STARWOOD’S The Grand Mansion, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Nanjing, China has introduced a four new cultural programmes for its guests.

Two programmes to watch for are the Tracing the Ming Guo Architecture and the Experience of Oriental Metropolitan.

Guests will get to indulge in a Ming Guo style lunch for two along with transportation within Nanjing to up to four Ming Guo architectural sites with the first package. The latter package will invite guests to enjoy an Oriental Metropolitan cuisine for two with complimentary access to the museum.

Both packages include one-night accommodation, daily breakfast for two, complimentary Internet and Wi-Fi, and complimentary soft drinks from the mini bar. Following each stay, guests will also receive a copy of Under The Phoenix Tree, a book on Nanjing Republican-era architecture, or Nanjing – Live Misty in the Six Dynasties.

Alvaro Rautenberg, general manager of The Grand Mansion, which sits close to the historic Presidential Palace and the Oriental Metropolitan Museum, said: “The opening of The Grand Mansion has piqued the interests of discerning travelers who are looking for authentic excursions in China.”

Prices vary for each programme.

BOEING, in its recent India Current Market Outlook, has projected a worldwide demand for 38,050 new airplanes over the next 20 years, with India carriers needing more than 4.5 per cent of the total global demand.

India will need 1,740 new airplanes, valued at US$240 billion, which includes 20 regional jets, 1,460 single-aisle and 26 wide-body aircraft.

Dinesh Kaskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a press statement: “The Indian market is highly competitive and airlines are adapting with added capacity, moderate pricing discipline and new business models, such as…low-cost carriers.”

“India’s potential for air travel growth (both for leisure and business) continues to be strong and we remain confident in the Indian commercial aerospace market,” he added.

SpiceJet is among the many Indian airlines that is growing its fleet. It has placed a US$4.4 billion order with Boeing for 42 737 Max aircraft. For this fiscal year alone, it intends to increase its number of Boeing airplanes to 25 or 26 from the current 20.

Kiran Koteshwar, CFO of SpiceJet, said: “We are currently focused on single-aisle aircraft and Q400s fit into our regional strategy. As growth is expected from Tier Two and Tier Three cities, we are in discussion with aircraft manufacturers for a firm bulk order and expect to close the same by this fiscal (year).”

Boeing is not the only aircraft manufacturer to benefit from India’s growing air travel sector. Indian budget airline IndiGo confirmed orders for 250 A320neo aircraft last week, making it Airbus’ largest order of single-aisle aircraft.

As well, New Delhi-based airline Vistara is adding three new A320neo aircraft by this yearend and is expected to grow its fleet with another 11 by 2018.

LANGHAM Hospitality Group (LHG) is on track to expand its portfolio in the Middle East after striking a deal with Dubai-based Omniyat to manage the 167-room Langham Place Downtown Dubai. This marks the group’s second confirmed property in the region, after The Langham, Palm Jumeirah, slated to open in late 2016.

The US$273 million project spans a built-up area of 63.93m2 in the Burj Khalifa district and also comprises of serviced apartments and a luxury hotel, generating a total of 438 units.

Lo Ka Shui, executive chairman of LHG, said in a press conference: “About 90 per cent of our properties are owner-occupied. The project with Omniyat is a management contract as we don’t know the Middle East well and depend on our partners.

“LHG is not a big chain but we have a strong network inside China and a base in Hong Kong. Therefore, we are able to bring in many Chinese customers.”

The group hopes that the partnership with Ominyat will further expand to other areas in the Middle East region. Currently, the group has ongoing projects in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Oman.

According to Mahdi Amjad, executive chairman and CEO of Omniyat, the group currently has 1,500 rooms under development across the city. “We’ve doubled our portfolio in the last two to three years while Dubai has doubled its tourist arrivals from five to 10 million. The region attracts more tourists, creating more demand so the city has a vision to further grow its annual visitor numbers to 20 million by 2020.”

COMO Hotels and Resorts will open a new hotel in Perth, its first property Down Under, on October 15, 2015.

Situated within a heritage building on Cathedral Avenue as part of the new Cathedral Square Development artisanal precinct, Como The Treasury will provide access to the state capital and business hub of Perth, as well as popular destination Margaret River and the wider region of Western Australia.

Como The Treasury will comprise 48 elegant rooms and suites averaging 70 m2 each. En-suite bathrooms feature German Kaldewei Duo freestanding oval bathtubs, twin vanities, Travertine stone tiles and heated floors, alongside room amenities such as Como Shambhala toiletries, minibars and Wi-Fi.

A fine-dining restaurant on the rooftop offers views across the Swan River while a more casual restaurant on the ground-floor serves modern Australian dishes.

Other facilities will include a spacious lounge bar, meeting rooms, gym, heated indoor swimming pool and a Como Shambhala Urban Escape spa.

This venture is in conjunction with FJM Property, an Australian property development and investment company.

THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has appointed Journeys under a three-year contract to operate and manage Haw Par Villa since August 1, 2015, with an option to renew for two further terms of three years each. The company will take charge of the attraction’s programming as well as the management of future F&B spaces within the park.

Ranita Sundramoorthy, director of attractions, dining and retail at STB, said: “We believe that (Journeys) will be able to enliven Haw Par Villa with interesting concepts that will appeal to both locals and tourists, while conserving the integrity of the park.”

Chan Ying-Loone, director of Journeys, said they are aiming “to return the park to its former glory and more”. He added: “We look forward to working closely with the community to organise more activities to breathe new life to this historical and cultural gem of Singapore.”

The park will remain opened daily to all visitors and admission is free.

THE upcoming Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) will be held at the Venetian Macao from 12 to 14 October, 2015 under the theme of Belt and Road Initiative – Unleashing the New Dynamics of Cultural Tourism.

Building upon the premise of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road which represents open and inclusive regional and international cooperation, GTEF 2015 will explore subject matters like connectivity, public-private partnership, Chinese consumers behaviour, overseas investment trends and cultural heritage.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Peter Wong, vice chairman of GTEF and the executive chairman of China Chamber of Tourism, said: “China is already well known to be the largest outbound tourism market, and it will grow to be the largest inbound market as well.

“So anything that happens in China is going to deeply affect the world because of its extent and influence,” said Wong.

Pointing out how GTEF stands out from the other tradeshows, he said: “What makes us different is that we are the only platform that feature official channels sharing about the latest China policies, as well as key players from the private sector.”

Programme highlights this year will include direct dialogue sessions between tourism ministers from The Pacific Alliance partners like the nations of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Selected Asian countries and private sector CEOs will also be attending and examining tourism’s role in the area of cross-regional cooperation.

For panel discussions, understanding Chinese consumer behaviour and the impact of cultural tourism will take the spotlight.

Since its launch in 2012, the GTEF has attracted over 3,000 participants from 45 countries and regions. It has also welcomed 49 provincial and municipal delegations from China. Wong said they are looking forward to welcome more than 1,000 international participants in this coming forum.