Japanese travel agency H.I.S. International Travel (H.I.S.) is adopting Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense to position itself as the preferred travel agency for corporations.

H.I.S. is first leveraging the tool in Singapore, where it anticipates a high and growing demand for business travel management services, before using it in other markets across the region.

With Amadeus cytric Travel & Expense, business travellers will be able to plan and book their travel and compile and generate expense reports on their mobile devices, eliminating the need to manually account for costs incurred throughout their journey.

Corporations likewise will enjoy visibility into an employee’s travel expenses, increasing compliance with policies and streamlining financial processes.

Eddie Kheng, outbound manager (Singapore market), H.I.S., said: “Singapore as a business hub is where many corporations have established their regional headquarters. They have large populations of travelling employees and we see a huge opportunity to help these corporations get more out of their corporate travel programmes.”

Princess Cruises has launched online cruise booking services for consumers in South-east Asia, but its director for South-east Asia, Farriek Tawfik, insists that travel agents remain “the mainstay of business”.

When booking online, guests have the option of choosing the location of their cabins and view fares for the various categories of cabins. They have three payment options: to hold the booking with no deposit; book with a deposit; or make payment in full. Payment modes include via credit card.

“Since beginning homeport cruising from Singapore three years ago, we have seen an increase in the number of repeat cruisers and our website aims to attract these guests,” said Tawfik.

“The digital age has brought a surge in travel-related online activity and we believe Internet-savvy travellers in Asia are ready for a direct online booking capability.”

Guests in mature cruise markets such as North America, the UK and Australia are already able to book their cruises online.

Tawfik added: “This does not in any way, change the important role that travel agents play as they continue to provide valuable resources to our guests and remain the mainstay of our business.”

He stressed that guests still have the option of booking their cruises with their preferred travel agent and this channel is recommended for guests who have more complex itineraries such as those requiring airline bookings, pre- and post-hotel accommodation, ground transportation and visa applications. First-time cruisers are also recommended to go through travel agents who will be able to answer queries by phone or face to face.

According to a Princess Cruises statement, various sources estimate online cruise bookings to be less than 10 per cent of the market globally, and the percentage is lower for longer sailings.

The Mekong Innovative Startup Tourism (MIST) Initiative has announced two new accelerators to help tourism business get established in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The MIST Startup Accelerator will take entries from early-stage companies with either travel technology or traditional tourism business plans, while the MIST Market Access Accelerator welcomes mature international tourism startups that need assistance to enter the region.

Applicants must demonstrate how they will create jobs, generate positive community impact and contribute to sustainable tourism growth in the Mekong Subregion.

“The MIST accelerator programmes give a leg up to tourism investments that create jobs, help local communities and support entrepreneurship, especially for women,” explained Dominic Mellor, senior Asian Development Bank economist and head of the Mekong Business Initiative (MBI).

Successful applicants accepted into the MIST Startup Accelerator will attend mini bootcamps to further develop their business plans. The top business plans for each country market will win MIST Innovation Grants, with the best overall receiving US$10,000 and the three runners-up receiving US$7,000.

Meanwhile, the MIST Market Access Accelerator participants will join fam tours of the relevant markets to receive coaching, custom market insights, and introductions to supplier networks and relevant stakeholders.

As well, participants in both MIST accelerators will pitch their plans to investors, global acceleration programmes and tourism leaders at the Mekong Tourism Forum in Luang Prabang in June and the APEC Summit in Danang in November. In-country teams will provide additional advisory services tailored to participants’ business needs.

“The Great Mekong Subregion is among the fastest-growing tourism destinations. Startups can disrupt traditional practices to adapt to changing consumer behaviours, but let’s also encourage responsible innovation that enhances the region’s appeal for future generations,” said Jens Thraenhart, executive director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO).

A joint venture of the MTCO and MBI, MIST receives regional funding, advisory and technical support from the Asian Development Bank, the Government of Australia, Amadeus Next, PATA and Village Capital.

