THAILAND was the top overseas destination for Indian travellers last year, registering over 900,000 visitors from India.

According to Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) figures, a record 917,832 Indians were received in 2011, a 16 per cent jump over the 791,185 handled in 2010. In 1Q2012, 210,722 Indians travelled to the destination, a 1.64 per cent hike over the same period last year.

Sethaphan Buddhani, director, TAT Mumbai said: “We have achieved this consistent growth due to our result-oriented marketing strategies that are matched with performance indicators. We are also grateful to the Indian travel trade, which has been actively supporting our initiatives through joint promotions that showcase Thailand as a value-for-money destination.”

According to Buddhani, TAT’s ongoing efforts to tap the Indian market include educating travel consultants, tour operators, wedding planners and media about new attractions and products, through various ground-based marketing activities incorporating workshops, seminars and educational tours.

These activities are augmented by exhibitions, joint promotions, and mass communication through a range of outdoor, print, electronic and online media.

Buddhani added: “We (have also) realised the need to tap niche segments as the Indian market has matured over a period of time. As a result, we now tap niche segments such as golf, luxury holidays, weddings, medical, and Bollywood tourism.”

THE MEDAN Municipal Government is offering a range of incentives to travel consultants and MICE planners, in a bid to achieve 250,000 international arrivals through its Visit Medan 2012 campaign.

Offered to both MICE and leisure travellers, the incentives include a complimentary welcome cultural performance at the airport for groups of at least 25 pax, on condition that the travel arrangements in Medan are managed by a local groundhandler. A group of 50 pax and above will receive a complimentary lunch or dinner, including cultural performance.

Last year, Medan received 197,762 visitors. Malaysia, Singapore, China, Australia and Europe were the main source markets.

The mayor of Medan, Rahudman Harahap, said the city offered attractions such as Maimoon Palace – built in 1888 by Sultan Makmun Al Rasyid Perkasa Alam Syah of Deli, Tjong A Fie Mansion, and various cultural and contemporary arts and performances.

“Visit Medan 2012 aims to attract tourists, both domestic and international, to see for themselves what Medan has to offer,” he said.

As part of the campaign, Medan will play host to several international events throughout the year. Last week, Medan was the venue for the annual Indonesia Corporate Meeting & Incentive Travel Mart.

Other upcoming events include the Medan Jazz Festival, Sumatra International Travel Fair, and International Ecotourism Business Forum & Mart in June, and the Maimoon International Festival, Siombak Lake Festival, Medan Mega Fair and Asia Pacific Paintball Championship later this year.

TOURISM in Myanmar will become a ‘success story’ and important job-creation vehicle, said the head of UNWTO during a visit last week, as he announced that the country was seeking to rejoin the international body.

“(Myanmar president U Thein Sein) informed me that Myanmar was very keen to rejoin UNWTO. This will open the door to so many other things, such as creating jobs, infrastructure, trade, investment – all these are part of tourism,” said UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Rifai.

“In the case of Myanmar, we are very optimistic. The country has tremendous natural and environmental (qualities). It is also located in a region that is booming. We feel that (together) we can achieve a tourism success story in Myanmar.”

During the visit, Rifai held discussions with Thein Sein and Myanmar’s Minister for Hotels & Tourism, U Tint Hsan, on ways in which UNWTO could help Myanmar’s tourism industry develop.

“We discussed … specific plans on how to move forward on important issues, such as education and training, promotion and branding, and sustainable development,” said Rifai, adding that Thein Sein was particularly interested in training and human resource development.

“(Thein Sein) asked for UNWTO to send a special team to assess how to upgrade the curriculum and teaching standards at tourism-focused education institutions (in Myanmar),” he said.

“The second most important (issue discussed) was promotion. We think that Myanmar must have a strong brand like all the other Asian destinations.”

Meanwhile, UNWTO has thrown its weight behind Myanmar’s bid to get Bagan listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “It’s time to do that and we must do it very quickly,” said Rifai, adding that the ancient capital was a “fantastic open museum”.

PREFERRED Hotel Group reported substantial portfolio growth in 1Q2012 through the addition of 22 hotels, including gains in new markets such as Russia, Iraq, and the Maldives.

“Preferred had a strong first quarter,” said Lindsey Ueberroth, president, Preferred Hotel Group. “We are pleased to see new member growth across all our brands and our continued expansion into key new markets.”

The group’s Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand registered the most significant increase, taking on eight new members during the quarter. Other notable additions include Dusit Thani Maldives under its Preferred Boutique banner, and The Toy Hotel, Chandigarh in Punjab, India under its Sterling Design brand.

During the quarter, Preferred also registered a 24 per cent year-to-date hike in booking volume, and a 31 per cent year-on-year jump in reservation revenue.

“Looking ahead, our reservations data is showing signs that summer travel is off to a great start, with June bookings already 20 per cent higher than this time last year,” said Ueberroth.

