THE RITZ-Carlton will launch a new hotel in Tianjin, one of the five national central cities as designated by the Chinese government, in mid-2013.

Located 30 minutes away from Beijing via high-speed train, the Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin will offer 277 guestrooms, including 52 suites.

“The opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin in one of China’s most strategically important cities reflects our desire to meet the growing Chinese appetite for luxury experiences. (It) represents a major gateway opportunity that will accelerate the recognition of our service commitment to excellence by Chinese guests,” said Herve Humler, president and COO, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.

The hotel will also feature four F&B outlets ­– including a Cantonese restaurant with 10 private dining rooms, each equipped with its own wine cellar – as well as an indoor swimming pool, luxury fitness and spa facilities.

Event planners can also make use of the hotel’s conference spaces such as one of the city’s largest ballrooms and three function rooms, totalling 1,625m² .

AIRASIA and AirAsia X have introduced two routes – from Singapore to Semarang, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia respectively – the latter targeting Muslim pilgrims.

Starting on February 6, AirAsia will launch four-times weekly flights between Singapore and Semarang, bringing the number of direct AirAsia flights out of Singapore to 14.

In conjunction with the launch, AirAsia is offering all-in, one-way fares from S$89 (US$73). Bookings are open until January 27 for the travel period of February 7, 2013 to February 9, 2014.

Meanwhile, longhaul arm AirAsia X will commence Kuala Lumpur-Jeddah services from February 16. The service will operate thrice-weekly from February 16 to April 30, and four-times weekly from May 1. Frequency may be adjusted according to seasonality.

AirAsia X is offering special introductory fares for the route, starting at RM399 (US$132) for economy class and RM1,599 for its premium flatbed seat, one-way. Bookings are available from today until Sunday for the travel period of February 16, 2013 to February 9, 2014.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said: “With Jeddah being the gateway to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah, we are delighted that our services will provide more affordable travel for our Muslim guests in Malaysia and throughout the region to perform the holy pilgrimage of hajj and umrah.”

CAPITALAND-owned Ascott has secured two more contracts for serviced residences in Guangzhou and partnered one of the city’s leading property developers, Yuexiu Property, to deepen its presence in China, where it is already said to be the largest international serviced residence owner-operator.

Ascott will manage Citadines LiZhiWan Guangzhou and Somerset Riviera Guangzhou, both slated to open in the second half of the year. They will augment Ascott’s existing China portfolio that comprises Ascott Guangzhou, Ascott IFC Guangzhou and Springdale Serviced Residence Guangzhou in Guangzhou.

With currently 8,000 apartment units in 46 properties across 17 cities, Ascott hopes to have 12,000 apartment units by 2015. Yuexiu will acquire and developed serviced residences, with Ascott coming in to manage them.

Said Lee Chee Koon, deputy CEO and managing director for North Asia, Ascott: “Guangzhou is among the top three cities in China with the strongest economic growth. Its economy has expanded by 15 per cent annually for the past five years. Besides attracting investments from multinational companies in industries such as manufacturing, automobile and banking, Guangzhou is a leading city for international trade fairs.”

The 34-unit Citadines LiZhiWan Guangzhou will offer a range of studios and one-bedroom apartments, as well as a breakfast lounge, gym and business centre.

Somerset Riviera Guangzhou features 32 four-bedroom units, and comes with facilities including a swimming pool, gym, residents’ lounge and business centre.

COME October, Cebu Pacific (CEB) will be the first Filipino carrier to fly direct from Manila to Dubai, also the budget carrier’s first longhaul destination.

Emirates and Etihad Airways began daily direct flights from Dubai to Manila in December 2012 and January 2013 respectively (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 16, 2012).

Beginning October 7, the daily flight will depart Manila at 16.40. Dubai-Manila flights take off at 23.10. An Airbus A330-300 in a 400-seat, all-economy configuration will service the route.

“With CEB’s direct services to Dubai, Filipinos overseas can look forward to going home more often. Their relatives and friends can also visit them in Dubai more often,” said Alex Reyes, general manager-longhaul division, CEB. He added that there were over 700,000 Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates.

