TAIWAN has relaxed visa regulations and waived visa fees for high-end tour groups hailing from its five new source markets, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and India, in hopes of enouraging arrival growth.

To qualify for the new visa policy which will be in place from November 1 this year until December 31, 2016, the group tours must be organised by designated travel agencies in the respective countries.

Taiwan Tourism Bureau, International Affairs Division Section Chief, Kathy Yuan, explained that with the simplified procedure, travellers from the five markets will no longer need to provide proof of occupation and supporting financial documents.

Travel agents TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to at the annual Taipei International Travel Fair, which ends today, said they welcome the move.

Taipei-based South East Travel Service, retail services, supervisor, Jimmy Chang, said this will bring both time and monetary savings for Indonesians who had to pay about NT$1,000 (US$30.60) for a visa-on-arrival.

Turmerica India, which sends MICE and FIT traffic to Taiwan, is now encouraged to market the destination for family groups especially those that have already visited China and South-east Asia and are looking for somewhere fresh.

The company’s head of international holiday, Vivek Pandey, said application for individual visas took four days to process and involved “a lot of formality like bank statements”, which competing destinations like Hong Kong and Macau did not require.

F5 Vietnam Travel, director Hoang Thi Lien, pointed out that South Korea and Japan – popular destinations among Vietnamese travellers – charged only US$20 and US$30 respectively for a travel visa while Taiwan’s was a pricier US$50.

Hoang was however quick to add that “visa fees are not a major deterrent for visitors”.

“The key (is for Taiwan to highlight) its unique specialties to provide a reason for Vietnamese to (visit).”

Meanwhile, Taiwan government statistics indicated a three per cent dip in Indonesian arrivals to 131,596 across the first nine months of 2015, while the Philippines and Thailand saw a 0.4 per cent and 12.3 per cent growth over the same period in 2014.

THE president of Maldives has declared a state of emergency in the Indian Ocean archipelago following an assassination attempt.

However, the government assures the travel and tourism trade that all related businesses will continue to operate as usual and the situation is stable. Ibrahim Nasir International Airport and all domestic airports, flights, resorts, hotels, guesthouses, boats and marinas are still in operation.

This state of emergency does not enforce any restrictions on travelling to the Maldives or within the country.

ACCORHOTELS launched its second dual brand property in India on Tuesday, this time combining Pullman and Novotel hotels.

The Pullman & Novotel New Delhi Aerocity project features a combined inventory of 670 rooms and boasts convention spaces of more than 3,716m2 including 1,181m2 of pillarless ballroom space – one of the largest in Delhi NCR. There will be six restaurants in all, with cuisine options ranging from South Asian street food to tapas.

“We already have a 400-room ibis hotel at Delhi Aerocity. The addition of this combined property creates a great synergy for the three brands, especially for hosting large conventions. We hope to reach the occupancy level within the range of 60 per cent to be on par with our competitors in the city by the end of 2017,” Tristan Beau De Lomenie, general manager delegate, Pullman & Novotel Delhi Airport told TTG Asia e-daily.

The opening of Pullman New Delhi also marks a significant milestone for AccorHotels as it is the 100th Pullman to open globally.

Michael Issenberg, CEO of hotel services, Asia-Pacific, AccorHotels, said the combo concept is “a cost effective model as you have one management team for two hotels and you share resources”.

AccorHotels’ first combined property in India opened in Bengaluru in 2012, featuring Novotel Bengaluru Techpark and ibis Bengaluru Techpark. A third carrying ibis and Novotel brands is set for a June 2016 opening in Chennai.

Issenberg added: “We expect to open close to 15 properties in India in places like Goa and Pune by the end of next year. Most of these properties will be opened under the ibis and Novotel portfolio.”

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) today launched a takeover offer for budget airline Tiger Airways, of which it is currently the largest shareholder of, with a stake of 55.8 per cent. Its intention is to delist and privatise the budget carrier with the offer.

SIA is offering Tiger Airways’ shareholders S$0.41 (US$0.29) in cash per share, and they have the option to subscribe to SIA shares at S$11.1043 per share. SIA further stated that the offer, which values Tiger Airways at approximately S$1.02 billion, would be funded through internal cash resources.

