OMAN will be showcasing its US$35 billion tourism masterplan at this year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM) as the sultanate expects more growth in the years ahead.

According to Oman Airports Management Company, Oman’s airports in Muscat and Salalah recorded an 18 per cent rise in passenger numbers in 2015, surpassing the 10 million passenger mark for the first time in its operational history, while Salalah Airport also saw a rise in traffic by 22 per cent to reach more than one million passengers.

Oman saw inbound tourism numbers rise by an average of 7.4 per cent per annum in the decade 2005-14, and targets 1.4 million international tourism arrivals by 2019, up from 1.1 million in 2015.

Oman Ministry of Tourism forecasted hotel room capacity to expand at an annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent over the next three to four years and make up 10 per cent of the GDP by 2020.

Nadege Noblet-Segers, exhibition manager, ATM

“Oman’s tourism strategy for 2015 through to 2040 has an investment value of US$35 billion and the country is working hard to increase its global appeal with exciting initiatives such as the launch of an e-visa system by Royal Oman Police in February last year,” said Nadege Noblet-Segers, ATM’s exhibition manager.

Oman Air is also working to draw tourists to Oman by improving the city’s accessibility, for example, by launching a new route to Dhaka and enhancing the passenger capacity of flights to Frankfurt, Colombo, Tehran and Dammam.

ATM will be held in Dubai from February 25 to 28.

ORGANISERS of Travel Revolution expect to sustain visitor numbers this year despite “gruelling” economic conditions.

The fair was inaugurated by the Singapore Outbound Travel Agents Association (SOTAA) in April last year after discontentment with the NATAS Travel Fair.

Said Kay Swee Pin, president of SOTAA: “(Offering the best value for money) is our top priority as 2016 is expectedly a gruelling year for businesses and consumers due to the global economic malaise.”

“That said, we are hopeful of pulling in about 76,000 visitors, which is the same count as the inaugural Travel Revolution,” she added.

Taking place from February 26 to 28 at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands, the travel fair will feature a new addition of food kiosks offering popular treats from six countries.

Daily draws will be conducted every two hours starting from 13.00 to the last draw at 21.00 while the grand draw will take place on the last day at 21.30, with prizes including flights to Canberra, Bhutan, Europe and the prize-winner’s choice of destination on Singapore Airlines, DrukAir, Oman Air and Etihad Airways respectively. Cruise and tour packages as well as a stay at Maldives Makundu Island will also be given away.

Visitors can also expect attractive deals offered by travel agencies, including free flights, stays and land tours; one-for-one deals; 50 per cent discount for second traveller; and value-added or upgrade bonuses.

This year, NTOs from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, Sabah and Thailand will be present. Visitors can enjoy activities that showcase the respective countries, such as complimentary Thai massage and Indonesian refreshments.

Paul James, senior vice president, global marketing and branding, Millennium Hotels & Resorts

MILLENNIUM Hotels & Resorts (MHR), which will be unveiling its first M Social hotel in Singapore end April or early May, said there won’t be any confusion between the brand and its Studio M Singapore hotel.

Taxi drivers may disagree.

Both are located in the Robertson Quay area, are designer hotels – M Social is by Philippe Starck, while Studio M is by Pierro Lissoni – and both seek to cater to the contemporary traveller.

But MHR senior vice president global marketing and branding, Paul James, said it’s “an evolution of communication”. Said James: “M Social is not ‘studio’, which is much more in the select service market.”

Opened in 2010, Studio M is Singapore’s first all-lofts hotel with 360 rooms of around 22m² in size. It describes itself in its website as a “distinctive four-star hotel” where “style and functionality are key”. Its ARR is reportedly around S$160 (US$114).

Six years and one Studio M later, the company’s chairman, Kwek Leng Beng, is now attempting to reinvent the four-star space again with M Social, a development with 100 loft-style rooms and 200 standard rooms, average room size of 20m², 90 of them residences.

Although there isn’t a shortage of players now in Asia jostling for this space – CitizenM, Radisson Red, Canopy by Hilton, etc – James believes who’ll win in the end is who is most able to fuse the right blend of technology with service, design with comfort and convenience, and who is most able to provide genuine social spaces that enable a generation that likes to be alone together feel truly belonged.

“There are already brands like that but we are doing it from the perspective of being 30 years in the business, and the one thing we do well is blend technology and soft-touch,” he said.

James added that a “hero designer” like Philippe Starck would help with his insights to regenerate the space and the first M Social in Singapore was a testbed to expand the brand elsewhere and in Singapore either through new-builds or conversions.

Rates at M Social are expected to be well above S$200 for a start, said James. His base market, one-fifth, would be staycations due to its riverfront location. The rest would comprise a high percentage of leisure business and some corporate travel.

