THE European Quartet – comprising Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – has come together to promote the four countries as one tourist destination in India with a series of road shows conducted in Mumbai, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai and New Delhi earlier this month.

The “European Quartet – One Melody” joint marketing strategy stems from the cultural and historical similarities as well as the good road, rail and air connectivity between these four countries, revealed Emilia Kubik, project leader – department of marketing planning, Poland Tourism Organisation in a press statement.

“Czech Republic is very famous worldwide for its culinary offerings, especially for its beer. There has also been a significant rise in MICE tourism in Prague in the past few years,” said Klára Vysloužilová, marketing and communications manager for international markets, Czech Tourism Board. “Hence, our primary concentration will be on these segments.”

Hungary will promote its MICE, educational and leisure offerings through fam trips and study tours for the Indian travel trade, according to Krisztina Bacsa, international market development manager, Hungarian National Tourist Office. She added: “We will also open a consulate to facilitate visa issuance in Mumbai next year.”

Tatjana Radovic, congress manager, Ljubljana Convention Bureau, said: “India is a high potential country for outbound congresses. We can combine post tours to neighbouring countries including Croatia and Austria to make the destination offering more attractive.”

Welcoming the Europe Quartet’s interest to woo Indian travellers, Anil Guptaa, director of Mumbai-based Anjali Travel & Tours, said: “Eastern Europe has elicited good interest, especially to Prague and Budapest in the last two to three years. The leisure numbers have doubled each year and we expect exponential growth from 2014 onwards. The multi-country itineraries are proving attractive.”

FROM December 26, 2013, Tigerair will launch three flights every fortnight from Singapore to Ningbo in China’s Zhejiang province, the only airline to offer direct services between the two cities.

Ningbo will become the Singapore-based carrier’s eighth Greater China destination, in addition to Guangzhou, Haikou, Hong Kong, Lijiang, Macau, Shenzhen and Taipei.

According to the Tigerair press release, free bus shuttle services will be available from December 27, 2013 between Ningbo Lishe International Airport and the East Railway Station, connecting travellers to bullet train services to and from Beijing, Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Xiamen.

Tigerair chief commercial officer, Alexander Knigge, commented: “Ningbo’s reliable and affordable connectivity offered by rail or car to nearby cities opens up new possibilities for planning a clever holiday itinerary spanning a few key Chinese cities.”

Tigerair has rolled out a slew of new destinations in recent months. Besides starting services to Lijiang, Chiang Mai, Langkawi and Lombok in 4Q2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 11, 2013), the LCC will commence four weekly flights from Singapore to Malé on January 24, 2014.

THE largest ship of Star Cruises’ Asian fleet, SuperStar Virgo, is set to undergo a US$19.7 million refurbishment from January 5 to 29, 2014 to upgrade more than 270 balcony cabins and triple the total retail floor area to 562m².

Following the three-week dry-dock renovation, the 75,338-tonne, 13-deck ship will welcome the debut of international brands such as Shiseido SK II, Biotherm, Lancome and Shu Uemura, as well as the expansion and addition of duty-free operator China Duty Free, jewellery and watch specialist Canopus, luxury leather goods retailer Milan Station and souvenir shop Ports O’ Call.

“This US$19.7 million refurbishment of SuperStar Virgo is a reflection of our continuous drive to grow in Asia,” said William Ng, COO of Star Cruises.

Currently homeported in Singapore, SuperStar Virgo will embark on her six-month Hong Kong homeport deployment from April 2 to October 28, 2014, calling at destinations such as Keelung (Taipei), Taichung and Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Sanya in Hainan and Halong Bay in Vietnam.

DUSIT Fudu Hotels and Resorts has entered into an agreement with Yunnan Jingdian Real Estate Group to manage a 72-villa hot spring resort at Dianchi Lake, located a 25-minute drive from Yunnan’s provincial capital of Kunming.

Scheduled to open in 2016, Dusit Devarana Dianchi Lake, Kunming will centre on the thermal spring experience with private hot spring pools in each villa.

Among the resort’s wellness amenities are a nano hydro revitalising pool, aromatic pools, therapeutic pools, jade and volcanic stone pools, splash pools, a foot reflexology pool and hot stone relaxation room, in addition to Thai-inspired massage treatments at the Devarana Spa.

Other facilities include a signature Thai restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge, a library reading room and three function rooms.

