Vietnam-based luxury operator Exotic Voyages is adding a trio of new destinations – Oman, Japan and India – to its programmes.

The 17-year-old company is also launching 18 new completely customisable itineraries, six in each of these three destinations.

Wahiba Sands desert, Oman

Among the itinerary highlights are a visit to Wahiba Sands desert in Oman followed by glamping in camel-hair tents; for India, a jungle safari to Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan; and a nighttime walking tour of Kyoto’s Gion district.

These new offerings add to 10 other destinations Exotic Voyages specialises in – Vietnam, Thailand, Bhutan, Laos, Cambodia, China, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Myanmar, and the UAE.

Hong Kong Cruise & Yacht Industry Association (HKCYIA) recently launched a new office in the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal to better promote the development of the local cruise and yacht industry.

Kara Yeung, executive director of HKCYIA, said: “In view of the rapid expansion of the cruise industry in Asia, the association is taking the initiative in supporting operators from mainland China and the global market. HKCYIA will serve as a platform in promoting the good standing and bringing about growth and improvements.”

Kara Yeung, executive director (fourth from left), with her team at the soft opening of the HKCYIA office

“We are currently planning to establish a representative office in Genoa – an international cruise hub – in efforts to set up a global service network with a base in Europe that will serve as a platform for industry experts to build up business connections,” continued Yeung.

Located at the Rooftop Garden of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the 372m² office features a conference room, interview rooms and an international cruise crew lounge. Latest information about the global cruise industry and maritime services are also available.

Hong Kong-based Cachet Hospitality Group (CHG) will make its first foray into Phuket when it takes over the management of Dewa Phuket Resort this month, following its April announcement that it will bring its Savant brand to Bangkok.

To be relaunched as Cachet Resort Dewa Phuket, the resort will offer 128 standard rooms, villas and residential suites as well as facilities including 1,000m² of meeting and event spaces, a spa, a fitness centre, a yoga-focused wellness centre, a Kids Club and two swimming pools.

Guestroom

In addition to two F&B venues, Aleta Restaurant Bar and Grill for Mexican-Thai food and Stonehaus for wine enthusiasts, the property will also boast Cachet Pool Club and Cachet Beach Club.

Interior renovations, which will be undertaken by Cachet Interior Design, will continue after the May opening and complete in November 2017.

Owned by R&B Partners, the resort is located beside Nai Yang Beach a seven-minute drive from the airport and 30 minutes from Phuket Town.

Despite the waves of consolidation currently seizing the marketplace, Daryl Lee, director of WebBeds FZ – which owns B2B travel distributor Fit Ruums – thinks the landscape is still characterised by fragmentation and complexity while vast markets like China have hardly seen any penetration.

“We see Fit Ruums as an alternative to global players. There’s no true alternative to the big players, so we see ourselves as filling in the gap, not so much to disrupt but to connect the dots,” said Lee.

Lee: filling the gap rather than disrupting

“We still see a lot of demand for travel products and hotels, and for the travel trade to operate more efficiently… with our robust platform, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach of the big players,” he added.

Since launching in October 2016, Lee said Fit Ruums has been seeing a “quick buildup” from its initial core markets of Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan to now India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Also, it would be impossible for the Singapore-based Fit Ruums to ignore the “dynamic” growth potential that China presents as both an inbound and outbound market, as Fit Rumms now has its sights set on establishing a China office by 3Q2017 to tap the synergy of its partnership with Dida Travel Technology inked late last year.

Despite being the largest travel aggregator in China, Dida does not even have one per cent of the domestic market cornered, Lee pointed out, highlighting the immense room for development in the Chinese travel distribution space.

Fit Ruums’ data-driven approach to travel distribution will hence enable agents to better understand the workings and nuances of this fast-changing Chinese market, said Lee, especially as the Chinese are now showing an increasing preference for last-minute travel and taking more holidays frequently throughout the year than during the major holidays.

To highlight his point, Lee revealed that 30 per cent of Fit Ruums’ latest bookings from the Chinese market are for travel within the next 72 hours – and not just confined to domestic destinations but across Asia-Pacific.

Likewise, plenty of opportunities lie untapped for the inbound market into China, Lee opined, seeing room for growth for the bleisure sector as well as lesser-known provinces like Guizhou, Tibet and Inner Mongolia if information and accessibility improve.

Outbound travel agents in four emerging travel markets in South-east Asia – Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam – are reporting strong growth in bookings for Europe this year.

For Sok Sopheaktra, general manager of 2World Travel Cambodia, bookings to Europe soared from about 100 last year to more than 300 to date for 2017, as more Cambodians, already familiar with Asia, seek “change in destinations for their holidays”.

