THAILAND must focus on attracting quality tourists instead of the mass market or risk straining the country’s infrastructure to breaking point, said the permanent tourism and sports secretary.

Suwat Sidthilaw said that an arrival growth rate of around three per cent would be more sustainable in the long term than the current 20 per cent.

“Income is more important than numbers,” he said. “That means (attracting) quality tourists should play a key part in our strategy.”

“Ideally we don’t want more than 20 to 25 million tourists (annually). We only have limited resources and we are already facing infrastructure and capacity problems.”

Suwat, who opposes the current proposal to waive visa requirements for Chinese tourists, said Thailand started experiencing problems when visitor numbers exceeded 20 million last year. The country received 21.7 million tourists from January to October, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and is targeting 28 million international tourists next year up from 22.3 million in 2012.

“We don’t have enough buses, guides or hotels. Hotels are not happy with the situation. Tour operators are (the only people) really benefiting,” said Suwat.

Thailand’s hotel market is struggling to keep up with the demand for low to midscale accommodation, as over 70 per cent of properties coming up in the next few years are in the upscale segment, according to STR Global.

Jesper Blomqvist, Asia-Pacific area director at STR Global, said: “There are not enough mid-scale hotels coming in to meet demand…Where are the mass tourists going to stay?”

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) is confident that its joint-venture carrier with Tata Sons will take off smoothly, as it prepares for the New Delhi-based, full-service airline to start operations mid-next year (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 20, 2013).

Following the verbal approval on October 24 by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board in India, Goh Choon Phong, CEO of SIA, said the carrier is now awaiting further official clearance.

Explaining that the new airline is SIA’s strategy in participating directly in a “huge growth market”, Goh said: “The choice of India is obvious due to its immense market potential with its increasing middle-class population. The number of trips per capita in India is still very low at 0.04, compared to China which is 0.3 and developed countries like the US and Europe at 2.

“This allows us to diversify our traffic base and not just depend on the Singapore base,” he added.

“There are challenges (such as the competitive domestic market) and we are not taking them lightly. But we have the confidence to make this work otherwise we would not go in there.”

During a media briefing today, Goh also revealed SIA’s operating profit of S$87 million (US$70 million) for the second quarter of the 2013-14 financial year, which was up by 24.3 per cent year-on-year. The group net profit for this period registered a 78 per cent increase to S$160 million.

In a separate media statement this morning, the carrier announced that travellers flying SIA and SilkAir will enjoy 10kg extra in baggage allowance across all classes from November 15. Economy customers will be entitled to 30kg of baggage, up from 20kg now, while business class passengers will be allowed 40kg from the current 30kg.

THE Hua Hin Jazz Festival will be coming back to Hua Hin’s beaches this coming June, with opportunities to partner and resell Hua Hin Jazz Festival travel packages.

Lauded the most recognised and established jazz festival in Thailand’s jazz scene, next year’s edition will tentatively take place between June 20 to 22 as dates have not been officially finalised.

According to a press release by organisers B-Concept Media Entertainment Group, the festival will offer a “broader international and local jazz line-up”.

“Environmental issues will be addressed, international production standards will be implemented. Stronger partnerships will be developed that sustain the Hua Hin Jazz Festival for the future,” it said.

Special travel packages for consumers will soon be launched on the official festival website, while partners who are interested in publishing and reselling Hua Hin Jazz Festival packages can contact Ezy-go.com and become an affiliate.

The Hua Hin Jazz Festival was first organised by local hotels, drawing more than 15,000 locals and travellers to the town.

INSIGHT Vacations has appointed Panorama Tours its Preferred Sales Agent in Indonesia, heralding the outbound travel company’s entry into the luxury segment.

Hellen Xu, managing director, travel management, Panorama Tours, said the partnership would allow her company to sell Insight Vacations’ products directly to customers and through its wholesaler and consolidator subsidiary, DRP Wholesaler, to retailers in Indonesia.

“We are happy to partner Insight Vacations to enhance our product offerings, reaching out to the luxury market segment to meet the needs of the market,” said Xu.

Panorama has already begun selling next year’s itineraries following the release of Insight Vacations’ 2014 brochures and has a target of 1,000 travellers for the whole year.

Sheryl Lim, regional director of Asia, Insight Vacations, said: “We have seen a tremendous change in Indonesian market trends in the last five years. Although it has not reached the level (of sophistication) of the Singapore market, it took 10 years for the Singapore market to reach the level of the Indonesian market today while it took the latter only five years. I believe the Indonesians will catch up with the Singaporeans within three years.”

With Panorama’s appointment, Insight Vacations is expected to develop a stronger presence in the South-east Asian country. The latter is no newcomer to Indonesia, having been present for over 20 years through its partnership with Antavaya Tours.

Said John Boulding, president and CEO of Insight Vacations: “We came here during the Tiger Boom in the 1980s and our business was quite strong at that time.

“As the ‘tiger’ died (in the 1997 financial crisis), we lost our attraction and it took some time to build up again…So, we have (always) been here but have not been very active.

“We feel now is a really good opportunity for us to grow our business.”

