PRINCESS Cruises has announced it will home port cruise ship Sapphire Princess in Shanghai from May 2014 and simultaneously introduce the cruise experience called Princess Class.

During the four-month season, Sapphire Princess will offer four different sailings to South Korea ranging from three to seven days. Three-day cruises will call at Jeju, while the seven-day itinerary will cover Seoul, Busan and Jeju.

The cruise line will also bring the Princess Class cruise experience to Chinese travellers, offering “customised services and onboard features that will inspire and enrich the travel experience of each cruise passenger”, according to a press release by Princess Cruises.

A spokesperson from the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission said: “As we celebrate the Year of Marine Tourism in China, it’s particularly fitting to welcome Princess Cruises as they enter China and bring exceptional travel options to our growing vacation market. We expect considerable growth in the cruise industry in the years to come, and we’re happy to support Princess Cruises as they expand here in China.”

Princess Cruises has offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

Sapphire Princess features 18 decks, 28 premium suites with private balconies, a casino, duty-free shops, a fitness centre and spa, sports deck, children’s and teen’s centres, a library, Internet café, wedding chapel, art gallery and a golf-putting course, among others, with a total capacity of 2,670 passengers.

Passengers on cruises sailing from China can partake in a variety of programmes including sommelier wine excursions, daily English high tea, tai chi and Zumba, and personal enrichment courses designed to appeal to multigenerational groups.

HONG KONG’S NTO and travel trade are putting together new incentives and programmes as they intensify promotional efforts to bag more MICE from Indonesia.

Simon Wong, regional director-South-east Asia, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), said: “MICE arrivals from South-east Asia have been growing at a 10.1 per cent compound annual growth rate from 2008 to 2012. Between January to March 2013, arrivals increased by 8.1 per cent year-on-year to 54,961 overnight visitors.

“Among South-east Asian markets, Indonesia is a key growth driver, recording double-digit year-on-year growth in 2011 and 2012.”

He shared that HKTB would participate in more tradeshows within the region, introduce more attractions and products, and incentivise travel consultants to bring in more MICE groups.

The NTO recently rolled out the Top Agent Award Programme in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to reward MICE consultants who promote Hong Kong. Running from June 2013 to January 2014, the scheme will distribute HK$400,000 (US$51,577) in prizes to the top performing consultants from each country according to three different categories – Top Number of Passengers, Top Number of Groups, Most Creative Itinerary – at the end of the programme.

Winners will also receive coop funding for marketing Hong Kong and a full-board trip to Hong Kong for the Global Awards Dinner in 2014.

Likewise, Hong Kong’s attractions and hotels are also swooping in on the increasingly important Indonesia market.

Ngong Ping 360’s manager for sales and distribution, Angela Sue, said the attraction had collaborated with consultants to further raise its profile for Indonesian visitors, and secured a tenant to provide halal food.

Meanwhile, Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong is hoping for a double-digit increase in Indonesian guests this year. Director of communications, Patsy Chan, said business from Indonesia’s MICE sector was “picking up” and that the hotel would participate in industry tradeshows, host fam trips and work with HKTB and sister property Shangri-La Hotel Jakarta for promotion opportunities.

“To take care of Muslim dietary requirements, we have a Malaysian chef prepare halal food with advanced notification, and we also get food directly from qualified suppliers,” Chan added.

TRAVELLERS are set to enjoy greater choice in Singapore with the entry of a new capsule hotel into the city’s hospitality scene early this month.

The Pod is an independently operated boutique capsule hotel that soft-launched on August 8, located on the refurbished top three storeys of a five-level building on Beach Road. This places it close to Singapore’s central business district as well as Haji Lane, one of the top shopping places in the city.

Alan Tay, director, The Pod, said the hotel served to “fill the gap” between budget and conventional full-service hotel, catering to travellers seeking a fuss-free stay, communal living experience and/or value-for-money boutique-style comfort.

When asked how The Pod differentiated itself from other capsule hotels in Singapore, such as Wink Hostel located in Chinatown, he said the hotel had no “exact competitors”, given its extra offerings of higher-quality amenities and service.

Each pod, for instance, boasts 300 thread-count sateen cotton sheets, while guests enjoy complimentary dry-cleaning and laundry, buffet breakfast, use of business centres and high-speed Wi-Fi connection.