AMWAY China’s 15,000-pax incentive seminar in Phuket, which concludes this evening with the 21st and final gala dinner at the Laguna Phuket resort complex, has effectively raised the destination’s profile among Chinese travel firms and travellers.

Aaishah Bohari, director of sales & marketing, Angsana Laguna Phuket, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the resort was expecting a surge in Chinese guests during the upcoming Chinese New Year season.

“Because of the Amway China incentive, we have been getting a lot of calls from Chinese travel agencies that do not usually work with us. Many of these agencies have locked in room allotments for the festive season next year,” she said.

Michelle Ko, corporate and MICE manager of East Shanghai International Travel Service, which handles all travel procurement for Amway China’s incentive movements, said: “Amway China’s incentive in Phuket has been widely reported by Chinese media, and many Chinese companies are following the developments closely.”

“(These) companies want to see how well Phuket copes with such a huge event, to (help them) decide if they (should) bring their own events here in the future.”

Meanwhile, Laguna Phuket intends to showcase the Amway China incentive as a marketing tool in its promotions in China, said the resort’s assistant vice-president of destination marketing, Debbie Dionysius.

Angsana Laguna Phuket will also continue investing in Mandarin lessons for local staff engaged in frontline positions, an extension of the courses that the resort put its staff through in anticipation of the Amway China event.

TTG ASIA’s Facebook Contest finds its lucky April winner in Khoi Huynh, a travel consultant with Vietravel in Vietnam.

Huynh won a three-night stay in a deluxe room at Destination Surin Resort & Spa in Phuket, after ‘liking’ the TTG Asia Facebook page and subscribing to the travel trade magazine.

TTG Asia has now come to the end of its Facebook Contest, and would like to thank its readers and sponsors for their continued support.

For more details, visit www.facebook.com/ttgasia

BEST Western International (BWI) has opened Best Western Premier Sukhumvit Hotel, its fifth property in Bangkok and 14th across Thailand.

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 1 opposite Bumrungrad International Hospital, the 145-key hotel offers a mix of premier studio rooms and suites, ranging in size from 32–54m².

Facilities include a rooftop swimming pool and bar, a business centre, all-day dining restaurant, a wine lounge, and a meeting room with capacity for 40 pax.

“With the advantage of its central location, Best Western Premier Sukhumvit is an excellent option for travellers wishing to explore (Bangkok),” said Glenn de Souza, BWI vice president, International Operations – Asia & the Middle East.

BWI’s Bangkok portfolio now consists of 600 keys across its Best Western, Best Western Plus and Best Western Premier brands.

ALTHOUGH China has yet to issue an official travel ban over the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea, the Philippines’ travel industry is bracing for the worst amid rumours that Chinese travel firms may suspend tours to the destination indefinitely.

So far, the Philippine Department of Tourism has acknowledged the cancellation of at least 10 group tours from China – mostly pre-paid and each with 50-100 pax – to Boracay, Cebu, Bohol and Davao.

The high cross-straits tensions have also spooked Cebu Pacific into suspending its twice-weekly Shanghai-Clark charter flights, which were scheduled to run till September.

Zest Airways has also discontinued its twice-weekly Shanghai-Kalibo and thrice-weekly Jinjiang-Manila charter services, as well as shelved Shanghai-Cebu and Beijing-Kalibo flights orginally slated to start next month.

– Read the full story in TTG Asia, May 18, 2012 issue

SPAIN has become the latest country to provide a simplified visa application process for Chinese nationals.

The system – the first of its kind for Spain – will become fully operational “very soon”, said a spokesperson for Turespaña, the national tourism promotion board.

While declining to speculate on how much quicker the new system would be, the spokesperson said it would enable Spanish consulates to “increase the number of visas (handled) without (having to boost) staff (numbers)”.

Visa processing centres have been installed at three Spanish consulates in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to test the new system. These centres will handle applications from all over China, and there are currently no plans to extend the system to other provinces.

VFS Global, which also works with the Canadian, French, Indian and British consulates in China, has been appointed to manage the visa processing facility.

Last year, the number of Chinese tourists to Spain rose 25 per cent, from 128,454 in 2010. No predictions have been given for growth this year, but the market is described as remaining “buoyant”.

MARRIOTT International will introduce another of its hotel brands to the Indonesian market next year, as part of its regional expansion strategy.

Neelima Chopra, Marriott’s chief sales and marketing officer, Asia-Pacific, disclosed this to TTG Asia e-Daily during a recent visit to Singapore, but declined to elaborate further on the development.

Chopra also revealed that the hotel chain was planning to introduce a new MICE concept in Asia next year, as well as roll out a new marketing campaign for the Renaissance brand in 3Q2012.

“There’s a world of opportunity out here in Asia to capitalise upon, and we expect all segments of the (hotel) market to perform well. Marriott is always on the lookout for the right location and owners to work with, wherever that might be on the Asian continent,” she said.

When asked if Marriott was exploring the feasibility of developing an Asia-centric brand, Chopra replied: “As far as I know, Marriott does not have any such plans in place, as Asian customers know and love our current brands.”