HAVING taken delivery of the latest addition to its fleet, Garuda Indonesia has launched its new first class service in the Boeing 777-300ER.

Intended to immerse the traveller’s five senses in an authentically Indonesian experience, First Class will showcase Indonesia in everything from the plane’s interior design and exotic scent of Indonesian flowers to folk music and traditional food.

First class passengers will be able to enjoy private seating and the services of a dedicated on-board chef who will prepare food on the spot.

“The delivery of the new B777-300ER and the First Class service launch were in line with the airline’s effort to broaden its international flight network, particularly on longhaul flight routes, as part of its strategy to become a global player,” said Emirsyah Satar, president and CEO of Garuda Indonesia.

The B777-300ER is comprised of 268 economy-class seats, 38 business-class seats and eight first-class seats. It now serves the Jakarta-Jeddah route. After the arrival of three more B777-300ERs, they will be deployed on the new Jakarta-Sydney, Jakarta-Tokyo and Jakarta-Shanghai routes from November.

Garuda will take delivery of three more B777-300ERs in 2014 and a further three in 2015.

ALL flight operations in Manila and Hong Kong are back on track in the wake of Typhoon Usagi that brought gusts of up to 209kmh, forcing flight delays and cancellations in the two cities.

According to a government advisory, Philippines Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific (CEB), Cathay Pacific Airways, Dragonair and China Southern Airlines had cancelled a total of 49 flights between September 21 and 23.

The cancelled flights were from Manila to Hong Kong, Macau, China and Taiwan, destinations also in the path of Typhoon Usagi, or Odette as it is called in the Philippines.

CEB, PAL and PAL Express collectively cancelled a host of flights to Iloilo, Cebu, Clark, Boracay and Batanes, which were severely battered by the typhoon.

Affected passengers were allowed to rebook flights without penalty.

Over in Hong Kong, the tropical cyclone warning was lifted at 10.25 yesterday, prompting a resumption of most flights by 12.00. According to a Hong Kong International Airport source, some 370 flights had been cancelled and 76 delayed on Sunday.

Joseph Tung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council Hong Kong, said it was rare for all air traffic to be suspended.

“Airlines announced in advance they would halt inbound and outbound traffic from 18.00 onwards on September 22. This had never happened before and our members had to look for accommodation for group tours stranded overseas, whereas outbound group traffic couldn’t depart from Hong Kong,” said Tung.

Following the resumption of flights, carriers such as Dragonair have announced extra capacity and flights to Shanghai (Pudong), Qingdao, Sanya and Kaohsiung today to clear the passenger backlog.

Bigger aircraft will also be deployed on the Beijing and Fukuoka routes to accommodate more passengers.

Additional reporting by Prudence Lui

IN A year that has been marked by less-than-satisfactory growth from key emerging markets and an oil price spike linked to the Syrian crisis, IATA has readjusted its industry outlook for 2013.

Previously set at US$12.7 billion in June, IATA is now anticipating US$11.7 billion in profit for the full year.

As a region, Asia-Pacific’s outlook was also downgraded by US$1.5 billion to US$3.1 billion, thanks to slower growth among emerging markets.

IATA expects Asia-Pacific’s 6.9 per cent capacity expansion to outstrip the 6.6 per cent growth in passenger demand this year.

However, Tony Tyler, director general of IATA, points out that airline performance will likely remain strong as the industry absorbs the impact of cost increases, as a result of changes in industry structure through consolidation and joint ventures, increased ancillary sales and reduced new entry due to tight financial markets.

“Overall, the story is largely positive. Profitability continues on an improving trajectory. But we have run into a few speed bumps,” he said in a statement released by the association.

“Cargo growth has not materialised. Emerging markets have slowed. And the oil price spike has had a dampening effect. We do see a more optimistic end to the year. And 2014 is shaping up to see profit more than double compared to 2012.”

IATA has set its profit outlook for 2014 at US$16.4 billion internationally, while Asia-Pacific is forecast to earn US$3.6 billion due to the continued strength of the domestic Chinese market and benefits of restructuring in Japan.

The announcement of the revised forecast comes ahead of the United Nations’ ICAO triennial meeting in Montreal today, where the IATA will continue to urge ICAO member countries to jointly tackle carbon emissions.

Without a joint policy on carbon emissions, the European Union may impose unilateral action on airlines flying into the bloc that would penalise airlines on their carbon output (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 14, 2012).

THE Malaysian state of Johor has become a hive of tourism activity of late, with Malaysian inbound travel consultants reporting stronger arrivals to the destination.

Kathryn Lee, southern regional managing director of Sri America Travel, said that between January and August, her company had seen a 30 per cent year-on-year rise in business from the Singapore market and a 10 per cent year-on-year increase from Indonesia.

“The strong Singapore dollar has resulted in more Singaporeans spending a night in Johor rather than making day trips,” she elaborated.

