THE Hertz Corporation has become the first car rental company in Asia to offer a dedicated fleet of BMW vehicles under its Prestige Collection, having just launched it alongside the Family Collection.

The Family Collection features spacious and comfortable Ford Galaxy and Ford S-Max cars that are ideal for travel with family and friend groups, and comes with free child seats, seven airbags and allowance for up to two additional drivers at no extra cost. The vehicles are also equipped with the versatile Fold Flat System for the family’s storage needs.

Michel Taride, group president, Hertz International, said: “We are committed to providing mobility solutions for families with a focus on comfort and safety as well as convenience and affordability. The Family Collection is a perfect example of our striving to meet customers’ requirements and we are excited to be launching a fleet of vehicles dedicated to make travelling with family easier and more enjoyable.”

The Prestige Collection stars three popular premium BMW models including the BMW 7 Series, all featuring a satellite navigation system and in-car charging for portable devices. Besides the self-drive feature, customers may also opt to hire a personal chauffeur under the Prestige Driven series, suitable for airport transfers and hourly charters.

Eddie Ho, general manager, Hertz Singapore, said: “Similar to the Green Traveler Collection launched here earlier this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 8, 2014), Hertz Singapore has sought to create ideal rental products that are not just about the cars, but also the ability to cater to varying lifestyles and needs.”

Both collections are reservable by make and model at Alexandra and Ubi Road downtown locations.

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHG) has secured a management agreement to open the Crowne Plaza Taj Expressway Noida, in Delhi NCR.

Owned by New Delhi real estate developer Sikka, the hotel will be part of a mixed-use development strategically located close to the Noida Golf Course Sector-34 and Atta Market.

The new 150-key hotel is expected to open in 2018 to become the second IHG property in the city after Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, which debuted end last year.

Pascal Gauvin, COO, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG commented: “India is a key market for us. It holds our third-largest development pipeline globally, behind the US and China and over the next three to five years we will grow by nearly 300 per cent there.

The new Crowne Plaza Taj Expressway Noida marks our expansion in a city we’ve just entered and we look forward to working with Sikka to growing our presence in Noida.”

IHG currently has 19 hotels in India across four brands – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express – and a total of 46 hotels in the development pipeline.

GLOBAL aviation authorities have condemned the gunning down of Malaysia Airlines MH17, and pledged to cooperate on building stronger information frameworks and tackling the issue of arms manufacture, in order to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that claimed 298 lives.

ICAO convened a high-level meeting consisting of representation from IATA, Airports Council International (ACI), and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) in Montreal yesterday to discuss how to do that.

All attendant organisations agreed to the immediate establishment of a senior-level task force composed of state and industry experts to begin work straightaway on addressing the civil aviation and national security aspects arising from MH17, in particular how information can be effectively collected and disseminated. Findings by the task force will submitted soonest possible to a Special Meeting of the ICAO Council for action.

The industry has further called on ICAO to make fail-safe channels where essential threat information can be made available to civil aviation authorities and the industry.

Said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of IATA: “We were told that flights traversing Ukraine’s territory at above 32,000 feet would not be in harm’s way. We now know how wrong that guidance was. It is essential that airlines receive clear guidance regarding threats to their passengers, crew and aircraft. Such information must be accessible in an authoritative, accurate, consistent, and unequivocal way. This is the responsibility of states. There can be no excuses. Even sensitive information can be sanitised and still remain operationally relevant.”

ICAO and partners are also aiming to push into international law through UN frameworks, measures governing the design, manufacture and deployment of modern anti-aircraft weaponry.

“Weapons of war – including powerful anti-aircraft weaponry – are also in the hands of non-state entities. We have conventions that address chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons, plastic explosives and weapons trade generally. But there is no international law or convention to manage them as exists for many other forms of weaponry. MH17 shows us that this is a gap in the international system which must be closed,” commented Tyler in an IATA release.

Kuala Lumpur-bound MH17 had departed from Amsterdam and was flying through Ukrainian airspace with 298 people on board when it was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, killing all on board (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 22, 2014).

The incident has led to a host of questions from all stakeholders in the industry about who determines whether a flight route, especially those over war zones, is safe for travel.

AMADEUS is helping its customers tap the Chinese travel market by integrating Chinese online payment service provider, Alipay, into the Amadeus Payment Platform.

The partnership, announced today, allows Amadeus users to offer Chinese travellers the option of settling payments via Alipay, which is used by millions of registered Chinese consumers.

“With this collaboration we add a key payment provider to our platform to satisfy our customers’ payment needs. Our travel-payment expertise, combined with Alipay’ market penetration and the ease of using Alipay’s products, will provide our customers with the right solution to meet Chinese payment demands,” said Celia Pereiro, head of Amadeus Travel Payments.

China was ranked by UN World Tourism Organization as the world’s top-spending tourism market in 2012 (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 8, 2013).

THE Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) will build 50 new airports in non-metropolitan cities to the tune of Rs15 billion (US$249.5 million) within the next few years.

