CHINA’S major budget hotel brand, 7 Days Inn, has stepped out of its homeland to plant flags in Thailand and Malaysia, the first destinations in the chain’s expansion plan for South-east Asia.

Eric Wu, CFO and executive director of Plateno Group which owns 7 Days Inn, told TTG Asia e-Daily the brand’s first overseas property opened this year in Chiang Mai, while a second property is expected to launch soon in Bangkok.

The contract for another conversion project has only just been inked for the third property in Malacca, Malaysia.

Wu added: “We are also looking to set up a regional office in Singapore to help in securing suitable partnerships for projects in the region.”

Given the exponential growth in Chinese outbound travel in recent years to South-east Asia, North America and Europe, Wu said the foreign properties’ would primarily target and serve Chinese consumers, secured mainly through direct sales.

“However, we will also cater to the local market, adapting our offerings accordingly while maintaining our image of being a brand for the younger travellers,” he said.

Meanwhile, back home, 7 Days is continuing its reach into third- and fourth-tier cities. Wu shared there is also a “fifth tier” to target, which includes counties and towns.

Guangzhou-headquartered 7 Days Group was founded in 2005 and currently owns and operates over 2,000 hotels across China, boasting about 70 million members.

Last year, the group was wholly acquired by new hotel group Plateno, which also owns the high-end Portofino Hotel, mid-scale Lavande Hotel, Zmax Hotel, and James-Joyce Coffete.

TOURISM Tasmania has added A$4 million (US$3.6 million) for promotions this year, with a focus on its Asian sales mission.

Statistics for the last fiscal year showed year-on-year 33 per cent growth of the Asian market, with China outpacing the US for the first time as the top source market.

The state received 20,400 Chinese, 19,300 Americans, 18,700 British, 15,900 New Zealanders, 15,800 Hongkongers and 7,700 Malaysians.

This month, the NTO rolled out its second Asia Mission 2014, doubling the scale to 15 tourism operators.

It comprises seminars in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (September 11-12); Greater China Trade Mission in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai (September 14-20), as well as South-east Asia New Product Mission in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur (September 23-25).

Tourism Tasmania CEO, John Fitzgerald, said: “We’ll continue to support GIT offerings and also expand our FIT market in Hong Kong. We also want to draw the younger segment aged 30 years and above, and push affordable travel in the coming few years.

“One challenge is to raise enough awareness of our mission; another is access. So far, we don’t have direct international connection as the airport in Hobart can’t take wide-bodied aircraft.

“However, A$38 million has been allocated to extend the runway, targeted to complete in 2017. The terminal will also undergo refurbishment soon.”

With a target of 1.5 million visitors by 2020, Fitzgerald added the state will see an increase in the number of golf courses and hotels.

“We now have 350 new rooms under construction but we’ll need about 1,200 keys by 2020, so we hope to attract more investors in the next few years.

“Moreover, about 30 per cent of Tasmania’s land are national parks. Our government is interested in developing tourism there and is seeking ideas from the industry. By end-2014, we may have a better idea of the government’s direction.”

Federal Group, which runs four hotels, joins the mission for the first time. Executive director John Farrell said: “We observe a great deal of Asian traffic and see the market opening up in Tasmania. We are here to build awareness of the island’s charm and to understand the needs of the Asian market.“

Meanwhile, a B2C promotion in Shanghai will take place on September 20, while a stop in North China for the trade has been planned in 2015.

THE hospitality ecosystem is being transformed by the emergence of the “collaborative economy” and hoteliers need to understand and respond to this evolving trend to sustain business, according to Lauren Anderson, co-founder and chief knowledge officer of Australia-based Collaborative Lab.

Anderson made the recommendation this morning in her keynote address to attendees of the Economy Hotels World Asia 2014 conference in Singapore.

The collaborative economy, she defined, is “a system that activates the untapped value of all kinds of assets through collaborative models…creating a market for things that never had a marketplace before”.

With the collaborative model, access is favoured over ownership, trust is shifted from institutions to individuals. Transactions move away from the middleman to become direct, and there are opportunities for innovation, she explained.