Applications close March 19, 2017

Zoom Air, India’s newest private airline and the 10^th schedule carrier for domestic skies, will commence its maiden operations today with its Delhi-Kolkata-Durgapur-Delhi daily service, after receiving its schedule operating permit from India’s Director General of Civil Aviation earlier this month.

The full-service carrier is utilising the 50-seater Bombardier CRJ-200LR aircraft on this sector, which is on a dry lease, and will be adding four more similar aircraft to its fleet in the coming months.

The new airline will focus on serving the underserved airports in the country, according to Koustav Dhar, CEO and director of Zoom Air. “We will fill the gap of connecting sectors which are less catered by other scheduled airlines. (For example), Durgapur is an industrial hub (in West Bengal) with a huge potential for air connectivity,” he said.

Moving forward, Zoom Air has plans to begin daily flights on the Delhi-Surat-Bhavnagar-Delhi sector in early April. It is also looking to connect Delhi and Kolkata to destinations such as Tirupati, Vijayawada, Mumbai, Shillong, Aizawl, Pasighat and Ziro.

Zoom Air intends to hit 32 to 35 scheduled departures a day in the next four to five months, Dhar shared.

As well, the airline hopes to begin international operations in about a year’s time to neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar.

Dhar elaborated: “There is huge traffic from India’s north-east into Myanmar. As for Bangladesh, Indian carriers currently only fly to Dhaka. We are looking at unserved destinations like Chittagong there.”

Giza pyramids in Cairo, Egypt

Several outbound agents are keen to put Egypt back on the travel radar for Malaysians by leveraging cheaper ground prices and promoting the destination more aggressively at the upcoming MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Egypt’s unrest and political instability in 2014 had caused some outbound agents in Malaysia to stop selling the country. The Malaysian government had earlier issued a travel advisory as well, urging Malaysian to defer or reschedule their non-essential travel there.

Desmond Lee, group managing director of Apple Vacations & Conventions, said: “We started to promote the destination again in October 2016. Last year, we had three series groups. But as of Chinese New Year until April this year, we will have five departures in total.

“In general, ground arrangements are around 20 to 30 per cent less throughout the country as compared to 2013 rates. For US$100, we can now get a five-star hotel in Cairo and Aswan; in the past, US$100 could only fetch a four-star property,” said Lee, anticipating the special package rates to drive demand for Egypt at the MATTA Fair.

Another outbound player, Cooper Huang, CEO of Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, will be selling a nine-day, seven-night package covering Cairo, Aswan, Abu Simbel and Luxor at the upcoming fair, for series departures from April 2017 until March 2018.

Said Huang: “Middle Eastern carriers are offering competitive fares, and ground rates are also competitive. This is enticing many first timers who have never been to Egypt before. The main draw in Egypt is still the pyramids.”

The Matta Fair 2017 will be held from March 17-19 at the PWTC Kuala Lumpur.

The year 2016 ended on a high note for the Singapore tourism sector as visitor arrivals and tourism receipts exceeded forecasts and hit record highs, according to Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) Year-in-Review 2016.

Visitor arrivals increased 7.7 per cent to 16.4 million, while tourism receipts jumped even higher by 13.9 per cent and is expected to reach S$24.8 billion (US$17.4 billion), based on preliminary estimates.

China (up 36 per cent), Indonesia (up six per cent) and India (up eight per cent) topped the visitor arrival growth charts on the back of STB intensifying its marketing efforts in tier one and two cities in the three countries. Notably, India overtook Australia to emerge as the lion city’s fourth largest source market for visitor arrivals.

The surge in tourism receipts was largely due to the historical high of visitor arrivals, as well as increased spending on per-capita basis on F&B, shopping and accommodation.

On the other hand, the largest declines in visitor arrivals were posted by Hong Kong (down 12 per cent), Malaysia (down two per cent), Australia (down two per cent), South Korea (down two per cent) and Japan (down one per cent), a result of weaker economic performance in the first three source markets and Zika concerns for the latter two.

