TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Thursday, 12th February 2026
Page 2175

Airbus moots helicopter tourism idea for Myanmar

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HELICOPTERS could be a new option for tourists travelling in Myanmar if Airbus proceeds with plans to roll out helicopter rental services.

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, vice president and commercial director of Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia, said Airbus is aiming to bring in a number of helicopters to Myanmar to begin rentals by end-2014.

“Our first target (in importing helicopters) was Myanmar’s rapidly growing oil and gas industry. But now we hope that soon a few helicopters will come for tourism as well,” he said to TTG Asia e-Daily.

“If passengers want to go to a place which is quite far or difficult to get to, they can fly over or stop somewhere to enjoy a picnic or an excursion. This type of service is only offered by hot air balloons with limited capabilities right now in Myanmar. So we would like to develop these services but with helicopters instead.”

“The idea for tourism is that visitors can book helicopters through the hotel or travel agencies, and take a helicopter to their desired destinations.”

Sinai-Sinelnikoff said an official announcement would be made in future.

Starwood rebrands existing resort to Sheraton

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IMPERIAL Samui Beach Resort will be converted to Sheraton Samui Resort, Koh Samui by the end of this year, expanding the Sheraton footprint in Thailand.

Starwood’s newest convert in Thailand is a 15-minute drive from Samui International Airport and situated on Chaweng Noi Beach on the east coast of Koh Samui, a short distance away from shopping and entertainment area Chaweng town.

The resort offers 141 guestrooms and when rebranding is finished, will offer a gym, Kids’ Club, the all-day dining Feast eatery, Sky Light Lounge, Tara Restaurant, a freshwater swimming pool and saltwater swimming pool with views of the Gulf of Thailand.

The property is owned by TCC Hotels Group, and Sheraton Samui Resort will be the seventh project Starwood is managing for the group.

Matthew Fry, senior vice president of acquisitions & development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia-Pacific, said: “Starwood has developed a conversion-friendly strategy for existing hotels to meet the demands of owners and guests. With our powerful platforms, we are able to help our partners reposition existing assets in a cost-effective manner.

“Given that many are well-located but under-branded hotels, they present untapped opportunities for Starwood and is another channel for our growth. Thailand has already seen three conversions in the past few years.”

Dubai trumpets family-friendly experiences

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DUBAI is emphasising its shopping, culinary and family-friendly offerings to South-east Asian markets, part of the emirate’s efforts to boost arrivals from the region under its Tourism Vision 2020 target.

Launched one year ago, Dubai’s Tourism Vision 2020 target is focused on branding itself as a family destination to move from being just a renowned stopover hub, according to Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, director of overseas offices, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

South-east Asia last year contributed 245,000 arrivals to Dubai’s total 11 million visitors, and the emirate is aiming for a 10-11 per cent growth in arrivals by 2025.

“This is quite small compared to the potential. From Indonesia, for example, we received 50,000 arrivals last year. The potential to grow is still huge. The family market is big here and the mid-range hotels give them an option,” said Saud Mohammed Saeed Hareb, senior executive – Europe region overseas offices, DTCM.

He told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Travellers from South-east Asia usually travel with families and enjoy shopping and gastronomy.”

Hareb was speaking in Jakarta last week, one of three countries in which DTCM was holding roadshows to highlight Dubai’s products and explore partnerships with local travel consultants. Roadshows were also held in Malaysia and Singapore.

The emirate will also welcome 20,000-30,000 new hotel rooms to the existing 85,000 by 2016. “Dubai has so many five-star and luxury properties and going forward, we are encouraging investors to develop the mid-market hotel segment by offering some incentives,” said Hareb.

On the newest developments in Dubai, Hareb shared: “We recently opened the Dubai City Walk in the downtown area from Burj Khalifa, with shops and restaurants where tourists can go and relax. The Walk, the beach at JBR, is also a new facility, with retail shops and cafes on the beach itself.”

New attractions such as Dubai Tram, Dubai Safari projects and the 14km Jumeirah Corniche will open by year-end while Wire World, the largest man-made adventure park, will open in November.

Kerala to ban alcohol establishments by next April

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ALL watering holes within Kerala will be shut down by April 1, 2015 with only the bars in five-star hotels allowed to continue, announced the government of the state that boasts the highest national per capita consumption of alcohol.

Kerala’s government has ruled that the 418 bars that have failed to upgrade to local two-star standards will not receive renewed alcohol licences, and Kerala’s 318 existing bars will not be able to obtain new ones after March 31, 2015. It is exploring the possibility of terminating such licences earlier.

However, 23 five-star hotels will be allowed to continue running their bars.

Nothing has ben said yet about the fate of 111 bars selling only beer and wine, but industry sources believe they will be shut eventually.

Beverage Corporation’s 334 retail outlets selling alcoholic beverages will be closed in phases of 10 per cent every year, for a total prohibition on liquor sales by 2024.

Kerala has existing “dry” days on the first of every month when alcohol sale is prohibited, which it will extend to include Sundays, bringing the total number of liquor holidays to 52 days annually.

Riaz Ahmed, chairman, Abad Hotels and Resorts, said: “The absence of bars will bring down occupancy rates in four- and three-star hotels as well as negatively affect the hotels’ revenue yield with profits from F&B very significantly reduced.”

