FOUR Seasons Hotels and Resorts will open its first property in Seoul later this year aiming to tap the popularity of the South Korean capital among tourists and business travellers alike.

The 25-storey Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, developed in partnership with Mirae Asset Global Investments, will open on Sejongro Square in the city’s CBD.

The property will offer 317 luxury guestrooms, an exclusive “speakeasy” bar and a number of high-end restaurants. It will also have a selection of meeting rooms, a saltwater swimming pool and a state-of-the-art fitness centre.

It will target Chinese and Japanese visitors, who form the majority of foreign tourists to South Korea, as well as domestic tourists. Its central location is also expected to appeal to business people.

William Mackay, senior vice president for hotel operations Asia-Pacific, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “We continue to focus on expansion to meet demand in regional and international business centres, as well as establishing a presence in gateway cities.

“We want to be where our guests want to go, as well as the places they come from, as we continue to build brand awareness in emerging markets, including South Korea.”

“Luxury travellers in South Korea today, and Asia in general, have higher expectations than ever and we are focused, company-wide, on continuously evolving our products and services to meet their needs,” he said.

BELLS are ringing in Bali owing to the rise of Indian weddings held there despite the lack of direct flights between the two countries, say tourism stakeholders.

On the sidelines of the Indian Travel Congress 2015 held recently in Bali, Samabe Bali Suites & Villas general manager, Ralf Luthe, said the Indian wedding market for his property has been rising, mainly through word-of-mouth. It had been the venue for 20 Indian weddings over the last three years.

He added: “The wedding business is better than incentives because with weddings, the organisers don’t cut corners.”

Bali can also cater well to this market due to the broader size range of 150 people to bigger groups of 300 and more, according to I Nyoman Juniarsa, Grand Nikko Bali’s director of sales for leisure.

Vikkram Kumar Kalra, a wedding planner in Bali specialising in Indian weddings, handled seven Indian weddings in 1Q2015. He said: “Despite the lack of flights, Bali is seen as an attractive destination, has a similar culture with India and is known as the land of a thousand temples. Indian priests are also available in Bali while English is widely spoken at the hotels.”

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief,  the lack of direct flights has never been an issue, according to Cox & Kings’ associate vice president, corporate communications and CSR, Thomas C Thottahil. “Destination weddings are planned at least eight months prior, so there is never a shortage of seats. In addition, we do bulk bookings with the airlines, so we are able to negotiate for better airfares,” he said, adding that Cox & Kings has seen 10 to 15 per cent year-on-year increase in Indian weddings to Bali.

CHANGI Airport Group (CAG) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) have agreed to invest S$35 million (US$25.6 million) to “shape and enhance long-term global perceptions of both Singapore and Changi Airport as destinations in their own right”.

Under the terms of the two-year partnership agreement signed, both organisations will embark on joint marketing campaigns globally and within mutually aligned key markets.

Plans include showcasing local brands, visual installations of local cultures and other Singapore-inspired displays across all of the airport’s terminals, intensifying marketing efforts across Asia-Pacific in close collaboration with trade partners to curate relevant packages and itineraries for travellers, and securing global media partnerships for branded content opportunities such as MasterChef Asia.

Soon, CAG and STB will also partner with Singapore Airlines for product development and marketing.

Lionel Yeo, STB’s chief executive, said: “Changi Airport is a key gateway into Singapore and the premier aviation hub in the Asia-Pacific region. CAG is thus an important strategic partner for STB in promoting a quality experience for today’s visitor.

“Singapore and Changi Airport are known for efficiency. There are many other rich aspects about Singapore as a destination that we would like visitors to know more about and experience for themselves. Hence, this collaboration is a tremendous opportunity for us to shape global perceptions by showcasing memorable facets of Singapore, and help generate a desire for the Singapore experience.”

