INDONESIA’s national carrier has re-launched daily flights between Medan and Singapore yesterday, signalling plans for the airline to embark on a new expansion trajectory.

Garuda’s service is being operated by a Boeing 738 with a two-class cabin configuration – business and economy. Flights depart from Kualanamu International Airport at 13.30 and arrive at Changi Airport at 16.00, while the service from Singapore departs at 11.15 and lands in Medan at 11.45.

The timing of the service means that travellers from Medan will not be able to connect with Garuda’s Singapore-London or Singapore-Amsterdam routes.

According to a Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) report, the Medan-Singapore schedule seems to indicate that Garuda is not serious about developing Singapore as a hub, which was its strategy a few years ago.

Instead, “Garuda will likely remove the Singapore stop for Amsterdam and London once a runway improvement project at Jakarta is completed,” reasoned CAPA, as the upgrading works will then allow the flag carrier to offer direct flights from Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Europe.

“Offering nonstops on all its European flights in both directions is sensible as it will significantly improve Garuda’s product from its home market of Indonesia and from Australia,” stated the report.

This is in line with what Garuda has been doing the past one year to increase its European operations. From only five weekly flights to Europe in May 2015, it now has 11 weekly flights there, accounting for roughly 10 per cent of Garuda’s international available seat kilometres

Brooklyn, New York City

GLOBAL travel wholesaler Tourico Holidays has opened additional offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Seattle in the past year to support local hotel suppliers, contract new hotels, and meet a growing worldwide demand for these markets particularly from Asia and Europe.

US hotel bookings from Asia surged 19 per cent year-on-year led by a 100 per cent increase in bookings from China, while demand from Europe grew 20 per cent.

According to the brokerage, New York City continues to be the fastest-growing hotel destination for inbound travellers, with hotels in Manhattan seeing a 32 per cent growth in inbound bookings. The increase was even sharper in Long Island City (185 per cent) and Brooklyn (463 per cent).

Beyond New York City, bookings surged 96 per cent in Myrtle Beach, 385 per cent in Santa Fe, and 81 per cent in Phoenix.

Commenting on the growth trend, Ellen Forrest, vice president of USA product development at Tourico Holidays, said: “As we continue to extend our reach and increase our presence in Europe and Asia, demand for our American hotel inventory continues to increase.

“To adequately meet that demand, we’re contracting more domestic suppliers and ensuring we have the proper local support to assist our clients.”

In addition to increasing its hotel inventory, Tourico is also procuring travel products across a number of vertical segments, including national parks, ski areas, theme parks and other popular travel interests and attractions.

COMPARED to travellers worldwide, those from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and Russia arrange for their holidays furthest in advance, according to a study by Agoda.

The Travel Smart study, which analysed millions of bookings made on Agoda, revealed that Hong Kong-based travellers booked their accommodations the earliest, on average 42 days before a trip, or six weeks before check-in.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese, Australians and Russians are tied for second place, booking on average 40 days in advance before a trip.

On the other end of the spectrum are travellers from the UAE, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, who book on average 12, 15 and 17 days, respectively, in advance.

Holidaymakers from the UK book, on average, 34 days in advance. This is 10 days over the global average of 24 days. China-based travellers trail right behind their UK counterparts at 32 days.

“Those early birds may be onto something,” said Errol Cooke, vice president partner services at Agoda.

“Travellers who book early tend to have a better selection of properties, and a better selection of room types. There’s always a risk that plans could change but many properties have free cancellation now, so travellers likely won’t be out of pocket if they have to.”

THE Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) has revoked Rayani Air’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) after conducting a safety audit of the airline.

DCA issued the notice yesterday and the airline is required to return the AOC to the director general of the ministry within 14 days.

But with immediate effect, Rayani Air can no longer operate as a commercial entity, according to a Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) statement issued yesterday. The commission also revoked Rayani Air’s Air Service Licence due to the airline’s lack of financial and management capacity to continue operating.

MAVCOM also assured affected customers that they will be reimbursed.

It said in a statement: “Rayani Air is still liable to refund its customers. Customers who have purchased tickets with Rayani Air but were not able go on their journey may lodge a complaint with the company and seek a refund. In the event consumers are not able to obtain their refunds, consumers can file a civil suit for those refunds.”

Rayani Air was earlier given a three-month suspension on April 11 due to failure to adhere to DCA regulations. It had also suspended operations on its own before that due to a pilot strike.

Rayani Air is Malaysia’s first Shariah-compliant carrier and first began operations in December 2015.

Selina Chavry, global managing director, Pacific World

MYANMAR’s emerging MICE sector and improving infrastructure have caught the attention of global DMC and event management company Pacific World, which has announced its expansion into the country through a partnership with Yangon-based inbound tour operator Myanmar Polestar.

Selina Chavry, global managing director for Pacific World, commented: “Myanmar has been working to position itself as a MICE destination for a number of years and we have seen an increased interest from our clients looking to host their events there.”

She added: “In forming Pacific World Myanmar, we have reached out to Myanmar Polestar to help us establish a professional MICE team on-site and put everything into place.”

Aung Lin Htin will head Pacific World Myanmar as country director, supported by destination manager K Zar Lin and senior account manager Tom Wood.

Commenting on Myanmar’s MICE potential, Aung Lin Htin said: “Myanmar is capable of mixing world-class five-star hotels with the warm hospitality and historical culture. Cities such as Yangon are capable of hosting multiple meetings and conferences, while further afield, Bagan and Inle Lake can offer incredible incentive trips with activities such as hot-air balloon rides and luxury cruises along the Irrawaddy River.”

Chavry also painted a positive outlook of Myanmar’s up-and-coming MICE sector, aided by its growing crop of MICE-friendly infrastructure such as Novotel Yangon Max’s 750-pax ballroom and the restored former Rowe & Co building in downtown Yangon, as well as increasing airlift from overseas – Yangon will boast direct links to 20 international cities worldwide when Emirates launches daily services from Dubai this August.

With its expansion in Myanmar, Pacific World now operates in 36 countries and over 100 destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Interior of Shanghai Pudong International Airport 

CHINESE agents say the blast which took place at Shanghai Pudong International Airport earlier on Sunday will have limited impact on tourism there.

The blast, set off by a man who threw a homemade explosive device at a ticketing counter at the airport’s Terminal Two, injured a total of four others. The perpetrator then subsequently slashed his own neck, sustaining serious injury.

Seeing no cause for worry, Oliver Ou, general manager of Century Holiday International Travel Group, said: “It’s just an isolated incident with few injured. Based on local news reports, it’s not related to terrorists and we haven’t had any enquiries from our overseas agent partners regarding this blast so its impact to us is minimal. Shanghai is a safe destination.”

According to a spokesperson at Pacific World China, while they have not seen any requests for trip cancellations, they are advising clients to arrive at the airport four hours before departure time for stringent checks as security is now very tight.

Also sanguine about the situation is JoJo Zhuang, director, China Travel Service Head Office (Shanghai) Outbound Tourism HQ Hong Kong & Macau department. She said: “There isn’t any impact to our inbound traffic at the moment. For sure, it’s hard to tell if it will re-occur in the future but I reckon the chance is low given such high levels of airport security.”