TO achieve a stronger footing in the growing Asian cruise market, Celebrity Cruises is expanding its collection of short sailings in the region come 2016 and 2017 to give Asian travellers a taste of what the company can offer in Alaska and Europe where the majority of its deployment is.

A number of themed cruises will be conducted during Asian festive periods such as Chinese New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival and extended holiday seasons like the Japanese Golden Week in end-April and the Chinese Golden Week in October.

However, Kelvin Tan, commercial director, Asia Pacific of Celebrity Cruises, is quick to point out that the company “is not becoming an Asian cruise line”.

“Although Celebrity Cruises has been attracting a growing number of affluent Asians to cruise in Alaska, Europe and Caribbean, we realise that the brand is not as familiar among Asians as other cruise brands with ships homeported in this region. To remedy this, we are offering short cruises as a sampler for Asian travellers who’ve not cruised with us,” Tan explained, adding that the ships will feature the same style of entertainment, quality of cuisine and standard of service as those serving the longer cruises farther afield.

Also joining the itinerary in 2016 and 2017 are a seven-night Greece and Italy sailing out of Istanbul, departing June 18 and July 16 next year on the Celebrity Equinox, and several Middle Eastern cruises out of Abu Dhabi on the Celebrity Constellation, calling at Dubai, New Mangalore, Goa and Mumbai (India), and Khasab (Oman). A nine-night programme will depart on December 10, 2016 and January 2, 2017, while A 12-night version will set sail on November 28, 2016. A 14-night option will be available on December 19, 2016.

Tan remarked: “We are pioneers of these programmes. We are the first to offer an Italy and Greece cruise that will be homeported in Istanbul – cruises to this region typically starts out in Italy. We are also the first and only cruise line to homeport in Abu Dhabi. The Middle East cruises are also our first.”

NEW activities will feature in this year’s A Journey Through Time, Asia’s premier watch and jewellery showcase held in Kuala Lumpur, to capture the interest of young collectors locally and abroad.

Highlights include an exclusive Omega watch exhibition, talks on how to build and start a watch collection which will appeal to new collectors, and seminars on the art of fine watchmaking and investment.

A Journey Through Time, organised by Starhill Gallery in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, is one of the events marketed by Tourism Malaysia and it draws high income tourists to the country. It will be held from November 20 to 27.

Inbound specialists told TTG Asia e-Daily that they are looking forward to the event to boost interest from their wealthy clientele.

Adam Kamal, general manager of Olympik Holidays, said: “We plan to use this event as part of our strategy to promote inbound luxury packages. A Journey Through Time has evolved to become a much awaited event for watch aficionados in Asia.”

Kamal, who is also the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association deputy president ll, said the association distributes information on the event to its members to be used as a tool to further promote Malaysia as a destination.

Luxury Tours Malaysia senior manager, Arokia Das, added that “with the ringgit being so low now, this is an ideal opportunity to pick up good deals” at the showcase.

A Journey Through Time is featured in Luxury Tours Malaysia’s high-end itineraries in the Malaysian capital.

KEMPINSKI Hotels has filed criminal charges against its former president and CEO, Swiss-born Reto Wittwer, for alleged fraud and professional misconduct.

Filed in Switzerland, Wittwer was alleged to have channelled funds out of the company “with fraudulent intent and avoiding all internal controls”, including during periods when Kempinski was attempting to make budget cuts and drastic savings on labour costs.

Alejandro Bernabé, CEO of Kempinski, said: “Kempinski, and everyone associated with the company, have been badly let down by someone in whom we placed our full trust. The high responsibilities of executive office and the fundamental values on which Kempinski has carefully built its business have, we believe, been deliberately flouted in the pursuit of personal greed and unlawful gain. We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness.”

The group said that the decision to take legal action followed a full internal investigation conducted by a third party. “As soon as the company became aware of the suspected fraud, Kempinski conducted a thorough review of its internal controls,” the company said. “A number of changes in terms of internal audit and compliance have been made.

“Kempinski has entire confidence in the Swiss criminal authorities with whom the complaint has been filed, and will fully support the authorities as the criminal complaint follows its due course.”

Kempinski announced on October 30, 2014 that Wittwer had retired after 19 years in the role. In that announcement, it gave a glowing account of Wittwer: “When he joined Kempinski Hotels in 1995 as president & CEO, Wittwer was clear in his vision to grow Kempinski’s portfolio internationally and build the brand. In the nearly 20 years since he was appointed, Wittwer has succeeded in turning around the fortunes of the group, by focusing its offering on luxury hotel management services, and realising an ambitious yet highly selective expansion strategy, growing the portfolio from 21 hotels to the 73 under operation today, with a further 35 under construction or final development. He credits the success of this strategy to the group’s shareholders, who have focused on long-term growth and returns. Today, Kempinski has a truly international portfolio, having entered many markets as pioneers, and recorded the group’s best financial performance in 2012 and exceeded this again in 2013.”

