THE Indian High Commission has rejected an appeal by the Malaysian Indian Tour and Travel Association (MITTA) against the new 30-day maximum stay ruling for Malaysian tourists to India (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 3, 2013).

MITTA sent the appeal to the Indian High Commission on January 17 on the grounds that the ruling was unfair as it was only implemented for Malaysians and not for other nationalities.

However, Indian deputy high commissioner, Aseem R Mahajan, had deemed the ruling as reciprocal as Indian nationals visiting Malaysia on a tourist visa with one-year multiple entry also could not stay for more than 30 days at a time, revealed MITTA president K Thangavelu.

Sree Thar, tour organiser of Ganesh Travel Agencies, said: ““The 30-day ruling is very short. It should be at least 45 days – that would be just nice. With this ruling, we have no choice but to shorten our All India Tour programme, which combines leisure holiday with visits to temples in the north and south of India and is originally 33 days long.

“The ruling will affect Malaysians with relatives in India as some will want to extend their stay and visit their relatives after the tour. To get around the 30-day ruling, they have the option of visiting a neighbouring country for a night or more and then returning to India but they are unlikely to exercise this option as it involves additional airfare and accommodation costs.”

Also affected by this 30-day maximum stay ruling are those of Indian origin in Malaysia with spouse and children in India.

Thangavelu said MITTA was encouraging Malaysians with family members living in India to apply for an entry visa so they can stay continuously in India for up to six months. The entry visa costs RM314 (US$102), almost double the multiple-entry tourist visa at RM162.

CHANGI Airport Group (CAG) will invest S$1.3 billion (US$1 billion) to develop a new terminal and enhance airfield capacity at Singapore’s airport.

Construction of the new Terminal 4 (T4) will begin this year and is expected to be ready in 2017. To be built on the old Budget Terminal site, T4 will be a two-storey building with a height of 25m and a gross floor area of about 160,000m². With a planned capacity of 16 million passenger movements a year, the new terminal will raise Changi Airport’s handling capacity to 82 million a year.

Designed with the flexibility to meet the operational needs of both regional full service and LCCs, T4 will primarily handle narrow-body aircraft. Aerobridges will be available at the boarding gates, while the airside transfer of passengers and baggage between T4 and the other terminals will also be provided for. The look, feel and ambience of T4 will be comparable to T1 and T2.

T4 will also feature initiatives that increase productivity of resources and improve efficiency of processes. Departure and arrival immigration control as well as pre-boarding security screening will be centralised, baggage sortation will be fully automated while more kiosks will be provided for self check-in, self bag-tagging and self bag-drops.

Meanwhile, additional parking stands as well as supporting airfield infrastructure, security requirements, specialised airport systems, ancillary buildings, and road and drainage works will be constructed.

A 38-hectare land plot south of T3, housing the airport nursery as well as a reservoir, will be converted into an aircraft parking area to house 17 narrow-body and nine wide-body aircraft stands. When completed, the total number of parking stands at Changi Airport will be increased by 24 per cent to more than 180.

THAILAND-based Minor Hotel Group (MHG) has acquired two Life Resorts in Vietnam for US$16 million, strengthening its position in the country’s hospitality sector.

The 96-key Life Heritage Resort Hoi An will become Anantara Hoi An Resort, while the 63-key Life Wellness Resort Quy Nhon will be rebranded as Avani Quy Nhon Resort & Spa later this year.

William E Heinecke, chairman and CEO of Minor International, said: “Vietnam is a fascinating country with a rich culture and diverse landscape, and has seen exceptional growth and economic development in recent years.

“These two properties are a great fit for Minor’s hotel portfolio and we are convinced of their continued success and of the country’s bright prospects in the coming years.”

MHG first entered into Vietnam in 1998 through a joint venture in Harbour View Hotel, Hai Phong, followed by the launch of Anantara Mui Ne Resort & Spa in 2011. The group currently has 85 properties in operation across 12 countries.

MYANMAR Airways International (MAI) will launch daily flights between Mandalay and Bangkok using 180-seat Airbus A320 from March 31, marking its second international service from Mandalay after Gaya in north-east India.

