COSTA Cruises says it will become the first international cruise operator with three ships in the region when it homeports flagship vessel Costa Serena in Shanghai from April next year.

Buhdy Bok, senior vice president, Pacific Asia and China, said the ship will join Costa Victoria based in Singapore and Costa Atlantica based in Shanghai to “increase our capacity in Asia by 74 per cent and make Costa Cruises the first international cruise company to deploy three ships in the region.”

All three ships will be deployed in China for the spring and summer seasons, where cruises are increasingly popular among the middle class.

Costa Serena will sail from Shanghai to various destinations in Asia including Fukuoka, Jeju, Busan and Incheon.

Bok explained: “We expect significant growth in the cruise market to continue in the foreseeable future due to a tremendous growing demand in Asia, and in particular, China.”

“According to Asian Cruise Association, its 2013 report showed that demand in Asia will nearly triple to 3.8 million annual cruisers in 2020, with 1.6 million from China.”

COURTYARD by Marriott South Pattaya opened its doors this week as the brand’s second property in Thailand, with 132 rooms located in the South Pattaya city area.

The seven-storey hotel is located a short walk from Pattaya Beach and Walking Street.

Karl Hudson, area vice president – Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Japan, Marriott International, said: “Pattaya has been growing (in) popularity, attracting both business and leisure visitors. Our continuous growth in Thailand is of great importance to Marriott International, and we look forward to expanding the presence of the Courtyard brand.”

Courtyard by Marriott South Pattaya’s rooms include upgraded pool view rooms and two-bedroom suites. Each room comes with an flatscreen TV with international channels, while there is free Wi-Fi both throughout the property.

Guests can make the most of hotel facilities such as the outdoor swimming pool, 24-hour gym and the Ananya Massage service that opens in 2015.

F&B options come in the form of the all-day dining MoMo Café on the first floor that serves both Western and Thai cuisines, as well as MoMo Bar for drinks, snacks and light music in the evenings.

The Tamnak Hill and multi-function room can accommodate up to 150 guests and is fully equipped with audiovisual equipment and Wi-Fi. The hotel also provides a dedicated events team for support.

MILLENNIUM & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has partnered Mitsui Fudosan to launch its first flagship hotel in Japan that is scheduled to open tomorrow.

Located in the heart of Tokyo’s Ginza 4-chome district directly opposite Misukoshi department store, the 329-key Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel sports a striking Bottega-inspired façade mimicking the weave of a basket.

Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel will cater to guests looking for luxury, featuring two special concept rooms designed by distinguished Japanese brands Mikimoto Cosmetics Ginza and Hakuza Nihonbashi, which specialises in the production of gold foil.

The Pearl Room by Mikimoto Cosmetics is bedecked with lighting and items themed on pearls. Guests can try Mikimoto Cosmetics products that contain the pearl protein conchiolin, and bathe with the special bath salts made with pearl essence that is kind on the skin. A 20 per cent discount on list prices for aesthetic treatments and cosmetics from Mikimoto Cosmetics will be available for staying guests.

Hakuza is name of the the traditional technique for producing gold leaves that are the central motif of the Hakuza Gold Leaf Room. Hakuza Nihonbashi is offering its gold leaf mask and luxury bath salt with gold leaf for hotel guests to try. Besides that, guests can receive one set of Hakuza cosmetics to use and also a complimentary tea ceremony experience.

In addition the hotel offers a restaurant in the basement called All Day Dining Niko Ginza.

At a press conference held yesterday to mark the hotel’s opening, Wong Hong Ren, CEO of M&C, said the hotel was acquired at a good time as hotel property values have gone up since the purchase.

Mitsui Fudosan Group and Hong Leong Group have been pursuing collaborative residential projects and hotel operations through joint venture company TID for over 40 years.

While both companies have been long-time partners, Millennium Mitsui Garden Hotel will mark both groups’ first-ever joint business project in Japan.

TATA-SIA Airlines Limited, the joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, yesterday received its air operator permit from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation for Vistara.

The airline is now expected to announce its flight schedules soon.

“I am delighted that we have successfully cleared the final requirement and secured the flying permit. All our energies now are going to be concentrated towards fulfilling the Vistara brand promise,” said Phee Teik Yeoh, chief executive, Vistara.

The airline plans to run a fleet of seven A320s and 13 A320neos within the next five years, and was earlier expected to begin operations by this October.

“Vistara has received its flying permit when LCC SpiceJet is facing turbulent times and has cancelled flight numbers drastically. If Vistara begins operations in January, it will help to meet demand of the peak travel season,” said Ranjan Kumar Mishra, managing director, Eastern Voyage.

Vistara was started with an initial investment of US$100 million and will have its hub in New Delhi.