JET Asia Airways has taken another step into scheduled flight territory with the recent launch of twice-weekly charter services between Bangkok and Tokyo.

Flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport depart every Sunday and Tuesday at 00.45 to arrive at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport at 09.15. Return flights leave Tokyo every Wednesday and Friday at 14.00 and touch down in Bangkok at 18.30 the same day.

“The recent waiver for Thais travelling to Japan has sparked an influx of Thais travelling to Japan and is the driving force of our service to Narita,” said Veerawat Singhamany, marketing manager at Jet Asia Airways in a press release.

The Bangkok-based carrier is increasingly moving away from a traditional model reliant on charter flights towards scheduled services (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 27, 2013), and intends to launch fully scheduled flights by 2014.

VISAYAS must undergo a rehabilitation programme before promotions and marketing for the area as a tourist destination can start again, said Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) president, John Paul Cabalza.

Super typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Yolanda, has already rendered millions homeless and is feared to have claimed more than 10,000 lives.

According to PTAA’s check on their partners, counterparts and tourist destinations in the affected areas, Boracay is now accessible as the airports in Kalibo and Caticlan have reopened.

In Palawan, Coron has been wrecked but Puerto Princesa remains intact. Bantayan and Camotes in Cebu were battered by the typhoon, while towns in Leyte and Samar have been levelled.

Given the massive destruction wrought, Cabalza pointed out: “The affected destinations would have a hard time, at this point, to promote their areas. It’s already a given (as) it’s difficult to go there.”

He said ensuring the safety of travellers and kickstarting a rehabilitation programme for infrastructure are therefore paramount. “If the airport is not usable, if road networks are not passable, if electricity and communication lines are not working…it will be difficult to promote (the area to tourists).”

On how PTAA will be assisting in relief efforts, Cabalza said: “Once we are given the ‘go’ signal, the best way for us in PTAA really is to assist in terms of coordinating with tourism offices in their respective provinces in the needed sales, marketing and endorsement efforts.”

Wanda Teo, president of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, said: “We can still encourage tourists to come to our country as there are other tourist spots that were not devastated by the typhoon.”

HILTON Worldwide yesterday signed an agreement with Pekah Hotels to manage the Hilton Kota Kinabalu, which will open in 2015.

The fifth Hilton Hotels & Resorts-branded hotel in the country is situated in Kota Kinabalu’s central business district along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.

Offering 313 guestrooms, including 17 suites, Hilton Kota Kinabalu will also feature an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty rooftop restaurant adjacent to the rooftop pool and lounge bar, a business centre, a health club and a spa.

Event space at the hotel spans 2,500m², including a 1,000m² ballroom.

Hilton Kota Kinabalu is the ninth Hilton property in Malaysia.

THE Westin Singapore rolled out the red carpet to guests this morning, marking the brand’s comeback to the city-state following a decade-long absence  (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 23, 2013).

Occupying the 32^nd to 46^th floors of the new Asia Square Tower Two development, the 305-key hotel which overlooks Marina Bay comes with floor-to-ceiling windows in all rooms for unobstructed views of the city.

With its claim as the highest hotel lobby in Singapore at level 32, the Westin is also the first integrated upscale hotel to be located within an office building in Singapore.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Lance J Ourednik, general manager of the Westin Singapore, said: “With our ideal location in the heart of Singapore’s financial district, we are definitely looking at attracting the corporates.”

Ourednik said about 85 to 90 per cent of guests will likely be business travellers, largely from countries in Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong and China. “Travellers spend a lot of time commuting from one country to another such that when they are on the ground they will want to minimise the amount of travelling between where they meet and stay.”

The Westin Singapore will welcome an 80-pax global corporate group this weekend, helping to bump up occupancy to 40 per cent – a “very encouraging” number given that the hotel is the latest kid on the block.

While the year-end period is normally a quieter season for business, Ourednik said meeting spaces in November have been taken up “very quickly” for one-day corporate meetings.

When asked to compare between the new and old Westin, Ourednik said: “In all fairness, you cannot make a comparison given that they are two generations apart. The brand has since evolved and it now has quite a different look and feel in today’s world.”

The hotel features a range of F&B venues, including the signature Seasonal Tastes offering five interactive kitchens and lunch and dinner buffets, and gastro pub Cook & Brew. Other facilities include a spa, a fitness studio and an outdoor infinity pool on level 35.

For business meetings and events, The Westin Singapore has 10 individual meeting rooms spanning 1,350m² of space.

THE ancient temple of Preah Vihear has been declared as belonging to Cambodia in a ruling by the International Court of Justice yesterday.

According to the ruling, which was an interpretation of an older 1962 court ruling that awarded Cambodia ownership of the temple, the promontory falls under Cambodia’s jurisdiction and Thailand must withdraw military forces from the area.

The decision is final and cannot be subject to appeal.

Dating back to the ninth century, Preah Vihear temple is situated on a promontory of the same name in the eastern part of the Dangrek range of mountains, in an area contested by both Thailand and Cambodia.

Preah Vihear promontory and its surrounding lands were the scene of bloody clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces in 2009 and 2011 in a territorial dispute.