Hong Kong’s new cyclothon pedals to lukewarm response

September 10, 2015

HONG KONG will stage a large-scale cyclothon from October 10 to 11 to lure more tourists to the destination. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon will consist of cycling races and a range of fringe activities such as a street carnival.

Peter Lam, chairman of HKTB, hopes to expand the scale of the event so that it becomes a major annual event in the Pearl River Delta region after the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is completed.

However, operators such as Tomco Incentive & Travel Service find the notion a hard sell. Said Kevin Leung, the company’s marketing director: “To be honest, cycling is an uncommon sport and it is difficult to promote. Consultants specialising in sports may sell it but we may not.”

Wing Wong, managing director at W Travel, agreed: ”It’s a very small and niche market that we don’t (sell). Compared to neighbouring destinations like Taiwan, Hong Kong is a bit behind in developing this segment. The city is equipped with nice bicycle tracks but no one promotes it.”

Paul Etherington, owner of Kayak and Hike, offered a more pragmatic view: “I don’t think people will come to Hong Kong to go cycling like Europe and New Zealand, but if Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan can organise good cycling events then Hong Kong should be able to as well.”

Others like Tim Obendorf, director of International Cyclists to Asia, are more sanguine. “This event will serve to put cycling in Hong Kong on the radar…and (stir up) curiosity in many tourists to ask the question, ‘Cycling in Hong Kong? Really?’”

Caceres takes on DOSM role at Ascott Thailand

By TTG Asia

September 10, 2015

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Credit: Ascott

ASCOTT has welcomed Myla Caceres as its new director of sales & marketing for its Thailand properties. Prior to joining Ascott, Caceres was the DOSM for Dusit Thani Bangkok.

She brings with her more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, working in countries such as the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, with brands including The Manila Hotel, Pan Pacific Bangkok, Mercure Hotel Pattaya and Marriott Royal Garden Riverside Bangkok.

Arrivals gain boost occupancy and spend for Samui hotels

By TTG Asia

September 10, 2015

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DESPITE Thailand’s political turmoil in 2014, Samui saw an increase in number of visitors in 1H2015, leading to a boost in the resort island’s occupancy, average room rate (ARR) and RevPAR, according to research by C9 Hotelworks.

This is in contrast with Phuket, which saw a similar increase in visitor numbers but did not record a surge in either room rates or RevPAR.

Spurred by increasing direct international airlift, Samui Airport saw 873 total international flights in 1H2015, amounting to a four percent year-on-year growth in overseas passenger arrivals during the same period.

With the exception of budget and economy hotels, all tiers logged improvements. Midscale hotels grew ARR by 25 per cent and occupancy by four per cent; the upscale segment grew ARR by 18 per cent and occupancy by four per cent; and luxury tallied in with a nine per cent growth in ARR and one per cent growth in occupancy.

Meanwhile, upscale and luxury tiers increased RevPAR significantly by 27 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. In contrast, the midscale segment retracted by two per cent.

According to the report, Samui plans to expand Samui Airport in 2015, although details have not been made public.

KTO commits more efforts to recovering lost tourists

By Rosa Ocampo

September 10, 2015

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SOUTH Korea is adding more sweeteners to its marketing and promotions aimed at the ASEAN region and China to salvage the MICE market which was nearly halved during the June and July MERS scare.

Underway are a series of roadshows, fam trips and promotions such as subventions, free vouchers, discounts for leisure and business tourists, with even more generous perks and incentives than in the past, revealed Keehun Kim, executive director of Korea MICE Bureau.

The CVB is also dangling the ongoing grand sale in South Korea, with 30,000 shops offering generous discounts till October 31.

Kim told TTGmice e-Weekly that many international MICE groups had cancelled in June and July, but business post-MERS is recovering fast and groups are starting to return this month.

A positive development is the confirmation of two huge international events for May next year: the Rotary International Convention with 50,000 participants, including 22,000 from overseas; and Nanjing, China’s Chung Mai multi-level marketing group with 15,000 participants.

Business events account for eight to nine per cent of total arrivals in South Korea, which plunged 41 per cent in July and 53 per cent in August from a year ago. Total arrivals dropped by some 20 per cent in August.

Because of the impact of the MERS scare, South Korea scaled down its total arrivals target from 15.5 million to 15 million this year, but still higher than the 14.2 million total arrivals in 2014.

