Marriott International has appointed Bruce Ryde as Asia-Pacific vice-president for luxury brands and brand marketing.
Based in Hong Kong, Ryde will drive appropriate representation and brand preference for Marriott International luxury brands which comprises The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, EDITION, JW Marriott, W Hotels, The Luxury Collection and Bulgari.
He will also be working in partnership with continent leadership to maximise guest experience through on-brand activations, and build brand preference for both customers and investors.
Prior to joining Marriott, Ryde was the head of luxury and lifestyle, brand & marketing for Asia, Middle East & Africa with InterContinental Hotels Group.
Vietjet has launched daily flights between Nha Trang and Seoul. Approximately five-hour sectors, flights depart Nha Trang at 16.15 and arrives in Seoul at 22.45. On the return, flights depart Seoul at 01.50 for arrival in Nha Trang at 05.25.
Tokyo Narita gets flights to Fiji
Fiji Airways will launch thrice-weekly flights between Nadi International Airport and Tokyo Narita International Airport starting July 3, subject to regulatory approvals.
On Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the nine-hour flight will depart Nadi at 13.25, arriving in Tokyo at 19.30. It then leaves Tokyo at 21.25 for arrival at Nadi at 09.05 the next day.
The flights will be served by Airbus A330-200/300.
Air China inaugurates Beijing-Brisbane service
Air China is now connecting Beijing to Brisbane, the airline’s third Australian destination after Sydney and Melbourne. Operated with Airbus 330-200, flights depart from Beijing at 02.30 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and arrive in Brisbane at 15.10. Inbound flights will depart from Brisbane at 19.30 and arrive in Beijing at 04.45 the next day.
AirAsia to launch flights from Bangkok to Ranong
Thai AirAsia has opened sales lines for its upcoming flights between Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport to Ranong, a southern province on the a coast on the Andaman Sea known for its hotsprings.
Starting February 16, flights will depart Bangkok daily at 01.45 for arrival in Ranong at 13.00. On the return, flights leave Ranong at 13.40 to reach Bangkok at 14.55.
A proposal has been submitted to the Sri Lankan government to encourage the promotion of shipwreck exploration alongside other attractions in the country, Sri Lanka Tourism chairman Udaya Nanayakkara announced.
To move the plan forward, Lanka Sports Reizen (LSR) chairman and veteran diver Thilak Weerasinghe has been appointed by the country’s prime minister as a Tourism Task Force member. He is focusing on setting up guidelines, proper training facilities and creating more dive schools and facilities for both water and land-based sports.
The country has more than 200 possible shipwreck dive sites
His company handles 6,000 dives per year, of which 500 are made by tourists exploring shipwrecks. “Many of them are holiday divers who come on a seven- to 10-day stay, go around the countryside and end with a diving experience,” he told TTG Asia.
Ruled at various times by the Portuguese, Dutch and the British, and also attacked by the Japanese during WWII, Sri Lanka brims with opportunities for shipwreck exploration. More than 200 battleships lay submerged off its coast, including those wrecked in WWII.
One attraction is the SS British Sergeant, a British oil tanker sunk by Japanese airplanes in April 1942, which can be viewed at a depth of 13m to 25m off the eastern coast. For more experienced divers, the HMS Hermes, a British aircraft carrier sunk by Japanese planes is an attractive site at a depth of 40m to 53m.
IATA projects air passenger numbers globally would reach a historical high of over four billion this year, and grow a further 5.6 per cent to 4.3 billion in 2018, on the basis of increased air access, cheaper fares and a strong economy.
Next year the average world citizen is forecast to travel once every 21 months, compared to every 43 months in 2000 and every 50 months in 1996.
Air passenger demand on the up, but rising costs a challenge for airline profits
Airlines have responded to strong demand in 2017 by adding 1,351 new city-pair connections, taking delivery of 1,683 new jets and turboprop aircraft, increasing utilisation of the existing fleet, and raising load factors to record levels, altogether boosting ASKs (Available Seat Kilometres) worldwide by 6.3 per cent.
According to the published schedules for 2018 airlines are planning a further significant boost to capacity of around 5.7 per cent, a pace which is likely to come in below the growth of traffic. Load factors are forecast to rise to a new record of 81.4 per cent as a result.