The flight will depart Bangkok at 06.30 and arrive at Mandalay International Airport at 07.55. The return flight will depart Mandalay at 08.35 and arrive in Bangkok at 11.00.

“This Mandalay-Bangkok route will be our second international direct flight from Mandalay. We also have plans to fly to Singapore from Mandalay but only after launching this Bangkok route,” said Aye Mra Tha, a MAI spokesperson, adding that demand for flights to and from Mandalay is “really high”.

Until recently, the only international flights to Mandalay were from southern China. In October 2012, Thai AirAsia introduced four weekly services to Mandalay from Bangkok (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 15, 2012) and on January 11 the service was upgraded to daily.

Bangkok Airways will operate four weekly flights to Mandalay from September (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 7, 2013), while Thai Airways International (THAI) is considering servicing the Mandalay route through its regional carrier, THAI Smile.

Meanwhile, new low-cost carrier Golden Myanmar Airlines also has plans to launch flights to Bangkok, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong from Mandalay.

ARCHIPELAGO International, formerly known as Aston International, plans to open 41 hotels by the end of this year to bring its total portfolio to more than 100 properties.

Archipelago’s vice president of sales & marketing, Nobert Vas, said: “After a record year of (16) hotel openings, a number of contract signings and amplified owner interest in development in 2012, we are entering 2013 well-positioned for continued growth in both the budget and the upscale segments.”

Half of Archipelago’s new hotels in 2013 will be in the budget segment, while four- and five-star hotels – which accounts for around 60 per cent of the group’s existing properties and more than a third of the pipeline – will remain high priority.

“(A study) showed that the number of people in the Indonesian middle class segment was between 45 and 50 million last year. The number is estimated to increase to 130 million by 2015 with a disposable income of at least Rp25 million (US$2,590) per year,” Vas said.

Coupled with the rosy performance of its hotels across the country, the group has set an ambitious target to operate some 400 properties in the next few years, with up to 50 per cent of them in the budget category.

“The budget or two-star (branded) category in Indonesia is still in its infancy. In the US, you will find a budget hotel at every highway intersection, so there is still huge potential for growth,” Vas remarked.

Jakarta was the best market for budget hotel performance in the group last year, he revealed. “Favehotel Kemang (opened September 2012) has been running at 97 per cent occupancy with an average room rate of Rp405,000, the highest in the category in the country, with gross operating profit (GOP) of 73 per cent. The other Favehotels in Jakarta have been running at high 90s in occupancy with 65 per cent GOP.”

On the other hand, Solo and Semarang were considered soft markets and were the only cities running below 52 per cent occupancy for the group, he added.

FUELLED by technological innovations, air passengers will increasingly use mobile services during their purchase and journeys, while airlines and airports will rely on vast quantities of data to deliver real service and operational improvements by 2015, according to SITA’s latest report, Flying into the Future.

Nigel Pickford, director market insight, SITA, said: “Passenger needs and preferences are changing. Today’s passengers want more control throughout their journey. They expect transformation in both the kinds of services airlines and airports offer, and the way they communicate with them.

“At the same time, the industry is investing in business intelligence solutions and collaborating more to increase operational efficiency and improve customer service and loyalty.”

The four major trends that will shape the future of global air travel are:

1. The way passengers buy travel will change. By 2015, both airlines and airports expect the web and the mobile phone to be the top two sales channels. Passengers are asking for a more personalised buying experience.

2. Passengers will take more control. By 2015, 90 per cent of airlines will offer mobile check-in – up from 50 per cent today. Passengers will use 2D boarding passes or contactless technology such as near field communications on their phones and at different stages of their journey, such as at boarding gates, fast-track security zones and to access premium passenger lounges.

3. Customer services will become more mobile and social. By 2015, nine out of 10 airlines and airports will provide flight updates using smartphone apps.

4. The passenger experience will improve thanks to better business intelligence. By 2015, more than 80 per cent of airports and airlines will invest in business intelligence solutions. Most will focus on improving customer service and satisfaction, often through personalised services.