APPLE Vacations & Conventions will organise a charter service from Kuala Lumpur to Busan to coincide with the Hari Raya Puasa festive period beginning in August. This is the company’s first charter to South Korea.

Departing on August 27 and returning September 2, the 288-seat flight will utilise Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) A330-300 aircraft.

Senior manager, procurement & marketing, Ellyza Lee said hot demand on the Kuala Lumpur-Incheon sector made it difficult to get seats on MAS and Korean Air during the peak outbound travel period.

Last year, during the same one-week Hari Raya period, the company managed to sell 20 series group departures to Incheon.

Its all-inclusive package will include tours to Busan, Seoul and Jeju Island.

KOH SAMUI’S air and sea access will begin to operate again, with the last backlog of stranded air passengers expected to be cleared within the morning.

Bangkok Airways, which operates the largest number of daily flights to and from Koh Samui, said there were about 80 passengers who remained today. Thirty-six flights on Monday and 54 flights on Tuesday were cancelled due to bad weather that left about 2,000 passengers stranded. The airline resumed operations yesterday with 38 flights, including six special flights, between Bangkok and Koh Samui.

Thai Airways International also resumed its twice-daily Bangkok-Koh Samui flights yesterday and added one extra return flight to help clear its own backlog of 600 passengers.

Both airlines are expected to resume normal operations today. Bangkok Airways will operate 56 flights, or at its normal daily capacity, including 33 flights on the Bangkok-Koh Samui service and a daily flight each on the Koh Samui-Hong Kong and Koh Samui-Singapore routes.

Some ferry services from Koh Samui to the mainland’s pier in Surat Thani have also resumed since late afternoon yesterday, said Saiphayom Somsuk, chief of Koh Samui Tourism Coordination Centre, Tourism Authority of Thailand.

She said tourists could continue their journey to Bangkok by air at Surat Thani Airport, which also resumed operations yesterday, or by road, which is almost back to normal conditions. However, rail service remains closed.

Saiphayom added that more ferry and katamaran services would be operated today from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao to Surat Thani and Chumphon on the mainland, though these would not be running at the normal capacity.

By Sirima Eamtako

OUTBOUND agents are saying that Singapore Airline’s (SIA) Singapore-Sao Paulo service that debuted Monday will open up demand for Brazil as a holiday destination. The demand is expected to peak as the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws closer.

The new route will help make airfares to Brazil more competitive and affordable, said Asia-Euro Holidays’ product manager, longhual, Rosemary Yeo.

“The prohibitive cost of holidaying in Brazil is the main reason why Singaporeans have been reluctant to head there,” Yeo explained. “The airfare from Singapore to Brazil is usually about S$3,000 (US$2,370), so a very basic seven-day trip to Brazil would cost at least S$5,000 per person.”

Yeo expects the improved access to spur partners Trafalgar Tours and Insight Vacations into creating more Brazil itineraries for her agency to sell.

Bonvo Travel (Singapore) travel consultant – channel sales/leisure, Florence Ho, said interest in Brazil had so far only been for business travel, but that the World Cup is expected to change this.

“We will definitely be creating tour packages that feature the World Cup. Soccer fans usually book as far as three years ahead and I think we may start to get some enquiries later this year.”

SIA’s thrice-weekly service via Barcelona to Sao Paulo, SIA’s first port-of-call in South America, operates on a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

KOP Hotels & Resorts, which has most of its properties in Europe, will debut its upscale, family-friendly Montigo Resorts brand in Batam this year with the opening of the Montigo Resorts Nongsa on November 11.

The group’s vice president marketing and brand development, Anton Kilayko, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “While the product is premium, with all the trappings of a luxury resort, our rates will begin at an approachable level.”

Opening rates begin at S$350 (US$277), excluding service charge and taxes.

The resort will offer 88 villas – each with two bedrooms, a plunge pool, an al-fresco dining area, a living room and a sky terrace ideal for parties – as well as spaces for teambuilding activities and creative meetings.

