HOLIDAY Inn Pattaya last week opened its newest 25-floor Executive Tower with 200 additional rooms.

The tower features a top-floor Executive Club for breakfast and evening drinks, while an additional main dining restaurant offers buffet breakfast and international cuisine. Recreational options include infinity and children’s swimming pools, a fitness centre and a kids’ club.

Dedicated meeting space includes Pattaya’s first auditorium facility within a hotel, a 115m² venue for up to 75 pax in theatre style, and three configurable meeting rooms enhanced by natural daylight.

“There is strong demand for MICE in Thailand every year, which Holiday Inn Pattaya Executive Tower is well positioned to meet,” said Kate Gerits, general manager, Holiday Inn Pattaya.

AMADEUS has reported commendable results in 1H2014, supported by organic growth and the contribution of acquisitions.

Adjusted profit for the period grew 8.9 per cent to 380.6 million euros (US$510.9 million), backed by 8.5 per cent revenue increase to 1,730.9 million euros, and 8.8 per cent EBITDA growth to 702.6 million euros.

The company maintained strong organic growth in its core distribution and IT solutions businesses.

Distribution revenue increased 4.6 per cent to 1,271.5 million euros, with air travel agency bookings rising 3.8 per cent to 241.8 million.

Content agreements were signed and extended with 21 airlines, while new agreements were inked with leading global travel companies such as Orbitz Worldwide and TUI Travel.

Revenue for IT solutions grew 21 per cent to 459.4 million euros. Excluding Newmarket International and UFIS, revenue increased 11.6 per cent to 423.5 million euros.

Revenue from passengers boarded increased 15.6 per cent to 328.5 million euros.

Luis Maroto, Amadeus president and CEO, commented: “Amadeus’ core business continues to deliver strong results despite improved but still challenging market conditions. The distribution business outperformed the industry, enabling us to continue to gain market share.

“We continue to implement our growth and diversification strategy into new IT areas,” he added.

BLUEWATER Resorts has announced further expansions at its Cebu properties and is now looking at development opportunities in Siquijor instead of Bohol and Palawan.

At its flagship 168-room Bluewater Maribago Resort, in Cebu’s Lapu-Lapu City, a mid-rise building of 50-60 rooms with serviced apartment options is in the works, which will be followed by two high-rise towers.

Meanwhile, Bluewater Sumilon, located about two hours south-east of metro Cebu, has expanded from 14 to 27 rooms, according to Bluewater Resorts president Julie Alegrado-Vergara.

However, in Bohol, Bluewater has altered its ambitious plans to expand its 54-room property on Panglao Island to 200 rooms and add meeting rooms and a convention hall.

“Now it’s wait and see; the game has changed,” Vergara explained, adding that occupancy rate has fallen to 40-45 per cent after the Bohol earthquake last October.

Bluewater Panglao did not suffer any major damage during the earthquake, although misperceptions regarding the level of damage sustained on Bohol island persist, noted Bluewater Resorts vice president for sales and marketing, Margie Munsayac.

In 2011, the group had disclosed the expansion plans for Bluewater Panglao, in addition to the purchase of a 2-ha land parcel in San Vicente, Palawan for a future resort.

However, Vergara said: “Everyone’s been waiting for (San Vicente’s new) airport, but it’s not there.”

She revealed that with the recent acquisition and ongoing renovation of a city hotel in Dumaguete that would be using a sister brand, Almont Hotels and Resorts, Bluewater is now looking to acquire a property in Siquijor.

Bluewater is planning to offer guests multi-resort stays amongst their properties in Cebu, Bohol, Dumaguete and Siquijor, if a common billing system could be worked out, she said.

KERALA Tourism and UNESCO last week signed an MoU to preserve and develop the Spice Route for tourism, almost a year after the idea was mooted by the state with keen support from the UN organisation.

The ancient route linking India’s south-western coast to Europe will enable enthusiasts to travel through the road used by traders for over 2,000 years.

Slated to be one of the world’s largest tourism-linked conservation projects, the initiative will partner 31 countries that the spice route passes through: Afghanistan, Myanmar, China, Denmark, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, the Netherlands, Turkey, UK and Yemen.

European countries like Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have shown great interest in the initiative.

Kerala secretary-tourism, Suman Billa, said: “The project will create a unique collaboration with countries across different continents.”

Kerala tourism minister, AP Anilkumar, said: “Like the Silk Road, the Spice Route will be a huge addition to the global tourism map and help Kerala create a unique product.”

Kerala Tourism will host an international conference on the Spice Route trail in Kochi in 2014, which will see the participation of all partner countries.

“We are working with UNESCO to organise a culinary festival in which chefs from all the 31 countries will reinvent the different culinary traditions of their countries,” revealed Billa.

Kerala Tourism has allotted Rs250 million (US$4.1 million) for exploratory activities of the project.

The Spice Route will link the cardamom and tea-growing estates, Asia’s largest cinnamon farm, spice trading centres, the dhow (country boat) building centre and the original spice sailing port, Muziris.

SILKAIR is now offering economy class passengers the choice of securing preferred seats in exit rows.

The preferred seats are available for purchase during the seat selection phase when customers make their bookings on silkair.com, any time before check-in opens.

The offer will be available to customers who make purchases directly from the airline or through their travel consultants, on a first-come, first-serve basis, subject to terms and conditions.

For flights to and from China, India, Australia and Nepal, a fee of US$40 is applicable. For flights to and from all other SilkAir destinations, US$20 is applicable.

CEBU Pacific flew eight million passengers from January to June 2014, posting a year-on-year increase of about eight per cent.

In June, the airline carried 1.3 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 9.5 per cent, with flights about 85 per cent occupied.

