HONG Kong’s Ocean Park has unveiled plans to launch several new attractions in 2014 and a hotel in 2016, as part of its strategy to expand the park into an integrated resort destination.

The 495-room Ocean Hotel will be built on a 17,044m² site in front of Ocean Park’s main entrance, providing convenient accommodation for guests spending multiple days at the park.

Allan Zeman, chairman of Ocean Park, said: “We are now ready to transform Ocean Park into a premier international resort destination and further fulfil our role as a major pillar of Hong Kong’s tourism industry. With the completion of the MTR South Island Line in 2015, the new hotel will also enhance Southern District’s position as a new base for travellers.”

A new shark aquarium and a koala exhibition will open in the third and fourth quarter of 2014 respectively, while the now-closed Tai Shue Wan area will be redeveloped into a water park, according to Zeman.

TTG Events has entered into a partnership with global association and event management company MCI Group to inaugurate Association Day as well as an education segment on incentive travel at all three IT&CM events in Shanghai (IT&CM China), Delhi (IT&CM India) and Bangkok (IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific).

MCI Group will lend its expertise to two half-day educational tracks. Topics focusing on incentive travel/performance improvement will be catered specifically to association buyers and corporate travel professionals. They will run concurrently alongside each other, with allocated slots for business appointments and networking with exhibitors at the event.

“Through the very nature of their job, association and corporate travel executives are isolated and have limited opportunities to interact and meet with peers who face the same strategic and operational challenges and issues,” said Robin Lokerman, president Asia Pacific & Americas of MCI Group.

He added: “MCI group is looking to educate association buyers and corporate travel executives on best practices in association and incentive travel management respectively and the latest trends in Asia during our two half-day tracks. Expect a highly interactive programme focusing on key Asian issues of immediate concern and relevance. From a keynote session to expert panel discussions of clients and round-table discussions, the different meeting formats employed will allow all participants to contribute and learn.”

Said Darren Ng, managing director for TTG Asia Media: “Association Day was born in recognition for the need of a focused and comprehensive association executive programme consisting of tailored education, networking and structured business engagement sessions for association decision makers. Exhibitors at the IT&CM events are also very eager to explore business opportunities with association buyers.”

The first Association Day and Corporate Travel education programme will take place at IT&CM China 2013 on April 18, 2013. Each Association Day is expecting an attendance of some 40 international and local association professionals.

The Association Competency Course for Professional Association Executives conducted by the Australasian Society of Association Executives and Canadian Society of Association Executives will continue to be offered at IT&CM China and IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific as part of its Association Day programme.

AS THAILAND continues to reign as the most popular South-east Asian destination for Europeans, TUI Travel has unveiled plans to shore up traffic there via a host of new direct charter flights.

Speaking at a press conference held at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre yesterday, Peter Long, CEO, TUI Travel, said: “We are very excited by the opportunities in Thailand, which is TUI’s largest charter market, followed by India and the Maldives.”

To build on the continued interest in beach resorts, TUI Travel’s Thomson Airways will launch the UK’s first direct flight to Phuket from London’s Gatwick Airport in November 2013 on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

According to Garry Wilson, TUI Travel managing director-mainstream purchasing, sales for the London-Phuket segment had been “very strong” since commencing in November 2012, with UK customer volume expected to hit 7,000 in the first year.

He added: “We are also looking to launch direct flights from multiple points in the UK such as Manchester, as well as to other Thai destinations, with Krabi being an obvious choice.”

Meanwhile, TUI Germany is also considering direct flights from cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt and Hamburg in 2014, said Christian Clemens, CEO, TUI Germany.

He remarked: “In 2012, we sent 90,000 German customers to Thailand, the biggest longhaul destination for TUI, which also sees more repeat visitors than the surrounding countries. Phuket, Krabi and, increasingly, Khao Lak are the most popular destinations in Thailand, followed by Bangkok.”

“As one of the first tour operators in the country, going back 25 years, we have changed the Nordic market’s perception of Thailand as a backpacker’s paradise to that of a family favourite,” said Henrik Norlin, CEO of TUI Nordic, which handled 200,000 customers from the Nordic region last year.

Noting that the dominance of certain markets to popular Thai beach destinations may impact the visitor experience, Norlin commented: “Maintaining a good mix is always a challenge, so we will choose suitable hotels which do not have an overwhelming presence of Chinese or Russian tourists. Khao Lak has been gaining Nordic travellers as they move away from Phuket.”

INDIAN low-cost carrier IndiGo has temporarily suspended sales of its Delhi and Mumbai flights to Singapore even as it prepares to launch a daily Chennai-Singapore service on March 1.

IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh revealed that new flights from Hyderabad and Bengaluru were also possibilities.

“Singapore Airlines, Air India and Jet Airways operate multiple daily flights on these two sectors, which may cause IndiGo to rethink the continuation of these flights and deploy aircraft on the Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad to Singapore routes instead, where there would be more profit and less competition,” opined Rajesh Sethi, managing director, Carnation Travel Services New Delhi.

Meanwhile, travel consultants welcomed the new Chennai-Singapore service.

Padmini Narayanan, managing director of Akshaya India Tours & Travels, said: “(The new flight) will boost both business and leisure travel to Singapore. Chennai has traditionally had good business ties with Singapore, and with investments from Singapore-based firms in Tamil Nadu increasing, the flight will see high demand.”

C Nagendra Prasad, chairman of Travelexpress, added that IndiGo had a positive market reputation for on-time flights.

The airline is currently offering introductory roundtrip Chennai-Singapore fares starting from Rs15,998 (US$290).

THE Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will focus on targeting special interest tourists as well as step up its collaboration with the private sector and usage of social media in order to meet its goal of nine million arrivals in 2013.