The resort is expected to draw a small- to mid-sized MICE crowd during the weekdays and holidaymakers over the weekends. Singapore and Indonesia are expected to be the key market sources, with the rest of the guests drawn from South-east Asia, South Korea and Japan.

KOP will partner with its nautical hospitality arm, Aqua Voyage, to provide transportation between Batam and Singapore’s Tanah Merah ferry terminal.

JEBSEN Travel & Tours Services will be organising a fam tour for travel agents, corporate clients and the media when Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager docks in Port Klang on April 14.

The 700-guest luxury vessel is making her maiden call to South-east Asia (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 13).

Currently on a 165-day World Cruise, the ship began its journey in San Francisco on January 13 and will complete its itinerary in London on June 7.

Embarkation points in South-east Asia are Bangkok on April 9 and Phuket on April 16. Ports of call in the region include Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Port Klang and Penang. It will then sail to Chennai, Sri Lanka, Cochin, Mumbai and onwards to Europe via the Middle East.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ representative in Malaysia, Jebsen Travel & Tours Services managing director Lim Chee Tong, said the liner had all-inclusive fares and accommodation onboard would be suites with balconies.

AIRASIA Incorporated, the Philippine-based affiliate of AirAsia Group, will have its first aircraft arriving at its Clark base in August.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Expedia-AirAsia event yesterday, Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said existing routes from Clark would be operated by AirAsia, Inc. while four new routes were also being considered. Singapore and South Korea were cited as possibilities.

Flights would be operated by an all-Airbus fleet, which would comprise around two aircraft to start.

In addition, Fernandes said AirAsia’s Vietnam affiliate would be launched shortly after its Philippine venture gets off the ground, adding that announcements will be made soon.

He also reaffirmed expansion plans in Japan despite the bleak situation there, sharing that Osaka was next on the list.

Said Fernandes: “We’re very very committed towards Japan and looking to open routes to more cities. We’re not cutting back flights, we’re not cutting any expenditure.

“Travel is a great way to get away from some of the reality of what’s going on. We’ve actually seen bookings increase…In terms of people going back to Japan, that’s only a matter of time.”

MYANMAR’S airline industry is set to further heat up with Air KBZ beginning operations on a daily Yangon-Nyaung Oo-Mandalay-Heho-Yangon flight and a daily Yangon-Myeik-Yangon flight on April 1.

The airline was scheduled to launch late last year, but was unable to secure aircraft. Air KBZ will initially use one 64-seat ATR 72-500 aircraft and will increase to four later in the year.

Air KBZ CEO, Oakkar Tun, said the airline has received permission from the Department of Civil Aviation to operate both domestic and international flights, but would only start with domestic flights.

It plans to fly to other domestic destinations such as Tachileik, Kengtung, Myitkyina, Sittwe, Thandwe, Pathein, Lashio, Putao, Kawthoung, Dawei, Mawlamyine and Kalay from May.

Managing director Moe San Aung conceded that April was “not the right time to launch the airline”, but explained that the decision was made to get ready for the upcoming tourist season.

Air KBZ is owned by Myanmar’s Kanbawza Group of Companies, which holds an 80 per cent stake in Myanmar Airways International (MAI). A bilateral agreement with MAI for its domestic ticket booking system is on the cards.

Air KBZ will join Air Mandalay, Air Bagan, Myanma Airways and Asian Wings in local skies, the latter being the newest addition (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 31).

YESTERDAY afternoon’s planned resumption of flight and ferry services to Koh Samui (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 29) were scuppered due to continued inclement weather on the island and surrounding areas.

Thousands of tourists on the island were again left stranded, as flights were cancelled for the second day in a row and three metre-high waves in the seas between Koh Samui and Surat Thani forced the suspension of ferry access.

