COME October, Indonesia will grant visa-free entry to 47 more countries, including India, Australia and Taiwan among others, as part of its strategy to lure more tourists to the country.

This addition piles onto the 45 countries currently enjoying the facility, 30 of which were granted last June, bringing the total number to 92.

Announcing the new policy, Rizal Ramli, coordinating minister for maritime affairs, said: “Based on our evaluation, with the implementation of visa-free facility for the 30 countries earlier, arrivals from these countries managed to increase by 15 per cent between June and July. This proves that this is the fastest way to boost arrivals.”

Rizal said the new regulation would be implemented in October to ride on the momentum of the year-end holiday season.

According to minister of tourism Arief Yahya, the growth potential of India, Australia and Taiwan, which contributed one million, 200,000 and 300,000 arrivals respectively, was one of the reasons for including this trio in the latest round of visa exemption.

ACCORHOTELS has opened the ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Gangnam, formerly known as the ibis Ambassador Seoul Gangnam.

The refurbished and rebranded 317-room hotel is located in the Teheran-Ro business area of the Gangnam district, near several entertainment and shopping attractions and a 10-minute walk from the COEX Convention Centre.

Amenities in the hotel includes a 24-hour gym, sauna, the 110-seat pop art-themed Fresh 365 Dining restaurant as well as the Le Bar café and bar lounge.

For event planners, the hotel features three function rooms that are equipped to host meetings, banquets, seminars and cocktail parties for up to 50 guests.

“It is the second ibis Styles in South Korea following the opening of ibis Styles Ambassador Seoul Myeongdong earlier this year,” said Patrick Basset, CEO for AccorHotels upper South-east and North-east Asia.

”The hotel represents our continued commitment to strengthen our network in the country, which includes plans to open six new hotels by 2018,” he added.

To celebrate the opening, the hotel is offering rates from US$101 per night until September 30, 2015. The offer includes one superior room inclusive of breakfast for two and an ibis Styles cushion.

THE Lufthansa Group – including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS – yesterday implemented the controversial GDS levy of 16 euros (US$18) for any ticket issue via GDS.

In a press statement, Lufthansa claims that the efforts to develop and establish new “direct connect” booking channels are generating strong interest among the industry partners.

“The market is clearly ready for innovations and developments of this kind,” said Jens Bischof, executive oard member and chief commercial officer of Lufthansa German Airlines. “Our realignment of our distribution has prompted an intensive exchange of views and experiences within our industry.”

“This process has had its share of controversy, too,” Bischof admitted. “But we are still as convinced as ever that offering advanced and, at the same time, substantially cheaper additional booking channels – that also allow us to better present our products – is in our customers’ best interests.”

According to the release, customers of the Lufthansa Group can avoid paying for the new DCC by making their bookings via its member airlines’ websites, an airline service centre, or at an airport desk.

There will be no changes for corporate clients making their bookings at their individually-agreed contractual rates (i.e. with no DCC) via www.LH.com. The Lufthansa Group has also signed an agreement with Concur to provide corporate customer travel management units with special programmes for managing bookings from next year onwards.

PASSENGERS on Air Astana, the national carrier of Kazakhstan, can expect to upgrade to business class for a fraction of the original fee with the introduction of a bidding system.

The online tool allows economy passengers to bid and name their own price for a chance to be considered for an upgrade to business class. The higher the bid, the higher the chance of being successful with their offer.

Customers who book an eligible flight will receive an email inviting them to make their bid up to 72 hours before departure, which will then be reviewed 48 hours prior to the flight. Successful bidders will be sent their upgraded tickets via email with payment only processed after a winning bid.

Richard Ledger, vice president sales worldwide at Air Astana, said: “Our aim is to make better use of our cabin inventory while ensuring the best customer experience.”

Those who book through ticket offices and travel consultants are also entitled to the offer.