EXPEDIA yesterday announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Orbitz Worldwide, a move that will bring well-known online travel retailers such as CheapTickets under the same roof as Expedia’s Wotif and Hotels.com.

The acquisition, including all of Orbitz’s brands, totals to approximately US$1.6 billion and remains subject to approval by the shareholders of a majority of Orbitz’s common stock and other customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

Said Dara Khosrowshahi, president and CEO, Expedia: “We are attracted to the Orbitz Worldwide business because of its strong brands and impressive team. This acquisition will allow us to deliver best-in-class experiences to an even wider set of travelers all over the world.

“From the flagship Orbitz.com brand, to other well-known consumer brands such as CheapTickets, ebookers and HotelClub and the business-to-business brands Orbitz Partner Network and Orbitz for Business, Orbitz has built a devoted customer base and we look forward to welcoming the team to the Expedia family.”

This follows Expedia’s acquisition of Wotif in July last year as the group aims to secure a position in Asia.

BINTAN Resorts is stepping up efforts in India this year, having kicked off a two-city roadshow in Mumbai and New Delhi on February 10 and 12 respectively.

Said Asad Shiraz, director of marketing for Bintan Resorts International: “It was about four years ago when we last organised a roadshow in India. I think there is not enough awareness about Bintan here.

“The fact that Singapore and Bintan are so close to each other and yet so different, makes it a good proposition for India travel consultants to promote Bintan as a twin destination with Singapore.”

Having identified key partners for joint promotion and marketing, he added the company is seeking various ways to engage with India travel consultants, such as sending them direct mailers.

“We are also mulling hosting of office bearers of some key travel consultant associations, apart from giving presentations to their members, and participating in major tradeshows in India,” he shared.

Bintan Resorts recorded 17,528 tourist arrivals from India, a year-on-year increase of 8.9 per cent. However, the numbers from India stood at 21,150 in 2012.

Bintan Resorts has also partnered with the Changi Airport Group to emphasise the twin destinations concept. To this end, all Indian visitors to Bintan Resorts will enjoy a S$30 (US$22) voucher while on transit at Changi Airport, along with a free Mangrove Discovery Tour.

“We will distribute the voucher either through the inbound travel consultants in Singapore or from our ferry counters. This year many of our new facilities and products will be available, so we want to reintroduce Bintan and educate Indian travellers about our new developments.”

Manas Sinha, director, regional marketing office, Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are looking to tap MICE, wedding and family segments in India. We expect to see at least 15-20 per cent growth in Indian arrivals in 2015.”

Within Bintan Resorts’ Lagoi Bay mega development, The Sanchaya resort opened in January, while the Lagoi Swiss-BelHotel and shopping mall Plaza Lagoi are expected to open in March.

A 100-year-old museum ship hotel, Doulos Phos, is expected to open this Christmas, apart from another shopping facility, Bintan Market Place, in 2H2015.

Bintan Resorts also expects to open its own international airport in early 2017.

FORGET the tumultous 2014, Asia-Pacific can look forward to a good 2015 with socioeconomic forces working in tourism’s favour. EyeforTravel identified five distinct forces that will influence international tourism in a white paper recently released.

First, the sustained dip in oil prices spells good news in terms of a lower overall cost of living, from potentially lower air fares to deflationary pressures increasing average disposable income.

Next, tourism stakeholders can compete well with the judicious use of social, good apps and mobile services to connect with the continuing force of digitally driven, well-informed, and social consumers.

The third trend pertains to China’s continuing influence, with AttractChina projecting 140 million Chinese tourists spending US$188 billion abroad in 2015. Localised issues such as Thailand’s political unrest and Malaysia Airlines’ flight disasters last year had limited impact, given that Chinese arrivals to the region began to rise again end-2014.

Meanwhile, the low-cost longhaul market has hugely untapped potential and is expected to grow, and the region could well leverage the fact that its potential longhaul audience is sited in an area of high population density comprising multiple nations.