The Bangkok Post reported yesterday that Bangkok Airways flight PG103, which left Suvarnabhumi airport at 1.55pm bound for Koh Samui, was unable to land due to strong winds and was forced to return to Bangkok.

All 53 of Bangkok Airways’ flights in and out of Koh Samui were cancelled yesterday, the carrier announced on its website.

Malaysian news agency Bernama reported that Malaysia-based low-cost carrier FireFly had also suspended its operations between Subang and Koh Samui due to flooding at the island’s airport.

Local weather officials have warned that torrential rain and flooding in most southern provinces could continue over the next few days.

THE REGION’S booming online travel market has pushed Expedia, Inc. and AirAsia to join forces and establish a 50:50 joint venture company, said to be the first of its kind between a low-cost carrier and an online travel agent.

Under the agreement announced today, a new company will be formed to operate Expedia-branded businesses in Japan, India, South-east Asia and other East Asian markets, as well as AirAsia’s packaging and hotel booking websites, AirAsiaGo and GoRooms.

The joint venture will have the exclusive online third-party distribution rights in the region for AirAsia and AirAsiaX flights and travel packages. In addition, Expedia will also be the exclusive third-party travel provider for AirAsia inventory on its sites worldwide.

At the helm of the Singapore-based company is vice president and managing director of Expedia Asia Pacific, Dan Lynn, who will be relocating from Sydney.

Said the new CEO: “Expedia brings global strength in our supplier relationships, a very strong technology background and an understanding of online marketing. AirAsia complements that with its unique understanding of the Asian markets, its very compelling and unique inventory that is low-price but high-quality and its very deep understanding of social media.”

AirAsia Group CEO, Tony Fernandes, said: “We think we have a ‘Rolls-Royce partner’ here. (Expedia is) going to take our content around the world, which will help AirAsia and AirAsiaX promote our flights in markets that we haven’t reached before. Plus, we’ll be able to get new ancillary income.”

When asked if the partnership would cannibalise sales on AirAsia’s own website, he said: “Who cares? AirAsia.com is a site that’s always trying to cope. Everytime we have a sale, our system falls over even though we double, triple, quadruple the capacity. We can’t cope with the demand. That’s why I said there’s no problem sharing some of that.”

Fernandes explained that the Expedia and AirAsia sites would be branded differently and target separate market segments. For example, Expedia may be more dominant in certain countries like Japan, where it is already established, while AirAsiaGo would be bigger in China.

Calling this new venture Expedia’s “Asia organisation”, president of Expedia Worldwide, Scott Durchslag, said: “This is going to offer a much more efficient and effective alternative for consumers to travel, so I think it will have a significant impact on traditional, offline travel agents. This is a big leap forward in terms of what’s possible.”

Expedia, which rolled out its Singapore website last month, launched its Malaysia and Thailand products today. It will continue to run a full-service business, offering other airline content.

THAILAND should capitalise on steady year-on-year growth of inbound cruise visitors to the country and improve its cruise infrastructure to attract even more visitors, according to the country’s largest inbound cruise handler, Regale International Travel.

Regale International Travel’s managing director, Jumpol Chadavadh, said Thailand would be able to attract more cruises, both new ships and increased frequencies of calls, if the country developed ports in other locations such as Pranburi near Hua Hin.

Despite last year’s domestic political turmoil and the European economic downturn, the company still handled some 90,000 passengers, surpassing its original target of 50,000, said Jumpol.

This year, the company is expecting to cater to about 120,000 passengers, with Jumpol saying the continued growth is the result of increasing number of cruise ships and ports-of-call. Cruise ships are now calling more often at Phuket and Koh Samui rather than just at Laem Chabang.

Meanwhile, cruise ships calling at several ports in Thailand and handled by Regale over the last two weeks include the 2,068-guest Queen Elizabeth and 2,620-guest Queen Mary 2. Both ships are scheduled to return next year and are expected to call at more ports.

By Sirima Eamtako