Durbar square in Kathmandu, Nepal a year after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake

ASIAN travel agents are being urged to bring clients back to Nepal, with the government drumming the message, ‘Safe, visit, enjoy and help Nepal’.

Nepal commemorated a year of the 7.8-magnitude Nepal earthquake that struck an area between the capital Kathmandu and the city of Pokhara on April 25, and in Singapore recently to correct misconceptions about safety or lack of infrastructure, Nepal ambassador to Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Laos, Khaga Nath Adhikari, said: “The airport was safe even on April 26 last year. More than 90 per cent of hotels in Kathmandu were safe and only three trekking routes were affected.

“The government has done two things: put photos of how damaged temples or monuments looked before the earthquake, so tourists could compare them with what they see today. If they are risky, the government forbids them from entering. It’s the same with trekking routes – if they are dangerous the government would not allow visitors on them – there is no way we want to risk the lives of tourists.”

Half of arrivals to Nepal is for holiday, and another 12.5 per cent each is for trekking and mountaineering, and pilgrimage, 2014 data from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation shows. With more than 750 monuments and monasteries destroyed by the earthquake, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives, along with concerns over safety and state of infrastructure such as hotels and roads, visitors have kept away. Nepal’s top markets in 2014 were India, China, the US, Sri Lanka (taking Thailand’s spot in 2013) and the UK.

When asked why tourists should return now, Adhikari said visitors would still be able to enjoy Nepal’s diverse attractions, be it culture, adventure, religious tours, etc, and while doing so they would be helping Nepal. “When Nepal people see tourists, we will feel we are not alone or isolated,” he said.

Adhikari expects Nepal arrivals to be back to 2014 level of 790,118 visitors by the end of this year or next.

Surreal Destinations Singapore recently brought a group of four people, three of them expats, from Singapore at their own request to Nepal. It intends to organise a CSR campaign to educate and create awareness of Nepal, tentatively in the last quarter.

Conrad Bali

GRAND Nikko Bali is bowing out after being part of the furniture in Nusa Dua, making way for a Hilton hotel effective December 1.

This will be the first Hilton-branded hotel in Bali and the third Hilton Worldwide hotel on the island after Conrad Bali and Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport.

Said Guy Phillips, senior vice president development, Asia and Australasia, Hilton Worldwide: “In partnership with P.T. Caterison Sukses, the Hilton Bali will be a strong addition to our portfolio.”

Hilton Bali will offer 389 rooms and 19 one-, two- and three-bedroom villas with beachfront, ocean or garden views. There will be five F&B outlets, meeting and banquet facilities spanning 3,737m² and other beachfront, cliff-top and poolside venues. The hotel will have four inter-connected swimming pools, a children’s lagoon, three tennis courts, a fitness centre and a kids’ club.

Charoen Wangananont, ATTA president. Photo credit: ATTA/Facebook

SIGNIFICANT drops in international arrivals from some source markets in the first quarter have rattled the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA), although business sentiments among Thai travel agents remain satisfactory.

ATTA president Charoen Wangananont said the domestic political situation and unfavourable economy in some markets, particularly Russia and Scandinavia, are repelling their travellers from Thailand.

According to ATTA numbers as of April 30, arrivals from Scandinavia last month totalled 4,286, down 43 per cent since end-2015, while the number of Russian tourists in the same period had fallen by 30 per cent to 107,305.

Agents have been relying more on Chinese arrivals instead, but that too comes with its own set of problems, added Charoen.

Tourists from China grew 71.14 per cent year-on-year to almost eight million arrivals in 2015, accounting for 26.55 per cent of total international arrivals in Thailand last year.

However, the competition for a slice of the pie has also resulted in conflicts with local people caused by some ill-mannered Chinese visitors, illegal tour guides and cheaply-priced travel packages.

In Q2, Charoen expects international arrivals in Thailand to rise 10 per cent year-on-year, compared with a 17 per cent growth seen in Q1, due to a high base during the same period last year.

