InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) is offering those in the travel trade a special industry rate for bookings at Hotel Indigo Bangkok Wireless Road.

From now till December 15, bookings and stays by travel professionals start from about 3,000 baht (US$84) per night for its entry level superior rooms, compared to more than the 3,500 baht usually charged for rooms of the same category.

Prices are inclusive of breakfast and a staff ID is required upon check-in for verification.

Ascott has achieved record-breaking growth this year by securing more than 10,000 apartment units in 51 properties, bringing the company’s portfolio to more than 52,000 units globally.

Said Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s CEO: “Of these new units, 90 per cent are located in gateway cities across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.”

Half of the new inventory are contracts in South-east Asia. And according to an Ascott statement, Vietnam is one of its best performing countries and largest market in South-east Asia with the most number of properties. The company seeks to achieve 7,000 units there by 2020.

“This year, Ascott has also opened 20 properties with more than 3,700 units, our fastest pace ever. As more of the newly signed properties come into operation, we can expect a further boost to our management fee income,” Lee added.

Ascott’s latest additions are 10 new management contracts in Hanoi, Halong City, Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Manila and Cebu.

The travel trade in Cebu are hoping that the US will lift its travel advisory levied against the region’s southern territories despite businesses being unaffected.

The US issued the warning two weeks ago due to risk of kidnappings in Dalaguete, Santander and at the popular tourist haunt of Sumilon Island.

But as high season approaches and with no incidents involving tourists since then, local businesses hope the advisory can be removed so that things can go back to normal.

Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort had to issue an official statement to assure the public that “the island remains safe from any threat”. The resort said that apart from its own security detail, the Philippine Coast Guard also maintains a detachment on the island.

The Philippine National Police has added personnel in tourist areas as well, while working with their counterparts in the armed forces, navy and airforce to further intensify security protocols.

Operators such as Southwind Travel and Tours have not received booking cancellations on pre-booked tours due to the US travel advisory, but needed to take extra precautionary measures, according to its general manager Syrah Queblatin.

Two days after the advisory was made, a group of 10 bikers from Switzerland decided to go ahead with their sojourn to Siquijor, including spending two nights in Oslob and Badian, both located in southern Cebu.

Queblatin said she had to communicate with the hotel and local security forces in southern Cebu to ensure their safety, but was worth doing so to make sure nothing untoward happens.

A group of five South Koreans also went on a day tour to Badian with Southwind and returned safe and sound.

Rajah Tours sales officer Carla Molina reported that there were no tour cancellations for them as well, and that the demand for destinations like Oslob and Badian were not affected. She added that two US clients have just spent a day in Badian fully aware of the travel advisory.

Australia-based Fly365.com has become the first OTA in Asia-Pacific to utilise Travelport’s Rich Content & Branding technology, empowering the online platform with the same rich format tools and conveniences available to offline agencies.

This means that users of Fly365.com can get direct access to Travelport’s branded fares and ancillaries without going through a GDS smartpoint. The only other OTAs to implement this solution are UK-based Skylord Travel and Russia’s OneTwoTrip.

“Up till now, OTAs have had to create and manage their own content. This not only creates a lot of work for them but there is also a risk that the content is not actually reflective of what airlines want to say,” said Damian Hickey, vice president Asia Pacific and global sales strategy, air commerce at Travelport.

“Rich Content & Branding solves those problems for OTAs. They connect directly with Travelport as they normally would (via an API) and also allow the airlines to control and update the images, messaging descriptions, fare families and so on,” he explained.

At the same time, the OTAs retain autonomy in terms of deciding how the inventory is to be displayed to their end-user since the user experience and interface is wholly controlled by them.

While Hickey can’t reveal which OTAs are set to take on Rich Content & Branding next, he said that the solution is especially compelling to those they already have a partnership with. “It only makes their website better,” he said.
Fly365.com COO Scott Mayne adds that they have seen an increase in their margins and sales since rolling out Travelport’s Rich Content and Branding merchandising technology.

“Fly365.com is the only OTA in Australia that can offer Flexible Fare options, giving our customers more choice and a more transparent view on what is included in each fare category,” he said.

The European Commission is proposing to implement tighter border controls for visa-free travellers within the Schengen zone.

The proposed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) application process, expected to take no more than ten minutes and be valid for 5 years upon approval, is being introduced to strengthen pre-arrival security checks, according to the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA).

This will affect visitors from Europe’s largest, well-established markets including the US and Japan, added the ETOA.

