THE EGYPTIAN Tourist Authority will shortly unveil an aggressive tourism campaign to attract more Malaysian travellers to the country.

The campaign in Malaysia will involve road shows, advertisements in various print and digital media, art and cultural performances, and partnerships with the local travel trade.

Egypt’s Deputy Tourism Minister, Samy Mahmoud, said: “We see a huge potential in Malaysia’s (outbound) market, and as such, we are looking at ways to strategically attract more Malaysians to visit Egypt.”

Malaysia ranked seventh among Egypt’s Asian source markets in 2010, contributing 34,000 visitors – behind Japan, India, China, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud downplayed the ongoing incidents of street violence in downtown Cairo after the Arab Spring, and affirmed that the country’s security was generally good.

“Egypt is safe, especially for Malaysians,” he insisted. “We are now a new Egypt, especially after the revolution. The Egyptians are now friendlier, more open-minded and more honoured to welcome tourists.”

In 2010, Egypt received 14.7 million visitors, generating US$12.5 billion in tourism receipts. Due to the political upheaval, only 9.8 million tourists visited the country last year, while revenue dropped to US$8.8 billion.

HILTON Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Daiman Landmark Hotel to operate the DoubleTree by Hilton, Johor Bahru, the hotel chain’s third DoubleTree by Hilton-branded property in Malaysia.

Scheduled to open around mid-2014, the 365-room hotel will be located along Jalan Ngee Heng, within the CBD of Johor Bahru and adjacent to the border crossing between Malaysia and Singapore.

Rob Palleschi, global head, DoubleTree by Hilton, said: “The DoubleTree by Hilton, Johor Bahru is our third DoubleTree by Hilton-branded property in Malaysia following Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, and will be an exciting addition to our hospitality offerings across the Asia Pacific region.”

The 30-storey DoubleTree by Hilton, Johor Bahru will offer 350 guest rooms and 15 serviced apartment units, and will have an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a deli café, a lounge and two bars.

The hotel will also feature a business centre, a fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, a 400m2 ballroom and three meeting rooms.

Hilton Worldwide currently manages five properties in Malaysia, including Hilton Kuala Lumpur, DoubleTree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur, Hilton Petaling Jaya, Hilton Kuching and Batang Ai Longhouse Resort, Managed by Hilton.

FRASERS Hospitality will add three more properties in Oman and Saudi Arabia by next year. This follows the grand opening of its third Middle East property, Fraser Suites Doha, in Qatar yesterday.

Located on the Doha Corniche waterfront, Fraser Suites Doha offers 138 serviced apartments. The property has registered an average occupancy rate of more than 90 per cent since its soft opening last November.

Elsewhere in the Middle East, Fraser Suites has already opened the Fraser Suites Dubai and Fraser Suites Seef, Bahrain.

“With arrivals expected to hit 149 million in the region by 2030 according to UNWTO, the Middle East will continue to be a key growth area for Frasers,” said Choe Peng Sum, CEO, Frasers Hospitality.

“Qatar, with its strategic location and aggressive plans for economic development, is an important piece of that Middle East puzzle. Already the regional hub for conferences and exhibitions, it is expected to be a further catalyst for growth, particularly now with government structures becoming more open and progressive,” Choe added.

Frasers Hospitality’s upcoming properties in the Middle East include Fraser Place Suhar, Oman, Fraser Suites Edafah, Al Riyadh and Fraser Suites Edafah, Al Khobar.

TIGER Airways Holdings has finally completed its sale and purchase agreement to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAir) for US$7 million.

The investment will be held through Tiger’s wholly owned subsidiary, Roar Aviation II, and is its second such joint venture in Asia.

Tiger acquired a 33 per cent stake in Mandala Airlines in January 2012, allowing the Indonesian carrier to restart flight operations in April, more than a year after it was forced to suspend services due to financial difficulties.

“The investment in SEAir is in-line with our strategy to develop the business into a pan-Asian one, one that will enable us to leverage on the strength of our Singapore base and scale up the size of our business across the region,” said Tiger Airways CEO, Chin Yau Seng.

“The Philippines is a large country with more than 7,000 islands and a population of over 90 million, not including the 11 million working and living abroad. There is enormous potential to develop the domestic and international air travel (sectors),” he added.

Currently operating two Airbus A319 aircraft leased from Tiger, SEAir offers flights to international and domestic destinations within a five-hour flying radius from the Philippines. Overseas destinations include Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Kota Kinabalu.

SEAir is planning to expand its fleet to five planes within this financial year, through the addition of three A320 aircraft.

TOURISM Australia has launched the latest phase of its global marketing campaign, There’s nothing like Australia, in Shanghai, with a strong focus on using digital channels, social media and advocacy to showcase the destination.

The NTO will fork out approximately A$180 million (US$175 million) over the next three years rolling out the evolving campaign across China, the UK, the US and other key markets. A$70 million in extra funding will be sourced from industry partners to support joint marketing activities.

In addition to new broadcast ad and print executions, the campaign features a strong digital and social media focus, and will leverage the advocacy of Tourism Australia’s three million Facebook fans to highlight various tourism attractions, experiences and products. Other elements include an interactive tablet app and hub on www.australia.com, to take customers further into the stories played out in the ad and provide more information on locations.

Tourism Australia managing director, Andrew McEvoy, said: “When we first launched There’s nothing like Australia in May 2010, it was built to last and designed to be flexible. Now is the right time to evolve the campaign to remain competitive and long lasting in a fast-changing global tourism environment.”

McEvoy added that adopting a ‘world’s best in Australia’ approach would appeal to traditional western audiences, but also help target Australia’s key growth markets – led by Asia – and particularly the rapidly expanding middle classes with money to spend and a desire to travel.

He said China was the logical location to launch the new creative, in line with recent research showing that Australia tops the travel preferences of its Chinese urban elite target audience.

“China now represents both our fastest growing and most valuable international inbound tourism market,” said McEvoy, adding that China presented an opportunity to deliver around 900,000 annual visitors to Australia by decade’s end.

THEMED Attractions Malaysia will open a KidZania indoor theme park on Singapore’s Sentosa Island by 2014.

Originally from Mexico, KidZania theme parks allow children aged 4 – 14 to learn about the world of adult occupations by role-playing different professions.

“With growth potential of family tourism in the region, we consider this to be an excellent investment opportunity for Themed Attractions in addition to our other ongoing family tourism projects in Kuala Lumpur and Johor, Malaysia,” said Ahmad Burhanuddin, managing director & CEO, Themed Attractions and Resorts Malaysia.

Sentosa Development Corporation will develop an 11,500m2 Family Entertainment Centre at Palawan Beach to house KidZania Singapore. Scheduled for completion in 2014, the centre will be directly linked to the Sentosa Express monorail, the beach carpark and a new arrival plaza for coaches.

Mike Barclay, CEO, Sentosa Development Corporation, said: “This leisure cluster by the beach is being rejuvenated into a destination for families with young children. KidZania Singapore will complement the outdoor fun of Palawan Beach and Port of Lost Wonder.”

Themed Attractions currently manages KidZania Kuala Lumpur, which opened in February, and will operate KidZania Singapore through its joint venture with Boustead Holdings via Rakan Riang.

The theme park in Singapore will be the third KidZania in South-east Asia, with other existing KidZanias in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.