GARUDA Indonesia relaunched Jakarta-Tokyo (Haneda) services on June 15 to meet market demand and broaden its flight network.

The daily flight is served with Airbus A330-300 aircraft in two classes with a total capacity of 251 passengers.

The occasion signifies an important moment in the airline’s history, echoing the flag carrier’s maiden flight from Indonesia to Japan on March 13, 1962 which departed from the old Kemayoran Airport Jakarta for Haneda Airport via Hong Kong, using a Lockheed L-118 Electra.

Emirsyah Satar, president and CEO of Garuda Indonesia, said the relaunch of the service was part of Garuda’s strategic efforts to broaden its services to Japan and beyond. “The service allows Garuda passengers to continue their journey to other cities in Japan with connecting All Nippon Airways flights, or eventually to the US with codeshared Delta Air Lines flights,” he said.

With the opening of the Jakarta-Tokyo (Haneda) direct service, Garuda now serves 39 weekly flights to Japan, including Jakarta-Osaka, Denpasar-Osaka, Jakarta-Tokyo (Narita), Denpasar-Tokyo (Narita) and Denpasar-Tokyo (Haneda).

SENTOSA Island’s new multimedia night show Wings of Time begins today, and promises to wow with a range of effects from robotic water fountains to pyrotechnics.

Wings of Time tells the tale of two teenagers, Rachel and Felix, who help a bird-like creature, Shahbaz, find its way home through time and space.

French events company ECA2 was brought in to work on the project. CEO Jean-Christophe Canizares said of the challenges involved: “We are developing a night extravaganza designed to awe audiences every single day. That is first and foremost a technical challenge to take into account the sea water, heat and humidity. The second is the challenge of creating an immersive experience with a wow factor, and that comes from the music, story and choreography of effects and talents.”

Shows run daily at 19.40 and 20.40 along Siloso Beach. Premium seats are priced at S$23 (US$18) while standard seats cost S$18 (S$15 for local residents).

Wings of Time replaces Songs of the Sea, which ended in May after a seven-year run (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 11, 2014).3

BALI has seen an influx of high-spending Chinese tourists in the first four months of 2014, buoyed by convenient air connections and diversions from other South-east Asian destinations.

Bambang Sugiono, director of Gajah Bali Tour, told TTG Asia e-Daily during the recent Bali & Beyond Travel Fair: ““What is worth noting is that the number of travellers seeking higher-end accommodation has increased significantly since the fourth quarter of last year.

“There was some concern that the new law (on optional tours) imposed by the Chinese government would affect arrivals to Bali. Instead, we have not only seen growth in total arrivals but also seen high spenders coming in.”

From January to April, Chinese arrivals to Bali numbered 191,413 compared to 128,125 for the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Highlighting the good air access between Bali and Chinese cities, he added that other push factors were Thailand’s political situation and the fallout from Malaysia Airlines’ missing flight MH370.

“The pattern is they come for a 5D4N trip with two nights in a villa and the rest in a resort, spending a minimum of US$1,200 per stay,” Bambang observed.

Ayana Resort and Spa Bali sales manager, Rosa Yeoh, said: “During the Lunar New Year holiday period, for example, our spa facilities were busy with Chinese guests. Even with our Spa on The Rock (the most expensive spa pavilion with exclusive spa treatment), the Chinese contributed some 95 per cent of sales.”

The Stones Legian, Bali, an Autograph Collection Hotel has also been getting high-end business from China. Irawan Hadiwijaya, the hotel’s sales manager, said: “We not only get Chinese guests staying at our Pool Suite but also (those) requesting helicopter transfers from the airport to the hotel, which by car only takes 15 minutes.”

A helicopter ride costs around US$2,700, including a 30-minute scenic ride.

ITALIAN flag carrier Alitalia is now working on a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways that will see it give up 49 per cent of shares in exchange for cash.

An Alitalia press release dated last Friday stated: “The board of directors of Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italian, chaired by Roberto Colaninno, met today in Rome to approve the proposal presented by Etihad Airways for a partnership between Alitalia and Etihad Airways. The board delegated the mandate to negotiate the contract to the president and chief executive officer.”

The New York Times reported that Etihad’s offer included an initial investment of 560 million euros (US$759.7 million) in exchange for a writedown of several hundred million euros in debt and the termination of 2,200 jobs. This makes up 15 per cent of the Italian carrier’s workforce.

Alitalia remains on the brink of bankruptcy after racking up 840 million in net losses after it was pulled back from the edge and privatised in 2009, according to the same New York Times report.

THE improved version of Travelport Mobile Agent (TMA) is set to be released on July 30, giving users access to a range of new features.

TMA, developed in partnership with Travelport Developer Network member TTS, lets travel consultants make customer bookings from their mobile devices and was first launched in 2011.

Significant features in TMA 3.0 include
– Improved, user-friendly interface and graphics for easier navigation and quicker access
– Enhanced content with improved data and access to more detailed information
– Faster travel platform response to command entries
– Customisable quick keys, PKeys, history and passenger name record stored in cloud, allowing the information to be synchronised across multiple devices
– Integration with Travelport’s Travelport ViewTrip itinerary tool
– Newsfeed with relevant travel articles

These come on top of the original TMA including full integration with Apollo, Galileo and Worldspan platforms.

TMA 3.0 will be available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play beginning July 30.

BEST Western International has secured a second property in Cambodia, having taken over the management of a hotel now branded the Best Western River Palace Hotel, Phnom Penh.

The 59-key hotel is situated on the banks of the Tonle Sap River.

Glenn de Souza, vice president of international operations for Asia and Middle East, Best Western International, said: “This exciting city is fast becoming a regional hub for business and leisure travel, and the position of the Best Western River Palace Hotel means we are now at the very heart of Phnom Penh’s growth.

“Combined with our existing hotel in Siem Reap, this opening also means Best Western is now present in Cambodia’s two leading destinations,” he added.

Best Western River Palace Hotel features two F&B outlets: Palace Seafood Restaurant for Khmer and Western cuisine, and the Riviera Lounge Bar. It also comes with a fitness centre, a spa offering Cambodia’s only Turkish hammam, meeting space and VIP rooms, and a business centre.

Guestrooms overlook the river and feature free Wi-Fi and walk-in showers, among other amenities.

ARRIVALS to Malaysia are on the rise with 10 per cent year-on-year growth recorded for 1Q2014 at 7.1 million, over 6.5 million for the same period last year.

According to statistics from the Immigration Department of Malaysia, Singapore remains Malaysia’s largest source market by a large margin with 3.5 million arrivals in Q1.

In contrast, Malaysia’s second-largest source market, Indonesia, sent 676,328 arrivals. China takes third (520,466), followed by Thailand (333,131), Brunei (296,119), India (172,899), Australia (156,662), Japan (149,859), the Philippines (144,932), and the UK (125,814).

Malaysia’s growth comes in the face of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH370, which led to a suspension of Visit Malaysia Year promotions in China (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 28, 2014).

Unsurprisingly, South-east Asian countries accounted for 72.1 per cent or 5.1 million arrivals. Vietnam took tops for the highest growth of 30.1 per cent.

On the medium-haul front, South Korea saw the highest growth rate with 37.1 per cent. Medium-haul markets provided 20.1 per cent of arrivals or 1.4 million tourists.

Longhaul markets sent 0.5 million tourists or 7.9 per cent of total arrivals. The number of arrivals from Russia grew the fastest at a rate of 25.3 per cent.