CENTARA Hotels & Resorts will assume management of The Blue Marine Resort & Spa Phuket from January 5, 2014 and rebrand it under the Centara brand in the coming year.

Owned by Patong Cliff View, the resort completed renovations in October 2012 and will undergo further refurbishment to match Centara’s four-star Hotels & Resorts core brand.

This second round of renovations is expected to be wrapped up by October 15, 2014, when it will be rebranded Centara Blue Marine Resort & Spa Phuket.

Centara’s ninth Phuket property is situated on the cliff at the northern end of Patong Beach and will offer accommodation in a mix of rooms, suites, as well as one- and two-bedroom villas, each with its own private pool.

Three swimming pools, two kids’ pools, a spa, fitness centre and kids’ club will be available within resort premises. F&B options include Blue Pacific for international fare and Tub-Tim, serving Royal Thai cuisine.

Executive meeting facilities take the form of the Mediterranean Room, which can hold up to 180 guests for cocktails, and the 90-pax Caribbean Ballroom.

THE luxury hotel located within Ngwe Saung Yacht Club and Marina Development will soft open in December, ahead of a full launch slated for 2014.

Part of the US$17 million development commissioned by Myanmar Yachting Federation president, Moe Myint, the hotel is located at Bu Kway Gyi village on Ngwe Saung beach on the country’s west coast.

According to Michael Schaible, general manager of Ngwe Saung Yacht Club, the hotel will soft open later this year while “Ngwe Saung Yacht Club will be a hosting location for the 2013 SEA Games’ sailing and windsurfing events”.

Ngwe Saung Yacht Club and Marina Development includes a yacht club and luxury hotel for 34 bungalows and 100 rooms in total, plus a premium tent area for budget travellers.

The clubhouse will feature an all-day dining restaurant, private dining rooms, indoor and outdoor bars, boardrooms, a spa and fitness centre and the first nightclub in Ngwe Saung.

Thatoe Thuzaraung, managing director of Authentic Myanmar Travel & Tours, added: “The hotel will provide an exciting new accommodation option on the west coast.”

SUPER typhoon Haiyan’s devastation of the Philippines has tugged at the heartstrings of the global tourism industry and prompted an outpouring of support and relief efforts from all corners.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has relayed its readiness to support tourism-related recovery programmes to be designed for the affected areas (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 12, 2013), and is calling on the industry to support the Philippines through donating to the relief efforts of UN agencies operating on the ground.

The PATA Foundation has pledged an initial US$10,000 in disaster relief, contacted local and national tourism officials to offer assistance, set up an online appeal to raise funds and briefed the Asian Wall Street Journal on the need to maintain business confidence in the Philippine tourism sector.

The Travel Corporation has committed S$25,000 (US$20,000) worth of aid, while major hotel operator Hyatt Hotels has announced a US$50,000 donation and pledges to match a further US$25,000 in donations.

El Nido Resorts, which operates four resorts in Palawan, the Philippines, is deploying resources to distribute canned food, rice, towels, clothes, water and other relief goods to the residents of the neighbouring municipality of Taytay in Palawan.

Victims displaced by the typhoon can also turn to Singapore-based vacation rental site PandaBed, who is giving out US$5,000 in the form of Relief Credits for bookings of PandaBed properties in the Philippines. Users only need show a scanned copy of the IDs of staying guests to show they were living in the disaster zone, and a short testimonial on how they were affected by the typhoon.

From the aviation industry, Japan Airlines (JAL), United Airlines, AirAsia and Air Astana are a few of the airlines that have come forward to render support.

JAL has donated 10 million yen (US$100,231) and Kazakh airline Air Astana, US$30,000.

Donations from United Airlines employees and customers have topped more than US$850,000, while AirAsia has launched a multi-tiered campaign called To Philippines with Love, which includes the collection of cash donations on flights, in airports, and via the AirAsia Foundation microsite.