In a joint release, both parties said the partnership is timely and valuable “against the backdrop of a challenging market environment”, and “represents the collective determination of both organisations to work towards sustainable annual growth in visitor arrivals of three to four per cent over the next decade”.

JAPANESE supermarket operator Kobe Bussan will branch out into the international hotel sector by opening a Japanese-style property in New York City in 2017.

The 91-room new hotel, to be located on 54^th Street in a seven-storey building that will also feature a traditional Japanese garden, will provide accommodation at “reasonable prices”, and target groups of tourists and families.

A number of rooms will have tatami floor mats, while all bathrooms will be fitted with the deep bathtubs common in Japan, as well as heated toilet seats that incorporate bidet functions. The hotel restaurant will serve Japanese cuisine.

Kobe Bussan opened the Shabu Shabu Kobe Japanese restaurant in Manhattan last September, and the company’s management said it is keen to continue to promote other forms of authentic Japanese culture.

A spokesperson for the project told TTG Asia e-Daily the cuisine and culture that are portrayed as Japanese in many other countries are frequently very different to the reality.

“New York is one of the biggest cities in the world and we consider it to be the ideal place to inform people of Japanese culture and to expand our concept,” she explained.

THAI aviation is facing a crisis after the UN’s industry watchdog raised “significant safety concerns” about the sector, spurring Japan and South Korea to curb new flights from a number of local operators.

The ICAO in January audited the local industry for the first time in a decade, with Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) reportedly only passing 21 of 100 requirements.

Thailand’s failure of ICAO’s audit and the barring of new charter flights to key destinations in the region will have a “tremendous impact” on business over the coming Thai New Year holiday, said Chotechuang Soorangura, associate managing director, NS Travel & Tours.

“(Some) 150,000 Thai passengers will be affected by the situation,” he said. “This doesn’t only impact Thais going overseas; charter flights normally need to fill up the seats for both inbound and outbound to be most cost-effective.

“Scheduled flights are also standing on the edge of a cliff. If the problem is not resolved soonest, the entire tourism industry will be hurt. Inbound will face another tough (price) war with fewer tourists coming in. This is a wake-up call for all authorities in Thai tourism to take action seriously and timely.”

Pornthip Hirunkate, vice president for marketing at 
Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), concurred ICAO’s decision would have a “colossal impact” on the Thai trade, adding that the aviation business requires long-term solutions for the issues raised, not quick fixes.

“This is a major travel period for Thais wanting to experience and explore (outbound) destinations,” she said. “With regards to inbound, both Japan and South Korea markets and other markets are not affected by these issues – it’s business as usual. TCT is actively taking the lead to find immediate resolutions to ease the situation.”

Meanwhile, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Thailand’s prime minister, said he will invoke article 44 of the interim charter, essentially granting him absolute power over most aspects of government, to establish a new aviation body to work with DCA to resolve the problem.

Bangkok Post reported that Japan may ease its ban on new flights from Thai carriers, including Thai Airways International, NokScoot and Thai AirAsiaX, if the new authority proved effective.

In an official statement Thai AirAsiaX said it will “continue operating flights to Japan as usual as well as to South Korea and that its passengers will not be affected in any way”.

BEST Western International today announced the launch of the Best Western Chinatown Hotel in Yangon.

The hotel’s 91 deluxe rooms all feature flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, mini bars, tea- and coffee-making facilities, bathrooms with showers and bathtubs, and free Wi-Fi.

Other facilities include an all-day dining restaurant, bar, fitness centre, business centre, and three function rooms able to host both small and large meetings.

Best Western’s growth will continue in the near future, with plans for new openings in Mandalay and Naypyidaw.

TRAVEL agencies remain the most popular touchpoint for Malaysian travellers when planning their vacations both online and off, according to GfK’s Consumer Travel Tracker research.

The research was conducted online in Malaysia from last December to January 2015 with over 500 respondents who had made a travel booking in the last three months.