“Schengen is a success story which has transformed the visitor economy in Europe. With a single visa it has facilitated trouble-free cross-border travel within the zone. It is an example of a civilising influence that has brought great commercial and cultural benefit,” said Tom Jenkins, ETOA’s chief executive.

“The reappearance of temporary controls reminds us that we cannot take this for granted. ETIAS will be successful only if it improves the arrivals process for ETIAS holders in European gateways. It will require careful consultation and implementation.”

He added that several factors will be taken into account, including keeping cost minimal, making application processes user-friendly, and ensuring hassle is reduced for successful applicants.

“The introduction of the ESTA regime for US-bound travellers caused an immediate drop-off in volume; we must avoid this with ETIAS. If it increases the number of origin markets on Schengen’s visa-free list, then this will be a long overdue and welcome development,” he added.

The European Commission further assured that the ETIAS authorisation will not be as strict as a visa and that nationals of visa liberalisation countries will still be able to travel visa-free.

Mega Maldives Airlines has made its entry into the Indian market with the launch of thrice-weekly flights between New Delhi and Malé starting yesterday, November 15. This also marks the first direct service between the two capital cities.

“Maldives is witnessing an increase in popularity with Indian tourists. Over 52,000 Indians visited Maldives in 2015, a year-on-year growth of 20 per cent,” said George Weinmann, founder and CEO of Mega Maldives Airlines.

The carrier is operating the route using a Boeing 737-800 with a configuration comprising 12 business class seats and 156 economy class seats.

Mega Maldives will also begin twice-weekly flights between Mumbai and Malé next month. “Our plans are to begin direct flights from South India to Maldives,” revealed Weinmann.

“We have to take time to allocate the routes and schedules and plan them out. Probably, in about a year’s time or more, we will begin flights from South India.”

Karan Anand – head, relationships of Indian tour operator Cox & Kings, believes the direct service will be a boon for business.

He said: “We welcome Mega Maldives Airlines as direct connectivity between India and Maldives will benefit both countries. Historically, it has been observed that when airlines connect to source markets directly, tourism between both countries increase by at least 25 per cent.”

The entry of Mega Maldives into India comes at a time when Maldives is seeing a major decline in the number of Chinese arrivals.

Departure lobby of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 2

Taiwanese are travelling less to Europe this year due to the region’s many high profile terror incidents and are instead heading to the US for their longhaul holidays, according to the chairman of Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF Taipei) C.T. Su.

As of September, Taiwanese outbound exceeded the 10 million mark, a year-on-year growth of over 10 per cent. While Taiwanese travel to Europe has declined, estimates by Brand USA indicate a growth in arrivals from Taiwan by 6 per cent.

Perry Li, spokesperson for Artisan Travel, who foresees a drop in travel to Europe this year, said: “The Taiwanese are worried about security in Europe and some have completely avoided going to destinations like Turkey and Paris while others have considered switching to travel to the US.”

Skylar Jiang, president of Skylar Travel, which specialises in Alaskan destinations, believes Taiwanese will avoid Europe and divert their travel plans to the US as well. “With Brand USA’s effort, the visitation from Taiwan to Alaska will be doubled this year,” she said.

Agreeing with the sentiment is Antonette Eckert, director of international tourism at the San Francisco Travel Association, which waved its flag for the first time at ITF Taipei held earlier this month.

“I am not surprised that more Taiwanese are travelling to the US because of the threat of terrorism in Europe,” she said, adding that they are making their very first presence at the tradeshow to make sure the mature Taiwan market is being tapped despite them not having offices there.

Wanda Group will soon break the record for the world’s largest indoor ski resort when RMB40 billion (US$5.9 million) Harbin Wanda City opens its doors in June 30, 2017.

Spanning 1.5 million square metres, the development’s main highlight is a 80,000m² indoor ski area with six ski slopes that can accommodate up to 3,000 pax at a time. There is also a 1,800m² indoor ice skating rink and a 15,000m² snow recreation area.

Other attractions include two amusement parks; an outdoor theme park with rollercoaster rides, live shows and parades; plus a movie theme park offering simulator rides, 4D shows and immersive theatrical performances.

As well, Wanda will operate three hotel brands within the resort to offer 1,095 rooms altogether, with more properties expected to be developed by third-party operators in the future. Other on-site facilities include a massive retail mall with a cinema, a 120m-high restaurant, MICE facilities and more.

Wanda Group marketing director Felicia Toh expects the domestic market as well as neighbouring Russia to form a majority of the clientele for Harbin Wanda City.