MARRIOTT International has rolled out its third Marriott Hotel brand property, the Sanya Marriott Hotel Dadonghai Bay, in Hainan, hot on the heels of the opening of Haikou Marriott Hotel.

“At Marriott International we are proud to be opening our 74^th Marriott International Hotel across six brands in China, taking the total number of properties in China under the iconic Marriott Hotels brand to 18 properties. The fourth quarter of 2014 has been an exceptional time for Marriott in Hainan, with the opening of our first Marriott business hotel in the capital Haikou, and then this beautiful resort hotel at Dadonghai Bay in sunny Sanya,” said Henry Lee, Greater China CEO for Marriott International.

The 452-unit resort hotel rests at the foot of the Luhuitou Mountain, a short drive away from Sanya city and close to popular tourist sites such as the Nanshan Temple and Luihuitou Park.

The hotel’s New Wing offers 292 rooms and suites, each showcasing scenic views of the mountain or ocean. A refurbished Executive Wing will open in the last quarter of 2015, adding 160 rooms and suites with private balconies starting from 56m².

Sanya Marriott boasts more than 1,747m² of functional meeting space including a pillar-less Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 880 people, plus an outdoor terrace and an expansive seafront lawn. It also has a wedding pavilion on the seafront lawn with a backdrop of the tropical shoreline.

F&B options include five restaurants, a lounge bar and pastry shop, including the first Goji Kitchen in Southern China.

Sanya Marriott houses four swimming pools as well as the biggest hotel kids’ club in Sanya. Other amenities include a health club, fitness centre, sauna rooms, snooker room, table tennis room, spa and a water sports centre.

Catering to the modern traveller, Marriott Hotel offers a mobile app which pushes notifications to Marriott Rewards members, alerting them when they can check-in or check-out, and automatic confirmation when their room is ready.

A SYMPOSIUM for Lao tourism stakeholders last week illuminated how the industry can improve tourism and prepare for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.

Organised by the Lao National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality (LANITH), the symposium was opened last Friday by Lao National Tourism Department director general, Saly Phimphinith. It was held at the Luang Prabang View Hotel.

The symposium featured keynote presentations and a panel discussion that threw up a number of central themes, including the need for more clout for the National Tourism Department in the government; a streamlined, efficient system of regulations for the industry; a sustainable pace for the evolution of Lao tourism; and for the industry to keep up to date with digital trends.

PATA special advisor, John Koldowski, said: “To act fast, Laos really needs a separate ministry dedicated to tourism, but it must move at a pace it is comfortable with to achieve sustainable growth.”

He also said that technology is key for the AEC platform, and Laos needs to accrue and monitor tourism statistics, while also communicating such information to stakeholders.

Lao public and private sectors need to collaborate for a circular economy that allows communities like Luang Prabang to maintain its identity while harnessing the benefits of tourism, opined Koldowski.

Likewise, TripAdvisor’s destination marketing senior sales manager, Sarah Matthews, emphasised cooperation with the private sector. She said both private sector and the tourism board must agreement on target markets and products, and develop brand awareness by engaging in the digital environment.

Other topics raised were Laos’ approach to the ASEAN Open Skies policy, importance of air travel to Luang Prabang from mid- to longhaul markets and marketing content on websites.

THE longhaul arm of Asian LCC giant, AirAsia X, has firmed up an MoU signed at Farnborough Air Show last July and placed an order for five more aircraft, for a total of 55 Airbus A330neos.

This is the single largest order for the A330 model to date.

In a statement to the press, co-founder and director of AirAsia X, Tony Fernandes, said that the deal allows the airline to consolidate growth rate in 2015-2017 before the delivery of the new aircraft.

“The A330 has proven itself to be exactly the right aircraft for our business model as part of our continuous efforts to drive cost down. With the new fuel efficiency, its engine will allow us to optimise utilisation while flying to new long-range destinations,” said Fernandes.

Deliveries of AirAsia X’s A330neos will begin in 2018.

FUJITA Kanko has signed an agreement with South Korean real estate company Haesung Industrial to open a hotel in Seoul, its first overseas property since 2002.

The as yet unnamed property is expected to become fully operational in summer 2018 and will be located in popular shopping area Myeongdong.

A unique feature of the hotel is that each guestroom will be equipped with a Japanese-style bathroom. Construction on the building will commence in summer 2015.

“We are truly excited about opening our hotel in Seoul, which demonstrates our firm commitment to expansion in Asia,” said Akira Segawa, Fujita Kanko’s president and CEO.

“Our campaign to aggressively globalise our clientele and properties is the beginning of a new chapter for us. South Korea has been a top destination for Japanese travellers, but we intend to cater to an international clientele and will feature the cultures of both Japan and Korea,” he added.

Fujita Kanko opened four international offices in Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei within the past few years to develop business within the region.