THE 11^th edition of the Aviation Festival Asia will take place at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre from February 12-13, 2015.

Aviation Festival Asia 2015 will be co-located with five events: the 11^th annual World Low Cost Airlines Congress, the 2^nd annual Aviation IT Show Asia, the 2^nd annual AirXperience Asia, the Air Retail Show Asia and the inaugural Aviation Interiors Show Asia.

For 2015, more than 1,000 delegates are expected at this mega aviation event, including senior executives from airlines and airports across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

The show will feature over 150 booths, 100 airlines and 40 airports, in addition to an Aviation Pavilion, roundtable discussions, plenary keynotes featuring aviation superstars and one-to-one partnership sessions.

Confirmed speakers in 2015 include Lim Ching Kiat, senior vice president, market development, Changi Airport; Calum Laming, vice president guest experience, Etihad Airways; Dominic Nessi, deputy executive director & chief information officer, Los Angeles World Airports; and Piya Yodmani, CEO, NokScoot; among others.

For more information, visit www.terrapinn.com/aviationfestivalasia.

WITH an eye to grow the number and value of business incentive groups and conferences from Thailand, Tourism New Zealand and Immigration New Zealand (INZ) today signed a new Tourism Industry Partnership in Bangkok to streamline the visa application process.

The partnership has selected three key travel agencies – Global Link International, Green Line Travel and Big World Holiday – which will offer their business events clients faster processing time and reduced paperwork. Processing will be reduced to three days and the requirement to provide evidence of funds and employment will be deemed to be met through a letter of support issued by the agency.

INZ area manager, Antony Harris, said: “For INZ this is about being able to work closer with trusted partners to facilitate high-value clients going to New Zealand. We are looking forward to working closer with (consultants) to improve customer service and take advantage of opportunities to grow the business events sector.”

Tourism New Zealand’s regional manager, Nick Mudge, added: “We have selected (consultants) based on their ability to bring high-value visitors to New Zealand. We’re seeing increasing interest from the business events sector out of Thailand and look forward to being able to grow this more rapidly as a result of this agreement.”

The country is focused on attracting more high-value conference and incentive visitors, and is set to open three new conferencing facilities by 2018 to meet demand.

For more information visit http://businessevents.newzealand.com.

BANGKOK-based DMC Diethelm Travel has established a new department, Diethelm Design, to create individual itineraries for travellers who wish to undertake the journey of a lifetime.

Led by Sam Vincent, a travel industry veteran with more than 20 years of professional experience, the new division works with selected partners to craft the highest-quality services and travel experiences in Asia.

The new division has been launched in response to market needs for supplying innovative high-end travel services to individuals and specialist groups, shared Vincent.

“Diethelm Design has been formed as an integral but very individual part of Diethelm Travel to satisfy the desires of travellers who have long dreamed of a journey that goes beyond the usual travel itineraries,” she said.

“Operating as a close team and working with partners we have known and trusted for many years, we design and build a completely individual journey that is inspiring, exciting, and at the same time, completely practical.

“No matter how exotic the travel desire, no matter how remote the destination, we will turn it into reality.”

Further information can be found at this link or by contacting Sam Vincent at sam.v@diethelmtravel.com.

FURAMA Hotels International Management (FHI) has announced the addition of FX Hotel Metrolink Makkasan in Bangkok to its portfolio, marking the Singapore-based hospitality management group’s fifth property in Thailand.

Formerly known as Unico Premier Metrolink Hotel by Unico Hospitality, FHI has begun its takeover process, and is expected to officially rebrand the property in February 2015.

Strategically located adjacent to the Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station, with the Suvarnabhumi Airport a mere 15 minutes away by express train, FX Hotel Metrolink Makkasan is an essential service business hotel helmed by hotel manager Niyada Kaewsaneiha.

The hotel features 90 Superior and Deluxe rooms, each designed with contemporary and minimalistic elements, plus well-appointed ensuite bathrooms with modern amenities.

Hotel facilities include a rooftop pool, a fitness centre, a function room and the all-day casual dining Metro Café.

Welly Jamin, vice president of operations for FHI, commented: “As the first essential service hotel in Bangkok, FX Hotel Metrolink Makkasan will offer our guests more variety of accommodation across our three brands, in addition to our four existing hotels in the city.”