The biggest profitability challenge to date, IATA said, has come from accelerating costs. Oil prices are taken from market forecasts for 2018 of around US$60 a barrel for Brent crude oil. As crack spreads have been widening, IATA forecasts a gallon of jet fuel will cost US$1.76 in 2018, a 12.5 per cent increase over this year’s expected average.
The impact will vary depending on hedging, with US and Chinese airlines having low average hedges and facing immediate pressures, while in regions like Europe high hedging ratios are delaying the cost impact. This has already led to some convergence of financial performance between regions.
Meanwhile, labour costs are now a larger proportion of a typical airline’s operating costs than fuel and these have been accelerating in 2017, IATA pointed out. Overall unit costs for the industry are hence forecast to accelerate from 1.7 per cent growth this year to 4.3 per cent in 2018.
IATA estimates operating profit margins will slip from 8.3 per cent in 2017 to 8.1 per cent in 2018, as a result of unit costs outpacing unit revenues. However, this margin compression is less intense than it was in 2017
Unit revenues will be helped by the increase in load factors, raised by above-trend growth in travel and cargo together with the lesser pace of capacity expansion shown in the announced schedules for the summer season next year. The other component of unit revenues is yield and this has been rising in both passenger and cargo markets over the past year, in response both to rising costs and increasing demand.
IATA anticipates these conditions will persist in 2018, leading to a further three per cent increase in passenger yields and an overall rise in unit revenues of 3.5 per cent.
More on region-specific performance in tomorrow’s news
Osaka is set to launch a campaign to attract wellness visitors to Japan’s second city, initially targeting tourists from neighbouring countries before reaching out to markets in Europe and North America.
The Osaka Convention and Tourism Bureau is working with private companies to draw up packages that will combine physical check-ups with a range of health-related options, including visits to therapeutic onsen hot springs, massages, forest meditation sessions and tailored meals, such as traditional shojin ryori, the vegetarian meals eaten by Buddhist monks.
The city of Osaka is keen to attract more wellness visitors from neighbouring countries
“We believe there is very high potential for this sort of service. Figures released by the World Health Organisation show there are many people from China, for example, who want to combine a trip with medical care,” said Yasuhiro Takahashi, general manager for project development at the bureau.
Meanwhile, a dedicated wellness network with an online presence is being set up in Osaka, while an office will open in the city ahead of the entire system being launched in April.
In addition to the advanced facilities and care the region is known for, treatments are relatively inexpensive, he said, adding that the sector hopes to also benefit from a higher profile as a result of Osaka hosting eight games in the 2018 Rugby World Cup and the World Masters Games in 2021.
“We are already participating in international tourism events and the network is working closely with Chinese travel organisation Ctrip to invite agents to come to Japan to see the facilities and options,” Takahashi said.
“Initially, we plan to target the Chinese market because research suggests that health is the fourth top important reason for Chinese people to go on holiday,” said Takahashi.
Toyoshige Taura, a legal expert for Osaka-based health company Life Plan, agreed that a number of hurdles may still need to be overcome – including the language barrier and cultural differences – but confirmed that participating companies are ironing out the problems by working closely with land operators to support tourists.
400 adventure-based tour and activities offered, more to come
A new online booking platform for adventure-based tours and activities in Malaysia has been launched globally.
Currently, Adventoro has more than 400 tours and activities located at various destinations in Malaysia such as in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi Island, Sabah and Sarawak. Adventoro plans to expand its listings to 500 in Malaysia by end-year, and to include tours in South-east Asia in early 2018.
400 adventure-based tour and activities offered, more to come
The platform features six categories of tours and activities: island, river and watersports; wildlife and jungle; culinary and gastronomy; caving and hiking; cultural and traditional; and, sightseeing and attractions.
Prior to the official launch Adventoro was on beta for a few months. Among its bestselling products during that period were: White Water Rafting at Kampar River in Perak, Mount Kinabalu Trek Grand Adventure; Cameron Highlands Rafflesia and Mossy Forest Adventure; Taman Negara Experience; Bako National Park Overnight Adventure; and, Langkawi Kayaking at Mangrove Forest Reserve.
