THE Ascott Limited has joined hands with Australia’s largest serviced apartment provider, Quest Serviced Apartments, to bolster its presence Down Under, where it presently operates five serviced residences.

Under the terms of an agreement signed by both parties, over the next five years Quest will source for new property acquisition opportunities with Ascott holding the right of first refusal. Following that, Quest will provide a lease for the properties and operate them under franchises holding the Quest brand.

Lee Chee Koon, CEO of Ascott, said: “Ascott has an established presence in Australia where our serviced residences enjoy a strong demand from travellers to the country, and we see vast potential growth opportunities for serviced residences. Serviced apartments represent over 25 per cent share of the accommodation market in Australia where Quest is a leading player.

“Through our strategic partnership with Quest, we can leverage each other’s knowledge and contacts in Australia to rapidly extend our presence in the growing market for international quality serviced apartments. We also expect a stronger pipeline of properties in Australia for Ascott to acquire.”

In a separate agreement, Ascott’s real estate investment trust is acquiring three operational serviced residences in Greater Sydney from Quest, at a price tag of A$83 million (US$72.7 million).

The properties – the 140-key Quest Sydney Olympic Park, 81-unit Quest Campbelltown, and Quest Mascot with 91 units – will continue to run under the Quest brand.

Ascott has also agreed to buy a 20 per cent stake in Quest for A$28.8 million.

“We have formed strategic alliances with leading developers such as Vanke and Yuexiu to combine our expertise to drive Ascott’s growth in China. Our partnership with Quest is another strategic move that will further propel Ascotte’s growth,” explained Lee.

He added that Ascott will also seek investment opportunities in key markets such as Singapore, India, South-east Asian capitals, Paris, London, and key German cities.

ACCOR has opened the first international economy hotel in Krabi this week with the opening of the 206-room Ibis Styles Krabi Ao Nang.

The hotel is located at the resort destination of Ao Nang, Krabi, 20 minutes from Krabi International Airport. It is also located near attractions such as James Bond Island and Railay Beach, which is a 15-minute boat ride from the hotel.

Ibis Styles Krabi Ao Nang features Standard and Family rooms, with the latter including games and bunk beds for kids. Rates are all-inclusive with an all-you-can-eat breakfast at all-day international dining Cliff Café & Restaurant, and free Internet access.

Recreational facilities include a swimming pool, a kids’ club, bicycle rental services, and two function rooms.

The hotel is celebrating its opening with an introductory rate starting from 2,374 baht (US$ 73.40), which includes a buffet breakfast for two and Wi-Fi connection throughout the hotel. Find out more at www.ibis.com/thailand.

CITIZENS of 24 more countries are now eligible for Myanmar’s recently implemented e-visa applications system, announced the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism last week.

Since early October, the following coutries were allowed to use the e-visa system: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Panama, Mongolia, and Colombia.

“We believe that opening the e-visa service to these nationalities will attract a bigger number of arrivals to our country. We plan to add more countries in the near future,” a spokesperson from the Ministry of Population and Immigration told TTG Asia e-Daily.

Myanmar introduced its first-ever e-visa system on September 1 to boost the already rapid rate of growth in tourism.

Welcoming the move, Phyoe Wai Yar Zar, managing director of All Asia Exclusive Travel Yangon, said: “I believe this is a very positive step by the ministry since Eastern Europe is one of the potential markets for Myanmar and we can expect more arrivals from there as a result.

He added: “Sweden is a country Myanmar should think of targeting for high-end travel.”

N CELEBRATION of Deepavali, TTG Asia e-Daily will be taking a break on October 22, 2014. News will resume on October 23.

Here’s wishing all our Hindu readers a Happy Deepavali!

MYANMAR’S Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is planning a Visit Myanmar Year for 2016 in order to further boost the country’s growing tourism industry.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Lower House, deputy minister Tin Shwe said that the planned campaign fits into the government’s Tourism Master Plan 2013-2020, which aims to develop a sustainable tourism industry.

