A HOTEL that can trace its heritage back 100 years has become the first in Tokyo to join the portfolio of Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH).

Tokyo Station Hotel opened in November 1915 with features that were state-of-the-art at the time. Located in the iconic Tokyo Station Marunouchi Building, the hotel reopened in 2012 after renovation work that lasted more than six years.

The second-oldest hotel in Tokyo, the property presently has 150 guestrooms, 10 restaurants and bars, fitness and spa facilities and banquet facilities.

“Our becoming the first member hotel in Tokyo is strategically significant for both parties and should prove a great advantage to SLH customers around the world,” said Hitoshi Fujisaki, general manager of the hotel.

The property is the ninth in Japan to become a member of SLH. The group’s CEO, Paul Kerr, said the agreement “speaks to our intent to expand in the Asia-Pacific market.”

GARUDA Indonesia and Accor yesterday signed an MoU in Jakarta, strengthening a partnership that officially started in 2012.

With the MoU, customers of both parties will get benefits such as special rates at Accor hotels, Accor’s Earning Mileage and Garuda’s Mileage Redemption.

Garuda president and CEO, Arief Wibowo, said: “Through our partnership, which officially started in 2012, we have had joint programmes, such as bundling flight and accommodation for incentive groups, and accommodation for our growing network and crew members. Accor has also become Garuda’s corporate account.”

Arief added cooperation in 2014 had contributed US$10 million in revenue for the airline, and the enhanced partnership this year is expected to increase revenue by 10 to 12 per cent.

AS CRUISES continue to take off in Asia in an unprecedented way, the lack of infrastructural support will prove to be a stumbling factor for optimal growth, according to Christina Siaw, CEO of Singapore Cruise Centre.

A panelist the PATA Singapore Chapter seminar held yesterday at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore to discuss the impact of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) on regional tourism, Siaw said cruising in Asia is a “very small proportion” of the region’s population, with just 1.3 million cruise passengers in Asia per year, compared to the total of 22 million globally.

She told TTG Asia e-Daily: “The growth potential of cruises here is huge. While the projection is that it will grow up to four million by 2020, I think it can rise by a lot more to 10 million.”

While implementation of the AEC 2015 is currently underway, Siaw pointed out that its implications for the cruise industry are minimal due to the existing curb on free flow of foreign capital for cruise infrastructure building.

“Building cruise terminals is not a priority for developing countries because they have other more pressing bread-and-butter issues to deal with, such as the roads and logistics in their countries,” she said.

“That is when (foreign investors) can come in, but there is no free flow of capital, which is a problem.

“For example, it is not so easy for a Singapore company to build a cruise company in the Indonesia or Philippines. It must be a joint venture with (locals) holding a majority stake.”

Earlier this week at the Singapore Tourism Industry Conference, Singapore Tourism Board’s chief executive Lionel Yeo said cruises are expected to experience “siginificant growth” this year, with five to eight per cent compounded growth rate in passenger throughput.

While Singapore is able to thrive on the booming cruise industry, Siaw said that the archipelago nations Indonesia and Philippines would be able to benefit especially if foreign direct investment restrictions come down.

She said: “It is simple reasoning – without the infrastructure, the ships are not going to come into their countries.”

THE Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has announced it will be enhancing the Lion City’s MICE appeal through a 35 per cent increase in marketing investment this year.

At the Singapore Tourism Industry Conference today, STB assistant chief executive, Neeta Lachmandas, was unable to provide the exact amount of the investment but said it will be a “substantial sum” channelled into brand building and marketing campaigns.

Lachmandas told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Prior to 2013 and 2014, we had a bit of a quiet period which we did not have that much of a destination branding for MICE.”

With the aim of generating greater awareness through PR activities, advertising and increased participation in tradeshows, she said: “In the US and Europe markets, we are targeting the association conventions as well as exhibition and conference event organisers; in Asia-Pacific, we see bigger opportunities for corporate meetings and incentives.”

Asked how STB will build event attendance, she elaborated: “We want more people to know about a specific event so we can increase participation numbers through advertising driven towards the delegates.”

According to Singapore’s second minister for trade and industry, S Iswaran, STB is on track to secure more best-in-class exhibitions and conferences, and has made good progress towards the annual target of securing 10 new association world congresses.

New large-scale events this year such as the Oriflame Diamond Conference 2015, BestWorld Convention 2015, USANA Asia & Pacific Convention 2015, Forever Living Global Rally 2015 and Jeunesse Global Expo Unite Annual World Conference are expected to bring in more than 24,000 business delegates combined.

LUANG Prabang’s top hotels and restaurants had raced to fill all 72 seats of Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality’s (Lanith) Passport to Success training sessions in March, in a bid to achieve The Mark certification for food production as well as workplace safety and hygiene.

Launched last July, the training modules accredited by Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) have since received overwhelming demand, prompting Lanith to offer two more sessions commencing on June 8 and 15.

