LUFTHANSA will reopen its Jakarta route and offer five weekly flights from Frankfurt starting March 30, 2014, marking a comeback for the German air carrier since it suspended this service in October 2012.

Using Airbus A340-600 aircraft that can accommodate eight first class seats, 48 business class seats and 270 economy class seats, flights will connect through Kuala Lumpur, which will also see new non-stop services from Frankfurt next year.

The return of the service is part of the airline’s restructuring of its South-east Asia network (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 11, 2013).

Leandro Tonidandel, general manager Indonesia of Lufthansa, said: “We had served Indonesia for 45 years (before the suspension)…However, the company went through a big network restructuring process last year. This saw Singapore-Frankfurt getting an Airbus A380, which could not land in Jakarta.”

With the absence of a Jakarta service, Lufthansa had been feeding traffic to Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, resulting in a higher-than-targeted performance this year, Tonidandel pointed out.

“This is also part of the reason why we came back,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s partnerships with Garuda Indonesia, Jetstar and Singapore Airlines are also helping to link the airline’s gateways in Asia with different regions in Indonesia.

Said Tonidandel: “Customers in Medan can reach Kuala Lumpur and Singapore very easily; those from Surabaya can link through Jakarta and Singapore; and those from Central Java can easily reach Jakarta or Singapore.”

THE historic city of Ayutthaya is set to become unique running grounds for runners from all over the world during the Ayutthaya Marathon 2013 on December 15.

With the UNESCO World Heritage site Ayutthaya Historical Park as the backdrop, the marathon’s route allows runners to take in the cultural sights, historic buildings and sculptures of the ancient capital.

Open to all, the marathon comprises four categories: the full marathon, a half marathon, a 10km mini marathon and a 3.5km fun run. Part of the event’s proceeds will be allocated to support the preservation of the Ayutthaya Historical Park.

Organised by the Ayutthaya Provincial Administration, Tourism Authority of Thailand and Unique Running to celebrate the Thai-Japanese relationship in Ayutthaya, this marathon commemorates 100 Years of the Japanese Association in Thailand.

This marathon is part of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya World Heritage Fair 2013, which will take place from December 13 to 22. There will also be displays of traditional Thai culture, customs and cuisine, as well as a nightly light and sound presentation.

OTA EZY-Go.com has signed a distribution agreement with Thaivisa.com, which will see packages uploaded from hotels, tour operators and event organisers be made available on the Thai expat forum.

EZY-Go.com, which is part of the Bangkok based B-Concept Media Entertainment Group, specialises in luxury event, hotel and travel bookings.

William Kuipers, CEO of B-Concept Media Entertainment Group, said: “This partnership allows us to further grow sales and distribution channels, and connects our partners with new target audiences for events, entertainment, travel and hospitality packages.

Thaivisa’s managing director, Barry Main, said: “With the agreement in place, we are now able to offer a wider Thailand and Asia package assortment in the Thaivisa website.”

He added that leisure activities like the Hua Hin Jazz Festival 2014, organised by B-Concept, can now be offered to readers and members.

According to the press release, Thaivisa has seven million visitors and 900,000 members.

JAPAN is shifting into top gear with a game plan that puts tourism high on its agenda, its confidence buoyed by record arrivals, a recovering economy and the recent appointment as host of the 2020 Olympic Games.

Speaking to the media at this year’s Visit Japan Travel Mart (VJTM), Yasuhiro Iijima, senior director of inbound tourism branding and promotion at Japan Travel Agency (JTA), said the four components of JTA’s action programme “to establish Japan as a country oriented towards tourism” include raising awareness of its brand; relaxing visa requirements; improving tourism infrastructure; and targeting the MICE segment.

Most recently, visa exemptions for Thai and Malaysian nationals were implemented in July (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 14, 2013)

The Discover the Spirit of Japan campaign launched in March also saw a major reboot of the official website, which now contains over 160 videos promoting major tourist attractions and the people.

JTA statistics reveal that with 8.7 million arrivals between January and October, Japan has already surpassed the pre-earthquake high of 8.6 million for full-year 2010. Some 10 million visitors are expected this year. Asians continue to make up the bulk of tourists into Japan, with South Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong alone contributing more than half of the total, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).

Iijima said: “Hosting the Olympics will significantly raise Japan’s international profile and we will leverage that in our promotions of Japan to the rest of the world.

“We want tourists to travel beyond Tokyo as well, so we will be promoting Tokyo +1 or +2 (to encourage tourists to add on destinations outside the capital).”

The next edition of VJTM will be held at Tokyo Big Sight in Ariake, Tokyo, tentatively scheduled for September 24 to 26, 2014. This coincides with the JATA Tourism Expo Japan, with organisers aiming to catapult both shows onto the global stage.

Meanwhile, Mamoru Kobori, executive director, marketing & promotion department of JNTO, said the NTO’s Jakarta office should open by year-end (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 2, 2013).

“While we are also thinking of opening or adding offices in other countries like India and China, due to budget constraints we are first sending reps to oversee these countries and depending on the results from those markets, we may choose to open an office there.”

