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.

FOLLOWING yesterday’s roll-out of an e-visa system for arrivals through Yangon International Airport, the Ministry of Immigration and Population will expand the scheme to include other airports and nationalities.

Speaking at the official launch at Parkroyal Yangon, minister of immigration and population, Khin Ye, shared: “We ran the beta version of the e-visa website since early last month and until now we have issued over 500 tourist visas. We hope this new facility will attract more tourists to visit our country.”

Khin Ye elaborated that under the new system, applicants will receive a reply within one hour, and processing time will take a maximum of five working days. No refunds of the US$50 visa fee will be made if the application is not approved.

Visas obtained through www.myanmarevisa.gov.mm are valid for 28 days, and the approval letter valid for three months from the date of issue.

On future plans for the e-visa system, Khin Ye said the ministry will look at opening it to travellers from more countries, especially European Union nations, and grant e-visas for arrivals through Mandalay and Naypyidaw airports.

The ministry is also considering offering business visas through a similar system. Currently travellers from 51 countries can apply for business visas on arrival at Yangon International Airport.

VISITOR arrivals, tourism receipts and foreign investments are on the rise for Indonesia, putting the country on track to achieve its targets for 2014.

Speaking at a media conerence in Jakarta yesterday, Mari Elka Pangestu, minister of tourism and creative economy, said: “Visitor arrivals have shown a sharp increase in the last seven months. As such, the arrivals target of 9.3-9.5 million (for this year) will be achieved.”

From January to July, arrivals grew 9.4 per cent year-on-year to 5.3 million.

The minister’s confidence also stems from the trend of stronger arrivals in the second half of the year. Indonesia last month hosted the 3^rd Bali International Choir Festival, Dreamfields Festival in Bali and Asian Fashion Week in Surabaya, while a number of events scheduled for October will likewise boost arrivals.

Tourism revenue is expected to reach US$11 billion by end-2014, a 10.7 per cent increase over 2013.

Mari said that these figures could become a benchmark for newly elected Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, and his cabinet in determining goals for the next five years.

She added: “The ministry is preparing mid-term and strategic plans (based on) various assumptions to achieve the next five-year target.”

As for tourism investments, they are also up at US$256 million, with foreign investments making up the bulk at US$243 million, more than double the amount in 2013.

“Jakarta received the most foreign investment, followed by Bali. The fact that Riau ranks third in receiving foreign investment shows the spread of investment to new destinations in the country,” commented Mari.

Growth in tourism GDP stands at 6.9 per cent for the first half of the year, outstripping the 5.2 per cent of national economic growth. The industry contributed Rp136.8 trillion (US$11.8 billion) to GDP during the same period.

THE Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has inked another air service agreement, paving the way for direct air links between Myanmar and Turkey.

Myanmar and Turkey signed the first-ever bilateral air service agreements last week, allowing airlines of both countries to start services and strike up codeshares for flights between Yangon and Istanbul. This paves the way for Turkish Airlines to commence Yangon flights.

Earlier this year, the DCA also sealed the deal with the Philippines, whose local airlines such as Cebu Pacific Air, Tigerair and Philippines AirAsia have applied to the Philippines’ Civil Aeronautics Board for 1,260 seats weekly each on the Yangon-Manila route.

Win Swe Tun, deputy director general, DCA, added that Myanmar has also redrafted air service agreements with France and New Zealand dating back to 1972. “But operating direct air links between two countries is another step that is likely to take some time, because airlines need to do market surveys and see demand before launching flights.”

The number of international airlines operating to Myanmar has increased from 12 in 2009 to 28 in 2013.

PLANS for a ‘China city’, a major waterfront project and a shopping mall are in the pipeline, as Cambodia looks at ways to help attract more travellers from China, the country’s second largest source market.

Cambodian Ministry of Tourism director of marketing and promotion, Visothy So, emphasised that Cambodia needs to brand itself as a destination with more attractions.

Besides the Angkor Wat, the ministry will promote three major destinations, including Phnom Penh and its surroundings, ecotourism in the North-eastern regions, and the 440km coastline and over 60 islands.

