SINGAPORE’S transport minister Lui Tuck Yew yesterday announced that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) would be setting aside S$2 million (US$1.6 million) to aid airlines in developing self-service solutions at Singapore Changi Airport.

Speaking at the Aviation Community Reception 2013 last night at Marina Bay Sands, Lui said that the Airport Productivity Steering Committee, a collaboration between CAAS and airport stakeholders, had “rightly identified that it would be more sensible to deploy scarce manpower to areas where the personal human touch is needed”.

The fund would go towards letting airlines “trial the use of self-service solutions for passenger check-in and bag-drop”. Lessons gleaned from the trial would be improved for pilot initiatives to be rolled out on a larger scale at Changi.

CAAS has also earmarked some S$10 million for improving baggage handling for narrow body aircraft.

According to local broadsheet The Straits Times, the two measures come under the Aviation Development Fund programme by CAAS, which was launched in 2010 and aims to promote the development and competitiveness of the local aviation industry.

VISITBRITAIN is focusing on Indonesia as a new growth market in South-east Asia, a move that will be catalysed by direct Jakarta-London flights scheduled to start later this year.

The NTO has categorised Indonesia as a “nurture market” or a territory with solid inbound growth potential where it does not yet have a local presence.

Initiatives will include consumer marketing activities, but there will be stronger emphasis on working with the local travel trade and forming commercial partnerships with key stakeholders such as Garuda Indonesia. The airline will launch direct flights to London Gatwick in Q4 (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 5, 2013).

Further support will be provided by British trade and diplomatic missions in the country, said Joss Croft, marketing director, VisitBritain.

“We’re providing tools for the local travel trade and training and development for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to allow us to enter markets like Indonesia,” said Croft. “We have a raft of tools in our toolbox including our digital platforms and our travel (consultant) training scheme, where we’ll bring buyers from Indonesia to the Hosted Buyers Marketplace in March.”

Croft added that the NTO was also keen to pick up insights on what motivates Indonesians to travel and what key packaged products would be able to sell.

For Britain, 21 key markets generate 75 per cent of inbound tourism spending, with many of the remaining territories to be categorised as nurture markets to build new growth. “If we do not activate that (remaining 25 per cent) then we will not meet our ambition of reaching 40 million arrivals by 2020,” said Croft.

Established markets in South-east Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore will continue to receive support via trade events such as Destination Britain and Ireland, held from May 14-17 in Bangkok, local British embassies and global marketing activities.

CHAN Brothers Travel is looking to capture and retain customers by offering personalised service through a new customer relationship management (CRM) system, which will be launched within the next nine to 12 months.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily yesterday, Anthony Chan, group managing director, said: “With this system, the minute you make an enquiry we will register you if you are a first-time (customer), and the next time you come back we will recognise you and your preferences in both online and offline channels.”

Chan said such a multi-channel system would be the first in the Singapore travel industry. “The minute you call, we will recognise you through your number and the consultant will greet you by your name and ask you about your last holiday. Based on your last booking, we can quickly offer you the right programmes to suit your taste.”

As for online, Chan said the company’s website would recognise every user based on his or her customised preferences, so that destination pages and advertisements would be tailored to the individual.

The project, which costs approximately S$500,000 (US$402,106), was rolled out three weeks ago and is still in its infancy.

Chan said: “It is getting increasingly hard to satisfy customers because their expectations are always getting higher. So it is important that we can attract them with our unique, personalised service so they will always come back to us.”

He also added that the agency would look into increasing the “experience element” in its tours. For example, a recent tour to Spain incorporated a visit to a gypsy’s home.

“This is an experience business, rather than just booking a hotel or tour. We want them to have a good feeling when they are with us, so we create experiences for customers that are memorable,” explained Chan.

AIMING to lure one million South-east Asian visitors to its shores this year, Japan is stepping up efforts to grow regional arrivals with the launch of the first Japan-ASEAN Travel Mart 2013.

A collaboration between the Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the mart will gather over 100 buyers from South-east Asia and key tourism officials, hotels, tour operations and attraction facilitators from Japan.

As part of the event, buyers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam were invited to take part in fam trips to Japanese destinations such as Hokkaido, Chubu, Shikoku or Kyushu from May 11-16. A gala dinner will take place on May 16, followed by inbound business meeting sessions the next day.

A Muslim Tourism Seminar is also scheduled to take place on May 17, covering market trends on Muslim travellers from Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as topics such as halal food. Over 150 Japanese stakeholders are expected.

