THE 2015 Cricket World Cup will swing into New Zealand and Australia, with seven cities from each country to host the tournament over the summer of 2015.

Appointed cities to host the tournament in New Zealand are Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin, while in Australia, games will be held in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

To run between February 14 and March 29, 2015, the ICC Cricket World Cup is one of the world’s largest sports tournaments and the flagship event of the international cricket calendar.

The coming event will feature 49 matches over 44 days, according to news agency Xinhuanet.com.

SINGAPORE’S events sector will get a boost in standards in the near future, as the International Special Events Society (ISES) gets ready to unveil a Singapore chapter within the next few months.

Benjamin Fox, general manager at Turning Point Solutions and president of the ISES Singapore Chapter, said: “It is a very exciting time for the local events sector because everyone is looking at raising the industry standards today, so this is an appropriate time for us to come in.”

ISES, which aims to “deliver creative excellence and professionalism in special events”, currently comprises more than 7,000 professionals across 36 countries. Hong Kong is the only country in Asia with an ISES chapter so far.

Fox said: “This will be an internationally-recognised platform that brings all the people in the events industry together, to network, advance their businesses and improve their quality. Members of this Singapore chapter will be able to participate in educational seminars and networking events.”

He added that ISES’ monthly seminars would raise topics such as risk management and how to ensure safety during events.

With six other committee members, Fox said he was targeting roping in at least 40 members once the chapter was officially up and running.

Open to “good and reputable” event specialists from all industries, Fox said annual membership fees started at S$500 (US$393) and would vary according to company size.

FOREIGN tourists to the Philippines are now able to stay up to 30 days without a visa, up from 21 days before, a recent implementation by the Department of Foreign Affairs that has raised cheers from the trade.

Effective today, the change is applicable for citizens of 151 countries with passports valid for at least six months beyond the intended length of stay and an onward air ticket.

While citizens of India, China and Taiwan are excluded from this, Brazil and Israel nationals remain eligible for 59-day visa-free entry in line with existing bilateral agreements with the Philippines.

Jaime Victor Ledda, assistant secretary of the Office of Consular Affairs, commented that longer visa-free stays could encourage more tourists and investors to stay as it removed “the need for them to report to immigration offices”.

“It will also give them more flexibility in planning and managing their schedules,” added Ledda.

The trade has welcomed the move as well.  “The additional nine days of visa-free stay is a big deal for both leisure and business travellers,” said Francisco Lim, general manager, Adkins Travel Agency, remarking that many of them needed to stay longer than 21 days.

He explained that the new rule would save tourists time and money in applying for an extension of their stay, which has a seven-day waiting period.

Kristine Mariano, sales and reservations officer at Amkor Travel & Tours, said: “The new regulation will definitely attract more tourists into the country, make them stay longer and plan their Philippine itineraries better.”

It is a “big relief” especially for longer-staying tourists such as students and foreigners with families in the country, she commented.

Mariano added a visa extension is also costly – 3,530 pesos (US$81) for a seven-day processing period or more for same-day processing.

PHU Bai International Airport in central Vietnam has been given the green light to resume operations on September 20, two months ahead of schedule.

The airport, located 15km from Vietnam’s ancient capital Hue, had shut on March 20 for a series of runway repairs and upgrades that were estimated to have cost between 500-600 million dong (US$23.5-28.2 million).

Part of the Vietnamese government’s plans to develop Hue and Vietnam’s central coast as key tourism destinations, the upgrades will allow the airport’s runway to receive larger aircraft and increases the airport’s capacity to five million passengers a year.

Vietnam Airlines has announced that it will resume operations to Hue with thrice-daily flights from Ho Chi Minh City and two daily flights from Hanoi.

Phan Trong Minh, general manager of La Residence Hotel & Spa in Hue, said: “Restoring direct access to Hue is a crucial step in enticing visitors and boosting the city’s profile.

“Now that logistical issues are out of the way, Hue can reclaim its place as one of Vietnam’s most alluring – and accessible – destinations.”

GARUDA Indonesia has been forced to postpone the launch of its Jakarta-London service as the runways and apron at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have been deemed unsuitable for heavy-duty aircraft.

The airline had initially planned to commence London flights on November 2 (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 5, 2013) via a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, but will now launch the five-times-weekly service in May 2014 instead.

According to a Garuda Indonesia press release, runways and aprons must have a pavement classification number (PCN), an indicator of strength, of at least 132 for the B777-300ER to operate.

Soekarno-Hatta’s 28-year-old runway is nearing “fatigue” with a PCN of 120.

For Garuda to continue with its flight to London under such conditions take-off weight would have to be cut through a reduction in passenger numbers and removal of cargo, and the airline would not be able to fly directly to London.

Said the statement: “Consequently, the implementation of this flight with these conditions in this competitive world of air travel would have a serious effect on the operational and business requirements of this route.”

VIETNAM-BASED Luxury Travel has raised the curtains on its new B2B website, which sells premium travel products and hotels across Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand.

Available at www.luxurytravels.asia in English, French, German and Spanish, the website provides access to Luxury Travel’s range of offerings, selling tips, quality pictures and free training through the company’s online modules.

The site’s real-time booking engine features hotels with the best available rates, transfers and sightseeing tours.

Said Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel: “I do hope this B2B site helps our consultants to better sell luxury travel experiences and allows them to tailor-make their own packages for their sophisticated travel clients without our consultation.

“Consultants are requested to register at our login page and be verified in order to begin utilising all the site has to offer,” he explained.

The company opened a US sales office earlier this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 4, 2013) and is venturing into the Latin America market (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 12, 2013), with the aim of attaining double-digit growth in 2013.

“To achieve this goal, if a travel consultant wants to start selling Mekong sub-region destinations, we provide sales support, training, selling points, sales tips, and host regular educational fam trips to help our consultants to become true travel experts in the region, and not just a common travel consultant,” said David Nguyen, director of sales and marketing, Luxury Travel.

“Our consultants also get a certificate identifying them as a luxury travel specialist after each trip,” he added.

HANSAR Hotels & Resorts will be expanding its presence in the Thai hospitality scene through the addition of three new boutique properties over the next 18 months.

Opening in the fourth quarter this year are the 24-room Hansar Pranburi and 39-room Hansar Khao Yai, while the 104-room Hansar Cha-am will make its debut end of next year.

The three properties were recent acquisitions by Hansar and are undergoing renovation works ahead of their relaunch as Hansar properties.

The group first established a foothold in Thailand through the opening of the 94-suite Hansar Bangkok and 74-room Hansar Samui over the last three years.

Hansar Hotels & Resorts are independently owned and operated.