WITH over 70 per cent of Indian arrivals still first-time tourists to Malaysia, the country’s NTO will continue to push traditional destinations.

Tourism Malaysia’s director for India, P Manoharan, said holidays in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Resorts World Genting and Malacca would be emphasised in its promotions to Tier Two and Tier Three cities.

Luxury Tours Malaysia’s senior manager, Arokia Das, commented: “Many first-time travellers to Malaysia from Tier Two and Tier Three cities are middle-aged and spend quite a bit on shopping.

“They tend to do dual destinations, combining Malaysia with Singapore,” he added.

According to Manoharan, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak appeal to mature travellers looking for an experiential holiday in offbeat destinations.

He also shared that Tourism Malaysia was increasing its focus on online marketing. “Online marketing has a wider reach and is more cost-effective compared to print and electronic media.”

The NTO has set a target of 780,000 arrivals from India this year, up from last year’s 691,271.

TRAVEL agencies across India are banding together to close for business today in protest against a cut in commissions.

According to Jay Bhatia, chairman – Western region, Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), at least 1,000 travel consultants have pledged not to open today. Large international travel companies who declined to be named have said they will remain closed, and other associations such as the Travel Agents Federation of India have also thrown their weight behind the move.

At the heart of the issue is the zero commission policy, which India’s travel trade has repeatedly lobbied against since it took effect in January. Discussions with airlines and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation have not yielded positive results.

The impact has also been exacerbated by the recent unbundling of services from airfare prices (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 2, 2013).

Lamented a travel consultant who requested anonymity: “We are already not making any money from booking air tickets.”

As of this morning, a letter of appeal had made rounds on social media to IATA and non-IATA agencies asking them to remain shut.

Iqbal Mulla, president, TAAI, said: “National and international airlines have adopted unethical practices which are not in favour of the passenger or the consultant.

“We need to safeguard the rights of consultants and issues affecting their business and threatening their survival such as the weekly settlement system, disparity in fares, etc.”

Bhatia added: “We need to stop this cartelisation of airlines. We need to regulate fares (especially during holidays and long weekends) and ensure that airlines maintain complete transparency in setting airfares.”

He said travel consultants demanded a regulatory body to prevent the exploitation of airfares, while also challenging the conversion of the existing fortnightly payment to a weekly one.

Bhatia estimated that the one-day shutdown would cost airlines an estimated Rs1 billion (US$18.2 million) in business from Mumbai alone, while a TAAI source said airlines would lose Rs400 million from New Delhi.

By Renuka Vijay Kumar

THE number of flights between Singapore and Indonesia is going up yet again, with Tiger Airways being the latest to announce the launch of daily services to Jogjakarta and Bandung.

Beginning July 1, flights will depart Singapore for Jogjakarta at 13.05 and arrive at 14.20. On the return leg, flights leave Jogjakarta at 14.50 and touch down in Singapore at 18.05.

The new Bandung service starts on August 1, with flights to depart Singapore at 10.15 and land at 11.00 every day. Return flights leave Bandung at 11.40 and reach at 14.35.

The LCC currently operates routes to five other Indonesian destinations from Singapore, namely Bali, Medan, Jakarta, Pekanbaru and Surabaya.

Ho Yuen Sang, managing director, Tiger Airways Singapore, said: “Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets.

“The Jakarta airport is currently experiencing some air traffic congestion… To better facilitate air travel between the two countries, Tiger Airways have decided to bring its services to more second-tier cities.”

SilkAir had last week announced it would launch thrice-weekly flights from Singapore to Semarang and Makassar, to commence on July 29 and August 1 respectively (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 3, 2013).

Tiger Airways has rolled out S$10 (US$8) promotional fares to mark the launch of the new routes, excluding taxes and other charges. Reservations can be made from today until May 13, for travel between July 1, 2013 and March 29, 2014.

INBOUND tourism in the Middle East is on an upward trajectory, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Impact 2013, which predicted a positive future ahead for the region’s tourism sector.

Speaking ahead of the opening of the Arabian Travel Mart 2013, Reed Travel Exhibitions’ portfolio director, Mark Walsh, said tourism contributed US$76.6 billion to GDP regionally in 2013, a number that should grow 4.2 per cent this year.

Walsh highlighted Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as bright spots in the region.