Michael D Selby, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kempinski, had said: “It’s nearly two decades since the shareholders of Kempinski asked Mr Wittwer to make a long-term commitment and help make our joint vision a reality. He’s steered the group through challenges, which other competitors have failed, and Kempinski has weathered the economic crisis thanks to our business model of pure management agreements for hotels in Kempinski’s portfolio. Mr Wittwer really has been part of making Kempinski Hotels the successful company and respected brand it is today. The Supervisory Board of Kempinski AG thanks Mr Wittwer for having dedicated so much of his career to the group, we hope he will stay close in his new role as president emeritus, despite going into a very well deserved retirement.”

However, it has now emerged that Wittwer was asked to leave the company “with immediate effect” after initial suspicions of professional misconduct came to light.

Wittwer could not be reached for comment.

Wittwer was no stranger to Asia, working in the region in his early career days. In 1976, he was director of F&B of The Mandarin Singapore. Two years later he moved to the Peninsula Group in Hong Kong as resident manager. In March 1979 he joined Hyatt International in the capacity of general manager and worked in Canada, Mexico and Indonesia.

Since 2004, a majority stake in Kempinski has been owned by the Thailand Crown Property Bureau. Today, the company is largely a hotel management business, although it continues to own the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Munich, while holding lease contracts on Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Palais Hansen in Vienna and the Grand Hotel des Bains in St Moritz.

Kempinski currently operates 78 hotels in 33 countries During the last 12 months, Kempinski has opened seven hotels in Myanmar, China, Qatar, Germany, Egypt and Ghana, with a further five expected to open during 2016.

DESPITE earlier resistance from tourism operators, the Maldivian authorities have begun implementing a new Green Tax at US$6 per tourist bed from November 1.

The Green Tax, imposed through an amendment to the Maldives Tourism Act, is payable by tourists who stay in resorts, hotels and tourist vessels. Maldivians and resident permit holders who stay in such properties are exempted, clarified the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority.

Guesthouses are exempted too.

Earlier in January, tourism minister Ahmed Adheeb said the new tax is aimed at protecting the Maldives’ fragile environment. “Revenue generated from the tax will go into managing the waste from local resorts and other islands,” he told local media.

Tourism operators, who declined to be named, have in the past complained of an over-tax regime since 2014. An airport exit tax of US$25 per person came into effect in July last year. While the Maldives discontinued a US$8 tax per bed per night in November last year, Goods and Services Tax rose from eight to 12 per cent that same month.

In related news, official data has shown a rising demand for mid- and lower-end rooms in the high-end destination. Resort occupancy fell by 3.5 per cent in September 2015 while guesthouse occupancy had risen by 7.2 per cent.

Mohamed Ali, vice president of the Association of Travel Agents, said while arrivals are on track this year, many visitors are opting for new mid- and low-end accommodation like guesthouses.

MELIÁ Hotels International is moving into the Thai market after signing an agreement with one of the kingdom’s leading real estate developers, TCC Land Asset World, a move it hopes will lead to 3,000 to 5,000 rooms in the medium term.

The Spanish chain currently has 40 per cent of its upcoming projects in Asia.

The initial accord with TCC Land Asset World, part of the TCC Group, will cover three hotels in a first phase.

“This will represent a new push for expansion in the region,” said a Meliá spokesperson.

Both entities are existing business partners, having launched their first property in the Vietnamese capital, the Meliá Hanoi.

Their new venture in Thailand will begin with Sol Beach House on Koh Samui. A conversion of the existing Imperial Boat Koh Samui, the property is due to reopen within two years with 209 rooms including 33 boat suites which were originally rice barges.

The sites and sizes of the other two hotels are yet to be decided but one will be a luxury lifestyle hotel under the ME label in Bangkok and the other an upmarket, all-inclusive Paradisus brand in a beach location.

Leading Thai destinations such as Phuket and Pattaya have also been earmarked for expansion, while more hotels will likely emerge in Bangkok and Koh Samui.

Gabriel Escarrer, vice president and CEO of Meliá, said: “We have always gone for an expansion accompanied by leading local partners. Entering a destination of such extraordinary potential as Thailand hand in hand with TCC Land Asset World fulfils all our expectations.

