IN the lead-up to its AGM next Friday in Zhuhai, PATA has announced to its executive board members that it posted a profit of around US$33,000 for 2013, a small sum but a “significant” achievement in light of the US$1 million loss it made in the previous three years.

The profit reflects that the association has been able to retain a vast majority of its members and recruit new ones, generate income from events, sell research and work on consultancy projects that help cover staff salaries and overheads, according to CEO Martin Craigs in a phone interview from Bangkok where PATA is based.

Describing the achievement as “significant”, Craigs said: “PATA has had a lot red ink in the last three years and nothing else (we do) will be taken seriously unless we address the fundamental point of stopping our reserves being drawn down on.”

PATA currently is down to cash reserves of over US$1 million, a figure Craigs said it must continue to shore up.

More than just reversing PATA’s financial standing, Craigs said “more importantly, we have changed the mindset on PATA, its external business-building rationale capabilities and its internal self-belief”.

He said: “If posting a profit is the only thing I achieved over the last 2.5 years, I would consider it close to an abject failure – for what is the point of breaking even if you have not built the resources and platform for the future?

“We’ve been addressing those issues (of relevancy). It’s why the whole PATA Next-Gen philosophy has taken root…now we have to be ever more energetic and eager to find innovative ways to add value.”

According to Craigs, PATA has been recruiting 17 new members per month in the past year, compared to a membership drain previously.

While PATA Travel Mart continues to comprise a serious percentage of its income stream, other events such as the PATA City Hub Forums, 11 of which have been organised to-date, and the PATAcademy, are also now starting to contribute to the coffers.

“We are still a work in progress but we now have a number of platforms to build on – mPower research, human capital development, etc. We want to do well what we are currently doing, not create more things for the sake of creating,” said Craigs.

“We’re led by research, aligned advocacy, innovative events, human capital development and sustainability. These are our pillars and we will continue to strengthen them.”

AQUEEN Hotels & Resorts has debuted its third property, the 75-room Aqueen Jalan Besar Hotel.

Located close to Little India, the budget hotel is situated between Jalan Besar and Kitchener Road, providing convenient access to Singapore’s central business district.

Rooms are divided into Superior, Deluxe and Premier categories. Superior and Deluxe rooms come with a choice of twin or queen beds, while Premier room guests can enjoy king-size beds and bath tubs in the bathroom.

Each room features amenities such as a plug-and-play media hub portal for interconnectivity between electronic devices, and free high-speed Internet access. Handicap-friendly rooms are also available.

Breakfast is complimentary for all staying guests.

Aqueen Hotels & Resorts has two other existing hotels, in Balestier Road and Lavender Street, and will open a fourth in Paya Lebar later this year.

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group is reinventing its Park Inn by Radisson brand in India having opened the first next-generation property last month.

The 98-key Park Inn by Radisson Gurgaon Bilaspur will be joined by eight more next-generation Park Inn by Radisson hotels, with one in New Delhi expected to be completed first.

New standards set for Park Inn by Radisson hotels include a vibrant colour scheme, in-room amenities such as sofa beds so that family travellers will not have to ask for an extra bed, a mobile table allowing guests to have breakfast in bed, and RBG (Restaurant, Bar & Grill) restaurant offering an all-day menu of local and international cuisines.

Raj Rana, CEO, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, said: “From now onwards all the Park Inn by Radisson properties will have a very well-defined set of standards, be it colour scheme or the technology and the service that goes in each hotel. So, all the properties under the aegis of the brand are going to be consistent in terms of look and feel.

“Earlier, since some of the properties of the brand were converted projects, some of the design elements associated with the Park Inn brand were not there in some properties,” he explained.

Last year Carlson Rezidor partnered Bestech Hospitalities to build 49 Park Inn by Radisson hotels in North and Central India (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 16, 2014). The hotel chain is now scouting for a partnership on the same lines for South and East India.

Carlson Rezidor operates 209 Park Inn by Radisson properties globally.