Business tourism was also in the spotlight in 2016 with STB supporting over 410 business events resulting in a 15 per cent year-on-year climb. These events recorded 343,000 visitor arrivals, bringing in approximately S$611 million in tourism receipts, a 20 per cent and 28 per cent year-on-year growth respectively.

The cruise industry was also another highlight, recording a 16 per cent year-on-year rise in passenger throughput to about 1.2 million and 10 maiden calls.

STB’s chief executive Lionel Yeo said: “We are heartened by the strong tourism sector performance in 2016. Despite challenges such as weaker economic performance in some of Singapore’s top source markets and a Zika virus outbreak, Singapore has managed to attract more quality visitors to contribute to economic growth.”

Looking ahead in 2017, STB noted the challenges of global economic and political uncertaincies as well as a rising regional competition for tourism dollars, but forecasts tourism receipts to be in the range of S$25.1-S$25.8 billion (one to four per cent growth) and international visitor arrivals to be in the range of 16.4-16.7 million (up to two per cent growth).

The Apartment Suite’s living room

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong has unveiled the first of two new suites along with an introductory package.

Located on the hotel’s top floor, the 140m² Apartment Suite was designed by Hong Kong architect Joyce Wang. The space is split into a living area, dining room, Gaggenau kitchen and a master bedroom complete with a bathtub and rain shower.

It can be transformed into a bigger two-bedroom residence when combined with an adjacent L450 guestroom with an interconnecting door.

A second super-entertainment suite is scheduled for completion in mid-2017, and will be the hotel’s largest.

The Central Retreat accommodation package is priced at HK$50,000 (US$6,444) a night and includes a HK$5,000 credit for use at Amber restaurant, MO Bar or The Oriental Spa, airport transfers, breakfast, Internet and complimentary minibar. It is valid until June 30, 2017 and is subject to availability.

Reservations can be by calling +852 2132 0088 or emailing lmhkg-reservations@mohg.com.

Okura Nikko Hotel Management announced it will open its first property located in Nagoya come 2019, after recently signing a contract with Enuwan to manage and operate the hotel.

Hotel JAL City Nagoya Nishiki will be located in Fushimi – a riverside area that is just beginning its transition into a future commercial district – seven minutes from Fushimi Station on the Nagoya Municipal Subway.

A feature of this mode of travel is the flexibility, where travellers can stop at any attraction that catches their interest, cook up a meal within the campervan and stop for scenic break wherever.

Supplied in the campervan are linen and bedding, kitchen essentials, including crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils plus all general living gear. Some campervans also come with a DVD player and a flatscreen TV.

The first Campervan Convoys tour will depart on June 3 this year to Western Australia for an eight-day programme. The package includes return airfare by Singapore Airlines, a farm tour, a dolphin cruise, and a six-day Britz campervan rental.

Singapore’s Chan Brothers Travel has introduced Campervan Convoys to its of Free & Easy+ holidays.

Campervan Convoys are fully escorted by a guide from Singapore throughout the entire journey. Regardless, drivers can travel at a comfortable pace and meet at pre-set destinations along the way.

A feature of this mode of travel is the flexibility, where travellers can stop at any attraction that catches their interest, cook up a meal within the campervan and stop for scenic break wherever.

Supplied in the campervan are linen and bedding, kitchen essentials, including crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils plus all general living gear. Some campervans also come with a DVD player and a flatscreen TV.

The first Campervan Convoys tour will depart on June 3 this year to Western Australia for an eight-day programme. The package includes return airfare by Singapore Airlines, a farm tour, a dolphin cruise, and a six-day Britz campervan rental.

VietJet will start flying between Danang and Seoul on May 31, 2017.

A new route, the flight time per leg will be 4.5 hours and operated on a daily basis. The flight will depart at Danang 23.45 and arrive in Seoul at 06.00. The return flight will take off at 07.00 and land at 9.40 in Danang. All times are local.

Danang is the fourth destination in Vietnam to be connected to Seoul, after Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Hai Phong.