“The incorporation of our first hotels in Thailand – a star destination for markets such as Germany, Russia and Eastern Europe – is a transcendental step in the expansion of our holiday brands.”

THE recent sanction lift has sparked a scramble to open Iran to international visitors, attracted by its ancient Persian history, 17 World Heritage Sites, as well as natural attractions, according to Euromonitor’s WTM Global Trends Report 2015 identifying top emerging travel trends.

Here are the other trends from the report:

The new American dream: work less, play hard
A growing number of American companies are offering unlimited vacation time to create a happier, loyal and motivated staff, which will have an effect on travel bookings.

Smart technology drives travel to UK’s secondary cities
Digitalisation and hi-tech solutions are redefining the tourist offerings of UK urban centres to boost travel outside of London, currently the jewel in the crown of UK tourism.

‘Hipster Holidays’ revolutionise European city break
Young and hip travellers’ interest in alternative city areas opens new business opportunities and helps in diversifying urban attractions in European cities struggling with excessive tourism.

Travel 3.0: the advent of smart travel
Smart technology is transforming the tourism industry with personalised services to create enjoyable experiences suited to a traveller’s individual preferences.

Technology start-ups changing the face of Africa
With technology start-ups flourishing across the continent, Africa is entering a new era of innovation, which will help change the perception to international tourists.

Luxury hotels keeping in with the crowd
Luxury hotels are turning to crowdsourcing and crowdfunding to get their properties financed, rather than relying on traditional sources of investment.

Sharing economy heads to China
After a shaky start, the sharing economy is taking off in China, with the rise of new local players in 2014, a trend boosted by the number of Chinese millennials.

Travel for the Indian unbanked
Travel firms are adopting ‘cash-on-delivery’ payments to cater to the half a billion Indians without a bank account.

GLOBAL travel and event management company ATPI Group has doubled its headcount in Malaysia through the acquisition of DTC Travel, a former partner of the group, and strengthened its Singapore team with enhanced management roles.

ATPI Malaysia, located in Kuala Lumpur, will be led by Karen Salvador who takes on the role of managing director, Malaysia.

In Singapore, the ATPI team welcomes three promotions.

Vivian Choo moves into the role of regional director, strategic sales for the ATPI Group across Asia-Pacific and her remit will cover South-east Asia. Prior to joining the group a year ago, Choo held senior business development roles for various leading international travel management companies.

Matthew Stewart will fill the role of managing director for Singapore. He previously held senior sales and account management roles for Griffin, the international travel company acquired by the ATPI Group in November 2014.

He will be supported by Kelly Jones in the newly created role of regional head of key account management – Far East, with responsibility for the team throughout Asia-Pacific, an expanded remit from her previous role as head of regional key account management.

The Singapore office has also been relocated to larger premises.

Graham Ramsey, ATPI Group CEO, said: “Growing our presence in Asia-Pacific has been a key objective for us in recent years. We believe that our people offer a global perspective, combined with the best regional knowledge, which when united with our global buying power, benefits clients from all industry sectors.”

The ATPI Group now has 22 offices across Asia-Pacific.

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Goup has launched a Catch the Season promotion where travellers can enjoy a 25 per cent discount off Best Available Rates with bookings from November 2, 2015 to January 31, 2016 for stays by February 29, 2016.

This promotion is valid at Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson as well as Country Inns & Suites by Carlson hotels across Asia Pacific.

Club Carlson loyalty programme members will also earn Double Elite Qualifying Nights during their stays from November 2 till end of the year. Members will also enjoy discounts on F&B purchases and earn points on F&B charged to the room.

Catch the Season bookings can be made either online at www.clubcarlson.com/catch-the-season, all the brand websites, or directly with the hotels.

MELIÁ Hotels International (MHI) has introduced a new programme, PengYou by Meliá, to better cater to its Chinese guests through staff training and adding of new services.

The PengYou initiative, which means ‘friends’ in Chinese, includes a Mandarin language training class for hotel staff, the acceptance of Chinese credits cards from Union Pay, and the availability of Chinese TV programmes and channels in all rooms. Additionally, minibar products and menus will feature items representative of the Chinese region and in-room materials will also be in Mandarin.

PengYou by Meliá will first be implemented in hotels across Asia-Pacific, as well as the Meliá Madrid Princesa and Meliá Barcelona Sarria in Spain, and the Meliá Nassau Beach in the Bahamas. Following which, the programme will extend to 80 other hotels across Europe including Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK.

As well, MHI hopes to achieve the China Outbound Tourism Quality Service Certification for its China-friendly hotels – the only accreditation recognised by the Chinese government and recommended by the Spanish Tourism Office (TURESPAÑA).