US and Italy ease visa applications for Chinese visitors

March 11, 2013

THE new streamlined visa application process for Chinese nationals applying to visit the US will help to stimulate more outbound growth from the market, said tour operators at last week’s Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF).

From March 16, Chinese nationals can go online to schedule their visa interview appointments, pay processing fees and check the status of their applications. Applicants can also pick up their visas at any China CITIC Bank branch instead of forking out money to have their passports mailed back.

Ivana Ren, operator, America International Travel Service US, which exhibited at GITF for the first time, welcomed the new initiative. “(Going online) is more convenient than booking interviews via phone.”

In 2012, the US mission in China processed more than 1.3 million non-immigrant visa applications, posting 34 per cent growth over 2011.

Ren expects the upward trajectory to continue with an increase in flight connections, such as China Eastern Airlines’ Shanghai-San Francisco service, beginning April.

Amazonas Viagens E Turismo, Guangzhou liaison office, sales manager, Marco Li, also believes that South America would also stand to gain, as Brazil is emerging as a hotspot for trade fairs. “In fact, it’s easier to obtain a travel visa (for South America) if visitors possess a US one,” he said.

However, Sea Gull Holiday’s marketing director and deputy general manager, Michael Tang, was less sanguine about the prospects. “The website is only in English, which limits its use to a certain audience, and we expect some Chinese will continue turning to travel consultants for assistance, especially because it is harder to apply for US visas compared to European ones. I (also) don’t think the new visa process would fuel outbound traffic robustly due to the high travel cost like airfares.”

Earlier this year, Italy also abolished its travel consultant visa application quota for Chinese nationals in January.

According to Voglia D’Italia Tour Italy’s deputy general manager, Simon Xia, the three Italian embassies in China saw over 100,000 visa applications last year, while he expects this change to result in 10 per cent growth for 2013.

India introduces prepaid card for tourists

By Shekhar Niyogi

March 11, 2013

INDIA unveiled a new Incredible India-Yes Bank Travel Card for inbound travellers at ITB Berlin last week, the first and only card launched in conjunction with the country’s NTO.

The card allows visitors to pay seamlessly in Indian rupee at shops or restaurants with point-of-sale terminals or to withdraw cash at ATMs. Able to store credit of up to Rs50,000 (US$920) at once, it can be bought and topped up at licensed travel agencies, Yes Bank branches, airport counters, money changers, hotels, airport kiosks, etc.

Rajat Sawhney, general secretary, Association of the Domestic Tour Operators of India, said: “In a country as large as India, most tourists travel long distances, and the Incredible India-Yes Bank Travel Card will provide safety, offer convenience in transacting and guard against loss of cash.

“Widespread availability to buy and recharge the card will also certainly make it a valuable accessory for inbound tourists.”

India’s tourism minister, K Chiranjeevi, said: “The ministry is committed towards creating a seamless tourist infrastructure and facilitating quality services to enrich the tourist experience. I am hopeful that initiatives such as the Incredible India-Yes Bank Travel Card will go a long way in fructifying this vision, and urge tourism stakeholders to come up with more of such innovative ideas to realise the vision of making India a world-class tourist destination.”

Korean Air’s Male-Colombo-Seoul flights lift off

By TTG Asia

March 11, 2013

KOREAN Air’s flights between Seoul and Colombo, Sri Lanka restarted on Saturday (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 7, 2013) as part of a triangle route including Malé in the Maldives.

The new thrice weekly flights depart Malé every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, operated by an Airbus A330-300 with 276 seats, including six first class sleeper seats and 18 sleeper seats in business class.

Chang Hoon Chi, president and COO, Korean Air, said: “It is a great pleasure for me to announce that Korean Air has restarted its service to Sri Lanka and has also extended the route so that it now flies to the Maldives.”

The flights depart Malé at 15.30, arrive in Colombo at 17.30 and depart Colombo at 18.50, touching down in Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at 06.10 the next day.

On the return leg, the aircraft will take off from Seoul at 22.40, arrive in Colombo at 04.10 the following day, leave Colombo at 05.40 and reach Malé at 06.40.

