HIGH-END lifestyle travel consultant John B Sutherland is giving the well-heeled a chance to dive in the watery depths of history with submarine visits to wartime sunken wrecks in the region.

For the next one year until October 2015, Sutherland is operating tours to battle sites of the traveller’s choice to view wrecks such as the warships HMS Repulse, HMS Prince of Wales, USS Saratoga and HMAS Perth. The closest sites are accessible from Western Australia and more applicable to the Asian market.

Described as “the kind of stuff you see on National Geographic“, the “very exclusive tours” offer opportunities to see first-hand a sea bed littered with aircraft, tanks, cars, personal items and ships. The tours will also attract nature lovers as it gives them a chance to observe the region’s marine life up close.

This high-end exclusive opportunity is also suitable as an incentive idea for between six and 12 people, or company directors.

Prices start at US$130,000 for three nights for up to six people, although this is also dependent on the dive location.

For more information on dates and dive locations, visit www.johnbsutherland.com

OPERATIONS have officially begun at the 329-key Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel located in the historic Wangfujing Street of China’s capital.

Managed by Marriott International but owned by China Jin Mao Group, the second Renaissance hotel in Beijing faces the Forbidden City on one side and Wangfujing Street on the other.

Each guestroom offers a range of amenities including flatscreen TVs and wireless high-speed Internet access.

Guess can choose from a range of F&B options including Hutong Place for private dining and entertainment, Qing Dynasty Palace serving imperial cuisine, Cantonese fare at Wanli restaurant, cocktails and live music at R Bar, and all-day dining Food Studio.

Renaissance Beijing Wangfujing Hotel will also offer its signature, 24-hour Navigator lifestyle hospitality concierge.

Meeting spaces at the hotel range from a 930m² ballroom to five meeting rooms. Other facilities within the hotel premises include an indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre and a spa.

To mark its opening, the hotel is promoting an introductory rate of RMB980++ (US$159) per night for deluxe accommodation. Buffet breakfasts can be added at just RMB1 for the first guest and half that price for the second guest. The deal is available until October 8.

SINGAPORE-based Premier Hotels of Asia has raised the curtains on a curated collection of independent boutique hotels, palaces, spas, resorts and homes, with its first edition focusing on Indian properties.

Titled the Premier Hotels and Resorts Collection, the portfolio of leisure establishments can be found on the newly launched www.premierhotelsofasia.com.

Experiences are divided into the following categories: luxury; palace & heritage; safari; beach & mountain; spa & wellness; city hotels; special interest eg golfing; and villas & residences.

Sujit Mittra, joint managing director and co-founder, Premier Hotels of Asia, said: “Today’s savvy travellers are seeking accommodation options that go beyond the run-of-the-mill choices. They look for unique and memorable experiences at exceptional hotels and resorts. We have carefully curated and hand-picked independent hotels that are known for their remarkable architecture, niche offerings like spa and safari, or simply for their service excellence and the way they pamper their guests.”

The collection currently comprises Ananda in the Himalayas, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand; Samode Palace, near Jaipur, Rajastahan; Samode Safari Lodge, Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh; Castle Mandawa and Mandawa Haveli, both in Rajasthan.

Premier Hotels and Resorts has lined up a number of marketing activities such as focused sales efforts, online marketing, social media promotions, and tradeshow promotions to reach out to travel consultants, travel management companies and professional conference organisers to spread the word about its new collection.

SINGAPORE Changi Airport has unveiled more details of its Growth and Assistance Incentive (GAIN) programme, with rebates and incentives aimed specifically at strengthening its longhaul and transfer flights segment.

Changi Airport Group (CAG) will commit to landing fee rebates of up to S$50 million (US$39.8 million) through the wide-ranging GAIN programme first announced in June, which is aimed at lowering costs for airlines, boosting passenger traffic and improving operational efficiency at the important.

For airlines that run direct, longhaul flights to Changi, CAG is offering a 50 per cent rebate on landing fees from now until March 31, 2016.