The closeness of the names may accelerate the company’s move to rebrand Studio M. JLL Hotels has reportedly been engaged to review international hotel chains to manage Studio M as well as the group’s luxury property which opened last year, South Beach. This also comes as Singapore’s hotel market braces for a tougher year, with arrivals softening and room stock growing by 6.4 per cent this year on top of last year’s 7.2 per cent.

AUTHORITIES in Thailand are examining the back-up systems for power supply at all airports in Thailand after a blackout at Krabi airport.

The six-hour outage on Wednesday saw customs officers working by candlelight and logging some 3,000 tourist arrivals by hand as computers were not working after the back-up power system failed.

“We just look for the whole back-up system,” Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Department of Airports, told TTG Asia, adding that this would be for all the airports in Thailand, not just Krabi.

This might see the organisation’s manual extended to cover contingencies such as the back-up system failing, he added.

“We have a Plan B but in this case we maybe have to have a Plan C,” Sukmanop told TTG Asia.

The outage was unlikely to affect Thailand’s plans to end its ICAO red flag status, he added. Thailand was red-flagged by the UN agency and Bangkok plan to invite ICAO inspectors next year to have the flag withdrawn.

Said Dr Sukmanop: “This was not a safety measure; it is about an airport.”

The outage was unlikely to have seen a breach in Thailand’s security and let blacklisted individuals sneak back in.

Of the planes arriving at Krabi while the computer system was down, “the majority are charter flights and organised by travel agents so the risk is less than usual…that’s why they were let in,” he added.

Local news reports also added that immigration bureau officers had checked written records with the rebooted computer and found no blacklisted individuals.

Thailand recently moved to blacklist long overstayers. Those who turn themselves in to the authorities after more than 90 days without a visa cannot return to Thailand for a year but those who are arrested for overstaying less than a year face a five-year ban.

THE brand is more known for its cafes, but that is set to change as Hard Rock goes on a roll to have 100 hotels, opened or signed, globally by 2020.

To-date, Hard Rock has 22 hotels in operation globally, including its casinos in the US, and 18 hotels in the pipeline. In contrast, there are some 160 cafes worldwide.

Marco Roca, executive vice president and chief development officer, Hard Rock

Hard Rock’s executive vice president and chief development officer, Marco Roca, said of the 60 hotels left to be signed, roughly 50 per cent would be in the US and 25 per cent in Asia and 25 per cent in the Middle East and Europe. The chain recently hired a senior vice president hotel development (Asia and India), Leong Wy Joon, to look at expansion in key resorts and key global cities in the region such as Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai.

There are just five Hard Rock hotels in Asia now, but already, the chain has debuted in India with the newly-opened Hard Rock in Goa and will soon debut in China with a property in Shenzhen, to be followed by another in Haikou.

Most of its 22 hotels in operation today are franchised, although it manages all of its casino hotels in the US. “Of the 18 signed agreements, 12 are managed, six franchised, so as we grow there is a preference to manage,” Roca said.

Asked why Hard Rock is still a relevant brand today, Roca said: “Music will always be relevant. We consider ourselves a lifestyle hotel, but we didn’t go out to create a brand to fit a ‘lifestyle’ niche. We are all about the music, and we create our hotels around music. We are the largest curator of musical memorabilia, with 80,000 original pieces in our collection, and they cut across generations, genres and cultures of music. We don’t only have Beatles guitars or Michael Jackson’s jacket, but an entire collection, from Shakira to Asian artistes now. We’re a music museum with rooms and we appeal to people from eight years old to 80. Who does not love music; it is the international language of love.”

– Read the View from the Top with Marco Roca, TTG Asia, March 4 issue

THE US Department of State has issued a travel alert for all its citizens to the risks of travelling to the Xaisomboun Province of Laos due to recent shooting attacks and detonations of improvised explosive devices.

The US Embassy in Vientiane first issued the alert on its Facebook page, stating: “The Embassy has prohibited its personnel from traveling to Xaisomboun Province, and encourages US citizens to adopt similar security measures.”

According to an official statement from the US Department of State, three people had been killed and one injured during two roadside attacks that took place in Laos in late January. A series of shootings also occurred in November and December 2015.

Further warnings of unexploded ordnance to be found throughout Laos was issued in the statement as well. “While this may not pose a threat in common tourist destinations, including Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and the Plain of Jars, we strongly discourage travelling off well-used roads, tracks, and paths,” it stated.

“US citizens travelling to or residing in Laos should take precautions, remain vigilant about their personal security, and be alert to local security developments.”

The travel alert expires on April 30, 2016.

TOKYO Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea have both increased their ticket prices with effect from April 1. The theme parks last revised ticket prices in April last year.