Japan and Taiwan tempt Singaporeans with budget joint itineraries

By TTG Asia

March 11, 2013

JAPAN’S and Taiwan’s NTOs are leveraging the services of Scoot and online travel organiser and accommodation hosting site Qiito to offer Singaporeans affordable two-destination itineraries.

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Singapore Office and Taiwan Visitors Association Singapore Office (TTB) have worked with the LCC to roll out a series of promotional prices on flights, promoting stopover routes between Taiwan and Japan. With Singaporean start-up Qiito, travellers can personalise their itineraries to both countries, which are three hours apart by plane.

As part of the deal, Scoot is offering fares from S$169 (US$135) to Taipei and S$218 to Tokyo via Taipei.

Qiito also offers up to 50 per cent off Taiwan homestays and bundled rates for selected hotels in Japan.

Langkawi’s charter incentive drives arrivals

By S Puvaneswary

March 11, 2013

MALAYSIA’S Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) is keen to attract more charters to the island, having launched the Langkawi Charter Flight Incentive Programme (LCFIP) early last year.

Through LFCIP, which runs until December 31, 2015, LADA will provide financial support to charterers for their flight promotions to Langkawi, as well as assistance in joint marketing.

Malaysia Airports Holdings, which manages Langkawi International Airport, also provides free landing and parking to charterers participating in the programme.

At press time, LADA had secured 32 charter flights for this winter season, an increase from 27 last winter, with confirmed carriers such as Finnair, Novair, SCAT Air, Eva Air and Korean Air, said Rosnina Yaacob, LADA’s tourism division manager.

She added that LADA had also intensified its marketing efforts in Europe. “Europeans comprised 30 per cent of the total three million tourist arrivals and day trippers to Langkawi in 2012. This year, our target is to grow European arrivals to 35 per cent and total arrivals, including day trippers, to 5.9 million.”

Ting Zhang, sales and administration manager for In Depth Tourism Marketing UK, the sales office for The Danna Langkawi resort, lauded the LCFIP for providing more opportunities to woo longhaul travellers, particularly the high-yield Scandinavian market.

Nasha Abdullah, managing director, Malai Adventure Malaysia, agreed: “Word of mouth marketing is very important for the Scandinavian traveller. They are also creatures of habit, with the tendency to return to the places they have gone before provided they had positive, memorable experiences.”

Hansar Bangkok raises curtain on new rooftop venue

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

March 8, 2013

AFTER garnering success with FIT and business travellers as a boutique hotel, the 94-suite Hansar Bangkok aims to net a greater portion of MICE business with the roll-out of the Rooftop Sky Terrace as a venue for events.

Mark Shrives, director of sales and marketing, Hansar Bangkok, said: “The sky terrace has existed all along, but it was like a blank slate before. Now we have spruced it up with more greenery and a cocktail bar that is only open during private events. A large roof will be installed over the bar, so that it will be seen from Ratchadamri Road.”

“Privacy and intimacy are the unique selling points of the Rooftop Sky Terrace. It’s often hard – and expensive too – to get other famed rooftop venues in Bangkok like (The Dome at) Lebua to close for a private event, but we are able to do that at Hansar Bangkok. Plus, our venue offers a lot of opportunities for customisation.”

Comprising both indoor and outdoor areas, the 19^th floor area can be completely closed off from the hotel’s public areas, offering a private space for functions and events of up to 200 pax. The hotel’s chef and events team can customise banquet menus.

The Penthouse, an indoor area measuring 201m² with double-storey ceiling, can accommodate up to 50 pax. It has a connecting kitchen that can be used as a feature show kitchen or closed from view as required.

Overlooking The Royal Bangkok Sports Club, the 441m² Penthouse Garden and Frangipani Bar form the adjacent outdoor deck, and can accommodate 200 pax.

The family striker

By Raini Hamdi

March 8, 2013

In Asia, many hotel owners are starting to transfer the authority to their sons and daughters. How will younger-generation hotel owners in the region shape the industry? Raini Hamdi talks to one of them and glimpses a different energy and perspective

Vitanart Vathanakul, Executive director
Royal Cliff Hotels Group & PEACH, Pattaya, Thailand

Are you and your brother now running the business completely?
Mum (Panga Vathanakul) has taken the MD/chairman position. Think of it as a football team – I’m the striker and my brother (Vathanai Vathanakul, 36, vice president) is defence.

