THE Ministry of Immigration and Population is predicting a windfall of tourist arrivals in 2015, ushered in by the launch of the e-visa scheme in September. This is a 67 per cent increase from total arrivals expected for this year.

Said a spokesperson from the ministry: “The e-visa is a system that’s easy to use, so we expect more tourists will visit our country in this season as well as in 2015.

“Since the launch in September, we have issued e-visas to a thousand visitors already. The number of tourists using the e-visa system is growing rapidly day-by-day and arrivals mostly come from the US, the UK, Japan, Germany, France and Italy.”

Following the launch of e-visas, Myanmar is looking to expand the scheme to more EU countries.

Htay Aung, minister of hotels and tourism, recently said that the country expects three million tourists by end-2014.

From January to August, Myanmar received 607,870 arrivals through Yangon alone.

OKURA Hotels and Resorts has entered the Philippines market with the 380-key, five-star Hotel Okura Manila at Bayshore City Resorts World.

The move is in line with Okura’s overseas development strategy of focusing on developing Asian markets. Five of Okura’s 18 hotels are outside Japan, namely Shanghai, Macau, Taipei, Bangkok and Amsterdam.

Hotel Okura Manila, together with The Westin Hotel Manila, Genting Grand and Crockfords Tower, will provide a total of 1,500 keys when the Bayshore City integrated resort opens in 2018.

Local travel consultants welcomed the additional supply, saying it could help pull down the high room rates in Manila.

Ine Faustino, general manager, CCT 168 Travel and Tours, noted that there is a market for Okura hotel, especially for the Japanese, who are currently the third largest source market for the Philippines. Businessmen and MICE travellers will also be drawn to Okura since it is located in the Manila Bay MICE area.

She added that the debut of new properties will force existing hotels to compete by renovating their facilities though this might in turn lead to even higher rates.

However, Francisco Lim, general manager, Adkins Travel Agency, said: “Manila’s occupancy and room rates in general are still good despite the addition of new hotels in recent years.”

But he commented: “Mushrooming hotel investments reflect investors’ confidence in the present government. Whether this confidence can be sustained will depend upon the result of the May 2016 presidential elections.”

PAYMENT solutions provider eNett International and travel technology firm Cornerstone Information Systems have come together to develop a direct hotel billing payment solution for TMCs.

Through the new solution, TMCs can access virtual account numbers (VANs) without the need for lengthy credit assessments, while the solution automatically relays payment instruction and data to the hotel.

By allowing TMCs to do away with a traveller’s personal or corporate credit card, the solution helps them save processing time and improve reconciliation, usage and spend control.

The solution is also available via the Travelport Travel Commerce Platform, so no changes to existing back-end systems are required.

eNett managing director and CEO, Anthony Hynes, said: “We developed eNett VANs specifically to address the inefficiencies of travel payments, making innovative and integrated technology accessible to companies of all sizes. The rapid uptake of VANs globally has been driven by a need for new payment solutions to meet evolving industry needs.”

The solution developed by eNett and Cornerstone offers several low-cost FX options available across 27 currencies, and eNett customers can earn rebates for transactions paid with VANs as soon as they start transacting.

CAMBODIA’S State Secretariat of Civil Aviation has given start-up Bassaka Air the green light to begin operations.

According to The Phnom Penh Post, the airline has partnered with Chinese travel agency China International Travel Services to bring in Chinese tourists.

Bassaka is to lease its two Airbus A320 aircraft from casino NagaCorp, though airline representatives were quoted as saying that details of Bassaka’s first flight has yet to be confirmed.

The Phnom Penh Post reported weeks ago on NagaCorp’s plan to launch flights to China in order to boost its Chinese VIP junket programme.

This segment accounted for US$4.1 billion in earnings at the end of September, a 25 per cent jump year-on-year, according to NagaCorp’s October 3 statement.

BUSINESS travellers flying on AirAsia India will have more travel options as the new LCC seeks to optimise aircraft utilisation by introducing red-eye flights.

Beginning February 25, 2015, AirAsia India will roll out late night and early morning flights.

Mittu Chandilya, CEO, AirAsia India, said that travellers “who do not want to spend on staying the night in a hotel can return to their home cities” rather than wait for the next available flight out.

Business travellers would benefit from this, especially for those flying to and from tier two and three cities, noted Rajendra Churiwala, director-eastern region, IATA Agents Association of India.

P P Khanna of Diplomatic Travel Point New Delhi concurred: “These flights should be aimed at business travellers who fly frequently between smaller Indian cities and to destinations where hotel room rates are high, thus offering relief.”

AirAsia India currently flies to six cities in India, but will increase this to 10 by year-end.

THE 283-room Rosewood Beijing, the first hotel in China and Asia for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, will officially open on October 23.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, managing director Marc Brugger explained that a key element of the brand promise is its heritage focus, where luxury equates to a certain formality.

Said Brugger: “The hotel’s chief concierge, someone with a wealth of knowledge and somewhat of a character, and overstaffing the concierge department are how we are making a difference. This concept all but disappeared after the Asian Financial Crisis in the 1990s.

“Another example is the 7^th Floor Manor Club, which will be run like a private club with butler service.”

The hotel is banking on its strategic location at Beijing’s CBD to go after corporates but is equally focused on the luxury traveller, and is offering opening packages valid until February 28, 2015.

Rosewood will launch its first resort in Asia, with Phuket opening in 2016. Phnom Penh will also open in 2016, followed by Sanya, Bali, Guangzhou and Bangkok in 2017, and Jakarta in 2018.

“Another four or five Asian properties will be announced shortly to complement the eight in the existing portfolio,” Brugger said.