The country has been on a drive to promote itself to Muslim travellers. A delegation from Kansai visited the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents headquarters in February to promote travel to the region (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 20, 2013) , while JNTO released a guidebook for Muslim travellers in March (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 19, 2013).

As of March 31, Japan has seen 200,000 arrivals from South-east Asia, said JNTO.

ACCOR’S upmarket Pullman brand has made its debut in Phuket with the opening of Pullman Phuket Arcadia.

Situated on Naithon Beach, the 277-key resort is located less than 15 minutes from the airport.

The resort boasts a range of F&B options: Elements for all-day fusion dining; Vero for Italian cuisine; The Deli for pastries; lobby lounge C Bar; main pool bar Azur Bar; and the family-centric Float Bar. Other facilities include the Fit Lounge and a spa.

Meeting planners can make use of Pullman Phuket Arcadia’s 389m² Arcadia Ballroom in addition to the property’s five meeting rooms and six outdoor function spaces, capable of hosting groups anywhere from 10 to 600 in size. The resort also has a dedicated events manager and IT solutions manager for event support.

“The Pullman brand is at the core of Accor’s upscale expansion plans and we are very proud to finally introduce this brand to Phuket. Pullman has been very successful in Asia, especially in Thailand where this resort will be the fifth Pullman property in the country,” said Patrick Basset, senior vice president for Accor Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines.

Accor has four other Pullmans in Thailand, with over 40 Pullman hotels and resorts in the Asia-Pacific region.

ASCOTT has deepened its reach in China, having secured contracts to manage two serviced residences in Wuxi after bagging a Nanjing property just last month (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 9, 2013).

The 134-unit Ascott Central Wuxi and 169-unit Somerset Wuxi are scheduled to open in the second half of 2015.

Ascott Central Wuxi is located in the Chong An District and is part of the Yunfu Mansion mixed development comprising retail outlets, restaurants and offices.

Somerset Wuxi is situated in the Bin Hu District near the city centre, new Taihu CBD and Wuxi New District where many MNCs are based. The property will form part of Vanke’s The Canal mixed development.

Both properties offer a range of units from studio to three-bedroom apartments and come with fully-equipped kitchens and separate work and sleeping areas. Residents can avail of facilities and services such as a gym, business centre, meeting room, breakfast and residence lounges. Ascott Central Wuxi will feature a swimming pool while Somerset Wuxi will offer a children’s play area and spa.

Lee Chee Koon, deputy CEO and managing director for North Asia, said: “Revenue per available unit for our serviced residences in China increased by four per cent in 1Q2013 compared to the same period last year.

“Strategically located in the Yangtze River Delta region, Wuxi’s economy grew by an average of more than 17 per cent annually in the last 10 years. It has also attracted foreign direct investment of more than RMB20 billion (US$3.3 billion) each year from 2008 to 2012. As Wuxi continues to transform itself into a thriving regional hub with a growing number of MNCs, large local enterprises and trade exhibitions, we expect strong demand for our international-class serviced residences by expatriates and local business travellers.”

He added that Ascott would open 19 more serviced residences in China by 2017.

THE UK market to Sri Lanka has seen an 18 per cent year-on-year jump in the first quarter of this year, which is anticipated to grow further following the return of British Airways last month (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 14, 2012).

The UK had been the top source market for Sri Lanka before it was upstaged by India a few years ago.

According to statistics from Sri Lanka Tourism released in early May, total arrivals to Sri Lanka from January to March grew 10.9 per cent year-on-year to 288,798, with the main markets being India, the UK, Germany, France and the Maldives.

The overall European market is also showing signs of recovery, industry officials said.

“The UK market is doing well, but I didn’t realise the rate of increase (was so high), which is good. This could also be due to many expatriate Sri Lankan Tamils who carry British passports and travel here to see their relatives,” noted Hiran Cooray, chairman, Jetwing Hotels.

However, other sources noted that British travellers were choosing to stay in cheaper accommodation.

Indian arrivals, on the other hand, recorded negative four per cent growth in 1Q2013 due to attacks on Sri Lankan pilgrims in Tamil-dominated Southern India (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 20, 2013), in turn triggering fears of reciprocal attacks in Sri Lanka for Indian travellers, although fears have not materialised.

Ahintha Amerasinghe, managing director, Worldlink Travels, said there were general expectations that the situation would improve regarding Indian visitors. “This is a huge market for us and hopes of a revival are high,” he said. A sizable number of Indian visitors include traders from the south who stay for two to three nights for business.

