GENTING Hong Kong (GHK) yesterday announced it will be the new owner of Crystal Cruises, in a US$550 million deal with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha slated to close in 2Q2015.

GHK will also add a new ship to Crystal Cruises’ current fleet of two – Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity.

Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman, CEO and acting president of GHK, said: “The current management team and crew will continue to lead Crystal Cruises. Genting will provide financial resources and proven expertise in innovative ship design to build a new ship that will set the highest standard in luxury cruise ships.”
GHK also owns Star Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, which it acquired in 2000.

THE INDIAN Railway Budget 2015-16 will see a slew of initiatives intended to boost tourism, including 52 per cent more funds for Indian Railways than in 2014-15, and about US$6.5 billion for its annual plan.

Under the initiative Incredible Rail for Incredible India, Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) will plan and promote tour packages for Gandhi Circuit to attract tourists to mark the occasion of 100 years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India.

To be flagged off from April 9, the Gandhi Circuit trains would cover destinations such as Chandigarh, Ambala, Panipat, Delhi Cantt, Moradabad, Bareilly, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Porbandar, Bhavnagar and Surat.

IRCTC has uploaded information on a 9D8N package, priced from US$119 per person, on its tourism portal.

The Railway Ministry is also mooting plans to offer coaches in select trains connecting major tourist destinations to travel agencies on a revenue-sharing model.

Major thrust has been given to north and north-eastern states well known for their scenic beauty and adventure tourism opportunities. A sum of US$9.3 billion has been proposed to connect Kashmir and seven sister states in the north-east.

The ministry will also launch the Coastal Connectivity Program this year where Indian Railways will partner with concerned ports for rail connectivity to Nargol, Chharra, Dighi,Rewas and Tuna.

“Meghalaya in the north-east has been brought on the Railway map of India and direct connectivity to Delhi has been provided to Arunachal Pradesh. Further, the Barak Valley in Assam will be brought on broad gauge by March this year. The work for connecting the remaining states of this region is progressing well,” revealed Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, railway minister.

The minister also said the successful training experiment of auto-rickshaw and taxi operators as tourist-guides on Konkan Railway will be replicated at major tourist stations.

Rajesh Magow, co-founder and CEO-India, MakeMyTrip, said: “Many tourist hubs under-served by the airline industry. The ministry’s continued commitment to enhancing rail connectivity in the north-east and Kashmir region will expedite tourism-related infrastructure development in the states.”

However, Sarab Jit Singh, senior vice president, Indian Association of Tour Operators is less convinced, commenting: “There are various circuits available for tour operators to sell but very few buyers; Gandhi Circuit will make not much difference – the only reason to this is inadequate infrastructure and basic amenities.”

A NEW annual cruise industry event purely focussed on Asia, Seatrade Cruise Asia, has been jointly launched by Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific and Seatrade All Asia Cruise.

To be hosted by Busan Port Authority, Busan Metropolitan City, Korea Tourism Organization and Korea Marine Leisure Network from June 11 to 12, 2015, the two-day event will take place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre.

It will feature an exhibition, travel consultant training, a full social programme, and a conference focusing on the growing momentum for cruise tourism in Asia as well as present and future cruise shipbuilding.

The exhibition will see destinations, tourism authorities, cruise associations, tour operators, port agents and suppliers showcasing their products and services to cruise industry professionals from around Asia.

SHANGHAI Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal received a record number of cruises and visitors in 2014, a testament to the successful transformation of the production and cargo port to one focusing on leisure and travel.

Also known as Baoshan Port, the Wusongkou terminal welcomed 216 docked cruise ships and about 1.1 million visitors in 2014, surpassing Singapore as Asia’s largest cruise port.

This year, the port expects to welcome 288 cruise ships – five with 80,000 tonnage – to exceed 1.5 million visitors.

Plans are underway for the second stage of the port’s expansion to handle the surge in demand, including the construction of two new berths for a 100,000- and 1.6 million-tonne cruise respectively. When completed, four cruise ships will be able to berth simultaneously.

Facilities integral to the port will also be improved, such as an integrated cruise service, commercial services, and leisure and accommodation facilities.

Meanwhile, the Baoshan district is examining the feasibility of a tram line to shuttle visitors from the city to the port. The authorities also aims to construct a 2.4km Binjiang Riverside Avenue, as well as expand the current two-lane Baoyang Road to four lanes.

