GARUDA Indonesia is upping the flight frequency between Jakarta and Amsterdam from five to six times a week in order to meet rising travel demand to Europe.

The addition of the new thrice-weekly Jakarta-Singapore-Amsterdam service, starting July 22, will see the present Jakarta-Amsterdam-London Gatwick route reduced to three times a week.

Operated on the Boeing 777-300ER, the Jakarta-Amsterdam service via Singapore will be operated on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, while the route via London will fly on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

The inclusion of Singapore to the Jakarta-Amsterdam service is part of Garuda’s effort to develop the travel market from Singapore to Europe, as well as to offer another travel option for customers travelling to Europe from its Amsterdam hub.

Handayani, director commercial of Garuda, said the Indonesian flag carrier is increasing flight frequency on the Jakarta-Amsterdam route to keep up with the growing travel demand to Europe.

She added that London is another important destination in Garuda’s European network.

“In line with the airline’s route restructuring in Europe, Garuda is also developing codeshare agreements with various airline partners on the Amsterdam-London service to complement its three times a week schedule,” Handayani said.

“We will continue to enhance our London service in the future to meet increasing market demands.”

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has announced its first St Regis hotel in India, to be opened as the St Regis Mumbai in 3Q after an extensive rebranding.

Owned by Pallazzio Hotels & Leisure, the property that once was Palladium Hotel is located in Lower Parel in Mumbai, less than 30 minutes from the international airport.

The hotel is adjacent to the city’s only luxury retail shopping centre, the Palladium, and offers easy access to upscale restaurants, offices and retail outlets.

 With 386 guestrooms including 60 suites, St Regis Mumbai will also feature an all-day dining restaurant, four speciality F&B outlets, a club lounge and three bars.

 Other leisure facilities include a swimming pool, fitness centre and more than 5,200m² of meetings and events space, including a 4,200m² grand ballroom.

 St Regis Mumbai is the latest addition to Starwood’s portfolio in India, where it operates 43 hotels with another 37 on the way.

THE lack of marketing and promotions is hindering agri-tourism from realising its full potential in the Philippines, say travel consultants in this field.

Agri-tourism encompasses visits to farms and plantations for leisure as well as educational or technical aspects, and ironically receives scant attention in a primarily agricultural country.

“The market isn’t that exciting yet, but (it is a new product that) has great potential if the government will help,” commented Fe Abling Yu, general manager, Arfel Travel and Tours, who pointed out that in contrast, beaches are “properly promoted” now.

TTG Asia e-Daily understands that the Department of Tourism is not currently marketing agri-tourism. Former tourism secretary Alberto Lim attended an agri-tourism fair in Italy in 2010, but his short one-year tenure was the last mention of this niche segment since.

Edwin Villanueva, general manager of Light Miles Travel, said the Philippines has vast tracts of farmlands, plantations and gardens while its over 7,100 islands make it a natural for fishery and aquaculture.

As the only Philippine member of the Agricultural Tour Operators International, Light Miles Travel gets mixed leisure and agri-tourism groups from Australia, the US and Canada.

Its itinerary for a 30-pax group from the US last year included visits to tuna processing facilities in General Santos in Mindanao as well as to fish markets in Cubao and Valenzuela, both in Metro Manila.

But he also appealed for government support: “The market is tough and the Philippines faces competition from our neighbours like Vietnam, Thailand and South Korea.”

On the other hand, Florence Adviento, COO of Route 63+ Travel, understands why the government is not as keen on agri-tourism as mass tourism.

“Agri-tourism is still a niche market…even more specialised than (other niche products),” Adviento explained.

However she has noted interest in agri-tourism, at least for her company’s packages to the UNESCO-listed Banaue rice terraces and Sagada where clients can plant and harvest crops, though farming remains secondary to the area’s cultural and natural appeal.

THE US Embassy in Tokyo has issued a warning to visitors to the Japanese capital to beware of spiked drinks, credit card fraud, extortion and even assault in two of the city’s busiest entertainment districts.

The caution, posted on the embassy web site in early June, identifies Roppongi and Kabuki-cho as “high-risk areas for crime” and offers tips on how to avoid problems, including carrying limited amounts of money, securing valuables in a hotel safe, avoiding offers of a free drink, etc.

But the embassy said that Tokyo generally remains a safe place to visit. “Still, as in other big cities around the world, visitors to Tokyo sometimes become victims of crime, so it’s important to exercise caution. Crimes against US citizens in Japan often involve theft or fraud,” it warned.

