ASIAN cities have become more affordable over the last year according to HRS’ Hotel Rate Development 2013 price comparison, though Bangkok and Taipei bucked the trend.

Comparing the Asian cities of Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Seoul, Mumbai and Taipei, HRS noted that most Asian cities saw a dip in hotel rates between 2012 and 2013.

New Delhi saw the largest fall of 26.6 per cent to 43.20 euros (US$58.90), followed by Tokyo which dropped 18.7 per cent to 134.40 euros. Kuala Lumpur rates dipped 8.6 per cent to 57.80 euros while Singapore registered a mere 0.01 per cent change to 144.50 euros.

In contrast, Bangkok’s room rates jumped by 11 per cent to 64.90 euros while Taipei rates crept up 3.7 per cent to 111.80 euros.

Globally, HRS stated that New York is the global frontrunner in room rates with average per night accommodation at 187 euros, a 8.9 per cent increase over last year.

In second place is Rio de Janeiro at 179 euros despite dipping 3.6 per cent, while Sydney stakes third place with 174 euros after a 1.1 per cent decrease in rates.

IN A move that has brought relief to Indian travel consultants, the High Court of Karnataka has issued an interim order to suspend IATA’s weekly Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) that came into effect on January 1.

The court had heard a writ petition filed by legal counsels of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI), and its order signals a revert to the earlier payment cycle that grants 15-day credit periods.

“This is major relief for the travel consultant community in India. IATA now cannot implement its new payment system until a decision on our writ petition comes out. The court realised that travel consultants are under distress and gave us some breathing time,” said Iqbal Mulla, president of TAAI.

He added the association will hold discussions with concerned parties to reach a settlement favourable to all.

Anil Kalsi, managing director of Ambe World Travels, called IATA’s proposed weekly BSP a “negative step”.

“(The BSP) seems to be the marginalisation of the IATA travel agency distribution channel. The weekly BSP allows no breathing time for consultants and poses a cash crunch situation for them.”

The weekly BSP was previously scheduled to take effect in November 2012 but was deferred to December 31, 2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 13, 2012).

Implementation of the plan also met resistance in Sri Lanka (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 9, 2013), though IATA later clarified that while it “does not determine the remittance frequency”, the proposed credit cycle would reduce the financial burden on travel consultants (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 17, 2013).

THE Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has introduced a dedicated travel website in conjunction with the year-long Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 campaign.

The DiscoverMalaysia website (www.discoverMalaysia.com.my) currently features about 20 holiday packages, with another 20 to be uploaded in the near future.

The site will continue to be refreshed with new “innovative packages” throughout the year, said KL Tan, vice-president for inbound, MATTA.

Hamzah Rahmat, president of MATTA, explained that the website was built with the aim of heightening awareness of and interest in Malaysia as a must-visit destination.

He said: “(The website) highlights some of the most creative and innovative tour packages Malaysia has to offer in every state and is geared to both domestic and international audiences.”

Meanwhile, MATTA member A Aruldass, also managing director of Tourland Travel, said the website is an opportunity for members to showcase their innovative products, while providing a convenient way for travellers, especially FITs, to do their holiday research online.

The Malaysian government has set a target of 28 million international tourists and RM76 billion (US$23.2 billion) in tourism receipts for this year.

This year’s campaign, themed Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia, marks the fourth Visit Malaysia Year and will boast a range of festivities including cultural events, food festivals, sports, eco-adventures, music and arts festivals, shopping and heritage trails.

SOUTH Korea’s interactive Trickeye Museum is due to land on Singapore’s shores by mid-2014, marking the first time the concept is travelling outside of its home country.

Spanning an area of 800m², the museum will be located within Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), and feature six theme zones boasting 80 three-dimensional paintings and optical illusion masterpieces that allow guests to not just view the paintings but walk into them and become part of the masterpiece.

Sujin Seong, director of Trickeye Museum, said: “Since we initiated this popular concept in Seoul back in 2010, we have always aimed to expand the footprint of Trickeye beyond the shores of South Korea.

“As a key tourism hub, Singapore was the obvious choice, and we believe that Trickeye Museum will complement RWS’s existing offerings and provide more compelling reasons for tourists from around the world to come visit.”

While the concept originated in South Korea, the Trickeye Museum here will take into account the unique aspects of Singapore, including the city’s thriving ecosystem of nature and wildlife, and transfer them into the artworks on display.

The six zones in this museum will cover the themes of Love, Circus, Masterpiece, Safari, Fairytale and Adventure, blending Eastern and Western influences to reflect the culture of Singapore.

Clement Ng, assistant communications manager of RWS, said: “The target audience is basically everyone and we have observed that guests love to take pictures at our attractions. Trickeye serves that purpose very well.”

According to Ng, the Trickeye Museum in Seoul attracted 500,000 visitors in 2013 alone, and RWS expects the Singapore edition to match that figure or surpass it.

Goh Chye Boon, executive vice president of resort operations at RWS, said this museum will be one of the anchor tenants at the resort’s waterfront. He revealed that RWS plans to develop a Korean cluster at the waterfront stretch to include more Korean F&B and fashion outlets when the museum opens.

FOURTEEN businesses and stakeholders in the southern precinct of Sentosa and HarbourFront have come together to form a new association that will leverage the area’s tourism and leisure assets.

Called the Sentosa HarbourFront Business Association (SHBA), the body’s members include Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Mapletreee Investments and Singapore Cruise Centre.

RWS chief executive Tan Hee Teck said: “With the establishment of SHBA, the precinct can now pitch for bigger MICE events, make a bigger impact in marketing, and get stronger government support for our programmes. I have no doubt that this will move the dial significantly in raising business opportunities.”

Launched by second minister for trade and industry S Iswaran in late December, the association has pledged S$3 million (US$2.4 million) to market the area through joint promotions, events and campaigns in the next three to five years.

Goh Chye Boon, the association’s chairman and executive vice president of resort operations, RWS said: “The Sentosa and HarbourFront precinct has seen many new developments in recent years, and it is timely for us to team up and further realise the potential of the area especially in the face of intensifying competition.”

The precinct’s total hotel inventory has more than 3,100 rooms while MICE facilities can accommodate over 22,000 delegates, including RWS’ 6,500-pax ballroom.

Said Iswaran: “Our Sentosa HarbourFront can be a very strong contender (for incentives) among other resort destinations in the region such as Bali, Phuket, Cebu and Hainan Island.”

T S Low, deputy CEO of SDC, said the area could be even more attractive than Bali given the range of activities available.

The association aims to increase the number of MICE visitors by 20 per cent, and visitorship and events by five per cent by 2016. Last year, Sentosa island welcomed more than 20 million visitors and VivoCity attracted 82 million shoppers.

For SHBA’S first signature event in April, the association plans to hold an Easter celebration with promotional activities held across all properties. SHBA will also be participating in AIME next February.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) and Ethiopian Airlines kicked off a codeshare arrangement on January 1, giving Malaysia’s national carrier access to Addis Ababa, the capital and largest city of Ethiopia.

Under the agreement, Ethiopian’s services from Addis Ababa to Kuala Lumpur via Bangkok, and vice versa, will now carry MAS’ flight code.

According to a media release from MAS, flights will depart Kuala Lumpur at 23.25 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and arrive in the Ethiopian capital at 06.45 the following day.

Return flights leave Addis Ababa at 00.40 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and touch down in Kuala Lumpur at 18.00.

Said MAS’ CEO, Ahmad Jauhari: “Through this partnership we can expand our reach in Africa without operating our own flights. As one of the most affordable tourist destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, we are confident that more tourists from the African region will use this codeshare and visit Malaysia.”