HONG KONG-based Langham Hospitality Group will launch a China hotel brand and is repositioning its Eaton as a lifestyle brand catering to a new generation of travellers.

New CEO Robert Warman told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Part of my joining (Langham in March) is to grow and expand Langham as an international hotel company that has multi-brands and to be recognised as among the best in each of the segment we are in.”

Both the China brand and the new Eaton will open large possibilities for Langham, with Warman bent on taking the group from 22 hotels today to 100 hotels in five years and 500 in 10 years. Apart from the two brands, he will continue to seek expansion for the core luxury Langham brand as well as plug key cities such as Singapore where the group is not represented.

The China brand, to be launched in September, will be pitched at the five-star level but just below the Langham brand.

“We could become the reliable place for new Chinese travellers,” he said, adding that the brand will also be expanded to Asia and worldwide, although there are enough opportunities in China itself for Langham.

He said the Chinese traveller’s tastes and wants are not entirely different from international guests. However, what Langham’s China brand hopes is to provide well for Chinese guests in areas such as food, language, etc.

The redesigned Eaton meanwhile competes within one of the hottest segments in the hotel market today, the lifestyle arena catering to travelling Millennials.

While hotel companies such as Starwood Hotels & Resorts and InterContinental Hotels Group have been among the first in this segment with Aloft and Indigo respectively, the competition increases with new entries including Eaton and Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Radisson Red, the first few of which will open in the US (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 26, 2014).

Warman reveals all in View from the Top in TTG Asia, September 26 issue

THE world’s first international conference on Muslim tourism will be held this September in Spain, bringing together the global travel industry to share how it can cater to this fast-growing segment.

Hosted in Andalucia by CM Media in partnership with tour operator Andalucian Routes, the two-day Halal Tourism Conference 2014 will run from September 22 to 23 at the Granada Conference and Exhibition Centre.

It aims to equip delegates with market intelligence, industry forecasts and trends to understand how to sell to the Muslim market, which is worth US$140 billion in 2013 or 13 per cent of global travel expenditure. This figure is expected to reach US$192 billion by 2020.

Attendees can expect seminars by industry experts, workshops, networking sessions and an exhibition, which aims to attract tourism boards, tour agencies, tour operators, restaurants, media, hotels, airlines and travel sector suppliers.

Guest speakers at the event include tourism ministers, halal institutions, marketing experts and academics. Partners for the event include Andalucian Tourism Board, the Spanish Tourism Board, Turkish Airlines, Granada Tourism Board, El Legado Andalusi and the Halal Institute.

The conference concludes with a two-day tour around Andalucia for a live case study of a region that is striving to be more Muslim-friendly.

Tasneem Mahmood from CM Media, said the conference presented “a real opportunity” for Asian countries.

She said: “Our research has shown there are so many countries and travel operators who can benefit from halal tourism but are currently missing out. Within Europe alone, there are so many Muslim travellers for Asia to target. This conference will show the opportunities that are present and show you exactly how to grab them.

“It will be an excellent knowledge forum and an ideal platform for exchange of experience between experts in the industry and countries who are actively engaged in halal tourism. This conference will also be a great way to network with leisure and travel businesses from around the world to develop new partnerships.”

For more information visit the website www.htc2014.

MYANMAR and India are working together to promote tourism through a new charter service linking Mandalay and the north-east state of Manipur in India, the launch of which has been postponed.

Golden Myanmar Airlines’ commencement of a twice-weekly charter service on Airbus A320 and a 69-seater ATR 72-690 aircraft was slated for June 27 but is now to take off on July 3 while the airline finalises preparations with Indian authorities.

Aung Gyi, the carrier’s managing director, said: “We are postponing the launch until further notice from our partner in India. (When we get clearance) we will operate two charter flights a week, and passengers will get visa on arrival in Imphal.”

Manipur has also relaxed the Protected Area Permit system for Myanmar citizens and offers them a two-year visa on arrival, while the Airports Authority of India is planning to reduce the value-added tax on aviation turbine fuel for this new route.

