Moken village, Mergui

THE Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar is poised to open up to the broader tourism landscape within the next two years.

According to research by C9 Hotelworks, the archipelago, located in far southern Myanmar and comprising over 800 islands of varying sizes, is seeing a surge in tourism interest, especially from the upscale segment.

From 1,158 visitors in 2012, who all arrived via licenced marine vessels, the total number of arrivals in Mergui has risen to 146,736 for the January to June period of this year alone. This is mainly due to the opening of the Ranong-Kawthaung border between Thailand and Myanmar since August 2013.

Entry into Mergui requires a permit which ranges between US$120 and US$170 in price, depending on the length of stay and area travelled. However, only licenced tour operators may purchase one, meaning FIT travel is barred for now.

This is expected to change as new hotels come online, stated Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks.

As of 2015, there are 21 licensed yacht operators in Myanmar for overnight trips, 20 of which are situated in Thailand. Of those, Phuket is home to 13, Ranong hosts five and there is one each in Phang Nga and Bangkok.

Burma Boating is one company that has plans to continue expansion in the region and will increase its fleet size to cater to increased demand from luxury clients. It will be offering a seven-day itinerary twice a month at US$5,000 per person.

Hotels there too are set to expand. At current, there are two hotels in Mergui, namely the Grand Andaman Resort on Tha Htay Kyun Island and the Myanmar Andaman Resort on Macleod Island, totalling 227 keys.

Accommodation options are set to boom with 12 approved projects in the pipeline as of mid-2016.

Murray Building

AS TIPPED by TTG Asia e-Daily on June 30, the iconic Murray Building in Hong Kong, quite possibly the last remaining prime site in Central for a major hotel, will be branded a Niccolo by Marco Polo.

The tall white landmark structure, with its distinctive arches and unique recessed windows, was built in 1969 and is renowned for its ground-breaking and energy-efficient design.

World-renowned architects Foster and Partners, whose works in Hong Kong include The Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank headquarters and the Hong Kong International Airport, have been engaged as designers for the project.

With 336 rooms, The Murray, a Niccolo Hotel, Hong Kong aims to offer a stunning rooftop bar with some of the most breathtaking views of the city and a series of signature restaurants, among other features. The hotel is scheduled to open at the end of October 2017.

Its general manager, Duncan Palmer, said he was confident the hotel would be the preferred address for visiting dignitaries, captains of industry and leaders in style, just as the first Niccolo Chengdu, which opened in April 2015, is today.

Jennifer Cronin, president of Niccolo Hotels, said: “The Chengdu property is a great success and we are very excited to be able to announce another even more exciting landmark project for Hong Kong. The Murray, a Niccolo Hotel, Hong Kong will certainly establish our Niccolo brand and the excellence it stands for firmly in the minds of international travellers.”

Alexandre de Juniac

SPEED and innovation are key factors for securing the future of a healthy global air transportation industry in a world that is growing in uncertainty.

Newly-appointed IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said during his keynote speech at the IATA World Financial Symposium yesterday that the industry was having “a very good year” and is forecasted to achieve a collective net profit of US$39.4 billion, which would be a record.

However, the former Air France-KLM Group chairman cautioned that potential risks that can stumble this profitability include a sudden rise in oil prices, an increase in terrorism, a sharp economic downturn and a retreat from the principles of free trade by one or more major economies.

He said: “Uncertainty is ahead of us. I am a big believer in speed and innovation. We cannot know the future. But we need to be prepared to react quickly when the environment changes. That’s not easy for any business – and it is a real struggle for process-driven industries like air transport.”

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of the symposium, IATA’s chief economist Brian Pearce elaborated that in light of “record profitability” for the aviation industry this year, consumers will see a substantial increase in the value they derive from air transport, including a reduction in what they pay.

Highlighting the growth in LCCs by 50 per cent today, compared to 10 years ago, Pearce said this has resulted in a “travel boom” with especially strong competition among airlines for consumers in Asia-Pacific.

“Especially in this part of the world (Asia), consumers will stand to benefit a lot from lower fuel prices with lower fares and more routes,” he said.

A Japanese tour guide in Matsue, Japan

THE Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is planning to further deregulate the industry.

Current proposals include a relaxation of rules governing bilingual tour guides and to permit hotels to sell tour packages.

Tour operators have welcomed the move. “We are very happy and we see it as another step by the government in the right direction,” said Ashley Harvey, manager, president’s office, of Walk Japan.

“We believe it shows that the authorities here are doing what they can to get up to speed with tourism and we’re delighted to see them taking it seriously,” he added.

Japan is expecting tourist numbers to easily surpass the 20 million figure this year and has set a target of 40 million overseas arrivals by 2020.

According to JNTO and the Japan Tourism Agency, deregulation and heavy investment in infrastructure is required to help reach that goal.

At present, 75 per cent of licensed bilingual tour guides are based in the nation’s big cities, leaving large gaps in coverage of more rural areas. In addition, 70 per cent of them are fluent in English and Japanese and not other languages.

Yet, Hidesada Shimazaki, an English-language guide based in Tokyo, warns that overly zealous deregulation could create more guides than there are positions.

“I believe there are about the right number of guides at the moment, especially because many FITs and Western travellers in general do not require guides when they go to rural areas,” he said.

“Also, I fear that the quality of guides will go down if they make the tests too easy, and that would not be good for travellers either.”

At present, the test to be a licensed guide is held once a year and includes tests on language, Japanese history and the geography of Japan. Only around 20 per cent of applicants pass each year.