About 80 per cent of Malaysian travellers use online channels when planning their trips, with 45 per cent using both online and offline platforms and the remaining using only the Internet. Offline channels continue to play an important role as they are still used by one in five travellers.

Around 40 per cent of those surveyed said they use travel agency websites, making it the most popular of all the online and offline touch points. OTAs and airline websites are the next two most frequently used sources, as indicated by 33 and 30 per cent of respondents respectively.

“Consumers are relying heavily on the Internet, so it is very important that travel agencies establish a strong presence on this platform to reach out to a wider audience,” said managing director of GfK Malaysia, Selinna Chin.

About two-thirds of the respondents prefer bundled packages that include ticket and accommodation.

The study also revealed that Malaysian consumers tend to be mid-term bookers, with 41 per cent preferring to book their trips three to four months in advance.

Their top-three booking purposes are for family travel, rest and relaxation, and packaged holidays.

Asian countries remain the choice destinations for 86 per cent of respondents, with China being the most popular, followed by Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand.

GURGAON-BASED budget accommodation provider OYO Rooms has raised about US$24 million through financial institutions for expanding its network to 1,000 hotels in 25 cities by year-end.

Currently, OYO Rooms has more than 200 hotels in 10 cities booking 50,000 room nights monthly.

Ritesh Agarwal, CEO, OYO Rooms, said: “We are going to use these funds to fuel our next round of growth and to realise our ambition of becoming the largest technology-enabled network of hotels in the world.

“The demand for predictable-quality budget accommodation is enormous in India and we believe we have barely scratched the surface. The north-east region is definitely part of our expansion plan and we will launch OYO Rooms in major tourism and business districts in due course.
“The seven north-eastern states are gifted with many tourist attractions and we are well aware of the shortage of high-quality budget accommodation in the region. While we are working towards bridging this gap, we will also consider any opportunity to expand outside India.”

OYO Rooms’ USP is to offer hotels with high-quality rooms with an average 20-35 per cent lower price than comparable rooms in other hotels.

“Our rooms start at just US$15 per night and have all the standard amenities. Our vision is to offer the ‘OYO Rooms experience’ to every business, leisure and pilgrim traveller across 100 cities through a network of 10,000 hotels,” Agarwal added.

Bejul Somaia, managing director, Lightspeed India, said: “The economy-stay segment is large, unorganised and fragmented. OYO brings a new, scalable and customer-friendly approach to addressing this market.”

MOST popular for its beaches, Goa is mulling policies to promote travel to hinterland destinations and and prevent overdevelopment on its shores.

The Department of Tourism and Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) will give the regions of Pernem, Satteri, Dharbandora, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona special promotion for their eco-tourism activities. Two agrotourism spots on government farms – one located at Codar in Ponda and another at Kalay in Sanguem – will also be developed.

“Our tourism masterplan intends to showcase the natural assets of Goa and develop initiatives in a sustainable and environment-friendly manner to highlight the state’s rich culture, history and heritage besides our beaches,” said Laxmikant Yashwant Parsekar, chief minister of Goa.

In total US$41.6 million have been sanctioned by the state government this year to do this and 33 tourism infrastructure projects are in various stages of planning and implementation state-wide.

GTDC managing director, Nikhil Desai, said: “Next month we are floating a global tender for a area of 125,000m² in Farmagudi, about 28km from Panji, for developing a state-of-the-art convention centre on PPP model by 2020.

“Meanwhile, 42 resorts are being developed in Selaulim in South Goa and we are also developing Mayem Lake in Bicholim. A theme park on the banks of Mayem Lake will be established to draw family travellers.”

Additionally, US$1.6 million will be spent on building an international convention centre at Panaji and the Global School of Tourism is also planned for capacity building and skills development.

“(Promoting) hinterland tourism is a very good initiative by the government. Although the beaches are still an important draw for tourists, we have to look at other options to give our clients a good experience,” remarked Gajanan Kerkar, CEO, Best Tourism Deals India.