There have been numerous reports in the last 18 months of customers in bars being given a free drink, only to wake up several hours later with their wallets gone or being menaced for an extortionately large bill.

“Roppongi, in particular, is a popular place for foreign visitors for its bars, restaurants and nightclubs,” said Motohisa Tachikawa, a JTB spokesman.

“And while I think people who know Tokyo would say that a visitor needs to be a little more careful around Roppongi and Kabuki-cho, I would not say they are dangerous,” he said, adding that JTB often gives groups advice on where to go and not go on their own free time.

GRAND Hotels International is gearing up to officially open its two new properties in the heart of the city – Hotel Chancellor@Orchard and Hotel Grand Central by October this year.

Both located on the corner of Cavenagh Road and Kramat Lane, the 488-room Hotel Chancellor@Orchard soft-opened in May while the adjacent 264-room Hotel Grand Central will be ready in the next few months.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Danny Koh, hotel manager of Grand Hotels International, said the two hotels will set their sights on business travellers, which is the “current rising trend”. Occupancy is expected to hit at least 80 per cent.

Koh said: “We started with a vision to be a no-frills hotel for the business traveller, but we went beyond that to provide additional amenities like meeting rooms and a rooftop pool at both hotels.”

According to Koh, room rates for both hotels will start around S$180 (US$133). Room sizes average at 18m² and 20m² at the 3.5-star Hotel Chancellor@Orchard and four-star Hotel Grand Central respectively.

“We are the rare hotels along the Orchard Road belt that are below the five-star rating, that can provide affordability and comfort at the same time. The large number of rooms that both hotels can provide together will be useful for big groups too,” he said.

While the hotel is targeting an international audience, Koh said top source markets are currently from South-east Asia, with most groups coming from Indonesia and Thailand.

Over at the Hotel Chancellor@Orchard, there are four meeting rooms available –two of which can been combined to fit 100 pax in a theatre setting. Hotel Grand Central has two board meeting rooms that can seat between 10 and 20 pax.

Both hotels provide free Wi-Fi throughout the premises as well.

THANYAPURA Phuket is investing US$10 million to build new sports facilities as part of its drive to become the sports hub of Asia.

A new five-lane, 100m swimming pool – double the length of an Olympic pool – is in the works. Other new facilities include four more tennis courts, a wellness centre and 114 accommodation units, doubling the current number of keys.

Philipp Graf von Hardenberg, president and CEO of Thanyapura, said the expansion will help the resort attract more professional athletes and active tourists.

According to him, the pool will be the first in the world of its size. He said: “We’re investing a lot more in sports science too, which plays an increasingly important role in training. In the new pool, there will be under- and above-water cameras every 5m to help (trainers analyse an athlete’s form and technique).”

Guests can rub shoulders with sports celebrities who train at the resort, ranging from Formula One champ Jenson Button to Olympic swimming teams from Australia, France, the Netherlands and Japan.

They can also join group classes or book private sessions with the complex’s 40-odd professional trainers, including the same professionals who train the international sport stars.

“We are also strengthening our sports medicine and wellness facilities to focus on the needs of sporting guests,” said von Hardenberg.

Thanyapura also recently teamed up with the Ministry of Sports and Tourism to strengthen the island’s position as the regional destination for athletic training and active holidays.

“We will also be organising 25 high-level sporting events in Phuket each year to attract athletes and tourists to the island and to Thanyapura,” he said.

The centre, which is already the official Asian training centre for FINA, the world governing body for swimming, trains a number of swimmers from the Thai national team.

SIHANOUK International Airport welcomed its third international air service when the maiden SilkAir flight connecting Singapore and Sihanoukville in Cambodia touched down on June 6.

SilkAir is operating services to and from the southern coastal city on a charter basis in order to test the market.

Three other flights are planned this December, a period during which outbound travel peaks due to the school holidays in Singapore.

Patrine Tay, marketing and sales director of Cambodia Airports, said: “We are convinced that this first of the series of charters will help seed demand in SilkAir’s market for Sihanoukville.”

The city is a popular beach destination within Cambodia for its white-sand beaches and has seen arrivals increase, said Tan Han Soo, manager Cambodia for SilkAir.

Tan said: “Although still modest, passenger traffic at Sihanouk International Airport has grown significantly. From January to May 2015, the total number of passengers has increased by 122 per cent to 39,000 from 17,500 in 2014, and we are glad that Sihanoukville has caught the attention of the Singapore market.”