GENTING Hong Kong, parent company of major Asian cruise operator Star Cruises, is spending 707.2 million euros (US$959.2 million) on a new build from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft.

In a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday, the company said that the vessel would be designed to cater to the China, Hong Kong and Taiwan markets in particular, strengthening its brand there. Delivery is expected in October 2016.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of Cruise Shipping Asia-Pacific, Genting Hong Kong’s COO, William Ng, said the new ship would be an “international-style ship with Asian touches such as karaoke”, like the rest of the cruise operator’s fleet.

He added that while demand from China was still “building up”, he was confident that the company’s cruise offerings would take off in the market.

Star Cruises this year home ported Superstar Gemini in Shanghai (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 2, 2013), its second destination in China after it entered Sanya in 2012.

Asked why Star Cruises had taken so long to build a new ship, Ng answered: “Over the last few years the economy has gone up and down, but our chairman decided now was time (to buy a new ship).”

PREMIUM cruise brand Celebrity Cruises is upping its focus on the Asian market with the formation of a dedicated team to court the region’s affluent customers.

Celebrity Cruises president and CEO, Michael Bayley, said: “There is a high percentage of affluent travellers in (Asia-Pacific) who are eager for more premium cruise options.

“This will give our brand greater visibility, and our travel partners can expect more attention and support.”

Based in Singapore, the new team of three is headed by Celebrity Cruises’ Asia-Pacific commercial director, Kelvin Tan, who was previously regional director at the brand’s parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises. Besides overseeing Celebrity’s commercial, sales and marketing activities in the region, he will also provide trade support.

Tan explained that there had been little focus on the Asia market up until now, although the brand is well known in Japan, Hong Kong, India and Singapore.

“We have already established markets in many countries, but China is a newer market and this is where there are a lot of affluent consumers,” he said, adding that new markets for the fly-cruise business would be targeted.

According to Tan, there will be a “layer by layer” approach in China, where the initial focus will be on first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou, before moving on to second-tier ones like Wuhan and Xiamen.

Celebrity kicked off its inaugural season in Asia last December with the 2,158-guest Celebrity Millennium at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore. (TTG Asia e-Daily December 10, 2012)

Celebrity Millennium’s second consecutive Asian season will commence in December from Singapore and Hong Kong. In addition, Celebrity Century will begin her first Asia season in January 2015 from Singapore and Yokohama.

HONG Kong Disneyland has announced it will open a new themed area in late 2016 based on Iron Man, one of some 7,000 plus characters that are part of the Marvel entertainment brand.

Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said: “Since Marvel became part of the Disney family (in 2009), our Imagineers have been dreaming up exciting new ways for our guests to experience their favourite Marvel characters and stories. We are thrilled to bring this first attraction featuring Iron Man to Hong Kong Disneyland.”

This e-ticket attraction will include a storyline that takes place in the streets and skies of Hong Kong. Guests will have the opportunity to see the progression of Iron Man suits and other Tony Stark innovations as well as take flight with Iron Man on an epic adventure against the forces of evil.

The experience will also include a Marvel merchandise location and an area where guests can meet and take photos with Iron Man.

In the past two years, Disneyland’s other themed areas, such as Toy Story Land, Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point have increased the size of the park by about 25 per cent, bringing the number of attractions and entertainment offerings at the park to more than 100.

Staggs said the Iron Man Experience “underscores commitment to and confidence in the continued growth of Hong Kong Disneyland”.

BRAND USA will introduce an online education certification programme for Indian travel consultants by early next year.

A similar programme to create greater awareness of the US’ destinations and products has already been developed for European markets.

Said Jay Gray, vice president – global partnership development, Brand USA: “Travel trade education is a key part of our strategy in India. The programme is much more social network-oriented and is in conjunction with fam trips. For instance, when a travel consultant is on a fam trip to the US, he can upload photos and share experiences on this site.”

“We are planning several mega fam trips for Indian consultants. The uniqueness is that the trips will be consistent with how a consumer travels. We will have a multi-state itinerary instead of just focusing on one particular US destination. Hence when a consultant talks about the US, it will be a holistic view,” added Gray.

The marketing organisation recently concluded its second India travel mission that covered Mumbai and New Delhi. It will also soon introduce a consumer campaign that focuses on the leisure segment.

Around 725,000 Indians visited the US in 2012 compared to 663,000 in 2011. There was a two per cent drop in VFR traffic from India in 2012, while FIT traffic increased two to three per cent. Brand USA is targeting one million Indian visitors by 2015.

However, air links remain a challenge.

Tom Kiely, executive vice president, Tourism San Francisco Travel Association, said: “We would like to have a nonstop link from New Delhi or Mumbai to San Francisco. We have spoken to Jet Airways, Air India and United Airlines, and are hoping that some announcements in this regard will be made in the near future.

“Last year, 65,000 Indians visited San Francisco, double the number in 2010. We are expecting it to further increase significantly by end-2013.”

THAILAND-based ONYX Hospitality Group has been appointed to manage a property under its upscale Amari brand in the southern Malaysian city of Johor Bahru.

The 207-room Amari Johor Bahru owned by Exquisite Mode is part of the Suasana Iskandar Malaysia development and is scheduled to open by end-2015. It will be situated a five-minute walk from the upcoming JB Sentral Mass Rapid Transit System, which will link the city to Singapore.

The hotel will offer Amari’s signature features such as the Asian Food Gallery, Breeze Spa and Idea Rooms.

Johor Department of Tourism is targeting 24.2 million arrivals for this year, having recorded 12.6 million arrivals as of July. Neighbouring Singapore is currently the state’s top source market for international arrivals, followed by Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines and India.

Earlier this year, ONYX announced its first property in Malaysia under its Ozo brand. Ozo Penang is scheduled to open in 2016.

ETIHAD Airways has announced the increase of its Jakarta-Abu Dhabi flights from once to twice daily as of October 27.

In a statement, the airline said the additional flight will complement its existing daily flight as well as the codeshare services between Jakarta and Abu Dhabi operated by Garuda Indonesia.

EY474 will depart Abu Dhabi at 02.40 and arrive in Jakarta at 13.55, while EY475 will leave Jakarta at 18.00 to arrive in Abu Dhabi at 23.20.

To introduce the new flight, the airline has come up with special prices for travel from Jakarta, Medan, Denpasar and other Indonesian cities to various destinations in the Middle East, Europe and South Africa. For example, the airfare for coral economy class from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi is US$300; to London, US$350; and to Johannesburg, US$500.

The promotion is available for booking up to October 15, for travel between October 27 and November 30.