Finally, there is evidence that inbound tourism will grow from further afield, although the majority of longhaul customers are expected to come from China, Australia and India. The US, for example, is projected to increase outbound travel by six per cent in 2015 – albeit not much of this to Asia-Pacific – the region can well tap into this market through a deal of communication work.

A QUARTER of all Singapore travellers who did not buy travel insurance have regretted their decision, according to a study detailing the top travel mishaps to befall this group.

According to ACE Insurance’s online travel survey conducted with 525 Singaporeans in 4Q2014, 78 per cent of the respondents have experienced a travel mishap, with the top three mishaps being flight delays (54 per cent), falling ill (39 per cent) and baggage loss (19 per cent).

Although over 80 per cent travelled abroad for leisure more than twice a year, nearly one in four have regretted not buying travel insurance for their leisure travel.

While biggest travel worries included being injured in an accident (24 per cent), falling ill (23 per cent) and having valuables or travel documents stolen (15 per cent), the least concern was about political uncertainty and terrorism (nine per cent).

Interestingly, those aged 30 and below are more worried about loss or delay of luggage than those above 40 years old, who are more worried about being injured in an accident.

About 79 per cent of the younger respondents are also not likely to buy travel insurance for short trips, yet they travel more than any other age groups, with 64 per cent travelling more than twice a year.

ACE Singapore country president, Mack Eng, commented: “As more Singaporeans become avid travellers, there is a need to advocate ‘travelling smarter’ and to ensure that they are adequately protected.

“Travel insurance purchase is so convenient these days with the Internet and secured online payment. It is not surprising 65 per cent of respondents from all age groups who buy travel insurance, buy it online.”

The survey involved 525 participants in a study of their travel behaviour.

EVEN as global oil prices continue plummeting to a historic low, airlines are unlikely to benefit immediately due to fuel hedging, which is practised by most major airlines.

Speaking at the opening panel of the Aviation Festival Asia, Shakeel Adam, manging director of international aviation consultancy Aviado Partners, said: “Many airlines cannnot benefit in the short term because they are hedged up to 80 per cent, years in advance. So those who will benefit are often the cash-rich ones.”

According to International Air Transport Association, while fuel costs account for a third of airlines’ operating costs on average, the savings on fuel relative to the oil price decline are not as straightforward.

Sharing similar sentiments, Finnair COO, Juha Järvinen, said: “We are hedged from 60 to 80 per cent so possibly we will see more impact in the second half of the year rather than the first half.”

Adam suggests it is instead more viable for airlines to look at using fuel-efficient aircraft, pointing to Finnair as an example. Last December, the airline announced the additional order of eight A350 XWBs, which would provide at least 25 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency.

Järvinen said: “Fuel prices will go up and down. At the end of the day, it is the fuel efficiency savings and the unit cost that is the key.”

Separately, Singapore Airlines (SIA) yesterday announced it will reduce fuel surcharges for tickets issued on or after February 26. The reduction will apply to SIA and SilkAir flights, representing a decrease of US$5 to US$83 per sector, depending on the distance and class of travel.

THE EcoTourism Bohol Programme scheduled for launch later this month is one of the major initiatives to repackage the province as a prime eco-cultural and heritage destination.

Assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) the community-focused programme highlights three touristic, non-traditional circuits in Bohol’s west and east coasts, which will be promoted locally and internationally.

Activities include visit to raffia loom weavers, coconut jam makers, organic farms and ancestral homes; ironsmith workshop and mangrove forest adventure; and many other countryside delights.

JICA is also helping to create a tourist-friendly website for the programme while improving road signs and restroom facilities.

Lucas Nunag, chair, Bohol Tourism Council, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the province is moving towards community-based and sustainable ecotourism with the help of many organisations keen on making Bohol rise from the rubble of the 2013 earthquake.

As part of this goal, development partners like JICA, USAID and German development agencies sent Bohol’s tourism stakeholders on a learning journey to Chiang Mai in Thailand and Siem Reap in Cambodia last year. From Chiang Mai, Bohol learned about the development of community-based tourism projects, including homestays and making quality merchandise as souvenir items.

Using the restructuring of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap as a benchmark, Bohol’s development partners will help the province restore its antique churches and religious arts by providing restoration workshops, training craftsmen and employing out-of-school youths.

