AIRLINES in Asia-Pacific carried the largest number of passengers in the world last year, according to the 58th edition of World Air Transport Statistics recently released by IATA.

In terms of total passengers carried on scheduled services by airlines in each region, Asia-Pacific topped with about one billion passengers, a year-on-year rise of 9.3 per cent.

Europe took second place (825.9 million), followed by North America (818.9 million), Latin America and the Caribbean (240.5 million), the Middle East (157.9 million) and Africa (73.8 million).

Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, China Southern Airlines, United Airlines and American Airlines were the top five airlines in terms of passengers carried.

Hong Kong-Taipei, Dublin-London and Jakarta-Singapore were the top three city-pairs for international routes.

The report also reveals that airlines added over 1,100 direct airport-pair services and 600,000 frequencies.

In terms of airline alliances, Star Alliance continued to be the largest with 26.6 per cent of total scheduled traffic, followed by SkyTeam (20.1 per cent) and Oneworld (15.4 per cent).

VIETNAM-based Luxury Travel will open a new office in Nha Trang tomorrow, in anticipation of an influx of luxury holidaymakers to the coastal city in Khanh Hoa Province.

According to the tour operator, an increasing number of holidaymakers are choosing Nha Trang over Bali and Phuket.

It is also seeing a positive development in its tourism infrastructure, upmarket international chain hotels, luxurious resorts as well as a growing array of attractions, such as the Vinpearl Golf Club.

Pham Ha, founder and CEO, Luxury Travel, said: “Luxury tourism in Nha Trang is going to boom. Our business (in Nha Trang) has increased by 60 per cent for domestic tourism and 25 per cent for international travellers, and much of that has to do with the modern airport terminal and improving domestic and international air links to the central coast of Vietnam.

“We have just won several new accounts and will open our new Nha Trang office to meet the increased demand.

“Currently, there are very few tour companies in Vietnam who have their own offices in Nha Trang, many just sub-contracting to local tour operators.”

The company has also revamped its website, appointed a tourism veteran as an office manager and launched a round-the-clock concierge hotline.

It has existing offices throughout Vietnam, with its head office in Hanoi.

BEST Western International will launch its first hotel in Shah Alam, the capital of Selangor, Malaysia, later this year.

The midscale Best Western i-City Shah Alam scheduled to open in Q4 will feature 216 contemporary guestrooms and suites, all equipped with such modern amenities as 32-inch LCD television, minibar, working desk, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi.

Guests will be able to sample local and international dishes at the hotel’s Coffee House, while the corporate market is catered for with three meeting rooms for up to 120 pax.

“Malaysia is an incredibly exciting market for Best Western International. With four hotels already open in the country and a further 10 in the pipeline, we look forward to serving the needs of even more Malaysian and international guests in future,” said Glenn de Souza, Best Western International’s vice president of International Operations, Asia & Middle East.

“Shah Alam is a key economic hub in Malaysia. Located just 25km from Kuala Lumpur and 30km from KLIA, the city is at the heart of the country’s development, and provides an ideal setting for Best Western’s new generation of contemporary hotels,” he added.
Best Western i-City Shah Alam will join the group’s existing collection of midscale and luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.

ROYAL Brunei Airlines (RBA) plans to resume services to Ho Chi Minh City with four-weekly flights commencing October 17.

The service, previously terminated in October 2011, will be operated by an Airbus A319 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. On Sundays, an Airbus A320 will be utilised.

In a press statement, RBA’s deputy chairman, Dermot Mannion, said: “In our commercial team’s latest studies, Ho Chi Minh City has emerged a frontrunner in providing connections for key markets from Melbourne, Dubai and London, and for regional destinations like Kota Kinabalu.

“We are delighted to include this exciting holiday and business destination into our network.”

CARLSON Wagonlit Travel (CWT) and GBTA Foundation have jointly launched 2015 Global Travel Price Outlook, which indicates that there is upward pressure on rates, particularly in high-demand travel markets.

Driving this is demand from emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil as well as improved economic growth in advanced economies, combined with limited advances in travel supply.

For Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets, key findings for 2015 include:

• APAC is expected to see the smallest increases in airfares around the world (0.5 per cent) compared with the global average of 2.2 per cent;

• Actual airfare increases for 2014 were lower than forecast, given that low-cost carriers (LCCs) have added a lot of capacity and are increasingly targeting the corporate travel market. LCCs now account for close to 26 per cent of total capacity in APAC;

• Air price growth in India is expected to be the strongest (at 4.4 per cent), driven by recent elections and prospects for market reforms that could lead to greater levels of business activity and a higher volume of business travel;

• Hotel prices are expected to grow 2.7 per cent – a moderate rate compared to the rest of the world; and

• India is expected to experience hotel price growth for the first time in several years (at 4.4 per cent), driven by higher levels of business confidence following this year’s elections, while in China, travellers can expect to see a minor increase in hotel prices.

Joseph Bates, GBTA Foundation vice president of research, said: “The study reveals that travel managers expect price increases next year across the board on travel categories including airfares, hotel room rates and rental car rates.

“Risks to the forecast including the escalating Ukrainian crisis; declining European inflation; burgeoning debt in China and oil price shocks could potentially have a negative influence on travel demand and pricing however, so travel managers are advised to consider contingencies for these risks in their planning.”

To view the full report for results worldwide, visit http://www.carlsonwagonlit.com/en/global/insights/global-forecast-2015/index.html.