Other than the listings, Adventoro also provides a concierge service allowing users can get in touch with its team for special requests and more information.
“What we’ve learned so far is that about 90 per cent of transactions had at least one question asked to us. So it is important for us to give concierge service a priority,” Ken Lau, founder and CEO of Adventoro, explained.
Users have the option to contact Adventoro via email, telephone, WhatsApp or a web-based live chat.
HK CTS Hotels and Kew Green Hotels have signed an agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) to manage and franchise hotels in China.
This deal will see Kew Green Hotels manage the existing 466-room Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido from early 2018 and convert the 433-room Metropark Beijing Lido into a Holiday Inn during 2018.
(From left) IHG’s Jolyon Bulley; HK CTS Hotels’ Roc Huang; and Kew Green Hotels’ Stephen Woodhouse
The deal will also enable Kew Green Hotels and HKCTS to work with other owners in China seeking to franchise brands from IHG.
Kew Green Hotels currently operates 10 hotels with over 3,000 bedrooms in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, under the direction of Stephen Woodhouse.
India and Poland are signing an MoU for cooperation in civil aviation, according to an India Times report.
The five-year agreement is aimed at bringing the two countries into recognition of the mutual benefits of cooperation, especially in improving regional air connectivity in India.
Enhancing connectivity, information exchange
The deal is also expected to see the two countries acknowledging the benefits of environmental testing and approvals for flight simulators, aircraft maintenance facilities, maintenance personnel and aircrew members.
In addition, the partnership will facilitate an exchange of information and expertise between the countries’ civil aviation authorities, collaboration on conducting training programmes, research and studies.
Gerhard Aicher has been named general manager of Holiday Inn Golden Mile Hong Kong. He will be responsible for the overall operations of the 621-room hotel.
Aicher was most recently general manager of The Mira Hong Kong.
The seasoned hotelier has more than two decades of hospitality management under his belt, and worked in European properties such as Paris Marriott Champs-Elysees, Le Meridien Vienna and Le Meridien Stuttgart before moving to Asia.
Iconic building undergoing restoration, tours launched in the meantime
Tourists can now explore one of Myanmar’s most historical colonial buildings as Yangon’s iconic Secretariat opens to the public for the first time in decades.
Now high hopes are being pinned on the 120-year-old building becoming a major tourist draw to Yangon, with the launch of tours led by Asia Tours Myanmar while work gets underway on transforming the grounds into a cultural complex.
Iconic building undergoing restoration, tours launched in the meantime
Yangon Heritage Trust and Anawmar Art Group are in the midst of a restoration project to bring the building back to its former glory while preserving Yangon’s architectural heritage.
Slated for completion in 2019, the Secretariat will serve as a cultural complex, housing museums, galleries, event spaces, offices and a range of F&B outlets.
In the meantime, Asia Tours Myanmar has launched tours of the Secretariat, taking in the flagpole where the Myanmar flag was raised for the first time in 1948; and the Cenotaph and Martyrs’ room, where General Aung San was murdered. Tours will run four times a day, from Monday to Friday, and once on Saturdays.
Edwin Briels, general director of Khiri Myanmar, welcomed the move, claiming the Secretariat has the potential to become a major tourist attraction.
He added: “Apart from Shwedagon Pagoda, there are not many places to visit in Yangon that have such important historical and heritage significance.”
Said Briels: “I hope this leads to bigger opportunities for Yangon to offer a quality tourist site that can compete with the rest of South-east Asia.”
The Secretariat initially served as the centre of British administration during colonial times. It was also where Myanmar’s first independent government laws were drafted and where General Aung San and eight cabinet members were assassinated.
During the junta rule, military officials restricted public access and used the building as offices, until relocating to Nay Pyi Taw in 2005. Since then, the 6.47ha site has been left disused.
The biggest profitability challenge to date, IATA said, has come from accelerating costs. Oil prices are taken from market forecasts for 2018 of around US$60 a barrel for Brent crude oil. As crack spreads have been widening, IATA forecasts a gallon of jet fuel will cost US$1.76 in 2018, a 12.5 per cent increase over this year’s expected average.
