(From left) Mohd Rafin, Park Hotel Group’s chief corporate officer; Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim, director of Malaysian Investment Development Authority; Allen Law, Park Hotel Group’s CEO; Teo Chai Hock, managing director of Jaya Mapan Sdn Bhd; Kua Song Tuck, director of Jaya Mapan Sdn Bhd; and Pang Swe Haw, general manager of Jaya Mapan Sdn Bhda

PARK Hotel Group will open its first hotel in Malaysia with a Malacca property scheduled to open in the first half of 2019.

The group signed a management contract for Park Hotel Melaka with a subsidiary of Malaysian developer Jaya Mapan last Friday, marking a step forward in the group’s Asia-Pacific expansion following the opening of Park Hotel Nusa Dua in Indonesia late last year.

Featuring 245 keys over 16 storeys, the new property will sit alongside retail outlets, offices, and serviced apartments that form mixed-use development The Green, located in the entertainment and business district of Kota Laksamana.

Facilities at the new-build hotel include a bistro, rooftop bar, infinity pool, sauna, gymnasium and meeting spaces for 30-100 pax.

Attractions such as the historical A’Famosa fortress, St Paul’s Church and Baba and Nyonya Museum are 10 minutes away, while the commercial area in Melaka Raya is within five minutes from the hotel.

Commenting on the significance of Malacca in the group’s expansion strategy, Allen Law, Park Hotel Group’s CEO, said: “Malaysia’s international tourist arrivals increased from 16 to 26 million over the last 10 years… and Malacca, as its historical city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site will receive increased attention and visits as it continues to develop.”

Mohd Rafin, Park Hotel Group’s chief corporate officer, added that Malacca is a major destination that the government is “putting a lot of efforts in”, pointing to upcoming developments such as the 609-acre Melaka Gateway precinct.

As well, Park Hotel Melaka will open in time to benefit from the expected increase in tourist footfall after the launch of Impression Melaka in 2018, a famed musical production to be performed outside China for the first time, added Rafin.

The group, which operates 11 hotels in Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Japan, hopes to grow its portfolio by “two to three hotels per year”, with Park Hotel Farrer Park in Singapore set to open this year and a new property in Australia’s Adelaide slated for 2018.

South Korea is likely to be the next market in line, shared the group with reporters last week.

LION Air has taken legal action against Indonesia’s civil aviation authority by accusing Suprasetyo, the director general of air transportation, for “power abuse”.

The action was taken following the sanction imposed by Suprasetyo on Lion Air’s ground handling agent at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for mishandling international passengers.

Edward Sirait, general affairs director of Lion Air in a press conference last weekend, said: “The government has imposed sanction without warning and even before investigation is conducted.”

He pointed out that the requirement to find a new ground handling agent within five days was also unrealistic. “The government’s role is to supervise, not to destroy (a company),” he added.

In response, Suprasetyo said he was not worried as all was done according to regulation. “We are ready to face it. The sanction we have imposed is in accordance with the law,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lion Air had submitted a request to the Ministry of Transportation to halt 93 domestic and two regional routes for one month as of May 18. The request, which was approved by the authority, took place after the sanction was imposed.

The route suspensions are not related to the sanction, according to Lion Air, but due to the seasonal shoulder period.

(From left) Gede Supriatna, chairman of local house of representatives of Buleleng; Douglas Foo, SMF president & chairman of Sakae Corporate Advisory; HE Ngurah Swajaya, the ambassador of Indonesia; HE Putu Agus Suradnyana, regent of Buleleng Bali; Haryono Eddyarto, president director of PT Baruna; Dewa Ketut Puspaka, regional secretary of Buleleng Regency; Saharto Sahardjo, president commissioner of PT Baruna Indonesia

SAKAE Corporate Advisory, Buleleng Regency and PT Baruna Indonesia have signed an MoU for the development and management of North Bali Airport, set to be located in Kubutambahan, Bali.

North Bali Airport will be developed in stages, with the signing signalling the kick-off of runway upgrades on the existing airport to accomodate larger planes.

The first phase will then see the establishment of a transit hotel and a parking area for private jets, while the second stage will see the development of a ferry terminal and a seaport designed for cruise ships and private yachts.

No further details are available, but Sakae Corporate Advisory is currently calling for investment in areas such as ground handling, operation and maintenance of supporting facilities, and infrastructure of the new airport.

SRILANKAN Airlines will be discontinuing flights to Paris soon after a major convention of French travel agents concludes in Colombo on the first week of November.

It had earlier on May 1 cut flights to Rome. Flights to Frankfurt and London will continue for now, it’s only remaining stops in Europe.

The airline, which reported an accumulated loss of 140 billion rupees (US$958 million) as of March 31, is being restructured to make it more attractive for acquisition, said Eran Wickremaratne, deputy ministry of the Public Enterprise Development in Sri Lanka to parliament on Tuesday.

