FAR East Orchard (FEO) group CEO and managing director Lucas Chow, 61, is retiring with effect from September 1 and will be succeeded by Lui Chong Chee, 54, a director at FEO since June 1, 2008.

The move surprised some people in the industry, who thought Chow would lead FEO for longer than two years, although Chow told TTG Asia e-Daily: “It is always my plan to retire before I turn 62.”

In the two years, Chow led FEO through a successful restructuring exercise that diversified the company’s income stream by going into hospitality and healthcare real estate (TTG Asia, April 25, 2014) and expanded FEO’s portfolio with two mergers and acquisitions, The Straits Trading Company and Toga.

Chow will also retire as executive director of Far East Organization, a position he has held since June 2011.

New CEO Lui, a well-regarded leader, brings extensive financial and management leadership experience from major listed companies, including as CFO of Raffles Medical Group and CEO of CapitaLand Financial Limited.

SINGAPORE-based Crescentrating has launched a Travel Agent Partner Programme that will identify and promote travel agencies that are part of its network to Muslim travellers.

Travel agencies that sign up for the programme will have their profiles displayed as an accredited partner on Crescentrating.com, have tour packages rated by Crescentrating and showcased on the website.

They will also be promoted as a member of Crescentrating’s partner network of travel agencies on social media channels.

Accreditation reassures the Muslim traveller that the travel agency is reliable and understands his or her needs and requirements.

The programme is open to all licensed travel consultants who “have a thorough understanding of the needs of Muslim travellers and are able to provide tour packages which caters to the needs of the Muslim travellers”, according to Crescentrating.

The annual fee for accreditation is US$500.

For more information, visit www.crescentrating.com.

BEACH haven Goa has registered the highest-ever number of charter flights over its latest tourism season with 1,128 flights bearing 261,000 passengers touching down from October 2013 to May 2014.

This represents a 13.5 per cent increase over the previous season’s 996 flights and 215,000 passengers.

Said Dilip Parulekar, Goa’s tourism minister: “I am delighted with this achievement which is the result of focused marketing and promotional activities undertaken by the tourism department by actively involving travel trade professionals and charter operators.”

Charters are popular among high-end tourist groups mostly from Russia (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 3, 2014) and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries, and are arranged by tour operators including Cox & Kings and Le Passage to India.

“Charter tourism has picked up in Goa in a big way. The depreciating rupee helped to fuel the growth of this segment. I see charter flights to Goa growing further once the Indian government implements its plans to liberalise the present visa regime. Demand from European markets will see an increase,” predicted Rajji Raj, chairman of Swiftravel International.

THE Walt Disney Company is still looking for a new vice president for Asia Pacific (APAC) regional sales and travel operations to take over from veteran Aliana Ho when she retires in August.

Ho leads the regional APAC and Hong Kong Disneyland (HKDL) Resort sales and distribution marketing teams, and works with the emerging Shanghai Disney Resort Sales team, reporting to Randy A Garfield, executive vice president of Disney’s worldwide sales and travel operations based in the US.

She came to Asia in 2004 having been transferred by Hong Kong Tourism Board from Canada to assume the role of general manager of destination marketing. She joined HKDL in 2009.

On the qualities needed in her successor, Ho cited strong leadership skills and an understanding of the region. “Business acumen and wide bandwidth is also counted because each park has a different business model and one has to understand it in order to build business,” she said, adding a good business network is also “vital”.

JAPAN is introducing multiple-entry short-stay visas for Indian nationals in order to tap the high-potential source market of India.

Announced yesterday, the new visa is valid for three years for up to 15 days at a time and will be issued by Japanese diplomatic offices, the embassy or consulate in the Indian traveller’s country of residence.

Currently Indian nationals are allowed into Japan on short-stay single-entry visas, and the extension of visa validity was a condition in an MoU signed by the governments of both countries in January (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 28, 2014).

Manoj Saraf, managing director of Gainwell Travel & Leisure Kolkata, welcomed the announcement, saying: “It will increase tourist traffic on multi-country itineraries in the Far East, cruise excursions and travellers on the way to or returning from the US. This is a win-win development for India and Japan.”

