Tokyo in winter. Credit: Knot Mirai/Shutterstock.com

JAPAN has emerged as the favourite destination for travellers from Singapore and Hong Kong.

Tokyo in particular is the most-searched destination on Kayak’s Singapore and Hong Kong portals during the holiday season, with Osaka ranking 4th and Sapporo the 7th most popular destination for travellers from Hong Kong during this Christmas period.

Other popular places shared among Singapore and Hong Kong travellers include Seoul, Bangkok, Taipei, London and Paris, all ranking among the top 10 most-searched destinations.

In another finding, travellers from Singapore are increasingly searching for the Japanese cities of Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo, according to Skyscanner. All four cities are among the top 10 destinations that have seen the greatest increase in flight searches from 2012 to 2015.

Surprisingly, Phu Quoc, Vietnam, has seen the greatest surge in search on Skyscanner, increasing by 209 per cent over the same period.

LUXURY planners seeking ideas for special experiences for honeymooners may consider Love in St Moritz, a package offered by the Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains which aims to bedazzle couples.

Here’s how: It begins with a BMW limousine service from either the Milan or Zurich airport for the most direct and convenient route to St Moritz.

On arrival in the new elegant Kempinski Residences, a serene and exclusive wing of the hotel, the butler will welcome them with an exotic fruit plate and champagne, and provide round-the-clock service. That same evening, Michelin-star chef Matthias Schmidberger creates a candlelight dinner at the gourmet restaurant Cà d’Oro and pampers them with aphrodisiac delicacies including French oysters and the finest Valrhona chocolate.

The next day, a private helicopter flight over the snow-capped mountain peaks. For lunch, a romantic sleigh ride and a subsequent gourmet menu served on the frozen lake surrounded by a picturesque winter scene and brilliant sunshine. On the second day, recharge at Kempinski The Spa. with a full body massage for two in the spa suite, followed by cosy high tea by the fireplace in the lobby bar afterwards.

The package price starts at CHF 10,000 per person for a stay of three nights, including honeymoon welcome treatment and daily breakfast and all of the above exclusives. It is now available to book for stays from December 4 to March 28.

– The next issue TTG Asia Luxury is out January 8, with bonus circulation at ASEAN Tourism Forum 2016

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) is mitigating its Europe route cutbacks with a codeshare agreement with Emirates from February.

MAS is suspending its Paris and Amsterdam routes from January 25 as well as severing 10 codeshare agreements with existing partners. This leaves London as its only direct route in Europe, where it has double daily flights and operates the A380.

Christoph Mueller, CEO of MAS, pointed out that the partnership with Emirates will enable MAS’ passengers to continue having access to Paris, Amsterdam and many more longhaul destinations, with the added advantage of better schedules and greater frequencies.

Under the agreement, MAS will codeshare with Emirates flights to the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the Americas. In return, Emirates will codeshare with MAS flights to domestic routes in Malaysia, South-east Asia and select cities across the Asia-Pacific region.

The agreement will be implemented progressively and is still subject to regulatory approvals.

THAILAND’s inbound agencies are more worried about the impending European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) safety rating review than the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s move to downgrade the civil aviation authority’s safety rating.

EASA is expected to announce its verdict on Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) next Thursday.
Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Group, said: “An adverse decision by the EASA will not just affect Thailand, but also countries such as Myanmar and Laos, which rely heavily on Bangkok as an aviation hub. That said, Thailand remains very resilient as a destination and other airlines will quickly fill in any gap left by airlines based in Thailand.”

Niemeijer further explained: “It is important to know the FAA decision is not directly made against THAI or any airline, but rather against the DCA.

“The DCA in turn needs to urgently make changes in order to get out of the downgrade. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), problems include understaffing, outdated manuals and systems, and an archaic aviation law,” he added.

Luzi Matzig, chairman of Asian Trails concurred, saying that “things are not just black and white”.

“Of more importance is the decision by EASA controlling European airspace, and if they decide to downgrade Thailand, then THAI may no longer be allowed to fly into Europe which would of course negatively affect tourist movements to and from Thailand.

“I do not expect this to happen as nobody can claim that Thailand’s standards are not up to date,” added Matzig. “Let’s wait and see.”

However, Hamish Keith, COO of Exo Travel, is taking a stronger stance. He said: “The downgrading of Thailand’s aviation sector by the FAA is very bad news for Thailand and the region.

“If action is not taken quickly and decisively by the authorities, we risk facing a ban similar to Indonesia a few years ago, which we all know had a serious impact on the destination’s reputation and created a very difficult situation for tour operators.”

CLIA’s member cruise line: Norwegian Cruise Line

CRUISE Lines International Association’s (CLIA) 2016 State of the Cruise Industry Outlook report reveals that global cruise travel is set to grow and evolve at groundbreaking speeds.

Passenger numbers are expected to rise from 15 million in 2006 to 24 million in 2016, with member liners scheduled to debut 27 new ocean, river and specialty ships next year.

According to CLIA, cruise industry expenditures generated US$119.9 billion in total output worldwide in 2014, with 80 per cent of CLIA member agents expecting to see an increase in cruise sales next year compared to 2015 figures.

The report provides a multitude of reasons accounting for the growth, such as the rise in popularity of river cruising, increase in number of overall cruise ships globally, surge in passenger volume in Asia from 775,000 in 2012 to nearly 1.4 million passengers in 2014, and many more.

Australia has also contributed significantly to cruise travel numbers, growing from 158,000 passengers in 2004 to more than 1 million in 2014.

At current, there are more than 30,000 CLIA cruise specialist agents compared to 12,000 in 2010.

A NEW 123-room Apricot Hotel will be celebrating its grand opening in Hanoi on December 14.

The Vietnamese art-focused hotel offers five categories of rooms with some featuring panoramic views of Hanoi’s iconic Hoan Kiem Lake.

Facilities include a rooftop terrace bar, heated rooftop pool, multi-level basement theatre and ballroom, restaurant Palette serving South-east Asian cuisine, lobby lounge A’Telier, fitness centre, spa facilities, art exhibit and more.

BEST Western Hotels & Resorts has opened a new hotel in the Philippines located at Subic Bay, on the west coast of Luzon Island, approximately 100km north of Manila.

Rooms at the 77-key Best Western Plus Hotel Subic feature flat-screen TVs, mini-bars as well as complimentary Wi-Fi, while hotel facilities cater to both business and leisure travellers.

This is Best Western’s seventh property in the country, joining existing properties in Manila, Makati City, Cebu City and Boracay.

Gramercy Park Hotel, New York

SELECT member properties under Design Hotels are now bookable through Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s websites, mobile apps and global network of customer contact centers.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) members consequently also gain SPG benefits and earn Starpoints during their stays at Design Hotels establishments.

“Starwood’s hotel guests and SPG members will see our new marketing partnership with Design Hotels as an 11th Starwood brand. It will create a special niche in our distinct portfolio of global brands and offer more options for travelers to stay with us around the world,” said Adam Aron, interim CEO at Starwood.

The first SPG partner hotels include the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City, Ten Bompas in Johannesburg, C-Hotel in Lake Como, Nira Montana in La Thuile, Nira Alpina in St. Moritz and Kruisherenhotel Maastricht in the Netherlands, with more in the pipeline.

Design Hotels will continue to operate independently from Starwood, whose sales, marketing and development teams will remain distinct from each other.

Starwood had acquired a 49.8 per cent stake in Design Hotels in 2011.