AFTER an eight-month-long renovation to its Main Tower and Executive Wing, Carlton Hotel Singapore has opened its doors once more.

The hotel, which restarted operations in February 2015, now boasts 940 guestrooms, two Club Lounges, fully equipped meeting and event spaces, four F&B outlets, a swimming pool, gym, spa, salon and retail outlets.

Carlton Hotel Singapore is also commemorating Singapore’s 50^th year of independence with a special SG50 promotion.

Guests who stay at the hotel between August 7 and 10 will receive half-price discounts on Best Flexi Rates and buffet breakfast rates.

The SG50 Package includes free high-speed Wi-Fi, half-price off walk-in buffet breakfast, free gym and sauna use, free yoga class (on Saturdays from 08.00 to 09.00), 10 per cent off LifeSpa treatments, free parking for in-house guests, and late check-out at 15.00 if available.

The promotion is only valid for bookings via the hotel website and subject to service charge and GST.

SHOPPING is becoming less of a focus for Chinese tourists as they increasingly gravitate towards cultural experiences, according to latest data.

According to insights by GfK and ForwardKeys, South Korea, Thailand and Japan remain the top three travel destinations for Chinese holidaymakers with huge spikes in advanced bookings found for the April to September period.

Air ticket purchases to South Korea have increased by 85 per cent over the same period last year, and Thailand and Japan have registered increased bookings by 60 and 50 per cent respectively.

For the Chinese, countries like Japan and Thailand are cultural destinations and the continued increase in interest likely signals a shift in Chinese travel preferences.

Furthermore, both countries have eased requirements for Chinese travellers and this has “positively impacted tourism”, said Olivier Jager, CEO of ForwardKeys.

On the other hand, the number of visitors to Hong Kong for the April-September period has plunged by 48 per cent.

Laurens Van Den Oever, global lead for travel and hospitality, GfK, said in a press statement: “Trips to Hong Kong from China are down, affected to some degree by the yellow umbrella protest that took place over an extended period of time in the fourth quarter of last year.

“A GfK study on the destination image of the top five Asian countries among Chinese reported that the key draw of Hong Kong is shopping; and the decline in tourist numbers could mean that shopping is no longer a priority for mainlanders.”

THE airline formerly known as Tigerair Philippines is signalling a change in fortunes and direction through its rebrand to Cebgo, the budget carrier announced yesterday.

Acquired in its entirety by Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) in March 2014, Tigerair Philippines will now operate as Cebgo and continue to fly from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 4 and Clark International Airport to its 16 destinations.

Cebgo’s new identity includes a new logo in CEB colours to reflect its ties to parent company CEB, and flight and ground crew will don Cebgo uniforms in the near future.

“The new Cebgo brand clearly identifies us as part of the CEB group, and streamlines our operations further. Cebgo will continue to leverage on CEB’s distribution channels and network, and work together to serve more guests,” said Michael Ivan Shau, Cebgo president and CEO, in a press release.

Following CEB’s acquisition of the LCC in March last year, Cebgo has trimmed its financial losses and introduced 10 new services.

The airline has 55 aircraft in its fleet and is scheduled to take delivery of seven more Airbus A320s and 30 Airbus A321neo aircraft by 2021.

THE new 330-key Shangri-La Hotel, Qinhuangdao in China’s Hebei province opened its doors last Friday.

Located along Bohai Bay, the 23-storey hotel is a 15-minute drive to the train station that shuttles travellers to Tianjin and Beijing in under two hours, and 35 minutes away from Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Airport.

Apart from guestrooms and suites sized from 45 to 135m², the hotel also offers F&B outlets including Café Qin, which seats 60 people for alfresco gatherings; and Qin Xiang Ge Chinese restaurant, which offers 15 private rooms.

Wellness facilities comprise a 24m indoor pool, gym, Jacuzzi and spa, while meetings facilities include 11 function rooms and a 1,658m² Grand Ballroom. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel.

Valid until December 31, the hotel’s opening offer starts at RMB558 (US$90) per room per day, and includes breakfast for one, 20 per cent discount on laundry and double Golden Circle points.

A HOTEL in Tokyo has created a whole new niche market, providing special rooms for stressed out working women wanting a good cry.

The Mitsui Garden Yotsuya Hotel introduced the new package, which includes ultra-soft tissues, therapeutic eye masks, make-up remover, miserable manga and a selection of weepy movies such as Forrest Gump, in late March.

A member of staff told TTG Asia e-Daily that the hotel has taken “quite a few” reservations for the package.

The “ladies moderate single room” costs 10,000 yen (US$83) per day. Included in the package is a book about crying therapy and other ways of reducing stress.

The offer will continue at the hotel until August 31. The spokesperson for the hotel said it is possible that it might be held in the future again, or even introduced in the Mitsui Garden chain’s other properties.

THE growing number of air connections in Surabaya, originally intended to improve travel for locals, is expected to open up new destinations such as Banyuwangi, Jember and Malang, and bring in more visitors to East Java.

East Java Government Culture and Tourism Service director, Jarianto, who goes by a single name, said Garuda Indonesia’s launch of Surabaya-Jember and Surabaya-Banyuwangi routes in the last couple of years had fostered development in the surrounding areas.

“Susi Air just opened pioneering routes between Jember and Sumenep (on Madura Island) on May 2 and it also plans to fly Sumenep-Kagean (also on the island) later on.

“While this is initially targeted to prove better access to the local people, it is expected to stimulate tourism in the future.”

At the same time, Banyuwangi’s Blimbingsari Airport is expanding its runway from 1,900m to 2,250m to enable it to accommodate bigger aircraft with a budget of Rp150 billion (US$11.4 million) already set aside for it.

Surabaya is the capital and international gateway of East Java province, which received 460,000 international arrivals in 2014, a 54 per cent increase over 2013.

It also saw 45 million domestic movements last year, making it one of the biggest local travel destinations in the country.

East Java governor, Soekarwo, who also goes by one name, said: “Tourism has played an important role in the development of East Java, contributing Rp101 trillion to regional income in 2014, an increase of 15.6 per cent over the previous year.”

Addressing an audience at the opening of Majapahit Travel Fair (MTF) 2015 and Indonesia Corporate Meeting and Incentive Travel Mart (ICMITM) 2015 in Surabaya last week, Soekwaro said the regional government was fostering the development of tourism at the regency level and is improving infrastructure to attract more arrivals in the future.

THE German National Tourist Office (GNTO) is aiming to strengthen the country’s image as a traditional and cultural destination through its new campaign, Germany – Traditions and Customs.

Introduced to the Indian market yesterday, the campaign promotes Germany’s traditional costume and dance, beer breweries, craft villages, culinary specialties as well as festivals like the German Grape Harvest Festival in Neustadt and Oktoberfest in Munich.

“The overnight stay of Indian tourists has gone up by 72 per cent since 2007. We would now like to encourage Indian tourists to explore the diversity of culture, customs and historical sights of the lesser-known German cities,” said Michael Steiner, German ambassador to India, to TTG Asia e-Daily.

Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin are currently the top three German destinations for the Indian market.

The tourism board will be depending on strategic marketing activities like newsletters, outdoor advertorials, joint promotions with travel trade, media and trade fam trips.

Roadshows and social media to increase awareness of the campaign, said Romit Theophilus, director, sales & marketing, GNTO India.

GNTO will also advertise 150 scenic routes throughout the country.