JAL and United Airlines are offering passengers bonus mileage in exchange for donations, while AirAsia and JAL are providing free cargo space for relief supplies and free flights for accredited NGOs, aid and humanitarian agencies.

AirAsia is setting aside another 250,000 free seats for Filipinos abroad to return home, available for booking from November 18 to 24. Guests, who must possess valid Filipino ID, pay only for applicable fees.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean Cruises, for whom Filipinos are the largest nationality represented across its six cruise lines, has set up a central communications point where Filipino employees can receive assistance in reaching their families. The cruise operator will also match donations from employees and is partnering World Vision to provide broader help.

Those interested in contributing to the recovery of the Philippines may do so through the PATA Foundation (not available to Singapore residents); through Mercy Malaysia; and the Singapore Red Cross Society, among others.

THAI Lion Air today unveiled its pricing and marketing strategy during a media and agent briefing in Bangkok, promising high commission rates for travel consultants.

The new LCC will begin twice-daily flights to Chiang Mai from its Don Mueang base on December 4, and tickets on this segment are now available for sale. The launch dates for services to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta will be announced once international traffic rights are secured.

In keeping with its positioning to offer “consistently low rates”, Thai Lion Air will not impose any additional fuel surcharge, said Numpon Rungsawang, sales and marketing manager.

Excluding government-imposed charges and airport taxes, one-way fares to Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta will start from 400 baht (US$12.70), 200 baht and 1,500 baht respectively. The stated prices will hold until March next year, he added.

As Lion Air’s CEO Rusdi Kirana was formerly a travel consultant, Thai Lion Air recognises the importance of travel consultants in keeping with its parent company’s philosophy, said Numpon.

“We will offer the highest commission rates for travel consultants compared with other airlines including LCCs,” said Numpon, who revealed that Thai Lion Air’s fares are distributed via Abacus. “For no-shows, we will return 10 per cent; for cancellations three days before the trip, we will return 50 per cent.”

“For bookings of more than 50 pax, please contact us and we will be able to give special rates,” he shared. For group bookings, travel consultants can call (+66-2) 996-8005 or email groupbooking@lionair.co.th.

Using an “agent top up process”, travel consultants will have to make payments to Thai Lion Air via Thailand’s Kasikorn Bank for the time being following registration on the agent website.

Numpon urged travel consultants to “bear with the inconvenience” and said that more efficient payment methods online will be rolled out in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Thai Lion Air has launched a US$3 million campaign – including print, outdoor, online and TV advertising – using the tagline The Freedom To Fly to drum up consumer awareness in Thailand.

SABAH Tourism Board is reassuring travellers that the state and nearby resort islands off Semporna are safe to visit, despite the murder of a Taiwanese tourist and abduction of his wife last Friday.

The tragic incident happened at Pom Pom Island Resort on Pom Pom Island, a 45-minute boat ride from the town of Semporna, Sabah.

In an advisory posted on the Sabah Tourism Board homepage, the bureau’s general manager and board director, Irene Benggon Charuruks, said: “Unfortunately and very sadly, on the early morning of Friday, November 15, 2013 at the popular Pom Pom Island Resort, a Taiwanese tourist male, age 57 years old, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the water villa where he and his wife were staying. His wife was missing and believed (to be) abducted…The police are probing and investigating the case as a criminal case, for murder and abduction.

“We wish to add that all other visitors on (Pom Pom Island Resort) are safe. They are not affected by the incident and continue with their holiday stay. We wish to assure that Sabah is safe to visit, including the resort islands off Semporna.”

Inbound tour operators contacted said that while there were no cancellations of tour packages to Sabah so far, it was still “too soon” to see an impact.

Ganneesh Ramaa, manager of Kuala Lumpur-based Luxury Tours Malaysia, said: “The authorities will have to resolve the case as soon as possible. If it drags on, there will be negative coverage in the media and that might affect foreign tourist arrivals to Sabah, and recovery of the destination will take longer. Travellers from the Far East and European markets are very sensitive (to safety concerns).”

