ASIA is claiming top spots as medical tourism destinations, according to the PHD Chamber’s Medical and Wellness Tourism Report for 2013 with the first five places going to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India and South Korea respectively.

The report predicts medical tourism in Asia will grow at 18 per cent annually through to 2017. Singapore has 22 medical facilities certified by Joint Commission International, the US-based quality- and safety-accrediting organisation. In contrast, third-place Malaysia has eight.

Debjit Dutta, director of Impression Tourism Services that does outbound medical tourism from India, commented: “We send critical care patients to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore for their overall expertise, infrastructure and reputation. Many of our British clients, unwilling to wait in queue for National Health Service facilities, travel to Asia as it is quicker and much cheaper.”

Similarly, Reuven Sagi, director of RAS International Tours Mexico, noted: “Many US citizens save thousands of dollars by having a surgery done in Mexico, Singapore, Thailand or India. Some insurance companies encourage medical tourism and incentivise their clients’ trips abroad.”

Not only do tourists benefit, but local hospitals do as well. Said Parvez Dewan, secretary, Ministry of Tourism India: “The growth of medical tourism in India has led to the enhancement of better and advanced medical facilities in the country.”

MARINA Bay Sands (MBS) is gearing up for the start of theatrical production Cavalia: A Magical Encounter Between Man and Horse, in a merging of traditional equestrian art and modern production technology.

The show stars 50 horses and 42 riders, aerialists, acrobats, dancers, and musicians from around the world. Performances take place in the 35m tall, 50m wide White Theatre Tent set up on Bayfront Avenue beside MBS that will provide the horses space to gallop at full speed.

Cavalia was created in Canada by Normand Latourelle, co-founder of Cirque du Soleil and runs in Singapore from August 12 to September 14, with both matinee and evening performances.

The production has toured cities in North America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.

Prices start from S$58 (US$47) for regular admission, or S$208 for the lowest tier of VIP packages. For more information visit www.cavalia.net/en/cavalia-show/tickets-info/singapore

THIRTY Israeli tourists and four other foreigners were evacuated from Kaafu Thulusdhoo Island in the Maldives on Monday in a row over anti-Israel placards.

According to local news reports, anti-Israeli sentiment has been growing in Muslim-dominated Maldives owing to the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine in Gaza, with demonstrations held in the capital Male recently.

Police moved the tourists, mostly surfers who had been staying in guesthouses on the island, to another area after local residents were incensed when one tourist pulled down a placard bearing a swastika alongside the Israeli flag.

Kaafu Thulusdhoo Island is 40 minutes by speedboat from Male and especially popular among Israeli surfers.

Tourism ministry officials were not immediately available for comment.

Michelle Flake, director at travel consultant Koamas Luxury Escapes, said she hopes the government will ensure safety to all visitors regardless of nationality.

Mohamed Ali, secretary general of the Maldives Association of Yacht Agents, said it was a minor incident and will not impact tourism, pointing out that the demonstrations are not targeted at Israeli tourists.

Arrivals from Israel account for just a fraction – 0.3 per cent – of total arrivals to the Maldives.

THE Hertz Corporation has become the first car rental company in Asia to offer a dedicated fleet of BMW vehicles under its Prestige Collection, having just launched it alongside the Family Collection.

The Family Collection features spacious and comfortable Ford Galaxy and Ford S-Max cars that are ideal for travel with family and friend groups, and comes with free child seats, seven airbags and allowance for up to two additional drivers at no extra cost. The vehicles are also equipped with the versatile Fold Flat System for the family’s storage needs.

Michel Taride, group president, Hertz International, said: “We are committed to providing mobility solutions for families with a focus on comfort and safety as well as convenience and affordability. The Family Collection is a perfect example of our striving to meet customers’ requirements and we are excited to be launching a fleet of vehicles dedicated to make travelling with family easier and more enjoyable.”

The Prestige Collection stars three popular premium BMW models including the BMW 7 Series, all featuring a satellite navigation system and in-car charging for portable devices. Besides the self-drive feature, customers may also opt to hire a personal chauffeur under the Prestige Driven series, suitable for airport transfers and hourly charters.