A NEW partnership between Lenovo and 3^rd Planet will allow travel and tourism players to reach users of Lenovo PCs, smartphones and tablets globally through the Wonders of the World app.

Lenovo and 3^rd Planet have signed an MoU to explore how the tourism industry can brand themselves through the app, which Lenovo will make available on their latest range of devices beginning 1Q2014.

Through the Wonders of the World app, users can explore travel destinations in a realistic and interactive 3D environment on their electronic gadgets, as well as share the 3D scenes via social media.

Terence Mak, CEO, 3^rd Planet, said: “With this partnership, tourism organisations participating in the Wonders of the World project will now have additional branding opportunities.”

“We will work with Lenovo to provide customised apps on the various operating systems within Lenovo’s range of products for the particular tourism organisation, featuring its brand and slogan, and direct users to the exact interactive 3D scene page of the country of city,” he explained.

“Tourism oganisations can also choose the specific markets they want to reach out to,” Mak added.

3^rd Planet recently launched the Wonders of the World app for mobile devices, part of the Wonders of the World Project, a global event that will allow the international tourism industry to showcase the best of each country’s travel destinations to travellers around the world in an interactive 3D environment (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 9, 2013).

AIRLINES around the world have begun deploying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on their routes again, five months after an All Nippon Airways (ANA) Dreamliner made an emergency landing due to battery problems (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 17, 2013).

Ethiopian Airlines was the first carrier to reinstate Dreamliners on April 27, according to news agency AFP.

Since then, United Airlines has announced that it will recommence Dreamliner operations in May, while Japanese carriers ANA and Japan Airlines (JAL) will return the aircraft model to service in June.

A press release from United said Boeing had already converted two of the airline’s six Dreamliners to meet US Federation Aviation Administration standards, and work would soon begin on the remaining four.

United will relaunch the Dreamliner on routes from Houston to other domestic hubs on May 20, and deploy the aircraft on its Denver-Tokyo service on June 10.

From Japan, ANA will restart its five-weekly Narita-San Jose service on June 1 with the Dreamliner, having suspended the route on January 18. It will also introduce the aircraft on three routes for the first time: Haneda-Taipei (Songshan) and Narita-Beijing from June 1, and Narita-Shanghai (Pudong) from August 1. The airline is scheduled to restore the Dreamliner on flights from Haneda to Frankfurt and Beijing from June 1.

JAL is also slated to restart daily services from Narita to Boston and San Diego on June 1 with Dreamliners, and launch its planned daily non-stop Narita-Helsinki route on July 1 also with a Dreamliner, after the route’s commencement was postponed in February.

The Dreamliner will be deployed on the following JAL services: Haneda-Singapore, Narita-Singapore and Haneda-Beijing from June 1; Narita-Delhi from July 12; Narita-Moscow and Haneda-San Francisco from September 1; and Narita-Sydney and Narita-Bangkok from December 1 and 2 respectively.

THE first Ramada property in Singapore will throw open its doors in four days’ time, placing a selection of indoor and outdoor event venues in the heart of the Balestier heritage district.

The four-star Ramada Singapore at Zhongshan Park is said to be the first international hotel of that category in the Balestier and larger Novena area, where the central business district is mere minutes away by train.

The hotel is armed with 540m² of meeting and banquet space, which will be filled by local and regional corporate events, according to general manager Tony Cousens.

“We expect 80 per cent of our business to come from Asia-Pacific, so we are targeting the powerhouses of Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Australia for our meetings segment,” said Cousens.

“There is a good catchment of companies (across Singapore) and we know that (corporate event planners) in the central business district want to come out here and not do their meetings in Orchard Road, where they will lose the attention of their audience. On top of that, more companies are seeking mid-market properties to conduct training events, and we have been getting a lot of interest from technology and banking firms,” he added.

The hotel’s meeting venues include the pillarless Balestier Ballroom for up to 300 guests in a theatre setting that can be divided into three smaller function rooms, and the Zhongshan meeting room that can seat 150 guests in a theatre setting and be converted into two separate rooms.

Besides indoor venues, event planners can also use Zhongshan Park, a tree-lined space next to the hotel that overlooks the iconic Sun Yat Sen Memorial Museum with capacity for 500-pax cocktail receptions, or the breezy terrace by the pool on the third storey, which can take 150 guests for standing events and no more than 100 for sit-down dinners.