TOURISM Australia wants to whet the world’s appetite for travel to Australia with its latest campaign focusing on the country’s gastronomic offerings and culinary experiences, and is calling on the industry to help.

Called Restaurant Australia, the multimillion dollar blitz comes under the NTO’s international There’s nothing like Australia campaign and will be rolled out in 12 key international markets in the coming months. Restaurant Australia was officially launched last week.

Tourism Australia’s managing director, John O’Sullivan, explained: “Restaurant Australia is all about bringing together the incredible stories of our people, place and produce to demonstrate to the world that every day, unique and exceptional food and wine experiences are being served – up in remarkable locations, and then sharing these stories through the creation of rich and compelling content.”

“When we originally launched There’s nothing like Australia, we did it by asking Australians to talk about their ‘nothing like’ experiences. This time our rally cry is to industry, with Tourism Australia providing the platforms to help show the world Restaurant Australia.”

Businesses, operators and those involved in Australia’s food, wine, tourism and hospitality industries can submit their F&B-related stories to www.australia.com/restaurantaustralia to be listed on the site. The NTO will use its social media platforms to amplify content gathered there.

Tourism Australia will also run an international media fam programme for Restaurant Australia in November this year. “The Restaurant Australia familiarisation will bring together up to 80 media and key influencers, who will travel to different parts of the country to cover the food and wine experiences on offer in every state and territory during a week­-long visit and capture their experiences through their media and online networks internationally,” said O’Sullivan.

“Their visit will conclude with all participants coming together for a special Invite the World to Dinner gala event, which will see produce from around Australia prepared and served on-site at MONA in Tasmania on November 14,” he added.

Other consumer-facing promotions include new advertising creative including broadcast and print ads; strong focus on using digital channels, social media and advocacy; and consumer promotions in a dozen key international markets.

Tourism Australia chief marketing officer, Nick Baker, revealed: “The concept of Restaurant Australia has been built based on consumer research which identified food and wine as a key factor in holiday decision-making and the most important emotive trigger, ahead of world-class beauty, for influencing people’s destination choice.

“For people who’ve never visited Australia, awareness of our food and wine offering is low. However, once they visit, people realise the variety and quality of our food and wine experiences is world‐class and Australia moves to the top of the rankings as a one of the world’s best culinary destinations.”

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) today announced it would invest US$325 million to upgrade the cabins of 19 of its B777-300ERs by September 2016, even as it noted in its financial report yesterday that the aviation market will remain challenging, with intense competition in many areas and economic uncertainty in key markets.

First class passengers can expect seats with a fixed-back shell design and curved side panels for added privacy, an ergonomically sculpted cushion and adjustable headrest, customised in-seat lighting, and seats 35 inches in width with an increased bed length of 82 inches.

In business class, seats will feature a greater recline at 132 degrees, an improved ergonomic seat cushion, two new seating positions and more stowage space.

Economy class seats will come with more personal space, leg room, new backrest cushions with side bolsters for better support and an ergonomically sculpted headrest cushion.

SIA’s latest KrisWorld in-flight entertainment system will also be upgraded with the latest hardware offerings and an intuitive graphical user interface.

SIA reported an operating profit of S$259.3 million (US$207.8 million) for the financial year ending March 31, 2014, up 13.1 per cent over the year before.

The group’s parent airline, SIA, recorded an improved operating performance of S$69 million, a 36.9 per cent rise to S$256 million. However, SilkAir reported an operating profit that was S$62 million lower as passenger carriage growth fell behind capacity increases.

SIA carried 18.6 million passengers, 2.3 per cent more than the last year, although passenger load factor fell by 0.4 percentage points to 78.9 per cent due to higher passenger capacity. SilkAir saw a four percentage point drop in passenger load factor to 69.6 per cent.

According to the release by SIA: “Passenger bookings in the current quarter are expected to match the planned increase in capacity. However, yields are expected to remain under pressure due to promotional activities undertaken to support loads and other airlines offering aggressive fares while increasing capacity.”

