THE chairman and founder of Creative Travel India, Ram Kohli, passed away yesterday from two major cardiac arrests, aged 74.
Kohli was previously the international chairman of PATA, the 2nd Indian ever from the private sector to hold this position in the organisation. He was also the founding president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.
Kohli left behind two sons, their wives, and four grandchildren. The industry veteran will be dearly missed.
SRILANKAN Airlines is expanding its longstanding partnership with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) with new codeshare arrangements to Vietnam and additional cities in Australia.
Mohamed Fazeel, SriLankan’s head of commercial operations, said his airline will provide daily services to Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth via Kuala Lumpur through MAS, which already helps carry SriLankan Airlines passengers to Sydney and Melbourne, under earlier arrangements.
Meanwhile, Saigon and Hanoi in Vietnam and the islands of Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia have also been added as codeshare destinations via Kuala Lumpur, according to Dushy Jayaweera of MAS’ Colombo office.
SriLankan also has a codeshare arrangement with MAS for passengers flying to Kuala Lumpur.
Fazeel said SriLankan is consistently looking at improving air connectivity between Sri Lanka and Australasia, which in effect will increase the number of visitors to the country.
“These new codeshare destinations will further enhance our service to this fast-growing region which, according to official figures, had the highest growth of tourist traffic of 25.3 per cent in 2013,” he added.
SriLankan Airlines also expects traffic between Sri Lanka and Vietnam to grow as Vietnam’s socio-economic stability and close cultural ties are increasingly attracting visitors between the two countries.
Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
SINGAPOREANS are increasingly turning to more exotic and far-flung destinations including Turkey, Kenya and Madagascar to whet their travel appetite.
Following the NATAS Travel Fair which concluded last weekend, a NATAS spokesman said Turkey has “pushed its way back into the top-10 list for the first time since 2009”, taking the 10th place.
In addition to Turkey, destinations such as South Africa, Russia, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia also saw strong demand at the fair.
Chan Brothers Travel Singapore marketing and communications manager, Jane Chang, said: “Top destinations remain perennial favourites like China, Europe, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
“(However) new exotic destinations including Kenya, Madagascar and Mt Kilimanjaro also gained traction at the event, judging by the enquiries.”
Similarly, Dynasty Travel’s marketing communications director, Alicia Seah, said the demand for exotic destinations have helped boost her company’s sales.
“Overall, our sales revenue increased by about 25 per cent, given that customers are travelling to more far-flung destinations like Turkey and Africa. These would mean each traveller can fork up to S$5,500 (US$4,334) for such a trip,” said Seah.
According to the NATAS spokesman, the top most popular destinations for visitors during the fair were Europe, Japan, China and South Korea.
NATAS welcomed a total of 54,275 visitors over the three-day fair, and estimates the overall sales volume to be approximately S$80 million, lower than the estimated $85-90 million in 2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 25, 2013).
Patricia Auyeong, acting CEO of NATAS, said: “One of the reasons for the dip in sales volume was due to the many pre-NATAS fairs held throughout the month of February, which helped to alleviate some of the local pent-up demand for travel.”
MALAYSIA’S tourism industry performed above expectations in 2013, registering good growth in both tourism receipts and arrivals despite a challenging year.
Tourist receipts of RM65.4 billion (US$19.9 billion) exceeded the initial target of RM65 billion, and grew 8.1 per cent from RM60.6 billion in 2012.
Tourist arrivals also grew 2.7 per cent to 25.7 million compared to 25 million in 2012.
Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, said in a press release: “We are pleased to achieve such a substantial growth in tourist receipts last year. This is in line with the broad objectives of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) and Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan to increase yield per tourist.
“Last year, the average tourist spending per capita was RM2,544.90 per person, compared to RM2,419.10 per person in 2012.”
He added that tourism was the sixth largest contributor to the economy, moving up one spot compared with 2012 and contributing RM51.5 billion to Gross National Income in 2013.
He also attributed the growth in arrivals and spending to the government’s focus on the initiatives under NKEA, including the promotion of Malaysia as a duty-free and affordable luxury shopping destination, as well as strategic public-private partnerships.
