AFTER less than four months in operation, Rayani Air, Malaysia’s first Shariah-compliant carrier, has been suspended for three months effective yesterday.

The Department of Civil Aviation of Malaysia (DCA) had given a provisional suspension notice to Rayani Air as the airline had failed to adhere to DCA’s regulation. The airline had also earlier suspended operations on its own.

This follows a pilot strike on Friday, April 8, which had resulted in cancellation of certain flights out of Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Langkawi. The strike took place over alleged non-payment of salaries.

On Saturday, the airline suspended operations on its own with a notice put up on the airline’s official Facebook page.

The notice read: “Firstly, we are very sorry for the inconveniences caused. We are working very hard to solve our internal matters and get Rayani back on track. We understand that your plans and scheduled agendas have been disrupted, we truly apologise. We will reply each and every email on your queries and refunds. We thank you for your understanding and support.”

The notice also went up on the Facebook page of Ravi Alagendrran, executive director of Rayani Air.

The airline was riddled with issues such as flight delays and cancellations during the short period it was in operation. It also received two notices from the Transport Ministry last month to improve its services.

When contacted, Syed Razif Al Yahya, president of Bumitra Malaysia, said that the Malaysian Transport Ministry and the DCA had to be stricter when issuing licences to airlines.

New airline companies should also ensure they were operationally ready before commencement of services to the public, he added.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to fill their own flights, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are offering Rayani Air passengers affected by the suspension reduced airfares to travel to their intended destinations.

The DCA will be holding an inquiry on the airline’s management on May 12.

ATOUT France, France’s tourism promotion agency, has returned to South-east Asia with a regional head office in Singapore and a bureau in Jakarta to better serve the increasingly important markets in the region.

Since the closure of its South-east Asian offices in 2011, Atout France has seen tourist arrivals from the region climb to over half a million in 2014, making up the third largest group of Asian arrivals after China and Japan.

“We came back to the region because we saw a big increase in arrivals from here and because of its potential,” said Atout France’s regional director – South-east Asia, Morad Tayebi.

Commenting on the strengths of particular markets in the region, he said: “Within the next three years, Indonesia will become a big player in the region. Even though it is now the fourth market in terms of arrivals, we believe that it would be the first within five or six years.”

He further noted that visitors from Singapore, the second largest source market in South-east Asia after Malaysia, are the region’s top spenders.

Matthias Feckl, French minister of state for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals, told reporters during a visit to Singapore last week: “(When considering) tourism and the economy in general, Singapore is the most important partner of the EU (out of) the whole ASEAN community.”

He added that the new offices would play a role in regional cooperation and the coordination of activities.

To grow overall arrivals to France from 83.8 million in 2014 to the target of 100 million by 2020, 2.5 million euros (US$2.85 million) has been set aside for the deployment of campaigns worldwide and Feckl said there is a focus on promoting a greater variety of secondary destinations in France.

“We are working so that tourism spreads all around the country (rather than just focusing on a few major points). If we succeed, then the 100 million will be achievable,” said Feckl.

He added: “We are trying to focus on market to market promotions…to adapt these promotions to local demand, to have precise packages that respond to what people want in different parts of the world.”

This approach also informs destination promotions in South-east Asia, according to Atout France’s Tayebi.

“(For) emerging markets such as Indonesia and Thailand, we (will talk more about) destinations like Paris and Bordeaux, which are very strong international brands,” he shared.

“But for (mature markets such as) Singapore and Malaysia, we would rather talk about (lesser-known destinations) such as Burgundy, and even Brittany, because we know that Singaporeans are eager to discover new destinations and are also trendmakers.”

Tayebi added that the agency has plans to organise a fam trip to Corsica and the French Riviera for travel agents this September.

Other plans to encourage arrivals from the region include workshops, training seminars, cultural festivals and trade fairs.

One example is Good France, an annual culinary event in March that offers French meals “adapted to local demand and traditions” by 1,700 participating chefs from around the world. This year, in its second edition, the event was held in countries including Indonesia, India and Singapore.

French tourism authorities also hope to continue attracting visitors with improved visa policies.

Benjamin Dubertret, ambassador of France to Singapore, said: “Singaporeans do not require visas for short stays but we do get lots of visa requests from other nationalities (Indonesians, Filipinos and Chinese for example) living in Singapore.

“We have been working to reduce delays (in processing visas) and have since September 2015 (committed to) delivering visas within 48 hours.”

A Tribe tour group at the steps to the National Gallery

While much of it is the public domain, the Tribe team also tapped on sources who shared personal accounts of having travelled with Lee and his wife abroad, as well as on “so many people (who) stepped forward and offered to help for no reason other than to be a part of the research”, said Jason Loe, co-founder of Tribe.

The tour kicks off at Civilian War Memorial, then through Koon Seng Road for a taste of Lee’s Peranakan roots. Participants will also discover stories of his family home in Oxley Rise followed by a walk through Tanjong Pagar and The Arts House (the Old Parliament House). The tour ends at the former City Hall (now National Gallery) steps in front of the Padang.

The response has been “very positive” since the tour was launched, said Loe, who had expected the lesser-known aspects of Lee’s personal life to be of great interest to many, whether locals or tourists, young or old.

“We are seeing a good mix of people. Our youngest thus far is a seven-year-old and oldest is 82 years old. We have seen a broad spectrum of nationalities so far, but predominantly a local crowd. But that is a direct result of the wonderful coverage we have been getting locally. With the spreading of the word regionally and internationally now, we expect to see increased interest from abroad,” said Loe.

