RIDING on the popularity of its Hello Kitty chartered flights, Eva Air has announced the launch of a permanent Hello Kitty service between Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The new flight route will be flown by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, with flights starting on June 19. Each 333-seat aircraft will have a three-class configuration comprised of Royal Laurel Class business, Elite premium economy and economy.

The Taipei-Houston service will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing at 22.00 and arriving at 23.25 hours, after July 1.

For the Houston to Taipei route, the flight will operate on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 0115 to 0555 hours.

Each Hello Kitty aircraft comes equipped with over 100 in-flight service items featuring Hello Kitty, including limited-edition duty-free products, Hello Kitty-shaped food, thematic pillows and even restroom amenities.

The Taipei-Houston route on Eva Air’s Hello Kitty Jet is an extension of the existing Singapore-Taipei service for a more seamless transit for travellers departing Singapore.

HONG Kong Disneyland Resort this week broke ground on its third hotel, the 750-key Disney Explorers Lodge, as a start to its 10^th anniversary celebrations.

The hotel concept is based on a story of four explorers who together built a lodge based on their adventures around the world, set in the early 1920s, the age of exploration.

Guests will find three restaurants serving international and Chinese cuisines, and fast food, a merchandise shop, an outdoor swimming pool and four themed gardens when Disney Explorers Lodge opens in 2017.

Andrew Kam, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort noted that the two existing hotels have consistently enjoyed an occupancy rate of more than 90 per cent in recent years.

“As an integral part of the resort’s overall expansion plan, the third hotel will increase our total room supply by 75 per cent to 1,750,” he said.

Construction of Disney Explorers Lodge will create additional job opportunities as well as another 600 to 700 full-time jobs at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort when completed.

Financial secretary of the Hong Kong government, John Tsang, commented: “Like any Disney fan, I am thrilled to know that there’s much more to come – much more Disney magic to look forward to – beginning with this year’s 10t^h anniversary celebrations, followed by the launching, in late 2016, of the Iron Man themed area and, in 2017, the opening of the Disney Explorers Lodge.”

FLAGSHIP carrier Maldivian is launching new flights to Nanjing, Xi’an and Changsha beginning in February in addition to the current Chinese cities of Chengdu and Wuhan.

The airline did not provide exact start dates for the new services.

A travel consultant in Malé, capital of the Maldives, said more flights from China would provide flexibility to the industry in managing the increase in the number of visitors from there.

“Further flights to different cities provide us with the option of attracting Chinese from other cities,” he said, adding that the Chinese market is growing by more than 20 per cent a year.

China is Maldives’ biggest inbound market, registering 1.1 million visitors for the January to November 2014 or 31.4 per cent of all arrivals in the Maldives for that period.

Maldivian is one of two airlines operating in the Maldives.

The other, the privately owned Mega Maldives, is the largest inbound carrier to the Maldives from China, with three flights a week from Beijing and Shanghai.

TRAVEL consultants looking for ethical wildlife components to include in their north-east Thailand itineraries can explore the elephant tours offered by Isan Explorer.

The tours allow travellers to walk alongside and observe the elephants as they frolic in the forest and watering holes, and also help the mahouts bathe them in the Mun River.

“Interacting with elephants in a natural environment such as this is an intimate and immensely rewarding experience,” says Tim Bewer, founder and director of Isan Explorer.

The tours come in one- to four-day versions covering the Isan region. While spending time with the elephants are a major part of the itineraries, trips to other attractions in the area such as historic Buddhist temples, Khmer ruins and a silk-weaving village can also be included.

Isan Explorer works with the Save Elephant Foundation to ensure the tours are responsible and beneficial to elephants involved, and elephants remain off-chain. There are no elephant chair rides as carrying heavy loads can cause permanent damage to the animal’s weak spine.

With consumers are becoming more conscious of the social and environmental impact of tourism, travel agencies such as STA Travel have halted sales of elephant rides, tiger temple visits and trips to SeaWorld.

THIRTY new upscale hotels will commence operations in Chengdu within the next three years – 12 of which open in 2015 – to add 3,342 more guestrooms to the city’s inventory.

The increased competition is both a source of opportunity and concern for local hoteliers.

InterContinental Hotels Group director of operators, Sichuan, Chongqing and ETG portfolio hotels, David Lim, said that Chengdu’s rapid economic development has boosted demand for international luxury hotels.

Such demand is likely to rise as the influx of investments continues to sustain Chengdu’s economic growth.

Grand Hyatt Chengdu at the Chicony Plaza’s general manager, Liang Jian Bang, commented that while room rates could dip slightly as a result of additional supply, there remains adequate scope for competition.