The ASEAN market remains the largest contributor with 19.1 million arrivals, representing a 74.3 per cent share of overall arrivals. The medium-haul market was the second-largest market with 4.9 million arrivals, followed by the longhaul, with 1.7 million arrivals.
The top 10 source markets were Singapore, Indonesia, China, Brunei, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the UK.
Markets showing double-digit growth in arrivals were mainly from the medium-haul and longhaul countries with Turkish arrivals surging 28.9 per cent, assisted by the seven-weekly Istanbul-Kuala Lumpur flights by Malaysia Airlines and Turkish Airlines, as well as the re-opening of Tourism Malaysia Office in Istanbul.
Other markets showing strong growth included China (14.9 per cent), which benefited from AirAsia X’s new six-weekly Shanghai-Kuala Lumpur flights and seven-weekly Hangzhou-Kota Kinabalu flights.
Swedish arrivals rose 13.1 per cent on the back of strong promotional efforts there, in addition to thrice-weekly flights from Stockholm to Istanbul and Kuala Lumpur by Turkish Airlines from April 2013, as well as seven-weekly flights by Emirates from Stockholm to Dubai and Kuala Lumpur from last September.
Double-digit growth was also recorded for Bangladesh (55.7 per cent), Cambodia (28.6 per cent), Iraq (27 per cent), Egypt (25.3 per cent), Russia (18.8 per cent), Taiwan (18 per cent), Ireland (13 per cent), Vietnam (11.7 per cent), Norway (11.6 per cent), and Spain (10.9 per cent).
However, last year’s arrivals from Iran dropped significantly by 38.5 per cent, due partly to AirAsia X’s suspension of its services to Tehran in October 2012, while Thailand’s political woes throughout 2013 caused arrivals from the country to drop 8.4 per cent.
HILTON Worldwide has inked an agreement with Duta Anggada Realty to launch its Hilton Garden Inn brand in Bali, Indonesia.
The three-storey Hilton Garden Inn Bali – Ngurah Rai Airport with 292 rooms and well-equipped facilities is scheduled to open this year.
The property is 500m from the new Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport on Jalan Airport Ngurah Rai and 2.5 km away from Kuta, Bali’s popular tourist spot. Lombok island is only a 30-minute flight away.
It will offer an all-day dining restaurant, a bar, a total of six small- to medium-sized meeting rooms as well as a fitness centre, an outdoor pool and car park facilities. Guests will also enjoy complimentary wired and Wi-Fi internet access, 24-hour business centre services and a 24-hour convenience mart.
THAI Lion Air is launching services from Hat Yai to new destinations in Thailand and overseas using an ATR 72-600, the first ATR to join the airline’s fleet and the first -600 model ATR to descend in the kingdom.
The -600 is ATR’s newest model of aircraft, boasting a new avionics system as well as an improved passenger cabin with lighter, more ergonomic seats and benefiting passengers with carry-on luggage with restyled, larger overhead bins.
“Having the ATR allows us to operate to smaller cities and towns in Thailand and develop a more comprehensive domestic network. In some instances we will be pioneering new routes,” says Andi Burhan, executive managing director of Thai Lion Air.
The airline’s first ATR will be stationed in Hat Yai to provide a five-times-weekly service (except Tuesdays and Saturdays) to Hua Hin and a three-times weekly-service (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) to Surat Thani, both starting March 21.
A twice-weekly service (Fridays and Sundays) from Hat Yai to Medan, Indonesia starts April 6 while a four-times-weekly service (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays) from Hat Yai to Subang Kuala Lumpur starts March 21.
Thai Lion is the first to offer scheduled non-stop services from Hat Yai to Hua Hin and Surat Thani.
“We chose Hat Yai to be our second hub, because it is a gateway into southern Thailand and we know that many people want to travel to southern Thailand for business and leisure. There are a lot of popular holiday destinations in southern Thailand,” explained Burhan.
“We will also be encouraging Thais to explore neighbouring countries, namely Indonesia and Malaysia.”
Tickets for the new services have gone on sale since March 1. Promotional one-way fare from Hat Yai to Hua Hin is 1,000 baht (US$31); to Surat Thani, 700 baht; to Subang, 1,000 baht; and to Medan, 1,000 baht.