Notre Dame de Paris

Prum Veasna, owner of Golden Travel Cambodia, has also seen a rise in demand for Europe, with Italy, Switzerland, France and Germany being hot favourites. Prum opined that the country’s swelling middle-class and expendable income have led to more of the population being able to afford longhaul holidays.

“Increased access into Europe and more direct flights in the future are expected so (the region) has great (growth) potential,” he added.

Vietnam’s appetite for Europe is growing too. APT Travel Vietnam has seen a sharp hike in the number of Vietnamese opting for Europe over Asia in 2017.

While Binh Terl, APT Travel tour manager, did not specify numbers, she said the increase is “much bigger this year and we think it will get better”. She added that more clients are trading trips to Russia for Europe too.

BenThanh Tourist Vietnam manager Dung Hoang said France and Italy are popular with clients and predicts that Eastern European will pick up pace in the future. He credited competitive prices and a stronger desire for longhaul travel for the shift in demand.

For the Indonesian market, a growing national economy, stabilised domestic politics and favourable exchange rates have come together to boost demand for Europe.

Yongky Yanwintarko, managing director of Sun Tours and Travel Indonesia, said a healthy domestic environment has “boosted travellers’ confidence in travelling longhaul”. His company has seen a 50 per cent year-on-year growth between April and July this year, with England, Scotland and the Balkans drawing the most interest.

Destination Tour Indonesia has also witnessed a 20 to 30 per cent rise in bookings for Europe, with forward bookings made up to November. CEO Yento Chen revealed that Norway and Finland are new favourites this year, while North, Central and Eastern Europe hold evergreen appeal.

Explaining the stronger interest in Europe, Yento said: “The exchange rates between the rupiah and US dollar have stabilised while the euro and pound are trading better against the rupiah. Furthermore, many airlines are offering promotional rates which make Europe packages more attractive. In fact, some are more affordable than Japan.”

Over in the Philippines, travel agents have been so encouraged by the sales potential of Europe that some have formed a “collective” – a group selling tour packages to specific European destinations – and are attracting both FITs and GITs with tours that take advantage of airline and other promotions, according to Vilma De Claro Mendoza, president, Mart Evers Travel and Tours.

News of Kyoto effecting a new accommodation tax starting April 2018 is welcome as long as the levy is moderate and the money raised is used to improve tourist infrastructure, say hoteliers and agents interviewed.

A committee of the Kyoto municipal government has since August 2016 been discussing the tax, meant to generate government funds to support the increase in visitor numbers. A primary objective is to alleviate congestion in popular districts such as the Gion geisha quarter.

Hyatt Regency Kyoto’s executive suite twin

The fee is likely to be 300 yen (US$2.64) per person per night for accommodation of 10,000 yen or higher per night.

A similar tax of 200 yen per night is already in effect in Tokyo while Osaka is introducing a levy come July.

Miriam Varoli, general manager of the Hyatt Regency, Kyoto, does not see issues with the tax proposal. “From a guest’s point of view, 300 yen is very reasonable and I do not see it having a major impact on arrivals,” she said.

“We need additional infrastructure in Kyoto, and as long as this carried out with complete transparency, I do not see a better way of raising the money needed for those improvements.”

Robert Day, president of Australia-based Robert Day Travel, added that an accommodation tax “is not unusual” in popular cities in Asia-Pacific.

“I think my clients will accept it and it will not have an impact on the number of people that I take to Kyoto because that figure is reasonable and the sort of money (lost) in currency rate fluctuations overnight,” he said.

“If the money is going to be ploughed back into improving the facilities and experience for visitors to Kyoto, then they can go right ahead,” he added.

AirAsia will commence four-times weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sihanoukville on August 9, 2017, marking the Malaysia-based LCC’s third route into Cambodia after Phnom Penh and Siem Reap..

Located in south-western Cambodia at the Gulf of Thailand, Sihanoukville – the country’s fourth-largest city – is known for its unspoiled beaches and natural beauty, said AirAsia in a statement.

A beach in Sihanoukville

Spencer Lee, head of commercial for AirAsia, said: “Sihanoukville is an exciting destination with many untouched gems that have yet to be discovered… We aim to develop Sihanoukville to become a tourist hotspot like how AirAsia has introduced unique destinations such as Luang Prabang, Banda Aceh and Bhubaneswar among others and we believe this route introduction will be the first vital step to unlock more travel options for visitors into the coastal city.”

Flight AK264 will depart from Kuala Lumpur at 12.15 every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, to arrive in Sihanoukville at 13.00.

The return flight, AK265, will take off from Sihanoukville at 13.40 on the same day to land in Kuala Lumpur at 16.30.