A new European leisure airline group is set to emerge from a joint venture between Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) and Europe’s largest tour operator TUI.

The new airline group, headquartered in Vienna, will have a fleet of around 60 aircraft offering 15 million seats capacity per year. It will start operations in April 2017, serving destinations in the Balearics, Canaries, mainland Spain and Greece from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The planned transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals, will be preceded by Air Berlin divesting its 49.8 per cent share in its subsidiary carrier Niki to EAG’s subsidiary Etihad Investment Holding Company (Etihad).

At closing of the transaction, Etihad will immediately contribute the Niki share to the new airline group, and will neither control nor become a majority owner of Niki.

TUI will contribute its subsidiary TUIfly to the joint venture, including the 14 aircraft currently operated by TUIfly for Air Berlin under a wet-lease agreement.

TUI will hold 24.8 per cent of shares in the new company and Etihad 25 per cent, while the remaining 50.2 per cent will be controlled by the existing private foundation Niki Privatstiftung.

Meanwhile, Etihad’s acquisition of Air Berlin’s shares in Niki represents yet another cash injection into the debt-ridden airline, reportedly to the tune of US$321 million. Etihad had in 2012 bought a 29 per cent stake in Air Berlin in hopes of boosting its European network, but this was followed by years of loss-making performance by the German budget carrier.

The Parisian Macao

Industry members are confident that Macau, flush with a new crop of hotels and attractions, will be strong drawcards for outbound travellers from Singapore in the coming year.

The 13, MGM Cotai, City of Dreams Fifth Hotel Tower and Lisboa Palace will soon join the recently-opened Wynn Palace and The Parisian Macao, injecting 4,580 rooms into the city’s inventory over the next two years, said Grace Tong, Macao Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) representative in Singapore.

Singapore is Macau’s top per capita spend source market in Asia, growing 17.1 per cent year-on-year to 1,912 patacas (US$230) in 3Q2016. The average length of stay has also increased from 1.8 nights to two nights, Tong noted.

Although numbers for the first 10 months were down two per cent to 113,429 compared with the same period last year, MGTO’s B2B2C roadshow in May boosted 3Q2016 visitor arrivals and Singapore is expected to end the year in positive territory this year.

Tong added: “Apart from gaming, new attractions like Anim’Arte Nam Van which transformed Nam Van Lakeside Plaza into a waterfront leisure and culture hub offering creative activities, dining and performances, and the year-end Light Festival are giving Singaporeans more reasons to visit or revisit Macau.”

Nancy Tan, managing director, Ik Chin Travel Service, concurred: “We will definitely push Macau as a gourmet, shopping and spa destination with four-day/three-night programmes or a six-day/five-night programme that will include Zhuhai and Zhongshan in Guangzhou.”

Cynthia Kho, assistant general manager, tour, WTS Travel & Tours, said the agency is looking at “less extravagant” programmes to suit customers who are watchful of their travel spending amid a subdued economic outlook.

“There is increasing demand for twin-city programmes and our Macau packages will also include Hong Kong, Zhuhai or the Pearl River Delta on top of the one- to two-night stays in Macau,” she said.

As well, a Scoot sales representative told TTG Asia that the airline is looking into increasing its capacity. Currently, Scoot flies daily to Macau, with an additional flight on Saturdays.

(From left) Hainan Airlines’ Hou Wei; Clark County’s Lawrence Weekly, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s Rossi Ralenkotter; and World Tourism Cities Federation and Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development’s Li Baochun at the inauguration ceremony

Hainan Airlines has commenced thrice-weekly flights between Beijing and Las Vegas on December 2, the only Chinese carrier to provide direct services between the two cities.

Utilising a Boeing 787, the service will depart Beijing at 14.20 and land in Las Vegas at 10.30. The return leg will depart from McCarran International Airport at 12.30 and land at Beijing Capital International Airport at 17.30 the following day.

The non-stop flight will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Hainan Airlines currently flies to 10 North American destinations from China.

Tourasia, a Swiss outbound tour operator specialising in Asia, has expanded into Poland with the opening of the Tourasia Polska subsidiary in Warsaw on December 1.

The company had already been handling Polish guests through its offices in Asia and is now strategically expanding its infrastructure.

According to Stephan Roemer, managing director of Tourasia, Poland is an emerging market for niche travel to Asia with many seasoned travellers seeking further-flung holiday destinations.

