INTERNATIONAL tourism industry stakeholders should act now to secure a greater share of the burgeoning Islamic travel market, said Fazal Bahardeen, founder & CEO of Crescentrating, a Singapore-based travel company catering to halal-conscious Muslim consumers.

According to Bahardeen, the Islamic travel segment is expected to churn out US$200 billion in global tourism receipts in 2020, double the US$100 billion generated in 2010.

Based on his extrapolations, Islamic travel will contribute 14 per cent of international tourism revenue in 2020, up from 10 per cent in 2010.

Bahardeen urged tourism stakeholders to increasingly consider Muslim travellers in their market segmentation and product differentiation strategies, such as catering to their need to stay aligned with cultural and religious practices when travelling.

“They look for halal or halal-friendly services when planning their trips. This includes (convenient access to halal) food, prayer (facilities) and washrooms (with conservation features),” he explained.

“Among the destinations (and facilities) reacting well to this demand are the Gold Coast, Munich Airport and Thailand,” he added.

Tourism New Zealand regional manager – South East Asia, Mischa Mannix, said: “We have seen an increase in Muslim travellers to New Zealand, especially from Malaysia. We are keen to find out what more we need to do to meet the expectations of this market segment.

TTG Asia Media has appointed five hotels in the Delhi NCR as its official hospitality partners for the inaugural IT&CM India, scheduled to take place at India Expo Centre & Mart from August 21 – 23, 2012.

The five hospitality partners, Hilton Hotel – New Delhi, Doubletree by Hilton – New Delhi, Fraser Suites – New Delhi, Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort – Greater Noida and Radisson Blu Hotel – Greater Noida, will provide more than 400 rooms as accommodation for international hosted buyers and media.

So far, some 330 international and Indian buyers, and close to 90 international and Indian media have registered for the MICE and luxury travel show.

Exhibitors signed on include Abercrombie and Kent, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Creative Travel, Egypt Tourism Authority, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Meetings & Exhibitions Hong Kong, Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers, and Tourism of Cambodia.

IT&CM India 2012 will be held in conjunction with India Convention Promotion Bureau’s 7th Conventions India Conclave.

PAN Pacific Hotels Group will introduce revamped websites for both its Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts brands in 2013.

The hotel group is currently in the process of appointing a web agency to rebuild the panpacific.com and parkroyalhotels.com websites based on the aspects of improved technology, customer experience and performance.

The website remodelling follows a refresh of the group’s Pan Pacific & Resorts and Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts brands last September.

Once online, the new panpacific.com and parkroyalhotels.com will boast new features that will facilitate greater online interaction with customers, and provide avenues for access via mobile devices and smartphones.

HILTON Worldwide has signed a management agreement with Chengdu Yincheng Property to open western China’s first Waldorf Astoria in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

Scheduled to open in 2Q2016, the 300-room Waldorf Astoria Chengdu will be the fifth Waldorf Astoria in China, following the launch of Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund in 2011, and the planned openings of Waldorf Astoria Beijing (2013), Waldorf Astoria Baoting (2015) and Waldorf Astoria Sanya (2016).

Located in the Chengdu Tianfu New Area, opposite Chengdu Tianfu International Financial Center, Waldorf Astoria Chengdu will occupy the top 15 floors of a mixed-used development, with service apartments in the lower part of the building.

Hilton Worldwide has three other hotels in the pipeline in Chengdu: Hilton Chengdu, Conrad Chengdu and DoubleTree by Hilton Chengdu Longquanyi.

BEIJING is considering implementing a new initiative which grants foreign tourists visa-free access to the Chinese capital for up to 72 hours.

Earlier this week, China Daily reported that the city’s authorities were mulling over waiving visa requirements for international travellers, albeit for a maximum period of three days, to boost inbound tourism.

If approved, the policy will be similar to visa-free schemes already in place in Shanghai (allowing stays of up to 48 hours) and Hainan (up to 21 days for tour groups).

“Shanghai and neighboring cities such as Hangzhou and Wuxi have benefited greatly (since Shanghai introduced a visa waiver for transit visitors), as foreign tourists are able to travel around during the 48-hour stay,” Jiang Yiyi, director, China Tourism Academy international tourism development institute, was quoted as saying.

AIRPORTS of Thailand is expediting the development of Suvarnabhumi Airport’s second phase in order to alleviate growing passenger traffic congestion at the facility.

To be built at a cost of 62.5 billion baht (US$1.96 billion), the second phase of Thailand’s main international gateway is scheduled for completion by 2017.

The first phase of Suvarnabhumi is able to accommodate 45 million passengers per year. The expansion is expected to boost the airport’s handling capacity to 60 million passengers a year.

In 2011, Suvarnabhumi handled 48 million passengers, already breaching its prescribed capacity limit. The number is expected to soar to 51 million this year, and to 60 million within the next five years.