Tribe sells tours directly online but is also keen to work with inbound tour operators or outbound overseas operators.

Tribe was registered as a private limited company in late 2013 and it spent 2014 putting together tours, building relationships with locals, writing and putting together the website. It was licensed as a travel agency in January this year. Asked how Tribe aimed to be different, Loe said: “Well for starters, we want to focus on the quality of inbound tours. So we looked at local experiences with fresh eyes.”

“Tribe is a community of locals providing authentic experiences that brings out the true flavour of a place. The tours are about you being a local for a day, making, rolling, tasting, feeling, smelling, asking and experiencing. Each experience is deeply researched to give you rich story lines that you will take with you to your next destination. At Tribe, we go back to the basics of ‘why we travel?’. We hope to ignite a sense of adventure and discovery to give you memories for a lifetime,” he said.

BEST Western Hotels & Resorts has signed its largest-ever multi-hotel agreement, which will lead to the opening of four hotels under its Best Western Plus brand totalling 4,150 keys.

The agreement with real estate developer AD Houses will result in three of the largest Best Western hotels globally – the 1,400-key Best Western Plus AD The Grand Jomtien Beach Pattaya, the 1,200-key Best Western Plus AD Bang Saray Lake and Resort, and the 1,050-key Best Western Plus AD Hua Hin Lake and Resort.

The Best Western Plus AD Wongamart Pattaya will have 500 rooms.

“With Best Western’s Asia head office located in Bangkok, Thailand is very much our ‘home’ market in Asia, and as such, we have a strong commitment to continue development across the country,” said Ron Pohl, Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice-president of brand management.

The hotel currently operates a portfolio of eight hotels and resorts in Thailand under the Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier brands.

Best Western had also earlier announced its first two Vīb hotels in Thailand, which are expected to open in Bangkok in 2017 and 2018.

The Sacred Heart Cathedral, a famous historic site in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

A DELEGATION from the tourism authority of Guangdong Province in China visited Sri Lanka last month to promote tourism in that region, a rare move that surprised Sri Lanka’s top state tourism chief Paddy Withana.

“I find this an interesting moment where I am promoting visitors to go to China rather than inviting them here,” he said, adding however that “this is a unique opportunity because (both tourism authorities) are looking after each other’s interests.”

Withana stated that Guangdong is one of the best destinations in China with many attractions such as museums, parks and street markets.

The Guangdong delegation was led by Huang Guangzhi, vice director of the Tourism Administration of Guangdong Province Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Tourism Affairs Section, who showed a promotional video and invited Sri Lankans to visit Guangdong as well as Hong Kong and Macau under a single visa facility.

An official at Aitken Spence Travels, Sri Lanka’s biggest outbound travel agency, said they were hoping to promote resort destinations in the Guangdong province in a big way in the future.

Many Sri Lankans currently visit Guangdong for the annual China (Guangdong) International Tourism Industry Expo (CITE) event held every September, widely considered to be nearly mandatory for leisure companies.

Reykjavik, Iceland

PROMOTE Iceland last week held its first roadshow in India, covering the cities of New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai in a bid to better promote destination Iceland to the Indian market.

The series of roadshows, which drew about 250 Indian travel agents and seven Icelandic suppliers, came on the heels of increased interest in the destination after a part of Dilwale, a Bollywood movie, was shot in Iceland.

“We have not been very active in the Indian market in the past. But now we think that Iceland has gained interest in India with the movie and we want to build on the momentum through our maiden B2B roadshows,” said Thorleifur Thor Jonsson, manager, trade delegations, Promote Iceland.

Promote Iceland is expecting to spur tourist arrivals from India, which is presently very minimal. Iceland registered a little over 1000 Indian tourist arrivals last year while tourist arrivals from China numbered 40,000 and from Japan 30,000.

The focus on the Indian market is part of Promote Iceland’s strategy to push for tourist arrivals during the shoulder season between November to April, added Jonsson.They will also leverage on internet marketing to reach out to the Indian market.

Promote Iceland is a public-private partnership that some years ago subsumed the overseas marketing department of the Icelandic Tourist Board, among other agencies focused on promoting international trade from Iceland.

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailand’s minister of Tourism and Sports

BANGKOK has been chosen as the host destination for the 2017 WTTC Global Summit, slated to take place from April 26-27, 2017.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) made the announcement at the closing speech of the 16th WTTC Global Summit which took place in Dallas, Texas on April 7.

Explaining the decision, David Scowsill, president and CEO of WTTC, said: “Thailand is an extremely well established travel and tourism economy. Despite challenges, the sector grew by a stunning 18.4 per cent in 2015, contributing nearly 21 per cent to the country’s GDP (US$81.6 billion) and supported 5.9 million jobs, which is 15.4 per cent of the total employment.”

He added that he hopes to highlight the Thai government’s efforts in supporting travel and tourism across the country with the event.

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailand’s minister of Tourism and Sports, who was present at the 16th WTTC Global Summit, said: “We are excited and honoured to host next year’s WTTC Global Summit, which is a great opportunity to showcase Bangkok as an important meeting place for gathering the world’s top travel and tourism executives.

She added: “Being selected by the WTTC to host the summit acknowledges the commitment the Thai government has to the expansion of the travel and tourism sector in the country,”