Manfred Kurz, managing director of Diethelm Travel Malaysia, said: “We haven’t see a drop (to Sabah) yet, but it will have an impact on leisure travel to Sabah and to some extent, Malaysia. Europeans are now planning their summer holidays and this incident will have an influence on their decisions.”

He said the company saw a big slide in arrivals early this year with group cancellations from Europe after an armed group claiming to be the Royal Army of the Sultan of Sulu made an incursion into Kg Tanduo, Lahad Datu, Sabah (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 4, 2013).

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president, Hamzah Rahmat, did not think the murder and abduction would impact Visit Malaysia Year 2014 in a big way. “It is an isolated case and Pom Pom Island is not a key tourism area in Sabah.”

Nevertheless, Adam Kamal, deputy president of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, urged the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia to keep close tabs on developments and to update its overseas offices accordingly to prevent wrong information from being circulated.

CHRISTMAS came early for the world’s two major airliner manufacturers – Boeing and Airbus – on the opening day of the Dubai Airshow yesterday.

Boeing was the clear winner with its yet-to-be-launched Boeing 777X garnering a staggering commitment for 225 aircraft from Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways.

Taken together with a previous order for 34 aircraft, the B777X is now officially launched with 259 aircraft booked and a further commitment in the form of purchase rights and options for 92 aircraft.

Meanwhile the Airbus A380 received a shot in the arm from Emirates with a top-up order of 50 aircraft. Emirates now has a total of 140 A380s in operation and on order.

The following is a summary of the orders, purchase rights and options booked by Airbus and Boeing on the first day of the Dubai Airshow:

• Etihad – 17 B777-9Xs and eight B777-8Xs with purchase rights for another 12 aircraft; 30 B787-10s with purchase rights for another 12 aircraft; 40 A350-900s and 10 A350-1000s; 10 A320neos; 26 A321neos

• Emirates – 150 B777Xs with options for another 50 aircraft; 50 A380-800s

• Qatar Airways – 50 B777Xs

• Flydubai – 100 B737-MAX8s and 11 B737-800s

Separately, Air New Zealand will be the world’s first operator of the B787-9 Dreamliner when it takes delivery of its first aircraft (out of 10) in 2H2014.

With a three-class configuration, the B787 will initially be deployed on the Auckland-Perth route starting October 15, 2014 and subsequently on the Auckland-Tokyo (Narita) and Tokyo-Shanghai routes when the airline receives its third aircraft by end-2014.

AIRASIA X today announced it would establish a connection to Japan’s Chubu region with a new Kuala Lumpur-Nagoya service, the airline’s third Japanese destination.

The carrier will commence four-times-weekly flights into Chubu Centrair International Airport on March 17, 2014.

On Wednesdays and Saturdays, flights leave Kuala Lumpur at 00.45 to arrive in Nagoya at 08.20. Return flights on the same days depart Nagoya at 09.35 to touch down in the Malaysian capital at 15.45.

Alternatively, flights take off from Kuala Lumpur on Mondays and Fridays at 08.45 to arrive in Nagoya at 16.20. Kuala Lumpur-bound flights on these days depart Nagoya at 17.35 to land at 23.45.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X, said: “With the addition of Nagoya, guests will have more travel options to explore Japan, and we believe Nagoya being a scenic and historical destination will be a popular tourist destination. We have carried over half a million passengers to and from Japan. Japan contributed over 14 per cent of our total revenue in the first half of 2013.”

The longhaul LCC currently flies daily to Tokyo (Haneda) and four times a week to Osaka, out of Kuala Lumpur.

In conjunction with the announcement of its new destination, AirAsia X is offering special fares from RM199 (US$62) for economy class seats and RM699 for premium class seats to Nagoya. Bookings are available online from November 19 to 24, 2013 for travel between March 17 and August 5, 2014.