MOVENPICK Hotels & Resorts’ third property in Thailand opened over the weekend on Koh Samui with 50 rooms, pool villas, beachfront villas and two-bedroom villas.

Located on the north-west coast of Koh Samui and 30 minutes from Samui International Airport, Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui was once known as The Passage prior to its rebranding and renovation. 

Wedding couples and honeymooners are being targeted with offerings such as private beach dinners and pampering wellness treatments.

Other activities include kayaking and snorkelling in Angthong National Marine Park, hiking in the surrounding forest, shopping at local fishing villages and visits to Thai temples.

Tossapol Satitwittayakul, executive director of the Thana Group, the hotel’s owning company, said: “I look forward to our partnership with Mövenpick and seeing this idyllic beachfront property benefit from the company’s high quality operating standards and access to new markets.

“The beautiful sunsets on the beach and surrounding green hills make Mövenpick Resort Laem Yai Beach Samui one of the island’s most romantic boutique resorts, a reputation we would like to grow further.”

Mövenpick’s next Thai resort will open in Pattaya at the end of 2015 and will be followed by Chiang Mai, Suriwongse the year after. Two additional properties are being planned in Hua Hin and Bangkok. The upscale hotel company already has two properties in Phuket.

SRILANKAN Airlines added Kunming to its network earlier this month, making it the fifth destination in China where the carrier operates scheduled flights.

The flag carrier is utilising Airbus A320 aircraft for this thrice-a-week service departing Colombo.

“There has been an overwhelming increase in inbound from China to Sri Lanka. We are also keen to increase frequency on the route and add two more destinations in China. However, it will be too early for us to reveal names of these new destinations,” said Nishantha Wickremasinghe, chairman, Srilankan Airlines told TTG Asia e-Daily.

According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka recorded 94,994 Chinese arrivals in the first nine months of 2014 while the number stood at 39,354 in the same period last year, an exponential increase of 141.4 per cent.

Apart from Kunming, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong are the other destinations where the Oneworld member operates scheduled flights to in Greater China. SriLankan Airlines also operates a weekly charter to Chongqing.

Wickremasinghe shared that the airline is waiting for the delivery of new aircraft before embarking on major expansion plans in strategic markets like China and India. The carrier has placed orders for 12 aircraft: wide bodied A330-300 and A350-900.

“We are keen to increase frequency on Indian and Far East sectors. We would like to operate double daily flights to New Delhi and Mumbai but it depends on the delivery of new aircraft,” he added.

SriLankan Airlines is also contemplating to start flights to Sydney and Melbourne next year.

FLAG carrier Myanma Airways has rebranded to Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) even as it plans to begin operating international flights next year.

As part of the repositioning, MNA has also introduced a modern computerised management system, a new website that allows online booking and is also launching a modern check-in system in Yangon, with plans to extend to Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay and Nyaung U. The company has also restored its office building in downtown Yangon.

The company will remain under the ownership of the government, but operate as a separate commercial entity under a new board of directors.

“Alongside recent developments in our country, it is time for our airline to step back on the world stage,” said Than Tun, managing director, MNA. “Our government has taken the bold and progressive step of allowing the airline to become a separate corporation, although still retaining government ownership. This enables us to set up the airline in a very different way as compared to the past,” he added.

Tun also said that the airline plans to extend its operations next year to cover new destinations across Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and China. MNA currently flies to 26 domestic destinations in Myanmar.

The airline will also increase its fleet by adding an additional 10 Boeing 737 aircraft and six ATR72-600 aircraft next year.

The airline was established as Union of Burma Airways in 1948 and renamed Myanma Airways in 1989.

SCOOT has announced it will be flying to Melbourne from November 1, 2015, with its Boeing 787 Dreamliners plying the route five times a week.

The new service will depart Singapore Changi Airport at 01.00 and arrive at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport by 11.20, while on the return leg, it will depart at 12.30 and arrive by 17.25.

“We’ve heard loud and clear the demands for Scoot to fly to Melbourne, and we’re delighted to finally be able to answer them! Melbourne, with its world-class culture, events, dining and surrounding scenery, has long been on our radar and the arrival of our new Boeing 787s gives us this chance to add it to our network. ” said Campbell Wilson, CEO of Scoot.

Scoot is also offering an early bird special, with one-way Economy fares starting from S$98 (US$74.60) and other deals as well.

YTL Hotels unveiled this week the luxury Kasara Niseko Village Townhouse and a fresh dining and retail concept in its mountain resort of Niseko Village.

The first phase of Kasara Niseko Village Townhouse consists of eight exclusive double-storey ski-in, ski-out townhouses styled after heritage townhouses of the late Edo period. Big enough for up to six adults, each features three bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, a fully equipped designer kitchen and a tatami-floored dining area that can be converted to accommodate two futons for children. There is also a heated storage room for ski equipment, as well as a parking garage.

Residents can also take advantage of priority privileges including a personal concierge to assist with winter activities and restaurant reservations; complimentary driver-on-call service; in-residence ski and snowboard fittings, a complimentary exclusive morning mountain induction, complimentary onsen use and cross-signing facilities at the neighbouring Hilton Niseko Village and The Green Leaf Niseko Village.