Nunag also said as Bohol is unspoiled, resorts and hotels are pushing to retain the province’s clean and green environment by incorporating green initiatives into their business and daily grind.

INCHEON International Airport Corp is in discussions to build an integrated resort (IR) comprising a casino, shopping mall and hotel, benchmarked after Singapore’s Resort World Sentosa (RWS), to draw more visitors from China.

According to a news report by Bloomberg, the new IR aims to tap the growing Chinese middle class and high rollers looking for alternative gaming venues beyond Macau’s amid the government’s crackdown on corruption.

Lim Byung Kee, an official at Incheon International Airport Corp, was quoted as saying: “We don’t want to just focus on high rollers, we also want mass consumers to visit the integrated resort. We want to use the resort to help create more traffic into the airport.”

The same report also stated that the estimated construction cost of the IR would be about six trillion won (US$5.4 billion). It is set to be developed on 327ha of land near the construction site of the airport’s second passenger terminal, 52km away from Seoul.

Meanwhile, three other integrated resorts are in the pipeline, all in the vicinity of Seoul.

MYANMAR’S long-secluded town of Mogok, renowned for ruby mines and gem markets, is emerging as a popular tourist destination as the process of gaining authorisation to visit the town becomes easier.

The mountain town had been off-limits to visitors for decades until the government allowed limited access in the mid-1990s. Permits were difficult to come by until Myanmar’s tourism industry gradually began to open alongside political reforms in 2011, leading to increased tourist numbers to lesser-known destinations.

Said Monlay, an executive for Kinnari Travels, which runs tours to Mogok: “We have certainly seen an increase in visitor numbers in the last two or three years and most visitors go there to trade and buy gems, and to visit some of the scenery around the town.

“But in order to go there, visitors need to get a permit from the Ministry (of Hotels and Tourism) and that takes about a week.”

Marcus Allender, founder of Go-Myanmar.com, also said foreigners can only access Mogok currently by private car with a permit, and “clearly this limits Mogok’s development as a tourist destination”.

Calling for greater liberalisation, he said: “If Mogok were to be freely accessible, then it clearly has potential as a tourism destination.”

The town is freely accessible by road from more established destinations such as Mandalay and Hsipaw, he highlighted.

ACCOR has launched the 211-room ibis Styles Jakarta Mangga Dua Square in northern Jakarta, located within Mangga Dua Square mall, next to Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua Square.

Adi Satria, vice president for sales, marketing and distribution, Accor Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, said: “The multi-branded combo concept hotel is one of Accor’s strategy to expand its network in Indonesia.

“At the same time, it is to anticipate the demand of domestic and international guests looking for different types of hotels within a specific location. The multi-branded concept combines two or more hotels within the same locations with different Accor brands.”

The hotels at Mangga Dua Square mall area is Accor’s fourth multi-branded concept in Indonesia after Novotel and ibis Solo, Novotel and ibis Balikpapan, as well as ibis Budget Semarang and Novotel Semarang.

Coming up soon is the 400-room ibis Budget Jakarta Airport, which will complement the existing 251-room ibis Style Jakarta Airport.

“We will see more multi-branded concept properties, which are now being planned in Jogjakarta, Samarinda, Bandung, Surabaya, Pekanbaru, Bekasi and Jakarta,” Adi said.

Antonius Chandra, COO of Mangga Dua Square, said: “Mangga Dua Square is a mixed-use area. Having more than one hotel with different categories is part of our strategy to attract different crowds and markets to the area.”

Apart from the two Accor properties, there is an Amaris hotel – Santika Indonesia’s budget brand – in the same location.

Fabrice Mini, general manager of Novotel and ibis Style Jakarta Mangga Dua Square, said: “One of the advantages of having this (combo properties) is it gives us flexibility to meet corporate clients’ needs and budget, be it accommodation for their guests or MICE events.”

Ibis Style Mangga Dua Square has one 196-seat restaurant, three meeting rooms, a ballroom for up to 300 people, fitness centre, spa and kids’ club.