Through its new subsidiary, Tourasia plans to offer more premium products for Polish travellers while also catering to the tourist class segment.

The new office in Warsaw will be manned with a team of four managed by Piotr Chojnowski, who was formerly product director at TUI Poland and CEO of Onholidays.

Tourasia has presence in foreign markets through subsidiaries such as Tischler Reisen in Germany. In Asia, Tourasia operates its own DMCs in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The signing ceremony

Spain’s Meliá Hotels International has signed an agreement with Asset World (a member of Thailand’s TCC Group) to open the Meliá Bangkok in 2022, marking the group’s first property in the city and the second in Thailand.

Located in the city’s Sukhumvit district as part of a mixed-use development, the brand-new, upscale property will feature 315 guest rooms, numerous F&B outlets, a spa, a fitness centre and meeting facilities.

Meliá Hotels International currently has 126 properties worldwide. In Asia, the group currently has 13 hotels, with another 21 in the pipeline. Meliá Bangkok will be the 35th property in the region.

The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho, a Luxury Collection Hotel

Having gained a trio of luxury hotel brands following its acquisition of Starwood in September, Marriott International has created a new division for all its eight luxury brands in its roster.

Spanning across 61 countries, the Marriott International Luxury Brands group now includes St Regis, The Luxury Collection and W Hotels brands, in addition to The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, Edition and JW Marriott.

In 2017, Marriott International is scheduled to open nearly 30 luxury hotels and has a total of 180 luxury hotels in its development pipeline, including 20 new countries such as Iceland, Nepal and Cuba.

Said Tina Edmundson, global brand officer, Marriott International: “With luxury travel up nearly 50 per cent over the past five years, we see a long runway for growth at the high-end and have a world-class, dedicated luxury structure in place to nurture and strengthen this coveted portfolio of eight diverse luxury brands.”

Cho Hyun (centre), South Korea’s ambassador to India, with airport and airline executives at the launch ceremony

Korean Air has launched its inaugural Delhi-Incheon flight on December 2, linking the two cities with five-times weekly connections.

Utilising an Airbus A330-200 capable of seating 218, the service will depart from Incheon International Airport at 12.45 and land in Delhi at 18.20. The return flight departs Delhi at 19.40 and arrives at Incheon at 05.50 the following day.

The new service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Wealthy travellers in China are increasingly looking beyond the ordinary holiday experience, falling under a category of travellers that Reuter Communications refers to as ‘experience- and adventure-seeking tourists’ or EASTs.

According to the luxury and lifestyle communications agency, the shift has had a variety of drivers, from a desire to connect with nature, broaden the mind and live healthily, to the increasing value of experiences, bragging rights and a desire to rail against the mainstream.

TV adventure shows such as Dragon TV’s Survivor Games and public figures like Wang Shi (chairman of China’s largest real estate developer Vanke) climbing Everest have also had some influence in normalising once improbable destinations.

Delving further into the trend, Reuter Communications highlights key areas where preferences are shifting.

First, hotspots for luxury shopping like Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Paris are declining in popularity, while Colombia, Chile and Argentina have seen Chinese tourists increase by more than 20 per cent year-on-year. Ctrip also named Peru as its destination of the year in 2015.

Moreover, getting away from the mainstream is becoming a primary motivation, reinforced by the status that unconventional holidays now bring. These experiences are associated with positive self-development, and also project to other people the image of an extraordinary lifestyle.

Action sports are also becoming popular. According to a Citi Research report published in October 2016, sports tourism is the fastest-growing segment in China’s travel industry, due in large part to a desire to connect with nature, unplugging from screens and Wi-Fi, and getting active and healthy.

As well, with the market for jet-related industries in China estimated at US$152.3 billion, according to ABACE data, and charter jet companies offering easy access to private travel, the uptake in private jet charters across China are on the rise. Recent launches of refreshed first class cabins on major Chinese airlines and the growth of five-star cruises are also redefining first-class travel.

Amid these changes, luxury remain a coveted part of travel. “We are seeing a number of travellers balancing their trips between luxury and adventure. They might spend several days climbing in the foothills of Bhutan, but then they will head to a stunning resort like Amankora for indulgence and pampering,” said Lilian Lee, partner at Reuter Communications.