HONG Kong’s financial secretary, John C Tsang, yesterday outlined the territory’s plan to strengthen tourism, which includes increasing hotel room supply, building new attractions at Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as boosting the city’s capabilities as a cruise hub.

“To sustain the healthy development of the tourism industry, we need to devote more efforts to enhancing tourism infrastructure, hotel supply, market promotion, service support (and so on),” he said.

Tsang reported that measures were being taken to increase the number of hotel rooms in the city, such as providing “hotel only” sites. As of end-2012, the Lands Department had approved 13 applications for redevelopment or conversion of industrial buildings, he said, revealing that some 10,000 new rooms would come on stream over the next two years.

In addition, some HK$2.3 billion (US$296.5 million) will be loaned to Ocean Park for early commencement of the all-weather Water World project at Tai Shue Wan, while Disneyland will launch a new night parade and a first-of-its-kind themed area featuring Marvel heroes in the coming years.

With the opening of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in mid-2013, Tsang added that the authorities were working with Hong Kong Tourism Board, neighbouring ports and the travel trade to develop new itineraries and attract more high-spending cruise trip visitors.

Feeling the heat from neighbouring cities, Hong Kong would also “take the initiative to seek to host more mega events”, said the financial secretary, while continuing to sponsor major international events, such as the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival and the Hong Kong Open Championship golf tournament, through the Mega Event Fund. Large-scale events hosted by local non-profit organisations will also be subsidised.

SOUTH-east Asia’s LCCs could raise as much as US$750 million in total through initial public offerings (IPOs) this year, predicted Malayan Banking’s investment bank.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Thai Airways International-backed Nok Air, Bangkok Airways, Indonesia AirAsia and AirAsia X are preparing to be listed on the market.

Maybank Kim Eng’s CEO, Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, made the estimate in an email to the news agency, marking the biggest year for IPO deals since 2010.

He said LCCs were the “biggest beneficiaries of the growth in air travel” and “tend to enjoy premium valuations when compared to legacy full-service carriers”.

“Asia is the fastest growing market for air travel globally,” he added. “Airlines in Asia are seen as offering better returns, and hence investors across the globe have a strong appetite for listings out of Asia.”

The same Bloomberg report stated that carriers were betting growth potential in Asia would be enough to convince investors to overlook share declines by other LCCs that have gone public.

Tiger Airways and Cebu Air sold shares in 2010, only to lose steam and share price over time – Tiger shares have tumbled 51 per cent since its January listing in Singapore that year, while Cebu has dropped 47 per cent since its Manila debut in October 2010.

LEADING DMC Pacific World has established a strategic partnership with a local inbound expert, Kims Travel, to expand into the growing MICE destination of South Korea.

The move is part of Pacific World’s strategic thrust to increase presence in emerging MICE markets.

In 2011, UIA statistics ranked South Korea as the sixth most popular country and Seoul the fifth most popular city for international meetings, topping cities like Berlin and Tokyo.

Founded in 1991, Kims Travel specialises in the arrangement of ground services for large congresses and conferences.

Harsha Krishnan, strategic development director, Pacific World, said: “South Korea is a top-class meetings and incentives destination, and with the expansion of Pacific World into South Korea, we are now able to deliver outstanding experiences to our clients in this new destination.”

Chun C Kim, CEO of Kims Travel and advisor to Pacific World South Korea, commented: “South Korea has become a much-coveted destination for international conferences, meetings and incentive solutions in recent years for its versatility. South Korea is a perfect venue for both small and large functions due to its cutting-edge IT technology, historical and cultural sites of many thousands years and last but not least, K-pop culture spreading like wildfire.”

DISPELLING reports of a hold-up due to security concerns, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity is set to open in April 2013, with its eye trained on MICE business.

Balan Paravantavida, general manager of the 523-room JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, shot down reports that hotel projects in the district were facing delays pending clearance from civil aviation authorities (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 15, 2013), saying that the hotel was “on track” for an April opening.

“Aerocity will become a destination in itself. The 11 hotel projects will offer 5,500 additional hotel rooms, which is going to be a plus point not only for New Delhi but for India as well. We can now compete with Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok or any other city,” he said.