Fuel prices are expected to remain high.

THE PATA Singapore Chapter launched the Travel Industry Pioneers (TIPSTER) initiative last night night to harness the collective knowledge and experience of active and retired industry veterans to attract and groom a new generation.

Robin Yap, PATA Singapore Chapter deputy chairman and chairman of activities, told TTG Asia e-Daily about 60 members and supporters signed up for the PATA Singapore Chapter’s Walk with Travel Industry Pioneers, supported by The Travel Corporation (TCC).

The Singapore chapter plans to launch the Young Industry Professionals (YIPPIES) group next month, using TCC’s database to target those who have travelled on Contiki and are working in the industry.

Yap said: “The aim is to bring the two groups together in a forum to discuss how the industry can attract and groom a new generation, and we hope to reach out to at least 100 YIPPIES.”

“While the young have new ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit, it’s important for them to have a good foundation to produce products that the market wants and they can sell.

“Learning from the TIPSTERs about operations, challenges and opportunities, we hope will give YIPPIES a better insight,” he added.

VIETJET Air has embarked on an ambitious phase of growth as it increases the number of domestic and international flights, starts up new airlines and mulls various business models.

Speaking with TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of a media event for the LCC’s new Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)-Singapore service, managing director Luu Duc Khanh said: “Geography favours air travel in Vietnam as it allows a 13-hour train ride to be reduced to a flight time of just 1.5 hours. Vietnam’s population is youthful and living standard is growing strongly.”

The airline’s HCMC-Singapore flights commence May 23, while direct services from Hanoi, Danang, Hue and Phu Quoc are also being studied. On May 28, it will boost frequencies on Hanoi-Danang (three to four times daily) and Hanoi-Nha Trang (one to thrice daily).

Regionally, VietJet expects to launch Thailand-based start-up, Thai VietJet, in September and is in talks with an existing Myanmar carrier to establish an LCC in Myanmar.

Disclosing that Japan is looking to waive visa requirement for Vietnamese citizens later this year, Luu said flights to Japan could materialise by end-2014 or early 2015 if so.

He added that the airline has set its sights firmly on adding more charter destinations in North Asia with Hong Kong, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Osaka and Tokyo under consideration, while converting charter flights to Kunming into scheduled flights.

VietJet is also eyeing the possibility of running longhaul flights to the US, Europe and Australia to tap the large pool of overseas Vietnamese, and studying if its current LCC model, a hybrid model or full-service carrier would best serve this segment.

Meanwhile, it is working on a new “de facto business class service” product for flights and agreements with various GDSs.

At the Singapore Airshow in February, VietJet placed an order for 63 Airbus aircraft (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 12, 2014).

The Travel Corporation (TTC) Asia, has entered the China market with a Chinese-branded Trafalgar guided holiday programme to Europe and the US, and is working with Shanghai CITS as its general sales agent.

TTC first penetrated the China market with its English-language, global programme three years ago but the Trafalgar programme for China, launched two months ago, is a dedicated product with a brochure in Chinese and a Chinese-speaking tour director.

TTC Asia’s president Robin Yap noted: “The scheduled guided holiday product is filling a gap in China, and Trafalgar is targeting the mid-segment comprising professionals in their 30s and 40s looking to travel with an international travel company offering and meeting international standards and quality.”

“The Trafalgar Be My Guest concept, which offers an ‘authentic’ travel experience – such as dining with the locals and having a home-cooked meal, learning how to make a pizza or gelato, etc – is a key selling point, and it’s what the increasingly affluent mid-segment is after.”

TTC is now training and working with Shanghai CITS, which operates 700 outlets, and Yap said response to TTC’s Europe and US programmes has been very positive.

“With the introduction of Trafalgar’s eight Europe and eight US itineraries and TTC’s guarantee of the right hotel and the right place, there is no need for travel agencies to contact and contract; and we pay a good commission,” he added.

Further expansion to the key cities of Beijing and Guangzhou in 2015 are in the pipeline.