HENGDA Hotels and Resorts’ last Friday officially launched Qidong Hengda Century Resort (Hengda Hotel) in Jiangsu Province’s Qidong City, with an eye to position the 581-key integrated resort (IR) as a premium leisure and incentive destination in the Yangtze Delta Region.

Gary Ge, president of Hengda Hotel commented that the IR marks the group’s inaugural venture into the Yangtze Delta Region, already a pre-eminent tourism destination in China. The group currently manages 12 hotels in China, with another 40 in the pipeline.

Amenities at the RMB1.3 billion (US$202.7 million) complex include an infinity pool, sports and children facilities, a 10,000m2 banquet hall, waterfront F&B options, a yacht harbour and a 3.5km-long beach.

Its international convention centre boasts 61 multi-functional meeting rooms and a 3,700m2 pillarless ballroom that can accommodate 3,000 convention participants or 1,500 diners.

The IR is located across the river from Shanghai, where the East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Yangtze River converge. It is also in close proximity to the Yuantuojiao Scenic Resort, with the Shanghai city centre and Shanghai Pudong International Airport a 100-minute and 80-minute drive away respectively.

Translated from the original TTG China e-Daily, August 24, 2015 article by Ong Yanchun.

THE Timpohon Trail on Mount Kinabalu will be open to climbers from September 1 to November 30, following a nearly three-month closure when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit the region on June 5, 2015.

However, only 100 climbing permits will be issued daily by Sabah Parks, compared with 193 previously, with climbers only allowed to ascend to Laban Rata. Those hoping to conquer the summit can do so from December 1 when the new Mount Kinabalu Summit Trail opens.

The Mesilau Trail will be closed indefinitely until further notice as the mountain paths remain inaccessible since the quake. As such, all climbs will be using the Timpohon Trail exclusively.

THAILAND is bracing itself for what it believes will be only a brief post-bomb turbulence on tourist arrivals, said the Ministry of Tourism and Sports during a press conference in Bangkok today.

The Thai government acknowledged a blip in arrivals after the bombing, but expect measures being put in place to bring forth a quick and strong recovery.

“The incident has had an impact, but it is limited, as hotel bookings and reservations are still good up till the end of the year,” said Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Thailand’s minister of tourism and sports during today’s press conference.

Areepong Bhoocha-oom, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism told TTG Asia e-Daily that the daily arrivals at all the country’s international airports combined were at 85,000 till August 17, when a bomb blew up at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok.

After the bombing, daily arrivals fell to 70,000, which was still 10 per cent higher than the same period last year, he added. Conference arrivals during the August 1-23 period, meanwhile, reached 2.1 million, up 31.7 per cent from the same period in 2014.

Officials are emphasising on the moves taken to stabilise the market, pointing to the estimated 4,000 more security officers being stationed across public places in Bangkok. They also point to the increased and improved use of technology such as CCTV as well as support given to the bomb victims.

Thailand is still on track to meet its arrival target this year, according to the minister. In addition, Thailand will be stepping up marketing efforts in key source markets such as China, added Kobkarn.

STARWOOD’S The Grand Mansion, A Luxury Collection Hotel in Nanjing, China has introduced a four new cultural programmes for its guests.

Two programmes to watch for are the Tracing the Ming Guo Architecture and the Experience of Oriental Metropolitan.

Guests will get to indulge in a Ming Guo style lunch for two along with transportation within Nanjing to up to four Ming Guo architectural sites with the first package. The latter package will invite guests to enjoy an Oriental Metropolitan cuisine for two with complimentary access to the museum.

Both packages include one-night accommodation, daily breakfast for two, complimentary Internet and Wi-Fi, and complimentary soft drinks from the mini bar. Following each stay, guests will also receive a copy of Under The Phoenix Tree, a book on Nanjing Republican-era architecture, or Nanjing – Live Misty in the Six Dynasties.

Alvaro Rautenberg, general manager of The Grand Mansion, which sits close to the historic Presidential Palace and the Oriental Metropolitan Museum, said: “The opening of The Grand Mansion has piqued the interests of discerning travelers who are looking for authentic excursions in China.”

Prices vary for each programme.

BOEING, in its recent India Current Market Outlook, has projected a worldwide demand for 38,050 new airplanes over the next 20 years, with India carriers needing more than 4.5 per cent of the total global demand.

