Following the lifting of the laptop ban on Etihad Airways’ flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport earlier this week, Emirates and Turkish Airlines have now joined the list.

Emirates said it worked with the US authorities to meet the requirements for lifting the ban on its flights, while Turkish Airlines is now allowing passengers on US-bound flights to take their laptops and electronic devices with them.

The latest announcement leaves Qatar, Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait waiting to have the ban lifted.

Update: Qatar Airways was removed from the list of airlines subject to the ban shortly after press time

Tourism bosses are optimistic that Emirates’ inaugural daily services between Dubai and Phnom Penh via Yangon, which commenced on July 1, could bring new opportunities for Cambodia’s inbound and outbound tourism.

Cambodia’s secretary of state for Civil Aviation Mao Havanall commented that the new route “increases Cambodia’s connectivity with the world’s main hubs of Europe and the US and brings a wealth of opportunities”.

The new route offers more choices to passengers travelling between Phnom Penh to Dubai and beyond. Pierre-Andre Romano, general manager of Exo Travel Cambodia, expects the flight to lure more longhaul travellers from the Middle East, Africa and South America, specifically Brazil and Argentina.

Visitors from southern France can now fly directly from Nice to Dubai, instead of connecting in Paris, he added.

The service also opens opportunities to market the destination and its products, according to Emirates’ senior vice president of commercial operations for the Far East, Badr Abbas.

“Even in destinations where Cambodia is not popular, we will carry out a lot of marketing and actively sell this as a new destination,” said Abbas.

Socheata Ham, manager of Global Adventures, predicts the move will also contribute to Cambodia’s growing outbound market – which increased by 20 per cent in 2016 to 1.4 million – with France, the US and Canada likely to be popular choices.

Operated on a Boeing 777 aircraft, EK388 departs daily from Dubai International Airport at 09.15, arriving in Yangon at 17.25. It then departs Yangon at 18.55 to arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 21.25.

The return flight EK389 departs Phnom Penh at 23.10 and arrives in Yangon at 00.40. It will then set off to Dubai‎ at 02.10, arriving at 05.40.

Australia’s Mantra Group will operate a new-build hotel in Melbourne’s booming northern suburbs, slated for opening in mid-2019.

Epping, in the City of Whittlesea, one of the largest municipalities in metropolitan Melbourne, will be the location of the four-star, two-wing development valued at A$70 million (US$53 million).

Mantra Epping Hotel

Mantra Epping Hotel will feature 214 rooms and apartments, a café/restaurant, brewhouse, conference and meeting facilities, gymnasium, and an open car park containing 143 marked bays and secure bicycle storage.

The hotel will open within the Northpoint Enterprise Park – said to be Melbourne’s fastest growing expansion corridor – and be surrounded by retail shops, showrooms, business and industrial premises, as well as a hospital and the newly-relocated Melbourne Market.

Mantra Group CEO, Bob East, said: “This acquisition comes at an opportune time in the Australian hotel market, with hotels in Melbourne and surrounds experiencing substantial uplift in demand in recent years.

“This strong performance is set to continue with further domestic and international visitation uplift forecasted for the greater Melbourne market.”

Here’s our weekly roundup of new air routes.

Virgin Australia expands footprint into Greater China
Virgin Australia has commenced five-times weekly flights between Melbourne and Hong Kong, utilising an Airbus A330-200 with 255 economy seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, flights will depart Melbourne at 00.35 and arrive in Hong Kong at 08.15. Flights on Monday and Wednesday will depart Melbourne at 10.25 and 09.40 respectively, and arrive in Hong Kong at 18.05 and 17.20.

The return leg on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will see the aircraft depart Hong Kong at 19.50, and arrive back in Melbourne at 07.20 the following day.

Sri Lanka’s national carrier begins flights to Hong Kong
SriLankan Airlines will begin five-times weekly flights between Hong Kong and Colombo on July 15.

On Thursdays and Saturdays, there are two flights daily. The first flight will depart Hong Kong at 02.00 and arrive in Colombo at 04.50, while the second flight will depart at 18.15 and arrive in Colombo at 21.05. On Mondays, only the second flight will be in operation.

