INDIA will see the advent of two new airlines this year – Air Costa and Kairali Airlines, to take off in July and November respectively.

Air Costa, based in Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, is currently awaiting final approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). It has purchased one and leased two Embraer jets so far, and is shopping for two more to lease.

K N Babu, CEO, Air Costa, revealed: “We intend to link regional towns and cities with short-haul connectivity to ensure that these destinations are served adequately with air services.”

Meanwhile, LCC Kairali Airlines will commence operations from Kerala with five planes, connecting Bengaluru, Chennai, Mangalore and Mumbai with Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kochi. It will also run a service to popular diving destination, Lakshwadeep Islands.

K Praveen Kumar, chairman and managing director, Kairali Airlines, said: “Our tickets will cost at least 25 per cent less than other Indian carriers in the domestic sector.

“In the overseas sector, after six months of domestic operations, we will connect Kerala with the United Arab Emirates first, and then spread to other international destinations.”

DGCA rules stipulate that a new airline must be in operation in India for at least three years before it can apply to fly overseas, but airlines can sidestep that by tying up with an existing international carrier. Kairali has yet to announce the international airline it will ally with.

C. Nagendra Prasad, chairman, Chennai-based Travelexpress, commented: “Regional airline hubs are necessary for greater flight access for tourists and business clients to under-served cities and towns. Many south Indian cities are booming because of industrial growth and the demand is extremely high. The idea of regional airlines is probably the most feasible and economically viable proposition in Indian aviation today.”

THE Philippines Bureau of Immigration will launch a new Long Stay Visitors Visa Extension, enabling temporary visitors to extend visa validity by six months after the expiry of the standard 21-day visa.

Foreigners will be able to apply for an extension up to two times in Manila or at major provincial offices, at 13,000 pesos (US$302) each time plus a further 100 pesos for a security visa sticker.

Currently, visitors would have to obtain a 38-day extension after the standard visa expires, and then continue to apply for up to three more two-month extensions. Under the new scheme, the 38-day permit will no longer be offered.

Welcoming the measure, Eleanor Ng, director for tourism services at Marsman Tours, remarked: “It can be a tedious process to extend one’s visa once (tourists) are here…(The new visa) will make the process simpler and gives them the option to plan ahead for longer stays.”

Cesar Cruz, president, Philippine Tour Operators Association, said the visa would benefit business travellers “especially if this visa is valid for multiple entries”. Filipinos already holding foreign passports could also use the service, which would “entice them to stay longer in their country of birth”, said Cruz.

Raquel Calma Nakayama, managing director, Stars Travel, expects the Japanese market, to whom her company caters, will make use of the new facility. “Twenty-one days is too short for them…Backpackers come here for six months and stretch their budget.”

However, she pointed out that travel agencies were unlikely to profit from this, as business travellers were likely to apply for the extension independently or have someone in the company process it for them.

She was also sceptical about the hefty price tag: “The fees are unreasonable. This discourages people from staying.”

Celine Clemente, president, Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said the new long-stay visa saved travel time and processing at immigration and potential markets for this service include foreign retirees, medical tourists and students who come to study the English language.

Like Nakayama, Clemente predicts that travel agencies will not earn much from offering the service. Furthermore, firms intending to offer it will have to obtain special accreditation at the Department of Foreign Affairs, as the latter wants to discourage fixers.

RESTRICTIONS on the import of fabrics threw an unexpected spanner in the works for The Sanchaya, a luxury resort that was slated to open in Bintan in 1H2013.

Styled as a grand colonial estate with lush landscaping and original furnishings and offering bespoke luxury, The Sanchaya will now welcome its first guest on November 1 this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 30, 2013).

Estate manager, Murlidhar Rao, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the booking function would go live on the resort’s website on July 1 and trial stays would be conducted in October.

“The delay was not due to insufficient funds. The Sanchaya is all about bespoke luxury, so everything in the estate is customised, from the fragrance to the dinnerware. We will even have an exclusive blend of tea by Ronnefeldt. It is not an option for us to buy fabrics off the shelves. So when we realised that we were not allowed to import fabrics, we had to send our designers to meet with local manufacturers to make what we need, ” Murlidhar said.

