SO IMPORTANT is the Chinese market to New South Wales (NSW) that the Australian state aims to double the arrivals from this priority market by 2020 by banking on local festivals.

In Shanghai on his first international mission as premier of NSW last week, Mike Baird shared that the number of Chinese visitors to the state in the last fiscal year was close to 500,000.

This represents merely two per cent of China’s total outbound market, and NSW will aim to increase the number of Chinese visitors to one million by 2020.

The Chinese also stayed over 12,000 nights and spent A$1.5 billion (US$1.4 billion).

Baird said NSW will leverage the success of Vivid Sydney 2014, the event he was in Shanghai to promote, and other recent promotional activities to strengthen cooperation with industry partners, including airlines and travel consultants, by launching music festival-themed packages.

It will also hold the largest fam trip for Chinese retail and wholesale agents to experience Vivid Sydney 2015 personally, to better promote the event in China.

The light, music, and ideas festival this year injected A$41 million into state coffers this year, and saw attendance by some 30,000 tourists out of 1.4 million participants, a 79 per cent increase over last year.

Sydney has also recently kicked off its Love Every Second in Sydney campaign in Beijing and Shanghai.

Additionally, the China Australia Millennial Project will also be launched as part of the Vivid Ideas segment of 2015 Vivid Sydney 2015, where 100 young innovators each from China and Australia will engage in a five-day exchange.

Article by Jessie Liu. Translated by Ong Yanchun from the original TTG China e-Daily, September 5, 2014 article.

MYANMAR has kicked off a new US$1.9 million joint development programme to nurture the tourism potential of the eastern state of Kayah, funded by the Netherlands government.

Launched late last month, the project is co-designed by the Netherlands Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries and Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC), and will be implemented by the ITC.

The project aims to raise awareness about tourists’ needs, build capacity of tourism-related suppliers and services, reduce poverty through job creation, set up tourism-related associations in Kayah, among others.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Kyaw Min Htin, vice chairman, Union of Myanmar Travel Association, and managing director of Myanmar Polestar Travel and Tour, commented: “There are a number of travel agencies doing tours to Kayah state, but it is not popular yet. However, more travel consultants are preparing to include Kayah state after the official announcement of this project.”

Kayah, bordering Thailand, is known for picturesque views and for being home to diverse ethnic groups with rich cultural heritages. But the lack of development has prevented more tourist traffic to the state.

“The lack of infrastructure is the main obstacle that needs to be overcome in developing tourism in Kayah. The state has very few hotels, so we need more accommodation and of course better transportation facilities,” noted Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, chairman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing, and managing director of All Asia Exclusive Travel.

When implemented, the million-dollar scheme will benefit more than tourism.

“Kayah needs development, not only for its attractions, but also in the form of education for locals. Some long-neck local tribes go to the Thai borders to make more income rather than do business on their land. Hopefully, this will change their lives in the near future and boost tourism,” said Aye Nyein Chan, sales and marketing manager, Orchestra Myanmar Travel.

THE Kedah state government is setting up a state tourism board to spearhead domestic and international promotional activities, and the search for a suitable candidate to head it is on now.

“Kedah is rich in history, culture and nature. We have a lot of products, but nobody knows about it,” said Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid, executive councillor and State Tourism Council chairman, Kedah.

He shared that the leader for the new tourism board is likely to be selected within a month or two, and will ideally come with tourism industry knowledge, but from the private sector.

Pishol Ishak, immediate past chairman, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents Kedah Chapter, said: “It is high time Kedah set up a state tourism board so we are on a par with domestic and regional destinations in attracting tourists. Industry players will be able to work with the board to meet common objectives and goals.”

Anthony Wong, group managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said the board should also look at promoting Langkawi as it falls under the state of Kedah.

He said: “Langkawi has to be integrated into the tourism plans for the state. The board will also have to do a product audit to know what is there, what products have to be further upgraded and exposed more.”

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has launched SPG Pro, a new B2B loyalty programme that enables travel trade and related professionals to accumulate points earned from booking events under their personal loyalty account with the hotelier.

Speaking at the Asia-Pacific launch of the programme in Bangkok, Thailand, Alison Taylor, senior vice president sales Asia-Pacific said SPG Pro combines three previous B2B brands – StarChoice, Starwood Preferred Planner, and Starwood Pro – under the new SPG Pro, which is driven by the same engine powering the consumer Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty programme.

“It’s up to travel planners how they use the points. They can use them for the benefit of their company, to offset meeting costs, to donate to charity or for their own benefit (for free room nights),” she said. “More importantly, they can use them globally across the entire brand.”

SPG Pro focuses on individual clients rather than a corporate entity, meaning that the individual is able to keep their loyalty points even when they move jobs. The programme also hopes to deliver more value to smaller accounts.

“Currently 80 per cent of group business across the brand is from small groups who book 60 rooms or less,” she said. “SPG Pro makes it simpler for us to reward smaller groups and smaller bookers.”

B2B trade accounts for more than 70 per cent of Starwood’s room revenue, and Starwood’s top one per cent of customers deliver 40 per cent of revenue. If SPG Pro expands the top tier by another percentage point, it will deliver additional revenue of US$80 million a year.

Meanwhile, Stephen Ho, president for Asia-Pacific at Starwood, announced the company had signed two new properties in Thailand, a Sheraton in Koh Samui and W Phuket, the first time either brand has entered the respective markets. Le Méridien Suvarnabhumi, Bangkok Golf Resort & Spa is tabled to open next month.

