They may not have casinos, but these destinations are drawing tourists with their unique experiences
Lagoi Bay
Following its launch in 2007, the 1,300-hectare Lagoi Bay in Bintan will be opening key facilities from the second half of this year, which include beach and lakeside resorts, a mall and first-of-its-kind recreational activities. The entire development is scheduled to be completed by 2015.
Geared to take off in October will be the Air Adventures Flying Club Bintan, an ultra light aircraft ride centre and flying school that claims to be South-east Asia’s first seaplane facility offering an open cockpit seaplane experience to seasoned pilots or novices.
Adventrees, a new canopy adventure trail in the forest surrounding Lake Lagoi will also be ready by October for teambuilding activities involving ropeways, as will an off-road rally car circuit.
On the accommodations front, The Sanchaya will debut 19 luxury villas and nine suites in November, adding to Lagoi Bay’s five resorts that offer 1,400 rooms. Early next year, Alila Villas Bintan and Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi Bay, Bintan will further plump up the inventory with over 250 new rooms. Room rates are estimated to range from S$80 (US$65) for beach cabanas to over S$4,000 for four-bedroom pool villas.
A 45-minute ferry ride from Tanah Merah ferry terminal, travel consultants said Lagoi Bay had potential to draw FIT travellers as well as meetings and incentive groups.
Alicia Seah, CTC Travel senior vice president of marketing & public relations, said: “We foresee these developments will primarily attract high-end travellers who seek a getaway from the hustle and bustle in Singapore.”
However, Luxury Tours & Travel director, Michael Lee, said the development needed more publicity.
While Singaporeans currently top Bintan’s arrivals, Chia Tek Yew, executive director, strategy & marketing, BRI, expects the domestic market to grow once the Bintan Resorts International Airport becomes fully operational by 2015. It will be in Busung, Kuala Lobam, a 30-minute drive south-west of Lagoi Bay. – Lee Pei Qi
Laguna Lang Co
Vietnam’s Laguna Lang Co held its grand opening in April, with the first of its hotels now ready to receive guests. More accommodation options and facilities will be added to the vast 280 hectare site over the coming years, with the IR eventually set to emulate the scale of Laguna Phuket.
Like its Thai sister, Lang Co is targeted at a broad spectrum of high-end travellers. Banyan Tree offers luxury with its spacious private pool villas, while Angsana’s inventory ranges from the more modest deluxe rooms to rooftop pool suites. Rates start from US$280++ at Angsana and US$735++ at Banyan Tree.
MICE business is integral to the business plan, with top-end meeting facilities, a huge ballroom and the capacity to cater to major events outdoors.
Weddings are also part of the mix. “We are the only hotel with a dedicated chapel on site,” said Khiet Le, marketing and communications manager, Laguna Lang Co.
Other facilities include the world-class Nick Faldo-designed golf course and two spas.
Sitting amid UNESCO World Heritage sites – Hoi An’s ancient town, the Cham ruins of My Son and the imperial city of Hue – the resort provides day-trip access to all three. That said, the location also means Laguna Lang Co is somewhat out on a limb. It is best reached via Danang International Airport, a 40-minute drive away.
“At present almost all our customers request hotels or resorts in the centre of Danang city, but Laguna Lang Co is an attractive and exciting new development that we will consider in the future,” said Vietravel’s director of marketing, Nguyen Minh Man.
Khiem Vu, general manager of Indochina Travelland, believes that the combination of the Laguna brand, the beauty of Lang Co bay and its location between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, will make it a success. He said: “We have already made a couple of early bookings for this property, and we predict strong local demand as more and more Vietnamese travel in the luxury segment.”
Meanwhile, Buffalo Tours has yet to work with Laguna in Vietnam, but they are close partners in Thailand. Explained head of international business development, Ed Pettitt: “We know the quality and consistency of the product, but we have not sent clients as it has only been recently completed and we need to be able to guarantee everything is in order first.” – David Lloyd Buglar
Funtasy Island
Situated between Singapore and Batam, Funtasy Island on Riau Islands is envisioned to be the world’s largest eco theme park with residential, commercial and tourism components, which will be rolled out in batches from mid-2014.
At 328 hectares, the island itself is two-thirds the size of Sentosa, with 70 per cent of its total area preserved as a nature sanctuary.
In the first phase is a five-star deluxe resort development run by Meritus Hotels & Resorts, comprising a 200-room condotel, 230-suite hotel and 413 villas. Eco-themed activities such as aquaculture tours and nature trails will also be available, as well as a beach club that will offer a slew of sea sports from diving to parasailing.
To be revealed later in 2015, one of the highlights will be a heart-shaped islet, which will have a 1,000-pax banquet hall and a wedding chapel. There are six islets in total.
Funtasy Island Development director, Michael Yong, said at least one million visitors are expected to arrive annually once the island is fully completed in 10 years’ time.