Cited as an example for the hospitality industry was Airbnb, which is “asset light”, meaning it does not need to build or own inventory, but instead facilitates consumers’ access to existing assets, such as spare rooms, holiday houses, treehouses or entire islands.

Airbnb builds “communities” and recognises that members participate in two-way relationships. It believes in creating empathy for the customer’s experience.

To win in the changing landscape, the implication for traditional hotels, Anderson highlighted, is to create the real product the new community of consumers want, that is, the trip’s experience, not the spaces.

In addition, it is crucial that hotels leverage on technology, especially the mobile, to deliver that experience consumers demand.

PREPARATIONS for the 34^th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) next year in Naypyidaw, Myanmar are progressing well, with some 1,500 participants from 59 countries, 350 exhibition booths and 550 applications for the hosted buyers programme expected.

Several sponsors have also been secured. They include local companies such as CB Bank, Kanbawza Group, Max Myanmar Group of Companies, Htoo Group of Companies and Golden Myanmar Airlines, as well as foreign entities such as PICO Group, Accor, CNN and TTG Asia Media.

These details emerged during this afternoon’s official press conference and Sponsors Signing Ceremony at Hotel Royal Ace.

U Htay Aung, union minister of hotels and tourism, said: “I am very much looking forward to ATF 2015. We are making necessary preparations in collaboration with Myanmar Tourism Federation, MP International and Myanmar Ventures Group. Everyone is making an effort to ensure ATF 2015’s success.”

He added that the 1,500 expected participants will include tourism ministers and officials, international and local media representatives, trade visitors as well as industry sellers and buyers.

To be held at Myanmar International Convention Centre 1 and bearing the theme, ASEAN: Tourism Towards Peace, Prosperity and Partnership, ATF 2015’s programme will include numerous meetings for the region’s tourism leaders and private associations, a half-day conference and a two-day exhibition.

Jason Ng, executive director of MP Singapore, revealed that 85 per cent of exhibition booths have been sold and “there is overwhelming interest in the hosted buyers programme”.

Meanwhile, online registration for sellers is still open and applications for the hosted media and buyers programmes will conclude on October 15.

SAFETY and security concerns in the Philippines are warding off travellers from China and South Korea, two of the destination’s biggest tourism source markets.

Chinese arrivals grounded to a halt after China warned its citizens on Friday not to travel to the Philippines due to the kidnapping of an 18-year-old Chinese in Zamboanga and an alleged plot against the Chinese embassy and Chinese companies in the country.

The general manager of a major Philippine travel agency handling Chinese inbound told TTG Asia e-Daily that “there’s zero, absolutely zero, arrivals” and bookings were cancelled for September and the October high season.

The operations manager of another local agency big on Chinese tourists said the travel advisory has “big impact” on hotels, airlines’ regular and chartered flights, and travel agencies as there are already “cancellations of bookings until December for groups and even FITs”.

This is China’s second travel advisory against the Philippines in recent years. The first, a five-month group travel ban in May 2012, was caused by the diplomatic row over ownership claims to Scarborough Shoal islands in the South China Sea.

While China has since reclaimed its position as the fourth biggest tourism source market for the Philippines, accounting for a 10 per cent market share, a prolonged travel advisory would render Boracay, their favourite destination, a “ghost town” according to two travel consultants, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Safety and security concerns could also be denting arrivals from South Korea, the country’s biggest source market accounting for 22 per cent of all tourist arrivals.

Early this month on September 2, the South Korean embassy in Manila expressed alarm over the “the rising incidence of crimes committed against (South) Koreans while in the Philippines either on vacation or on business”.

In a statement, ambassador Hyuk Lee warned that South Korean businessmen would avoid the Philippines if crime persisted.

South Korean arrivals had always seen a double-digit growth but for the first time in recent years, it dwindled by 6.37 per cent to 547,971 in 1H2014.

Clarification: The headline of this article initially stated that China had imposed a travel ban on the Philippines. This is inaccurate and has been corrected.

SERVICED apartment and hotel residence specialist, Frasers Hospitality, has planted its fifth Modena flag in China in the technology and education hub of Wuhan.