By Sarun Saelee

– Rate quandary and the quest for high-yield clientele, read our Thailand report, TTG Asia, June 3 issue

Tobias Ragge, HRS’ CEO

SAME-DAY hotel bookings are on average 23 per cent cheaper than rooms booked in advance, according to a longitudinal study conducted by corporate reservations platform HRS.

An analysis of its corporate customers revealed that 58 per cent of them tend to make accommodation bookings up to two weeks in advance while 32 per cent book far in advance of more than 14 days.

The study stated: “In exchange for the early booking and the feeling of security, they have to accept room prices that are, on average, 10 per cent higher than short-term bookings. Last-minute bookers are able to secure rates that are, on average, the least expensive, paying almost a quarter less than those who plan ahead.”

It added that most of HRS’ last-minute bookings are made through mobile devices.

Said HRS CEO Tobias Ragge: “Mobile is the current trend and it will define the future of the travel industry. Even today, 40 per cent of all search queries we receive on our portal are made through smartphones and tablets.”

The report warns that there are exceptions to this phenomenon, such as during peak seasons caused by large-scale events, where room availability is made scarce, thus inflating room prices.

Devinder Ohri, NATAS president

THE National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) has appointed Devinder Ohri as its president for a second term.

Ohri, along with 10 other elected office-bearers that jointly form the NATAS Executive Committee, will serve from now till 2018, when the next election is to be held.

The committee sees six new members, including Steven Ler as deputy president, Albert Hong as secretary-general and Simon Er as treasurer.

According to a NATAS statement, four of the committee positions were contested by a rival team but Ohri’s administration managed to hold onto them “with an average margin of 66 per cent of the valid votes cast”.

Commenting on the internal rivalry put up by members presumably from those who set up the Travel Revolution fair, Ohri said: “Healthy competition in free and fairly contested elections is good for any democratic association because it ensures renewal as we mature and move forward.”

Interior of the Serengeti Migration Camp, part of Elewana Collection

MINOR Hotel Group has added the Elewana Collection, its fifth member brand, into the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) network.

The Elewana Collection consists of 15 lodges, camps and hotels across Kenya and Tanzania.

Integration of Elewana Collection into GHA is already completed and the alliance’s Discovery loyalty programme will be recognised and rewarded for stays at any of Elewana Collection’s properties.

Chris Hartley, GHA’s CEO, said: “Elewana further reinforces our belief that truly independent brands, which represent the culture and heritage of their region, are what the next generation of travellers are looking for.”

Minor’s association with GHA dates back to 2007, when its Anantara brand was one of the first alliance members. Since then, Minor’s portfolio has expanded to include hotel brands Avani, Per Aquum and Tivoli.

DUBAI Parks and Resorts, scheduled to open in Dubai in October, has started selling annual passes for its parks, which will grant pass holders unlimited year-long access to as many as 100 rides and attractions across its three theme parks and one water park, among other benefits.

Park goers can choose from a range of eight different annual passes, including the single park pass (Theme Park Annual Pass), for each of the three parks. This will be priced at 865 dirhams (US$235.50) for Motiongate Dubai, 755 dirhams for Bollywood Parks Dubai and 765 dirhams for Legoland Dubai.

There is also the option to gain unlimited access to Legoland Water Park on top of single park access, setting buyers back by 1,095 dirhams for the Motiongate combination, 985 dirhams for Bollywood Parks and 995 dirhams for Legoland.

Visitors can also choose the Dubai Parks and Resorts Annual Pass (2,495 dirhams), which includes limitless access to all three theme parks plus the Legoland Water Park, a 15 per cent discount on food, beverages and merchandise and other purchases in the parks.

Finally, the 6,995 dirhams VIP pass offers free valet parking, unlimited express queue privileges on all applicable rides, VIP seating for selected shows, access to the exclusive VIP lounge and a VIP tour guide, in addition to access to a 20 per cent discount on purchases and unlimited access to all four parks.

The annual passes are now available for purchase at the Dubai Parks and Resorts website as well as Motiongate Dubai, Bollywood Parks Dubai and Legoland Dubai websites.

Dubai Parks & Resorts is encouraging sales of the passes by throwing in exclusive preview access to the parks with early purchase. In addition, those who use their passes in 2016 will be given an extended validity until December 31, 2017.