Australia teams up with Chinese agencies in new distribution strategy

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WITH its eyes set on China’s burgeoning, high-yield middle class, Tourism Australia is partnering a selected group of Chinese travel agencies for joint marketing initiatives.

The NTO announced this morning that it has invited 31 specialist China-based travel consultants to join its Key Distribution Partner (KDP) programme for China.

The Chinese KDP, a programme Tourism Australia has similarly launched in other markets such as Singapore, will be based mainly in top-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as secondary cities including Nanjing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Chengdu and Chongqing.

John O’Sullivan, managing director of Tourism Australia, said KDP forms a key tenet of Australia’s China strategy towards attracting more independent, higher spending Chinese visitors.

“The consultants we have selected already have a solid understanding of the Australian tourism market, as well as established relationships with exactly the type of high-yield consumer we want to engage with as part of our Chinese marketing activities. Under this new programme, we’ll be developing joint marketing activities with these consultants and strongly encouraging them to develop new and innovative Australian tourism products which will appeal to higher-yield Chinese travellers.”

Under the programme, Tourism Austalia will increase advertising spend, and develop new itineraries and programmes, all targeted at the high-yield middle class.

“The vast majority of international travel out of China is still booked through travel agencies, and under this programme we believe we’ve identified the best of the best, who have the commitment and capability to help us engage with this new breed of more sophisticated Chinese traveller seeking to build a much richer and higher quality holiday experience,” said O’Sullivan.

He added that Tourism Australia will encourage Australian tour operators to engage with these selected Chinese travel agencies as well.

China forms a key source market for Australia, with almost 760,000 arrivals spending over A$5 billion (US$4.7 billion) in the last 12 months.

Accor names cluster GM for 2 Singapore properties

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Vincent Lelay

VINCENT Lelay has been appointed the cluster general manager for The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa, and Sofitel So Singapore.

The Frenchman boasts a career at Accor that reaches back 23 years, and brings to his new position a range of experiences across the industry, including being vice president of hotel operations for Greater China, and regional general manager of operations in Jogjakarta and Central Java.

Lelay was last project liaison manager at The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa, which will be rebranded into a Sofitel property in 2015.

As the cluster general manager of two distinctively different properties, Lelay will manage The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa and grow Sofitel So Singapore’s business.

He is fluent in French and English, and speaks some Spanish and Mandarin.

Edwina San appointed DOSM for Park Hyatt Melbourne

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PARK Hyatt Melbourne has found a new director of sales & marketing in Edwina San.

In her new role, San will report to hotel manager Brett Sweetman.

San was last general manager commercial partnerships with the Melbourne Convention Bureau, and brings with her more than 20 years of experience in the travel industry, including senior positions in the hotel, travel, business events and FMCG industries across the world.

NokScoot unveils first CEO

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NEW Bangkok-based budget airline NokScoot has named Piya Yodmani its CEO.

Piya brings with him more than 20 years of experience within the airline industry, having held leadership positions at Thai Airways International and Nok Air.

Patee Sarasin, CEO of Nok Air, has also been appointed to the post of chairman of executive committee of the board.

NokScoot will begin operations in 1Q2015, flying out of Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport to medium- to long haul destinations.

JNTO takes aim at Singapore’s MICE buyers

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JAPAN is holding a targeted roadshow for Singapore MICE buyers next month to showcase itself as an ideal meeting destination for international conventions.

In partnership with TTG Events, the Japan National Tourism Organization’s (JNTO) roadshow will see delegations from cities such as Chiba and Matsue holding presentations to update Singapore buyers on the cities’ latest infrastructure, facilities, and capabilities.

Some 40 Singapore buyers, comprised of association executives and board members, AMCs, meeting planners, PCOs, PEOs, and other MICE procurers, are expected.

The event will be held at Marina Bay Sands on October 3.

For more information, visit www.jnto.org.sg.

Suvarnabhumi might get a new terminal

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AIRPORTS of Thailand (AoT) is preparing to scale up Suvarnabhumi Airport in the coming years, with a new terminal and monorail system on the table even as it juggles with plans to expand the existing facility.

The Bangkok Post reported that AoT is working on a 24 billion baht (US$752.3 million) proposal for the new terminal and monorail system that will give Suvarnabhumi the ability to handle 20 million more passengers a year, to be submitted to the Thai cabinet by end-2014.

AoT board chairman, Prasong Phunthanet, was quoted as saying that bidding will commence for the monorail system next year, and that the new terminal will be finished by 2018.

The same article said that plans to install an advance passenger processing system – that would allow Thai officials to call up passenger profiles from their countries of origin and check if departing passengers have been banned from leaving the country – at Suvarnabhumi remains under review, while proposal drafting for a third runway are also ongoing.

With these, the second phase of development for Suvarnabhumi Airport’s existing terminal is taking a back seat.

The National News Bureau of Thailand reported that expansion was aimed at increasing the international airport’s capacity from the existing 45 million annually to 60 million by 2017, especially with ASEAN economic integration expected to happen in 2015.

Traffic at the facility is already exceeding intended capacity, with 50 million travellers passing through each year.