The airline achieved notable first-half passenger growth in several markets, such as Japan, Indonesia and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, it will begin thrice-weekly service between Manila and Kuwait on September 2 and four-times weekly service from Manila and Sydney on September 9.

It currently operates a fleet of 50 aircraft comprising 10 Airbus A319, 28 Airbus A320, four Airbus A330 and eight ATR-72 500 aircraft.

Between 2014 and 2021, it expects to take delivery of 11 more Airbus A320, 30 Airbus A321neo and two Airbus A330 aircraft.

JW MARRIOTT Hotel Zhengzhou yesterday opened its doors in China’s Henan Province under a long-term management agreement with owners Greenland Group.

Located from the 41^st to 55^th floors of the Millennium Royal Plaza in Zhengzhou’s CBD, the 416-room hotel is the first Marriott property in Henan as well as the seventh JW Marriott hotel in the Greater China region.

Simon Cooper, president and managing director, Marriott International Asia-Pacific, said: “This is a significant property as it is our first hotel in Zhengzhou which is an important transportation, business and convention hub in central China.

“We are on the course of opening new JW Marriott hotels in Macau, Chongqing, Kunming and Shenzhen over the next 12 months.”

The new hotel is located in the heart of Zhengdong New District and positioned between the Zhengzhou International Convention & Exhibition Center and Henan Art Center.

Each room offers floor-to-ceiling windows, luxurious JW Marriott bedding and ergonomic work spaces, while the 2,500m² function and event space includes the 1,000m² JW Grand Ballroom with an LED wall panel, six meeting rooms and a spacious pre-function ballroom foyer.

F&B offerings on the 38^th and 39^th floors include The Grill, specialising in both Chinese and Western dishes; Man Ho, featuring Cantonese classics as well as Henan and Sichuan delicacies; Zhengzhou Kitchen, boasting dedicated Western, Chinese and Japanese live-cooking sections; and The Lounge, featuring a four-tier stand of tea treats.

ACCOR will be introducing its Ibis and Novotel Suites brands in Manila in the coming years.

The economy Ibis is part of the company’s master plan to redevelop the commercial and entertainment hub Araneta Centre in Quezon City.

The Ibis property is currently at the design stage and will likely break ground next year, said a spokesperson for the Araneta Group of Companies. Further information on the number of rooms and opening date are not yet available at press time.

Accor will also manage its first Novotel Suites in Asia, a 150-room property at the Acqua Residences in Mandaluyong City, in 2018.

“Novotel Suites Manila at Acqua is a new generation of hotel that recreates a ‘home’ away from home with its spacious and flexible design, plus the benefits and security of hotel services,” said Patrick Basset, COO for Accor Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines.

“It will fill a gap in the market for a modern, functional longer-stay accommodation conveniently located in Metro Manila,” he added.

In addition to the existing Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Accor will open Novotel Manila Araneta and Mercure Ortigas next year and turn the Admiral Hotel into an MGallery Collection in 2016.

ASIA is setting new trends in longhaul, low-cost air travel, with China poised to become a key regional player in the near future, according to OAG Aviation Worldwide’s new report,Generation X – Long Haul Low Cost Comes Of Age.

The report observes that although low-cost air travel originated in Europe and North America to connect destinations typically within four hours’ flying time, Asian LCCs are adapting the model for locations up to eight hours apart.

LCCs are now seeking to expand their route networks to better connect the rapidly growing travel markets of South-east Asia, North-east Asia, South Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Although LCC growth has been slow in China, it will be pivotal to the sector’s future development, given that China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) recently abolished the minimum pricing requirement for airlines, and introduced new measures and incentives designed to encourage the development of China-based LCCs.

“Given the potential impact of the recent changes made by CAAC, the opportunities are now available for a major Chinese LCC to emerge or for a major Chinese carrier to make a play for regional markets,” said Mark Clarkson, business development director Asia-Pacific, OAG.

An analysis of the region’s top 20 country pair markets for total seat capacity between June 2010 and June 2014 saw China in eight of the fastest-growing routes.

The average annual growth in seat capacity between Australia and China was 11.4 per cent, while 20 per cent was recorded between China and Thailand.

Further room for expansion is evident, with only three routes from China – Shanghai-Singapore (ranked fifth), Bangkok-Shanghai (19^th) and Beijing-Singapore (23^rd) – listed in the report’s top 25 low-cost, longhaul routes in Asia-Pacific.

The other top routes are Bangkok-Seoul, Perth-Sydney, Singapore-Sydney, Singapore-Taipei, Hong Kong-Tokyo, Seoul-Singapore, Melbourne-Singapore, Bangkok-Tokyo (Narita), Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne, Manila-Tokyo, Perth-Singapore, Brisbane-Perth, Tokyo (Haneda)-Singapore, Jakarta-Hong Kong, Brisbane-Singapore, Tokyo (Narita)-Singapore, Denpasar-Hong Kong, Bangkok-Tokyo (Haneda), Kuala Lumpur-Sydney, Kuala Lumpur-Taipei, Hong Kong-Sydney and Chennai-Singapore.

Soon to join the low-cost, longhaul sector are Indonesia AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia X and NokScoot, while Spring Airlines and Cebu Pacific are expanding their networks for the sector. More airlines seem likely to follow in the coming years.

Meanwhile, new airport infrastructure is being developed to support the expansion of the pan-regional LCC sector, with Kuala Lumpur’s recent opening of the world’s largest LCC airport terminal.

The large populations, multiple airports and ongoing air transport liberalisation in India and Indonesia mean these countries are also poised to drive growth in Asia’s longhaul LCC market.