HOTEL groups have so far shied away from commenting on the recent statement by hotel booking agent GTA’s Thailand and Indochina team on stop sell policy (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 29).

Accor, Centara Hotels and Resorts and Onyx Hospitality Group informed TTG Asia e-Daily that they were reviewing the situation, while Dusit International declined to comment.

Accor explained that the matter was a complicated one, and was dependent on the booking situation at each of its hotels in different locations. Accor, however, stressed the need to honour allotment contracts with agents.

Chris Bailey, Centara Hotels and Resorts sales and marketing senior vice-president, said: “We will need to review our current trading situation with GTA to evaluate their effectiveness as a distributor of our product.”

Starwood Hotels and Resorts said it was “aware and would comply with the GTA statement”, but stopped short of commenting further by moving on to reiterate its online marketing strategies to attract more direct bookings via its branded websites.

A source from a destination management company, who asked not to be named, said hotels were partly to blame for the current standoff.

The source explained that some properties in popular destinations such as Phuket had been constantly putting up stop sell orders, and their actions might have upset agents holding allotment contracts.

By Sirima Eamtako

SINGAPORE-based Furama Hotels International (FHI) has added Furama Bukit Bintang to its portfolio.

The four-star business hotel is situated in Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle, adjacent to Bukit Bintang and Berjaya Times Square.

The property features 433 rooms, meeting and conference facilities on the top floor, an executive lounge, a restaurant, a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, and a gym.

Jason Peck, FHI CEO, said: “With the soft opening of our forty-first Furama brand of hotel – adding to our 7,500 rooms, this time in Kuala Lumpur, we are forecasting aggressive expansion within the region for our three brands.”

FHI is aiming to expand its portfolio in the Asia-Pacific region comprising China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Thailand, to 60 hotels within five years.

AERIAL tours by helicopter over selected scenic spots in Malaysia are now available under the 1Malaysia Helicopter Tour packages brand.

Targeted at high-yield tourists, these packages are offered in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and Langkawi.

In Kuala Lumpur, passengers can be picked up from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport or the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang, and transported to Genting Highlands through a scenic journey.

Options on offer in Sabah are the Mount Kinabalu Aerial Tour and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Tour. The aerial tour in Langkawi covers the Unesco Global Geopark, Mount Machinchang and Dayang Bunting Island. Commentaries on passing attractions and landmarks are provided during the tours.

The packages are offered by six travel agents – Shajasa Travel & Tours, Elite Luxury Vacations (M), Global International Travel & Tours, Langkawi Helicopter Xtours, Amazing Borneo Tours & Events and Discover Borneo.

Shajasa Travel & Tours Tour Operator, Hannah Wong, said: “Prices for helicopter tours start at 835 ringgit (US$278) per person for a 30-minute ride for a minimum of four persons.”

“The cost increases based on the package and whether they follow fixed or custom-made itineraries.”

The response to these packages will determine whether the agency considers covering other states and offers more options.

“We will work with other travel agents to promote these packages,” Wong said.

By N. Nithiyananthan

AIR INDIA’S bid to join the Star Alliance has been suspended because the India flag carrier did not meet the minimum joining conditions that were contractually agreed to in December 2007.

Following a recent review of Air India’s application status at a meeting between the Indian Ministry for Civil Aviation, Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht, and the Air India CMD, Arvind Jadhav, the decision to suspend has subsequently been confirmed by the Star Alliance chief executive board.

Star Alliance CEO, Jaan Albrecht, said: “With the collective decision to put the integration efforts on hold, we aim to contribute to Air India’s flexibility to concentrate on its ongoing strategic reorientation. In this process, our member carriers will continue to provide assistance to Air India wherever required.”

Air India’s existing bilateral relationships with Star Alliance member airlines are not affected by the decision, which also leaves room to discuss a potential alliance membership in the future.

SATS has formed a consortium with Creuers del Port de Barcelona to submit a proposal to manage and operate Singapore’s second passenger cruise terminal.

The Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) second tender for the management and operation of the International Cruise Terminal (ICT) closed on July 29.

SATS is a Singapore-based provider of aviation gateway services. Creuers built and operates five international cruise terminals in the Port of Barcelona.

STB is aiming to appoint the terminal operator by early fourth quarter of 2011 at the latest (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 9), while the terminal is expected to be fully operational from second quarter of 2012.

THE ANGKOR Palace Resort and Spa will be rebranded from today as the Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa to attract more high-end Chinese visitors.

The property’s chairman and owner, Ly Hong, said: “We have noticed that the hotels in Cambodia have not been able to attract many of the high-yielding Chinese tourists to visit Angkor temple complex.”

“We hope that through our partnership with the Soluxe Hospitality Group, (we) can help (our) country attract more of these tourists to visit our magnificent Angkor temples.”

