(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.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japanese travel agency HIS have announced a US$440,000 investment into domestic venture firm PD AeroSpace, which aims to send tourists into outer space as early as 2023.

The investment is meant to help the startup develop a next-generation engine for a passenger craft that switches between rocket and jet modes while offering “low-cost and safe access to space,” according to PD Aerospace.

HIS corporate planning department’s Tatsuki Miura told TTG Asia: “We see this as a new business opportunity, even though the first operational flight is not expected to take place until 2023.

“We expect initial demand to come from Japan, but that will grow to travellers from other countries quite quickly,” Miura added.

And while other companies are pioneering similar commercial spacecraft – notably Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic venture – Maho Ito, a spokeswoman for ANA, said the market for space travel and potential intergalactic destinations are expansive so “there will be enough business to go around”.

ANA will offer know-how in aircraft technology, while HIS will be responsible for the promotion of space travel, tickets and other ground services.

A single seat on the spacecraft is expected to cost around US$120,000.

The queue at immigration control at Suvarnabhumi Airport

A sharp drop in Chinese arrivals in October and November has pressured the Thai government to waive the 1,000 baht (US$28) visa fee for single-entry tourists of all nationalities effective November 30, instead of the 19 countries announced earlier last month.

Similarly, the visa-on-arrival fee is now halved from 2,000 baht to 1,000 baht from December 1, 2016 to February 28, 2017.

Yuthasak Supasorn, governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told TTG Asia that he is optimistic that this latest visa-fee waiver move will stimulate tourism arrivals upwards by 10 per cent during this high season from December to February.

Apart from recuperating declining Chinese arrivals in Thailand, this would attract more tourists from India and the Middle East, he added.

Inbound players like Adith Chairattananon, president of Golden Discovery Express, saw the move as one that could persuade potential travellers to visit Thailand.

“This is an effective marketing tool for tour agents to promote Thailand in China because a tour package is now cheaper by RMB200 (US$29) with the visa fee waiver. We hope the government will extend the incentive to May 2017 for more effective results,” said Adith.

The measure would make Thailand a more compelling choice for mass markets like China and India as well as last-minute travellers during the festive season, stated Supawan Tanomkieatipume, president of the Thai Hotels Association.

“We don’t want to see tourism hiccups in the peak season due to the decrease in Chinese arrivals over the zero-dollar crackdown,” said Supawan. “Above all, we don’t want to lose our clients to overseas competitors.”

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) will roll out its first InterContinental hotel in Laos come 2021, joining Crown Plaza Vientiane to be the group’s second property in the capital city.

Developed by Lao International Development, the 400-room hotel will be part of the upcoming World Trade Centre, a mixed-use complex that will house a large retail mall, medical centre, conference centre, office tower and residential towers.

Located adjacent to Lan Cang Avenue, Vietnam Street and French Street, InterContinental Vientiane will feature the signature Club Lounge, a swimming pool, spa and fitness centre, and several F&B outlets.

Leanne Harwood, vice president, operations, IHG, South-east Asia & Korea, said: “Laos is currently one of the region’s fastest growing nations with close to five million international arrivals each year and future infrastructural and industrial developments underway to continue boosting economic growth and attract foreign investment… It’s a great time to be bringing the InterContinental brand into the country to tap on this potential.”

Xiao Long, CEO, Lao International Development, agreed: “It’s an exciting time to be investing in Laos as the country sees improved intra-regional connectivity through the completed Kunming-Vientiane-Bangkok Highway connecting China, Laos and Thailand and the upcoming high-speed rail project that will link China to Laos in just a few years.

“We are confident these infrastructural developments will boost tourist arrivals, especially from surrounding nations, and the opening of InterContinental Vientiane will cater to the influx of travellers.”