Hye Jin Jang, assistant manager Manila office, Korea Tourism Oganization (KTO), said that in the Philippines, they are coordinating with ther 28 travel agency partners and five airlines (Korean Air, Asiana, Jeju Air, Cebu Pacific and Air Asia Philippines) to lure Filipino tourists, business travellers and MICE planners.

KTO is renowned in the Philippines for taking good care of its travel agencies and corporate partners, and its ease of accessibility.

The Philippines is a small but fast-growing inbound market for South Korea. About 400,000 Filipinos visited it in 2014, including incentive groups which doubled to 3,400 from just 1,200 in 2013.

Refreshed banquet facilities to open at Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

By Karen Yue

September 10, 2015

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THE five-star Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo will unveil its new event facilities on the 47th floor tomorrow, following a month-long renovation that cost 300 million yen (US$2.5 million).

The five banquet rooms on the level were updated with new interiors, while Akane room was expanded from 45m² to 65m² and Aozora room was fitted with improved lighting systems. Works were also done to the foyer, karaoke room entrance and restrooms on the 47^th floor, as well as the banquet rooms on the lower levels which now offers wireless and local area network facilities.

Beside function rooms on the the top floor, the hotel has multipurpose venues on the fourth and fifth floors.

Hotel spokesperson, Sunaho Nakatani, told TTGmice e-Weekly that the renovations were made to improve the hotel’s product for events and maintain the high quality of venues and experiences the hotel is known for.

“Our banquet and event facilities are very popular and our largest venue, the Concord Ballroom, enjoys a high occupancy of 90 per cent throughout the year,” added Junko Saito, deputy director of marketing and PR.

The hotel hosts some 80 academic and international conventions a year and is regarded either the first or second top hotel venue for events in Japan, with its closest rival being a property in Kansai, according to Saito.

Saito said: “Our hotel is among the best in Shinjuku and Tokyo, and despite our room rates rising every year, we’ve been able to enjoy a healthy average occupancy rate of 89 to 90 per cent. Our rooms aren’t cheap, so we work hard to make sure experiences and service standards are excellent. Our marketing efforts now are aimed at strengthening the hotel’s branding.”

Exo Travel expands into Malaysia with Borneo office

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2015

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EXO Travel has added Malaysia to its portfolio with the opening of a local office, following its recent acquisition of Insight Borneo, a Malaysia-based DMC strong in incentive and group travel.

Located in Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Exo Malaysia has already begun operations, having ramped up capacity over the preceding months. The Malaysian outpost will also manage small-scale operations in Singapore.

Malaysia presents the next logical step forward for Exo, filling the void between the South-east Asian continent and Indonesia, said the company in a press statement. The Bangkok-based DMC has a presence in eight countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Japan, China and Indonesia.

Olivier Colomes, CEO of Exo Travel, commented: “The diverse nature of Malaysia’s product and environment offers the perfect combination of attributes that our clients are looking for.

“Malaysia provides Exo opportunities to fulfill every niche market we operate in, namely tailor-made, adventure travel and MICE. It will also enable us to provide more combined trips with the neighboring countries we are already established in.”

Nicky Henderson has been appointed general manager of Exo Malaysia. She was formerly the director of product and product manager at Exo Travel, in addition to her experience as a tour guide in Malaysia.

[Sponsored Post] Network with top buyers at CTW Asia-Pacific 2015

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2015

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Credit: TTG Asia

OFFERING unparalleled networking opportunities to engage close to 100 top procurers and decision makers of business travel solutions from India, Indonesia, Singapore, China and Malaysia, CTW Asia-Pacific 2015 has attracted buying representatives from some of the world’s largest MNCs including Accenture, Apple, Bosch, Flextronics International, Lenovo and Unilever Industries.

The solid two-day programme will feature10 relevant conference topics, over 20 coveted expert speakers and a comprehensive array of procurement and networking sessions.

“CTW Asia-Pacific offers a unique opportunity to directly engage top corporate professionals and showcase our best-in-class hotel solutions. Our participation, we believe, will also increase our brand awareness,” said first-time conference delegate Hotel Reservation Service (HRS)’ managing director, Todd Arthur. HRS is also a silver sponsor of the 2015 event.