The 172-unit Modena Zhuankou Wuhan serviced residence sits in the city’s commercial centre, placing it within easy reach of offices of global enterprises such as Peugeot and Citroen, as well as world-class educational institutions Wuhan Yangtze International School and Jianghan University.

Guests can choose from a range of apartments, from studios to three-bedroom units, with each featuring larger-than-average rooms, a well-equipped kitchen, modern workspace, living room and a complete home entertainment system.

Modena Zhuankou Wuhan also offers a suite of facilities and services to guests, including complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi throughout the property, a 24-hour gym, an outdoor pool, a games room, meeting facilities and a café where complimentary breakfast is served.

The opening of Modena Zhuankou Wuhan brings Frasers’ Modena property count in China to five, including Modena Heping Tianjin, Modena Putuo Shanghai, Modena Jinjihu Suzhou and Modena New District Wuxi.

Frasers has plans to add four more Modena serviced residences in China over the next two years.

Choe Peng Sum, CEO of the company, said: “Establishing a presence in China’s fastest growing province (Hubei) will enable us to further strengthen our foothold in China as demand for our serviced residences remain strong in key cities as well as high-growth second- and third-tier ones. China will continue to be pivotal in our growth as we work towards doubling our global inventory to 30,000 serviced apartments over the next five years.”

SEVEN months after announcing a codeshare partnership on 25 routes, Jetstar Group and Emirates have come together again to offer five additional codeshare services in Asia-Pacific.

From October 26 this year, Emirates will grow its codeshare on Jetstar services to include Jetstar Airways flights between Melbourne and Ayers Rock (Uluru), Christchurch and Wellington in New Zealand, and three new destinations in South-east Asia from Jetstar Asia’s hub in Singapore.

The new Jetstar Asia codeshare services from Singapore will connect Emirates passengers to Penang in Malaysia, Yangon in Myanmar and Medan in Indonesia.

Effective immediately, Emirates’ Skywards members can earn miles when they book economy Starter Plus, economy Starter Max or Business Max fares on international routes with Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Jetstar Japan and Valuair, as well as domestic routes within Australia and New Zealand if they connect to an international flight.

“The expansion of codeshare with Jetstar Group carriers is an important milestone as we continue to expand the destinations available to Emirates’ passengers. On Emirates alone we offer 145 destinations and with our partnership with Jetstar carriers we are adding a further 30 routes across the Far East and Australasia region,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates’ executive vice president and chief commercial officer.

Jetstar Asia’s CEO, Bara Pasupathi, said: “Since we launched the partnership, we have seen the number of Emirates’ passengers double month on month, so we see the extension of the codeshare to three of our most popular routes having tremendous potential.”

Emirates customers travelling on Jetstar flights will enjoy full service fare features such as food and beverage options and the same luggage allowance they would have on Emirates. They will also receive boarding passes on check-in at their first international departure point for connecting international services.

DUSIT International has opened its inaugural hotel in the US – dusitD2 Constance Pasadena – in the central business district of Pasadena, California.

“We are thrilled to enter the US with this iconic property in the growing city center of Pasadena within the thriving Los Angeles region,” said Chanin Donavanik, managing director and CEO of Dusit International.

“We look forward to continuing the Dusit legacy of creating uplifting experiences for our guests in this new and exciting US market.”

The property is a hotel management contract between Dusit International and owners Singpoli Group, a Pasadena and Arcadia-based capital company.

It offers 136 guestrooms and suites and features contemporary design and tech-savvy amenities. The hotel’s D2 restaurant and d’bar specialise in locally sourced cuisine with Asian flavours and hand-crafted cocktails.

The hotel’s second phase of development is slated for completion in 2016, and will include 25 club level guestrooms with a club lounge, a rooftop pool with an outdoor sundeck and pool bar, a fitness centre, two boardrooms, and new retail and dining outlets adjacent to the hotel.

In celebration of its opening, the hotel is offering the D2 Debut Package, which starts at US$205 per night and includes an overnight stay for two in deluxe accommodation, overnight valet parking, and a choice of two small plates at d’bar or D2 restaurant.