FOLLOWING record-breaking numbers in 2014, Myanmar’s tourist arrivals were slightly up in the first five months of 2015, propelled by growing numbers of independent travellers as group tours slow.

According to the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, 447,520 tourists came into the country via the main gateway of Yangon International Airport from January to May, while 410,444 travellers visited during the same period last year.

Citing information from the ministry, Aye Nyein Win, sales and marketing manager of Yangon-based Orchestra Travel and Tours, said: “Group tour arrivals through travel agencies have slightly declined compared to last year and more tourists are arriving through online bookings nowadays. The hotel room rate has also dropped a little compared to last year.”

From January to February this year, 28,705 tourists arrived on package group tours while 82,544 were FITs, with many FITs arriving from Spain and Italy, she said.

“However, I still expect better business this coming season and I am sure overall arrivals for 2015 will likely set a new record of arrivals,” she added.

Asian countries accounted for 312,645 of Myanmar’s arrivals from January to May, making up more than 70 per cent of its visitors. The largest group hailed from Thailand with 68,652 arrivals, followed by China with 43,546 tourists and Japan with 35,799 visitors, said ministry data.

European nationals accounted for 81,221 visitors, led by France with 18,113 and followed by the UK at 16,789.

Similarly, Kaung Min Khant, managing director of Asia Central Link Travel and Tour in Yangon, said more budget travellers are arriving than group package tours.

“Many backpackers are arriving but they don’t really contribute a lot to the GDP. I hope there will be more group package arrivals in this year’s peak season.”

He added that arrivals from Thailand, China and Vietnam are also rising.

CRUISE operator Silversea Cruises has unveiled its new flagship, the Silver Muse, which will begin sailing the seas in April 2017.

Built by Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri, the 40,000-register-tonne ultra-luxury ship will accommodate 596 guests in spacious all-suite cabins.

The addition of the Silver Muse will expand Silversea’s fleet to nine ships strong.

“We always had a special relationship with Fincantieri, since my father ordered the first cruise vessels for Sitmar (Cruises) in 1987,” said chairman of Silversea, Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio.

“Both companies have a clear understanding of what today’s affluent traveller seeks, and each approaches the market with originality, creativity, and quality.”

Additional details and specifications of the new ship will be announced in the near future.

TAIWANESE travellers can now visit China without having to apply for visa after China lifted the requirement yesterday.

However Taiwanese visitors will still, as before, need a valid Mainland Travel Permit to enter China.

Taiwan-based Lion Travel handles an average of about 15,000 Taiwanese tourists to China every month and vice general manager, Andy Yu, said China remains the top outbound destination for his clients.

“Travel to China is dominated by group travel and the new measure may spur us to launch more FIT packages targeting the younger generation, who now prefer to go to South-east Asia and Japan. China is not popular among them yet,” he commented.

Yu predicts 10 per cent growth in Taiwanese outbound traffic to China in the next few months as a result.

Similarly, Shanghai-based Hongkong Four Seas Travel -TSI, general manager for Greater China (business travel), Jonathan Kao, said: “Although there are already high entry numbers from Taiwan to China at the moment, one report said approximately two-thirds of Taiwanese have never been to China.”

However, Cheng-An Travel Service, general manager, Rola Wu, disagreed about the usefulness of China’s new entry requirements. “The policy doesn’t mean much to the Taiwanese as the visa was easy to get.”

But Wu said: “It may be a good policy for business travellers but it won’t make much difference otherwise; it’s like an increase in convenience from 90 to 95 per cent.”

“We expect a continuing stable travel pattern after July 1. In the same manner, neither travel agency nor DMC will benefit much from the change.”

INDONESIA needs an additional 120,000 hotel rooms, 1,000 travel companies and 1,000 recreational parks of international standard by 2019 to provide investors with the opportunity to inject money into the country’s economy.

Speaking at the opening of the 2nd Annual Southeast Asia Hotel & Resort Summit in Jakarta yesterday, Indonesian tourism minister Arief Yahya said: “Currently we are encouraging the development of 19 Tourism Investment Areas, consisting of two Special Economic Zones for Tourism, which are Tanjung Lesung (Banten) and Mandalika (Lombok), and also another 17 potential areas throughout the country.”

Apart from hotel, travel companies and recreational facilities, the government is planning to develop 100 dive operators, build 100 marinas, and open up 100 new special economic zones with incentives and benefits for investors by 2019; all of which require a total investment of US$7 billion, according to Arief.

He said: “Tourism is a strategic sector of the national economy, which when developed properly, can bring about a huge economic impact.”

Cross-sector development to improve accessibility and facilities in conjunction with the ministries for transport and public works is also on the cards.

The Ministry of Transportation will undertake the construction of 22 airport runway extensions, 19 new airports such as on the Anambas Islands, 22 new seaports, and upgrade existing seaports.

The Ministry of Public Works will set aside budget for the construction and improvements of roads leading to tourist attractions in the coming years.

Data from Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board shows tourism investment materialisation value reached US$684.9 million in 2014, 13.6 per cent higher than in 2013.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide today announced that Alison Taylor has started her new role as senior vice president of Starwood’s Sales Organization.

She will now lead Starwood’s B2B sales strategy and direct the company’s sales teams around the world, replacing Christie Hicks who retired from the post in March this year.

Taylor comes to the job with 25 years of sales experience, having developed the Starwood Sales Organization in Asia-Pacific and also leading Starwood’s digital marketing and revenue management functions to drive business into the company’s hotels.

She has relocated from Singapore to Starwood’s global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.

TOURISM businesses in Thailand are opposing new regulations for tour guides and groups that they say will increase business costs and red tape at a time when the industry is facing uncertainty.

Spice Roads is one such company, having last week received a letter from the Department of Tourism stating that guides must now register and create a job order for all trips prior to departure using an online portal, a process which enables authorities to run spot checks on active tours.

Failure to comply can result in fines and the revoking of an operator’s tourism licence.

“I am surprised that Thailand, as a country which embraces technology and already has a comprehensive guide licensing system in place, would feel the need to retrofit such draconian systems,” said Daniel Moylan, chief adventure manager at Spice Roads. “These will surely only make it harder for all businesses to operate in the tourism sector.”

Complying with regulations will increase administrative costs for businesses such as Spice Roads, which runs about 20 trips per day, and guides will also be required to visit the office to collect the job order, adding to transport expenses and guide hours.

The manner in which the trade has been informed about the new regulations has also been inconsistent. Tony Soorangura, associate managing director of NS Travel & Tours, said his business has known about the policy since late last year, while authorities have not yet contacted Khiri Travel Group.

Tony said: “It adds cost and wastes time with no obvious benefit…We are facing an economic downturn and there is only one machine left to drive income — tourism. As such we are in need of support and encouragement, not another layer of non-practical policy.”

Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Travel Group, nevertheless agreed the policy would increase costs without delivering any benefits.

“Laos has a similar approach (to the regulation), without an online site. It does not work there and serves no purpose,” he remarked.

The Bureau of Tourism Business and Guide Registration, which is responsible for administering the regulation, could not be reached for comment.