Ryokan Kurashiki.

SMALL inns and hotels across Japan have welcomed a government initiative to provide subsidies for facility upgrades aimed at catering to the soaring number of tourists.

Announced in early December, the government hopes to lure visitors off the beaten path and encourage them to stay at traditional Japanese inns through this project.

At present, many local inns, or ryokans, have not been able to afford to install wireless internet access, for example, while some lack Western-style toilets or information in English.

“We are constantly required to renovate our premises and improve our facilities, so this will be a big help to independent ryokan operators like us,” said Takashi Hasegawa, owner of Yagyu-No-Sho inn in Shizuoka prefecture.

Ritsuko Nakamura, proprietor of the Ryokan Kurashiki in Okayama prefecture, concurs.

“It would be especially useful for small inns like mine,” she said, adding that it would be particularly helpful if the financial aid is extended to support promotional visits overseas in order to raise the profile of her ryokan.

The government has not specified the amount to be injected into the scheme, but details are expected before the end of the fiscal year in end-March.

A STUDY commissioned by online review and booking site TripAdvisor has revealed several key preferences of Asia’s travellers in 2016.

One of the topline findings show that value is of utmost importance with one in four Asian travellers having chosen a destination due to cheap flights.

Meanwhile, 67 per cent will not consider a hotel that does not have air-conditioning, making it the number one deal-breaker for booking decisions. Lack of in-room Wi-Fi comes second with 46 per cent of travellers saying they will look elsewhere.

For Asians, a destination’s culture is the most popular reason cited when considering where to take a trip, with 42 per cent responding so, while globally, more than one in two travellers cite special offers as the key decision driver.

“Value is key for global travellers in 2016, as they look to get the most out of their trips. While a third plan to increase their travel budgets for next year, the majority of global travellers expect essential amenities to be included in the price of their hotel and more than half say special offers can play a big part in their choice of destination,” said Helena Egan, director, global industry relations at TripAdvisor.

According to the study, Australians are set to spend the most globally in 2016 with an average travel budget of US$10,900, followed by the Swiss ($10,100) and the Americans ($8,400).

Asian travellers will have more modest budgets, with Japan ranking the highest at $5,600 on average, followed by China ($3,600), India ($3,100), Thailand ($2,200), Malaysia ($2,100) and Indonesia ($1,400).

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group is expanding its India foothold with seven new properties under the Radisson Blu, Radisson and Country Inns & Suites by CarlsonSM brands.

Slated to open first in 4Q2016 is the 89-key Radisson Srinagar located within 2km of the main commercial and retail hubs of Srinagar city. Facilities and attractions nearby include golf courses, Dal Lake, Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Center and Asia’s largest tulip garden.

Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Jammu is scheduled to open next in 3Q2017 in Gandhi Nagar. The 55-room hotel will be close to Jammu Airport and Jammu Railway Station.

Following that, in 3Q2018, Radisson Pahalgam Golf View Resort will open with 118 rooms. Located approximately 7,200 feet above sea level in Pahalgam, the resort will offer direct access to the Pahalgam Golf Course.

Meanwhile, 100-room Country Inn & Suites By Carlson Sonamarg will be built close to the scenic Himalayan glaciers and trekking routes in Sonamarg. Accessible by the Srinagar-Ladakh highway, the new hotel is expected to open in 4Q2018.

The opening of the 80-key Country Inn & Suites by Carlson Gulmarg and 225-key Radisson Blu Srinagar will take place in 1Q2020 and 2Q2020 respectively. Radisson Blu Srinagar is located near Dal Lake and approximately 10km away from Srinagar Airport.

The seventh property, Radisson Blu Resort Tangmarg with 150 rooms, is slated to open in 4Q2021. It will be sited within a 25-acre site in the Himalayan mountains.

Currently, Carlson Rezidor has close to 120 hotels in operation and under development across 45 Indian cities. The group is expecting an increase to more than 170 hotels in operation and in the pipeline in India by 2020.

HAINAN Airlines has launched a twice-weekly service between Xi’an and Rome.

Flights depart every Wednesday and Saturday from Xi’an aboard an airbus A330 at 01.00 and arrive in Rome at 05.55 the same day. The return flight will leave Rome at 12.35 and land in Xi’an at 06.00 the following day.

The flight is scheduled to increase to thrice-weekly come March 27, 2016.

QATAR Airways, in partnership with telecommunications provider Ooredoo, is offering 15 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi on all of Qatar’s A380, A350, B787, A319, and select A320 and A330 aircraft from December 17.

Passengers are charged US$5 or $10 for one-hour or three-hour usage respectively beyond the first 15 minutes. A fixed $20 fee regardless of duration is also available.

Passengers on Qatar’s A380 First Class cabin will be offered complimentary Wi-Fi for the duration of their flight.

SMALL Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has launched a travel agent rewards initiative named Small Luxury Heroes.

Agents can register on SLH’s website to receive a Luxury Agent ID linked to their SLH profile, which they can enter when making reservations whether via GDSs, call centre or SLH.com.

Each booking will earn points based on overall value which will accumulate and can be redeemed for rewards ranging from Amazon gift cards to SLH gift certificates and complimentary hotel stays.

As part of the launch celebrations, agents who register for the programme before January 31, 2016 will be added into a prize draw to win one of 25 US$1,000 SLH gift certificates. These vouchers can be used towards a stay at any of SLH’s 520 hotels in over 80 countries around the world.

According to SLH, reservations by travel agents account for almost two-thirds of all of its bookings.

THE global aviation community have declared their support following the positive conclusion of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21), which news outlets worldwide hailed as a turning point in human history towards a low-carbon future.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was already slated to meet in September 2016 to address aviation emission issues, but the COP21 pact, as agreed upon by world leaders, has provided more reason for governments and aviation stakeholders to reach a favourable agreement.

“IATA welcomes the historic COP21 Paris Agreement which will provide additional momentum to governments for the negotiations at the ICAO on an aviation emissions agreement, which are expected to conclude next year,” said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of IATA, in a media release.

“The aviation industry, through ICAO, is working towards securing its goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020, and the positive outcome of the Paris conference gives more impetus to governments to achieve this.”

The Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) also made a statement after the COP21 deal, saying that the aviation industry through ICAO “already has its own mandate and well-established programme for further addressing aviation and climate change.”

It further added that “the aviation industry will continue to promote and support the work taking place at ICAO and encourages governments meeting there to increase their engagement and ambition to reach agreement.”

The deal made in Paris is the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations to achieve a universal agreement on climate with aims to keep global warming below 2°C by the end of the century.