STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide today announced that Alison Taylor has started her new role as senior vice president of Starwood’s Sales Organization.

She will now lead Starwood’s B2B sales strategy and direct the company’s sales teams around the world, replacing Christie Hicks who retired from the post in March this year.

Taylor comes to the job with 25 years of sales experience, having developed the Starwood Sales Organization in Asia-Pacific and also leading Starwood’s digital marketing and revenue management functions to drive business into the company’s hotels.

She has relocated from Singapore to Starwood’s global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

TOURISM businesses in Thailand are opposing new regulations for tour guides and groups that they say will increase business costs and red tape at a time when the industry is facing uncertainty.

Spice Roads is one such company, having last week received a letter from the Department of Tourism stating that guides must now register and create a job order for all trips prior to departure using an online portal, a process which enables authorities to run spot checks on active tours.

Failure to comply can result in fines and the revoking of an operator’s tourism licence.

“I am surprised that Thailand, as a country which embraces technology and already has a comprehensive guide licensing system in place, would feel the need to retrofit such draconian systems,” said Daniel Moylan, chief adventure manager at Spice Roads. “These will surely only make it harder for all businesses to operate in the tourism sector.”

Complying with regulations will increase administrative costs for businesses such as Spice Roads, which runs about 20 trips per day, and guides will also be required to visit the office to collect the job order, adding to transport expenses and guide hours.

The manner in which the trade has been informed about the new regulations has also been inconsistent. Tony Soorangura, associate managing director of NS Travel & Tours, said his business has known about the policy since late last year, while authorities have not yet contacted Khiri Travel Group.

Tony said: “It adds cost and wastes time with no obvious benefit…We are facing an economic downturn and there is only one machine left to drive income — tourism. As such we are in need of support and encouragement, not another layer of non-practical policy.”

Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Travel Group, nevertheless agreed the policy would increase costs without delivering any benefits.

“Laos has a similar approach (to the regulation), without an online site. It does not work there and serves no purpose,” he remarked.

The Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration, which is responsible for administering the regulation, could not be reached for comment.

TODAY Malaysian rail operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu kicked off a new shuttle rail service to link southernmost state Johor Bahru and neighbouring Singapore.

According to Singapore broadsheet The Straits Times, the train departs Woodlands Checkpoint seven times a day and JB Sentral seven times during peak hours.

A one-way ticket for the five-minute journey is S$5 (US$3.70) in Singapore and RM5 (US$1.30) in Malaysia.

THE AFC Asian Cup and ICC World Cricket Cup hosted in Australia in January and February to March respectively, provided a major boost to the country’s visitor numbers and profile, according to Tourism Australia.

Speaking at a media conference at the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) in Melbourne last week, Tourism Australia’s managing director John O’Sullivan said the AFC Asian Cup exceeded all expectations, with ticket sales reaching A$20 million (US$15.3 million) and a 15 per cent jump in arrivals.

“We saw increased growth out of Japan and South Korea, two markets that have not enjoyed the same growth rates as other Asian markets in recent times,” he said.

“Furthermore, the broadcast of the tournament reached an audience of 2.5 billion viewers helping to put our country top of mind in our most significant markets in Asia.”

O’Sullivan also said that the latest arrivals figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics had recorded a 46 per cent increase in the number of visitors from India during the month of March. Australia’s High Commission in India also found a 37 per cent increase in visa applications in January.

In addition, India’s MakeMyTrip.com reported overall growth of almost 50 per cent for February and March.

Reflecting on sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games to be held in Gold Coast in 2018, O’Sullivan said: “These are all events which typically attract international visitors who stay longer, travel further and spend more.

“That’s a real sweet spot for any NTO and why we’re so focused upon developing a targeted event strategy to maximise the tourism potential and economic return of Australia’s year round calendar of top-quality events.”

TAIWAN-BASED China Airlines will start a new service on the Taipei-Melbourne-Christchurch route on October 25.

An Airbus A330-300 aircraft will be deployed on the thrice-weekly service, with 30 seats in business class and 277 seats in economy.

Melbourne Airport executive corporate & public affairs, Carly Dixon, said: “Taiwan is an important market and it’s growing strongly…This new service means that people travelling to and from Taiwan will have an easier journey as they no longer need to transit through other cities.

“Victorians will also benefit with access to China Airlines’ extensive global network, including the increasingly popular destinations of Japan and South Korea, while also adding another option for travel to Christchurch.”

China Airlines’ general manager, David Wu, commented: “By the end of 2015 we will be serving five cities in the Australasian region, providing 14 flights a week between Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan.”

Taipei is the state of Victoria’s 14th largest source market.

MANDARIN Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) has announced its second luxury property in Beijing will open in 2017, located in the Wangfujing district of the Chinese capital.

Occupying the top two floors of WF Central, Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing is owned by Wangfu Central Real Estate Development Company, Hongkong Land.

The hotel will feature garden terraces and 74 guestrooms with views of the Forbidden City, two restaurants, a bar, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre and spa.

“Beijing continues to develop in stature as one of the world’s leading destinations, and we are delighted at the opportunity of opening a second hotel in this important capital city,” said Edouard Ettedgui, group chief executive of MOHG.

The hotel company is also set to manage a luxury 241-room hotel as part of the CCTV project, scheduled to open in 2016.

TRAVEL consultants in the Philippines are up in arms against Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Lufthansa, saying the airlines are eroding their bottom lines through recent initiatives.

PAL slashed commissions for travel agencies from five per cent of every international ticket sold to 3.5 per cent in March, and then zero on June 1, while commissions on domestic ticket sales were also scrapped in May, earning the ire of travel agencies.

“We’re wholesalers. (Airlines) don’t protect us,” complained Julie Maballo, operations manager of New Era Travel & Tours who, like other wholesalers, is liaising with PAL to restore the commission.

Taher Ben Hamida, director of IATA-accredited Galactica Travels, accused PAL of “killing the travel industry”. He said: “I want to make a mark-up of my own. But with no commission, I cannot mark prices up.”

Ben Hamida added that since the Civil Aeronautics Board has a say in airline ticket pricing, the board should also be looking into the current matter.

Meanwhile, some travel agencies are refocusing on other aspects of business to survive. For instance Ramon Pamintuan, operations manager of Travel People, said his company is now paying more attention to ancillary services such as hotels, travel insurance, and visa processing.

TTG Asia e-Daily understands that PAL has claimed it cannot compete with the lower priced airfares online but is thinking of reinstating the commission or giving travel consultants special rates.

PAL is currently offering incentives in lieu of commission on low-traffic routes such as the Manila-London sector.

On the other hand, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, Philippine IATA Travel Association and Philippine Marine Travel Agents Association are lobbying against Lufthansa Group’s Distribution Cost Charge.

The three organisations said they support booking via GDSs and pointed out in a press release: “The only reason provided under the announcement of Lufthansa is merely to provide the group’s profitability and refocusing revenue earnings from the sale on flight tickets and not necessarily on consumer experience enhancements.”