East Coast Adventure Travel & Tours’ managing director, Liza Alip, has also seen 15 per cent year-on-year growth in business from Singapore and single-digit growth from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Meanwhile, a recent release by TripAdvisor stated that the number of searches for Johor from August 2012 to July 2013 surged 45 per cent year-on-year. Searches by Singaporean and Malaysian travellers leapt by 23 and 27 per cent respectively.

Tripadvisor spokesperson, Jean Ow-Yeong, commented: “The increase in interest for Johor may be attributed to the growing number of tourist attractions such as Johor Premium Outlets (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 7, 2011) and Legoland that are sprouting up in the city of Johor Bahru, to the excitement and delight of travellers.”

East Coast’s Liza echoed this view, saying that the new attractions in Johor are a factor in attracting international tourists to the state.

However, she pointed out: “Most international tourists land in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Johor needs more direct flights to regional destinations to further boost tourist arrivals.”

Johor has also begun carving out a niche as a theme park paradise, especially among visitors from China (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 15, 2013).

Singapore is currently Johor’s top source of international arrivals with almost 10 million visitors between January and July, followed by Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines and India.

Johor’s Department of Tourism is aiming for 24.2 million arrivals for this year, having recorded 12.6 million as of July.

THAI Airways International’s board of directors has approved a slew of new flights for subsidiary LCC THAI Smile, with services to begin from October 27.

THAI Smile will commence thrice-weekly Bangkok-Chongqing and Bangkok-Changsha services on October 27, with the frequency of the latter to go up to five times weekly on January 16, 2014. Flights are to be operated with Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

The carrier will also connect Bangkok to Luang Prabang in Laos from November 16 through seven-weekly flights on A320-200 aircraft.

Lastly, THAI Smile will fly a new Bangkok-Sendai route three times a week from December 3, deploying an A330-300 on the Japan service.

THAI Smile averaged 77 per cent in load factor in August 2013, a decrease from 82.5 per cent recorded during the same month last year, due to the increase in domestic and international destinations it serves.

ENCOURAGED by an 80 per cent growth in demand for South America last year and the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup, Trafalgar expects South America’s star to continue rising as a new destination for Asia travellers.

The company has just released its new 2014 South America brochure containing 17 itineraries and eight optional extensions.

“With an increase in desire for new aspirational destinations, South America is, without a doubt, the new frontier for Asians,” said Nicholas Lim, regional director of Trafalgar Asia. “We further anticipate another surge in volume, especially with the 2014 FIFA World Cup round the corner in Brazil.”

“We are finding that savvy individuals, which includes senior executives and well-travelled seniors are taking our South America trips, especially popular itineraries like Glimpse of South America which visits the cities of Rio De Janeiro, Iguassu Falls and Buenos Aires.

“Additionally, adventurous types also enjoy our Highlights of Peru itinerary that takes guests to Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Football fans could also do a pre- or post-tournament trip to these surrounding destinations to maximise their time in the region.”

MANDARIN Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) has inked an agreement to manage the Mandarin Oriental, Chongqing, slated to open in 2016.

The hotel is located 20 minutes from Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport and five minutes from key commercial and entertainment districts on the Yuzhong peninsula, occupying the top floors of a 248m tower.

Featuring 231 rooms including 25 suites and 18 serviced apartments, Mandarin Oriental, Chongqing will offer guests five restaurants and bars to choose from – a specialty restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, an all-day dining venue, a lobby lounge, a rooftop terrace bar and the signature Mandarin Oriental Cake Shop.

Guests can also make use of the Spa at Mandarin Oriental with eight treatment suites, fitness facilities including a heated indoor swimming pool, a 1,200m² grand ballroom and an additional multipurpose function space.

THE private sector and NTOs must become better at using technology to connect with tourists, especially if they want a share of surging arrivals from key growth markets such as China.

Antonia Lopez de Avila Munoz, president and CEO of Spain’s State Company for Tourism Technology and Innovation Management (SEGITTUR), said digital technology is not only a key mechanism for attracting tourists to a destination; it can also be used to improve a wide range of issues such as mobility, security, healthcare, and energy and resource management.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau last week, he said technology will become increasingly important as the industry moves towards the World Tourism Council’s forecast of 1.8 billion international arrivals by 2030.

“(Spain is the) first in Europe to (have the most) protected areas and third in the world…even with 60 million tourist arrivals a year. That’s partly because we’re focusing on using technology to help manage everything from security to water usage.”

Given that four out of five people visiting Spain travel with a connected device, technology and social media can play a major role in providing tourists with a better destination experience.

This includes providing visitors with multilingual guides and up-to-date information on events and weather as well as a platform to share their photos, videos and experiences, he said.

Tourism organisations and relevant authorities can also use the data for a number of purposes from monitoring traffic to promoting niche products. To do this, investment in communications infrastructure, such as installing free Wi-Fi in urban centres, is key.

Mei Zhang, founder of WildChina, said technology will also become more important as tourists become increasingly confident about travelling by themselves. This is especially true for the Chinese market, which is becoming more sophisticated.

“Technology that enables self-guided travel will be the winner,” she said.