ANTI-GOVERNMENT protests in Bangkok are unlikely to have a significant effect on Thailand’s tourism industry, according to travel specialists, however the risk of disruption will increase if the demonstrators dig in for the long haul.

Police said some 10,000 demonstrators gathered at Democracy Monument yesterday to protest against a bill passed by the lower House last week. The bill is up for approval by the senate next week, though many commentators think this unlikely.

Outbound operators and wholesalers are fielding an increasing number of calls from customers who are worried that the domestic political situation will affect their travel plans, but cancellations remain relatively low, Suthipong Pheunphiphop, president of Thai Travel Agents Association, told TTG Asia e-Daily.

“About half of the outbound operators and consultants we have spoken to are being asked to reconfirm whether they can still operate their tours,” he said. “Most of them insist they can. Cancellations are currently less than five per cent.”

Inbound tourism should also remain unaffected as most international visitors will have booked their trips months ago and the political problems should dissipate within the next couple of weeks to a month, he said.

“Most inbound travel consultants don’t expect a big effect from the rallies. Thailand often has protests (which don’t have much effect on other people). Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Association of Thai Travel Agents are working closely together to keep everybody informed of what’s going on. Hopefully this will be over in a week or so if the senate rejects the bill. Otherwise the demonstrations could last for a month.”

TAT in a statement yesterday advised tourists to avoid rally sites but said businesses, attractions and airports remained open, and said demonstrations have not spread to other parts of the country.

SPANISH hotel chain Riu Hotels & Resorts is diving into Asian waters with its first management agreement for a five-star hotel in Sri Lanka.

The tie-up with Aitken Spence Hotels will see Aitken Spence invest US$100 million in the 500-room, Riu-branded hotel, according to sources.

Construction on the first Riu hotel project in the Asia-Pacific region will begin in June 2014 and wrap up by winter 2015.

Aitken Spence’s managing director, Malin Hapugoda, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the project is coming up on an 11-hectare site at Ahungalla in southern Sri Lanka, where Aitken Spence had earlier planned to build a Six Senses hotel (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 15, 2013).

The project was eventually called off this year due to funding problems on the part of The Soneva Group (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 17, 2011).

Hapugoda, speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily in a telephone interview from London where he is attending the World Travel Mart, said Riu is also collaborating with Germany-based TUI Travel group to operate charter flights.

Flights will be serviced with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying between 200 and 300 passengers at a time, and expected to land at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport at Mattala in Hambantota district, which opened earlier this year.

Founded in 1953 in Mallorca, Spain, the family-owned Riu Hotels & Resorts has over 100 hotels in 16 countries across North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. The company has since begun rolling out a new brand of city hotels called Riu Plaza in 2010.

FAR East Hospitality’s (FEH) Peranakan-themed Village Hotel Katong is ready to open its doors tomorrow, with a mission to deliver a taste of Singapore culture as the flagship property of the Village brand.

CEO Arthur Kiong said: “The Peranakan culture is unique to the South-east Asia region and synonymous with the Katong precinct (where the property is located), and is one that fascinates both locals and travellers. There is so much more to Singapore than the usual same old Orchard Road. We know that the Singapore Tourism Board’s strategy now is to  promote the neighbourhood precincts and we are the answer to this strategy.”

To reflect the colourful Peranakan heritage of the surrounding Katong and Joo Chiat district in Singapore, all rooms in the 229-key hotel don vibrant Peranakan-inspired motifs, paintings and carpets.

To literally provide guests a local flavour, Kiong added that the hotel’s Katong Kitchen whips up an array of dishes reflective of the district – including Nonya and local fare like chap chye (mixed vegetables) and Katong laksa (spicy noodle soup).

Village Hotel Katong is a 10-minute drive to Singapore Expo and a 15-minute drive from Singapore Changi Airport. Kiong said he expects the the bulk of guests to come from corporates, due to the hotel’s location.

