MALAYSIAN travel consultants are of differing views on how tourism would be affected by a new ruling in Terengganu that stipulates all shopping malls in the state have to close for two hours on Friday afternoons.

Effective next year, this new ruling by the state government of Terengganu aims to encourage Muslim male youths to attend Friday prayers at the mosques instead of loitering in shopping malls.

Alex Lee, CEO of Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours, said: “It will definitely affect tourism as a majority of tourists would like to do last-minute shopping before their departure. This move is also not good for the state economy.”

On the other hand, Ganneesh Ramaa, manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, does not foresee major impacts on the tourism sector, as he believes that the main attractions for foreign visitors to Terengganu are the islands and not the malls.

Adam Kamal, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association deputy president II, agreed: “Tourists don’t go to Terengganu because of the malls. The ruling only affects shopping malls. Bazaars and markets will still be open, and I think foreign tourists are keener to buy local products and handicrafts than to shop in modern malls. Those who wish to do last-minute shopping before their departure can still do so at the airport.”

MELIÁ Hotels International continues to grow its portfolio in Asia-Pacific with the signing of Meliá Ubud on Bali.

The Spanish hospitality company has signed a deal with Indonesia’s Pilar Prambanan Investama, part of the Podo Joyo Masyhur Group, to run the new 49-key villa just a 45-minute drive from Denpasar International Airport.

The resort facilities include a chapel for weddings and events, and a relaxation area with the group’s YHI Spa.

The Ubud contract comes less than six weeks after the company signed a deal with Berakit Resorts to operate Gran Meliá Bintan.

No opening date has yet been released for Meliá Ubud, which will be the chain’s fourth property in Bali and its 10^th hotel in Indonesia.

Vice president Asia-Pacific, Bernardo Cabot, stated: “The Meliá brand has been present in Bali almost 30 years, being part of the development of the destination. Meliá Hotels International is very excited adding Meliá Ubud to our portfolio, giving our clients additional accommodation options and increasing our cross selling opportunity between our properties in Nusa Dua, Benoa and Legian.”

NORTH American cruise speciality agency network Cruise Holidays International has released its 2015 Cruise Trends report, an annual, in-depth look at actual cruise bookings made for the year ahead by its more than 1,300 travel consultants across the US and Canada.

While the Caribbean continues to lead, demand for cruises in two other far-flung markets, Europe and China, continues to grow both for deep water and river cruising.

The biggest gains among European river cruise destinations have been charted for Passau, Germany and Lyon, France, while the top five list for river cruises outside of Europe includes China’s Beijing and Shanghai, Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and Myanmar’s Mandalay and Pyay.

China, Japan and South-east Asia currently make up 2.4 per cent of 2015 bookings, rising to the eighth position as the most favoured cruise destination, up from the 15^th and 12^thspots respectively for 2014 and 2013, according to Cruise Holidays travel consultants across North America.

PARK Hotel Group has officially signed up its first resort in Indonesia, the 152-unit Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali which is scheduled to commence operations in 1Q2015.

First announced at ITB Asia, Park Hotel Group yesterday inked the management contract with Twenty-One Development, marking its entry into the country and its expansion in the resorts sector.

Allen Law, Park Hotel Group’s CEO, said: “This partnership is an important milestone for our brand and the group as we expand our presence in Indonesia with our first resort in Bali, a strategic and well-renowned travel destination. With the Indonesian government’s recent pro-tourism initiatives, such as the visa-free access for major source countries, Park Hotel Nusa Dua Bali is well-poised to ride on an exciting wave of tourism growth.”

Nestled on 3.4ha of land, the resort offers 152 guestrooms and suites with room sizes varying between 25m² and 209m². It is also home to 39 villas including 35 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units, each furnished with a private pool and a traditional Balinese pavilion set in a garden.

The resort offers spa treatments that guests are able to enjoy either in the spa or from their villas. Facilities include a rooftop dining restaurant, a bar, a gymnasium, a business centre, function rooms and a tour desk.

