THE Malaysian government will soon introduce visa-free facilities for Chinese travellers traveling in groups of at least two people but travel agents, having been let down before, are cynical.

Temporary social passes for Chinese groups were originally planned to be implemented on October 1, but glitches in execution have halted the programme with no solution in sight.

Mint Leong, secretary-general of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA), said the latest announcement raised questions on implementation again.

“This good news should be greeted with excitement but MITA members involved in the Chinese inbound market are cynical as they had been let down earlier. It is also not clear if travellers from Hong Kong and Macau will be included,” she said.

Arrivals for 1H2015 showed Chinese arrivals had contracted by 11.7 per cent compared with the corresponding period in 2014, which saw 850,877 Chinese tourists coming to Malaysia.

E-visa capabilities will also be introduced from January 2016.

BORNEO Trails Tours and Travel, based in Kota Kinabalu, is now offering an itinerary which includes an appointment with Charles Lee, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital.

KL Tan, general manager at Borneo Trails Tours and Travel, said: “There are a number of requests on these services from tourists, especially from the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia. We will start by marketing to these key markets first. I see the main challenge being the lack of awareness about Sabah as a medical tourism destination.”

Tan added that the company has created a new division to accommodate to this niche market.

“For a start, we will promote non-surgical procedures such as facial regeneration, hydration and revitalisation, which are far more reasonable in price as compared to having these same procedures done in other countries,” he explained.

“As no surgery is involved, tourists can continue their normal itinerary without any constraints.”

NET flight bookings to Paris are down 101 per cent compared to the same period last year since the November 13 series of terror attacks in the French capital.

According to travel data analyst ForwardKeys, cancellations spiked 21 per cent immediately (14-21 November) after the attacks with the greatest drops in bookings coming from the US, China, Spain and Italy. New bookings remain 27 per cent lower compared to the same dates in 2014.

Meanwhile, new reservations have flatlined since the disaster with bookings for the year-end holiday season now down 13 per cent year-on-year.

Olivier Jager, CEO of ForwardKeys, said: “The clear picture to emerge from our data is that there were dramatic last-minute cancellations of immediate travel plans, predominantly among business travellers, following the attacks. New bookings have also dropped dramatically below the figures for the same period last year.”

“The tragic events in Paris are having a strong impact on travel to the city and our data shows that this is continuing in the run-up to the normally busy Christmas period. The cancellation period has ended, meaning that the storm is behind us, but booking trends are not yet showing signs of recovery.”

ASEAN’s open skies dream, anticipated to come true by this year-end, looks likely to remain unfulfilled as the 2015 deadline draws near.

Addressing this issue during yesterday’s panel discussion, Alan Tan, professor of aviation law at the National University of Singapore, said: “It remains a myth that any ASEAN airline is able to fly between any two points in ASEAN.”

Speaking exclusively to TTG Asia e-Daily, Tan added: “What we still do not have is the all-important seventh freedom rights which means that a Singapore carrier cannot station itself in Bangkok then fly from there to Hanoi. They must return home first.

“There are still various issues that need to be ironed out and it will only be settled at a subsequent stage definitely post-2015.”

Dermot Mannion, deputy chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, was however, sanguine with the progress made over the years. “(At least) we do have more liberal access across the region.”

For instance, under the third and fourth freedom rights which has been fulfilled since the open skies policy was first mooted a decade ago, Singapore carriers can now carry passengers from Singapore to points in Thailand and back – without any restrictions on frequency, capacity or aircraft type.

Still, Brian Hogan, COO of Global Aviation Consultancy said further liberalisation will be meaningless if the infrastructure cannot cope.

“All of these do not matter without proper infrastructure. For example in Philippines, there are massive restraints. Manila is a nightmare as (a lot of) the slots are not available. Infrastructure is the biggest issue,” he said.

THE Sri Lankan government has introduced a slew of initiatives to encourage the growth of tourism, especially MICE activities in the country.

Finance minister Ravi Karunanayake, presenting the national budget for 2016 last week, said a 7,000-seat convention centre will be built in capital Colombo, the country’s largest in terms of capacity when completed.

The government also abandoned plans to introduce a controversial tax structure that would have doubled tourism taxation, following protests from the industry. Import taxes on garments, shoes, electronics and other accessories were also reduced to encourage spending.

“It’s a very positive budget for all business sectors,” noted Hiran Cooray, chairman of The Tourism Hotels Association of Sri Lanka (THASL).

Srilal Miththapala, leisure director, Laugfs Holdings, said the biggest relief came from the abandonment of the tax hike.

He welcomed the focus on MICE and also the regulation of the tax-evading SME sector. The government said 60 per cent of accommodation units available in Sri Lanka are unregulated and thus avoids being taxed.

A five-year, 50 per cent tax break for companies focusing on MICE activities was also introduced.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will be introducing its Four Points brand in Singapore by end 2016.

The 476-room Four Points Singapore, Riverview, a US$17.8 million conversion of the former Riverview Hotel on Havelock Road, will be situated by the Singapore River.

F&B choices include an all-day dining restaurant, Japanese and Chinese cuisine options, and a bar. A fitness centre, outdoor pool, as well as meeting and ballroom spaces totalling 876m² are also available.