Lim Boon Kwee, president of Dusit Fudu Hotels & Resorts, said: “As a popular tourism destination for travellers, Yunnan Province is experiencing a growing demand for quality, upscale accommodation options…We are confident that Dusit Devarana Dianchi Lake, Kunming will be a great choice for local and international travellers on business or leisure.”

Since the formation of Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 24, 2013) as Dusit International’s Chinese arm, the group has been pressing ahead with its expansion in the country. Following Hainan and Kunming, Dusit Devarana properties in Beijing, Shenyang and Conghua are also expected in the pipeline.

HERTZ has produced its first Global Car Rental Guide for Travel Agents in Asia, with the aim to boost knowledge and encourage car rental bookings by frontline travel consultants.

Catering to all travel consultants in 24 countries, the guide is available in hard and soft copy.

It provides step-by-step instructions for booking Hertz on the GDS platform, fleet guides, location, and other information not available on the GDS. Travel consultants with no GDS access will be able to use Hertzagent.com as an alternative platform.

Hertz vice president Asia, Soon-Hwa Wong, said: “We are seeing increasing demand for both corporate and leisure car rentals. With sound product knowledge and familiarity with booking processes, travel consultants can confidently offer car rental options when taking air ticket reservations.

“In the process, the travel (consultants) will earn commission and at the same time offer clients a higher level of service.”

The guide can be downloaded from www.hertz.com/travelagentguide.

HRG group commercial director, Stewart Harvey, said: “All clients demand a level of control to ensure their corporate duty of care responsibilities are met. Travel managers require at the the touch of the button the ability to see where their travellers are and have the risk management procedures in place to help them when they are in need.”

Meanwhile, the increased number of incidents of compromised corporate data and the risks it brings to personal privacy have sharpened companies’ focus on the security of their travel-related data, said Harvey.

“In order to mitigate risks associated with data protection and privacy, our advice to clients is to put in place a global data consolidation strategy. By consolidating their travel related data with a TMC, quality control assurances will be put in place to protect corporate and traveller information. The added reporting capabilities will also deliver increased compliance and reduced data leakage.”

HRG also expects to see additional demand for more advanced mobile technology next year, which poses further data security challenges.

Harvey explained: “Business travellers are often first adopters of new technology. They understand there is more than just reading their itinerary, so demand for additional functionality to improve the business travel experience will continue to grow in 2014.

“At the same time, corporates need to understand the risks to data associated with travellers going it alone. By implementing security standards and measures surroounding the use of unprotected sites, the flow of data and access to confidential material, corporates can facilitate a safe operating environment for travellers to work in, utilising the technology that will suit them most.”

HRG believes that cosolidating the travel programme will also help companies in cost savings. “Travel managers can leverage on the additional card and expense management data brought into the travel programme.”

THE Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company yesterday introduced a children’s programme at its worldwide properties, in partnership with Ocean Futures Society.

Ritz Kids aims to delight The Ritz-Carlton’s youngest guests with an engaging and immersive experience that builds upon the adventures of travel at 84 of the company’s hotels.

“We are very excited to continue our highly successful relationship with a unique individual whose entire life has been spent dedicated to preservation of the environment, with particular attention to marine conservation and education,” said Herve Humler, president and COO of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The new global brand standard for children’s programming includes robust activities for resorts, in addition to multiple touch points for children at city and urban properties.

The refined luxury experience for young guests aged four to 12 provides a differentiated programme which engages children to explore the world around them.

The content of Ritz Kids is based on the four pillars of water, land, environmental responsibility and culture. Examples of activities include searching for indigenous birds in the wild, exploring gardens as part of food fun, playing games to learn about various types of fish, and learning about local cultures, myths and legends.

SIX Senses Hotels Resorts Spas has announced the opening of nine new hotel projects over the next 36 months, with more than half of them based in Asia.

“The rapid brand expansion of Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas ignited in Asia, Europe, South America, Northern Africa and the Caribbean allows us to redefine ourselves on a global scale with the addition of our first ski resort, first urban hotel and three amazing resort projects located at UNESCO World Heritage Sites,” said CEO Neil Jacobs.