“We are not just another all-villa resort; there are many of these around. We are an estate and we want to evoke the elegance and grandeur of sprawling governor residences in India. Guests can play games like croquet and lawn bowls and indulge in English high tea, for instance,” he said, adding that an activity concierge will create programmes for guests.

Room rates are expected to begin at US$660 plus taxes, and will include express immigration and custom clearance at Bintan ferry terminal, transfer, breakfast, Wi-Fi access and maxi-bar access.

The Sanchaya will leverage its membership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and Secret Retreats to reach out to travellers and travel consultants, aiming for a 35 per cent sales contribution from travel consultants, 11 per cent from international wholesaler and 44 per cent from direct bookings.

Explaining the importance of travel consultants, Kris Marthin, director of sales and marketing, said: “Statistics from the latest visitor survey conducted by Bintan Resorts International shows that 32.5 per cent of travel arrangements were made through travel (consultants) while 29.5 per cent were made direct through hotels. We will continue to (build) a good relationship with travel (consultants) from across Asia.”

The property will also court high-end, small-sized meeting and incentive groups for its weekday business.

THE Australian state of Victoria is aiming to increase its number of Indonesian arrivals by 5.7 per cent annually to reach 70,000 arrivals a year by 2021.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Victoria’s minister of tourism and major events, Louise Asher, said: “Tourism is very important for the Victorian economy. It is a A$15.9 billion (US$14.7 billion) industry for us, the second biggest industry after education.”

She said that while Indonesia was still a small source market, arrivals in fiscal year 2012/2013 until March 2013 registered 43,000. However, the state expects arrivals to grow 5.7 per cent annually through to 2021/2022 and Indonesia to become the state’s third fastest-growing market.

“Indonesia is an important and growing source of tourists to Victoria. Melbourne’s strong calendar of events, stylish city experiences and the ease of access to nature-based attractions on the city’s doorstep appeal to the increasingly discerning Indonesian traveller,” she said.

The minister was in Jakarta recently as part of the Victoria government’s Super Trade Mission, having made pit stops in Kuala Lumpur (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 18, 2013) and Singapore as well.

Asher said of the Super Trade Mission: “The tourism sector programme seeks to provide Victorian delegates with the platform to explore new commercial opportunities, gain market insights and meet local travel partners and media.”

GARUDA Indonesia will install a new service system on June 29 as part of the airline’s transformation and expansion programme, called Quantum Leap, and also to prepare for its admittance into the SkyTeam alliance (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 7, 2013).

The airline will apply Amadeus’ Altéa Passenger Services System in place of Garuda’s Automatic Reservation of Garuda Indonesia, which the airline has been using since 1987.

Garuda Indonesia’s president and CEO, Emirsyah Satar, said: “In line with the growing number of passengers, flight frequencies and fleet size, Garuda needs to (improve its) system.”

He added that the new system was part of preparations the airline is taking ahead of its admittance into SkyTeam, which requires members to have a system on a par and integrated with other international airlines in the alliance.

The cutover process will take place from 21.00 on June 29 to 11.00 on June 30, during which time both online and call centre reservations will not be accessible.

The airline has advised passengers to make their reservations and purchase tickets before or after this period.

Although flight operations will continue as per normal, Garuda advises passengers to bring their printed e-ticket and arrive early at the airport during this period.

THE Ritz-Carlton, Bali will open its doors in 2014 offering 288 guestrooms including 10 cliff-top villas with views of the ocean.

Oriental Indah Bali Hotel Company owns the Ritz-Carlton, Bali, which is located in Sawangan.

The resort offers six restaurants and bars, including a cliff-side restaurant in a natural cave, a beach grill, an Indonesian restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, a pool bar and an all-day dining outlet.

Guests may also make use of the Ritz-Carlton Spa, a water sports pavilion and other recreational facilities.

For travellers who want to tie the knot in Bali, the resort comes equipped with two wedding chapels, a ballroom, three intimate function rooms and outdoor terraces for events.

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.