India will need 1,740 new airplanes, valued at US$240 billion, which includes 20 regional jets, 1,460 single-aisle and 26 wide-body aircraft.

Dinesh Kaskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said in a press statement: “The Indian market is highly competitive and airlines are adapting with added capacity, moderate pricing discipline and new business models, such as…low-cost carriers.”

“India’s potential for air travel growth (both for leisure and business) continues to be strong and we remain confident in the Indian commercial aerospace market,” he added.

SpiceJet is among the many Indian airlines that is growing its fleet. It has placed a US$4.4 billion order with Boeing for 42 737 Max aircraft. For this fiscal year alone, it intends to increase its number of Boeing airplanes to 25 or 26 from the current 20.

Kiran Koteshwar, CFO of SpiceJet, said: “We are currently focused on single-aisle aircraft and Q400s fit into our regional strategy. As growth is expected from Tier Two and Tier Three cities, we are in discussion with aircraft manufacturers for a firm bulk order and expect to close the same by this fiscal (year).”

Boeing is not the only aircraft manufacturer to benefit from India’s growing air travel sector. Indian budget airline IndiGo confirmed orders for 250 A320neo aircraft last week, making it Airbus’ largest order of single-aisle aircraft.

As well, New Delhi-based airline Vistara is adding three new A320neo aircraft by this yearend and is expected to grow its fleet with another 11 by 2018.

LANGHAM Hospitality Group (LHG) is on track to expand its portfolio in the Middle East after striking a deal with Dubai-based Omniyat to manage the 167-room Langham Place Downtown Dubai. This marks the group’s second confirmed property in the region, after The Langham, Palm Jumeirah, slated to open in late 2016.

The US$273 million project spans a built-up area of 63.93m2 in the Burj Khalifa district and also comprises of serviced apartments and a luxury hotel, generating a total of 438 units.

Lo Ka Shui, executive chairman of LHG, said in a press conference: “About 90 per cent of our properties are owner-occupied. The project with Omniyat is a management contract as we don’t know the Middle East well and depend on our partners.

“LHG is not a big chain but we have a strong network inside China and a base in Hong Kong. Therefore, we are able to bring in many Chinese customers.”

The group hopes that the partnership with Ominyat will further expand to other areas in the Middle East region. Currently, the group has ongoing projects in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Beirut and Oman.

According to Mahdi Amjad, executive chairman and CEO of Omniyat, the group currently has 1,500 rooms under development across the city. “We’ve doubled our portfolio in the last two to three years while Dubai has doubled its tourist arrivals from five to 10 million. The region attracts more tourists, creating more demand so the city has a vision to further grow its annual visitor numbers to 20 million by 2020.”

COMO Hotels and Resorts will open a new hotel in Perth, its first property Down Under, on October 15, 2015.

Situated within a heritage building on Cathedral Avenue as part of the new Cathedral Square Development artisanal precinct, Como The Treasury will provide access to the state capital and business hub of Perth, as well as popular destination Margaret River and the wider region of Western Australia.

Como The Treasury will comprise 48 elegant rooms and suites averaging 70 m2 each. En-suite bathrooms feature German Kaldewei Duo freestanding oval bathtubs, twin vanities, Travertine stone tiles and heated floors, alongside room amenities such as Como Shambhala toiletries, minibars and Wi-Fi.

A fine-dining restaurant on the rooftop offers views across the Swan River while a more casual restaurant on the ground-floor serves modern Australian dishes.

Other facilities will include a spacious lounge bar, meeting rooms, gym, heated indoor swimming pool and a Como Shambhala Urban Escape spa.

This venture is in conjunction with FJM Property, an Australian property development and investment company.

THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has appointed Journeys under a three-year contract to operate and manage Haw Par Villa since August 1, 2015, with an option to renew for two further terms of three years each. The company will take charge of the attraction’s programming as well as the management of future F&B spaces within the park.

Ranita Sundramoorthy, director of attractions, dining and retail at STB, said: “We believe that (Journeys) will be able to enliven Haw Par Villa with interesting concepts that will appeal to both locals and tourists, while conserving the integrity of the park.”

Chan Ying-Loone, director of Journeys, said they are aiming “to return the park to its former glory and more”. He added: “We look forward to working closely with the community to organise more activities to breathe new life to this historical and cultural gem of Singapore.”

The park will remain opened daily to all visitors and admission is free.