The new hotel properties to open include the:

• 113-suite-and-villa Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain (2014) in the Chinese province of Sichuan
• 32-suite Six Senses Mont Blanc in the French Alpine area of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (2015)
• 82-suite Six Senses Bhutan (2016)
• 50-suite Six Senses Wuma in south-eastern Taiwan (2016)
• 129-villa Six Senses Ninghai in China
• 73 suite-and-villa Six Senses Freedom Bay in St Lucia, one of the Windward Islands in eastern Caribbean (2016)
• 120-suite-and-villa Six Senses Uluwatu in Bali
• 100-room-and-suite Six Senses Cartagena on the northern coast of Colombia (2016)
• 67-suite-and-villa Six Senses Gammarth on the Mediterranean Coast near the capital of Tunis

On the wellness front, the company’s growth includes the Six Senses Spa at Esentai Tower opened this month in Almaty, Kazakhstan; Six Senses World One in Mumbai’s Worli district; Evason by Six Senses in Pune, India; and Six Senses Spa at Al Bustan Palace in Oman.

MANY Asian travellers due to travel to Bangkok during this season have stuck to their plans despite the political unrest, but agencies are reporting a drop in forward bookings.

Singapore-based Chan Brothers Travel marketing and communications manager, Jane Chang, said: “Our Bangkok tours are still operating as scheduled and we do have customers slated to return over these few days; none of them are requesting to return to Singapore earlier.”

CTC Travel Singapore has not received any cancellations too, but it is advising Singaporeans travelling there to be updated on the local situation and be “mentally prepared” so they can avoid the areas of conflict, said Kelly Toh, marketing and PR manager.

Over in Malaysia, New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel general manager, Raaj Navaratnaa, said his company has also not received any cancellations for FIT and group departures to Bangkok. “We are still getting new bookings for January and Chinese New Year but they are a lot fewer than usual.”

However, Malaysia-based RA Jits Travel & Tours managing director, Harminderjit Singh, said: “We have not received any bookings for leisure travel to Bangkok for this month as travellers fear for their safety. Last month, we saw a 70 per cent year-on-year drop in demand for Bangkok.”

Indonesian operator WITA Tour director of sales and marketing, Rudiana, said: “Some clients have been thinking of switching destinations, others who have not booked their trips are taking a wait-and-see stand.”

He added it is normal for Indonesians to make last-minute decisions when travelling to neigbouring destinations where no visa is required.

Meanwhile, Thai inbound operators have seen some cancellations.

“We’ve only had a few cancellations, mainly FIT travellers; no groups so far,” said Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Group. Producing regular communications and situation reports on the protests is essential in keeping overseas partners up to date, he added.

Diethelm Travel Thailand, as of Tuesday, recorded six cancellations in the past one-and-a-half weeks. The situation could be much worse on the ground, said managing director Hans van den Born, adding that hotels in Bangkok were badly affected, especially those dealing with risk-averse Asian markets.

Protests have been called off for King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 86th birthday today, but many expect the rallies to start anew in the coming days, a move which would likely lead to higher levels of cancellations.

THE Qantas Group is bent on massive cost reductions for 2014 in response to “fundamentally changed market conditions”, it said in a market update today.

The group expects an underlying loss before tax in the range of A$250 million (US$225.4 million) to A$300 million for the six months ending December 31. Trading conditions saw a marked deterioration in November in particular, with both passenger loads and yields below the already negative trends for year to date.

For 1H2014, group yield is expected to be approximately 3.5 per cent lower and loads, 1.6 percentage points lower, while underlying fuel costs (excluding the impact of the carbon tax) will hit approximately A$2.27 billion, an increase of A$88 million.

The group will also make accelerated cost reductions across all areas of the business, to achieve total cost savings of A$2 billion over three years. Steps to be taken include head count reduction of at least 1,000 positions within 12 months, pay cuts for the CEO and Board, pay freezes and no FY14 bonus for executives, a review of spending with top 100 suppliers, network optimisation and improved fleet utilisation as well as further overhead reductions.

Additionally, it will conduct a review of all planned capital expenditure to achieve further substantial reductions to ensure that the business generates positive net free cash flow from FY15. An immediate review will be conducted to identify structural changes that could potentially unlock sources of capital and value for shareholders.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said in a press statement that the circumstances demand urgent action. “We cannot and we will not stand still in these extraordinary circumstances…We will focus relentlessly on cutting costs and improving productivity, while maintaining our competitive advantages as a business.

“As we take these urgent actions, we will continue to take the fight to the competition and strengthen our leading position in the domestic market, and we will continue the turnaround of Qantas International.”