MAHARASHTRA Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) launched its maiden seaplane service last week with private air charter company MEHAIR.
Apart from connecting its inland water bodies, the service will connect Mumbai with state tourist destinations adjacent to water bodies, deploying a Cessna 206 Amphibian for four passengers. A Cessna 208 Amphibian aircraft for nine will be inducted by April.
In the first phase, the service will be rolled out to destinations like Ambay Valley, Lonavla and Lavasa while in the second phase, MEHAIR will connect Mumbai with the Konkan coast.
The first commercial flight will be flagged off to Ambay Valley, the first approved seaplane waterdrome in the mainland of India. Seats can be booked at www.mehair.in with effect from March 10.
Through the service, MTDC expects to promote the backwaters of Konkan region as a weekend getaway.
“Maharashtra is a diverse landscape ideally suited to be connected by a seaplane service. Presently one has to spend five to six hours to reach backwater areas but with the service, one can reach these places in about 40 minutes,” said Jagdish Patil, managing director, MTDC.
Vivek Kumar, CEO of Ambay Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star, said: “Seaplane services will add to the appeal of Ambay Valley and offer a quick and exciting mode of transport for tourists from Mumbai.”
Meanwhile, MTDC is coming up with an ambitious Sea World India project in Sahyadri. The ocean-based theme park is expected to be Asia’s largest and will be developed as a public-private partnership. The NTO is acquiring 485 hectares of land for the project.
CAMBODIA’S capital will welcome another Shinta Mani hotel, a third in the country, in 2017.
Sokoun Chanpreda, chairman of HMDAsia who manages Shinta Mani hotels, has confirmed the addition of Shinta Mani Phnom Penh to the company’s current two properties in Siem Reap.
The property to be located close to Wat Phnom and the Post Office on Sisowath Quay Boulevard will target the corporate sector and support the Shinta Mani Foundation and Development Center, as do its existing properties.
It will offer 150 rooms, a rooftop restaurant and bar, small conference room, gym and spa. The ground floor will house five to seven F&B outlets.
LEYTE is the latest destination added to the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) cruise programme that aims to bring cruising business to areas affected by the Bohol earthquake or super typhoon Haiyan last year.
DoT begun its tourism recovery cruise programme in the immediate aftermath of the disasters and in January started talks with DMCs and cruise sales experts on the tourism and cruise options available in Leyte, one of the worst-hit destinations.
Leyte joins other affected spots including Cebu, Tagbilaran in Bohol and Coron in Palawan, confirmed DoT director Corazon Jorda-Apo, who works with the cruise niche market development programme.
Sharp Travel Services’ president, Lou Banzon, who brought in a Hapag-Lloyd cruise to Leyte last year and in January this year and will see another one this month, said: “Expedition cruises of up to 600 or 650 are more apt for this destination at this point of time (due to existing damage to Leyte’s port).”
Cruises to Leyte may be preferable to land tour arrangements from Leyte airport in Tacloban City – which is currently running at limited capacity – that add two to three hours of travel to the nearest viable attractions, said Banzon. She has continued to send proposals for other cruise ships to visit Leyte.
A typical Leyte cruise itinerary includes a shore stop in the virgin beaches in the Kalanggaman Island cluster allowing passengers to picnic, swim and snorkel.
PREFERRED Hotel Group has appointed Anthony Ross as executive vice president for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa. Based in Hong Kong, he assumes the role previously held by Ananya Narayan.
In his new capacity, Ross will drive the company’s existing development efforts in key cities throughout the region, working closely with a team of regional directors.
Ross brings more than 25 years of international hospitality experience to his new responsibilities. Most recently, he served as vice president of operations for Marco Polo Hotels. Prior to Marco Polo Hotels, he was area general manager for Swire Hotels’ operations in Beijing.
Ross also spent seven years working for Pan Pacific in Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, as well as for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong and Monaco. His extensive experience also encompassed the management of independent hotels, including renovating, re-branding and re-launching The Sentosa Resort and Spa in Singapore.