Prices for all ticket types will increase except for the Starlight Passport and After Six Passport categories which will retain its current pricing.

The One-day Passport for both parks will cost 7,400 yen (US$65.59), 6,400 yen and 4,800 yen for an adult aged 18 and above, a junior aged between 12 and 17, and a child aged between four and 11 respectively, up from 6,900 yen, 6,000 yen and 4,500 yen.

Both parks have added new attractions since April 2015, including Stitch Encounter, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue – Special Version, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights, as well as King Triton’s Concert.

Additionally, Tokyo DisneySea will reopen its live performance show called Big Band Beat come April 15 and launch a new musical titled Out of Shadowland on July 9. Tokyo Disneyland will also be opening a new facility and a new restaurant later this year.

THE Philippines Department of Tourism – Davao Regional Office last week launched three tourism initiatives for 2016, namely the Visit Davao Fun Sale 2016, Let’s Meet in Davao: MICE Davao Program, and the 9th Mount Apo Boulder Face Challenge.

Making the announcement during the 23rd Travel and Tour Expo 2016 held in SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, DoT Region XI director Roberto Alabado, III, said: “These three institutional tourism programmes will help position Davao as the ‘islands to highlands’ destination for adventure, beach holiday, food and culture, shopping and as a premier MICE destination.”

The Visit Davao Fun Sale will take place from March 25 to May 31, featuring a city-wide sale and events programme with discounts and promotions for tours, accommodation, shopping, dining, relaxation and adventure activities. Some event highlights include theDurianMan Triathlon, the Davao Grand Indie Film Festival and a pub crawl.

Davao tourism authorities are also conducting roadshows and closing deals with MICE planners and service providers, including airlines, to offer greater support for conference and event organisers.

Currently, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines have agreed to co-brand with the Let’s Meet in Davao: MICE Davao Program by promoting on their own websites special airfare rates for MICE participants. The two carriers will also participate in roadshows alongside Davao’s MICE executive committee.

For adventure travellers, the Mount Apo Boulder Face Challenge, where participants race to the peak of the country’s highest mountain and back down within 24 hours, will be held this year from 23 to 24 April.

Davao welcomed nearly 2 million visitors in 2015, 1.8 million of which were domestic travellers, 121,604 were foreign visitors, and 4,870 were overseas Filipinos. An estimated 26.7 billion pesos (US$561 million) in tourist receipts were generated from those arrivals, a 10.2 per cent increase from 2014.

SOUTH KOREA is wooing tourists from Indonesia by streamlining the visa application process and offering promotional support to travel agencies.

The South Korean Embassy in Indonesia started issuing five-year multiple entry visas last June and in October, the visa processing time was shortened to 24 hours.

Park Sang Hun, visa consular of the South Korean Embassy in Jakarta, said: “The response was positive. We have seen two and a half times the number of applicants every month following the introduction of this service.”

Park told travel company representatives in Jakarta: “We will step up our promotions by (proactively) informing eligible applicants who apply for single entry visas that they can apply for multiple entry ones.”

He also informed representatives that group visa applications will be made easier for travel bookings made through the embassy’s 15 authorised travel agents. Application fees will also be waived and visas can be processed within a day.

Meanwhile, the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) office in Jakarta will be providing advertising support to travel agent partners that come up with interesting packages that fit into certain categories, namely Muslim Korea; 8D6N programmes; a third destination other than Seoul, Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Jeju; Premium Korea; and Jeju programmes spanning at least three nights.

As well, KTO will be giving free CGV Blitz movie vouchers for travellers who purchase one of those products.

MYANMAR attracted a record 4.2 million visitors in 2015, with at least 800,000 entering the country by air and ship, and over 2.2 million through border checkpoints, according to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

In Yangon alone, over 1 million arrivals were recorded, a 13.1 per cent increase from 2014. About 815,949 of the total were from Asian countries and 171,544 from Europe.
 Thailand, as usual, led the way with 160,852 visitors, followed by China (99,821), Japan (86,491) and South Korea (62,306).

Visitor arrivals also hiked in other destinations such as Mandalay, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Mandalay, the country’s second largest city, received 306,432 visitors in 2015, up 26 per cent from 2014.

Aung Myat Kyaw, vice chairman of Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF), opined that the recent political landscape has encouraged more tourists to visit Myanmar. “The overall growth is about 20 per cent year-on-year. I’m sure we will see more arrivals in 2016 and 2017,” he said.

New hotels are also sprouting up across the country to accommodate the increasing number of tourists, stated U Tin Win, chairman of Myanmar Hotelier Association. He said a total of 340 hotels opened in 2015, while 290 opened in 2014.

Tourist arrivals are projected to hit 7.49 million in 2020.