HAIKOU Meilan International Airport yesterday commenced operations at its new international terminal, following more than two years of construction work.

Located on the east side of the original terminal, the new facility offers a lounge area decorated with coconut trees, in line with the airport’s reputed ecological garden design.

The apron now accommodates 10 international flights, up from three previously.

Jetstar, which runs up to four weekly flights from Haikou to Singapore, was the first foreign airline to use the new terminal at the airport.

Observed the airline’s CEO, Bara Pasupathi: “Since 2009, we have seen double-digit increases year-on-year of passengers from Hainan to Singapore and beyond. Last year alone, we saw a 37 per cent increase in the number of Hainan passengers travelling with us.

“As we enter into our fifth year of flying from Haikou, we anticipate that we will carry more than 200,000 passengers to and from Haikou before the end of the year. “

JOHOR’S new theme park attractions are proving irresistible to the Chinese market, which forms a new and growing source market for the Malaysian destination, according to inbound operators.

Mint Leong, managing director of Sunflower Holidays, said: “As late as 2011, Johor Bahru used to be a city that we largely bypassed (when travelling) to or from Singapore. If the (tour) group stopped in the city, it was merely to get a bite before proceeding to Singapore or Malacca.

“But now with Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park, we have created mono-Johor tours, and tours combining Johor with Kuala Lumpur, and Malacca and Johor with Singapore.”

She said such tours appealed to the Chinese and her company expected a 10 per cent increase in demand for such products next year.

“We have developed a new edutainment tour package to be rolled out in 2014 combining Legoland with tours to fruit farms and spice gardens in Johor. We think such a tour will appeal to Chinese families with young children,” Leong shared.

Fu Kei Cheong, general manager of Reliance Sightseeing, said his company had also seen increased interest in tour packages to Johor which bundled Legoland Malaysia. He said: “With the closure of Genting Outdoor Theme Park on September 1, Chinese families are looking for other theme park outlets and Legoland Malaysia will benefit from this.”

He said Chinese FITs who had visited Singapore and Kuala Lumpur wanted recommendations for new holiday destinations and were “easily swayed” by Johor’s man-made and natural attractions.

“We easily anticipate a 10 to 15 per cent increase in tours to Johor next year,” Fu said.

Likewise, Cindy Seow, managing director, GIT Tours & Travel, predicts 10 per cent growth from the Chinese market overall and a corresponding increase in demand for Johor tours.

“The theme park attractions, be it Legoland Malaysia or Puteri Harbour Theme Parks, have given tourists a reason to spend a night in Johor,” she said.

THAILAND’S Department of Civil Aviation will extend Krabi Airport’s operating hours on October 1 to keep the facility running 24 hours a day.

The airport presently operates from 06.00 to 21.00, but cost considerations have limited the measure to the upcoming peak tourism season only, which lasts until March 2014, according to The Bangkok Post.

The change in opening hours is meant to deal with the spike in passenger traffic through Krabi during the high season, with most arrivals having been diverted to Krabi to ease the overcongestion at Phuket airport.

Passenger arrivals at Krabi Airport are expected to double during this period for a total of 1.7 million travellers, compared to 800,000 the year before, said the report.

Despite having built to handle 6.5 million passengers annually, traffic volume at Phuket International Airport is expected to hit 10.5 million in 2013.

Airports of Thailand, which operates the facility, last week endorsed the construction of a temporary terminal as a coping measure before Phuket airport’s main expansion wraps up in 2015 (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 6, 2013).

THE Ascott is “on track” to meet its target of 12,000 apartment units in China by 2015, having recently secured contracts to manage three more properties.

The 150-unit Ascott Nanbin Chongqing and the 167-unit Somerset Software Park Xiamen are both due to open in 2015, while the 250-unit Somerset Swan Lake Hefei will welcome guests in 2017.

Kevin Goh, managing director for North Asia, The Ascott, said: “Besides first-tier cities, we are also growing our presence in China’s high-growth cities such as Hefei, Chongqing and Xiamen where strong economic growth and foreign investment have generated a large demand for serviced residences.”

Ascott Nanbin Chongqing is situated on Nanbin Road in the Nan An District, a 15-minute drive from the Yuzhong Central Business District and provides a range of studio to two-bedroom apartments.

Somerset Software Park Xiamen forms part of the Xiamen Software Park, close to Xiamen Airport and Xiamen Exhibition Centre. It features apartments in studio to three-bedroom configurations.

Somerset Swan Lake Hefei is part of the Park Lane Plaza mixed-use development. The property offers easy access to rail stations and the airport and guests can choose from studio to three-bedroom units, and comes with a spa.

All apartments in the properties above come with a fully-equipped kitchen, separate work and sleeping areas and facilities such as a gym, business centre, meeting room, breakfast and residence lounges, swimming pool and children’s play area.