Meanwhile, vast expanses of land around the Imphal International Airport are being acquired for runway expansion and additional airport facilities. Long-term plans are in place to expand the Imphal flight network to international destinations including neighbouring Myanmar as well as Thailand and Singapore.

AIRASIA is taking a second stab at the LCC market in Japan after its failed partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA) saw it bow out of the market (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 25, 2013). This time, Rakuten is coming on board as a minority shareholder in the carrier that is expected to be airborne by summer next year.

Rakuten will hold 18 per cent of shares, the third largest stake after AirAsia’s majority stake of 49 per cent, and Octave Japan, which was incorporated in Japan in May with a mission to acquire, own, manage, hold, sell and dispose of the shares of AirAsia Japan as well as make collections from the shares of AirAsia Japan.

Odagiri Yoshinori, CEO of AirAsia Japan, said: “We are ready to take on this challenge and with great teamwork, we hope to bring AirAsia’s successful low-cost business model once again to Japan. Our counterparts in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India have seen great and encouraging responses in their markets, and we will work towards the same for Japan.”

AirAsia split ways with ANA over differences in management last year, leading to the creation of ANA-owned Vanilla Air (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 21, 2013).

Commented Tony Fernandes, group CEO of AirAsia: “The AirAsia Japan team is now working hard with the relevant authorities to obtain necessary operational approvals, and we hope that all will be in place to start both domestic and international flights by the summer of 2015.”

The remaining shares are held by Noevir Holdings (nine per cent), which has business interests in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and health food, apparel and aviation business; and Alpen (five per cent), which makes and sells sporting goods and manages ski resorts, golf courses and fitness clubs.

HILTON Worldwide today announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru, the second property for the brand in Malaysia.

DoubleTree by Hilton Johor Bahru in the heart of the upcoming Iskandar Region, within the state’s central business district, is less than 5km from Johor-Singapore Immigration Checkpoint and near major shopping outlets, cultural and historical sites, Legoland theme park and other leisure facilities.

The property offers 335 guestrooms, including 52 suites, each equipped with Wi-Fi, the brand’s signature bedding, in-room workspace, 40-inch LCD TV and a walk-in rain shower.

Other facilities include a dedicated events and meetings floor spanning over 2,140m² and offering 10 versatile function rooms, four F&B outlets, an outdoor pool, a 24-hour fitness centre with steam rooms and Jacuzzis as well as multi-level parking.

As part of the opening promotion, Hilton HHonors loyalty members will be rewarded with an additional 1,000 bonus points per night, up to a maximum of 5,000 points per stay from today to December 31, 2014.

TRAVEL professionals in Singapore believe that it will be an uphill task convincing clients to pick New Zealand for their events, saying that longhaul destinations such as Europe and the US hold stronger appeal.

Interviewed at Tourism New Zealand’s (TNZ) one-day roadshow in Singapore last week, Philomena Tan, corporate sales manager, Holiday Tours, noted that New Zealand is perceived as an expensive destination.

“Airfares to New Zealand are also less competitive compared to other longhaul destinations in Europe and the US. Budgets for our clients have shrunk by up to 50 per cent in the last two to three years, and more companies are holding events closer to home,” she said.

UOB’s Travel’s vice president for MICE, Jennifer Tan, observed that her MICE clients are inclined to destinations with shopping offerings. “Compared to destinations in Europe or the US for example, New Zealand does not have any big malls or big brand names – which is what our clients look out for when choosing a destination.”

Bert Goethals, head of Asia-Pacific, transHotel, added: “The outdoors, which what New Zealand is all about, actually holds little appeal to Asian clients. Moreover, New Zealand does not carry the same level of prestige that is conferred onto European destinations such as Spain or France for instance.”

TNZ’s Cristina McLauchlan, business events manager – South & South-east Asia, said: “New Zealand is perceived primarily as a leisure rather than a MICE destination. Actually, we have the infrastructure to host MICE events (with up to 2,000 delegates)…but not many individuals are aware of this.

“This roadshow is a clear opportunity for TNZ to inform members of the travel trade in Singapore that a broad spectrum of support is available to them right on their doorstep.”

Vast financial resources have been allocated to bolster TNZ’s MICE ambitions including a three-year marketing plan and new business event-specific marketing campaign (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 20, 2013).