He said: “We are targeting Singaporeans and international visitors who come through Singapore.” Located 16km off the coast of Singapore, Funtasy Island will be accessible via a 20-minute ferry ride from the HarbourFront ferry terminal.
Stella Chow, manager advertising and marketing division, outbound tour department, Hong Thai Travel, said: “There is potential to attract Singaporeans due to its eco park concept, which will appeal to those who are used to the concrete landscape. The Love Island is also an attractive alternative venue for a romantic getaway.
“However the infrastructure within the resorts, such as getting around the resorts and the ease of travelling from the ferry terminal to the resorts has to be well put together to ensure convenience.”
Star Holiday Mart managing director, Dennis Law, added: “This new attraction will sell with the right products, but Singapore already has many fun and adventurous products so not many may want to travel to (Riau) since it will involve extra costs.” – Lee Pei Qi
Desaru Coast
Adding to Johor’s growing bag of tourism products is Destination Resorts and Hotels’ (DRH) Desaru Coast, a 17km beachfront stretch at the south-eastern tip that will comprise hotels and residences, water theme parks, golf courses, a retail village and a convention centre, among other offerings. With 1,600 hectares to be developed over three phases, the first is targeted for completion in 2015.
Lau Yin May, senior vice president, programme management & corporate communications, DRH, said: “There will be a number of world-class brand names such as the Aman Country Club and Aman Villas, situated along pristine beachfront; Sheraton Desaru Resort, also with direct beach frontage; and Datai Desaru, nestled on a hilltop. Plantation Hotel will be a four-star hotel integrated with the two theme parks.”
At Ocean Quest and Ocean Splash, guests will be able to interact with marine animals and play at the salt water wave pool respectively, while The Els Club Malaysia will feature two championship golf courses – a 27-hole course designed by Ernie Els and an 18-hole course designed by Vijay Singh – as well as exclusive villas.
There are several tourist attractions within close proximity to Desaru Coast, including a fruit farm and an ostrich farm. Further out, a scenic one hour drive will take guests to Puteri Harbour, where families can spend a day at The Little Red Cube, a lifestyle retail complex that is also home to an indoor theme park. Legoland Malaysia is a five-minute drive away.
From Kuala Lumpur, Desaru Coast is a four-hour drive using the North-South Highway or a 45-minute flight to Senai International Airport, followed by a 45-minute drive. From Singapore, it is a 30-minute ferry ride from Changi Ferry Terminal to Tanjung Belungkor Ferry Terminal in Kota Tinggi, followed by a half hour’s drive. By land, it is a one-and-a-half-hour drive from the Second Link or Causeway.
Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager of New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel, said: “We will twin Desaru packages with Singapore as both destinations have something different to offer families on holiday. Desaru has theme parks and ecotourism products, whereas Singapore is known for its shopping and entertainment.”
World Avenues executive director, Ally Bhoonee, added: “Due to its close proximity to Singapore, it will make a perfect pre- and post-tour option for MICE events held in Singapore.” – S Puvaneswary
Grand Kawanua International City
Growing air access into Manado, North Sulawesi will provide a lift for the Grand Kawanua International City (GKIC), which will see hotels, hospitals and a water park rising on its 300 hectares over the next few years.
Developed by Jakarta-based AKR Group, GKIC is already home to the 176-room Novotel Manado Golf Resort & Convention Center and the 6,500m2 Grand Kawanua Convention Center that can host up to 4,000 people. There are also residential properties and public facilities such as tennis courts and a swimming pool.
A number of projects are scheduled for completion this year, including the conversion of the 15-hole golf course to an 18-hole one, as well as the Citiwalk Shopping Mall and a wedding chapel.
Earlier this year, the six-country Regional Secretariat of Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security also set up base here, with ensuing marine conservation activities expected to drive more visitors to the destination. Other recent additions include an art gallery with US$3 million worth of Indonesian art and painting collections, and Siloam Hospital.
AKR managing director, Widijanto, said some 10,000 more rooms were needed over the next few years, highlighting a 100-hectare site that is open for hotel development. Currently, Novotel Manado’s rates are between Rp400,000 (US$42) and Rp800,000.
He said: “Lion Air is opening Manado as a hub for its regional routes to Hong Kong, China, Japan and Singapore, in line with the arrival of new aircraft. This will add to existing direct services from Manado to Singapore and Davao, as well as the route network within Indonesia.”
Incito Travel managing director, Ng Sebastian, said while GKIC had succeeded in positioning itself as a MICE destination, more promotions had to be done to highlight the leisure attractions in order to target domestic and regional markets.
Mapanget Mega Wisata Tours and Travel managing director, Reenaldo Wangkar, added: “We can develop golf packages to Manado when the 18-hole golf course is ready. The water park may also add facilities for the leisure market as well as the corporate market for teambuilding or gatherings.”
Meanwhile, the North Sulawesi and Manado City Government are developing infrastructure such as a ring road connecting Manado with surrounding areas like Bitung and Tondano, to be ready in two years. – Mimi Hudoyo