Part of the new Union budget announced by the government earlier this month (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 11, 2014), the plan will see no-frills airports come up in Tier Two and Three cities such as Navi Mumbai, Juhu, Goa, Kannur, Pune, Sriperumbudur, and Bellary by 2017, said civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

Night parking charges at these airports will be waived, added minister of state for civil aviation GM Siddeshwara.

The said airports are part of India’s grand plan to have 200 new airports within the next decade.

Meanwhile existing airports at Bhopal, Indore and Raipur will be upgraded to international airports, paving the way for another 10 airports in secondary cities to go international by 2020.

Non-metropolitan airports presently account for 30 per cent of air traffic and are expected to reach 45 per cent by 2017.

India’s current airport capacity totals 121 million domestic travellers and 41 million international. With the new airports, India will be geared to handle 336 million domestic and 85 million international passengers by 2020.

DEVELOPMENTS in Myanmar’s Mergui archipelago could see the area flourish as a major tourist destination, especially for marine tourism.

Myeik Public Corporation is planning to invest US$4 million in the development of a resort hotel on Kadan Island, which is located in the archipelago.

The company had earlier announced that it would invest US$10 million for projects on four other islands, but has shifted its focus to Kadan, which is 24km west of the region’s commercial hub, Myeik, although the project is still awaiting confirmation from local authorities (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 6, 2014).

The islands are attracting interest from tourists and investors because there is “practically no sign of human habitation or development”, according to Marek Lenarcik, sales and marketing director of Tour Mandalay.

The islands offer particular potential in the field of marine tourism, says John Farrell, manager at Myanmar Yacht Services. “If done correctly, there is huge potential for turning the islands into a popular yachting destination.”

Just 50 private yachts and dive boats visit the region each year currently, with the majority of visitors coming from Russia, the UK and the US, with a few coming from the Asia-Pacific, said Farrell.

He added that there has been a substantial increase in visitors in recent months, with nearly all visitors travelling from Phuket.

Burma Boating also announced recently that it will double its fleet of classic yachts servicing Mergui to four for the coming season.

VIETJET Air has launched its first daily direct flights to the South Korean capital of Seoul (Incheon) from Hanoi and Danang, adding the city to its list of international destinations that includes Singapore and Bangkok.

From Hanoi, flights depart Noi Bai International Airport at 01.45, while flights take off from Da Nang International Airport at 02.00. Both flights leave Incheon at 11.05.

The carrier has named Seyou its general sales agent within the Asia-Pacific region and will launch more joint ventures with regional airline partners. It will grow ticketing channels throughout all existing sales touchpoints to meet the increasing travel demands between South Korea and Vietnam.

VietJet’s managing director said in a previous interview with TTG Asia e-Daily that the airline is embarking on an ambitious phase of growth, and is looking to add charter destinations and more longhaul routes (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 8, 2014) to its flight network.

At the Singapore Airshow in February, VietJet placed an order for 63 Airbus aircraft (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 12, 2014).

UNIVERSAL Studios Singapore (USS) has let the cat out of the bag – DreamWorks Animation’s irrepressible Puss in Boots is to become the centre of two new attractions to open in the park by year-end.

Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), DreamWorks Animation and Universal Parks & Studios are working on a new suspended roller coaster ride named Puss in Boots’ Giant Journey, RWS announced today.

The ride located in the Far Far Away themed zone takes theme park visitors into the giant’s castle now overgrown by a magical beanstalk, alongside Puss and his accomplice, Kitty Soft Paws.

Further details of the ride’s launch will be announced at a later date.

John Hallenbeck, senior vice president of attractions at RWS, said: “We are excited to expand our collaboration with DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks characters have been popular and the expansion will allow our guests to experience more of Puss in Boots, a franchise beloved by families and youths. The new ride is designed on the popularity of our other crowd-pleasing suspended roller coaster, and will cater to not only families but thrill-seekers as well.”

Meanwhile, Puss and Kitty will star in a new stage show from September. Titled The Dance for the Magic Beans, the 20-minute show will also include a meet-and-greet show with the characters.

The new roller coaster ride brings USS’ number of DreamWorks attractions to seven.

USS last week unveiled the theme and pricings for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, an annual scare fest that has become a calendar event for tourism in Singapore (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 25, 2014).

BEST Western International will unveil the Best Western Patong Beach hotel in October this year, close to the centre of Phuket’s thriving tourism scene.

The 224-room hotel is less than 1km from Patong Beach’s white sands and a host of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Guestrooms and suites come with 32-inch LCD TVs, mini bars, and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Other amenities to be found on the property include free Wi-Fi throughout the property, an outdoor infinity pool, Mana Restaurant for local and international cuisine, a poolside bar, a fitness centre and a business centre.

Best Western Patong Beach is the company’s 13th hotel in Thailand and the third in Phuket, joining Best Western Premier Bantao Beach Resort & Spa and Best Western Phuket Ocean Resort Phuket.