SRILANKAN Airlines today commenced its first-ever regular weekly charters from Colombo to the Chinese south-western province of Chongqing, operated with Airbus A320 aircraft.

The service is a collaboration between Walkers Tours, the tour operating arm of Sri Lanka’s John Keells Group, and Chongqing Huapont International Travel Service.

Vasantha Leelananda, executive vice president and head – destination management sector, John Keells Group, said: “This gives us an opportunity to open a new hub out of Chongqing, and we are thankful to the airline and our partner in China for having confidence in the destination.”

The carrier has previously run non-regular charters to Kunming and Chengdu.

Charters between European destinations and Colombo were popular before the country’s civil war, but disappeared when the conflict broke out.

Chinese arrivals to Sri Lanka for the period January-May 2014 rose 139.6 per cent year-on-year to 43,885 from 18,316.

TUNE Hotels has launched its ninth hotel in the Philippines within two years – Tune Hotel Aseana City – with a 10th soon to come.

The 200-key property, owned and operated by Red Planet Hotels, is located in the centre of the Aseana City in Paranaque, a newly developed precinct in Manila.

Sahlee Zaldivia, country head for Red Planet Hotels, said: “The Aseana City precinct continues to grow, and is fast becoming one of the country’s newest and most impressive lifestyle and travel destinations, the perfect location for the Philippines’ latest Tune Hotel and our ninth overall in the country.”

Like other hotels within the chain, Tune Hotel Aseana City offers five-star beds, hot showers and high-speed Wi-Fi, housekeeping services, electronic keycard access into rooms, CCTV systems, and no access into the main lobby without a keycard after midnight.

The 189-room Tune Hotel Ayala Avenue will be opened in November, even as the company continues to seek out new sites for hotels.

Red Planet Hotels CEO, Tim Hansing, said: “We see the Philippines as the perfect platform to drive the South-east Asian expansion of Tune Hotels because of the country’s acceptance and embracing of new and inspiring brands that enable travel to the wider population.”

THE Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is cheering the government’s move to limit the amount of diesel sold at petrol kiosks nationwide from August 1, an issue that has been causing headaches for ground transport operators.

According to Malaysian daily the New Sunday Times, petrol station operators will have to submit monthly reports on diesel sales to the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism while fleet card holders must seek approval from the ministry for additional quota after having exhausted their allocations.

This is aimed at curbing the actions of syndicates in Malaysia that purchase subsidised fuel and resell to industries to make a profit.

MATTA vice president – ground transportation, S Jaya Kumar, said the diesel shortage at petrol stations has been going on for years. “We’ve received a lot of complaints from our members about the shortage, especially towards the end of every month. My coach drivers have first-hand experience of this, having to go from one petrol station to another in Malacca, looking for fuel. The stations did not have enough fuel to fill a full tank, so the drivers had to fill little by little until they had enough fuel to travel to Singapore,” he elaborated.

“We’ve highlighted the diesel shortage to the Land Public Transport Commission and the Ministry of Transport, and we are glad that action has been taken.”

But Kumar cautioned: “However, it is imperative that the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism give approvals quickly – within one or two working days when tourism players request for additional allocations as ours is a dynamic industry with sudden spikes especially during festive seasons, school holidays, the year-end period and summer holidays. ”

SILKAIR kicked off its first flights to Hangzhou last week, marking the beginning of services to the carrier’s eighth destination in China.

The four-times-weekly service operates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration.

Flights depart Singapore at 10.00 to arrive at 15.20 in Hangzhou, while return flights take off from the capital of Zhejiang province at 16.20 to reach Singapore at 21.25.

SilkAir chief executive, Leslie Thng, said: “SilkAir will be the only full-service carrier connecting Hangzhou directly to Singapore. We are confident that this service will see strong demand from the different market segments flying into and out of Hangzhou to our combined SilkAir and Singapore Airlines network.

“China is an important market for SilkAir. The launch of our flights to Hangzhou shows that we remain committed to develop this market which has strong potential for growth.”

Besides Hangzhou, SilkAir flies to other Chinese destinations including Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Xiamen.