HOTELIER of the Year award recipient Andrew Turner has been appointed Mantra Group’s vice president of acquisitions for Asia.
Turner was most recently the executive vice president of business development for SilverNeedle Hospitality, and prior to that, was CEO at Mirvac Hotels and Resorts.
Turner will be based at the company’s new regional office in Singapore from late February and will drive the group’s expansion into new Asian markets in his new role.
AMADEUS and content aggregator AccesRail have extended their partnership and now allows bookings of flight and ground transportation from a single screen with its new, integrated Air-Rail Display.
Agents can now choose from 18 rail and bus operators from across 26 countries, such as Deutsche Bahn’s stand-alone services in Germany, National Express bus routes in the UK, Great Western Railway’s London-Heathrow-Bristol route and travelling from Madrid to Barcelona with Spanish Renfe.
“Amadeus and AccesRail laid the tracks for door-to-door travel nearly 20 years ago by introducing the first rail and bus options to the travel agency channel,” said Thomas Drexler, director rail and ground travel, Amadeus.
“Today, this partnership reinforces this commitment as travel agencies can compare and contrast 18 ground options with air for the same city-pair, offering travellers exponential choice and visibility throughout their journey to enhance their experience.”
(From left) Jesper Palmqvist, area director Asia-Pacific, STR Global; Clarence Tan, senior vice president Asia, Middle East and Africa, InterContinental Hotel Group; and Kenneth Gaw, president & managing principal, Gaw Capital Partners.
CONTRARY to popular belief, data presented at the Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) 2016 has shown that the occupancy rates of hotels in Thailand have set new records in 2015.
Jesper Palmqvist, Asia-Pacific area director, STR Global said that there has always been fluctuation in occupancy, especially during periods of crisis and political unrest. However, “the main strength of the Thai market is how fast it can recover,” he stated.
A panel discussion at TTF concurs, arguing that no matter how unstable Thai politics becomes, the economy had always survived the setback and rebounded.
Yet, there are concerns that the market is becoming stale. Tim Hansing, CEO of Red Planet Hotels, opined that the Thai market has already reached maturity and is becoming less attractive than other emerging markets in the region for hotels to invest in. “It is bland. There are more opportunities elsewhere,” he said.
Emerging beachfront destinations such as Samui, Hua Hin and Krabi remain the only bright spots for growth.
As well, Mike Batchelor, managing director of Investment Sales Asia, JLL, pointed out that there are still more unfulfilled demand in the midscale segment, even in Bangkok.
By Athip Jittarerk
CARLSON Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has made three key appointments to its executive team, effective from February 1, 2016.
CWT’s current president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Andrew Waller, has been appointed as executive vice president, global business transformation and will be based in Paris and London. In his new role, Waller will focus on driving efficiency and organisation effectiveness, reshaping CWT’s business model for the future.
Kelly Kuhn, president for Asia-Pacific, CWT
Meanwhile, Kelly Kuhn, CWT’s president for Asia-Pacific, becomes president for Europe, Middle East and Africa and global partners network, and will be based in London.
Kai Chan, president for Asia-Pacific, CWT
Kai Chan, CWT’s current general manager for South-east Asia, will take on the role of president for Asia-Pacific as well as be part of the global executive team. She will be based in Singapore.
ASEAN member countries are collaborating on a new brand – Cruise South-east Asia – aimed at promoting the region as one unified cruising destination.
The initiative was unveiled on the final day of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2016 last week, and will be further promoted to the global cruise industry in March at the Seatrade Cruise Global trade show in Miami, Florida.
The plan was proposed by Singapore who is also be the lead coordinator for cruise development in South-east Asia.
John Gregory Conceicao, executive director international group planning & Oceania at the Singapore Tourism Board said an ASEAN cruise map is also in the works, and will include information on port facilities and areas of interest for tourists for use by cruise lines and the travel trade.
ARRIVALS in Hong Kong dwindled last year, dropping 1.7 per cent for the January-November block compared to the same period in 2014.
The mainland Chinese market suffered the most with a 15.5 per cent decrease. The Travel Industry Council (TIC) observed that Chinese tour group registrations have plunged from 154,517 to 119,115, down 23 per cent.
Anthony Lau, executive director, Hong Kong Tourism Board, said: “2015 has been a challenging year for Hong Kong’s tourism industry. Various external factors have affected the number of visitors to Hong Kong, particularly those from mainland China.
“Other factors include the depreciation of currencies in nearby destinations, the global economic environment, the outbreak of MERS in South Korea, the quota limitation of Individual Visit Endorsements for permanent residents of Shenzhen, and the recent unfortunate incident that involved the death of a mainland visitor.”
Lau added: “Though the number of visitor arrivals has showed negative growth since March last year, the number started to pick up in the past few months with good growth coming from virtually all the shorthaul markets, north Americas as well as India.
“We expect there will be a slight decline of 1 to 2 per cent on visitor arrivals this year.”