Craig Ryan, Managing Director – APAC of Oakwood Worldwide, returning conference delegate and 2015 gold sponsor, expressed of his experience with last year’s event, saying: “Working with CTW Asia-Pacific enabled us to generate a good level of qualified leads. It is a reputed show that is well-attended by corporate travel suppliers and buyers.” The company has raised its sponsorship level with the show as a result of its stellar outing in 2014.

Other business travel solution providers and sponsors who will be there to network and engage buyers include Frasers Hospitality, Carlson Wagonlit Travel and Carey International.

Conference passes that allow unlimited access to all CTW Asia-Pacific educational sessions, as well as most networking events are still on sale.

Email ctwapac@ttgasia.com with promo code CTWAPAC15 to enjoy 15 per cent savings. There really is no reason for you not to be at CTW Asia-Pacific 2015.

Minor Hotel Group plans Avani’s debut to UAE

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2015

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Credit: Minor Hotel Group

MINOR Hotel Group (MHG) is partnering real-estate company Nakheel to co-invest and develop a 500-key Avani-branded Hotel in Dubai, marking the debut of the Avani brand in the UAE.

Slated to open in 2018, the Avani Deira Dubai Hotel will be located in the Deira Islands – a waterfront entertainment, tourist and residential destination undergoing development in alignment with the Dubai Vision 2020. The property will be a stone’s throw away from Dubai International Airport, with views of the Dubai skyline and the Arabian Gulf.

Credit: Minor Hotel Group

“We are really excited to announce the launch of our Avani Brand in the UAE and also be entering into a new strategic partnership with Nakheel,” said Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel Group.

MHG currently has a portfolio of nine hotels in the UAE across three brands – Anantara, Per Aquum and Oaks.

Jetstar Pacific, Nok Air launch new flights to Hanoi

By TTG Asia

September 9, 2015

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Credit: Nok Air

THE Vietnamese capital looks set to receive more visitors with the launch of new services by Jetstar Pacific and Nok Air plying the Hong Kong- and Bangkok-Hanoi routes respectively.

Beginning its first flight from Hong Kong to Hanoi yesterday, Jetstar Pacific will operate the service four times a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays on an 180-seat Airbus A320.

Lead-in fares start from HK$249 (US$32), excluding special promotion fares.

Nok Air’s four-times weekly service to Hanoi will commence on December 1, 2015 from Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport. The route will be operated on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 189 seats.

Promotional all-inclusive fares start from 999 baht (US$28) per person per way, available for booking from now until September 20, 2015.

Uni-Orient Travel widens outbound offerings to tap Philippine travel trends

By Rosa Ocampo

September 9, 2015

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WHOLESALER Uni-Orient Travel is broadening its focus beyond the inbound sector by expanding its list of destination packages with upmarket tours locally and abroad.

“I’m focusing on inbound but I also want to create a series of tour packages with monthly departures both domestically and internationally,” said Wilson Techico, vice president for business and product development at Uni-Orient Travel.

Apart from launching tours to Russia via China Eastern Airlines, Uni-Orient is also offering options to Turkey, Europe and China with several departures a year, as Philippine travellers are now seeking new destinations beyond their usual jaunts in Asia and the Middle East, according to Techico.

He aims to create unique packages including a series of high-end tours to destinations like Baguio-Sagada and Boracay, leveraging Uni-Orient’s position as a major inbound operator and partnerships with other travel suppliers in the Philippines.

Techico added that Uni-Orient’s year-old B2B portal, U Xplor, is making it easier to develop new destinations. From just 500 hotels in its database, U Xplor now includes over 300,000 hotels worldwide, in addition to land transfers, tours and packages.

With these functions in place, “travel (consultants) are starting to partner with us” and new verticals such as flights may be added in the future, said Techico.

Hong Kong’s new cyclothon pedals to lukewarm response

Caceres takes on DOSM role at Ascott Thailand

Arrivals gain boost occupancy and spend for Samui hotels

KTO commits more efforts to recovering lost tourists

Refreshed banquet facilities to open at Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Exo Travel expands into Malaysia with Borneo office

[Sponsored Post] Network with top buyers at CTW Asia-Pacific 2015

Minor Hotel Group plans Avani’s debut to UAE

Jetstar Pacific, Nok Air launch new flights to Hanoi

Uni-Orient Travel widens outbound offerings to tap Philippine travel trends

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