It will also launch a Gateway Incentive, rewarding airlines operating at the airport with S$10 for every additional departing transit/transfer passenger handled. Beginning October 1, it includes passengers carried by foreign airlines interlining at Changi.

As announced earlier, all airlines operating at CAG will also receive a 50 per cent rebate on aircraft parking fees and 15 per cent off aerobridge fees from July 2014 to June 2015.

Lim Ching Kiat, senior vice president for market development, CAG, said: “The underlying fundamentals of the Asia-Pacific aviation market remain strong and attractive. We are, however, aware that airlines could be facing yield and cost pressures in the present environment. As an active and committed partner, CAG is rolling out these additional short-term measures to help airlines during this period.”

He added that longhaul flights and transfer traffic were two important segments of air traffic, and that airlines commit “significant investment” into longhaul routes.

Lim further commented that incentives to reward airlines for growing transfer traffic to Changi come on top of the Changi Transit Programme, which gives passengers attractive vouchers.

MAJOR Chinese OTA Ctrip.com is buying over Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Celebrity Century, and the two companies will set up a joint venture company to manage the ship.

“Since its inaugural sailing, Celebrity Century has created many wonderful memories for hundreds of thousands of guests, and we expect this successful history to continue as she transitions to the Chinese cruise market,” said Richard D Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises. “The vessel’s sale is an excellent business opportunity for both Royal Caribbean and Ctrip, and will generate strong value for both companies’ shareholders.”

Min Fan, vice chairman of the board and president of Ctrip, commented: “China is becoming one of the largest cruise markets in the world…As the largest cruise agency in China, Ctrip has sent over 120,000 guests to cruise trips so far and acquired more than 10 per cent of market share in China.”

A new joint venture company will be set up by Ctrip and Royal Caribbean “to manage the operations of the acquired cruise ship and potentially broaden the relationship”, said Ctrip’s release.

Royal Caribbean’s statement said the sale will result in a non-cash loss of US$20 million, and that the company will operate Celebrity Century until April 2015.

Before changing hands, the 1,814-passenger Celebrity Century will complete its scheduled sailings through the March 22, 2015, itinerary, but its scheduled 15-night Dubai to Rome sailing on April 5, 2015 has been altered to a 14-night sailing from Dubai to Singapore.

Guests with affected bookings can cancel and receive a full refund, or pick an alternative sailing and receive a re-accommodation onboard credit as well as compensation to cover air change fees.

SINGAPORE’S travellers are remaining loyal to destinations, with past favourites Europe, South Korea and Japan topping the list of most popular places purchased at the recent NATAS Fair.

The travel agency association said the top 10 most popular destinations at the fair were: Europe, South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, cruise packages, Australia, Malaysia, the US and Thailand.

However, while Europe accounted for 23 per cent of purchases, travel sellers reported a shift in where exactly in the region they were headed to. Italy was the first pick, but runner-up Finland made a surprising spring for second.

There was also more interest in the less-travelled European countries including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Russia.

Patricia Auyeong, acting CEO of NATAS, commented: “Europe continues to be Singaporeans’ top destination of choice by a large margin, and we are starting to see a trend in Singaporeans choosing more exotic destinations within the European region.”

In contrast, a recent MasterCard study on the recent travel history of Singaporeans found that South-east Asia received 56 per cent of travellers, while 30 per cent went to Greater Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and the rest to the rest of the world including the US, the UK, and France.

Also significant at the fair was the inclusion of cruises into the top 10, with some exhibitors reporting up to a two-fold increase in cruise purchases compared to 2013, said Auyeong.

“Regional cruise offerings remain the most popular cruise options for the Singapore traveller, and are continuing to widen their appeal across demographics. We have also noticed Singaporeans, being seasoned travellers, are starting to look towards longhaul fly-cruise packages and even to niche products like river cruises,” she said.

Held this past weekend, the B2C show featured 1,226 booths and 165 exhibitors, drawing over 56,000 visitors during its three-day run.