Our responsibilities are clearly defined: I look after sales and marketing, business development and investment. My brother looks after operation, service, maintenance, engineering, etc. Sometimes there are overlaps of course. For example, if we’re building a new restaurant or improving on our design, I would give inputs based on market feedback, recruit a designer, then my brother would take over the responsibility for the contractors, engineers, etc.

So where’s mum in the football field?
She’s the coach, the manager. She also plays as well, in fact sometimes she comes in as the striker. My mum has always been a hands-on kind of person and has always taught us that, as owners, we can’t just stand back and let the GMs do their thing. We’re owner-managers, so we’re very involved in the day-to-day management, sales, reservations and so on.

Why are you the striker and your brother, defender?
My strengths are in presentation and sales skills. I enjoy meeting people. I’m energetic and an extrovert. My brother enjoys sales too and he’s not an introvert, but he prefers not to travel too much. He likes the service and operation part of the business.

It’s funny: growing up, I was actually shy and an introvert. For some reason, this changed as I grew. I’m still shy at heart though.

Are you close to your brother and do you both work well together?
Oh yes, he’s supportive. I’m blessed to have him as a brother. He’s the trailblazer for me; he led the way for many things in my life. I studied in the UK because he went there first when he was 11 and told me how great it was; that it wasn’t just the excellent education but learning multiple skills, sports, making friends from all over the world, understanding different cultures. I went when I was eight.

You’ve been in the role for three years now. Is it hard being back?
Yes, the transition was quite challenging. My education was not in hotels at all. I graduated in electronics engineering from Cambridge (UK) and my master’s degree was in physics.

Do you want to be a hotelier?
I always wanted to be a hotelier, but I always enjoyed those subjects – maths, science, technology – and my parents let us do what we wanted in college/university; we just had to make sure it was a proper subject, challenging and taught us analytical thinking. So when I chose electronics engineering, they said that’s fine, you could use the math skills and apply that to the business environment. I chose physics for my master’s because studying science in Cambridge was a dream.

How is the transition challenging?
When I came back, it was quite difficult to acclimatise in all sense of the word.

I have to use different skills now. While analytical skills still apply in decision-making, people skills are definitely needed. The biggest challenge is managing your team.

I also need multi-tasking and prioritising skills. Every day in a hotel is different.

Another challenge is delegating and trusting because I want to do everything myself. But sometimes, you have to say to the team, ‘help me with this’, and monitor their progress. It’s a steep learning curve.

So what’s the biggest strike you’ve made to date?
The biggest thing I did was set up our Internet marketing team. It was an area we lacked. Of course our sales managers were developing OTA distribution, but I needed fresh eyes to look at this in totality. I needed the young generation who is experienced in digital marketing to look at social media, OTAs, search engine optimisation, website optimisation, email marketing – the whole arena. My team of 12 staff in this department is the youngest in the whole Royal Cliff.

Our online sales rose in the first year by 30 to 40 per cent. I remember we had K-pop idols staying here in (January) 2011. Once we knew there were going to be over 20 bands, with the most famous K-pop stars coming over, we marketed it through social media. Within five hours of announcing it to the online community, we had over 500 rooms booked. I had to go to the reservations room and told the staff to relax – he was so tired because the phone calls kept coming in. Our fan base was 1,000. By the end of the K-pop programme, it was 5,000.

I think I’ve put in more youthfulness into Royal Cliff. When I came in, I also initiated projects such as our new restaurant right on the beach, Breezeo, and its ‘be yourself’ dining with fun things like a menu of over 100 cocktails. If you don’t like the 100 cocktails, there’s also a menu where you can create your own cocktail, choose your own liqueur, glassware, decoration, even ice.

I always emphasise the importance of creativity, being adventurous and taking risks.

“The younger-generation owners are very driven. We want to do a lot in a short time.”

