Norway-headquartered Hurtigruten has made Scenic Travel its GSA and preferred travel partner for Singapore.

Scenic Travel will be responsible for development of the exploration travel company’s business in the market, including growing travel agent awareness and preference for the brand.

William Harber, Hurtigruten’s president for China & Asia-Pacific, said: “Our GSA partnership with Scenic Travel recognises the great strides they have made in putting Hurtigruten on the map in Singapore.”

Hurtiguten’s products include Norwegian coastline and Northern Lights cruises as well as adventure travel itineraries to Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard and Arctic Canada, including the Northwest Passage.

With expedition cruising one of the fastest growing segments in travel, Hurtigruten is offering guests in Singapore sails on its fleet of 14 ships, plus two additional ships set for delivery in 2018 and 2019.

Japan will get its first international luxury onsen resort when the co-branded InterContinental Hotels Group-All Nippon Airways (ANA) property opens in Beppu in 2019.

ANA InterContinental Beppu Resort & Spa, the first international-branded property in Oita Prefecture, will feature a public onsen bath, spa and pool, as well as a fitness centre, restaurants and bars and Club InterContinental lounge.

Each of the 89 luxury guest rooms will be complete with both common and private onsen supplied with water from a local hot spring.

The resort – which is situated on 82,000m² of land overlooking Beppu city and bay – will be developed by Tokyo Century Corporation, with the support of Oita prefecture and Beppu City.

The Philippine trade is sanguine that the recovering inbound China tourist numbers will compensate for the slowdown in other key markets such as South Korea and Japan in the wake of recent security-related incidents in Mindanao and Resorts World Manila.

Speaking to TTG Asia at the recent Asia Premium Travel Mart, Mary Ann Ong, general manager of China inbound specialist Luxus Pacific Travel and Tours, said she expects the Chinese to start returning this month after some initial cancellations.

Bohol is becoming a top pick among Chinese travellers; Chocolate Hills pictured

“It’s easy to recover due to China’s proximity to the Philippines. Group tours were less affected than government, non-profits and IT trips,” she explained.

Ong said that her company is currently tapping on the upmarket Chinese segment and developing new destinations such as Clark and Subic.

While the Chinese-owned Golden Phoenix Hotel Manila did not receive cancellations, senior sales manager Mads Rono expects numbers from China to improve as the company’s head office in Beijing is currently promoting the Philippines and working closely with Philippine travel agencies. Previously, the company only relied on Ctrip for B2B bookings.

Meanwhile, Bohol, a growing favourite among the Chinese, has not been affected much as the local government handled the recent Abu Sayyaf incident very well, said Jenny Pearl Maleza, sales manager, Eskaya Beach Resort & Spa in Bohol.

Shinta Mani Hotels is once again joining forces with acclaimed designer and architect Bill Bensley to introduce The Bensley Collection, a new portfolio of super-luxe hotels and resorts that will be launched this year-end.

The debut flagship, Shinta Mani Angkor – Bensley Collection, will open its doors in Siem Reap this November with oversized indoor lap pools and gardens with a rooftop living room within its high-walled façade. Each of the 10 villas, which measures 156m² across two levels, will feature Art Deco-inspired decor, floor-to-ceiling glassed bathroom, outdoor bath and Apsara project sculptures.

Pool at Shinta Mani Shack

Opening 3Q2018 is Shinta Mani Wild – Bensley Collection, touted to offer a unique luxury tented camp experience in the remote wilderness of Tmor Rung, two hours’ drive from Phnom Penh. This super-luxe property will have 16 100m² custom designed tents elevated over swift-moving water and waterfalls.

The private sanctuary will combine “world-class design, hospitality and conservation” and has been dubbed by Bensley as “a utopia of sustainability”, according to a statement.

Meanwhile, Shinta Mani Hotels has since July 1 rebranded two of its existing properties – both also the work of Bensley – in Siem Reap to differentiate them as deluxe four-star and premium upscale boutique products.

Following a short closure and makeover, Shinta Mani Resort has reopened as Shinta Mani Shack offering 62 rooms and two junior suites, in addition to a refurbished pool.

Shinta Mani Club is now Shinta Mani Angkor, an upscale boutique property showcasing 39 contemporary designed rooms and public spaces boasting Khmer-inspired design.

AccorHotels will manage three additional hotels in Myanmar by 2020, resulting from a partnership with Thai developer LP Holding.

Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort, rebranded from the Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel, will open this year. Set on 4.5ha of gardens, the property features 206 rooms; three dining outlets – Yadanabon, Mings Chinese and Kinsana Garden; and two bars – Kipling’s Lounge Bar and Garden Tivaratee. MICE facilities include a conference centre, a ballroom and three meeting rooms.

Pullman Yangon Centrepoint

An adjoining property is slated to open in 2020 as Mandalay Hill Resort, MGallery by Sofitel. The hotel will feature 150 guest rooms and villas, a restaurant and bar, in addition to an outdoor pool and spa shared with Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort.

Another hotel scheduled for opening this year is Pullman Yangon Centrepoint. Situated opposite Yangon’s High Court building and the Independence Monument Park, the newly built Pullman Yangon Centrepoint will be part of the Centrepoint Towers commercial building developed by LP Holding.

The hotel features 300 guest rooms, an all-day-dining outlet, two specialty restaurants, a destination sky bar and lobby lounge. Meetings and events space include a ballroom and ten meeting rooms, while leisure facilities include a pool, fitness centre and a spa.

Passengers flying to the US from from Abu Dhabi International Airport are allowed carry-on laptop computers in airline cabins again.

The restrictions, implemented in March on some airports and airlines in the Middle East and Africa, have also been lifted for Etihad Airways.

Both the airport and airline have implemented initial enhanced security measures, the US Transportation Safety Administration stated.

Airlines and airports still on the list include Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar and the UAE.

Cairns will receive its first direct connection from China when China Southern Airlines begins its thrice-weekly flights from Guangzhou on an Airbus A330-200 aircraft this December, following the airline’s recently launched flights to Sydney and Adelaide.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) chair, Max Shepherd, said: “Established under the Queensland Government’s A$33.5 million (US$25.7 million) Advance Queensland: Connecting with Asia initiative, this will be the first direct year-round service from mainland China to Cairns.”

Cairns Esplanade

Growth from China continued for the year ending March 2017, delivering 218,000 visitors to Tropical North Queensland, an 8.8 per cent increase which represented more than half of Queensland’s 406,000 Chinese holiday visitors.

The Guangzhou-Cairns service will provide a substantial opportunity to build on the growth in arrivals from the region’s top source market, said Shepherd. Offering a total of 33,852 seats, this new sector is projected to inject A$30.8 million in overnight visitor expenditure for the region in the first year and A$90 million over three years.

“TTNQ developed the concept for Australia’s Tropical Resort Holiday Destination two and a half years ago as a catalyst for the introduction of direct flights to Cairns,” Shephard said, adding that the region has since been seeking to position itself as not just a group holiday but also mono destination for the burgeoning Chinese FIT market.

Cairns Airport CEO Norris Carter expects the service will “open up (the) Canton Route for travel between Europe and Cairns”, and marks a welcomed news for the region in the 2017 China Australia Year of Tourism.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is offering a total of S$1 million (US$726,467) to Singapore-based businesses for innovative marketing campaign ideas that feature the Singapore story.

Successful applicants of the Marketing Innovation Programme will each receive a dollar-for-dollar matching award of up to S$300,000 (excluding GST), to amplify the distribution of the campaign.

Applicants will be evaluated by a panel of STB and industry representatives, against a set of evaluation criteria such as innovativeness, potential to drive tourism outcomes and feasibility.

Open to businesses from both travel and non-travel industries, applications for the programme closes on August 31.

STB director of marketing partnerships and planning Jacqueline Ng told TTG Asia: “We hope to double the reach and impact of these campaigns amongst our target audience. This will help us to boost destination awareness of Singapore and… bring the destination to life in the minds of potential visitors.”

The board listed five target customer segments: working adults aged 25-34 years (Early Careers) and 40-49 (Established Careers), families travelling with children aged 12 and below (Families with young kids), seniors aged 55 and above (Active Silvers), and Business Event Visitors comprising MICE delegates.

“Each of the different customer segments has varying needs and interests. For example, family travellers view their holidays as time to bond with their children,” explained Ng. “Meanwhile, millennial travellers are more likely to be interested in experiencing different cultures and tasting a variety of local cuisines, and are also looking for opportunities to meet new people and connect with locals.”

Ng added: “The programme aims to inspire a culture of innovation and experimentation in marketing, and encourage marketers in Singapore to reimagine, disrupt and set new benchmarks for destination marketing.”