Meanwhile Rajji Rai, chairman of Swiftravel International New Delhi, commented: “The number of Indians travelling to Japan has increased over the years. This decision will boost business travel from India to Japan.”

Japan last year broke its own record with 75,000 Indian arrivals. This latest move is aimed at increasing total visitorship to 20 million in time for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Total international arrivals for 2013 was 10.4 million.

Additional report from Rohit Kaul

BEST Western International has opened the new upscale Best Western Plus Kalbarri Edge Resort on the Coral Coast of Western Australia.

The resort is situated a five-minute walk from Kalbarri town centre in Kalbarri, which is 600km from Perth. Built in 2009, the property is close to Kalbarri National Park and offers close proximity to the Indian Ocean.

With 72 guestrooms, suites and two-bedroom serviced apartments, Best Western Plus Kalbarri Edge Resort offers guests free Wi-Fi, large flat-screen TVs, deluxe bathrooms and kitchen facilities.

Other amenities on the property include Edge Restaurant that serves breakfast and dinner, a swimming pool heated by solar power, a gym, as well as outdoor dining and barbecue areas.

Best Western Plus Kalbarri Edge Resort is Best Western International’s 13^th hotel in Western Australia and the 20^th Best Western Plus property in Australia.

INDONESIA’S immigration authority has shocked the trade with a surprise increase in the price of visas for international travellers implemented today.

According to a media statement issued by the country’s Immigration Offices, the price of a seven-day visa on arrival (VoA) has been increased from US$10 to US$15, while a 30-day VoA now costs US$35 from the initial US$25.

The increment, said the authority, is part of a new government regulation issued this year on the types and tariff of non-tax revenue as regulated by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

Indonesian inbound operators said they were not informed of the new pricing earlier.

Wayan Sandi, operations manager of Floressa Wisata Bali said: “I only learned about the increase last night. I’m afraid guests arriving today will be taken by surprise and take it up with us for not telling them about the increment.”

Similarly, Ricky Setiawanto, director of business development at Panorama Destination, commented: “I learned about it from the media yesterday and only got a copy of the regulation document last night.

“Our packages include VoA fees, so we have no choice but to bear the balance for today’s arrivals.”

The document containing the regulation in question is available on the Indonesia Directorate General of Immigration website, signed by president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on May 30 and enacted on June 3.

However, tour operators TTG Asia e-Daily spoke to did not think the price increase will significantly impact travellers’ decision to visit Indonesia.

Ricky said: “I have yet to see a reaction from our overseas partners, but I don’t think the increase will have much impact on our clients.”

On the possible effect on MICE travellers, Ketut Salam, managing director of PACTO Convex, said: “Visa fees have never been an issue in the MICE business as far as I know. The fee is a small component compared to the other MICE components and most of the time the fee is paid by the client.”

CARTOON Network Amazone is set to splash down near Pattaya on July 31, offering families a chance to swim and vacation with Cartoon Network characters all year round.

The water park is located on Bang Saray on Thailand’s east coast or a 15-minute drive from Pattaya City.

Featuring nine entertainment zones in total, each zone within the water park is based on different Cartoon Network shows and characters including The Powerpuff Girls, Ben10, Johnny Bravo, The Amazing World of Gumball, etc. Six zones have been completed and are ready to open following its July soft launch.

Cartoonival, allegedly the largest water playground in Asia, is also located within Cartoon Network Amazone and boasts more than 150 interactive elements for children. This includes curly slides, fountains, tubes, and two 1,000 litre giant tipping buckets.

Single-day passes to the park will be priced at 1,590 baht (US$49) for foreign adults who do not stay in Thailand and 1,190 baht for foreign children and senior citizens. Annual passes are also available.

For more information, visit www.cartoonnetworkamazone.com.

Cartoon Network Amazone’s opening comes ahead of the debut of another water park, Vana Nava Hua Hin Jungle, in Hua Hin this October (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 6, 2014)