JAPANESE airlines are continuing to fly their aircraft through a new air defence zone over disputed islands in the East China Sea without complying to identification rules.

The new Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) imposed by the Chinese defence ministry last Saturday requires aircraft to report a flight plan, maintain two-way radio communications and respond in a timely and accurate manner to identification enquiries, among other stipulations. Otherwise they could face emergency defensive measures.

An announcement on Japan Airlines’ (JAL) website confirmed that JAL would not submit its flight plans for flights through the affected areas as requested by the Japanese government. However, it said its decision would have “no impact on (the) safety of passengers onboard”.

Member airlines of the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, including All Nippon Airways, will also not be submitting flight plans.

Responses have been mixed across other Asian airlines.

In an email reply to TTG Asia e-Daily, a spokesperson from Singapore Airlines said: “Some of our flights fly over the mentioned airspace and we have been filing our flight plans with the appropriate authorities.

“We have also been keeping the Chinese authorities informed of our flights through the area since November 25,” she added.

According to local broadsheet The Straits Times, Philippine Airlines has 33 flights a week to South Korea that are affected by China’s ADIZ and the carrier “is observing the status quo”.

The ADIZ announcement has also drawn strong criticism from other countries such as the US and Australia.

OFFERING a wider variety of content, investing in the right technology and improving online sales strategy are the top three business priorities for travel agencies in China, according to Amadeus, which surveyed participants at its recent series of workshops held in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Based on interviews with over 300 travel agencies, 69 per cent of the respondents said the top expectation from customers is the company’s ability to deliver “more content to meet their needs”. This takes precedence over offering low prices and high quality service.

More than 90 per cent also revealed that online sales is important or very important to their company strategy. About half of them, however, said they are currently dissatisfied with their companies’ online business strategy.

Listing pricing pressure from competitors, operating costs and lack of technology as the main challenges they face, some 93 per cent indicated that technology has the potential to transform their businesses.

Bart Tompkins, managing director of Amadeus China, said: “The insights delivered at these exclusive workshops are very valuable to us as we look to develop and deliver products and services that will cater to our customers’ needs in China as the market opens.”

HOTELIERS in Bali have been urged to be creative and cautious in their adjustment of rates for next year amid the hotel boom there.

According to the Bali Hotel and Branded Residences Update recently released by C9 Hotelworks and Horwath HTL, Bali will welcome 6,000 additional rooms this year, of which 4,000 rooms have already opened. While occupancy is down by four per cent, hotels have kept their rates steady.

C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett said: “New hotel rooms are opening at a faster pace, requiring developers and hoteliers to become increasingly creative to safeguard profitability.”

Indonesia’s domestic market continues to be the driving force behind Bali’s tourism fortunes – Indonesians account for 80 per cent of arrivals to the island – but growth is slowing, he added.

Barnett highlighted that while the burgeoning room supply in Bali is expected to outpace demand, it is important for hotels to “remain strong on room rates and tailor new supply to fill market gaps rather than using a scatter gun approach to development.”

Drawing a parallel to the closely connected real estate market, he said: “Indonesian buyers represent over 80 per cent of Bali’s property transaction market, but there are warning signs that sales pace is shrinking and the looming issue is that once guaranteed returns roll off, investors may see yields shrink.”

According to Barnett, one key segment to watch are the luxury hotel villas by brands such as Rosewood, Raffles, Fairmont and Jumeirah, which are progressively entering the market and have the potential to attract foreign buyers.

Separately, Sofitel is scheduled to open its first Indonesian hotel in Nusa Dua on December 20. Offering 17 villas, 22 suites and 376 rooms, the property has one of the largest meetings and function facilities in Bali, featuring a Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 600 guests theatre style.

THAILAND has been crowned as one of the main beneficiaries of the recent surge in Russian outbound travel, according to the Russian International Travel Monitor (RITM) released by Hotels.com yesterday.

In 2012, 35.7 million tourists from Russia travelled internationally, up from just 7.7 million in 2006. Thailand, in particular, has seen a sharp increase in Russian visitors in the past few years. This is reflected in the RITM, with two Thai destinations coming in the top 20 – Phuket at No. 11 and Koh Samui at No. 16.

The study also found that more than 75 per cent of hotels in Thailand experienced an increase in Russian visitors this year, and more than 90 per cent are expecting an increase over the next three years.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Russia is currently Thailand’s largest European source market. In 2012, 1.3 million Russians visited Thailand, and this is expected to increase by about 28 per cent per cent this year, to reach 1.7 million.

Johan Svanstrom, president of Hotels.com, said: “The meteoric rise of Russia’s outbound travel market is providing a welcome boost to hoteliers worldwide, with Russians among the highest spenders on hotel rooms globally.

“The rising size and spending power of middle class Russian travellers is a key driver behind this growth. Standing 104 million strong today, the group is set to account for 86 per cent of the country’s population by 2020, with a combined spending power of US$1.3 trillion.”

Apart from Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia have also recorded stellar growth from the Russian outbound market this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 21, 2013).

According to Hotels.com, hoteliers are now gearing up to welcome Russian travellers with tailored services like Russian TV channels, Russian-speaking staff and translated welcome materials.