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.”

BEST Western International (BWI) has launched the 191-key Best Western Premier The Hive in the Greater Jakarta region, making it the second hotel under the luxury Best Western Premier brand and the group’s 11^th property in Indonesia.

“Indonesia is one of BWI’s fastest-growing markets,” said Glenn de Souza, BWI’s vice president of international operations for Asia & Middle East. “This is part of a new era of Best Western hotels being developed in key business and leisure destinations across Indonesia, and the broader Asia-Pacific region.”

The company has firm plans to add a further 20 hotels across the country in the coming years.

Located in East Jakarta, close to the bustling Cawang business district and the recently opened Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, the Best Western Premier The Hive offers 191 rooms and suites spread over 15 floors, with sizes ranging between 32m² and 80m². Offering either pool or city views, all rooms come equipped with large LED televisions, plush beds and free Wi-Fi, while suites will also feature premium coffee machines.

Corporate guests will have a choice of seven meeting rooms seating between 20 and 300 pax, plus a fully equipped business centre. Other facilities include the Heather Resto restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and the Bhuvana Spa.

THE challenges of traversing South-east Asia’s transportation networks owing to challenges in language, currency and obtaining schedules online have led one start-up to create a platform issuing multi-modal tickets including bus, rail and water transport.

Launched earlier this year by Singapore-based founder and CEO Alexey Abolmasov with a main operation office located in Bangkok, 12Go.asia has so far been rolled out in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Brunei, with over 100 transport operators on board.

Tickets are available for purchase via the website or iOS and Android mobile apps. Payment methods include credit cards, PayPal and counter service like 7-Eleven in Thailand.

“We are pretty similar to Agoda, except that we operate in the transportation world,” said Guido Neil, business development director of 12Go.asia.

The platform will soon expand to include air transport, featuring regional carriers such as Lao Airlines, Kan Air and City Airways, Neil informed. “We will open up a new search engine for (smaller aviation players).

Asked about how it is different from AirAsia Thailand and Nok Air, which offer combined flight-and-ferry tickets too, Neil explains that 12Go.asia functions more like a “consolidator” that seeks to connect service providers and consumers.

“The vast majority of users are foreign backpackers from Europe, America and Australia,” he said.

Vietnam and Indonesia offer “interesting potential” for 12Go’s expansion, although Myanmar is not yet on the radar, said Neil.

UNIWORLD Boutique River Cruises’ new river cruise will take passengers on a 12-night sailing through India’s most popular destinations and its sacred river, the Ganges, beginning 2016.

Unveiled today, the India’s Golden Triangle & the Sacred Ganges tour begins in New Delhi and ends in Kolkata on the new all-suite Ganges Voyager II.

The all-suite ship has a maximum capacity of 56 guests, and features the Maharaja Suite, two Viceroy Suites, two Heritage Suites and 20 Standard Suites.

Guests can relax in public areas such as the Governor’s Lounge with onboard entertainment and cultural events, the observation deck with 360-degree views, a spa and fitness centre, and the East India Restaurant with menus featuring both Indian-inspired cuisine and Western fare.

“India is one of the world’s most complex, colourful, and exotic destinations,” said Guy Young, president of Uniworld. “This itinerary is ideal for travellers seeking exotic new horizons, something completely unlike anything else they’ve ever experienced.”

The itinerary covers Delhi, Jaipur, Mother Teresa’s tomb and former home in Kolkata, a Vedic temple in Mayapur, and fully hosted excursions to five UNESCO World Heritage sites including Delhi’s Red Fort and Humayun’s Tomb, Agra’s Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, and Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar.

Guests will stay at Oberoi Hotels and Resorts Collection, including The Oberoi New Delhi, The Oberoi Amarvilas Agra and The Oberoi Rajvilas Jaipur, during the five-day land portion of the itinerary.

The river cruise on the Ganges will offer encounters with a variety of wildlife, including freshwater dolphins, parrots, etc.

Travellers can also opt for a two-night extension to the holy city of Varanasi, known in India as the holiest spot on its holiest river. The tour includes a city tour, a scenic boat ride to observe a Ganga Aarti fire ceremony at sunset and a private boat ride along the river at sunrise.

Uniworld’s new India programme will be available for reservations on October 15, 2014.

NORWEGIAN Cruise Line is diversifying its offerings and improving its economies of scale through the purchase of Prestige Cruises International.

Earlier this week Norwegian announced that it had entered a definitive agreement to buy Prestige, parent company of the upper-premium Oceania Cruises and luxury Regent Seven Seas Cruises, for US$3.0 billion.

The transaction includes the acquisition of Prestige’s debt as well. Subject to regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to be completed in 4Q2014.

Kevin Sheehan, CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line, said: “The acquisition of Prestige represents an extraordinary opportunity for Norwegian Cruise Line to expand our market presence by adding two established, award-winning brands in the upscale cruise segment with loyal followings.”

He highlighted that Norwegian would have a deeper bench of talent, possibilities for cross-selling, cross-branding, and cross-business support with the deal.

Prestige operates eight ships – five for Oceania, three for Regent – and 6,500 berths. Regent is also slated to take the delivery of an additional ship in summer 2016.

Sheehan added: “The combination of three different brands, each serving a different market segment, under one umbrella immediately creates an industry-leading cruise operator with an unmatched growth trajectory and a portfolio of products that allows us to appeal to guests at every stage of their life cycle.

“We are fully committed to retaining the brand propositions, guest experiences, and cultures of the Norwegian, Oceania and Regent brands that have allowed each to realise such success.”