TWO new Philippine B2C online travel brands have surfaced this year focusing on ticket search and aggregation, with planned expansions into hotel booking.

Muranglipad.com’s web engine search will offer fare comparisons, allowing users to locate the cheapest fares across all Philippine carriers and Jetstar, according to Margarita Cabrera, marketing manager of Triplestar Travel and Tours, a sister company of boutique carrier Seair International.

Currently, the website offers a voice link leading users to a voice operator, while a full launch of the service is expected by November. Cabrera said Triplestar’s presence will also expand to Muranghotels.com later.

Muranglipad promises preferential rates for travel companies and user payment options as VISA/Mastercard, cash and payment deposits through Cebuana Lhuillier, a local pawnshop chain.

The other OTA, Tripmoba.com, a sister company of Universal Holidays and American Express Transnational, was launched in June. It focuses on PAL, PAL Express and international airline ticketing, but not on Philippine LCCs, according to president Zaki Delgado.

“We can search all of the major airlines at once; customers can see the best prices, best options from multiple airlines,” he said.

The option to pay for Philippine travel tax (1,620 pesos, about US$38) for travel out of Manila and Cebu will be added this month, and bookings capability for hotels at a later time, Delgado added.

It has more payment gateways than others, including Globe Telecom’s mobile cash gateway called G-Cash.

DUBAI’S hotel industry is set to expand the three- and four-star hotel sector, given the government’s granting of financial incentive from early this month to develop more mid-range hotels in the emirate.

Eligible hotels will be granted a concession on the standard 10 per cent Municipality Fee levied on the room rate for each night of occupancy, while new hotels will be granted a waiver for a period of four years from the date the permit to construct is granted, and provided that this date is between October 1, 2013 and December 31, 2017.

The incentive is part of the strategy to achieve Dubai’s Tourism Vision for 2020, which aims to attract 20 million annual visitors by 2020.

Last year, Dubai received 10 million visitors, which the destination expects will double by 2020. In 1H2013, it received 5.5 million visitors, an 11.1 per cent increase year-on-year, while hotels’ revenue rose 18.6 per cent to AED11.6 billion (US$3.2 million).

THAI Lion Air has received an air operator licence from Thailand’s Ministry of Transport and is now working to get an air operator certificate from Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation to commence operations.

The carrier to be based at Bangkok’s Don Muang International Airport currently has more than 100 employees and will have 200 when it starts flying. It hopes to start operations before year-end, subject to regulatory approval, with two brand new Boeing 737-900ERs.

The carrier’s first route will be from Bangkok to Jakarta, twice daily, and it plans to launch a daily service from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur and a thrice-daily service from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

By launching services to Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, it will be able to connect to Lion Group’s affiliate in Malaysia, Malindo Air, and to subsidiaries Lion Air and Wings Air, which together serve 76 destinations in Indonesia.

Lion Air CEO, Darsito Hendro Seputro, said the launch of the carrier’s Bangkok-Jakarta service will effectively mean that the Thai capital will immediately be connected to every city and major town in Indonesia with a one-stop service via Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Post reported that the carrier is aiming for 12 of the Boeing 737-900ER planes in its fleet by the end of 2014, before ramping up to 50 in five years.

MALAYSIAN inbound operators hail the opening of the 18-hole Els Teluk Datai Course in Langkawi scheduled for February 2014.

Designed by world-golf champion, Ernie Els and his team from Els Design, the golf course will be located adjacent to Datai Langkawi.

Nanda Kumar, managing director at Hidden Asia Travel & Tours, is looking at the local corporate market as potential clients who would like to combine golfing with a private meeting.

Ganneesh Ramaa, manager, Luxury Tours Malaysia, said his company will be handling an incentive group of 40 from France, comprising 10 teaching professionals and 30 golfers who will spend four days on this course.

He added: “The course will definitely attract golfers and their families to the island. It will complement Phuket and Bintan because golfers, especially from longhaul destinations, like to play at two destinations.”

Similarly, Saini Vermeulen, head of international sales, Panorama Tours Malaysia, said the world-class golf course will attract high-end golf enthusiasts and their families.

“These golfers will not just want to play on the course, but also go on sightseeing tours. The course will help the government attract more high-yield tourists to the country. We will incorporate this course into existing golf packages offered in Langkawi.”

Additionally, Els Teluk Datai Course will be the first in Malaysia to form the Els Club Malaysia. There will be two additions in 2016 with the opening of the 27-hole championship Els Coast Course, and an 18-hole Els Valley Course. Both golf courses will be located in Desaru Coast, Johor.

Els Club Malaysia will be the third prestigious Els Club, following Els Club Dubai and Els Club Copperleaf South Africa.

ONYX Hospitality Group has been appointed to operate a property in Dhaka, Bangladesh under its upscale Amari brand.

Amari Dhaka is owned by Karishma Services and is slated to open in 2014. It will feature 134 guestrooms and suites, three restaurants and bars, a function hall, Breeze Spa, a gym and a rooftop swimming pool.

ONYX president and CEO, Peter Henley, said: “Bangladesh has a thriving economy and the country’s GDP is experiencing sustainable growth…which has resulted in strong demand for high-quality hotel accommodation.

“Amari has become a household name in Thailand and we look forward to building that level of recognition in Bangladesh.”

RAFFLES Hotels & Resorts is opening a new hotel in China’s Shenzhen in 2018.

Raffles Shenzhen will occupy the top floors of an 80-storey tower in the new One Shenzhen Bay development. It is only 30 minutes’ drive from Central, Hong Kong.

Peter French, president of Raffles Hotels & Resorts, said: “Shenzhen has been at the forefront of China’s phenomenal growth, and innovative developments such as One Shenzhen Bay will ensure that the city continues to play a leading role in international trade, shipping, tourism and finance.”

The property will feature 200 guestrooms and serviced residences, four restaurants and bars, private meeting and event spaces and a Raffles Spa.