The district looks set to embark on a three-pronged approach for its economic transformation, developing first Binjiang Riverside Avenue to promote the cruise industry and speed up the port’s second phase of development; next the modern services sector and new and emerging industries in the districts along three main railway lines (namely Lines 1, 3 and 7) and transport networks; and finally its three industrial zones.

Translated from the original TTG China e-Daily, March 3, 2015 article by Ong Yanchun

TERENGGANU will soon release guidelines to all Malaysian travel consultants and tourism offices in neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, on the dress code preferred for visitors to the conservative Malaysian state, The Star Onlinereported on Sunday.

The same report cited the Terengganu government news portal Teganukita as stating that the guidelines were targeted especially at female tourists, with state tourism and cultural affairs chairman, Mohd Jidin Shafee saying that the Terengganu Islamic and Malay Heritage Council (Maidam) helped draft the dress code.

Mohd Jidin was also quoted as saying the new ruling would not deter tourists from visiting the state, and that legal action – which he did not specify – would only be taken against offenders after they had been served with a warning letter.

Interestingly, The Star Online yesterday reported that an article uploaded on Sunday on the state’s website introducing the new ruling has been taken down.

Maidam, which met with the state government to prepare the guidelines, is expected to hold a press conference soon to provide more details.

Terengganu attracts thousands of visitors yearly with its pristine beaches and world-famous islands like Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian.

Malaysian travel consultants had earlier expressed differing views on how tourism would be affected by a new ruling in Terengganu that stipulates all shopping malls in the state to close for two hours on Friday afternoons from this year onwards.

COSTA Cruises launched its around-the-world voyage from Asia with Costa Atlantica on March 1, departing from Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal at its homeport in Shanghai with nearly 1,000 passengers.

The 86-day inaugural World Cruise voyage exclusively for passengers in Asia and Greater China will see Costa Atlantica making a stop in Hong Kong on March 4, following its maiden voyage in Shanghai, before going on an 86-day cruise across three oceans, five continents, and 28 destinations in 18 countries and regions.

Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group, said: “The Asia market is of great strategic importance to Costa Cruises, and China in particular has become a vital region for us because of the fast-growing demand in cruise holidays from local and regional passengers.

“This first World Cruise voyage is one of the most important steps for Costa to further expand in Asia…strengthen our Costa brand and further boost the development of more global activities in Asia.”

SWISS-BASED OTA Bravofly Rumbo Group (BRG) yesterday completed its acquisition of Sabre Corporation’s lastminute.com, following its binding offer for the business last December and fulfillment of the employee information and consultation process.

According to a Sabre media release, the completion means BRG has acquired all of lastminute.com’s global operations in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy, elevating BRG’s 2014 pro-forma Gross Travel Value to approximately 2.5 billion euros (US$2.8 billion), with revenues of nearly 260 million euros.

The transaction has no material effect on BRG’s net cash position. BRG will communicate further details of its long-term integration roadmap and respective group targets in its FY2014 earnings data scheduled for release on March 26.

The decision to sell lastminute.com is part of Sabre’s strategy to focus on its core businesses – Travel Network and Airline and Hospitality Solutions, according to the sameSabre release.

IN AN unusual move, regions in Australia and Vietnam have formed a joint promotional venture to attract more tourists to their caves, the same time the Australian government has ramped up its requirements for tourist visas.

A signing ceremony was held last month at Lake Cave in Western Australia’s Margaret River Region to mark the partnership between the Augusta Margaret River Tourism Association (AMRTA) and the People’s Committee of Quảng Bình Province in Vietnam.

Under the agreement, both parties will not only collaborate on cross-promotion, but also improve cave management and raise awareness of geotourism, said Pip Close, CEO of AMRTA.

“We see very few Vietnamese tourists in the region so we hope this will open up opportunities. Visas are often a challenge for visitors to Australia, but Vietnam is a young, emerging market and increasing visitation will be a gradual process,” said Close.

Ironically, just last December, the Australian government made the application procedure for tourist visas more stringent and expensive. A spokesman for the Australian Department of Immigration & Border Protection said new character requirements, including certified photocopies of a range of documents, have resulted from amendments to the Migration Act.

Do Khai Ly, a Danang-based marketing specialist in cultural attractions, said: “This (the change in visa application) forces tourist companies to increase prices, plus Australia has lost competitiveness with other markets.”

In Margaret River, six major caves draw tourists to the region, while in Vietnam’s Quảng Bình Province, Phong Nha Nature Reserve – declared a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2003 – has many large and spectacular caves.

By Louis Allen.