The newcomers will trigger competition in the market for clients and manpower, predicts Howard Johnson Agile Plaza Chengdu’s marketing and sales director, Tao Bao Lin.

Collective action by all industry players is the only way to avoid the inevitable price war, said Tao.

Ren Ke, marketing and sales director at Grand Hyatt Chengdu, added that hotels opening this year should adopt flexible pricing strategies, instead of a blunt approach, towards MICE and leisure sales.

The flourishing MICE market is large enough for all parties to thrive, said Ren.

According to STR Global’s 2014 statistics, average occupancies at five-star hotels in Chengdu grew by a modest two per cent while room rates declined by nine per cent, a change attributed to increasing competition in the industry.

Article By Jessie Liu. Translated by Ong Yanchun from the original TTG China e-Daily, January 1, 2015 

US ADVENTURE travel specialist Zegrahm Expeditions is launching a 20-day chartered luxury expedition to Philippine island destinations that are difficult to access by land.

Running from February 7-27, 2015, the cruise on board Noble Caledonia’s 100-pax MS Caledonian Sky will depart Sandakan, Malaysia with 70 North American visitors.

There will be explorers, divers, birdwatchers, geologists and naturalists joining the trip, said Lourdes Banzon, executive vice president and COO, Sharp Travel Service, Zegrahm’s partner and groundhandler in the Philippines.

“It is the longest expedition for a cruise in the Philippines,” said Benjie Bernal, OIC for inbound and outbound tours, Sharp Travel Service, who remarked that most leisure cruise liners visit the Philippines for about three days and call on major ports.

Travellers on this expedition, on the other hand, Bernal said, will have the chance for immersive experiences in areas like Sibuyan Island in Romblon, Capul Island in Samar, Limasawa in Sogod Bay, Leyte and Camiguin Island, some of which are difficult to reach overland.

Meanwhile, river cruise operator Noble Caledonia is selling a 13-day leisure programme in May featuring Japan, Taiwan and northern Philippines, another first, Bernal confirmed.

Prior to that, MS Caledonian Sky, which has visited the Philippines before, will again be spending two days in Palawan, this time on the tail-end of a 16-day Noble Caledonia leisure cruise highlighting Indonesia and East Malaysia.

BEST Western International is showing no sign of rest with the opening of Best Western i-City Shah Alam in Malaysia, its sixth hotel in the country.

“As the capital of the state of Selangor, Shah Alam is a key economic hub in Malaysia. Located just 25km from Kuala Lumpur and 30km from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the city is at the heart of the country’s development and provides an ideal setting for Best Western’s new generation of contemporary hotels,” said Ron Pohl, Best Western International’s senior vice president of brand management & development.

The 18-storey Best Western i-City Shah Alam houses 214 rooms and suites, all equipped with modern amenities such as 32-inch LCD televisions, mini bars, working desks, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and Wi-Fi access.

Event and business facilities consist of three meeting rooms, able to accomodate up to 180 pax in total.

The selection of F&B options include an all-day dining restaurant and a cafe, both Asian and international cuisine.

“Malaysia is an incredibly exciting market for Best Western International. With five hotels already open in the country and eight more in the pipeline, we look forward to serving the needs of ever more Malaysian and international guests in future,” Pohl said.

The opening comes on the heels of the company’s announcement of Best Western Premier Ion Delemen at Genting Highlands in October last year.

NEW Indian airline Vistara has confirmed that it will begin operations this week and revealed the sectors it will run.

Starting January 9, the airline will launch Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Ahmedabad flights on Airbus A320 aircraft in a three-class configuration of economy, business and premium economy – a first for a domestic airline in India.

However, the airline did not respond to an email enquiry from TTG Asia e-Daily regarding the frequencies.

It has also kicked off a frequent flyer programme, Club Vistara, that awards travellers points for ticket prices rather than miles travelled.

Tata-SIA Airlines, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, received its air operator permit for Vistara last month.

Meanwhile, India’s travel trade is welcoming the added competition to the frustrated aviation industry. “Economy class passengers can expect a more robust offering than with no-frill airlines. Increased competition and capacity are ultimately a good thing for the traveller, and the overall health of the industry,” said Ranjeet Oak, senior vice president-flights, MakeMyTrip.com.

Neelu Singh, COO, Ezeego1.com, said: “The concept of premium economy is a first of its kind in India and will certainly attract a lot of middle managers looking for more comfort than economy class but cheaper fares than business class.

“From an industry perspective, it is definitely good to have one more player in the full-service category which will give more choice to the customers.”

However, the airline is expected to face tough competition on the sectors it is operating. IndiGo has introduced a fifth daily flight on the New Delhi-Ahmedabad sector on January 4 and a sixth Mumbai-Ahmedabad flight on January 5.