Additional chargeable services include a stocked kitchen upon arrival and during stay, child-minding services, overnight ski and snowboard waxing services and sports massages.

YTL first announced the Kasara brand in July. Future locations include Koh Samui, Thailand and Pulau Tiga, Borneo, weaving local influences, cultures and traditions with luxury amenities.

Mark Yeoh, executive director of YTL Hotels, said: “The new developments at Niseko Village truly redefine the luxury Asian alpine experience. The authentic, timeless elegance of our Kasara Niseko Village Townhouse coupled with exciting shopping and dining experiences will enhance Niseko Village’s image and further appeal to skiers and tastemakers from across the region, if not the world.”

New dining experiences at Niseko Village include the Village Patisserie, Asian tapas bar Two Sticks, seafood market-inspired The Crab Shack and Yang Shu Ten, serving casual Japanese classics.

More shopping opportunities also abound, with i Gate Ikeuchi stocking gear and apparel for outdoor activities; i Zone Ikeuchi, made-in-Japan beauty and fashion products; and Otaru Taisho Glass Palace, glassware by renowned artists.

CITITEL Express Ipoh is scheduled to open next month with 210 rooms, injecting a much-needed boost to the city’s inventory of cheaper rooms.

Positioned as a midscale hotel, guests will benefit from free Wi-Fi throughout the property; the availability of two meeting rooms, each with a seating capacity of 100 in theatre style; as well as a trendy café serving artisan coffee, tasty meals and pastries.

Vaginder Kaur, hotel manager, Cititel Express Ipoh, said: “Its central location in the heart of the Ipoh Old Town area will allow guests to easily access the heritage and food havens of Ipoh, with several of the city’s famous restaurants and cafes within walking distance from the property.

“In addition, the hotel will offer guests a free shuttle service, which will make stops at the Ipoh Railway Station, shopping centres and popular tourist hotspots.”

*In our original article, we stated that Cititel Express Hotel is a budget hotel. That is incorrect. We are sorry for the error.

OAKWOOD Worldwide has launched a hotel desk at its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters, said to be a first in the region for the serviced apartment industry.

The introduction of a hotel desk allows Oakwood to meet greater client demand for accommodation in smaller or remote cities, many of which have limited serviced accommodation options.

Craig Ryan, managing director for Oakwood Worldwide, Asia-Pacific, said: “The introduction of a hotel desk specifically enables us to meet key changes in global mobility patterns, notably a sustained increase in short-term assignments and continued growth in emerging markets.”

This new feature comes after Oakwood recently acquired Travel Industry Designator Service accreditation from the International Air Transport Association. With this accreditation, Oakwood has partnered with Abacus Hotel and Abacus RoomDeal to access its GDS comprising a network of more than 100,000 hotel properties across more than 310 chains worldwide. This partnership enables the Oakwood reservations team access to real-time room availability, room rates and instant booking confirmation.

A NEW partnership between CarTrawler and Abacus International will see a comprehensive list of ground transportation and chauffeur-driven services made available to travel consultants within the aggregated booking platform, Abacus ContentPlus, due for release in 1Q2015.

CarTrawler will gain increased visibility and a share of the largest B2B channel in Asia-Pacific, serving a car rental market estimated by PhoCusWright to be worth US$6.8 billion this year and US$8.9 billion by 2016.

The company adds to an existing Abacus car rental portfolio pre-paid content of over 1,300 car rental suppliers, together with chauffeur-driven services in 30,000 airport and city locations.

CarTrawler will also consolidate a highly fragmented ground transportation landscape, making it easier for travel consultants to offer a diversity of choices when selling.

Martin Symes, chief marketing officer for Abacus, added: “Abacus agents will be able to retail CarTrawler options separately or bundle them as fixed or dynamic packages with flights, accommodation, activities, insurances and more.”

NATAS is calling for all parties involved in the rival fair to come together to resolve any differences for the benefit of the industry.

Speaking at a press conference this morning to explain the change in travel fair dates after “great deliberation”, NATAS president Devinder Ohri, said: “In light of news that the breakaway group will be proceeding with their plans to organise their own fair despite our best efforts to dissuade them… we felt it was the only responsible thing to do.

“Having two fairs on the same dates would have served the interests of no one and inconvenienced all our stakeholders.”

With the next travel fair scheduled from March 6 to 8, three weeks earlier than initially planned to avoid clashing with the rival event, Ohri said the exhibitors at NATAS will have the “first bite of the pie”.

Ohri said the announcement of the change of travel fair dates to members earlier last week had been “received with jubilation”.

Expressing confidence in the turnout for both NATAS fairs next year despite the emergence of a rival fair, Ohri predicts both fairs to draw an equal if not at least a 10 to 20 per cent increase in visitors, up from 110,000 visitors this year.

Nevertheless, Ohri is hopeful for the travel consultants to “come home” to NATAS.

He said: “We are the national association and we have been running the fairs for a very long time. We remain open because they are still our members and we are not closing the door to anyone.

“As we all know even the most close-knit families have their disagreements occasionally. It is how they solve them and move forward as one that makes the family even stronger.

“NATAS believes in the family concept and our fervent hope is that everyone will come home and make our family even stronger.”

Discussions are ongoing between the association and member agencies involved in the rival fair.