SIA CEO Goh Choon Phong said: “Tiger Airways’ success is closely linked to it being part of the SIA Group through our portfolio strategy, in which we have investments in both the full-service and low-cost aspects of the business.”

He added: “We are confident that full integration of Tiger Airways into the SIA Group will result in enhanced operational and commercial synergies, ensuring Tiger Airways’ long-term success.”

The option to subscribe for SIA shares is exerciseable at any time during a 15-market day period, which will commence on a date to be announced by SIA.

The offer is conditional upon SIA and parties acting in concert with it owning more than 90 per cent of Tiger Airways by the close of the offer and the approval in-principle for the dealing in, listing of and quotation of the new SIA shares.

A CHANGE in wind direction has cleared the air of volcanic ash around Bali and its surrounding region, facilitating resumption of operations at two airports since yesterday afternoon.

Ngurah Rai International Airport resumed operations at 14.30 yesterday following a revised Note to Airmen from the aviation authority, while Blimbingsari Airport of Banyuwangi in East Java was cleared to reopen this morning.

Two airports in Lombok, however, remain closed until tomorrow at 07.45.

Trikora Harjo, Bali airport general manager, had told Antara News Agency that the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics and Australia’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre have reported that winds had moved southwards, carrying ashes from Mount Rinjani’s eruption away from the island.

Garuda Indonesia moved quickly last night to announce resumption of its flights from Denpasar to Jakarta, Melbourne, Osaka and Seoul as well as from Jakarta to Denpasar.

AirAsia’s flights between Denpasar and Jakarta, Surabaya, and Kuala Lumpur were also back on schedule.

Meanwhile, the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) Bali Chapter has estimated a loss of some 5.3 trillion rupiah (US$396 million) by the Bali tourism industry as a result of the airport closures since last Tuesday.

I Ketut Ardana, chairman of ASITA Bali Chapter, said: “That is based on the total number of seats on the cancelled flights and the average spending of tourists on the island.”

Aviation authority and operators remain cautious and will continue to monitor Mount Rinjani’s volcanic activities.

TO meet the growing demand on the Singapore-Perth and Hong Kong-Sydney routes, Qantas will be increasing the number of services on both from December 2015.

Qantas will commence daily flights on the Singapore-Perth route with the addition of Tuesday and Thursday services, using a Boeing 737-800, come December 1.

A second service on Friday will be operated between Hong Kong and Sydney from December 11 to March 23 next year, bringing the frequency from 11 to 12 services per week, with double daily flights across weekdays. A combination of refurbished Boeing 747 and Airbus 330 aircraft will operate this route, while an A380 will take over selected services during Christmas and the Lunar New Year.

Bookings can be made at  qantas.com.

THE new 320-room Taipei Marriot Hotel, which opened on September 28, has rolled out a package for the year-end festivity and hopes to sweeten the deal with a promise of clear views of the city’s New Year’s fireworks display.

Located along the north bank of Keelung River in Dazhi District, the five-star hotel’s prime location offers the best spot to enjoy the annual New Year’s fireworks show.

To enjoy “front seats” for the celebration, travellers can pick up a package that includes two-night stay in a Comfort Suite, complimentary access to the Executive Lounge and complimentary mini-bar items.

The offer is valid from December 31, 2015 to January 2, 2016.

Email reservation@taipeimarriott.com.tw or call +886 2 8501 0899.

SOME 850 keys have come into Canberra’s hotel room inventory over the past year as tourism infrastructure development continues in earnest in the Australian capital city.

Ian Hill, director of Visit Canberra, said most of the new hotels are in the “four-and-a-half-star space”, a welcome improvement on the destination’s previous majority of three-star accommodation.

“Many are located between the Kingston and Manuka precincts which have a thriving café scene. Domestic and international tourists love staying in these precincts as there’s great connectivity and they can simply hop on a bike and cycle around to the art galleries, restaurants and other attractions that are all in close proximity,” said Hill.

Hill added that there have been “a significant amount of investment coming into Canberra in the last 12 months, indicating a high level of confidence in the Canberra economy”.

Besides an emergence of higher-end hotels, Canberra is also receiving new investments in budget accommodation which Hill believes bodes well for the numerous international school groups and sports groups that frequent the city.

With increased accommodation options in the marketplace, Hill said travellers to Canberra will benefit from competitive rates for quality rooms.