Lionsgate plans Jeju theme park with Hunger Games, Twilight zones

August 17, 2017

Lionsgate is planning a South Korean theme park featuring seven zones devoted to its successful franchises such as The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga and Now You See Me as well as the upcoming Robin Hood movie.

In partnership with Landing Jeju Development, Lionsgate’s first branded outdoor theme park will be developed in the Jeju Shinhwa World, an integrated development that will also be home to luxury hotels such as Four Seasons Resort Jeju Island.

Lionsgate first outdoor branded theme park will feature a Hunger Games zone

Spanning approximately 122,000m2, Lionsgate Movie World is expected to commence construction in 2018 and open in 2019.

It is also the largest destination attraction to date in Lionsgate’s three-year-old portfolio of branded theme parks, entertainment centres and other attractions in the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Movie scenes will be recreated through rides, attractions and 4D Intellectual Property-reproduced streets and towns. Each zone will also feature themed restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and entertainment performances.

New safety rules for snorkelling in Great Barrier Reef

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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snorkelling-great-barrier-reef — Floatation devices required for those identified to be "at-risk"

Following a spate of tourist deaths on the Great Barrier Reef last year, snorkellers identified as “at-risk” will soon be required to wear floatation devices when snorkelling in Queensland waterways, according to a report by the Australian Associate Press (AAP).

As well, tourism operators will be allowed to request declarations from these “at-risk” individuals before they enter the water.

Floatation devices required for those identified to be “at-risk”

Apart from floatation devices, the select snorkellers also need to wear a different coloured vest or snorkel to be more easily spotted from a vessel, which must be equipped with an automatic external defibrillator.

Meanwhile, a new recreational diving code of practice is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Amadeus shines light on diverse travel preferences in APAC

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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asian-traveller — Journey of Me report reveals varying travel preferences in Asia-Pacific

Amadeus, in collaboration with YouGov, has centred on the diverse preferences, behaviours and demands characterising the region’s travellers in its Amadeus Journey of Me Insights traveller survey.

In terms of where they prefer to receive trip information, 62 per cent and 70 per cent of Australian and New Zealand travellers respectively chose email. Chinese travellers, on the other hand, are most likely to prefer to be contacted via messaging services like WeChat (41 per cent), and almost half of all Thai travellers want to be contacted through social media.

Journey of Me report reveals varying travel preferences in Asia-Pacific

Recommendations that help save money was the top choice for Malaysian travellers, while Vietnamese travellers prefer recommendations that help ensure their safety.

Offering an example of how starkly travel preference can vary, Amadeus said that while 84 per cent of Singaporeans travellers think it’s important that service staff in their chosen destination speak a language they understand, only four per cent of Hong Kong travellers think the same.

And while 70 per cent of Japanese travellers surveyed have never used a sharing economy service for trip accommodation, almost half of Indian travellers say they do so ‘often’ and ‘very often’.

The research further revealed that online booking sites, travel review sites, along with word of mouth, have the largest influence on Asia-Pacific travellers’ trip planning. These were also ranked the top three sources from which Asia Pacific travellers have received relevant travel recommendations.

More information of the study can be viewed here.

Travelport expands ground transfers services with Ugo deal

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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Travelport has established an “interconnect arrangement” with Ugo Transfers to give agents access to a range of ground transport services in 100 countries.

Agents using Travelport Marketplace can download the Ugo application to browse, pre-book and confirm their customers’ ground transport arrangements in advance.

Travelport’s senior director for products and solutions in Asia-Pacific, Tony Hopwood, said that accessing the Ugo app through Travelport’s Smartpoint will allow agents to “create a faster and more efficient workflow, improving the response time for their customers”.

Ugo Transfers recently established a specialised service centre that allows for requests to cater to larger groups and other customised options.

Klook strikes deals with Incheon Tourism Organization, Lotte World

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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Tours and activity booking platform Klook has signed MoUs with Lotte World Adventure and Incheon Tourism Organization to bring more Asian FITs to South Korea.

Through the agreement, Incheon and Lotte World Adventure hope to leverage Klook’s content marketing strategies.

Incheon and Klook are also working together to develop travel products to enhance the city’s appeal.

They will also market the BigCityBeats World Club Dome concert, which takes place in Incheon from September 22-24, with the aim of attracting electronic music lovers worldwide and encouraging them stay to experience the country’s attractions.