Merely two days after its launch, the hotel hit an occupancy rate of 85 per cent on August 9, a public holiday in Singapore.

Guests hailed from various destinations, such as Indonesia, Thailand, China Australia, the UK, and even Singapore. Tay added: “We have had a good mix of guests so far, but we are looking more at the Asian market, given its rising middle-class population, and the increasing accessibility brought about by budget carriers.”

The Pod has partnered OTAs such as Agoda.com and Bookings.com, and will be looking at forging partnershps with local travel agencies to further drive bookings. It last week hosted an event for the trade.

The property features a total of 83 capsules priced from S$68 (US$53) for a single pod to S$98 for a queen pod. Each capsule provides a personal locker below with key card access, two pillows, a reading light, a fold-down table for laptop use or writing, a power socket, hangers and a clothes rack.

DELTA Air Lines plans to strengthen its connection between the US’ West Coast and Asia with the addition of a daily non-stop service from Hong Kong International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport beginning June 18, 2014, subject to government approval.

The service will utilise a 234-seat Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 34 full-flat bed seats in BusinessElite, 32 seats in Economy Comfort and 168 economy-class seats.

The first flight is scheduled to depart from Seattle on June 16, 2014 at 13.30 for arrival in Hong Kong the following day at 18.45, while the return flight will depart from Hong Kong on June 18, 2014 at 10.00 for arrival in Seattle at 07.55 on the same day.

Tickets will be available for purchase from August 24.

Delta has also announced the launch of a new service to Seoul commencing June 2 next year.

These new services to Hong Kong and Seoul will complement Delta’s existing services to Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo, bringing the number of destinations served in the Asia-Pacific to 17.

INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group will unveil its upscale boutique brand Hotel Indigo to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lijiang Ancient Town this autumn.

The 70-key Hotel Indigo Lijiang Ancient Town is located within the 800-year-old Lijiang Ancient Town, also known as Dayan Ancient Town, in China’s Yunnan Province.

Designed as a modern post house along the Tea-horse Trail, the hotel’s design infuses Naxi and Tibetan ethnic motifs and Tea-horse Trail references.

Room categories include Deluxe Rooms, Super Deluxe Rooms and a 360m² Presidential Suite.

The hotel offers facilities such as the relaxation zone Me Space, the signature all-day dining Chama Restaurant and tea lounge Chat, plus meetings and wellness facilities.

Hotel Indigo Lijiang Ancient Town joins the brand’s three other Chinese properties, with one each in Shanghai, Xiamen and Tianjin.

AIRASIA X yesterday announced it would increase the frequency of its Kuala Lumpur-Osaka service from four times weekly to daily come November 25, as part of the carrier’s growth strategy in North Asia and tactical emphasis on the Japanese market.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said: “AirAsia X is responding to the strong and growing travel demand to and from Osaka, Japan. The airline has recorded on average 81 per cent passenger load in the first half of 2013, proving the strong demand for the route since the commencement of its inaugural flight in November 2011.

“Overall, the airline has carried over half-a-million passengers to and from its Japan routes and Japan contributes over 14 per cent of the airline’s total revenue in the first half of 2013.”

He added that the timings of the new flights would provide guests with “flexibility in their travel with better connectivity”.

To mark the additional flights, AirAsia is dangling promotional fares from as low as RM299 (US$90) for economy fares and RM1,399 for premium fares on travel from Kuala Lumpur to Osaka.

Promotional fares can be booked online from today until September 1 for travel between December 16, 2013 and June 30, 2014.

From left: Catherine Sum and Stella Chan

THE Langham, Hong Kong has appointed two new directors of sales for the MICE and leisure markets.

Stella Chan has been named director of sales–leisure and will be responsible for exploring new business opportunities, developing potential markets and enhancing relationships with business partners.

The hospitality sales veteran with 13 years of experience had previously held a number of senior positions at sister properties Langham Place, Mongkok and Eaton, Hong Kong.

Catherine Sum is now director of sales–MICE. She also chalked up 13 years of experience in hospitality sales with luxury hotels in Hong Kong such as Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.

Sum was last director of business development-corporate for Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong.