PREMIUM cruise brand Celebrity Cruises kicked off her inaugural Asian season yesterday following the arrival of the 2,158-guest Celebrity Millennium at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore over the weekend.

From now until April 2013, the ship will call at nine new countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and China. There will be a series of 14-night one-way cruises between Singapore and Hong Kong, with overnight stays in ports like Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Halong Bay and Hong Kong, as well as two 14-night round-trip sailings from Singapore with overnight stays in Bali.

Operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises, Celebrity joins the company’s two other brands, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and Azamara Club Cruises, in Asia.

Highlighting their differences, Royal Caribbean Cruises managing director, Singapore, Jennifer Yap, told TTG Asia e-Daily that Celebrity’s and Azamara’s itineraries were longer, with RCI offering voyages of as short as three nights.

Facilities also vary. “Celebrity is for people who love the comforts of life, culinary aspects and retail experiences because we tie up with brands like Bulgari. At the same time, we cater to families with a children’s club,” she explained.

“(RCI) is more all-generation. Anyone from six months to 80 years old can come onboard. We have ice skating rinks, FlowRiders simulating surfing experiences and rock climbing walls for fun-loving and adventurous people…Azamara is more boutique.”

With long cruises, the guest mix tends to be more international, Yap noted.

The top nationalities for Celebrity cruises in Asia are currently the UK, the US and Australia, with Asians at a single-digit percentage. Japan and Hong Kong are among the highest contributors of Asian guests.

“Asians have a natural tendency to prefer short cruises because the market is less mature. Sometimes they just want a sampler…Usually when they try it and they like it and are converted, then they do a fly-cruise,” she said.

Launched in 2000, Celebrity Millennium underwent a major renovation earlier this year and now features Solstice Class features, including spa-inspired AquaClass staterooms; Qsine, which serves up globally-influenced dishes in a unique dining experience; creperie Bistro on Five; and wine bar Cellar Masters. There are nine dining outlets, four of which involve surcharges.

Other highlighted venues include the ice-topped Martini Bar accompanied by a VIP-like area called Crush.

The ship will be returning for a second Asia season in 2013/2014.

THE HISTORICAL Hotel Majestic in the Malaysian capital city, which was refurbished by YTL Hotels, celebrated its grand opening last Saturday.

Having restored Hotel Majestic to its former splendour, Kuala Lumpur now boasts an iconic and historical property comparable with Singapore’s Raffles Hotel and Hong Kong’s The Peninsula, said YTL Corporation managing director, Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, during his opening address.

Nestled in a five-storey neoclassical building dating back to 1932, the 300-room property features new wings and modern facilities at its Jalan Sutan Hishamuddin location, opposite an old railway station in the historical quarter of Kuala Lumpur.

The original building houses suites, The Colonial Café, The Bar and The Tea Lounge, while the new 15-storey Tower Wing comprises 16 meeting rooms, a pillarless ballroom which can accommodate 1,200 people in banquet style, a gym and a swimming pool. The seven-room Majestic Spa is located in a separate wing, and The Smoke House, a two-storey building, boasts a lounge, a grooming room, a cigar room, a private dining area with a chef on call, a screening room and a card room.

Said Ally Bhoonee, executive director of World Avenues Travel & Tours: “The Majestic Hotel is definitely a jewel for Kuala Lumpur, which is in great need of a super luxury hotel with a grand history. It will definitely attract the upper middle class clientele who loves history, old colonial charm and luxury.”

Yap Sook Ling, managing director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, agreed: “It’s good to have a grand dame hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Its illustrious history can offer something special for MICE groups.”

PLANS to revitalise Singapore’s Civic District are being made now, with the Urban Redevelopment Authority calling on local and international consultants to pitch for the project.

Aimed at strengthening the identity of the downtown precinct as an attractive world-class arts and cultural hub, landmarks such as The National Art Gallery, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall will be refreshed, while pedestrian connectivity and public spaces will be improved through landscaping works.

Consultants will need to propose ways to improve connectivity to adjacent precincts, such as Fort Canning Park, Bras Basah and Bugis, as well as to the City Hall MRT Station and the Marina Bay waterfront.

Interested consultant teams must submit their proposals by January 31, 2013.

The project is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015

SHERATON Hotels & Resorts has opened Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort on Kuta beach, the group’s fifth property on the Island of Gods.

Located within a shopping belt and 5km away from the Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport, the 203-key resort offers guestrooms of between 46m² and 265m² in size, as well as facilities such as the all-day dining Feast, Italian trattoria Bene, The Lounge, a spa, a fitness centre and more than 1,600m² of event spaces.