Wing Wong, W Travel’s managing director, blamed exchange rates as well. “Apart from Indonesia and Malaysia, Japan’s yen also depreciated a lot and its relaxed visa requirements resulted in drawing a lot of Chinese traffic in that direction.
“Our strong peg with the US dollar indeed undermined travellers’ interests. However, our hotels have been realistic and readjusted their rates down proactively so hopefully, this move will attract visitors.”
WHILE disruptive technologies from the likes of Agoda and Airbnb have created headwinds for the US and western European hotels in recent years, Thailand’s hospitality industry will likely remain resilient against such threats, according to experts at the Thailand Tourism Forum (TTF) 2016.
The consensus is that Airbnb is only able to capture portions of the budget/low-end segments in Thailand, while OTAs such as Agoda, seem to compliment rather than jeopardize the old hotel business model.
Tim Hughes, vice president of business development, Agoda, said that OTAs are just another booking channel and that the hotel industry can profit from their growth. “It is a very big market. It is not a race between direct and OTA. It is not a winner takes all market. It is an opportunity for everyone,” he said.
Ben Emery, Marriott International’s South-east asia area director of revenue strategy, explained that OTAs provide a service to attract guests, but ultimately, “it is the hotel’s business to turn them into loyal customers.”
There are also differences in booking habits to consider. Anthony Green, director of digital development, Minor Hotel Group, remarked that Russians prefer direct booking over using OTAs, while the Chinese prefer the latter.
By Athip Jittarerk
THE five-star Meliá Yangon, which is targeting a May opening, is reaching for high level ASEAN and APEC meetings to establish a strong foundation in Myanmar’s MICE industry.
Speaking to TTGmice e-Weekly in an interview, Susie Moe Aung, director of sales & marketing with the 430-key hotel’s opening team, said Meliá Yangon will appeal to such high profile meetings with its extensive meeting facilities and luxurious suites that can “support political events and their participants”.
The hotel’s Grand Ballroom, Junior Ballroom and six meeting rooms offer more than 2,000m2 of space altogether.
“Meeting planners do not have to worry about service quality and reliability of function space and support equipment because the property comes with the Meliá brand promise and is of international five-star standard,” said Susie Moe Aung, adding that the hotel’s dining facilities are also designed to support large groups.
Its 375-seat all-day dining restaurant, for instance, is said to be the biggest hotel restaurant in Yangon.
Susie Moe Aung believes that event delegates will appreciate the hotel’s location on the main road and 15 minutes by car from the airport and city centre, which allows them to escape the traffic jam.
“Plus, the hotel is linked to Yangon’s largest and newest mall, Myanmar Plaza, and the new office tower, Myanmar Centre,” she added.
“We may be months away from opening, but MICE interest has been strong. We have many enquiries for rates and information from conference organisers, in particular medical ones. So besides aiming for government meetings, we are also paying attention to corporate events,” Susie Moe Aung said.
THE first Malaysia Ecotourism Summit and the 6th World Ecotourism Conference, expected to draw participation from 100 delegates to Mulu Marriott Resort and Spa in Sarawak, will be taking place from January 27 to 30, 2016.
Delegates will comprise mostly high-profile government decision-makers, academicians and representatives from NGOs and international organisations worldwide. Resource experts will also present case studies surrounding the theme: Tourism Clusters and Thematic Corridors for Sustainable Development.
Lee Choon Loong, president, Malaysian Ecotourism Association and convenor of the event, said: “The first Malaysia Ecotourism Summit will present and discuss the salient points from the new ten-year Malaysia National Ecotourism Plan (NEP) 2015-2025 and seek feedback from industry players before it is officially launched by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia.” The NEP replaces the previous plan adopted in 1996.
Lee added: “World Ecotourism Conference’s theme, Ecotourism in UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Uplifting Communities, Opportunities and Economies, is focused on communities and opportunities around natural World Heritage Sites, and the outcomes will generate positive impacts on the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.”
This event is co-organised by The Malaysian Ecotourism Association (MEA) and DISCOVERYMICE, an affiliate member of UNWTO, and supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak State Government, Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Centre of Innovative Planning and Development.
TWO of Japan’s major airlines will likely decide to abolish fuel surcharges in February on the back of plunging oil prices.
Both Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) currently levy a fuel surcharge of 7,000 yen (US$59) on flights out of Japan to longhaul destinations, but with oil trading at 12-year lows, the airlines are considering reducing the levy to zero.
“It is very possible that we will abolish the surcharge entirely,” said Maho Ito, spokeswoman for ANA, adding that fuel surcharges were also reduced to zero back in July 2009.
A decision will be made, probably in mid-February, on the levy applied to tickets in the April-June period, she said.
JAL will similarly make a decision on its fuel surcharges in mid-February, according to spokesman Jian Yang.
Both JAL and ANA eliminated surcharges on flights that originated overseas in December.
The airlines first introduced fuel surcharges in February 2005 as oil prices climbed and peaked in 2008.
