SHUN TAK Holdings, a household name in Hong Kong and Macau, is planning to establish its own hotel brand and management.

It is understood the brand would appeal to outbound Chinese tourists worldwide.

When asked why Shun Tak was keen to run hotels, managing director Pansy Ho told TTG Asia e-Daily: “If we are going to continue to build and invest in Macau or outside – and we all hear how Asia-Pacific, especially China, is going to grow – eventually there will be a market for it.”

“We figure we probably will not be able to build as quickly as we can in providing the know-how in managing hotels through our accumulated experience of over 50 years in servicing huge numbers of Chinese customers. We have that database and understanding of Chinese customers, so it is probably a good time to start the service,” said Ho, in an interview on the sidelines of PATA Annual Summit in Bangkok last month.

Ho added: “We’re setting up (management services) now. We have not gone down to the last details; we are beginning to amass a professional team of people.

“We will make an announcement soon and maybe (management operations will be up and running) within a year.”

Shun Tak’s core businesses are transportation, property, hospitality and investments, with a strong presence in Macau where it owns or has stakes in, among others, TurboJet, Macau International Airport, Air Macau, Macau Tower and One Central Macau, a mixed-use development that includes the Mandarin Oriental, Macau.

The group also controls 100 per cent interest in the Cotai project and is the sole developer of the site. It is building a Jumeirah hotel there and is exploring “the possibility of building two or three hotels in that same complex,” said Ho.

The company has started to expand into China. Last month, it acquired a project in Beijing Dong Zhi Men district comprising office and hospitality components. It also has participation in Beijing’s Tongzhou Integrated Development Phase 2.

–      Read how Ho envisions Macau’s future, TTG Asia, March 31, 2013

THE UK has debuted same-day visa application services at its high commissions in India, with plans to make the facility available in a handful of other countries in the near future.

Now in operation at the UK embassies in New Delhi, Mumbai and soon, Chennai, the same-day visa costs 600 pounds (US$912) more than that of a regular visa.

Applicants who complete an online application by 09.30 and receive approval can collect their visas by 17.30 the same day in New Delhi and 18.30 in Mumbai.

The UK government revealed that the service would also be available to travellers applying for a six-month or two-year multiple-entry visitor visa (excluding student visas) and who have previously travelled to the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or a Schengen country within the last five years.

Employees of companies that are members of the Business Express Programme who are travelling for business, may also apply.

Said Mark Harper, the UK’s immigration minister: “Using the ‘super priority’ visa service does not imply or guarantee in any way that your visa application will be successful. All applicants must meet the requirements of UK immigration rules.”

The UK’s biggest visa operation is located in India, processing about 400,000 applications each year and issuing 70,000 business visas annually in the last five years.

However, Rakesh Lamba, managing director, Prakriti Holidays, said: “Most regular business visitors to the UK already hold a medium-term multiple-entry visa. What purpose will a same-day visa issuance at an enormous cost serve? This will have marginal impact, as only a few people (who need to travel urgently) will use it.”

The same-day visa service will soon be offered in China, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.

JAPAN’S weakening currency may be the saviour of its once-faltering inbound tourism, as trade players at the inaugural Japan-ASEAN Travel Mart last week cited the yen as a major factor for the sector’s strong recovery.

Susan Ong, manager, Japan National Tourism Organization Singapore Office, which also oversees the NTO’s activities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India, shared: “According to agent feedback, two years on (after the March 11 Tohoku earthquake), there is a lot of pent up demand from people who have been planning to go to Japan, and who are now doing so due to the weakening yen.”

She also mentioned that a representative from a major travel agency in Singapore had reported a 40 per cent increase in travel demand for Japan thanks to the currency’s exchange rate.

Utumporn Suonchai, general manager of Bangkok-based Am Tourist Club, said: “There are a lot of Thai people visiting Japan now because of (the favourable exchange rate) and the number of (destination) promotions Japan has done. People are not afraid of radiation anymore. The increase has been about 100 per cent compared to (the same period in) 2012.”

She said it was hard to estimate how Thai outbound to Japan would fare in 2013, but hoped for a 30 per cent increase by the end of the year.

Japan’s inbound arrivals continue to display strong recovery, with total inbound arrivals spiking 34.6 per cent last year against 2011 to reach 8.4 million.

The country posted 2.3 million arrivals for the first quarter of 2013, or an 18 per cent increase over the same period in 2012.