Some S$45 million (US$35.9 million) was spent at the fair this time around, according to NATAS’ new system of measuring sales volume, which involved surveying 5,360 visitors.

The next NATAS Fair will held in March 2015.

BAHRAIN will see the launch of the first One&Only resort in the country in 2016, with the 150-key resort in Seef to offer private beachfront luxury.

Subsidiaries of Kerzner International Holdings have entered into an agreement with Seven Holdings, which deals with hospitality and real estate, among others.

Situated on the north-western coast of Bahrain, the resort will offer rooms and suites, villas and estates, world-class dining, extensive meeting facilities, and a private beachfront.

One&Only Bahrain will also carry a range of the world’s leading brands for retail indulgence, as well as sporting and entertainment facilities on site. To give guests personal space, the resort will have programmes for families while also demarcating adults-only venues.

“More and more visitors are discovering Bahrain for both leisure and business and I am looking forward to introducing the resort to our loyal One&Only guests and new guests alike,” said Alan Leibman, CEO, Kerzner International. “The beachfront location is remarkable and I am very confident that the resort will define ultra-luxury in Bahrain.”

MANAGEMENT of the Rihiveli Beach Resort Maldives has been passed on to Castaway Maldives, as HPL Resorts (Maldives) disposes of its interest in the property’s owning company, MAT.

HPL Resorts (Maldives), a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), has run the resort since 2004.

The island lease for the Rihiveli Beach Resort Maldives expires in end-2015.

Meanwhile, HPL will continue to focus on its other properties in the Maldives. This includes the Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, Gili Lankanfushi Maldives, Six Senses Laamu and Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma.

HOSPITALITY and leisure distributor GTA has reported a surge in bookings for Singapore for 1H2014, resulting in the city-state overtaking Bangkok as Asia’s most popular destination. This is despite the 2.8 per cent fall in international arrivals to Singapore during that period.

Hotel reservations for Singapore made via GTA’s XML solution by high street and online travel consultants and tour operators around the world grew 35 per cent in room nights in the first half of the year.

Specifically, bookings by Chinese travellers rose 45 per cent even though arrivals from China slowed this year.

Top source markets were Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UAE and the UK.

A new partnership with Meritus Hotels & Resorts also saw bookings at the Mandarin Orchard soar by 78 per cent. “Our strategic alliance with GTA has led to a 78 per cent increase in the number of room nights booked at the Mandarin Orchard, helping us buck the general trend in Singapore right now,” said Maria Gail Taylor, regional vice president of revenue for Meritus.

GTA’s performance in 1H2014 follows growth in 2013 when Singapore bookings increased 50 per cent. South Korea was the most significant Asian source market for Singapore bookings through GTA, followed by Indonesia.

PEER-to-peer ridesharing service Uber is making headway in the travel trade by striking up new partnerships, most recently with Le Royal Méridien Shanghai.

Uber will provide its signature Black fleet of limousines for guests staying at Le Royal Méridien Shanghai at a touch of a button, offering also bottled water and Wi-Fi connectivity as they travel the city.

The hotel represents the first renowned five-star Starwood Hotels & Resorts property Uber Shanghai is partnering.

Last month, United Airlines also began integrating Uber services into its own iOS and Android apps. Passengers on United can therefore see the types of available vehicles, estimated wait times and prices.

After customers select a ride, the United app automatically transfers them to the Uber app or the Uber website to sign up for an account to complete the transaction. United passengers who complete their first transaction also receive 1,000 miles on their United frequent flyer programmer.

If there were any doubts about Uber’s expansion ambitions, it dispelled them with the appointment of US president Barack Obama’s former campaign manager, David Plouffe, as its senior vice president of policy and strategy.

But the spotlight has also been cast on an unsavoury side to Uber’s operations, with business rival Lyft accusing the former of sending employees to pose as customers, order rides and cancel them. San Francisco-based Lyft alleges that some 5,000 rides were cancelled.

Business documents also came to light recently revealing an aggressive campaign by Uber in which the company sent workers to take rides on Lyft vehicles and poach drivers.