“We are targeting about 40 per cent business travellers, 35 per cent FITs and perhaps 10 per cent local Singaporeans for staycations,” he commented, adding that FEH aims to attract travellers on the Kangaroo Route who will “probably stay in Singapore for one or two days, and (the hotel’s) close proximity to the airport will be useful”.

Kiong predicts that FEH’s Village concept will appeal especially to the Australians and Japanese who enjoy such “unique cultural concepts”.

The hotel has five meeting rooms, the largest of which can seat 150 in theatre style. Other hotel amenities include complimentary Wi-Fi access, airport shuttle service, cable TV, swimming pool and gym.

ROADS and attractions in the province of Bohol have reopened and a recovery plan for Cebu and Bohol is in the works, as the region’s tourism industry gets back on track following the recent earthquake disaster.

According to a statement issued by the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DoT), attractions such as the Loboc River Cruise, Tarsier Habitat and Chocolate Hills Adventure Park have begun welcoming visitors once again.

Roads leading to tourist places of interest are also now passable, with roads from Tagbilaran City to Carmen via Corella already open to cars and vans.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged to support the recovery of Bohol and Cebu through the development of a recovery plan.

The plan includes a communication strategy to bring back the confidence of domestic and international travellers and of the communities, the assessment of tourism infrastructure and assets to be prioritised for rehabilitation by agencies concerned, international donors, development partners, national and local government agencies, and the private sector.

It also extends to product development for new tourism circuits, governance programmes, and long-term initiatives to sustain growth, mitigate risk of crises and increase preparedness of tourism destinations in the event of disasters such as the recent earthquake (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 16, 2013).

DoT has postponed the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s 5^th World Ecotourism Conference, originally scheduled to take place in Cebu and Bohol between November 13 and 15, to 1Q2014 (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 30, 2013).

DETERMINED to have a cut of the lucrative MICE business, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City Government has this year established the Meeting & Event Promotion Office and entrusted it with destination promotion and event bidding responsibilities.

Vincent Tseng, director-general of Kaohsiung City Government, explained: “Kaohsiung has been attracting small meetings for years, but the recent Asia Pacific Cities Summit in September really warmed up the city’s pursuit of large-scale international meetings.

“We were also encouraged to establish this office because of the new Kaohsiung Exhibition and Convention Center which opens next year. Two major trade events are already confirmed ­– the Taiwan International Fastener Show and the Taiwan International Boat Show. The city never had a dedicated convention and exhibition centre. This office will help local PCO/PEOs bid for events to fill the new venue.”

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of the ongoing 52^nd ICCA Congress in Shanghai, Alice Chou, director of the Meeting & Event Promotion Office, said Kaohsiung Exhibition and Convention Center has the potential to host many more marine-related trade events as it is located along a deep, natural harbour and allows boats to be brought into the exhibition space.

According to Tseng, the city has also gained additional ammunition for MICE promotions through the merger of Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County in 2011 to form Greater Kaohsiung.

Part of the new metropolis is the Asian New Bay Area, where the Kaohsiung Exhibition and Convention Center sits along with several other facilities that will open progressively over the next two years. They include Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural & Popular Music Centre, which will boast an outdoor theatre for more than 12,000 pax and nine indoor halls; Dadong Culture & Art Center, which will offer an 800-seat theatre and a 200-seat music hall; as well as a library, a cruise terminal and several hotels.

Tseng said: “Kaohsiung now has a lot more land to develop new hardware for business events. Attractions in the outskirts, now part of the city, will be used in enhancing pre- and post-show tours and incentive experiences.”

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide today announced the launch of Four Points by Sheraton Penang after extensive renovations and rebranding of the beachfront property.

Offering 220 rooms and suites, Four Points by Sheraton Penang is located on secluded beachfront in Tanjung Bungah. It is 45 minutes from Bayan Lepas International Airport and 15 minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage City of Georgetown, popular beach area Batu Ferringhi and Straits Quay, home to Straits Quay Convention Centre.