LUXURY river cruise company Aqua Expeditions is seeing strong bookings from Australia and New Zealand for its new Aqua Mekong cruises, set to commence sailing along the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam on September 30.

Aqua Expeditions CEO and founder, Francesco Galli Zugaro said forward bookings from Australia and New Zealand for the new cruise offering “are strong across the (three-), (four-) and (seven)-night sailings”.

The cruise operator’s first vessel in Asia, Aqua Mekong will keep to the luxury boutique style offered by the 12-suite Aqua Amazon and 16-suite Aqua Aria – Aqua Expeditions’ luxury cruises on the Amazon River in Peru.

Designed by Saigon-based architectural firm Noor Design, the 62m Aqua Mekong will have 20 outward-facing suites, each decorated in authentic Asian style and with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Michelin-starred chef David Thompson, who has been appointed executive chef of Aqua Mekong, will create a menu influenced by South-east Asia with such dishes as river prawns with ginger, shallots, tamarind and palm sugar served on betel leaves as well as cashew nut pudding with coconut cream. 

Meanwhile, Aqua Mekong’s Bar programme will offer a unique village-to-table concept, showcasing a rotating selection of cocktails featuring artisanal spirits, hand-cut ice and fresh ingredients from the Mekong River Basin, along with the leisurely and romantic drinking rituals of colonial Indochina.

Leisure amenities on board the cruise ship include the Observation Deck, the Outdoor Lounge with a plunge pool, a spa, a fitness centre, a library and a screening room.

Guests can also look forward to land excursions such as shopping for ingredients with the chef in Cambodia’ wet markets, watching traditional silversmiths at work or spending time amongst snakes and crocodiles at a Vietnamese riverside farm.

THE Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) is currently drawing up national guidelines for interaction with threatened marine wildlife like giant turtles, whales, whale sharks, dolphins and manta rays in the country.

Local government units will implement the guidelines while accreditation of tour operators offering these activities will come later, said Rica Bueno, director at DoT’s Office of Tourism Standards and Regulations.

When completed within this year, these guidelines will be added to the DoT’s overall ecotourism guidelines, which will include site and product development as well as marketing and promotions, Bueno informed.

The guidelines include “no touching, no feeding, maintaining proper distance, no flash photography, no blocking of path (and) no chasing”, according to marine wildlife expert AA Yaptinchay, who is also general manager of Kirschner Travel Manila and part of the guideline working committee.

Explaining the need for responsible and sustainable wildlife interaction, Yaptinchay, elaborated: “The species subjected to tourism are mostly threatened animals and most are protected in the Philippines.

“They require special handing due to their conservation status, so we do not want tourism to be added to the list of threats already affecting them. Since interacting with them is a form of intrusion, it could affect their behavior, daily activity, biology, etc,” he added.

JOHN Keells Group’s Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts has introduced a new ‘lean luxury’ concept with the launch of the 243-room Cinnamon Red hotel in Colombo earlier this week.

Positioned as the first below-five-star property by the Sri Lankan hotel chain, the hotel aims to tap mainly Indian travellers, currently Sri Lanka’s top source market, but will also target Asian and European visitors on short-term stays in the capital.

“We want to attract the leisure and corporate traffic in Colombo,” said Terrance Fernando, general manager, Cinnamon Red.

Centrally located at Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha, the hotel features a reception cum tea and coffee bar on the seventh floor, a restaurant on the eighth floor, plus an infinity pool, rooftop bar and fitness centre on the 26^th floor. It does not have any conference or banquet facilities though.

Asked if the company would launch more mid-market hotels, Fernando said it would depend on the success of Cinnamon Red.

Cinnamon Red is currently running special limited-time room offers at US$75 per night for the month of September.

THE five-star Lotte Hotel Hanoi, which just opened its doors on September 2, has joined the Worldhotels global portfolio, following Lotte Hotel Seoul – Downtown, Lotte Hotel World Gangnam and Lotte Hotel Busan.

Occupying the upper floors of a new skyscraper located between the city’s Old Town and New Business District, the 318-room Lotte Hotel Hanoi is the highest hotel in Vietnam. Guest rooms are decorated in contemporary style with subtle Vietnamese touches, complete with complimentary high-speed Internet access.

Drawing inspiration from the European Alps, the Evian Spa is equipped with its own executive suite, a luxurious pool, a salt studio and six treatment rooms.

F&B options at the hotel include Top of Hanoi, the open-air rooftop brasserie featuring stunning city views and live kitchen;
 Tim Ho Wan, the first Michelin-starred Hong Kong dim sum house in Vietnam; while Pharaoh`s Bar & Upper offers cocktails and views of the city on floors 63 and 64.

Being only 15 minutes by taxi from the Hanoi National Convention Centre, the hotel is also positioning itself as an attractive venue for meetings. Three large function rooms, including the Crystal Ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,200 pax, make up the hotel’s MICE facilities.

Roland Jegge, Worldhotels executive vice president Asia-Pacific, said: “Lotte’s decision in choosing Worldhotels to represent the spectacular new Lotte Hotel Hanoi is testimony to the benefits that we have delivered to our three Lotte Group affiliates in South Korea. We look forward to realising the full potential of its unique resources and positioning.”