And what’s a big mistake that you’ve learnt from?
Once, we had a lot of requests from bloggers to review the Royal Cliff. I declined them and I regret it to this day. I didn’t think I could get the best ROI from it. Some also felt the way I declined was rude, though I’m never rude to anyone. I learnt from that mistake, redeemed the relationship and they all came back.

I also can get impatient with business partners and we have unnecessary arguments. But I’ve learnt to be more patient.

Do you now see a younger-generation clientele at Royal Cliff?
Yes, we’re trying to tap the younger generation. I had a problem in that a lot of them felt Royal Cliff was unreachable – ‘a five-star plus product for my parents’. We’re saying, no, this is for young, sophisticated business travellers or for people who want to reward themselves and their families, and that it is reachable.

We’ve done a major rebranding exercise, from Royal Cliff Beach Resort to Royal Cliff Hotels Group, to emphasise that we have four different hotel products, one convention centre and 11 restaurants. And far from just a name change, we followed through with a one billion baht renovation and an investment on human resource training.

Do you meet other young hotel owners and how are you all different from the older generation?
Oh yes, there are lots of them in Bangkok and Pattaya. The younger generation is starting to take over from their parents. I studied with some of them and we now exchange notes.

In Pattaya, we meet for dinner sometimes, exchange ideas and do partnerships as well. I don’t see them as competitors. If I’m hosting a 10,000 pax convention, no way can I accommodate them all at Royal Cliff, so I always recommend this and that hotel.

The younger-generation owners are very driven. We want to do a lot in a very short time.

If you could build a hotel from scratch, what would you build?
I would put the Royal Cliff philosophy into it. It would emphasise the authenticity of Thailand and appeal to the younger generation. I would invest a lot in design and hardware because I understand today’s travellers are very intelligent. They may see that the room is beautiful online, but once they go and they touch it, they will know. I would never lie to my customers.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, March 8 – March 21, 2013 issue, on page 7. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Racing ahead as host countries

By TTG Asia

March 8, 2013

South-east Asia is garnering plenty of interest as a competition venue for international events, attracting both high-spending sports stars and their loyal followings

A muay thai fight in Thailand (Source: Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Thailand

Marathon magnet

Thailand is holding its own when it comes to grabbing its share of sports tourists to the region, going by the growing business being done by tour operators.

Go Thailand Tours (GTT), managing director, Raimund Wellenhofer, said: “There were only three major marathons just a couple of years ago, namely in Pattaya, Phuket and Bangkok. Thailand is getting increasing attention from international organisers for their Asian expansion, and international brands like Ironman 70.3 are now in Phuket.”

Offering sporting event packages through its subsidiary Go Adventure Asia – including transportation during events, accommodation and event registration – GTT has seen annual growth of 20-25 per cent since 2009, according to Wellenhofer, with European longhaul as well as Asian markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Japan as key client sources.

This year, GTT will head to Japan to promote Thailand’s running events among international athletes participating in the Tokyo Marathon, he revealed.

For Bangkok-based golf tour operator Golfasian, demand for golf event packages, such as its series of five Amateur Golf Week tournaments in Thailand, has been on the up, said director of business development, Pascal Orczech.

The company garnered robust year-on-year growth from its key source markets, particularly from Australia, which posted an eightfold year-on-year increase in business in January 2013.

Said Orczech: “Australia is showing such growth partly due to the strong Australian dollar, our strong partnership with Australian (travel consultants) and TAT Australia, as well as word of mouth by previous clients and the fact that Bali is losing its mojo for Australians.”

Thailand scores as the top golf destination among Golfasian’s portfolio, which includes Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, he observed.

Said Wellenhofer: “Thailand’s strengths lie in its potential to offer a lot of attractive add-ons for atheletes’ accompanying families to have holidays in the country when compared to Singapore, which offers very well-organised events but lacks the add-ons.”

TAT governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, said: “International sports events in Thailand undoubtedly draw a substantial amount of inbound visitors each year. These include not only athletes and sports officials, but also spectators who come in to watch anything from marathons and golf tournaments to snooker championships.” The NTO doesn’t track numbers, however.