AIR Seychelles is looking to start thrice-weekly direct flights between Mumbai and Seychelles by the end of this year, according to Seychelles Tourism and Culture minister, Alain St Ange, who was in New Delhi last week.

Pending approval by India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, the airline is expected to use Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.

“India’s outbound tourism potential is unparalleled and we are here to claim a share of this growing market. Presently, Indian travellers can reach Seychelles via Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Colombo.

“Indian filmmakers will also have an opportunity to gain access to the stunning and unexplored filming locations of Seychelles through direct flights,” said Ange.

He also revealed that there were talks to include India’s Andaman islands in the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands Regional Organisation that includes Comoros, La Reunion, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mayotte, the Seychelles and Sri Lanka as member islands.

A first-ever Seychelles roadshow was held in New Delhi and Mumbai last week gathering trade members from both countries.

Lubaina Sheerazi, head, Blue Square Consultants, which represents Seychelles Tourism Board, said: “We are targeting honeymoon, luxury, adventure and experiential travellers, and leveraging various media to reach out to and engage with them.

“We will also be conducting roadshows and destination trainings, participating in trade fairs, investing in marketing activities and scheduling fam trips as a part of our strategy.”

DONALD J Trump has today announced collaboration plans with Indian luxury real estate developer Lodha Group to launch Trump Tower Mumbai, marking the American billionaire’s first investment in the city.

“It has been my desire for many years to be involved in a great project in Mumbai, and it is my honour to bring the Trump lifestyles to the citizens of this truly global metropolis with the launch of Trump Tower Mumbai, said Donald J Trump, chairman and president, The Trump Organization.

Abhishek Lodha, managing director of Lodha Group, said: “Our collaboration on Trump Tower Mumbai not only raises the bar in every sense for luxury and services, but sets a new benchmark for luxury living in India – creating a tower that redefines the Mumbai skyline.”

Set in The Park at Worli, the 75-storey Trump Tower Mumbai features ultra-luxurious three- and four-bedroom residences with interiors designed by HBA Singapore, with amenities such as German Poggenpohl kitchens, five-fixture master bathrooms, indoor Jacuzzis, built-in TVs and elite seven-level security.

The project will offer residents a host of exclusive lifestyle privileges, including a 24-hour resident manager and white-glove services, access to global Trump luxury properties and a fractional membership to private jet service exclusively for Trump residents in India.

Besides Mumbai, other Trump projects have been earmarked for development in Vancouver, Istanbul, Panama and Manila.

MAJOR inbound operator Uni-Orient Travel has launched a B2B online reservation system, which will offer content ranging from Philippine hotels and tours to activities and transfers.

U-xplor, accessible at www.u-xplor.com, was soft launched in June at a selling mission to Russia and for Philippine operators in early July, according to Pedro B Young, Uni-Orient consultant for tourism services.

On the inbound side, the platform targets major markets like Russia and China, as well as Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia, said Young.

The system currently carries 500 Philippine hotels in its database, and will soon add land arrangements, transfers and destination-specific activities across the Philippines for the FIT segment.

“We will also be adding tour programmes in the next two weeks,” he added. “We offer special rates for those using our system as it streamlines some of the work that we do.”

Young said that U-Xplor offerings for the Boracay-bound market in particular would reduce the need to source “activity outfitters” for land-based or water sports activities, and give partner operators options to add premium add-ons like daily pocket Wi-Fi service.

Likewise, tour programmes that can bring Boracay visitors to luxury spots like Carabao Island, Romblon or cultural tours on the island itself are in the works, he said.

Philippine outbound agencies would also be able to use the system for international bookings.

ASIAN travellers are most addicted to mobile technology and are least likely to disconnect while on vacation, according to the new Disconnect to Reconnect survey from Hotels.com.

Examining digital vacationing habits across 28 countries worldwide, the global survey found out that travellers from Thailand were the least prepared to give up their mobile devices, with a staggering 85 per cent of Thai travellers saying they would be unwilling to do so. South Korea took second place (78 per cent), followed by Japan (69 per cent), China (67 per cent) and Singapore (60 per cent).

On the other end of the spectrum was India with a mere 20 per cent of participants saying they would be unable to abandon their mobile devices or laptops, followed by Argentina at 22 per cent. Elsewhere in North America, only 35 per cent of Americans, 27 per cent of Canadians and 28 per cent of Mexican travellers said they would be unwilling to do so.

“Going away on vacation should be a time to unwind, whether you’re lying on a beach in Cancun or snowboarding down a mountain in Vail,” said Taylor L Cole, APR, travel expert at Hotels.com. “While smartphones are useful for checking the weather or viewing maps, travellers would benefit from switching off their emails to disconnect and restore a little more of the all-important work-life balance.”

As for bragging rights and countries most likely to exaggerate their vacation experiences, China comes in on top with 67 per cent of respondents likely to lie to friends and family when returning home. Germany is close behind in second place with 64 per cent, and South Korea is third place with just under half (48 per cent) admitting they would embellish a travel story to impress others. Travellers from the US are less likely to exaggerate their experiences (24 per cent).

When it comes to American travel habits, two-thirds of Americans (66 per cent) say they spend at least some time using social media while on vacation, with 28 per cent saying they spend an hour or more each day. The majority of Americans also admit to spending some time checking or responding to work emails while on vacation (56 per cent), but most say they spend less than an hour a day (36 per cent), while 44 percent say they spend no time at all.

The Hotels.com study also revealed the top 10 most important travel items for Americans. Smartphones were the most important travel item after passports, while travel insurance was the least important of all.