Grand Soluxe Angkor Palace Resort and Spa, spanning an 11-hectare area in Siem Reap, offers 259 keys, a golf driving range, a swimming pool, a gym, tennis courts, a spa, two F&B outlets and function space for up to 120 on banquet.

China is the third largest source of visitors to Cambodia. Last year, the country attracted 177,636 Chinese arrivals, up from 128,201 in 2009. Of last year’s tally, some 138,012 people visited for leisure and 37,783 for business.

HOTEL booking agent GTA has clarified that an earlier statement released by its Thailand and Indochina team, indicating the intention to reject any stop sell orders by hotels should it find that one room is still available in the market, was taken out of context.

GTA area sourcing director for South-east Asia, Alex Tan, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “We are simply sending out a reminder to say that we would like hotels to honour the allotment contract,” he said.

“This stop sell policy is not new. But we are now facing a situation where we are requested one month in advance to stop sell.”

Tan said that the operator only wished to remind hotels that it had continuously helped them during more trying times, and thus it urged hotels to honour the allotment during peak periods.

“But if hotels come to a situation where they are overbooked and are to stop sell in a certain period, we are more than happy to help provided that the situation is genuine,” Tan said.

In a statement sent to hotel partners, GTA stated: “While the overall business is picking up, it is vital for all parties to remain transparent and ensure our partnership grows from strength to strength in order to maximise opportunities and thus, we would like to update you on the following points below.

“GTA Stop Sell Policy is as follows: GTA will reject any stop sell and will keep on selling, as long as: one room is available, regardless of the room type and regardless of the selling channel.

“GTA will approve any stop sell as long as no rooms are available in the market.”

By Sirima Eamtako

FIREFLY Airlines has entered into an agreement with Melaka Air to base an ATR72-500 at the Malacca International Airport for regional and domestic services.

Melaka Air has a paid-up capital of 20 million ringgit (US$6.8 million) and is owned by the Malacca Foundation or Yayasan Melaka (10 per cent) and NN Flyers (90 per cent).

Starting November 11, Firefly will operate flights from Malacca to the Indonesian cities of Batam, Pekanbaru and Medan. From November 19, services will be extended to include Penang and Kota Baru in Malaysia.

The Malacca International Airport saw a throughput of about 21,000 passengers, with 30,000 passengers expected in 2011. Firefly’s services are seen to generate even stronger numbers for 2012 and beyond. Hatyai in southern Thailand is considered a potential destination in the future.

BANGALORE-based Travel Tours Group has bought Goa-based charter and inbound tour operator Splendour Holidays, along with its MICE brand Go Avenues, to grow its inbound FIT and MICE business.

Travel Tours managing director Shravan Gupta said: “We are keen to have a serious presence in the inbound and domestic tourism business in India. The acquisition is to develop a strong domestic product portfolio and to continue to invest and develop the MICE and FIT business into India.”

Travel Tours will retain the Splendour brand and aims to position it as a boutique, high-quality DMC. Gupta said: “Splendour has added a six per cent volume to our Rs350 crore (US$79.8 million) business, and our aim is to double (Splendour’s) turnover in two years. Our target is to grow between 25-28 per cent per annum over the next three years.”

The Bangalore company aims to pursue other acquisitions for quicker growth. Travel Tours now has 10 brands and 14 branches across seven cities with 285 staff. Its B2B division, Travel Air Representations, works with more than 6,000 travel agents across India.

Gupta said: “We will continue to consolidate our presence in India for the next two years and will then look at overseas opportunities.”

By Sirima Eamtako

GERMANY is the first country in Europe to withdraw restrictions on travel to Kashmir.

“The travel advisory issued by the federal foreign office for German nationals travelling to the region has been revised,” said Jens Urban, a spokesperson for the German embassy in New Delhi, in a press release.

This decision follows a visit by German ambassador to India, Thomas Matussek, to Srinagar. The revised German advisory asks tourists to employ trained guides and avoid border areas.

According to the new advisory, the situation has sufficiently calmed down for foreigners to travel to the idyllic Himalayan valley for leisure and winter sports. The slopes of Gulmarg, Sonemarg and Pahalgaon offer good skiing opportunities.

A travel advisory ban has been in force since the abduction of some tourists by militants in 1995. Most European countries, including the UK and France, as well as the US, still have advisories in place.

With the valley now peaceful, domestic tourists have started to return this year. The revival has been so dramatic this summer that the number of tourists in 2011 may exceed the record number of 722,000 registered in 1989.

Rajat Sawhney of New Delhi-based Rave Tours & Travels, who is also the general secretary of the Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India: “For almost two decades, the Indian traveller has been deprived of the most beautiful destination in India. People like to travel to Kashmir for its pristine beauty. Ninety-five per cent of the tourists this season are Indians and the rest are foreigners who come for adventure tourism.”

The New Delhi-Srinagar sector has 16 flights per day that are fully booked in advance.