AIR Astana started its inaugural flight to Vietnam with the launch of a twice-weekly Almaty-Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) service on January 4.

HCMC is the newest Asian destination added to Air Astana’s network, following the start of services to Hong Kong (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 31, 2012) and Beijing (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 14, 2012) as well as increases of frequency to several Asian destinations (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 23, 2012) in recent months.

The flight to HCMC will be operated via Bangkok, with a total flight time of nine hours. The return flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Almaty will be operated non-stop and take only seven hours.

Flights will initially be operated on Wednesdays and Fridays using a Boeing 757 in a 166-seat, two-class configuration. Fares from Almaty to Ho Chi Minh City start from US$590, including governmental taxes, airport fees and charges.

“Air Astana continues to grow in strength and reputation as Central Asia’s leading carrier, with the development of our Asian network being a very high priority. I’m delighted that Ho Chi Minh City is destined to become our next exciting destination from the region and confident that with its range of attractions, it will prove popular with tourists from Kazakhstan and neighbouring countries,” said Peter Foster, president of Air Astana.

THE MALDIVES remains Kuoni’s top-selling destination in 2013 for the second consecutive year, according to the latest Travel Trends Report 2013 by the UK-based tour operator.

This year, this Indian Ocean nation is also ranked as the top honeymoon destination (as it was in 2012) and is in the second spot as a holiday destination for singles, according to the report.

After the Maldives, Thailand is Kuoni’s second most popular destination in 2013, followed by Sri Lanka, the US, UAE, Mauritius, Malaysia, Barbados, Singapore and St Lucia respectively.

The report also predicts that Vietnam will rise in popularity, fuelled by greater flight connectivity and new beach resorts.

MAJOR Indian cities saw a boost in hotel inventory with the addition of some 5,000 rooms, but room rates have dipped 10 to 20 per cent during the high season between October and March, according to industry sources.

Vivek Nair, president, Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations of India, said: “The pressure on room rates is due to the new supply of hotel rooms in many major cities in India.”

Delhi NCR saw a fresh supply of 1,200 rooms, while 800 each were added in Chennai and Mumbai, 1,300 in Bangalore and 750 in Hyderabad in the three-, four- and five-star categories.

Dilip Puri, managing director and vice president South Asia, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said: “The Indian economy has been through a bad year in 2012, and (as a result) the hotel industry has seen a drop in demand for rooms for both corporate and leisure travellers.”

K B Kachru, president, south Asia operations, Carlson Hotels, said: “In the April-September period, groups rates were down 15 per cent. The huge addition of room supply has brought down rates as demand has not grown at the same pace.”

In just 4Q2012, Chennai has seen the simultaneous opening of two major hotels, the 600-key ITC Grand Chola and the 326-key Leela Palace.

Vjiay Shrikent, general manager, Vivanta by Taj Connemara, Chennai, said: “It will take some time for the hotels in Chennai and elsewhere in the country to achieve equilibrium again, but it’s a matter of time as industrial growth outlook is positive so corporate travel demand will surely rise.”

GOLDEN Myanmar Airlines will launch the country’s inaugural low-cost domestic flight between Yangon and Mandalay on January 11.

The carrier will fly the Yangon-Mandalay route nine times a week using an Airbus A320 with 180 economy-class seats, with one-way fares priced at K27,000 (US$31.50), according to airline spokesperson Kay Kalayar Aung.

Unlike other domestic airlines which charge about K80,00 for locals and US$130 for foreigners on the Yangon-Mandalay route, Golden Myanmar Airlines has adopted a low-cost model to offer substantially lower fares.

“The K27,000 fare is not promotional and will be offered regularly. We are not here to compete with any existing airlines but as a people-oriented carrier, we are going to allow everybody to be able to fly low-cost,” added Kay Kalayar Aung. Passengers will be required to buy food and pay for baggage over a 10kg limit.

Following its launch in January with two A320s, Golden Myanmar Airlines plans to expand its fleet with a new aircraft every six months. The airline also aims to expand its route network beyond Asia to the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the US in the next few years.

Established in August 2012 (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 4, 2012), Golden Myanmar Airlines will join Air Mandalay, Air Bagan, Asian Wings, Yangon Airways, Air Kanbawza and the state-run Myanma Airways in the domestic airline industry.

CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT) has entered into an agreement with Banyan Tree Holdings to acquire Angsana Velavaru in the Maldives for US$71 million, marking its first resort acquisition and the start of a new lessee relationship with the latter company.

Brokered by Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels & Hospitality Group on behalf of Banyan Tree Holdings, the deal includes a sale-and-leaseback agreement that allows the Angsana Velavaru to continue to be operated under the Angsana brand name post-acquisition.

Located on its own private island in the South Nilandhe Atoll, a 40-minute seaplane journey away from Male International Airport, Angsana Velavaru comprises 79 beachfront villas and 34 ocean villas.

Vincent Yeo, CEO of M&C REIT Management, which manages CDLHT, said: “The compelling offering of the Maldives will enable Angsana Velavaru to benefit from the increased patronage from Asian travellers with a rapidly rising level of disposal income for leisure travel.”

According to a CDLHT press release, the acquisition enables the unique opportunity for the company to participate in the buoyant hospitality sector of Maldives, which is one of the highest RevPAR markets in the world. Furthermore, the resort is well positioned to gain from the growth of Asian visitors, particularly the Chinese, to the Maldives.

LUXURY Travel Vietnam will launch a sales office in California this month, as part of its efforts to grow its North American market.

The California office will be responsible for developing business and supporting travel consultants on the US’ West Coast and Canada for Luxury Travel’s destinations in South-east Asia. Asian destination specialist Paul Ciaccio has been appointed as regional sales manager of Luxury Travel in the US.

Pham Ha, founder and CEO of Luxury Travel Company, said: “Vietnam and Indochina remain a new, exotic and legendary destination for American tourists, and Luxury Travel aims to be the first tour operator to develop and promote luxury travel to American people holidaying in Indochina, Thailand and Myanmar in the lap of luxury.”

“The bulk of growth from the US to Asia derives from the upper-middle to luxury-end of the market, which comprises a small portion of the US outbound market. Vietnam is considered one of the emerging luxury destinations in South-east Asia for American travellers. I am glad to join Luxury Travel in order to promote Vietnam high-end tourism products to American travellers,” said Ciaccio.

TAIWAN’S largest carrier China Airlines has joined forces with three China-based airlines to form a regional alliance to capitalise on the lucrative cross-strait routes, a move that will challenge competitors such as Cathay Pacific.

Besides China Airlines, the alliance comprises China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, all of which are members of SkyTeam.

The alliance is aimed mainly at frequent flyers, spurred by rising demand for direct flights amid closer business and political relations between Taiwan and mainland China.

The four carriers offer more than 270 weekly flights between China and Taiwan, or about half of the total market, according to a joint statement by the airlines. Together, the alliance will also provide 280 round-trip weekly flights via Hong Kong.

With the alliance, frequent travellers with any of the four airlines will be able to enjoy benefits such as mileage accumulation and airport lounge access, the companies said.