“We have to dress up the bride to seek a proper suitor,” said the deputy minister, whose ministry handles the airline.

The airline has been in the news over the past few weeks after its burgeoning debt situation and weak financials were released by the government.

It is also currently undergoing staff cuts with a voluntary retirement scheme on the cards for its 7,000 strong workforce.

SriLankan Airlines’ chairman Ajit Dias says the goal now is to change its focus, especially towards India, and will position itself as an Asian carrier.

The airline currently has 100 weekly flights to India and is now sourcing for a local public relations agency there.

THE fate of EgyptAir flight MS804 is still uncertain, but airlines with businesses in the Middle East and Europe can already expect backlash from the incident, at least for the near future, according to consultancy Global Market Advisors.

“(We are) short-term financially negative for airlines with exposure to the Middle East region, largely affecting European and Gulf state carriers,” said Jonathan Galaviz, senior industry analyst – airlines at Global Market Advisors.

“(There will also be) significant frictional costs over the next few weeks from increased security, media coverage, and operational security at airports located in the MENA region.”

Global news media have spread word of flight MS804’s disappearance from radar tracking systems since yesterday, but it is still inconclusive what happened to the A320 with 59 passengers and 10 crew members onboard.

Confusion is now rife after conflicting reports of the plane’s fate hit news outlets. EgyptAir earlier reported that the plane’s debris have been found before backpedaling to say that it does not belong to MS804.

The latest official statement from EgyptAir, which is wholly owned by the Egyptian government, indicates that the search is still ongoing with the Egyptian air force, navy and army all mobilised. Search teams from France, Greece, the UK and the US are also onsite.

The leading suspicion now is terrorism, according to Egypt’s aviation minister Sherif Fathy.

Galaviz said that the last major flight incident involving Egypt (but not EgyptAir) was outbound Russian flight Metrojet 9268 leaving Sharm el-Sheikh city on October 31 last year, which happened about seven months ago.

“The investigation on that flight continues but terrorism was the defined cause,” he said.

As for the current ongoing incident, Galaviz predicts that “in the short-term there will be conflicting information and worry about the aviation sector in the region, but we remain bullish on the long-term prospects on airlines flying out of and headquartered in the Gulf States.”

Queen Victoria Memorial Clocktower in Georgetown, Penang

THE annual George Town Festival in Penang will take place from July 29 to August 28 this year, with more than 100 events set to spring up all around the city.

According to festival director Joe Sidek, the homegrown event attracted some 250,000 visitors over a one month period last year, and he expects the same crowd for this seventh edition.

Events, ranging from art and photography exhibitions to music and theatrical shows, will be held in a variety of venues including Dewan Sri Pinang Hall, Penang City Town Hall and Esplanade Padang Kota Lama.

Sidek says this year’s highlights will involve some of the best talents from Australia and South-east Asia in a two-day outdoor event called the A+SEAN Showcase.

Other highlights include the Snuff Puppets, gigantic hand-made art installations from Australia, as well as Svara Bhumi, George Town Festival 2016’s opening act featuring Australia’s leading aboriginal band, the Black Arm Band, New Zealand’s Ria Hall, and many others.

Meanwhile, The Eastern & Oriental Hotel located in the heart of George Town will serve as the backdrop for a theatre and dance show titled Pearl of the Eastern & Oriental, helmed by Singaporean artists Lim Yu Beng and Tan Kheng Hua.

The George Town Festival is inaugurated in 2010 in celebration of the city’s designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 2008.

The Sun & Moon Urban Hotel

CAMBODIA’s hotels are gearing up to better cater to the surge in Chinese tourists, especially FITs, to the country.

According to Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism’s latest figures, there were 81,032 Chinese arrivals in the month of February compared to 70,965 the same time last year, a 14.2 per cent hike.

While most traditionally came in tour groups, hoteliers have noticed a shift towards independent travel.

“More Chinese young professionals are staying with us. They are mostly couples who aren’t attracted to mass tourism and are familiar with the highest standards in the hospitality industry,” said Alexis de Suremain, co-founder of hospitality group Maads.

The group owns several boutique hotels, including The Plantation and The Pavilion in Phnom Penh, and Templation in Siem Reap.

This sentiment is echoed by Sarai Resort & Spa’s resident manager, Chea Sokhon, who said the hotel welcomed a rising number of “solo, couple and small group” travellers from China.

China also rose to become Sarai’s top source market this year, up two spots from 2015.

“To reach out to this segment, we will focus on digital marketing, including promotions on websites directed at this specific market, Chinese bloggers and joint marketing with Chinese specialist partners,” he said.

The Sun & Moon Urban Hotel in Phnom Penh is also seeing more guests from China, said Sambo Nov, the hotel’s executive assistant manager, adding that they will be offering more services catered to them such as having more Chinese speaking staff.