AS THE Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) shoots to record highs in Singapore, the city-state’s tourist attractions are seeing smaller numbers and are taking measures to weather the haze.

The Singapore Flyer and DUCKtours suspended operations yesterday to protect employees after PSI readings hit a hazardous high of 371, saying operations would resume when conditions improve. They remain closed today.

Gardens by the Bay had ceased the running of outdoor activities like the Garden Cruiser tram and the seven-storey high Supertree aerial walkway since the PSI exceeded 100 earlier this week.

According to a Gardens by the Bay spokesman, visitor numbers have “declined” and the attraction is now distributing free masks to visitors.

Clement Ng, assistant communications manager of Resort Worlds Sentosa (RWS) said there were “fewer visitors” to the Adventure Cove Waterpark. Though all attractions remain open at RWS, the park has “tweaked the format” of the outdoor shows at Universal Studios Singapore.

At the four attractions under Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), namely – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, Singapore Zoo, and River Safari – WRS has observed a “small dip” in visitor numbers as well.

WRS said in a statement that the health of park animals was being monitored, but all animals were presently “exhibiting normal behaviour with no noticeable adverse reactions”.

Meanwhile tour operators leading inbound groups to Singapore are adjusting their itineraries. Alicia Seah, senior vice president of marketing and PR, CTC Travel, said: “We have groups from Hong Kong who have been worried, but our local guides have kept this in mind and provided them masks and additional supply of mineral water.”

Seah added that for outdoor sightseeing tours of Chinatown, Little India and Merlion Park, subject to the tourists’ consent, CTC would suggest showing them these places indoors – from within the bus.

Singapore Changi Airport is also taking precautions against the reduced visibility brought by the haze by increasing the time between take-offs and landings, The Business Timesreported today.

The same paper quoted a Singapore Airlines source as saying flight operations remained unaffected, but the airline was prepared to divert flights to other airports should the situation deteriorate further.

DESPERATE to escape the choking smoke haze from Sumatra that has enveloped the country since last weekend, some Singaporeans are making last-minute travel bookings.

The National Environment Agency of Singapore posted an all-time high Pollutant Standards Index reading of 400 points at 11.00 today, a level within the hazardous range.

Alicia Seah, senior vice president of marketing and PR, CTC Travel, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the telephones at her retail offices “have been ringing off the hook since this morning”.

“While we usually get five calls in the morning, our staff today are taking around 30 calls. Customers are pressing for urgent departures this weekend or early next week to Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong – destinations that are not affected by the haze.

“As June is the peak outbound travel season due to the school holidays, most group tours are already sold out. Customers are undeterred and willing to fork out a premium for free-and-easy packages and last-minute airfares which are priced 25-30 per cent higher than those booked ahead of time.”

Seah said the bookings were for four- to seven-day programmes.

However, it is a different story at other outbound tour agencies.

Chan Brothers Travel spokesperson, Ivy Tan, said: “We are not seeing any last-minute outbound bookings perhaps because this is already the last week of the school holidays. People will have to take urgent leave should they wish to escape from the haze, and employers may not take well to urgent leave applications for such reasons. Moreover, the authorities have said that the haze will last for weeks. How long can Singaporeans stay away?”

Not only has Sam How, general manager at Asia-Euro Holidays, not seen any last-minute bookings, business at his retail outlet in Chinatown Point has been “very quiet, as people prefer to stay indoors and out of the haze”.

In the meantime, The Wall Street Journal reported that Singapore-based budget carriers such as Scoot, Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia were banking on the haze to offer snap getaway deals for travellers looking to escape.

CIRQUE du Soleil has linked arms with Brand USA to roll out its travel trade training programme in key international markets where the latter has offices, such as China and South Korea, to boost inbound US travel.

As part of the Cirque du Soleil Destination and Imagination programme, the entertainment company has developed a training manual, iPad app and seminar format training module.

Travel consultants who undertake the training programme, scheduled to launch in 4Q2013, will be recognised as Cirque du Soleil certified product experts.

“The purpose of this programme is to educate the tour operators, receptive operators and frontline travel personnel on how to package and sell a US Cirque du Soleil show experience to international travellers to the US,” said Matthew Boone, director tourism and international travel, Cirque du Soleil US.

“Presently, we have nine permanent shows in the US (eight in Las Vegas, one in Orlando) and 10 touring shows travelling around the world,” he added.

Boone also said that Cirque du Soleil planned to leverage Brand USA’s new marketing initiative, USA Live Entertainment, “to further promote to consumers the multiple live entertainment options available to international travellers”.

USA Live Entertainment provides a platform for outbound travel operators from around the world to ramp up their US product offerings with the best of the country’s theatrical productions, concerts and professional sports.

Entertainment acts such as Cirque du Soleil participate in this initiative by featuring in international tradeshows, training programmes, fam tours and direct promotions for retail to tour operators.

Brand USA has international offices in China, Japan, South Korea, the UK, Germany and Brazil. The NTO recently appointed BrandStory to represent its interests in the Hong Kong market and is preparing to launch an office there by 3Q2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 13, 2013).

It is also aiming to expand its presence to India, Australia and New Zealand within the year.

LAGUINDINGAN Airport in Cagayan de Oro began operations last week amidst hopes that it will become a gateway to Mindanao, but the trade has its reservations.