Commented Lee Chee Koon, CEO, The Ascott: “China is our key market and we are growing rapidly through management contracts, investments and strategic alliances. We are on track to achieve our target of 12,000 apartment units in China by 2015.”

This year, the company has entered six cities – Hefei, Nanjing (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 9, 2013) and Wuxi (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 15, 2013) in China, Gurgaon in India (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 27, 2013), and Riyadh (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 21, 2013) and Jeddah (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 4, 2013) in Saudi Arabia.

GUIDES and other workers at Singapore’s attractions will be able to level up their skills, thanks to the first-ever training programme tailored to the industry – Attractions Contextualised Training (ACT).

The Straits Times reported that ACT was jointly rolled out by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and the Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA).

According to the local broadsheet, ACT comprises various modules such as diction and story-telling. The first module starts tomorrow and will offer participants guidance on how to deliver animated tours.

Classes cater for up to 15 people and each module consists of full-day sessions, ranging from one to three days in length. Trainings cost between S$200-500 (US$158-394), with up to 90 per cent subsidised by the WDA for Singaporeans and permanent residents.

WDA tourism division director, Janice Foo, was quoted in The Straits Times as saying that ACT was especially urgent for small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer workers who would find it difficult to customise training for staff.

Last month, ASA, WDA and the Singapore Tourism Board announced a separate tripartite initiative for the attractions industry, kicking off with a series of seminars and interactive masterclasses – also aimed at attractions staff – to rejuvenate visitor experiences and sustain industry revenue growth (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 11, 2013).

ANOTHER city in China is on track to implement 72-hour visa waivers for transit passengers, following the launch of such schemes in three other major Chinese destinations.

Last week, an article by Xinhua stated that Kunming was expected to become the fourth city in China to offer international passengers visa-free transits.

The report said Yunnan’s provincial tourism development commission and Yunnan Airport Group, which runs Kunming Changshui International Airport, would apply for permission to waive visa requirements later in the year.

Three cities in China, namely Beijing (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 6, 2012), Shanghai (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 27, 2012) and Guangzhou.

In June, China Daily reported that Chengdu has already secured approval from the State Council to introduce the 72-hour visa waiver for transits, though no date was given for the launch (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 10, 2013).

MALINDO Air will commence daily flights on the Kuala Lumpur-Dhaka route on August 28, marking its first international service.

Malindo Air CEO, Chandran Rama Muthy, said the LCC intends to keep rates within the RM300-500 (US$92-153) bracket for one-way bookings made at least two weeks prior to departure.

Other airlines plying the route include Malaysia Airlines, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Regent Airways and United Airways.

The lower fares have been a boon for Malaysian travel consultants.

Tina Travel & Agencies managing director, Adam Kamal, said: “We’re now developing packages to Bangladesh using Malindo Air as earlier airfares (on other airlines) were not so attractive for packaging, and return airfares used to average about RM1,400.”

He added that Malindo had an edge over its competitors as it gave each passenger 35kg in baggage allowance, more than what others were offering.

“With Malindo’s competitive rates, we are able to offer packages with rates on a par with other ASEAN destinations such as Bali, Manila and Myanmar. Bangladesh is also a new holiday destination for many Malaysians who are more familiar with India and Sri Lanka. It has many attractions to offer,” commented Kamal.

Similarly, Grandlotus Travel Agencies managing director, K Thangavelu, said: “Due to Malindo Air’s reasonable fares, we will create packages combining Bangladesh with north-east India, and Bangladesh with Nepal. As a mono-destination, Bangladesh may not be that attractive to Malaysians.”

THAI hotel operator ONYX Hospitality Group has signed a new deal for the OZO Penang, which is scheduled to open in 2016.

The select-service hotel, located on the edge of UNESCO World Heritage site in the centre of Georgetown, is the group and brand’s pioneer property in Malaysia.

With 132 guestrooms, OZO Penang also comes with meeting rooms, a grab-and-go food outlet, an all-day eatery and fitness centre.

Though the brand initially launched in 2009, the first OZO property opened doors in Hong Kong in May 2013, with further management agreements signed for projects in Thailand and Sri Lanka.

ONYX Hospitality Group president and CEO, Peter Henley, commented: “Our entry into Malaysia with OZO Penang marks a key step in our development for the OZO brand, and indeed the overall ONYX expansion.

“2015 marks an important year in the ASEAN region, with the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) set to take centrestage through the free flow of business, tourism and investment across AEC borders.

“As a Thai company, we are excited to be launching our first property in Malaysia, our direct neighbour. We acknowledge the importance of expansion within the AEC region and we look forward to developing further ONYX-branded projects in Malaysia in the very near future.”