Besides FX Hotel Metrolink Makkasan – the first essential service hotel to be managed outside of China and Taiwan – FHI also manages premier business hotels Furama Silom and Furama Chiang Mai, as well as three boutique hotels FuramaXclusive Asoke, FuramaXclusive Sathorn and FuramaXclusive Sukhumvit in Thailand.

YET another development is brewing in the “battle of the fairs” between NATAS and several key outbound agencies in Singapore. NATAS has announced that its next travel fair will be held from March 6 to 8, three weeks earlier than initially planned, to avoid clashing with the rival event.

This move comes following the exodus of 24 outbound agencies from the 2015 NATAS Travel Fair, who decided to run their own Outbound Travel Fair on the same dates as the NATAS fair, due to unreconciled differences.

According to a circular sent out to its members on Monday, NATAS acting CEO Patricia Auyeong, wrote: “NATAS members may be aware that we have been continually working towards a single fair in March 2015. Regrettably, despite significant adjustments by NATAS, the other party is proceeding to organise their own fair.”

Auyeong added that admission to the two NATAS travel fairs at the Singapore Expo next year will be free. She wrote: “NATAS believes the (new) dates and venue to be most suitable for exhibitors and consumers alike. It will take place immediately after the 15^th day of Chinese New Year and the weekend just before the March School Holidays. This opens the window for last-minute school holiday tour bookings.”

In response to the new dates for the NATAS Travel Fair, the working committee of the Outbound Travel Fair spokesperson, Alicia Seah, said they will “stick to the original plan to stage the fair at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from March 27 to 29, 2015 at a central location attracting new market segments (those working in the CBD district) as well as all potential consumers with free admission to the event”.

Said Seah, who is also director of marketing communications at Dynasty Travel: “For the last decade, NATAS has not taken any initiative to address our issues raised and only in recent weeks did they make a few baby moves; these issues are not new.”

“(They) only did so under the pressure of the Outbound Travel Fair, so their sincerity in the long run is in doubt.

“Our only priority now is to ensure that our exhibitors and consumers get the best deal. We will not be distracted in our efforts to accomplish this mission,” she added.

JAKARTA Tourism and Culture Office (JCTO) is organising the inaugural Jakarta Tourism Business Forum (JTBF) to showcase the city’s unique offerings.

Taking place from December 2 to 5, JTBF 2014 comprises one-day table top business sessions, visits to Jakarta’s attractions and Betawi cultural performances.

During yesterday’s business sessions at Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta, 100 sellers from Jakarta including hotels, airlines, shopping centres, transportation and tourist atractions met with 194 buyers from around Indonesia as well as regional buyers from Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.

“JTBF 2014 is one of the strategic steps taken by (the office) to promote the city in a more progressive way,” said Arie Budhiman, head of JCTO. “We act as facilitator to bring together buyers and sellers, hoping that they will work together better in the future.”

Arie said Jakarta had for a number of years been participating at overseas travel marts and roadshows in addition to organising table top meetings in other cities in Indonesia.

“The introduction of tourism products cannot be done through brochures alone – we cannot bring the National Monument along when we promote (Jakarta) in other destinations,” he added.

“Bringing buyers to Jakarta will allow them to see for themselves what we have to offer, and they will meet many more sellers than during our sales missions outside Jakarta.”

Acknowledging the issue of traffic congestion in Jakarta, Arie said the city government is tackling the issue. Mass rapid transport and rail-base communter service are being built while six new toll roads are in the pipeline, in preparation for 2018 when Jakarta hosts the Asian Games.

The city is planning to make JTBF an annual event.

V AIR, a Taiwan-based LCC owned by TransAsia Airways, will begin daily services from Taipei to Bangkok-Don Mueang on December 17 and four-times weekly services from Taipei to Chiang Mai on January 7, 2015 respectively.

Operating from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the airline targets to expand its network to Japanese and South Korean destinations by 1Q2015. Initial operations will be operated on a brand-new fleet of Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft in an all-economy configuration.

To mark the inaugural services to Thailand, V Air will offer 10,000 one-way tickets priced from NT$520/550 baht (US$16.80), starting from 10.00 on December 3 to 23.59 on December 4 (Taipei time, GMT+ 8).

Consumers can access the online campaign site via www.flyvair.com or facebook.com/lovevair.