THE Ascott has secured a contract from UMCity Medini Lakeside Development to manage the group’s third property in Nusajaya, stepping up its presence in Iskandar Malaysia.

Slated to open in early 2019, the 30-storey, 214-unit Citadines Medini Nusajaya is part of UMCity, a mixed-use development comprising offices and a retail podium, near Legoland theme park and Medini Lifestyle Mall.

The serviced residence is a 15-minute drive from the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link expressway and 25 minutes from Johor’s Senai International Airport.

Units will range from studios to one- and two-bedroom, each with a fully equipped kitchen, separate living, work and sleeping areas, and ensuite bathroom. Recreational facilities include a swimming pool and gymnasium.

Ascott opened Somerset Puteri Harbour Nusajaya last month, and will be opening Somerset Medini Nusajaya later this year.

Gerald Yong, Ascott’s chief investment officer, said: “Our first Citadines Apart’hotel in Malaysia, Citadines Uplands Kuching, has been enjoying very healthy occupancy since it opened in 2012. We see great potential in expanding our Citadines brand in Malaysia and in January 2015 we opened another Citadines Apart’hotel in Cyberjaya.

“With the addition of Citadines Medini Nusajaya, Ascott now has nine properties with more than 1,900 apartment units in Malaysia.”

THE Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) has unveiled its 2015 lineup ofIslands Philippines Fun Caravans programmes, introducing a new self-drive component for tours in Luzon and new destinations for the international market.

Three of the five “major” programmes – Cordillera’s Heritage Warrior, Southern Luzon Kulinarya Caravan, as well as Plains and Heights of Central Luzon – are Luzon based and offer a bring-your-own-vehicle option. The other two are fly-then-travel Bicol Express and Visayan Charms.

The three “minor” programmes, of shorter duration and smaller area coverage, are Rediscover Batanes, Northern Palawan (Calamianes) Eco Adventure Discovery and Hola! Zamboanga.

“The plan is to come up with 10 major caravan programmes eventually,” said Cesar Cruz, PHILTOA president. “For Visit the Philippines Year 2015, (the caravan programme) is the best contribution of the association to the campaign.”

The Visayan Charms and Plains and Heights of Central Luzon tours are broken down into three legs each to allow travellers to join in segments of their choice, while the Southern Luzon Kulinarya tour will be offered as a post-tour programme for delegates attending the Madrid Fusion Manila gastronomy congress and exhibition in April, he added.

The land programmes are insured with Blue Cross, and all itineraries guarantee security convoys and special assistance from the local governments.

Eleanor Ng, director of tourism services, Marsman Drysdale Travel, likes the flexibility. “The programmes cater to different markets, being action-packed but also very laid-back. You can bring your own car or ride with the caravan, or go as high as five-star if there’s accommodation.”

Eric Boroy, inbound general manager, Baron Travel Corp, said: “We’ve sent these programmes out to our partners, and there’s been a good response, especially from the Europeans, who want fixed dates for longer itineraries.”

As in previous years, PHILTOA would sell these programmes via a members’ consortium, which this year numbers 15 companies.

THAILAND-based longhaul LCC NokScoot, a joint venture between Thailand’s budget Nok Air and Singapore’s no-frills Scoot, will spread its wings to China and South Korea come May.

From its Don Mueang Airport base in Bangkok, NokScoot will launch thrice-weekly flights to Nanjing from May 5, operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

On May 10, it will begin thrice-weekly services to Incheon on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The flight frequency will be stepped up to daily from June 15 onwards.

Both services will be operated on 415-seat Boeing B777-200 aircraft, with 24 seats in ScootBiz cabin and 391 seats in Economy Class cabin.

When enquired on the choice of both cities for the carrier’s inaugural destinations, NokScoot’s CEO, Piya Yodmani, commented: “We aim to provide a regular link between Bangkok and Nanjing. Nanjing is steeped in history and culture amid the modern shopping places and food. This, together with the scenic sights in and around the city, will be a new tourist destination for Thai travellers.

“Meanwhile, Bangkok as a destination is a perennial favourite among Chinese tourists as well.

“For (South) Korea, the tourism flow between the two countries are well established and NokScoot aims to offer exceptional value and choice for travellers.”

According to a NokScoot spokesperson, another new destination will be revealed later this month and that “East Asia is an integral part of (the airline’s) network plan”.

NokScoot’s latest announcement is expected to intensify competition on the Thailand-East Asia market, as longhaul budget rival Thai AirAsia X had already commenced services toOsaka, Tokyo-Narita and Seoul last year.

TO EDUCATE travel consultants about the new British-Irish Visa Scheme (BIVS), Tourism Ireland today kick-started a three-city roadshow with VisitBritain in New Delhi, to be followed by Mumbai on March 24 and Bengaluru on April 21.

India is the second Asian country after China to benefit from the BIVS, which commenced in the country a month ago and replaces the Irish Short-Stay Visa Waiver Programme, which has been extended until October 31, 2016.

The new scheme enables visitors to travel throughout the Irish-British external border of the Common Travel Area on one visa, excluding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. It applies to short-term visit visas for a maximum of three months and does not apply to student or work visas.

“Given that visitors from India are travelling a considerable distance and often want to include more than one destination on their itinerary, it makes sense to make it as easy as possible for them to visit both Ireland and the UK on a single visa,” explained Huzan Frazer, representative from Tourism Ireland India.

Mahendra Vakharia, managing director, Pathfinders Holidays and secretary, OTOAI western region, opined: “The scheme will greatly boost Ireland and UK tourism as it removes the hurdle of opting for a separate visa, which forces clients to spend extra.

“The BIVS enables us to plan and sell the itineraries better. Although we have not noticed an increase in sales so far, enquiries have increased tremendously. BIVS will be a big hit during the peak season.”

M S Raghavan, managing director, Passion and Pleasure Travels & Tours in Bengaluru, said: “The enquiries for the UK and Ireland itineraries have increased from all segments of travellers. In the long run, we expect 80 per cent of tourists visiting the UK will extend their trips to Ireland.”

ROYAL Brunei Airlines (RBA) is targeting to court more Singaporeans into Brunei with the deployment of two new Airbus A320 aircraft on the Singapore-Brunei route from September.

The new aircraft will feature rebranded interiors and higher passenger comfort levels, and will be utilised for one of the existing 14 flights between Singapore and Brunei each week, according to Dermot Mannion, RBA’s deputy chairman.

At the launch of the newly refurbished RBA office in Singapore, Mannion said more details about the aircraft will be unveiled later this year.

He said: “We are looking at providing our passengers the latest in-flight entertainment and they are going to be very happy to see what we have to offer.”

Among the 14 flights, two of them have been operated by the B787 dreamliners on Fridays and and Sundays since September 2013, and Mannion said this service has been “very well received” and will hence continue.

He shared that the current passenger load factor on the Singapore-Brunei route is over 70 per cent, with 40 per cent comprising Singaporeans and the rest from Brunei.

Separately, RBA last year also placed order with Airbus for seven A320neo aircraft and three options, in line with its latest phase of fleet modernisation. It will start taking delivery of the two-class premium layout A320 in 2018. When delivered, the aircraft will be deployed from capital Bandar Seri Begawan on the carrier’s Asian network.

Outside of Asia, the Bruneian flag carrier also operates flights to Melbourne, London and Dubai. Mannion said: “Right now our main focus is to build up traffic on our existing routes and continue developing traffic from our longhaul routes from these points.”