A HK$7 billion (US$897.5 million) enhancement and expansion project has gotten underway at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), scheduled for completion in 2020.

Fred Lam, CEO of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA), said: “The enhancement projects for Terminal 1, together with the three-runway system in 2024, will increase the airport’s handling capacity, as well as bringing a fresh look and feel.

Artist impression of Sky Bridge 

AA has revealed plans to build the 200m-long Sky Bridge connecting Terminal 1 and the North Satellite Concourse, which will reduce passengers’ travelling time and the need for shuttle bus transport. Rising 28m above ground, the footbridge will allow the largest A380 aircraft to taxi underneath.

The area north of Terminal 1, facing Car Park 4, will be expanded to accommodate 40 new check-in counters with self-bag drop facilities as well as two additional baggage reclaim carousels. Seats, shops and catering outlets will also be added to the expanded Arrivals Hall on the landside.

Moreover, an extension building adjacent to the existing Car Park 4 will provide approximately 1,400 additional parking spaces, premises for the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and HKIA Preschool and staff-related facilities.

Meanwhile, new features in the expanded East Hall of Terminal 1 will include a roof garden and a children play area spanning two levels in the restricted area, in addition to a recreational zone featuring new technologies.

Ongoing enhancements include the refurbishment of the main food halls in the restricted area and the opening of new anchor retail shops. The food hall in the East Hall area will be revamped as well.

New anchor duty-free shops for liquor, cosmetics and accessories will be open for business soon, presenting novel experiential concepts such as interactive zones and a whisky bar.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has revealed plans to launch a new midscale brand priced US$10-15 under Holiday Inn Express hotels. The name, logo and other brand elements will be announced later this year.

The new line of hotels will target the “vastly undeserved segment of the US midscale market” of 14 million guests, worth an estimated US$20 billion in annual industry revenues, according to IHG.

Picture credit: Project Horizon brand book on IHG microsite

IHG expects the brand to be franchise-ready in the fall of 2017 with the first hotels beginning construction in early 2018 and opening in 2019. Initial development will be focused in the US market.

The prototype design features 95-100 keys with a minimum of three stories. Guest rooms will be a mix of 20.4m² king (65 per cent) and 25.5m² queen/queen (35 per cent), featuring a built-in work space, open closet storage with luggage shelf, a shower and smart TV.

Hotels will be designed for new build construction to provide an average lot size of approximately 6,070m².

Pool and porte cochere are optional based upon market dynamics, while other planned features include a cloud-based next generation reservation system, mobile check-in and check-out and IHG Connect enhanced Wi-Fi.

Complimentary breakfast will be available in the form of brand-name items offered at the lobby.

UK tourism appear to be relatively undaunted by recent terror incidents, according to ForwardKeys.

As of June 17, bookings for July and August were 12 per cent ahead of what they were at the same time last year, a more positive position than the European average (7.8 per cent ahead).

Prior to the London Bridge attack on June 3, forward bookings for travel to UK in the same two-month period were 16 per cent ahead year-on-year.

There was no significant wave of cancellations after the incident, ForwardKeys stated, although there has been a slow-down in new bookings.

ForwardKeys emphasised that the stall in bookings could also have been influenced by the June 5 holiday in most major European countries, when fewer people book flights (the holiday fell a week earlier in 2016); and the dramatic impact of the Qatar travel blockade which led to mass cancellations by those flying to the UK via Doha.

Following the Westminster attack on March 22, the year-on-year increase in bookings for London slowed from 16.5 per cent (prior to the incident) to 7.3 per cent.

Enthusiasm for the UK seemingly waned further following the Manchester bombing on May 22, as the rate of bookings for London fell 3.5 per cent on last year.

Looking at arrivals from the beginning of June to bookings for the rest of June, ForwardKeys’ latest assessment is that June will still show double-digit growth on last year, 11 per cent ahead.

ForwardKeys stated that London and UK booking figures reflect a near-identical trend.

Tourism could be leveraged to improve international relations with North Korea (DPRK), said UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai during a joint presentation with the DPRK Embassy on the country’s tourism potential in Madrid last week.

“It is a country that is a hostage of the news. The more people travel to DPRK, the better this world will become. We need to reposition our conception. Travel opens our minds, hearts and eyes. It helps break down stereotypes,” he urged.

Pyongyang

However, Rifai’s plea came before the death this week of Otto Warmbier, the American student who was returned to the US in a coma after being imprisoned in DPRK for 17 months. The tragedy once again put tourism to North Korea under international scrutiny and is likely to thwart the renegade state’s tourism aspirations.

According to North Korean ambassador Kim Hyok Chol, who led last week’s presentation, DPRK’s rising tourism awareness is evident from a new tourism college that opened in Pyongyang in 2014, which is now undergoing the auditing process for UNWTO educational accreditation.

DPRK is also making an effort at improving access, such as offering more border crossings with China. As well, visa waits have been halved to two or three days, while applications made via embassies have been reduced to one week.

Kim pointed out that while inbound flights to DPRK are currently restricted via China and Russia, more direct flights are likely once tourism takes off. The country has around 20 state travel agencies that can organise tours for foreigners.

Young Pioneer Tours, which organised travel to North Korea for Warmbier, announced that it will no longer book US citizens on its tours.

The Kerala state government will reverse a ban imposed in 2014 that restricted liquor sale to five-star hotels, rejuvenating tour operators’ confidence in the comeback of affected markets such as the UK.

The relaxed rules would provide the industry a much-needed fillip as tourists were shying away from the destination after the ban, according to Kapil Goswamy, managing director, Trans India Holidays.

Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala state

“A majority of tourists in Kerala stay in three- or four-star hotels. This segment started to choose Goa (over Kerala) since easy availability of alcohol is a factor when choosing a holiday destination.”

According to some tour operators, tourists staying in five-star hotels amount to less than 10 per cent of arrivals to the state.

Trans India Holidays last season saw a decline in visitors from the UK, its largest source of international visitors, which could in part be attributed to the alcohol restrictions, Goswamy added.

Others such as Dipak Deva, managing director, Destination Management, Sita, TCI and Distant Frontiers, opined that the removal of the ban will send a positive message to international markets.

“Holidaymakers can go ahead with their travel plans in Kerala without having any second thoughts,” he said.

Qatar Airways took top honours as the world’s best airline in the 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards, beating last year’s winner, Emirates, and perennial favourite Singapore Airlines.

The Doha-based carrier’s win comes in turbulent times as Qatar battles a travel blockade imposed by its estranged neighbours, prompting Qatar Airways group CEO Akbar Al Baker to attribute the award “not to me, not to my airline, but to my country”.

Akbar (middle) celebrates the win; photo credit: Qatar Airways

In second place this year is Singapore Airlines, followed in order by All Nippon Airways, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Eva Air, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Hainan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.

Asian airlines dominated the overall top 10 but were in the minority in the LCC category – which saw AirAsia, Norwegian and jetBlue Airways, easyJet and Virgin America in the top five. Jetstar Airways placed sixth, AirAsiaX seventh and Indigo 10^th.

Meanwhile, the best airline economy class accolade went to Thai Airways, while Qatar Airways also bagged the world’s best business class award. Singapore Airlines got the winning votes for the best business class seats and Garuda Indonesia retained its title for the world’s best cabin staff.