The 7.8 billion-peso (US$181.4 million), 7,184m² international standard airport operates on a daytime schedule with flights carried over from the existing Cagayan de Oro City Airport in Lumbia.

ZestAir launched flights from Manila to Laguindingan Airport on June 15, flying thrice daily.

There are currently no filings for international flights out of Laguindingan in the foreseeable future, according to the Civil Aeronautics Board, but Department of Tourism (DoT) assistant secretary, Benito Bengzon Jr, said: “We see Laguindingan Airport as a gateway into Mindanao, and we expect it will get international operations by 2014. The international passenger terminal will be ready to accommodate up to about 1.6 million passengers a year.”

DoT projects that Cagayan de Oro will become the Philippines’ sixth most important gateway by 2016.

However, not all were enthusiastic about the new facility. Erlinda Tan, operations manager, JLT Travel & Tours, pointed out: “Lumbia Airport is 13km away from the city, Laguindingan is about 30km.”

Tan noted this lengthened travel time for transfers and would increase overall costs. The distance could be a problem for visitors hoping to transfer to other destinations if flights were delayed. For instance, the daily ferry service from Cagayan de Oro to Camiguin leaves at 08.00.

Furthermore, Cagayan de Oro’s tourism reputation remains affected by security issues far away. “The main problem remains with the travel advisories issued in the EU, US, and Australia,” says Willy Alcantara, local tours supervisor at House of Travel.

“If something is happening in Basilan or Jolo, even if they’re so far away, all Mindanao is affected, because the advisory is (for all of) Mindanao. That’s a setback for the industry that can kill businesses.”

AUSTRALIA’S Foreign Investment Review Board has announced that it would not object to Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) intention to increase its stake in Virgin Australia by 9.9 per cent.

The board’s approval now allows SIA to complete the purchase of the 9.9 per cent stake for A$122.6 million (US$113.2 million).

The transaction, which is expected to finish by the end of the coming week, will double SIA’s initial 10 per cent stake in Virgin Australia to 19.9 per cent.

Earlier this year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission also approved Virgin Australia’s plan to acquire 60 per cent of Tiger Airways Australia (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 24, 2013).

HYATT Hotels intends to deepen its footprint in India by adding 15 more Hyatt Regency hotels by 2016 and roll out three more brands locally.

Currently, the company has 17 Hyatt properties or 4,900 keys in the country, of which six are branded under Hyatt Regency.

Hyatt Regency Gurgaon debuted last week (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 18, 2013) and will be joined by Hyatt Regency Ludhiana, Hyatt Raipur and Hyatt Place Pune Hinjewadi later this year, the three adding 400 rooms in total.

The hotel giant has launched only four of its seven brands in India – Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency and Hyatt Place – but intends to introduce Andaz, Hyatt House and Hyatt to the market soon.

Hyatt Hotels has 50 ongoing projects in India and intends to open hotels in key business and leisure destinations, having identified metro, Tier Two and Tier Three cities for development, according to Dhruva Rathore, vice president, Hyatt Hotels.

Anil Punjabi, director-eastern region, Travel Agents Federation of India, said: “Ever since the first Hyatt Regency was opened in New Delhi 30 years back, the brand has done well, carving their niche in a competitive and growing hotel market. Additional properties will add good quality, branded room inventory and help in attracting leisure, corporate and MICE clients.”

Arun Verma, director, New Delhi-based Allways Travel, commented: “The opening of Hyatt brand hotels in Tier Two and Tier Three cities will be a success. These are high-growth areas in India and (hotel openings) should help increase footfalls in such cities because the dearth of branded room capacity in the past has been a deterrent to both business and leisure travel.”

AIRLINE ticketing distributor Hahn Air wants to grow its presence in Asia as it foresees “big demand” from regional travel consultants for its services.

Hahn Air’s core business is supplying travel consultants with an e-ticketing platform that enables them to issue tickets for more than 260 partner airlines via all major GDSs.

The company also assists travel consultants in the resolution of possible plating problems, for instance where use of the Billing and Settlement Plan is not available. Such assistance is free for travel agencies and Hahn Air’s profits are derived from airline service fees.

Travel consultants and their clients who book through Hahn Air are automatically insured against flight cancellations. Ralf Masermann, director, global account management, Hahn Air, explained: “In case a passenger is affected by the insolvency of one of Hahn Air’s over 260 partner airlines, Hahn Air and its insurance partner will vouch for a full refund of the unused part of the ticket, including taxes.”

The company also operates executive charter services with its single business jet that can take up to seven passengers at any one time.

Speaking on Hahn Air’s intention to court Asia’s travel consultants, Masermann said: “We want to be closer to Asia so that the agents here will know that we are really 100 per cent accessible to them.”

Last month, Hahn Air opened its first service desk in Manila. The third after Frankfurt and Uruguay, the facility provides 24-hour support regarding Hahn Air’s services.

Hahn Air currently has an established presence in 190 countries worldwide and cooperates with 260 airlines and 91,000 travel agencies.

Still, Masermann noted that travel consultants in Asia were unfamiliar with Hahn Air’s services despite their need for it, which was why Hahn was aiming to expand into Asia.

Highlighting India, Japan and Singapore as Hahn Air’s top priority countries in the region, he said: “We want to get better acquainted with the consultants here to share the benefits with them.”