Eddie Ho, general manager, Hertz Singapore, said: “Similar to the Green Traveler Collection launched here earlier this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 8, 2014), Hertz Singapore has sought to create ideal rental products that are not just about the cars, but also the ability to cater to varying lifestyles and needs.”

Both collections are reservable by make and model at Alexandra and Ubi Road downtown locations.

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group (IHG) has secured a management agreement to open the Crowne Plaza Taj Expressway Noida, in Delhi NCR.

Owned by New Delhi real estate developer Sikka, the hotel will be part of a mixed-use development strategically located close to the Noida Golf Course Sector-34 and Atta Market.

The new 150-key hotel is expected to open in 2018 to become the second IHG property in the city after Crowne Plaza Greater Noida, which debuted end last year.

Pascal Gauvin, COO, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG commented: “India is a key market for us. It holds our third-largest development pipeline globally, behind the US and China and over the next three to five years we will grow by nearly 300 per cent there.

The new Crowne Plaza Taj Expressway Noida marks our expansion in a city we’ve just entered and we look forward to working with Sikka to growing our presence in Noida.”

IHG currently has 19 hotels in India across four brands – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express – and a total of 46 hotels in the development pipeline.

GLOBAL aviation authorities have condemned the gunning down of Malaysia Airlines MH17, and pledged to cooperate on building stronger information frameworks and tackling the issue of arms manufacture, in order to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that claimed 298 lives.

ICAO convened a high-level meeting consisting of representation from IATA, Airports Council International (ACI), and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) in Montreal yesterday to discuss how to do that.

All attendant organisations agreed to the immediate establishment of a senior-level task force composed of state and industry experts to begin work straightaway on addressing the civil aviation and national security aspects arising from MH17, in particular how information can be effectively collected and disseminated. Findings by the task force will submitted soonest possible to a Special Meeting of the ICAO Council for action.

The industry has further called on ICAO to make fail-safe channels where essential threat information can be made available to civil aviation authorities and the industry.

Said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of IATA: “We were told that flights traversing Ukraine’s territory at above 32,000 feet would not be in harm’s way. We now know how wrong that guidance was. It is essential that airlines receive clear guidance regarding threats to their passengers, crew and aircraft. Such information must be accessible in an authoritative, accurate, consistent, and unequivocal way. This is the responsibility of states. There can be no excuses. Even sensitive information can be sanitised and still remain operationally relevant.”

ICAO and partners are also aiming to push into international law through UN frameworks, measures governing the design, manufacture and deployment of modern anti-aircraft weaponry.

“Weapons of war – including powerful anti-aircraft weaponry – are also in the hands of non-state entities. We have conventions that address chemical, nuclear, and biological weapons, plastic explosives and weapons trade generally. But there is no international law or convention to manage them as exists for many other forms of weaponry. MH17 shows us that this is a gap in the international system which must be closed,” commented Tyler in an IATA release.

Kuala Lumpur-bound MH17 had departed from Amsterdam and was flying through Ukrainian airspace with 298 people on board when it was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, killing all on board (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 22, 2014).

The incident has led to a host of questions from all stakeholders in the industry about who determines whether a flight route, especially those over war zones, is safe for travel.

AMADEUS is helping its customers tap the Chinese travel market by integrating Chinese online payment service provider, Alipay, into the Amadeus Payment Platform.

The partnership, announced today, allows Amadeus users to offer Chinese travellers the option of settling payments via Alipay, which is used by millions of registered Chinese consumers.

“With this collaboration we add a key payment provider to our platform to satisfy our customers’ payment needs. Our travel-payment expertise, combined with Alipay’ market penetration and the ease of using Alipay’s products, will provide our customers with the right solution to meet Chinese payment demands,” said Celia Pereiro, head of Amadeus Travel Payments.

China was ranked by UN World Tourism Organization as the world’s top-spending tourism market in 2012 (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 8, 2013).