Guests will enjoy free Wi-Fi throughout resort premises, an outdoor pool with ocean views and a 24-hour fitness centre. F&B outlets include The Eatery for local and international flavours, and The Best Brew Pub featuring tasty snacks and a wide selection of beers.

For meetings and events, the resort boasts 1,100m² of flexible space across two ballrooms and a pre-function area with panoramic views of the ocean, all equipped with the latest audiovisual equipment. The largest ballroom, Pearl, offers over 500m² in space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Straits of Malacca. A professional events team provides support for all events.

To mark its opening, Four Points by Sheraton Penang has rolled out a special introductory rate of RM199 (US$63) per night in a Deluxe Room for stays between now and March 31, 2014.

The deal includes double SPG Starpoints, 20 per cent off F&B, and free in-room Wi-Fi Internet access.

TAUZIA Hotel Management has dropped its dynamic pricing policy in favour of a fixed rate system for its budget chain Pop! Hotels.

Rates at Pop! Hotels are classified according to time of the week – weekday or weekend – and time of the year. However, rates will be fixed throughout the week in some areas including Jakarta.

Marc Steinmeyer, president director of Tauzia Hotel Management, said the change from dynamic pricing, which can fluctuate at any time according to occupancy and season, to fixed rates, was in the interests of ensuring consistency in product and services.

“Customers who want to book a room today do not need to worry that price may change next month or the following month,” he explained.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening of Pop! Hotel Tebet, Jakarta recently, he said the dynamic rate system applied by airlines and hotels today do not guarantee that travellers would get the best rate by booking long before date of travel or stay.

“Customers will be disappointed if they buy an air ticket long before their travelling dates and later find cheaper, last-minute offers,” said Steinmeyer. “On the other hand, if they wait till the last minute to book, there may not be such an offer, the price becomes higher or there are no more seats available. Travellers face uncertainty. We want to change this.”

Steinmeyer shared that the fixed rate system would be applied to Pop! Hotels and the impact evaluated before Tauzia decides whether to implement it at the company’s other brands.

Tauzia now operates seven hotels under the Pop! brand, with 26 more under construction and due to open progressively through to 2015.

Irene Janti, brand director for Pop! Hotels, said the rates at Pop! Hotels this year fell below 400,000 rupiah (US$35.40), and prices for 2014 had not been confirmed.

THE tourism and business event sectors in Shanghai will benefit from the city’s hosting of the 52^nd ICCA Congress, said local tourism leaders at the event’s opening session on Sunday morning.

Du Yili, vice chairman of China National Tourism Administration, said the congress, which features four days of educational sessions led by meeting specialists from around the world and business exchanges, will enable China’s MICE players to “learn from other destinations and raise the standards of the industry”.

“I hope that (overseas attendees) will also gain a better knowledge of China’s MICE facilities and resources (through this congress),” said Du during her welcome address.

The 52^nd ICCA Congress has drawn up to 930 delegates from 60 countries – the largest attendance for an edition hosted outside of Europe. Of these attendees, 230 are first-time participants.

Describing China’s MICE industry as having “entered a new era of development”, Du said: “Cities across China have seen an improvement in MICE standards. In 2012, convention and business footfalls exceeded six million and made up a major portion of total tourist arrivals.

“The country has placed greater importance on tourism development (and) recognises that this industry plays a key role in job creation and the stimulation of domestic demand and economic growth.”

Yang Jinsong, chairman of Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, believes that the congress will raise the awareness and popularity of Shanghai as a destination for both leisure trips and meetings, and enable the Chinese city to sustain the growth momentum of its meetings industry.

Underlining Shanghai’s business events capability, Yang said the destination offers “many exhibition centres as well as over 300 star-rated hotels that can cater to events”.

“When the National Convention and Exhibition Center in Hongqiao is completed (in 2015), it will offer 500,000m² of exhibition space and be the country’s largest venue,” he added.

The congress concludes this Wednesday and the next edition will be hosted in Antalya, Turkey in November 2014.