Luang Prabang View Hotel general manager, John Morris Williams, who sent four of his kitchen crew to the courses, said: “CIEH carries a lot of power behind it, and staff being trained under that banner gives recognition to both our hotel and staff, while assisting travel agents, who are always looking for establishments with high standards.”

Two CIEH training sessions will be offered at the institute’s Vientiane campus from August 17 to 28.

To attain The Mark certification, restaurants and hotel dining outlets must pass a strict CIEH audit awarded by the Luang Prabang Safe and Green Tourism Scheme.

IN A bid to reverse slowing tourism figures, the Singapore government today announced the launch of a S$20 million (US$14.8 million) global marketing campaign next month.

Intended to ride the wave of international interest on the nation’s Golden Jubilee – 50 years of independence this year – the campaign will run until this year-end, luring visitors with flight and hotel deals, retail offerings as well as entertainment options.

Lionel Yeo, Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) chief executive, revealed: “We will be putting up attractive flight rates with airline partners, special dining experiences and special SG50 itineraries that include key milestones in Singapore’s history.”

The campaign, which will be marketed in key regions like Indonesia, China, India, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, will coincide with the annual Great Singapore Sale next month.

Yeo added that hotel partners will also be rolling out a ‘stay two nights, get third night free’ promotion, with more than 20 hotels already expressing an interest in it.

According to Singapore’s second minister for trade and industry, S Iswaran, Singapore received 2.4 million visitors for the first two months of 2015, a year-on-year decline of about five per cent.
This followed bleak tourism performance last year, where total international arrivals in 2014 dipped 3.1 per cent to 15.1 million, from the record 15.6 million in 2013.

Iswaran said: “With an uncertain global economic outlook, intensifying regional competition and a relatively strong Singapore dollar, challenges will remain in the near term.”

Nevertheless, he added: “Outbound travel to Asia-Pacific is expected to continue to grow, so will intra-Asia travel, as Asian economies and disposable incomes rise. We must be ready to seize our share of this growth.”

With “modest growth” expected, STB is projecting between zero and three per cent for visitor arrivals, and between zero and two per cent for tourism receipts this year.

Just last week, the NTO had announced a new two-year S$35 million joint marketing collaboration with the Changi Airport Group.

JAPAN’S travel industry has expressed shock at news that the transport ministry is planning to impose a new levy on travellers using Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport.

The ministry intends to introduce the new fee in 2017 to fund the expansion of the airport in the run-up to Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympic Games.

The proposal is for international travellers to pay an additional 500 yen (US$4.18) levy, while anyone taking a domestic flight will be required to pay an extra 100 yen.

The airport needs to raise about 100 billion yen to build new terminal facilities and expand the apron to enable the facility to add close to 40,000 arrivals and departures a year. Haneda presently handles around 450,000 flights a year.

Eiko Sato, general manager of the public relations department at the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), told TTG Asia e-Daily: “At present, passengers on international flights are already charged 2,570 yen at Haneda. A new levy will increase the burden on passengers and result in a decrease in travel demand.

“JATA, as a representative of the travel industry, remains opposed to the introduction of any new levies on the use of airport facilities.”

CARLSON Rezidor Hotel Group is to sink its roots deeper into India with plans to grow its portfolio in the country – particularly in the south and west – to over 170 hotels within the next five years.

The group currently has 117 hotels in operation and under development across 45 cities in India.

From last year to 1Q2015, it had opened a total of 10 hotels and signed six new hotels in India. In April 2014, a partnership with Bestech Hospitalities was also inked for 43 more Park Inn by Radisson hotels in north and central India by 2024.

For the rest of 2015, it expects to open eight to nine hotels and sign 12 to 15 new ones in cities across the country.

It seeks to broaden brand presence in India with the introduction of its upscale Radisson Red and modern luxury Quorvus Collection.

MYANMAR’S tourism growth looks set to continue as arrivals through Yangon for the first two months of 2015 saw further increase from the record performance achieved during the same period last year.

According to figures from the Myanmar Tourism Federation, the city welcomed 193,891 tourists in January and February this year, a hike of 7.2 per cent year-on-year.

More than 63 per cent of the visitors in January and February this year were from Asia, the majority of which came from Thailand, China, Japan and South Korea.

Josep Niubo, director of Lotus Bonita, said: “We have seen a year-on-year increase in arrivals to Yangon for the first two months, as well as growth in hotel bookings and flights out of Yangon to destinations in Myanmar.

“We can expect to see continued growth in the future, as more people talk about their positive experiences here. Word-of-mouth will be key to growth.”

Despite the negative headlines Myanmar has attracted in recent weeks regarding the police crackdown on student protesters in March and the ongoing conflicts between rebels and the Myanmar army in the Kokang Region, trade players are confident that tourist arrivals will not be affected.

Lee Sheridan, general manager, Journeys Adventure Travel, said: “Without a strong independent traveller market, tourists tend to plan and book their holidays longer in advance and short-term disturbances tend to have less immediate impact.”