AirAsia adds Nha Trang to network
Beginning September 14, AirAsia will commence daily flights to Nha Trang from Kuala Lumpur, the airline’s fourth route to Vietnam.

AK204 will depart Kuala Lumpur at 10.30 and arrive in Nha Trang at 11.35. The return flight will depart Nha Trang at 12.00 and land in Kuala Lumpur at 15.15.

Emirates flies direct to Hanoi
Emirates has launched daily direct flights from Dubai to Hanoi, shaving about 2.5 hours of travel time as it no longer stops in Yangon.

Flights will depart Dubai at 03.30 and arrive in Hanoi at 13.05, while the return flight will depart Hanoi at 01.30 and arrive in Dubai at 05.05. The new service is operated with a two-class Boeing 777-300ER, which offers 42 seats in business and 386 seats in economy.

Cebu Pacific commences night flights to Boracay
Cebu Pacific has begun evening flights between Manila and Caticlan with an ATR aircraft, adding two additional daily flights between the two cities.

Currently, the last flight between Manila to Caticlan leaves at 15.30 with the return flight 17.10. With the new night operations, the last flight will leave Manila at 18.55 and will return from Caticlan at 20.45.

With tourism identified as a key driver of the transformation of Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) into a leading South-east Asian economic zone, infrastructure development is underway to beef up sea, rail and air access to the Eastern Seaboard.

This would include adding a new commercial seaport, developing existing ports of Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut as well as expanding the Chuk Samet Pier.

Koh Si Chang

Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand governor, said: “These developments will allow the EEC area to be more accessible to cruise liners and luxury yachts bringing high-quality tourists into the region and further boost regional transport links.”

Rail transport infrastructure will also be improved such as through the addition of a high-speed, double-track railway connecting the Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya international airports to facilitate business and tourism in the area.

Also in talks is the building of more comprehensive rail routes linking airports, ports, industrial and urban zones.

In addition, the U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport is being converted into a commercial airport with the construction of a second runway and new passenger terminal.

The infrastructural developments come amid a diversification and upgrading of attractions in Pattaya, Rayong and Chachoengsao to cater to family demand.

“Transportation and easy access for everyone can only boost tourism in the EEC area and will benefit local people and businesses. By prioritising tourism in the EEC, we are also helping local communities benefit with investment, jobs and income,” Yuthasak commented.

Ascott is acquiring an additional 60 per cent stake in Quest Apartment Hotels for A$180 million (US$137 million), which will increase its stake from the current 20 per cent to 80 per cent. Also part of the deal is an option for Ascott to acquire the remaining 20 per cent interest in Quest.

The acquisition will boost Ascott’s portfolio by over 11,000 units to more than 67,000 units across 507 properties and 124 cities globally.

100-unit Quest Cannon Hill to open next year

Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s CEO, said: “Increasing our stake in Quest to become its majority shareholder will leapfrog Ascott to become the leading serviced residence provider in Australasia… Scale is important for us to offer more options to customers, strengthen our sales and distribution, and help speed up Ascott’s growth.”

The move will also allow Ascott to leverage the Quest brand and its “highly scalable business format” to further apply the franchise platform as a growth driver.

Quest has 180 properties with over 9,000 existing units in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, and over 2,000 units under construction.

In addition, Ascott has acquired its first serviced residence in Brisbane from a local property developer for A$24 million as part of its strategic partnership with Quest, bringing its portfolio to 10 serviced residences with over 1,300 units in Australia.

The 100-unit freehold serviced residence, to be developed on a turnkey basis and operate as a Quest franchise, will open in 2018.

Quest Cannon Hill is the second acquisition made under the partnership. In mid-2016, Ascott acquired the 221-unit Quest NewQuay Docklands in Melbourne for A$71 million, which will reopen in 2019 as Quest’s largest property.

“Franchise, management contracts, investments, and strategic alliances will continue to be key strategies to solidify Ascott’s lead as we work towards exceeding our target of 80,000 units globally by 2020,” Lee said.