Montano (left) being sworn in by tourism secretary Wanda Teo

Following Cesar Montano’s appointment to COO of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), marketing arm of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT), the private sector’s initial opposition over his lack of qualifications seems to have quietened to a pensive acceptance.

A familiar face in the local show business, Montano replaced Domingo Ramon Enerio III, who ended his 36-year stint with the DoT and its attached agencies when he went on early retirement last August, one of the casualties of the shakeup under the new administration.

TPB deputy COO, international promotions department, Maricon Ebron, commented: “Cesar comes in with fresh perspectives on how to best promote the Philippines. He is smart and pregnant with ideas. He can do the job.”

Rajah Tours president, Jojo Clemente, said: “I’m not putting down Cesar nor his ideas, but the concern is that he may not have enough experience considering the fact that we’re in a very delicate situation right now as far as our image is concerned.

“The job of the TPB COO entails a lot of aspects. It’s not just about promoting; it also involves administrative, fiscal and other functions, which we are not yet sure if Cesar can bring to the job.”

Nonetheless, Clemente expressed that the trade should be supportive of Montano “to achieve the common goal of promoting the Philippines and bringing in quality tourists”.

GlobalWings Travel and Tours’ general manager Alexander Divinagracia agreed: “Cesar might be a neophyte in the tourism industry but the work in promoting the country is the concerted effort of everybody.”

He believes Montano possesses the enthusiasm to listen and work with other tourism professionals “for the common good”.

“The appointment of anybody is the (Philippine) president’s discretion. I have to respect that,” Divinagracia concluded.

Ananda Temple

The Ananda Temple in Myanmar’s Old Bagan comes to life as villagers and monks flood into its grounds to celebrate its namesake festival, taking place from January 12-27.

A spectacle of tradition, the Ananda Festival will see 1,000 monks chanting scriptures continuously for 72 hours, while thousands of villagers arrive with ox carts to buy clothes, furniture and kitchenware from vendors from around the country. Many families attending the annual event will camp around the temple.

The celebrations continue through the night, with performances such as traditional dances, marionettes shows, slapstick comedy (with actual slapsticks), singing and movie projections starting at 21.00.

And on the morning of the full moon day, villagers would offer gift bowls to the monks.

Located east of the city walls of Old Bagan, the Buddhist temple was built in 1105 during the reign of King Kyanzittha of the Pagan Dynasty. It is one of four surviving temples in Bagan and has been titled the “Westminster Abbey of Burma”.

With the 2017 Chinese New Year celebrating the year of the rooster just around the corner, Singapore outbound agents are reporting healthy travel demand despite a dismal economy.

Attributing the strong Singapore dollar as one of the key factors driving demand, Chan Brothers Travel’s spokesperson Joyce Tan said: “Regardless of a good or bad economy, there are always good travel offerings or forex savings to be mined for the prudent traveller.”

Despite not seeing a significant uptick in booking numbers, the fact that Singaporeans are still able to travel for long stretches of up to 13 days are encouraging signs in a weak economy, noted Issac Ng, spokesperson at ASA Holidays, adding that regional countries like Malaysia and Thailand are most sought after.

This strong wanderlust, remarked Dynasty Travel’s managing director Clifford Neo, is because “travel has become a lifestyle among Singaporeans”. But travellers may tweak their itineraries accordingly, oping for shorter trips or destinations that they have stronger buying power like Japan, Australia and Malaysia, he added.

But as this Chinese New Year falls shortly after the recent year-end holidays, Neo does not see an exponential increase in the number of outbound travellers for the upcoming festive season, especially for the longhaul destinations, as many had just taken their long breaks.

Meanwhile, regional cruises are especially popular for Chan Brothers, according to Tan, hiking 20 to 30 per cent in demand from the last Chinese New Year. She said: “Cruises offer the opportunity for multi-generational families to travel together due to the convenience and proximity of onboard accommodation and facilities.”

In its latest campaign, Jetstar Asia is encouraging travellers to stay home during this celebratory period to be with their loved ones by waiving all change fees and fare difference for passengers who decide to move their flight departures on January 27 and 28.

Genting Hong Kong’s Lim Kok Thay, Dream Cruises’ Thatcher Brown, and Meyer Werft’s Henning Stellermann and Bernard Meyer during the traditional lucky coins ceremony

Genting Hong Kong and Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard earlier this week celebrated the keel laying of World Dream, the second new-build ship for Asian luxury cruise line Dream Cruises.

During the traditional ceremony that marks the formal start of a new ship’s construction, block number 3 – one of the 92 blocks that will complete the 151,000-tonnage ship – was lifted into the building dock to officially start the block assembly for World Dream.

In keeping with tradition, Thatcher Brown, president of Dream Cruises, laid customary “lucky coins” under the keel block as a symbol of good fortune and to bless the ship.

Upon completion, the 21-deck World Dream will be able to accommodate over 3,300 guests in 1,700 staterooms, of which 70 per cent have private balconies and over 100 offer connecting rooms.

Facilities onboard will include a spa, over 1,000m² of luxury shops, six water slides, a Zouk nightclub, as well as numerous F&B options. Special attention will also be given to the meetings and incentive market, with numerous spaces and services designed to accommodate group needs.

Lim Kok Thay, chairman and CEO, Genting Hong Kong, said: “World Dream will push the bar even higher for the cruise industry through her quality construction and customised design, best in-class service and diverse range of entertainment, dining, leisure and recreation options.”

World Dream is scheduled to debut in November this year to join sister ship Genting Dream.