Said Reyes: “Dubai is the largest longhaul market to and from the Philippines. IATA PaxIS data indicate more than 70 per cent of passengers in this route take multiple stops and connecting flights because no home carrier offers a non-stop service.”

To herald the introduction of the service, CEB is offering over 3,000 seats to Dubai starting from 888 pesos (US$22) available for booking until January 20 or while stocks last, for the travel period of October 7, 2013 to January 15, 2014.

EXOTISSIMO Vietnam has put together a selection of community exchange tours in collaboration with non-profit organisations, designed to offer travellers a taste of local life while giving back to the communities visited.

The first is a partnership with UK-registered Bloom Microventures that gives travellers the opportunity to experience rural life in Vietnam for a day. The charity provides microcredit to women living below the poverty line. Tour fees will go to funding low-interest loans for women whom tour participants will get to meet during the tour.

The second is a half-day traditional painting and lantern making workshop. Participants will try their hand at Vietnamese painting and making an iconic Hoi An lantern, as well as enjoy a scenic boat ride across the river.

The Lifestart Foundation aids the disadvantaged in finding community, learning life skills and obtaining vocational livelihoods through handicraft. Proceeds from the tour will directly support disadvantaged Lifestart community members.

GOA TOURISM will roll out a new tourism master plan within the next eight months to plot the course of the state’s tourism development in the coming decades.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Nikhil Desai, director of tourism, Government of Goa, said: “The Goa government has begun the task of formulating a tourism master plan and state tourism policy for the next 40-50 years to dictate how tourism should develop, what should come where. The master plan will look into what kind of infrastructure and new tourism products are required.

“Once the master plan and policy are formulated, we will create an investment policy for tourism in Goa and encourage new tourism products.”

Goa Tourism has already floated a global tender inviting bids for the drafting of the tourism master plan, which will close by the end of the month.

Desai said an area of focus was developing Goa as a MICE destination, and that the government was looking to build a world-class convention and expo centre. Other plans include developing family theme parks and top-notch golf courses, one in the north and another in the south.

“The golf course in the north is already being promoted by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. We expect investors for the south project soon,” he added.

ALL Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) have grounded their entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner passenger jets, after an ANA Dreamliner flight made an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airport in Kagawa Prefecture yesterday morning.

Battery alarm and smoke were the reasons prompting the emergency landing, according to ANA, while investigations to determine the exact cause are ongoing. All 137 passengers and crew members were safely evacuated from the plane using the emergency slide.

The January 16 incident is the latest in a series of technical problems affecting Boeing’s new flagship airliner in the past month, including a cracked cockpit window, an electric fire and fuel leaks.

Meanwhile, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also ordered the immediate temporary suspension of all Dreamliner flights in the US until aircraft battery systems are confirmed to be safe. United Airlines, currently the only Dreamliner operator in the US with six 787s, has announced it would comply with FAA’s order.

Other airlines flying the Dreamliner include Qatar Airways, Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Chile’s LAN Airlines and Poland’s LOT.

THE Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted preliminary authorisation for the proposed Qantas and Emirates partnership, which will enable both carriers to work together on joint sales, marketing and pricing strategies.

“This decision means we can determine pricing, capacity and scheduling with Emirates, in addition to the more logistical aspects of the partnership that we have been working through already,” said Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce.

“For consumers, interim authorisation means we can provide details on fares and allow people to book one-stop destinations on most parts of the combined Emirates and Qantas network.”

The decision includes a condition that Qantas and Emirates do not coordinate on services between Australia and New Zealand, as New Zealand’s law does not allow interim approval.

Fares on the combined network, which will be for travel from April 2013, are expected to be available in coming weeks once discussions on pricing have taken place. These services remain subject to regulatory approval.

Joyce said part of selling the Emirates and Qantas network would include marketing of Australian regional destinations to a wider international audience.

“Through this partnership and with interim authorisation, Emirates will now be able to market Qantas destinations like Hobart and the Gold Coast to their customers, which is a real benefit for Australian tourism,” he added.

ACCC’s final decision is expected to be announced in March.