The property is situated on a hilltop in Nusa Dua, with views of Nusa Dua Beach and Benoa Bay. It is a 10-minute drive from the international airport and is within easy access to beaches and entertainment areas.

The 125-room Park Hotel Khao Lak Beach Resort Phang Nga is another new resort belonging to the Group, slated to open in Thailand in 1H2015.

IATA is collaborating with a coalition of national travel agency associations on a study to look at options that could benefit travel consultants as the New Distribution Capability (NDC) XML standard is considered for implementation by airlines and technology providers.

An independent consultant will be jointly appointed by IATA and the coalition – known as The Group – to conduct the study.

The coalition comprises associations representing agencies based in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the US including the American Society of Travel Agents; the Association of Brazilian Travel Agents; the Association of Canadian Travel Agents: the Association of South African Travel Agents Association (ASATA); The Australian Federation Travel Agents (AFTA); the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand; and the Travel Agents Federation of India.

“With the full set of NDC ‘end-to-end’ schemas now available, this collaboration between IATA and The Group is a great opportunity to jointly understand the benefits and implications of NDC from the perspective of travel (consultants),” said Yanik Hoyles, IATA programme director, NDC.

“As a better understanding and acceptance of NDC by airlines becomes apparent, it is timely to now undertake this research study to investigate how travel (consultants) might benefit from the implementation of the standard,” said Jayson Westbury, CEO of AFTA.

“The Group has come together to provide a conduit to a range of markets and travel (consultants) across the globe to allow the global agency community with a valuable piece of research,” said Otto De Vries, CEO of ASATA.

The study will seek to understand the impacts of NDC for travel consultants; explore options to overcome possible obstacles to successful NDC implementation by the parties within the travel value chain; and provide scenarios of the potential funding models for the transaction of airfares and airline ancillary products via the travel consultant channel using the NDC standard.

It will also evaluate the issues from the perspectives of large, medium and small agencies, including both business- and leisure-travel focused agencies, plus the views from key stakeholders across the distribution value chain such as airlines, global distribution systems, travel technology firms and providers of corporate booking tools.

THERE has been no shortage of hotel management companies swooning over its new 654-room hotel that is part of its South Beach integrated development in Singapore, but City Developments Limited (CDL) has rejected the ardent suitors and will be managing the hotel, which will be known as South Beach Hotel and represented by Preferred Hotel Group (PHG).

“We decided to manage South Beach Hotel on our own and make it uniquely ours,” CDL executive chairman Kwek Leng Beng told TTG Asia as part of a feature asking hotel owners in the region which properties they most look forward to in 2015.

“South Beach Hotel, as it will be called, is not a cookie-cutter concept. Guests are going to be pleasantly surprised by the unique vibe of the hotel’s attributes. You will be wowed by the 21^st century design when you enter the hotel and be calmed by the minimalist style of the rooms.

“I hope when the doors of South Beach Hotel open in the first half of 2015, everyone will love what we have meticulously created,” said Kwek.

In an interview with TTG Asia earlier this year, Kwek was still in two minds over the property being independent or branded.

Asked if he was inclined to outsource or self-manage, he said: “Sometimes, after calculating management fees, I feel you can be better off managing the hotel yourself. One can’t assume that international management will perform better. They may get you a higher rate (because of the brand), but let me ask, if the hotel management group has five hotels in Singapore and each day they have 500 rooms to fill, how much is your share of the business?”

Getting South Beach Hotel under its umbrella, meanwhile, is a coup for PHG which also nabbed One Farrer Hotel & Spa, Singapore, opened last September.

“We are delighted to welcome The South Beach as a member of Preferred Hotel Group. This landmark property will prove to be one of the best independent hotels to open in Asia in recent years. With a unique hospitality concept, The South Beach will pave the way for change in this already dynamic industry,” said Anthony Ross, executive vice president, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa of PHG.

“We look forward to working closely with The South Beach team, leveraging on expertise from both sides, as well as PHG’s global distribution network, to contribute to the success of this new Singapore icon upon its opening in 2015.”

Read owners’ take on their most memorable hotel 2014 and the one by competitor that caught their eye, TTG Asia Year-end issue