The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is eager to attract more Chinese visitors to the country by joining hands with Thai Airways International (THAI) to co-host a three-day fam trip of Phuket for travel agents and the media from China, as the airline inaugurates its first Beijing-Phuket flight this week.

THAI is operating four-times weekly Beijing-Phuket service using a 264-seat Dreamliner B787. The route is dubbed a “Phuket Express” service to highlight that visitors from China can now fly direct to the holiday island.

Bangornrat Chinaprayoon, director of TAT Beijing office, said: “This new THAI route is vital as Phuket becomes ever more popular with tourists and travellers from China who can now conveniently come here on weekends… This new air access will allow tourists from our largest market to fly here directly with no hassles and start enjoying the beach and local culture as soon as they touch down.”

Incoming flights from Beijing arrive in Phuket on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while outgoing flights depart on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, allow travellers from Beijing to fly to Phuket for long weekend visits. The flight time is about five hours and 35 minutes for both legs.

In 2017, TAT expects Thailand to attract at least nine million visitors from China and generate some 570 billion baht (US$16.5 billion) for the Thai tourism industry.

Cathay Pacific Airways and the Lufthansa Group have entered into a codesharing and frequent flyer agreement, which is expected to improve the carriers’ European and Australia/New Zealand connections respectively.

Through this partnership, Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and Austrian Airlines will each be able to offer their passengers four new destinations in Australia and New Zealand via Hong Kong from April 26, 2017.

(From left) Cathay Pacific Airways’s Ivan Chu and Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s Carsten Spohr

Passengers arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich will be able to transfer via Hong Kong to new destinations including Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and Auckland.

In turn, Cathay Pacific passengers can now access 14 new European destinations through Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian connections from Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Zurich.

Thai LCC Nok Air and Henan Civil Aviation Development & Investment (HNCA) have recently signed an MoU to deepen their cooperation in developing an air network throughout China.

The MoU, signed by Nok Air’s CEO Patee Sarasin and HNCA’s chairman Zhang Mingchao, paves the way for both organisations to work together in areas related to tourism, culture, aviation and trade.

(From left) HNCA’s Zhang Mingchao and Nok Air’s Patee Sarasin shake hands after the signing

Patee said: “Henan is endowed with a superior geographical location, and it is one of China’s most significant transportation hubs. Potential air routes would enhance economic, social and cultural opportunities.

“This MoU marks a new milestone in the relationship between our nations with the aim to provide travellers from both countries with more positive options to choose from.”

Vietnam will welcome its first Rosewood hotel, Rosewood Hoi An, and fourth Okura property, Hotel Nikko Hai Phong, come 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Rosewood Hoi An will be part of the Hoiana integrated resort destination currently under development south of Hoi An. There will be 70 guestrooms as well as 30 residences, five of which will have their own dedicated spa treatment rooms.

Hotel Nikko Hai Phong (building on the right)

Facilities include three F&B options, an outdoor pool and Asaya – the brand’s wellness concept that offers 14 treatment rooms, a wellness lounge, yoga pavilion, gym and a relaxation area. A free-standing event space, The Pavilion, features a function room and an outdoor lawn.

Adjacent to the resort will be a golf club featuring an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, 66 residences for sale, and a country club that will offer a swimming pool, fitness centre and tennis courts.

Meanwhile, the 269-room Hotel Nikko Hai Phong will be located within Waterfront City in Hai Phong, a coastal district under development 100km east of Hanoi. The hotel will have an average room size of 35m² and three F&B options.

This will be Okura Nikko Hotel Management’s fourth hotel in Vietnam, after Hotel Nikko Hanoi (1998), Hotel Nikko Saigon (2011) and The Okura Prestige Saigon (2020).

Thai luxury boutique hotel company Sala Hospitality Group will launch the 135-key Sala Samui Chaweng Beach Resort and Spa in two phases.

The Beach Wing will first open in November 2017 to offer 52 pool villas and pool suites sized between 74m² and 304m². Resort facilities include an open-air beachfront restaurant, beach bar and moon-shaped pool.

Sala Samui Chaweng Beach Resort and Spa

The second phase, Garden Wing, is scheduled to be completed a year later in 2018. It will comprise 83 rooms, a spa, gym, garden swimming pool, pool bar and open-air show kitchen.

This is the group’s third resort in Thailand – after Sala Samui Choengmon Beach Resort and Spa and Sala Phuket Resort and Spa – in addition to four boutique properties in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khao Yai and Ayutthaya.

High-impact incidents such as extreme weather events, medical outbreaks and sociopolitical volatility are the top emerging risks for Singaporean travellers over the next 12 months, according to data and forecasts by AIG Asia Pacific Insurance.

Compared with three years ago, the insurance company has seen an 85 per cent increase in travel claims made for high-impact incidents, with natural disasters being the costliest with an average claim amount of S$2,610 (US$1,872).

AIG predicts that these trends will continue throughout 2017 and result in a 10 per cent rise in demand for premium travel products offering a greater amount of cover.

Vice-president and head of group personal insurance, Ignatius Chng, said: “As Singaporeans continue to be savvy and frequent travellers, their global mobility and increased awareness of travel insurance will see them taking a proactive approach and insuring themselves against unforeseen circumstances.”

AIG further notes that travel insurance claims relating to sociopolitical volatility have more than doubled in the last three years, with travel disruption resulting from political instability, coup d’état, increased border security and terrorist attacks.

Chng observed: “Singapore travellers are demanding greater levels of coverage… especially since the global security environment has become increasingly volatile in recent years and high-impact incidents are more prevalent.”

Meanwhile, to meet growing demand for a more seamless claims and risk management process, AIG expects travel insurance providers to expand their digital capabilities.

“We have seen an increase in customers making direct purchases digitally, but technology does not stop at distribution. The next step would be for them to embrace disruption and move more service offerings towards the digital,” Chng said.

Crystal Bus, a 47-seater double-decker bus, has been launched in Hong Kong to offer sightseeing tours around the city while travellers dine on Michelin-star dishes.

Day tours last 2.5 hours and take place twice daily. The tour visits attractions such as the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, Lantau Link View Point and Hong Kong Space Museum, where travellers also have an opportunity to alight for photos.

Costing HK$380 (US$49) per person, day tour tickets include a Michelin-star dim sum set. Also included in the price are audio guide devices that provide guests with a history of each attraction in Japanese, Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

Meanwhile, night tours are only available for entire bus book-outs. This five-hour tour will offer a customised attraction route, while Michelin-star meals include seafood, Chinese or Western cuisine.

The booking fee from Monday to Thursday costs HK$8,800, and on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and on the eve of public holidays will cost HK$12,800, including drinks and snacks. Additional charges for extra dishes or drinks apply.