“We see a strong potential in terms of the growth of the number of visitors from other Asian cities to Lotte World,” said Soon O Park, executive director of Lotte World Adventure. “Klook offers features that fit Asian FIT’s travel behaviors including user-friendly app interface, instant confirmation and e-voucher functions.”

Aviation roundup: SIA-Avianca codeshare agreement, Qatar Airways and more

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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Singapore Airlines signs codeshare deal with Colombian carrier

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Latin-American carrier Avianca have entered into a codeshare agreement that will take effect from September 2017, offering SIA customers wider connections to Bogotá, the capital city of Colombia.

SIA will add its SQ designator code to Avianca-operated flights from its European gateways at Barcelona and London to Bogotá. In turn, Avianca will add its AV designator code to SIA-operated flights between Singapore and both Barcelona and London.

The codeshare flights will progressively be made available for sale across all sales channels on SIA and Avianca, both Star Alliance members, beginning from September.

Qatar Airways adds Chiang Mai as fourth Thai destination

Qatar Airways will launch a new service between Doha and Chiang Mai from December 7, making the city its fourth destination in Thailand after Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi.

The four-times weekly seasonal service will operate from December 2017 until May 2018, using a wide-body aircraft.

QR822 will depart from Doha at 20.05 and arrive in Chiang Mai at 06.00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The return service, QR823, will take off from Chiang Mai at 07.10 and land in Doha at 10.55 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Scoot heads to Malaysia’s Kuching, Kuantan

Scoot will operate daily flights from Singapore to Kuching starting October 29, 2017 and thrice-weekly flights from Singapore to Kuantan from February 2, 2018. This will bring the LCC’s total number of destinations in Malaysia to six cities, including Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi and Penang.

For the Singapore-Kuching service, with the exception of Saturdays, TR430 will depart Singapore at 20.20, landing in Kuching at 21.45 while TR432 will take off from Kuching at 22.25 and arrive in Singapore at 23.50.

On Saturdays (effective November 4), TR432 will take off from Singapore at 06.10 and land in Kuching at 07.35; the return TR433 service will depart Kuching at 08.15 and arrive in Singapore at 09.40.

As for the Singapore-Kuantan sector, TR470 will depart Singapore at 13.30 every Monday and Wednesday, arriving in Kuantan at 14.40. TR471 will leave Kuantan at 15.20 and land in Singapore at 16.25 on the same day.

On Fridays, TR470 will depart Singapore at 18.45 and arrive in Kuantan at 19.55; TR471 will take off from Kuantan at 20.35 to land in Singapore at 21.45.

Jetstar Asia takes off for Clark from Singapore

From November 28, 2017, Jetstar Asia will commence thrice-weekly flights from Singapore to Clark International Airport – a complementary gateway to Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport – in Pampanga province.

Operated on a 180-seat Airbus A320, 3K777 takes off from Singapore at 02.20 and lands in Clark at 06.00 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On the same day, 3K778 departs from Clark at 07.00 and arrives in Singapore at 10.40.

Expanded services for Cebu Pacific and subsidiary

Cebu Pacific will begin thrice-weekly Kalibo-Clark flight (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) on October 30, 2017, with the return Clark-Kalibo flight taking off the following day (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays).

Starting October 20, the carrier’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cebgo, will boost its presence in Northern Mindanao with thrice-weekly flights from Cagayan de Oro to Boracay (Caticlan) and Dumaguete respectively.

As well, Cebgo will also operate its first international route out of Zamboanga with four-times weekly flights (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays) to Sandakan, Malaysia from October 29. Cebgo is currently the only Philippine carrier with a direct service between the country and Sandakan, supporting the growth of connectivity within the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

The Sanchaya appoints new director of sales

By TTG Asia

August 17, 2017

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Jared Green has been named The Sanchaya’s director of sales.

Prior to joining the property on Indonesia’s Bintan Island, the Australian spent two years in the same capacity at The Strand Hotel in Yangon. He was formerly director of sales at Cambodia’s Song Saa Private Island and director of revenue at Raffles Hotels, Dubai.

The seasoned hospitality professional has almost two decades of experience across three continents, and has spent time in luxury hotels in London and Bahrain. Green first embarked on his hospitality career in Melbourne’s Prince Hotel.

