THE Lion City is the number one overseas destination for Indonesians travelling during the Lebaran holiday, according to flight and hotel search data provided by Wego Indonesia.

In the area of flight searches, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur ranked as second and third most sought destinations after Bali.

However, Malaysia, Japan and the Netherlands saw the largest increase in flight clicks year-on-year, growing by 40, 23 and 63 per cent respectively.

Countries that saw negative growth in flight searches for the Lebaran period include Thailand and China, falling 20 per cent year-on-year, possibly due to the local political situations.

Nevertheless, most Indonesians travelled domestic during this holiday season. Graham Hills, managing director of Wego Indonesia, commented: “The ratio of domestic and international flight searches remained similar year-on-year…This could be more reflective of tradition as Lebaran is the key time for Indonesian to visit with family; which is dominated by land transport options such as train, bus and private vehicles.”

Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, Citilink, Sriwijaya and AirAsia were the top choices for domestic flights, while Indonesian travellers headed overseas showed a preference for AirAsia, Lion Air, Tigerair, Malaysia Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia.

Singapore was also the most searched overseas destination for hotels, coming in fifth place after Bandung, Bali, Jogjakarta and Jakarta.

“Bandung accommodation received around 20 per cent more share of hotel searches year-on-year, and both Malang and Bogor were fast movers. On average, Indonesians spent US$73 per night on domestic accommodation while Singapore dominated internationally with an average room rate of US$159, averaging three nights,” said Hills.

THE Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has appointed Cox & Kings to operate luxury train Deccan Odyssey for the next five years, with scope for another five-year extension.

As part of the tie-up, Cox & Kings will manage all on-board and external services, sales, marketing, and operational activities related to the rail tour.

Jagdish Patil, managing director, MTDC, said: “This association will ensure the desired level of professionalism required to manage such a service, which has to cater to various demands of customers.

Deccan Odyssey begins its season on October 4 and will serve 10 different itineraries ranging from 3D2N to 8D7N tour packages, covering destinations including Goa, Ahmedabad, Hampi, Sanchi, Jaipur, Agra and Ranthambore.

“Maharashtra receives around 20 per cent of the total foreign arrivals to India. Deccan Odyssey is among the best luxury trains in the world… and is popular among international travellers who expect high service standards. Such a tie-up will ensure their expectations are met,” said Rajji Rai, chairman, Uniglobe Swiftravel.

MARCO Polo welcomes a new addition to its China portfolio today, opening in Changzhou, which is an hour away from Shanghai by high-speed train.

Marco Polo Changzhou is located in Xinbei District, close to China Dinosaur Land and Dino-Valley Hot Spring as well as the Zaojiang River.

Boasting 7.7ha of lush gardens, the hotel offers 271 rooms and suites in the main hotel building and a further 31 rooms and suties in The Mansion, including its Presidential Suite.

Amenities offered include The Continental Club for guests staying on designated floors, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, a spa, an outdoor tennis court and a chess room. Almost 2,000m² of indoor meeting facilities comprising a pillarless Marco Polo Ballroom and 17 multi-fuction rooms are also available for hire.

Opening in this first phase is Garden Café that serves all-day dining and buffet spreads. Other F&B choices such as the Jiulong Ya Yuan Chinese Restaurant serving Cantonese and Huaiyang cuisines and Spanish-themed Tapas Y Vino will begin operations in future.

THE United Nations’ civil aviation body, ICAO, will launch two new projects to improve communications and information sharing about conflict zones between airlines and states.

Announcing these at the end of a two-day meeting held by an ICAO task force specially convened to address the issue, the first project will examine how the existing Notice to Airmen system can be harnessed better for the urgent dissemination of information, reported Reuters.

The second pilot project, the set-up of a new centralised system to share information quickly, will be spearheaded by “key ICAO partners”.

Reuters quoted task force chairman, David McMIllan, saying that the two projects are aimed at ensuring the safety of civilian passengers and crews.

Calls for closer cooperation between state and aviation bodies came fast and furious after passenger aircraft Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine almost six weeks ago.

HOTELS in India seeking official classification will only need to produce their trade licence and bar licence under the newly simplified process, announced the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) last week.

Furthermore, properties close to airports will only need to hand in an affidavit with their applications. In the past, some 10 to 12 different licences were required from various government and civic departments.

Anand Kumar, joint secretary, MoT, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the streamlining was decided on in line with policies of the new government and to ensure effective service delivery.

The ministry is also mulling granting five-star status to hotels without bars on site.

Rajesh Punjabi, vice president, development – India, Hilton Worldwide, said: “While this measure is welcomed for the purposes of classification, we believe, a real impact to incentivise development in the hospitality industry will be seen if the licensing requirements and procedures are simplified (further).”

“The previous practice of obtaining several (licences) before a developer can apply for a hotel classification has been time consuming and counter-productive. With this new mandate, hotels can stay on target according to their development schedules, saving both developers and owners considerable resources,” added KB Kachru, chairman, South Asia, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

THE Thai Immigration Bureau has announced a new regulation that permits tourists to extend their stay in the country by another 30 days, effective August 29.

Under this new ruling, tourists from 49 countries who enter Thailand under the 30-day visa exemption can extend their stay for another 30 days – instead of the former seven days – which allows an effective stay in the country without a visa for up to 60 stays.

Visitors holding the 60-day tourist visa will also be eligible for the 30-day extension.

Tourists who wish to do so must apply at an immigration office in Thailand and pay the 1,900 baht (US$60) visa extension fee, which remains unchanged.

The Bangkok Post reports that the move is designed to boost tourism, and is likely to appeal to travellers seeking to prolong their stay in Thailand and visit other South-east Asia countries.

Earlier this month, Thailand implemented a three-month visa fee waiver for travellers from China and Taiwan.