WYNDHAM Worldwide Hotel Group has officially entered Myanmar following the inking of an MoU early this month with Asia Myanmar Shining Star Company, a joint company of Yangon-based Asia Myanmar Consortium Development Company and Hong Kong-based Shining Star Investment Company.

Under the agreement, the five-star Wyndham Grand Yangon Royal Lake Hotel will be part of the US$157 million mixed-use Kantharyar Centre Project at the southern fringe of Kandawgyi Lake, said Kyaw Khaing, managing director of Asia Myanmar Consortium Development Company.

Apart from the 258-room hotel, the project also includes a 132-room residence tower, 168-room office tower, serviced apartments and retail centre.

Wyndham Worldwide will be operating the hotel as well as the serviced apartments, said Kyaw Khaing.

He added: “We believe in the management experience of Wyndham Worldwide Hotel Group. We will invest about US$70 million in the hotel. So far, the ground work for Phase 1 is completed and we hope to complete the whole project by 2017.”

Phase 1 includes the completion of the office tower, Phase 2 will include the retail centre and serviced apartments, and Phase 3 will include the hotel and residence tower, he revealed.

MYANMAR’S Ministry of Hotels and Tourism is targeting 2015 arrivals to surpass last year’s over three million visitors, but the trade is urging for a tourism development approach that focuses more on sustainability than numbers.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum in Nay Pyi Taw last month, tourism minister Htay Aung had said that Myanmar hopes to attract 4.5 to five million tourists this year.

Calling the focus on generating numbers an old-fashioned approach to tourism development, Andrea Valentin, director of Yangon-based NGO Tourism Transparency, said: “The authorities should focus on what they said they would do when they passed the Responsible Tourism Policy in 2012 and the Community-Involved Tourism Policy in 2013.”

Referring to the government’s recent announcement on the construction of 20 new hotel zones nationwide, she said: “Creating high-end luxury hotel zones without meaningful stakeholder consultations with the affected people who will have to make way for such developments stand in direct contrast to the responsible tourism pledge.

“Also, are the tourism infrastructure needs being defined according to what’s needed? Of course we need more and better hotels, but we also need small guesthouses.”

She added that such a development not only benefits merely a small tourism elite, neglecting the needs of people on the ground, but may also lead to over-capacity, which in turn could cause a price war, affecting Myanmar’s image as a unique tourism destination.

“The voices of those directly affected by hotel constructions absolutely need to be taken into account,” she opined.

Concurred Marek Lenarcik, general manager of Thahara: “Focusing on increasing tourism numbers is never a sustainable approach, especially as it seems last year’s three million visitors included all border crossings, even if the visitor spent less than 24 hours in the country.”

He suggested: “The more sustainable approach would include promoting parts of Myanmar as year-round destinations, extending an average length of stay and encouraging investors to develop hospitality services beyond the major destinations.”

THE Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) will launch a Preferred Partner Programme (PPP) at its annual convention scheduled for March 26 to 28 in Bali.

PPP aims to provide a ‘preferred’ status to stakeholders like airlines, hotels and NTOs, which will in turn offer TAAI members benefits like better remuneration, extended payment cycle and sponsorship for the association’s events.

Said Harmandeep Singh Anand, honorary secretary general, TAAI: “It is a win-win situation for principals and our members. At a time when Indian travel consultants are facing a tough time due to shrinking margins, such initiatives will ensure healthy profit, among other benefits.

“Principals on their part will get strong support from our approximately 2,200 members across the country.”

TAAI is not looking at a specific number yet but is keen to have as many as possible stakeholders on board for PPP.

Singh added: “The managing committee will not dictate that members promote only preferred partners. However, it is natural that loyalty will be with preferred partners who will offer better margins than others.”

TAAI will place the list of PPP participants on its official website and also send related circulars to its members.

THE Kuala Lumpur City Hall yesterday launched an international online tactical campaignIAMKL, with the objective of engaging an international audience in a fun manner while creating greater awareness of Kuala Lumpur among travellers.

The campaign runs up to March 31 and utilises social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as the official campaign website (iamkl.com) to gain Internet exposure.

Foreign visitors are invited to upload ‘selfies’ of themselves with identifiable scenes of Kuala Lumpur in the background, and encouraged to share their posts with friends online, thereby creating a viral effect that will garner more awareness.

Non-Malaysians aged 25 years and above can also take part in the ‘I want to go there’ contest to stand a chance to win a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday’s event also saw the launch of a free bi-monthly e-newsletter, Hello KL, a resource for all parties selling the city, allowing them to develop creative tour packages and itineraries, according to Ahmad Phesal Talib, mayor of Kuala Lumpur. Hello KL can be downloaded via Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s official website, visitkl.gov.my.

THE 313-key Ritz-Carlton, Bali has returned to the popular holiday destination with yesterday’s launch, six years since ceasing management of its property there.

Located in Sawangan, Nusa Dua, The Ritz-Carlton, Bali is a 30-minute transit away from Ngurah Rai International Airport and set on 12.7ha of beachfront and cliff-top land.

The resort offers guestrooms and also cliff-top and ocean-view villas. A 180º unobstructed view of the Indian Ocean and a 70m high glass elevator with access to the beach are other notable features of the property.

The Ritz-Carlton, Bali will house six F&B options: Bejana, an Indonesian restaurant; The Beach Grill, offering seafood and grill specialties; Raku Japanese Lounge & Bar; The Ritz-Carlton Lounge & Bar; Senses, an all day dining restaurant; and Breezes Tapas Lounge, which serves light snacks and Tapas.

Resort facilities include a play area for children, a private pool and sun deck exclusively for The Ritz-Carlton Club guests, an oceanfront wedding chapel and meeting spaces to accommodate up to 200 guests.

The Ritz-Carlton Spa is soon to open with 14 treatment rooms.