LUXURY cruise line Silversea has launched a round-trip seven-day cruise from Singapore aboard the 382-guest Silver Shadow.

Sailing from March 15-22, 2013, Silver Shadow’s ports of include Phuket, Penang, Port Klang, Malacca and Belawan near Medan in Sumatra.

A range of tours are available throughout the voyage, from visiting a tea plantation in Malacca to exploring Phuket’s Phang Nga Bay by speedboat.

All-inclusive fares start from US$3,050 per person, double occupancy, and include butler service; gourmet meals; complimentary wines, champagne and spirits; and all gratuities.

AIR China will commence four weekly Beijing-Geneva services using the Airbus A330-200 from May 7, 2013, becoming the first carrier to offer direct connections between the two cities.

The route will become East Asia’s first direct route to Geneva, offering an additional flight option to travellers to and from Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Manila.

Air China’s president, Cai Jianjiang, said: “The new Beijing-Geneva service is a worthy addition to Air China’s extensive network serving Europe.”

Using the flight numbers of CA861/862, the flight will leave Beijing at 13.30 and arrive at 18.25 in Geneva on the same day. The return flight will take off from Geneva at 20.25 and arrive at Beijing at 12.55 the following day.

AIRASIA has unveiled its strategic five-year business review with an eye to further grow its dominance in the Asian region.

As Malaysia has become “a cash machine”, the management will turn its focus to other core markets in Thailand and Indonesia, which are expected to generate similar profits to Malaysia in the future, according to group CEO Tony Fernandes.

“The other focus is to develop our new entities in Philippines and Japan whereby in terms of LCC penetration, they are still at their infancy and there is utmost growth potential,” he said.

“India is an exciting market, and I have been overwhelmed with the developments of the country recently in terms of promoting air travel. We will continue to explore opportunities there but I believe this market offers the most growth potential in terms of travel.”

Whilst other Asian countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar and South Korea seem attractive, AirAsia will focus on the group’s existing operations that offer bigger domestic alternatives and with larger populations. AirAsia will not proceed with any venture in Singapore in the foreseeable future too, Fernandes revealed, citing excess capacity out of the city-state.

AirAsia recorded a strong performance during the fourth quarter and 2013 is expected to be better in load factors and yields, he reported. The group will announce its full-year results in February.

The company has also placed an order of 475 aircraft, of which 114 have been delivered.

CATHAY Pacific is set to launch the new Premium Economy Class on its Hong Kong-Mumbai service from March, and will also ramp up frequency on this route from seven to 10 weekly flights from April 2.

The Premium Economy Class has already been introduced on flights to Chennai and Delhi in 2012. The current weekly flights between Hong Kong and Mumbai are operated on a Boeing 747-400 aircraft with a four-class configuration, while the three additional flights will be operated on a three-class, Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

“Cathay Pacific will be the first East-bound airline to offer this class from Mumbai,” said Charlie Stewart-Cox, general manager-South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Cathay Pacific Airways.

Rita Dhanwatay, director of Pune-based Nikita Travel Solutions, said: “The addition of non-stop seat capacity to Hong Kong is a positive move as the destination is busy for both business and leisure.”

Rakesh Raicar, regional sales & marketing manager-South Asia, Cathay Pacific Airways, added: “Travel (consultants) and tour operators form the majority of the airline’s distribution channel in India and therefore, they are an important part of our marketing and promotional activities. This year, we plan to engage them through promotional fares and trade familiarisation trips.”

Meanwhile, sister airline Dragonair has also introduced New Business Class and New Economy Class cabins, which adopt the same designs used by Cathay Pacific for its new Regional Business Class and longhaul Economy Class products, allowing for a more consistent and harmonious inflight experience for passengers connecting between the two airlines at the Hong Kong hub.

Together, Cathay Pacific and Dragonair operate 46 weekly flights from six cities in India.

TOURISM Northern Territory (NT) is pursuing aggressive growth in the Singapore market by stepping up its marketing in 2013 and appealing to culture- and adventure-loving leisure travellers, as well as corporate incentives.

A Tourism NT delegation comprising CEO, Tony Mayell, and state tourism minister, Matt Conlan, was in Singapore on Tuesday for a roadshow to meet the local media and travel trade.

Mayell said: “We may have painted ourselves into a corner (by selling ourselves as an adventure travel spot). It’s not a bad corner to be in, but we want to re-identify what is unique to the Territory and sets us apart from the rest of Australia, then spread awareness of that.

“As a mature market, Singaporeans are also more interested in art and culture now. So we want to broaden the approach in Singapore by adding another layer, focusing on cultural products such as aboriginal art.”

In 2012, Singaporean visitors to the Territory only numbered 6,000 out of more than 300,000 arrivals to Australia. The goal is to increase arrivals from the market by 30 per cent this year.

Mayell cited the city-state’s 82 per cent repeat visitor rate as one reason for interest in Australia’s sixth-largest source market.

“Awareness is a main obstacle in Singapore. This year, we will continue to educate consumers and the trade about what NT has to offer, as well as taking marketing efforts onto a digital platform,” said Grace Tong, general manager of Pacific Leisure Marketing, Tourism NT’s marketing representative in the country.

“Destination training is an ongoing activity, which we organise at the request of travel consultants, either in house at their offices or in collaboration with the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore,” she said.

This year, Tourism NT will also launch bi-monthly email updates for travel consultants to keep them informed on the latest developments in the Territory. Interested parties may subscribe to it at singapore.tourismnt@nt.gov.au.

As for the MICE market, Mayell said: “We have facilities for small meetings and incentives. We’ve seen groups book out the entire Wildman Wilderness Lodge for three days for such events.”

He also revealed that the state NTO was in the midst of working with SilkAir on a number of MICE campaigns. “We’re into our second year with SilkAir, who has been a fantastic partner. While we and SilkAir are keen to increase (flight) capacity, we have first got to ensure the yield is there.”

Looking ahead, Mayell said Tourism NT was still studying the interests of different regional markets. India and South Korea are on the radar, while there are plans to break into China within 12 months.