GARUDA Indonesia began Bandung-Denpasar flights on May 18 in a bid to facilitate traffic between the two cities and connect Bandung with other Garuda destinations such as Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Garuda Indonesia’s vice president corporate communications, Pujobroto, said: “As Denpasar is one of Garuda’s hubs for flights to Australia, Japan and South Korea, travellers from Bandung can connect to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Tokyo and Osaka, or to Indonesian destinations like Lombok, Kupang, Makassar and Timika.”

The new route is operated with a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 156 seats comprising 12 executive and 144 economy class seats.

The flight leaves Bandung at 12.25, arriving in Bali at 15.05, while the return flight departs Bali at 11.00 to land in Bandung at 11.40.

Meanwhile, Batik Air, the full-service airline of Lion Air Group that launched on May 3, has introduced twice-daily services between Jakarta-Bali on May 20. The service is the carrier’s sixth route from Jakarta after Manado, Balikpapan, Ambon, Pekanbaru and Jogjakarta.

FIREFLY will face stiff competition from Malindo Air when the latter commences twice-daily turbo-propeller operations to Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Bharu out of Subang Skypark Terminal from June 3.

Malindo Air took delivery of its first ATR72-600 aircraft this morning with another three aircraft to be delivered next month, and a further two in September.

By December 2013, the carrier will have a total of 12 aircraft (Boeing 737-900ER) operating out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or klia2 – if the new terminal is operational by then – and six ATR72-600 turbo-propeller aircraft, flying out of Subang.

Malindo has started selling tickets for its services to Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Bharu, with all-in, one-way fares from RM69 (US$23).

Expecting competition from the new airline, Firefly launched its Everyday Low Fares campaign last Monday, to run for an indefinite period. However, Firely’s promotional fares appear higher than Malindo Air’s, with a one-way fare from Subang to Johor Bahru priced from RM79, Penang at RM123.95, and Kota Bharu at RM139.

Malindo CEO, Chandran Rama Muthy, said the ATR flights would initially connect Subang with secondary destinations within Peninsular Malaysia and certain points in Sumatra.

He said: “The turbo-prop operations will act as a feeder service to the jet operations, currently operating out of KLIA. We are talking to Malaysia Airports Holdings to provide public land transportation to link Subang and KLIA for the convenience of travellers.

“We are also revising upwards the (travel consultant) commission structure, which will be from three per cent of the base fare, for both jet and turbo-prop operations.”

Luxury Tours Malaysia manager, Ganneesh Ramaa, said Malindo’s new turbo-propeller services would add capacity and provide healthy competition for Firefly.

He said: “The three secondary routes – Penang, Kota Bharu and Johor Bahru – ­­are also business routes. Flying to Subang city airport will provide convenience to business travellers as it is close to Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas. They will save on transport as compared to landing at KLIA.”

SINGAPORE Airlines (SIA) and its subsidiary SilkAir have signed a codesharing agreement with Shenzhen Airlines, giving passengers a choice of two flights on the route between Shenzhen and Singapore.

According to the agreement, SIA and SilkAir will both add their codes to Shenzhen Airlines-operated flights, while Shenzhen Airlines will tag SilkAir services on the route with its code.

Shenzhen Airlines and SilkAir both run daily services linking Shenzhen and Singapore, with Singapore Airlines already currently codesharing on the latter.

Tickets for the codeshare services are open for booking.

ARCHIPELAGO International has begun welcoming guests at its fifth Favehotel, Favehotel Kelapa Gading, in the Indonesian capital.

The mid-sized select-service hotel is situated on Jalan Gading Indah Raya in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. It is located just behind Kelapa Gading Mall and a short distance from the Mall of Indonesia.

Favehotel Kelapa Gading offers 121 guestrooms and facilities such as LCD TV sets with 60 local and international channels, free high-speed Internet access, three meeting rooms and a café.

Said Norbert Vas, vice president of sales & marketing, Archipelago International: “We intend to add at least another 10 Favehotels to Jakarta’s existing five. Kelapa Gading complements Favehotel’s current locations in Wahid Hasyim, Kemang, Pasar Baru and Pluit, but we will soon open in Melawai, Sunter, Cideng, Tanah Abang, Grogol, Menteng, Glodok, Cililitan, Zainul Arifin and Kebayoran.”

Archipelago International earlier announced intentions to open 41 hotels by the end of 2013, to bring its total portfolio to more than 100 properties (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 14, 2013).