Esthy Reko Astuty, the ministry’s new director general of tourism marketing, said: “It is quite a challenge to increase arrivals by 12.5 per cent while our marketing budget remains the same as last year’s (around US$63 million).

“Therefore, we are going to increase our social media activities and form more partnerships with the private sector. Besides that, we will continue to target niche communities and special interest tourists.”

The country is likely to achieve its targeted eight million arrivals for 2012, with figures for January-November showing a 5.1 per cent year-on-year increase to reach 7.3 million (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 4, 2013).

Astuty predicted that 2013’s calendar of high-profile events such as the APEC Summit, Miss World pageant and sporting highlights such as Tour de Singkarak and the Musi Triboatton would help the country meet its target.

Other events expected to draw visitors include international rafting along the Alas River, Tour de Aceh, a surfing festival and numerous regional cultural festivals.

Furthermore, Indonesia is also the official partner country at ITB Berlin this year. “Being a partner country, we get the opportunity to promote more (before and during) the event. Apart from the big news opportunity, we expect participants will get inbound business to Indonesia, which means increased arrivals here,” said Astuty.

Astuty was appointed director general of tourism marketing last December. She was formerly director of Indonesia tourism branding.

NEPAL secured steady 10 per cent growth in inbound tourism numbers last year even without any substantial investments in the sector, helped in part by demand from India and China.

The mountainous country recorded 598,000 inbound tourists last year, up from 2011’s 544,981 arrivals, according to Nepal Tourism Board data.

While China displayed 17.6 per cent growth, sending a total of 53,373 visitors, India still comprised the largest segment and accounted for 164,689 arrivals, an increase from 145,338 in 2011. The US sent 41,908 tourists.

Anurag Agarwal, managing director of SA Southend Travels India, said: “Nepal has been a consistently attractive and affordable holiday option for Indians in metro cities as well as first- and second-tier city dwellers.

“The hills, casinos and the cooler climate offer several itinerary options. Many corporations organise incentive tours and annual meetings in Nepal.”

Added Rajesh Arya, director of India International Tours and Travel: “Religious pilgrimages to Hindu and Buddhist sites are an added attraction. So are the soft adventure options in Nepal.”

Kashiraj Bhandari, a Nepal Tourism Board official, said: “We are trying to develop more tourist attractions apart from the natural beauty and inherent attractions of Nepal. Golfing, spa and wellness and mountain biking are becoming extremely popular and we expect our inbound tourist flow to increase substantially.”

PHILIPPINE property developer Ayala Land will raise the curtain on its first four Seda boutique hotels in the Philippines, starting with Seda Bonifacio Global City (BGC). Its urban lifestyle brand was formerly called Kukun.

The 179-room Seda BGC soft opened last month across from the Makati CBD, while the 150-key Seda Centrio in Cagayan de Oro also soft opened last month. Both are expected to be fully operational by end-January.

Two more Seda properties – Seda Abreeza in Davao and Seda Nuvali in Santa Rosa, Laguna – will begin welcoming guests by the first quarter and end-2013 respectively, bringing the total number of Seda rooms to 665.

Junie Jalandoni, senior vice president, Ayala Land, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “(Seda BGC’s) amenities and rooms are even better than some of the more established hotels on the market. We’re trying to be the best in our class in every location we’re at.”

He said there would be more Seda hotels where Ayala Land developments are, to be unveiled over the next few years. “Before, we offered a shopping mall and office development package. We’re now complementing that with Seda hotels,” Jalandoni explained.

The name Seda means ‘silk’ in Spanish. Ayala Land had originally preferred the name Cocoon, but settled for the stylised Kukun, as the former had already been taken by another Manila boutique hotel.

THAILAND-based ONYX Hospitality Group scored its first Amari in the Middle East on January 1 with the opening of Amari Doha.

The 13-storey property is owned by Sharaka Holdings and features 120 rooms including six suites.

Located 15 minutes from Doha International Airport, facilities include a Jacuzzi, Vichy shower room, a Turkish bath, F&B outlets, swimming pools, fitness centre, and a rooftop pool lounge with panoramic views of Doha’s skyline and the Corniche.

For MICE planners, Amari Doha also boasts a business centre, and conferencing and banqueting facilities.

To mark its opening, the hotel is offering a range of discounts such as special rates starting from 400 Qatari riyals (US$110), a complimentary upgrade to a deluxe room, early check in from 12.00 and late check out at 16.00, as well as 25 per cent discount on F&B and at Breeze Spa. The offer is valid until February 28 and is available for the superior room category.

PENANG has unveiled the formation of its first-ever CVB, as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to position itself as a MICE destination in South-east Asia (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 5, 2012).

At the recently concluded 3^rd Penang International MICE Conference held at Hard Rock Hotel Penang last Saturday, Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng announced the launch of the Penang International Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PICEB).

Spearheading the project is Abdul Malik Kassim, State Religious Affairs, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman and Danny Law, Penang Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman.

A pro tem committee with its own elected chairman and members would be established within the first quarter of 2013, according to Abdul Malik, but no date was given on when PICEB would be operational.

He said: “PICEB would be run by the private sector, and we (the state government) will support it in whatever means we can except financial (assistance).”

Mike Williams, consultant to Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, said: “PICEB can support us on product development in Penang and work with us on bids to bring business events to Malaysia. With its local knowledge (on Penang), we will need its help to handle fam trips to Penang.”

While acknowledging PICEB as a potential competitor, Sarawak Convention Bureau’s managing director Mike Cannon said: “What counts here is Malaysia, and we need more products, services and destination marketing organisations. PICEB will add robustness to the destination and get people talking about Malaysia.

“We will share with PICEB our trade secrets, and set up meetings with government agencies, academia and associations in Sarawak so that PICEB will be able to network with them.”