The property has been booked for a number of big conferences and conventions in April and May. “We will be targeting US, European, Japanese and South Korean markets as far as MICE is concerned,” Balan shared.

JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity will have one of the largest meeting and conference facilities in the region, offering 2,302m² in meeting space, including the 1,210m² Grand Crystal Ballroom and eight meeting rooms spread across two levels.

The ballroom and meeting rooms are fitted with state-of-the-art technology, a 41.8m² pre-function area and a professional event planning team, Balan added.

Apart from MICE, the property will also target FIT and leisure segments, banking on its F&B offerings as another USP. The property will house an all-day dining restaurant, lobby lounge, bar, poolside bar, Japanese restaurant, bakery and patisserie.

AUSTRALIA-based Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) is planning to open four hotel management schools in India.

Two schools will be rolled out by 2Q2014 as part of the first phase, with two more to come later. Although the location and opening date for the first school has not been confirmed, industry sources say the schools may be built in New Delhi, Chandigargh, Pune or Mumbai.

The schools will offer two-and-a-half-year bachelor’s and two-year master’s degree programmes in hotel management, with majors in hotel and resort management, and also international event management.

Guy Bentley, CEO, BMIHMS, said: “Students from India constitute 10-12 per cent of the total number of students at our schools. We see it as a great opportunity to launch our schools in India.

“In addition, the growing Indian hospitality industry shows a lot of career avenues for students. The various hospitality courses that our schools offer not only ensure a successful career, but at the same time, bridge the human resources gap in the hospitality industry.”

Currently, BMIHMS runs courses in Australia, Chile, China, Japan, Latin America, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand.

C Nagendra Prasad, chairman, Travel Express said: “There is a severe dearth of well-trained manpower in India’s hospitality sector and the whole tourism industry in general. Considering that tourism is likely to be India’s largest employment generating sector, it is imperative that reputed management schools like BMIHMS open campuses in India and grow the pool of skilled labour.”

THE Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) is estimating a significant 20 per cent increase in sales over 2012 at its recently concluded Philippine Travel Tour Expo 2013, where takings were buoyed by the favourable exchange rate and a dramatic rise in domestic travel.

Aileen Clemente, PTAA’s outgoing president, said 2012’s receipts had totalled 310 million pesos (US$7.7 million), while there were eight per cent more exhibitors this year compared to 2012.

She added that longhaul travel had become more attractive because of the peso’s rise against the greenback, as well as package discounts of up to 20 per cent at the fair, which was held between February 15 and 17.

Clemente pointed out that this year’s show offered a mix of traditional and upcoming destinations, with new regional hotspots such as Johor Bahru, Bhutan, Nepal, Jogjakarta and Komodo.

Pacita Jose, managing director at Trusty Travel & Tours and PTAA executive vice president, remarked: “Visitors came with money in their pockets and with the intention to buy.”

This year’s expo saw more domestic exhibitors being added to the show, spotlighting nine local destinations for the year: Baler, Bataan, and Tuguegarao in northern Luzon; Mindoro; the Camotes Islands and Leyte, both in the Visayas; and Davao, Samal Island and Siargao in Mindanao.

The expo was also the launch pad for the Solaire Resort and Casino integrated resort in Manila, which opens its mall and casino area on March 16 and the 488-room hotel on May 1, as well as Cebu Pacific’s first longhaul air link, Manila-Dubai, launching in October.

Department of Tourism (DoT) assistant secretary, Benito Bengzon, Jr, pointed out in a pre-show briefing that domestic tourism “exceeded 30 million travellers in 2012 and provides the country with eight times what we currently earn from foreign tourists”. The DoT expects 35 million domestic travellers this year.

ANOTHER section of the planned pan-Asian railway network has been completed after seven years of construction, linking Yuxi and Mengzi in China’s south-west Yunnan province.

Xinhua news agency reported that the 141km railway is part of the eastern line of the network and became operational last Saturday, with a designed maximum speed of 120km/h.

The eastern line is also made up of the already operational Kunming-Yuxi railway and the Mengzi-Hekou connection that is still under construction, said Xinhua.

Hekou shares a border with Vietnam and will link both countries when it becomes operational at the end of next year.

The international rail project also consists of central and western lines, and will run from Beijing to Singapore when completed.