for Google My Business Claim and list your business on Google Places, and populate it with relevant information. Local Google listings always feature prominently on mobile search queries, especially voice queries. Be sure to include videos and photos.

Get social on Google+ Create your Google + Page for your business and your Google + profile for yourself. You can then link your business website and all your online activity, and other social media accounts you use. Google indexes posts exactly like blog posts, so include text, compelling images, videos, events and customer testimonials.

Get a YouTube account YouTube is part of Google and is the second largest search engine in the world. With a YouTube account, embed the video on your own website and blog and include the link in your social media posts/

Post often Try and add something relevant to your Google + and other social media accounts daily. From Google’s perspective, these activity patterns show that you are expanding and increase the probability that you have interesting content to offer. It’s often easier to do this than many tourism businesses think. There are simple things you can do that help with this.

Summarising, David Amerland, a leader in semantic search analysis for business, gives the following four tips: develop a clear distinctive brand voice, deliver content in multiple channels in a personable, accessible way, deliver content that has real value for the end user, and embrace the free platforms and tools made by Google.

Stephen Ho joins Hyatt as Greater China, global operation president

By TTG Asia

March 22, 2018

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Hyatt Hotels Corporation has appointed Stephen Ho as president – greater China, global operations, as part of the group’s plans to accelerate growth in Greater China.

Effective April 16, 2018, Stephen will be responsible for the growth and operations of the hotel network, talent development and owner relations in the Greater China region. He will also refine and reinforce the group’s China outbound strategy from a commercial and operations perspective.

Prior to joining Hyatt, Stephen was CEO, Greater China Region at Marriott International, where he oversaw all hotels in operation and under construction in the region, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ Asia-Pacific president from 2012 to 2016.

A Singapore native, Ho boasts over 35 years of experience in the hospitality sector since launching his career in 1981. Since then, he has served in a variety of roles across multiple functions and geographies, including Brunei, Auckland, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Singapore, Dhaka and Beijing.

Aviation roundup: Eva Air, Hainan Airlines, Bangkok Airways and more

By TTG Asia

March 22, 2018

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Eva Air launches Taipei-Chiang Mai service
From July 1, Eva Air will commence daily services between Taipei and Chiang Mai. Operated with a two-class Airbus A321-200 for 184 passengers, flight BR257 leaves Taipei daily at 07.25, arriving in Chiang Mai at 10.25. Flight BR258 then leaves Chiang Mai at 11.30 for arrival in Taipei at 16.45. The flight provides another an alternative one-stop route between North America and Chiang Mai, Eva Air says.

Hainan Airlines flies from Beijing to Dublin, Edinburgh
Hainan Airlines will launch the first direct flights from Beijing to Dublin and Edinburgh on June 12. With an Airbus A330 aircraft, the airline will operate flights from Dublin to Beijing four times per week, two of which will include a stopover in Edinburgh.

The direct Beijing-Dublin flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays, with flights departing Beijing at 01.30, arriving in Dublin at 06.00. The Dublin-Beijing service will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing Dublin Airport at 11.10, arriving in Beijing at 05.00 the following day.

The Beijing-Edinburgh-Dublin service will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Flights will depart Beijing at 01.30, arriving in Dublin at 09.10 via Edinburgh. The return service departs Dublin at 08.00 on Thursdays and Sundays and arrives in Beijing via Edinburgh at 05.00 the following day.

Bangkok Airways adds flights to Vientiane
Bangkok Airways will increase frequency on its Bangkok-Vientiane route to twice daily, effective March 25. The new outbound flight PG949 departs Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 17.35 and arrives Vientiane International Airport at 18.50. The inbound flight PG940 departs Vientiane International Airport at 19.35 and arrives at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 20.50.

Juneyao, ANA enter codeshare deal
Juneyao Airlines will kick off its codeshare partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA) starting from March 25, with sale of codeshare flights starting from March 22. The Chinese airline will place its “HO” code on ANA operated Sino-Japan trunk routes connecting Shanghai (Pudong) to Tokyo (Haneda), Nagoya and Osaka (Kansai), as well as onward routes from Osaka (Kansai) to Tokyo (Haneda), Sapporo and Naha.

In turn, ANA will place its “NH” code on Juneyao’s flights from Shanghai (Pudong) to Tokyo (Haneda), Nagoya and Osaka (Kansai); as well as Nanjing to Osaka (Kansai). ANA will also codeshare on Juneyao’s domestic flights from Shanghai Pudong to Chongqing, Xi’an, Harbin and Changchun.

Frequent flyers with both airlines can also earn miles on certain classes and redeem flights on both sides. The two carriers will also offer priority privileges for elite members on codeshare flights, including priority check-in, priority baggage handling, priority boarding, extra baggage allowance and lounge access.

A tale of two Asian luxury markets

TAT marks 58th anniversary with traditional ceremonies

End of SkySea shows Chinese prefer global cruise brands

Japan walking tours step up in popularity

A destination that will stand the test of time

Visit Miri campaign gets lift from Wings Air’s Pontianak flights

Blacklane rides now earn you KrisFlyer miles

How to get Google to love you

Stephen Ho joins Hyatt as Greater China, global operation president

Aviation roundup: Eva Air, Hainan Airlines, Bangkok Airways and more

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