No details have yet been revealed about the campaign, but Marcus Allender, director of Go-Myanmar.com, believes the government will focus on more established destinations such as Bagan and Inle Lake, with an eye on developing other lesser-known destinations.

“There are areas such as Nat Ma Taung National Park in Chin State and Loikaw in Kayah State where the government is known to be keen to develop tourism infrastructure, assuming new hotels and roads are built in time,” he said.

While Myanmar has seen a surge in tourism in recent years, with arrivals expected to reach three million this year, Myanmar’s existing infrastructure presents a concern.

“There are obvious limits in the current infrastructure, but things are improving. The number of international-standard hotels is going up at all major destinations, and road and air transport are gradually improving. By 2016, many aspects of travel in Myanmar should be more reliable and easier to cope with,” Allender added.

The Myanmar Tourism Federation is also believed to be gearing up to launch a Green Season campaign encouraging inbound travel during the rainy season months of May to September, when tourism figures tend to drop off.

Thomas Henseler, general manager of the Governor’s Residence Hotel, told TTG Asia e-Daily that many tourism companies are supportive of the idea.

“That’s when the availability is here and when prices are much lower. There is this misconception that during the rainy season, the country is drenched in rain. That’s true in the lower parts, but if you come to Myanmar, you don’t spend the entire nine or 10 days in Yangon. You head to the north and it is not raining in those areas,” he said.

THE Leisure Pass Group, a London-based city sightseeing pass specialist, has forayed into Asia by joining hands with Singapore retailer Travelmania to launch the Singapore Tourist Pass Plus (STP+).

The STP+, an enhanced version of the Singapore Tourist Pass originally developed by the Singapore Tourism Board and the city’s Land Transport Authority, offers visitors to Singapore a package that includes unlimited public transport, one day’s touring on the city’s FunVee hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses and a River Explorer tour on the Bubble Jet boats.

Available in one-, two- and three-day formats and priced from S$20 (US$15.80), STP+ is already live and fully operational, while the forthcoming Go Singapore Pass is likely to be launched in December 2014 and will include entry to a number of the city’s leading attractions in addition to the transport offering featured in STP+.

“STP+ is just the first step in our partnership with the Leisure Pass Group, with a more comprehensive Go Singapore Pass city sightseeing product planned,” said Travelmania founder Chiang Zhan Xiang.

“As the world’s leading city pass operator, the Leisure Pass Group brings a wealth of experience and an entrepreneurial approach which will help us to develop new sightseeing products, not just in Singapore but in other Asian destinations too.”

Leisure Pass Group CEO, Darran Evans, commented: “Our own popular sightseeing cards in London, Paris, Berlin, New York and Philadelphia are well-established, but our philosophy of developing partnerships with independent operators and tourism authorities has seen the creation of a range of sightseeing products in cities across Europe.

“Asia boasts some of the world’s top tourism cities which would be perfect for this kind of sightseeing card and we are delighted to be working closely with Travelmania to introduce STP+ and Go Singapore Pass. We hope that they will be the first of many exciting new products in the region.”

THAI Airways International (THAI) has resumed direct services between Bangkok and Luang Prabang this month, adding to existing services on the same route by Lao Airlines and Bangkok Airways.

According to the THAI website, the carrier is operating thrice-weekly Bangkok-Luang Prabang flights between October 1-26, stepping up the frequency on the sector to four-times weekly from October 27 onwards.

TG576 will depart Bangkok at 12.25 and arrive in Luang Prabang at 14.00, while TG577 will depart Luang Prabang at 14.50 and land in Bangkok at 16.25, based on THAI’s latest press release issued today.

THAI is also offering a special round-trip fare from Bangkok to Luang Prabang in economy class starting at 6,550 baht (US$203), valid for purchase and travel from now until December 15, 2014.