New head for Discover the World’s Thailand office

By TTG Asia

August 16, 2017

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Global travel distribution company Discover the World has changed management of its Thailand office, which is headquartered in Bangkok.

Brian Sinclair-Thompson, who was with Swiss International Air Lines for more than 15 years as regional station manager, now heads the Thailand office as new director.

The Thailand office will continue to service Expedia TAAP, Hertz, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Celestyal Cruises, Caesars Entertainment, bmi regional, Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Dollar Rent a Car.

The new management has plans to further grow the portfolio in Thailand, given its “strategic significance especially with the growth of the ASEAN region and the importance of the Mekong Delta”, said Ian Murray, Discover the World’s executive vice president.

Weak 2Q for Thai carriers amid competition, higher fuel prices

By TTG Asia

August 16, 2017

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Intense market competition and hike in fuel prices were key factors weighing down the performance of two Thai major carriers, Thai Airways International (THAI) and Bangkok Airways, in 2Q2017.

THAI recorded an operating loss of 1.5 billion baht (US$45 million) for 2Q2017, resulting from rising jet fuel prices (+20.1 per cent) and falling passenger yield (-10.9 per cent) due to price competition.

Thai Airways reports loss, but RPK was up from previous year

However, operating loss was down 13.5 per cent from the previous year as total revenue increased 9.6 per cent to 45.2 billion baht due to an increase in passenger and excess baggage revenue, according to THAI.

In the second quarter, normally a low season, passenger traffic (RPK) grew 21.9 per cent with an increase in production traffic (ASK) of 7.1 per cent.

Cabin factor averaged at 78.5 per cent, up from 69 per cent in the previous year to hit its highest in a decade. THAI had 97 aircraft in operation, two more than at end-2016 from the delivery of the Airbus A350-900XWB.

Meanwhile, aircraft utilisation increased 4.5 per cent with nearly 5.9 million passengers carried, up 14.9 per cent from last year.

The net loss is at 5.2 billion baht after deducting one-time expenses including a loss from changes in ownership interest in Nok Air.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Airways’ total revenue in 2Q was nearly six billion baht, a drop of 1.2 per cent from the same period in the previous year, which president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth attributed to intense competition.

The average passenger load factor was 62.7 per cent while RPK was 4.3 baht, an 8.3 per cent decrease from 2Q2016.

However, the number of passengers of Bangkok Airways increased 4.5 per cent for 2Q2017, mainly driven by the 59.4 per cent growth in passenger traffic from China over the same period in the previous year. The airline launched direct services between Samui and Chengdu in July 2016, and has been operating daily flight services between Samui and Guangzhou since January 2017.

For 1H2017, Bangkok Airways recorded a total revenue amounting to 13.4 billion baht, which dropped 2.7 per cent. The number of passengers grew 3.5 per cent while the airline saw a weaker net profit of 44.4 million baht.

Passenger service charge likely to be increased at KLIA2

By TTG Asia

August 16, 2017

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klia2 — PSC at the LCC terminal will be increased

The Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) is reviewing the passenger service charge (PSC) for international flights beyond South-east Asia at KLIA2.

MAVCOM intends to raise the amount from the current RM50 (US$11.60) to RM73, the rate charged at KLIA, to promote fairer competition between airport operators in the country. The PSC for flights within South-east Asia is RM35 at all airports nationwide.

PSC at the LCC terminal will be increased

According to Malay Mail Online, MAVCOM’s COO Azmir Zain said the change is likely to be rolled out by January 2018.

Travellers departing Malaysian airports will also be subjected to a levy of RM1 imposed by MAVCOM as early as 2018, Channel NewsAsia reported. This will apply to all departing passengers on domestic and international flights, with the exception of rural air services to the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak.

Lionsgate plans Jeju theme park with Hunger Games, Twilight zones

New safety rules for snorkelling in Great Barrier Reef

Amadeus shines light on diverse travel preferences in APAC

Travelport expands ground transfers services with Ugo deal

Klook strikes deals with Incheon Tourism Organization, Lotte World

Aviation roundup: SIA-Avianca codeshare agreement, Qatar Airways and more

The Sanchaya appoints new director of sales

New head for Discover the World’s Thailand office

Weak 2Q for Thai carriers amid competition, higher fuel prices

Passenger service charge likely to be increased at KLIA2

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