SOUTH Korea will be adding a US$165 million international cruise terminal to the west coast port of Pyeongtaek-Dangjin, which will include four docks and a terminal building complex, set to be completed by 2020.

Budhy Bok, president of Costa Cruises Asia-Pacific and China, finds the addition timely as the current port is already operating at capacity. “(With the new cruise terminal), which can offer more berths, we can add new ports of call and itineraries,” he said.

The current port has three piers and operates ferry routes to five cities in China. In 2008, some 280,000 travellers used Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, and in 2014, that figure had soared to 490,000.

“We anticipate the demand for cruise holidays will continue to increase, especially among the most promising and burgeoning middle to upper-middle class,” said Bok.

The Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran

IRAN successfully concluded its inaugural International Travel and Hospitality Conference, which took place from February 20 to 22, the nation’s first attempt at facilitating public and private investments into the tourism industry there.

“As Iran seeks to lower its economic dependence on oil, exploiting the incredible potential of tourism becomes a must,” said Ahmad Reza Nikkar Esfahani, CEO of Atiyeh Saba Investment Company, a subsidiary of the Civil Servants Pension Fund (CSPF), organiser of the conference.

“This conference is a new chapter in training and upgrading the tourism, transportation and hospitality industries,” he added.

Deals announced at the conference included a MoU signed between the renowned Swiss hospitality school Ecole hotelière de Lausanne and Atiyeh Saba to open an affiliated campus in Isfahan.

UAE-based Rotana Hotel group also announced further development plans in Iran with the company set to open four hotels there within the next two years.

Opportunities to develop hybrid car systems, as well as a high-speed rail link between Tehran and Isfahan that can cut travel time between the cities to less than two hours was also discussed at the conference.

Iran seeks to increase its stock of four and five star hotels from 130 to 400 and plans to build seven new international airports over the next decade.

THAI Airways will not be investing in airlines anytime soon, the national carrier clarified, ending speculation that it would acquire a stake in budget airline Thai AirAsia.

Narongchai Wongthanavimok, executive vice president in the airline’s finance and accounting department, in a letter to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), stated: “Thai Airways has not yet considered any investment in any airlines for the time being. Should there be any development on this front, Thai Airways will properly notify SET as soon as possible.”

Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia, in a letter to SET confirmed this. “Only a discussion of the strategic planning for the aviation industry with other Thai registered airlines (took place) without any discussion on stock acquisition from Thai Airways,” it stated.

However, THAI acknowledged in the letter that it was looking to formulate strategies for the aviation industry along with other Thai-operated airlines to help bolster Thailand’s transport and tourism sectors.

Still, the statement quashes reports that the airline had been on the verge of acquiring a stake of at least 20 per cent in Thai AirAsia, valued at five billion baht (US$140 million).

Despite raking in four billion baht in profits in 4Q2015, THAI has reported an overall loss of 14 billion baht in 2015, a small improvement from the airline’s 15 billion baht loss in 2014.

Tirtawisata: Indonesian tourism to remain healthy

INDONESIA’s Panorama group is targeting a revenue increase of 15 per cent and a net profit of 30 per cent this year, confident that the strengthening rupiah and government initiatives will keep the nation’s tourism climate strong amid the global economic slowdown.

Budi Tirtawisata, group CEO of Panorama Group, stated why he was sanguine when speaking at the annual Panorama Management Conference in Malang last weekend. He said: “We see that the global economy is (affected) by China’s economic slowdown, however, the Indonesian rupiah is strengthening as the US dollar stabilises.”

“The government has a promotional budget of 5.2 trillion rupiah (US$385 million), four times bigger than last year’s. They are doing the country’s brand and product management. There is also growing awareness of regional destinations.”

Tirtawisata added that the group should also accelerate growth in the first quarter of this year, despite it traditionally being a low season.

“(In 2015) we achieved 18.5 per cent of the full year target in 1Q and 48 per cent by 2Q. This year, we are targeting 22 per cent and 52 per cent respectively,” he said, adding that margins, not just sales, should increase.

He further identified inbound travel, MICE, hotels and bus transportation as having strong growth potential this year, while its taxi business will still be receiving headwinds from the likes of Uber and Grab Car.

HOSPITALITY group Worldhotels is giving away a six-night vacation in Vietnam for two persons, inclusive of airfare and accommodation, for travel agents who take part in its Hug an Agent themed social media campaign, running till March 4.

Accommodation includes four nights at the Caravelle Hotel Saigon and two nights at the Cam Ranh Riviera Beach Resort & Spa Nha Trang.

To participate, upload a photo onto Instagram reflecting the theme Hug an Agent, and include the hashtags #worldhotels_ag and #hugagent in the post. Contestants then need to allow Worldhotels to follow them on Instagram to verify the participation.

Concurrently, Worldhotels is offering special travel agent rates for selected member hotels during the length of the campaign.

The winner will be informed latest by March 18.

Gareth Williams, CEO and co-founder, Skyscanner

TRAVEL search engine Skyscanner has delivered its seventh consecutive year of double-digit growth, largely on the back of mobile expansion and diversification beyond flight bookings.

The company saw its revenue grow 28 per cent to US$183 million in 2015, with bookings through its platforms grossing US$11.2 billion, up 49 per cent compared to 2014.

There was a 48 per cent increase in visitorship, driven mostly by a 67 per cent increase in visitors from China. Other regions that showed significant growth were Asia-Pacific (48 per cent), the Americas (55 per cent) and Europe (42 per cent).

“2015 was another strong year for Skyscanner, showing solid progress in our strategy of expansion beyond our home market, into mobile and beyond flights,” said Gareth Williams, Skyscanner’s CEO and co-founder.

“We saw excellent growth in travellers planning their trips on Skyscanner all around the world, especially on mobile and in the important regions of Asia-Pacific and the Americas.”

Mobile visitors from China and the Americas nearly doubled, while numbers in Asia-Pacific and Europe increased 62 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. Consequently, mobile web bookings grew 24 per cent year-on-year, making up 42 per cent of all conversions.

As well, revenue from Skyscanner’s non-air B2B arm, Skyscanner for Business, doubled. Contributing to this growth is a newly-launched car hire white label product, which grew by 71 per cent in 2015.

Brandon Chan

GLOBAL travel and event management company The Appointment Group (TAG) has named Brandon Chan as the general manager of its newly established Singapore office, its third office in the Asia-Pacific.

Chan joins TAG Singapore after a long career in the hospitality, travel and events industry under a number of leadership positions, including being director of sales and marketing at Design Hotels, as well as at Rosenbluth International, an independent travel company.

In his new role, Chan will manage daily operations as well as focus on enlarging TAG’s footprint in the region. He will be supported by Jodie Hobday, who takes on the role of operations manager at the Singapore office after relocating from TAG’s Sydney operation where she held the same position.