SOUTH African Airways will host the 69th IATA AGM and World Air Transport Summit at Cape Town’s International Convention Centre from June 9-11, 2013.

“The IATA AGM is a unique marketing and publicity opportunity for our industry, for Cape Town and for South Africa,” said Siza Mzimela, South African Airways CEO.

“Holding the AGM on African soil will focus the global industry’s attention on the opportunities (in Africa) as trade and tourism links are being strengthened within the continent and to new and traditional markets beyond.”

“Significantly, it takes place at the same time as our country is roling out a new national infrastructure development programme,” she added.

According to Tony Tyler, director general & CEO of IATA, besides shining the spotlight on Africa’s potential, next year’s AGM would also provide a platform for discussing the continent’s challenges.

“Growth in Africa is impeded by regulatory burdens and a poor safety record, compounded by high fuel prices in many parts of the continent. Holding the 2013 AGM in Cape Town will provide a prominent platform to address these issues and challenges,” he said.

This will be the third time the IATA AGM is held in Africa. Previous editions on the continent took place in Cairo, Egypt in 1946 and in Nairobi, Kenya in 1991.

BHUTAN is taking a balanced approach to sustain its growth momentum after experiencing rising arrivals in recent years. Overall arrivals hit a record 64,038 in 2011, a rise of 56.7 per cent from 40,873 the previous year.

“We are following the ‘limits to change’ model, which means we, as a country, will have to decide what extent of change we are willing to live with,” said Thuji Dorji Nadik, director of plans and programmes, Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB).

The TCB is now more focused on yield than arrivals. Thuji said: “We need to improve service standards and delivery, because in order to charge more, you must deliver more.”

This strategy includes developing a variety of infrastructure, human resources and technological projects, such as the introduction of ATMs and point-of-sale machines to make it easier for tourists to spend.

The tourism development strategy also requires a balance of local business and foreign investment. Hotel operators in Bhutan must adhere to limits on room numbers – 70 per property in the capital and as low as 40 elsewhere in the country.

“The bigger chains are not interested because of the volumes involved. The volumes will not reach Koh Samui proportions, which deters (hotel investors) from coming in,” said Thuji. He added that there are currently three international hotel chains in the country, but tourism volume is so low that foreign interest is limited.

During the busiest month of October last year, four-star properties posted 74.4 per cent occupancy, which averaged out to 40 per cent for 2011.

Reporting by Timothy France

MIRZA Mohammad Taiyab Beg has resumed his position as director-general of Tourism Malaysia effective June 11.

The disciplinary board of Tourism Malaysia had authorised the decision, following the acquittal and discharge of Mirza by the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court of criminal breach of trust charges on May 17.

His return was welcomed by the 370-member Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board, which expressed hope that Mirza’s presence would spur Tourism Malaysia to greater heights.

Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association advisor, Babin Lim, said: “We welcome him back and look forward to his expert guidance on marketing Malaysia.”

John Tan, Mitra Tours & Travel CEO and Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents deputy president, said: “Mirza was popular with the trade (then). We have always liked him and are happy that he has been cleared and is back. His presence will be very useful for the industry.”

Tan also acknowledged the role played by Tourism Malaysia acting director-general, Azizan Noordin, in Mirza’s absence. “(Azizan) worked well with the trade and was always proactive and supportive of us.”

Reporting by N. Nithiyananthan

ZEST Air has postponed its plan to launch five-weekly flights on the Manila-Shanghai (Pudong) route.

The new service was originally scheduled to commence on June 22, but amid the drastically reduced Chinese outbound travel to the Philippines, the launch date has been postponed to July 25.

Its Kalibo-Shanghai (Pudong) service, originally slated for inauguration on July 27 with four-weekly flights, has also been suspended indefinitely.

Zest Air is one of the several airlines affected by the ongoing diplomatic spat between the Philippines and China. Most recently, Philippines’ AirAsia had shelved its plan to launch daily flights between Clark and Macau.

IN its bid to become a regional cruise hub, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is negotiating with three international ships to include the port in their travel itineraries, according to chairman and administrator, Roberto Garcia.

Garcia said Subic Bay had “a very good start” when the London-based MV Spirit of Adventure became the first cruise ship to dock at the port in February with 378 passengers, most of whom were Europeans. The liner also called at Palawan, Cebu and Manila as part of its South-east Asia itinerary.

He said Subic has the potential to become a cruise hub. “In addition to having a deep natural harbour that can accommodate all types of vessels at the same time, Subic Bay provides convenient quayside disembarkation and boarding.

“Its location along major shipping lanes and proximity to favourite Asian cruise destinations, as well as the inclusion of SBMA as a founding member of the Asian Cruise Terminals Association, gives Subic Bay a distinct edge and position to capture a share of the fast-growing Asian cruise market.”

Major tourist attractions such as theme parks, ecotourism sights and shopping districts are also situated within a few minutes’ drive from the passenger terminal.

CAMBODIA’S Ministry of Tourism and travel operators are shining the spotlight on ecotourism in the north-eastern province of Mondulkiri, after seeing an impressive increase in visitors to the region in recent years.

Tourist arrivals to Mondulkiri and its surroundings rose 17.2 per cent year-on-year to 18,288 in 1Q 2012, based on statistics from the ministry.

“We are planning to sell more packages to Mondulkiri,” said Theng Sam Dam, manager of Siem Reap-based Cambodia Tours. “Its main appeal is the scenery and trekking, which foreign tourists find particularly attractive.”

However, an undersupply of accommodation and lack of accessibility still hinder tourism development on a larger scale in the region, Theng Sam Dam said.

“People don’t want to spend a long time travelling on roads [from major tourist hubs], especially foreigners,” he added. “However, (Mondulkiri) is always very popular with domestic tourists and nearly all hotels are full during national holidays.”

Cambodian Association of Travel Agents advisor, Mohan Gunti, believes that the key to the recent rise in tourist figures is the completion of a new road linking Phnom Penh to the provincial capital of Sen Monorom.

“In addition to the road from Phnom Penh, we are going to see increased connectivity from other destinations to these new developments emerging in the region,” he said. “It’s promising to see more international tourists visit the area. People will start to visit the kingdom, not only for beach and temple tourism, but also to take advantage of our growing ecotourism sector.”

JAPAN Airlines (JAL) and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have expanded their respective networks through a new codeshare agreement between the member and member-elect of the oneworld airline alliance, effective July 1.

Beginning June 12, JAL will start marketing MAS-operated flights from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka (Kansai), and to other Malaysian points including Kota Kinabalu, Kota Tinggi, Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kuantan.

JAL will also market MAS-operated flights to regional destinations such as Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi in India, and Male, the capital of the Maldives.

Conversely, MAS will place its flight indicator on JAL-operated flights connecting Tokyo (Narita) to Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sapporo in Japan, and to nine international cities including Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul, resort destinations such as Guam and Honolulu, and Boston, Chicago and New York in the US.

“(This codeshare partnership with JAL) gives us an excellent opportunity to expand our reach without having to mount our own flights to cities in Japan and beyond in North Asia and the US,” said MAS group CEO, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya.

“We hope to enter more codeshare relationships with other oneworld partners progressively in the coming months,” he added.