Among the most prized events on the sporting calendar are the Thailand Golf Championship, Thai Fight, Laguna Phuket International Marathon and Ironman 70.3, all of which the TAT has provided budgetary support for. Sports celebrities such as Victoria Azarenka and Ryo Ishikawa have also recently played in Thailand, further stepping up the kingdom’s appeal as a sporting events haven.

Said Suraphon: “Hopefully through consistent government support, many of the events can be upgraded to be fixtures on the international circuit, but this goal requires great teamwork by everyone involved.”

At least one tour operator noted that suppliers were still not fully attuned to the needs of this niche segment yet. “Sometimes hotels don’t really understand what runners expect – usually in the details. For example, they need to get staff to provide breakfasts at 3am so that the runners can start their races at 5am,” said Wellenhofer.

Orczech, on the other hand, wanted strong support from the authorities in terms of funding, particularly for the prize money, “as it takes a substantial prize value to make a tournament interesting”. – Xinyi Liang-Pholsena

“International sports events in Thailand undoubtedly draw a substantial amount of inbound visitors each year. These include not only athletes and sports officials, but also spectators.” – Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand

Singapore Sports Hub (Source: Singapore Sports Council)

Singapore

A gleaming new venue

The Singapore Sports Hub, which will become an integrated sports, entertainment and lifestyle complex when completed in April 2014, is expected to play a pivotal role in bolstering the city-state’s blossoming sporting event landscape.

A spokesperson for the Sports Hub said that the venue would draw a combination of world-class sports, such as international athletics, football, cricket, rugby, as well as concerts and family shows.

Travel experts will be able to build packages around the events, pointed out the spokesperson. “We can connect travel experts with show promoters to discuss special offers and promotions to regional travellers,” she explained.

Hong Thai Travel Services, business development manager (inbound), Laurence Lee, said: “Though our main focus remains in selling tickets and packages for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix to overseas guests, we are open to new business opportunities especially when the Sports Hub finally opens its doors. The South-east Asian Games in 2015 is certainly a key opportunity. However, it’s also a matter of wait and see as we have not been informed by the Sports Hub about its line-up of events.”

He added that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had been supportive of his company’s efforts so far in marketing the F1 night race in countries such as Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines through intensive destination marketing at consumer and trade shows.

Lynette Pang, executive director F1 & Sports, STB, explained: “Along with other major leisure events, sporting events showcase Singapore as a well-rounded active and vibrant tourism destination in addition to offering exciting experiences. The development of homegrown sporting events, such as the One Fighting Championship and OCBC Cycle, continues to add to the ecosystem.”

She added that with the completion of the Sports Hub, “Singapore should see even more top stature events to complement the existing sports calendar”.

Pang also emphasised that STB remains committed to pursuing partnerships with local travel specialists to enhance their current offerings with sporting experiences. – Linda Haden

Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix (Source: Tourism Malaysia)

Malaysia

Calling not just petrolheads

The annual Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix held at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) is the biggest sporting event in Malaysia, and Tourism Malaysia will continue to capitalise on the race to draw even the non-sporting crowd.

Recording an attendance of 120,000 spectators over three days last year, SIC chairman, Mokhzani Tun Mahathir, was hopeful that this year’s edition in March would woo more than 130,000 fans.

This year, SIC, as event promoter and organiser, introduced a special One Ticket Unlimited programme to provide attendees with a host of privileges such as discounts at the 1Malaysia GP Sale and selected hotels, as well as free access to the post-race concert. The month-long, nationwide sales carnival known as 1Malaysia GP Sale leverages the Grand Prix to promote Malaysia as a shopping destination.

In keeping with its usual practice, Tourism Malaysia will also be organising a mega fam trip for selected overseas travel consultants and media to attend all three days of the race. They will also have a choice of post-tour options. Since the programme’s commencement in 1999, more than 47,000 international media and travel consultants have participated.

Azizan Noordin, deputy director-general (planning), Tourism Malaysia, said: “It is part of our promotional strategy to create greater awareness of Malaysia as a tourist destination, and to offer participants a personal experience of the myriad attractions, tourist destinations and products and services in Malaysia in order to help develop tour packages and generate publicity for the country as a preferred destination for leisure and business.”