In the UAE, industry investment will grow 12 per cent from last year’s US$22.5 billion.

According to reports by Bloomberg and Reuters, Dubai last week released the Dubai Vision for Tourism 2020 programme to develop tourism, aiming to double visitors to 20 million by 2020 and triple tourism receipts to 300 billion dirhams (US$81.7 billion).

The plan outlined three focus areas: promoting the state as a family destination and the regional MICE capital, and increased emphasis on business visitors.

In Oman, the government has injected US$39 million into the development of the Dhofar province to promote its annual Khareef or monsoon festival, while room capacity is predicted to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 5.3 per cent from now until 2016, boosting its current 5,331 rooms by another 2,000 by end-2013.

On the other hand, Qatar is ramping up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A US$65 billion investment plan will see more than 85,000 new hotel rooms come on stream and Qatar is forecast to welcome 3.7 million visitors yearly by 2022.

In Saudi Arabia, the WTTC estimated tourist arrivals would grow at a compounded annual growth rate of four per cent by 2022, driven by expansion in all sectors including religious, business and leisure travel. Authorities have earmarked US$80 billion for key infrastructure projects including airport expansion, railways and roads.

A NEW charity half marathon is set to debut in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Luang Prabang this October, with proceeds pledged to go directly to the race’s beneficiaries.

Scheduled to take place on October 5, Luang Prabang Half Marathon: La Procession comprises three race routes: the half marathon, a 14km race and a 7km race to allow all members of the family to participate.

Limited to only 500 international runners to avoid overloading the town’s infrastructure, the race will offer runners a chance to pass through many of Luang Prabang’s historical sites.

The race route also draws inspiration from the daily procession of monks that walk through the town each morning collecting offerings.

Costs of the race are fully covered by corporate sponsors. Instead of usual entry fees, runners can make donations directly through online fundraising pages.

Proceeds from the race will go towards funding Friends International, a social enterprise benefiting children and youth in South-east Asia.

“In many of the destination races, after the costs of race fees, flights and hotels, less than one per cent of an average runner’s spend goes to the charities. By restructuring the registration and funding process, we hope to change that,” said founding race organiser and HSBC equities director, Michael Gilmore.

THREE-star hotel Cipaganti Legian Hotel will open its doors to guests this June in Bali.

The 121-room hotel is located on Jalan Bunut Sari, Legian and is within walking distance from the Kuta and Legian beaches, as well as attractions such as Seminyak, Legian Street and Kuta Square.

Offering Superior Rooms, Family Rooms and Suites, Cipaganti also comes with 24-hour reception service, room service, a coffee shop, a pool bar, a lobby lounge, concierge desk, laundry services, a swimming pool, a spa and a parking area.

Hotel facilities also include a meeting room capable of seating 60 pax theatre-style.

Cipaganti Group is an Indonesian company operating shuttle and car rental services.

YTL Hotels’ Tanjong Jara Resort on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia is banking on its unique Malay cultural offerings to draw high-end incentives.

The 99-room property offers villas, mostly beach facing, that resemble 17^th century Malay palaces.

Luke Hurford, vice president for sales and marketing, said: “Tanjong Jara’s unique selling point is its distinct Malay cultural offerings through its facilities such as spa treatments and activities that can be arranged within and outside (the resort), like Malay cooking classes and guided bicycle rides to nearby towns. These would go well with incentive organisers looking for unique experiences.”

He added that the resort had drawn mostly leisure tourists until two years ago, when corporates started coming on strong due to increased promotions and awareness about both the resort and Terengganu’s strengths as an incentive destination.

He hopes to end the year with a 25-75 mix of incentive and leisure guests. “We’re targeting international incentives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Greater China and Australia, destinations that have a flight time of six hours or less into Kuala Lumpur.”

From Kuala Lumpur, Tanjong Jara is a one-hour flight to Kuala Terengganu and another one-and-a-half hours by road.

Out of Singapore, travellers can take a direct flight to Kuantan via Firely before embarking on a two-hour drive to reach Tanjong Jara.

The resort is also 45 minutes away by speedboat from marine park, Tenggol Island, reputed to be one of the best places for diving and snorkelling in Malaysia for its rare marine life and untouched gardens. Tanjong Jara can arrange diving and snorkelling activities at the island upon request.