Event planners have nine venues to work with, the largest being the 700m² Sahid Ballroom which is divisible and supported by an underground secure parking facility for over 2,000 vehicles. Meeting spaces are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including broadband and high-speed Wi-Fi Internet access.

To celebrate its opening, Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort is offering a package which includes accommodation in a deluxe room, breakfast for two at Feast, one-way airport transfer and daily resort credit of US$25. Priced from US$225⁺⁺ per night, the offer is valid until June 30, 2013. Terms apply.

SABAH S air connectivity is set to improve as Malaysia Airlines (MAS) launches new flights from Kota Kinabalu to Shanghai and resumes services to Osaka and Perth this month.

From December 11, 2012, the national carrier will commence twice-weekly flights to Shanghai, departing Kota Kinabalu every Tuesday and Friday at 20.20 and arriving in the Chinese city at 0.45 the following day.

Following the suspension of its Kota Kinabalu-Perth and Kota Kinabalu-Osaka routes earlier this year, MAS reintroduced a weekly service to Perth on December 9, departing every Sunday, and will bring back its twice-weekly flights to Osaka on December 20, departing every Monday and Thursday.

Services to all three destinations will be operated on B737-800 aircraft with 144 economy class seats and 16 business class seats.

Muzamil Mohammad, MAS regional senior vice president for Malaysia/ASEAN, said: “The introduction of more international direct flights to and from Kota Kinabalu meets the growing demand for premium connectivity to and from Sabah. Kota Kinabalu is an ideal gateway for air travel to and from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, North Asia, Indonesia and Australia.”

MATTA Sabah Chapter chairman, KL Tan, said: “94 per cent of tourist arrivals to Sabah depend on air connectivity. We expect a surge of arrivals to the state with the new services to Shanghai and the resumption of flights to Osaka and Perth. The recommencement of flights to Osaka and Perth will also boost market confidence.”

AFTER weathering a long phase of investor apathy and governmental clearances, the Pune International Exhibition and Convention Centre (PIECC) has finally been cleared for construction.

Scheduled for completion by 2017, the 97-hectare PIECC will boast a staggering seating capacity of 20,000, with a floor area of 13,000m². It will have seven exhibition centres, a convention centre, a golf course, a five-star hotel, a business complex, shopping malls and residences.

The US$115 million project is developed by the Pimpri-Chinchwad New Town Development Authority. Upon completion, a private company will be appointed to market PIECC at an international level.

PIECC can expect a ready market, as automobile companies such as Land Rover, General Motors, Fiat, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Tata Motors, which have manufacturing bases in the vicinity, currently go to New Delhi for their auto shows and conferences.

Sushil Wadhwa, chairman, Platinum Incentives, said: “In India, the domestic demand for large MICE spaces is high and the sooner the PIECC is functional, the better it will be for the industry. With many international corporations and global associations looking at India to host their events, this will be a huge boost for the MICE trade in India.”

TWO Malaysian inbound tour operators specialising in German-speaking markets have reported a decline in business for the year, although statistics from Tourism Malaysia showed a single-digit percentage increase in arrivals from these markets up until the first half of 2012.

Diethelm Travel Malaysia’s managing director, Manfred Kurz, and Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel’s (AOS) director, business development, Noor M Ismail, concurred that the depreciation of the euro and high airfares had resulted in the poor showing.

Said Kurz: “Year-on-year, we have seen a 10 per cent drop in the German-speaking market. The weak euro is not helping as total package prices have gone up by 10 to 20 per cent, depending on the product. Our overseas partners in Germany and Austria have also complained that airfares to the Far East have become more expensive.”

Noor said AOS had seen a drop of some 20 per cent this year and predicted that the drop would be even more severe in 2013, as travellers would hesitate to spend on longhaul holidays.

The company last year began intensifying efforts in other markets, such as the UK and Eastern Europe, to make up for the possible drop. It is also promoting dual destinations such as Singapore-Malaysia and Malaysia-Cambodia to attract repeat visitors from German-speaking markets.

Meanwhile, Diethelm is reaching out to niche market segments such as “photography enthusiasts and those who love nature and soft adventure”. “There is still a following for the normal packages such as city tours, and visits to the national park of Taman Negara. Langkawi and Sabah are still high in demand,” said Kurz.

Germany showed 7.2 per cent growth in the first half of 2012 over the same period in 2011, recording 64,705 arrivals from 60,347 before. Arrivals from Switzerland grew 8.9 per cent to 13,058 in the first half of 2012.