The ministry held a tourism roadshow in Guangzhou on August 28, attended by 22 Cambodian suppliers.

Cambodia Angkor Air sales manager Gan Wei Xiang noted that direct flights between Phnom Penh and Guangzhou launched in July offers visitors more travel options in addition to Guangzhou-Siem Reap flights.

Sokha Hotels & Resorts’ deputy director of sales and marketing, Say Sophertra, said the hotel group is developing four- and five-star hotels across Cambodia, while also seeking to understand the needs and preferences of China’s visitors.

China’s visitors are mainly group tourists who spend five days in Cambodia on average, but younger Chinese travellers are increasingly opting for week-long, free-and-easy travel. While the temple mountains are must-sees for both groups, Sihanoukville is also gaining popularity.

In 1H2014, Cambodia saw 260,000 arrivals from China or a 16 per cent increase over the previous period.

Tourism minister, Thong Khon, said the ministry predicts 4.6 million and five million international visitors in 2014 and 2015 respectively. By 2020, arrivals will number 75 million, including two million from China.

Article by Yvonne Chang. Translated by Ong Yanchun from the original TTG China e-Daily, August 15, 2014.

STAR Cruises is introducing sailings to Puerto Princesa, Palawan for the first time and will begin calling there with the SuperStar Aquarius during its upcoming Sabah homeport season.

The 13-storey vessel will be operating out of Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia between November 8, 2014 and March 1, 2015.

For this period, SuperStar Aquarius is offering itineraries including a one-night high seas cruise, a two-night high seas cruise and 4D3N cruises to Puerto Princesa City.

Located in the mid-section of Palawan Island, the Philippines, the destination is home to natural and heritage attractions such as the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park with its 8.2km underground river.

Visitors can also pay a visit to some of the indigenous tribes living on the island, explore the rainforest jungle on the Maoyon River Cruise, snorkel or relax on any of Honda Bay’s islets, or get an education in wildlife at the Palawan Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre.

THAILAND is getting back on track to welcome tourists again, and unveiled over the weekend that a female tourism minister would take the helm effective immediately.

Speaking at the NATAS consumer fair last Friday, deputy chief mission of the Royal Thai Embassy, Ekajit Kraivichien, reassured industry players: “After months of protests and uncertainty, the country is now more stable and more committed than ever to promoting tourism and economic relations with friends around the world.”

On Sunday, Thailand’s government welcomed Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul into the cabinet of prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as minister of tourism and sport. Kobkarn is the former chairperson of Toshiba Thailand. Active in business, education, art and cultural circles, she is described as an award-winning businesswoman who has previously been linked with the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand.

While the martial law remains in place, it does not affect tourists or businesses, Ekajit said. “Curfews have been lifted and Thailand is open for both tourism and business. The law is there only to allow officials to keep the country safe more efficiently.”

She added that new initiatives have been put in place to curb illegal activities which stifle tourism, like the clearing-out of stalls that block the scenic views on the beaches, and the stamping out of unlawful extortion and overcharging of tourists through cons such as jet ski rental scams.

Singapore-based CTC Travel’s travel manager for marketing and public relations, Kelly Toh, said confidence in Thailand had already been restored since June.

She said: “Thailand has always been one of Singaporeans’ favourite destinations because it is cheap and good. It is even cheaper now because air tickets can be bought at one-third the usual price.”

Likewise, Dynasty Travel Singapore’s marketing communications director, Alicia Seah, said that the lower prices and incentives dangled by hotels to lure tourists back have helped bolster traffic.

She said: “We are pretty confident that tourism in Thailand will fully recover by 100 per cent by the end of the year especially given the holiday period.”

However, statistics from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports show that the kingdom welcomed 11.8 million visitors for 1H2014. This is a 9.9 per cent decrease over the same period in 2013, which posted 13.1 million arrivals.

Acccording to Ekajit, the visa fee waiver for tourists from China and Taiwan that started on August 9 will continue until mid-November this year.

Over in Indonesia, the Tourism Authority of Thailand also launched the Let’s go back to Thailand campaign in June to entice Indonesians back.