REGENT Hotels & Resorts wants to expand its portfolio from seven properties presently to 25 by 2020, with more emphasis on unique hotel design. It is also working on an innovative website that will have both direct B2B and B2C sales function, slated to be finished in 12-18 months.

CEO, Mark Lettenbichler, who took up the post just last December, said: “We’ll bring (the Regent brand) to the forefront. After openings in Phuket and Bali in 2013, our brand-new property in Montenegro will be operational this year with residential services provided.

“We are developing hotels around the world with five deals signed this year covering Asia (three), Europe (one) and the Middle East (one). About 25 projects are under discussion. At present, three new projects (Jakarta, Chongqing and Xi’an) are under construction.”

“China is going to be a natural growth area with huge future potential and we will be able to carefully select from existing inventory in some cities. Apart from this, we are holding discussions in cities like Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, which also have great potential. Hong Kong is our base, however, and we are looking at different possible projects, for example, the Murray Building site in Central,” he explained.

Ninety per cent of these deals will be managed under a new model, which will be run by veterans handpicked by Lettenbichler. The brand’s 3Bs (bed, bath and breakfast) will continue with an extra B for bespoke to emphasise unique hotel design.

Furthermore, Lettenbichler added: “Having Dexter Chia as vice president of sales and marketing means a lot. He gained good China experience and strength in brand-building at his previous job with Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.”

TOURISM New Zealand (TNZ) and Air New Zealand have renewed their marketing partnership for another year with a joint fund of NZ$20 million (US$17.2 million) to spend on promotions.

Signed by the chiefs of both organisations this morning, the agreement will see New Zealand take aim at key markets such as South-east Asia and back Air New Zealand’s proposed alliance with Singapore Airlines (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 16, 2014).

Each party will invest NZ$10 million each over the next 12 months for marketing in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and Europe, targeting high-end and MICE travellers.

Air New Zealand chief executive, Christopher Luxon, said the extension allows both bodies to build on the success of their initial agreement.

“Working together to capitalise on this momentum is a natural progression which will positively impact New Zealand’s tourism industry and is a wonderful example of collaboration which supports the Tourism Industry Association’s Tourism 25 framework for growth (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 19, 2014) ,” said Luxon.

“Our joint activity to market The Hobbit films overseas has been very successful. The most recent campaign resulted in not only strong fare sales but also showed the activity really resonated with our target audiences with a recent survey showing 14 per cent of holiday arrivals were influenced to travel to New Zealand by the movies,” he elaborated.

TNZ chief executive, Kevin Bowler, said arrivals to New Zealand are up more than five per cent to 2.8 million international visitors in the year ending March, mostly from key markets where joint marketing took place such as China, Europe, the US, India and Indonesia.

ROYAL Caribbean International’s (RCI) groundbreaking Quantum of the Seas will be calling on Singapore next year to offer two voyages on its vessel, featuring a range of new onboard experiences.

The first of RCI’s Quantum-class ships, she will make her global debut this November and embark on a Quantum Global Odyssey between New York to Shanghai.

As part of that voyage, the ship will arrive in Singapore on June 11, 2015. Itineraries offered from Singapore are: a three-night cruise to Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang) on June 12, and a nine-night one-way cruise to Shanghai (Baoshan), with stops at Ho Chi Minh City (Phu My), Hong Kong (overnight) and Xiamen along the way.

Before reaching Singapore, Quantum of the Seas will sail for 14-nights from Dubai in May and stop at Muscat, Kochi (overnight) and Penang.

These cruises go on sale from today for Royal Caribbean’s Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members and on May 22 for the general public.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships allow guests to partake in first-ever on-board experiences such as skydiving, while boasting new signature venues such as sporting and entertainment spot SeaPlex and the multi-level Two70º where passengers can watch live performances, videos, hit the ice bar and enjoy 270-degree views of the sea through floor-to-ceiling glass walls (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 18, 2013).

Quantum of the Seas will also introduce Dynamic Dining, a new culinary experience featuring 18 restaurant concepts, including five complimentary restaurants each with its own distinctive cuisine which guests can choose from.

Specialty restaurants also include the first-at-sea outpost of Jamie’s Italian, the hugely popular restaurant by Jamie Oliver.

Stateroom offerings on Quantum-class ships are nine per cent larger than those on Oasis-class ships. Interior staterooms also come with virtual balconies that offer expansive real-time views of the ocean and destinations.

Multi-generational families can make use of family-connected staterooms, which link three different stateroom categories to form a special layout providing separate bedrooms and bathrooms for occupants. Also new are studio staterooms for single travellers, three junior categories and larger loft suites.

INCHEON Airport is banking on its short connecting times to position itself as a hub for onward travellers flying beyond South Korea.

In a joint presentation with Korean Air for Singapore’s travel specialists and media yesterday, the airport’s deputy director for aviation marketing, Park Hak-Soon, showcased its capacity as “Asia’s transfer hub”.

Qualifications Park cited include a network of 183 destinations worldwide including extensive connections to China, Japan and South-east Asia, a luggage check-through system, as well as a myriad of entertainment options.

Minimum connecting time is also the “world’s shortest”, he added, at 45 minutes for onward transfer via Korean Air, and 70 minutes for transfer via other carriers.

Korean Air corporate account manager, Phua Rouyi, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Korean Air is targeting to increase the market share of passengers travelling from Singapore to the US, Japan and China.”

Phua added: “For the first four months (this year), our passenger number increased 20 per cent year on year. On a yearly basis, transit passengers comprise 25 per cent of our overall passengers and the most popular destinations are the US, Japan and China.

“In May, we launched a daily non-stop service to Houston (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 6, 2014). Compared to other airlines, we have the best connection time. Houston is our key destination to promote this year as there are many companies in Houston with their base in Singapore.”

Toh Li Ling, ticketing manager of Excellence Travel which had only specialised in outbound MICE trips until last August when it added a retail department, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Corporates typically look first for flight timings and low incidence of delays, then cost. Korean Air is not bad in these areas, so there is a chance to push it to corporates, although Singapore Airlines (SIA) has always been the choice.

“Now that we have FIT clients, we can try to push Korean Air to them too. However, it also depends on destination choices; SIA has more direct flights from Singapore, while corporates don’t like to waste time transiting.”

THAILAND’S army has imposed nationwide martial law following six months of political turmoil that has led to a contracting economy and dipping tourist arrivals (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 5, 2013), but the army has said this will not affect day-to-day operations in the country.

During the announcement aired early this morning on local television, Royal Thai Army chief general Prayuth Chan-ocha insisted the declaration was not a coup and urged the population to stay calm and carry on their lives as normal.

Under martial law, the army will have control over national security, but the government and the police will remain in command of other tasks.

While not likely to affect day-to-day operations, military troops on the streets will become more commonplace and it also remains to be seen how Thailand’s latest invocation of the martial law will impact the country.

In an email this morning, Destination Asia Thailand said: “Our day-to-day operations and ground services continue to operate as normal, and our daily sightseeing tours are continuing as scheduled. Currently there are no movement restrictions nor have night time curfews been imposed. These two stipulations are subject to change under martial law.”

“All areas outside Bangkok and other tourist destinations within Thailand such as Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Chiang Mai remain fully operational and are not overly affected,” it added.

Meanwhile, anti-government protestors have announced they would suspend their rallies for the time being.

Thailand’s airports and public transport systems like the Bangkok BTS Skytrain and MRT subway trains are operating as usual, although checkpoints have been set up at several roads in the capital, resulting in bad traffic.