BEST Western International Indonesia is targeting 16 new hotel openings in the country by end 2012, adding to its current portfolio in Bali, Solo, Padang and Jakarta.

Best Western Indonesia’s CEO, Iwanto Hartojo, said: “We will open three more hotels by the end of the year, one in Serpong, West Java and two in Bali.”

Construction of The Sun Heritage Condotel in Kuta, Bali started in February and work on another property in Sentul, Bogor, slated to open next year, kicked off last weekend.

The other hotels expected to launch next year are in Bandung, Semarang, Palu, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Jakarta and Manado.

TOURISTS stranded on Koh Samui after bad weather forced the closure of the local airport and suspension of ferry services yesterday are expected to resume travel later this afternoon.

Bangkok Airways’ press office said that depending on weather conditions, the airline would resume flights in and out of Koh Samui from 3.00pm today and would deploy an additional six Airbus A319s from Bangkok to clear the passenger backlog.

The airline was forced to cancel 36 flights between Samui and Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, U-Tapao (Pattaya), Hong Kong and Singapore yesterday due to unusually heavy rain and strong winds.

Passengers originally booked on the cancelled flights can rebook new flights at no additional cost.

Some hotels on the island have extended a helping hand to guests whose travel plans have been disrupted, with The Passage Samui executive director Tossapol Satitwittayakul saying his resort was offering a 60 per cent discount on rooms.

Guests on packages were being taken care of by their respective tour operators, according to Amari Palm Reef, Koh Samui’s general manager, Christoph Leonhard.

Anantara Lawana Resort and Spa’s general manager Lars Kerfin said he expected the problem to be short-term and that travellers would return to Koh Samui – which is still in the high tourist season until April – once the rough weather subsides.

By Sirima Eamtako

MYANMAR has granted visa-on-arrival (VOA) to foreign visitors arriving in Yangon on Myanmar Airways International’s (MAI) twice-weekly direct flights from Guangzhou effective March 21.

MAI assistant marketing manager Aye Mra Tha said the number of visitors arriving from Guangzhou was relatively small and that the airline was expecting the VOA service to help stimulate more interest in the destination.

Passengers arriving on China Southern Airlines’ direct service from Guangzhou will not be eligible for the VOA. The VOA was previously afforded to the airline’s passengers on flights from Siem Reap from February 23 (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 15).

TOURISM Malaysia’s Phuket office is working with Thailand-based media entertainment company, GMM Grammy, to highlight Peranakan heritage in Penang, Malacca and Phuket to the Thais.

GMM Grammy will produce a series of documentaries showcasing Peranakan culture in the two Malaysian destinations, as well as Phuket, to be aired on several Thai television channels starting next month, according to Tourism Malaysia’s marketing manager, Phuket office, Tanakorn Jaikla.

The office will also organise familiarisation trips to Malacca and Penang for outbound travel agents from Thailand.

Thailand is the third largest contributor of tourist arrivals to Malaysia, with 1.46 million Thai visitors recorded last year.

SINGAPORE-based Discovery Holidays will receive two chartered flights from Iran this month, a first for the agency, which specialises in the Middle East market.

Operated by Mahan Air, the flights will arrive in Kuala Lumpur and the 400 travellers will enter Singapore by overland coaches.

Discovery Holidays managing director Rodney Yew told TTG Asia e-Daily that his company will receive over 7,000 Iranians in March, the peak travel season for Iran. The rest come via scheduled flights and visit a mix of destinations, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

“The unrest in Tunisia, one of the main holiday destinations for the Iranians, have led Iranians to take their New Year holidays in this region,” Yew explained.

The Iranian New Year was on March 21.

BEST Western International has opened its first hotel in Cambodia, the BEST WESTERN Suites and Sweet Resort Angkor in Siem Reap.

Less than a 10-minute drive from both Siem Reap town and the main entrance to the Angkor Wat temple complex, the property offers 18 suites housed in nine villas, each with their own private pool and terrace.

Featuring Khmer-style design and décor, the suites are nestled among tropical gardens around an ornamental lake, reminiscent of a Cambodian floating village.

“The addition of the fascinating country of Cambodia is a significant milestone for Best Western International,” said Best Western International vice president of international operations – Asia and the Middle East, Glenn de Souza.

ONE of Thailand’s long-established tour operators, East West Siam, will be managed by Bali’s Asialink Holidays, a DMC with operations in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, effective April 1.

In a letter sent to travel agents and business partners last week, Asialink Holidays general manager, Thailand, Sandor Leinwand recte Rein, said: “We will continue the existing operations of East West Siam…we will do our utmost to make sure (any glitches during the transition period) will be solved well and swiftly.”

Rein was appointed general manager of East West Siam shortly before assuming this new role. Formerly in charge of Asialink Holidays’ operations in Indochina, he had joined East West Siam when director Chananya Phataraprasit was restructuring the company.

At press time, both Rein and Phataraprasit could not be reached for comment.

Established in 1968, East West Siam was managed for almost 20 years by one of Thailand’s most respectable tour operators, Vincent Tabuteau, who stepped down in 2008 to set up his own company, Asia Marine.

Tabuteau’s successor Thierry Rodet took the helm for almost two years before leaving to make way for the restructuring under Manfred Ilg, who left after less than a year to join Hansar Bangkok hotel as general manager.

By Sirima Eamtako

HILTON Worldwide and Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa’s owning company Oikonomos International Resources Corporation will end their management agreement on March 31, 2011.

In a statement, Hilton said the termination was “mutually agreed upon and allows both parties to explore new opportunities independently”.

This will have no impact on local hotel team members who are employed by the owning company.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) will hand over to its low-cost subsidiary, Firefly, domestic routes from Johor Bahru to the two East Malaysian state capitals.

Firefly will commence operations from its southern hub with twice-daily, return flights from Johor Bahru to Kuching from May 19. Later on June 16, it will kickstart twice-daily, return flights from Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu.

Firefly managing director Eddy Leong said the decision was made based on passenger profile for the route, which comprises mainly FIT leisure travellers and non-executive workers.

He said Firefly’s Boeing 737-400, with an all-economy configuration, was more suitable for carrying this segment of travellers, compared to MAS’ two-class configuration of business and economy seats.

Firefly will take delivery of its second B737-400 in May, to be stationed in Johor Bahru. The aircraft will be used to operate daily flights between Johor Bahru and Langkawi and between Johor Bahru and Penang during the school holiday period from May 27 to June 12.

From August 1, Firefly will also mount twice-daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan.

PACTO has won the account to handle Iberojet’s clients for Indonesia, adding a second Spanish tour operator to its portfolio.

It is already the groundhandler for Iberojet’s sister company, Kirunna Travel, which is under the Orizonia Group.

Pacto director of business development Umberto Cadamuro said: “We have been handling Kirunna, an upmarket FIT specialist, in the last three years. With Iberojet, it gives us a stronger position in the Spanish market, as it is strong in groups.”

He expects between 1,000 and 2,000 passengers in the first year of operation, singling out a five-day/four-night Bali round trip as the topseller.

Cadamuro said the new account helped to better balance Pacto’s South Europe business, with Italy, Greece and Spain in its grip. Having handled 4,000 passengers from South Europe last year, he predicts the market will grow by between 10 and 15 per cent this year.

“We all know that Greece is having economic problems and we are seeing a slowdown in business, especially in the FIT market. We can now expect an offset with the additional Spanish clients coming in,” he said.

Cadamuro added that the next move was to expand business to East Europe.