Saini Vermeulen, senior inbound manager at Panorama Tours Malaysia, said: “We’ve created F1 packages for three days/ two nights and four days/three nights. These packages will include transfers and accommodation. For optionals, we sell F1 tickets and tours.

“We receive good support from SIC, which updates us with information. Tourism Malaysia and SIC have also done a good job in promoting Malaysia’s F1 event worldwide and by lining up non-motorsports activities with the race such as the 5th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2013 and Future Music Festival Asia. These activities, together with the 1Malaysia GP Sale, will give families more reasons to visit Malaysia during this period.”

Adam Kamal, managing director of Tina Travel & Agencies, suggested that more attention should be given to Malaysia’s affordability as a destination for sports tourism. “There are many F1 races in Asia, but we stand out because our ticket pricing and accommodation in Kuala Lumpur are very competitive. We should stress on this in our promotional materials to attract more tourists.” – S Puvaneswary

A surfer in Siargao (Source: Kage Gozun)

Philippines

Waves of activity

The Philippines has been drawing a number of water-based competitions in recent years, with some lesser-known destinations benefiting.

Wakeboarding and dragon boating events such as the 2010 WWA Wake Park World Series, 2010 WWA Wakeboard World Series and Cobra Camsur International Dragonboat Festival 2010? at the Camsur Watersports Complex (CWC) in Naga, Camarines Sur, have served to drive arrivals to the province “where previously there was none”, said Camarines Sur governor, Luis Villafuerte Jr. CWC has also hosted three editions of Ironman 70.3 Philippines, which is taking place in

Cebu this August, and the first-ever Asian leg of the Stand Up Paddle World Series in 2012.

Successfully appealing to the 19-30 age group, tourist arrivals to Camarines Sur even bested Boracay in 2010 and 2011. Villafuerte pointed out that CWC’s location – just 10 minutes away from Naga airport and one hour away from Legaspi City – makes it accessible to foreign travellers, while a range of budget to midscale accommodation is available.

Boracay, which has largely been known for its windsurfing and dragon boating competitions, is also becoming the place for kiteboarding, observed Department of Tourism (DoT) director Verna Buensuceso, head of Team Europe.

In March, Boracay will host a leg of Kiteboard Tour Asia, its fourth time now. The sport is also so popular that a number of kiteboarding schools have sprung up on the island.

This year, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) has zeroed in on nine emerging tourist destinations, two of which are hotspots for the surfer community: Baler in Luzon and Siargao island, Mindanao.

Siargao has gained particular momentum for its ‘Cloud 9’ waves and over the years has hosted the International Women’s Surfing Cup, typically held in April or May, as well as the Siargao International Surfing Cup, held usually in September-October. Meanwhile, Baler has hosted national-level long and shortboard competitions.

“The beauty of surfing is that they are loyal to the sports; they will come, no matter the location,” said JP Cabalza, managing director at Cencorp and incoming PTAA president, emphasising that there have been no tourism-related incidents in Siargao despite security concerns.

However, DoT’s Buensuceso admitted that Baler and Siargao are harder to promote because of connectivity issues. There are no flights to Baler and a four- to five-hour drive from Manila is required, while flights to Siargao are relatively limited, although reachable by air directly from Manila. Accommodation in both destinations has also been mostly spartan until lately.

Siargao became a talked-about destination last year with the opening of Dedon Island, whose suites command up to US$940 a night. In Baler, Raintree Hospitality Group is leading the charge in terms of upscale hotels, with the recent opening of the 30-room Bahia de Baler and the 78-suite Costa Pacifica Raintree, set to open in April.

“Raintree believes in the potential of Baler as a new destination,” said Carmela Sison, marketing manager at Raintree Hospitality Group, counting on a boom in the next couple of years driven by sports seekers and cultural visitors. – Marianne Carandang

Brunei Open (Source: Brunei Tourism)

Brunei

Teeing off from golf

Brunei is growing in popularity as a playground for sporting events, although attendance numbers are still modest.

Its three big events – Brunei Open, Brunei Regatta and Standard Chartered Half-Marathon Brunei – attract about 5,000 spectators each, according to Brunei Tourism’s marketing and promotions tourism officer, Salinah Salleh.

The most established of the trio, the Brunei Open is an Asian Tour golf tournament that has been held annually in the Sultanate since 2005, helping to position Brunei on the world golfing map. It will take place in August this year.

“Brunei Tourism will work with its media partner to broadcast this live and air this on sports channels,” said Brunei Tourism’s acting director, Mariani Hj Sabtu.

Another event is the Brunei Regatta, which was recently held in February. A dozen traditional boat race events were featured, with teams from Australia, the US, Indonesia and Malaysia.

“This year’s Regatta was the second regatta held consecutively, and we hope to make this an annual event in Brunei, leveraging Brunei’s maritime history and its glory days,” said Mariani.

Also in its second year is the Standard Chartered Half-Marathon Brunei, coming up in April. Attracting international participants from as far as Africa, about 400 participants are expected for this year’s event.

Said Mariani: “Brunei Tourism will work closely with the event organiser, the private sector and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports to promote and market this event internationally.”

Century Travel Centre general manager, Foo Chong Peng, recognised that Brunei’s size as a country meant that it would take time to attract more international participation.

He said: “We try and help by promoting the events through our overseas partners. We usually inform our overseas operators of the dates of the events and other information pertaining to the events. They will let us know if they have interested clients, and we will make the necessary arrangements or customise an itinerary to suit the clients’ needs.”

Freme Travel Services manager, inbound & MICE division, Sugumaran Nair, added that one area that could be improved was event scheduling, explaining that having permanent dates would help tour operators to promote the event overseas. – S Puvaneswary

Star Alliance loses South American member

By TTG Asia

March 8, 2013

BRAZIL’S TAM Airlines will leave Star Alliance to join oneworld, along with its Paraguay subsidiary. Their transition is expected to be completed during 2014’s second quarter.

LAN Colombia, the latest part of LAN, will also join oneworld as an affiliate member in the fourth quarter of 2013.

With Chile’s LAN Airlines flying as a full member of oneworld since June 2000 and LAN Argentina, LAN Ecuador and LAN Peru added since as affiliate members, the decision will bring all of LATAM Airlines Group’s passenger airlines into the same global alliance.

LATAM Airlines Group is the new name given to LAN Airlines as a result of its merger with TAM.

An exact date for TAM’s departure from Star Alliance will be announced in due course.

Malaysia intensifies efforts to target Europe

By S Puvaneswary

March 8, 2013

WITH the launch of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 campaign in January and growing air links from Kuala Lumpur to major European gateways, Tourism Malaysia is now stepping up promotional efforts in Europe.

Through the VMY campaign, Tourism Malaysia hopes to grow European inbound segment to 50 per cent of total arrivals from the market trio – Europe, the US and Australia – which currently comprise about 10 per cent of total arrivals into Malaysia, according to director-general, Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.

He added: “The European market is important as they are long-stay visitors. The average (European) tourist spends 10.3 days in the country, travelling outside the cities to visit longhouses and homestays, and providing additional income to rural communities.”

But the VYM campaign needs a more targeted approach in Europe, Mirza pointed out. “We have to reach out to individual segments and specialist tour operators. For example, to promote Formula One in Malaysia, we have to go to (consultants) and media specialising in motorsports.”

Malaysia Airlines’ recent entry into the oneworld alliance will also help the carrier attain a wider reach in Europe through partner airlines, said Mirza.

Fu Kei Cheong, general manager, Reliance Sightseeing, agreed: “Air capacity is most crucial in growing arrivals from Europe. Tourism Malaysia should have joint marketing promotions and co-branding activities with Singapore and Thailand, which have a lot more air capacity.”

Richard Vuilleumier, managing director, Panorama Tours Malaysia, said: “Malaysia has to have consistent media exposure in Europe. We should highlight that public transportation in Kuala Lumpur has improved and travellers can use trains and monorail services.

“Malaysia should come up with more nation-wide annual sales to entice shoppers from Europe. Compared to the high prices of goods in Singapore, many travellers would prefer shopping in Malaysia.”

– Read more in TTG Show Daily – ITB Berlin