FINNAIR and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) have established a new codeshare agreement, paving the way for more Scandinavian travellers to visit Kuala Lumpur.

Applicable for travel from December 1, selected MAS services between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong will carry the Finnair flight code. Likewise, MAS’ flight code will be used on selected Finnair services between Helsinki and London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.

MAS senior vice president of government & international affairs, Germal Singh, said: “The arrangement with Finnair is part of our strategy to develop commercial cooperation with oneworld alliance members as we prepare towards becoming a full member of the alliance next year. This is also our initiative towards enhancing air connectivity with key priority markets overseas for increased tourist arrivals into Malaysia as required by our government’s Economic Transformation Programme.

“Through this partnership we can expand our reach in Europe without operating our own flights between Malaysia and the Scandinavian region.,,We are confident that more tourists from the Scandinavian region will use this codeshare and visit Malaysia.”

On February 1, 2013, MAS will join the oneworld alliance, of which Finnair is a member.

To promote these codeshare services, MAS is offering all-inclusive return fares starting from RM4,396 (US$1,438) for economy class and RM13,363 for business class.

HILTON Worldwide has launched the 250-key DoubleTree Resort by Hilton – Surin Beach in Phuket, marking the brand’s inaugural property in Thailand.

Formerly the Courtyard by Marriott, the rebranded, four-storey DoubleTree by Hilton resort features over 80 suites and three F&B outlets including Asia Alive, an all-day dining restaurant; The Boardwalk, a pool bar serving snacks; and a F&B retail outlet, The Food Store. There are four meetings rooms as well as a business centre, a fitness club, outdoor lagoon-style pools, water slides and a kids club.

“Thailand is a key focus market for us due to its enormous potential for growth and as we continue to expand our footprint here, the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton – Surin Beach marks the entry of one of our fastest growing brands, DoubleTree by Hilton, into Thailand,” said Martin Rinck, president, Asia Pacific, Hilton Worldwide.

Hilton Worldwide currently manages six properties in Thailand – Conrad Bangkok, Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Hilton Pattaya, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa, Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa and Conrad Koh Samui – and is set to open Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok and DoubleTree by Hilton, Sukhumvit Bangkok in 2013.

RESORTS World Sentosa announced today that SEA Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark ­­– the two attractions of the Marine Life Park – will welcome guests from November 22, as the integrated resort gears up for its grand opening on December 7.

 Said to be the world’s largest aquarium, SEA Aquarium comprises 10 different zones with 49 habitats, allowing encounters with manta rays, hammerhead sharks, bottlenose dolphins and other marine creatures. It is home to some 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species.

The oceanarium’s centrepiece is the Open Ocean habitat, whose viewing panel gives visitors the feeling of being on an ocean floor. It is flanked by a panoramic viewing area and a seafood restaurant operating on sustainability principles. Opposite the habitat are 11 Ocean Suites, offering guests a unique accommodation experience.

The Adventure Cove Waterpark, on the other hand, targets thrill seekers with its six water slides, a wave pool and a 620m lazy river. Incorporating marine life experiences, guests will have the opportunity to snorkel among fish, feed rays and interact with sharks and dolphins, which will be introduced next year.

Daily admissions to SEA Aquarium are priced at S$29 (US$23) for adults, S$20 for children and S$20 for senior citizens. One-day admission fees to Adventure Cove Waterpark are priced similarly. As not all attractions are ready for viewing yet, ticket prices will be partially rebated by a $5 meal voucher.

Opening hours for both attractions are 10.00-18.00 from now until December 7, and the SEA Aquarium will close at 19.00 from December 8.

NEXT year’s edition of SATTE, to be held from January 16-18 in New Delhi, is seeing strong interest from both local and international exhibitors, securing first-time participants such as Singapore’s Changi Airport Group (CAG).

More than 33 NTOs from around the world have confirmed or are confirming their presence, including China, Dubai, the US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong.

India’s Ministry of Tourism and seven other state tourism boards have also confirmed their participation.

Sajid Desai, group director, UBM India, said he expects a growth of 15 per cent in terms of nett space and buyer participation for the 20^th edition of SATTE.

Some 542 registered buyers from India and 168 international buyer applications have been received.

“India, being one of the top five visitor arrival source markets for Singapore and the seventh largest market for Changi Airport in 2011, is an important market for us,” said Peh Ke-Wei, vice president, passenger development, CAG.

CAG will also be making its debut appearance under a Singapore pavilion together with the Singapore Tourism Board, inbound travel operators, attractions and hoteliers.

A few key exhibitors such as Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, Maldives and Indonesia are also increasing their stand sizes.

“This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has a much larger (exhibition) space, and buyers will meet more partners from the popular destinations in Thailand, as well a variety of services and products,” said Runjuan Tongrut, director, Tourism Authority of Thailand Delhi.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization and International Council of Tourism Partners, as well as nine local tourism associations have expressed support for the tradeshow.

SATTE also offers the opportunity to network with over 1,000 travel professionals from all over Mumbai and other tier-two cities through its companion event – SATTE Mumbai West, scheduled to be held from January 21-22.

JAPAN will roll out its Visit Japan campaign in new destinations in South-east Asia and engage government agencies in a bid to double South-east Asian inbound traffic to one million visitors next year.

To achieve this target, Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) has requested a budget of 599 million yen (US$7.4 million). It expects to hit two million arrivals by 2016.

JTA director of international tourism promotion division, Shuichi Kameyama, said: “The South-east Asian market is showing significant growth after the (March 11) quake and UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization) has projected that North-east and South-east Asia will be the international tourism markets where the world’s highest growth is (in the coming years).”

He also noted that the growth of arrivals from the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia was still low, because the Visit Japan campaign had not been launched in these markets.

Kameyama said Japan would capitalise on the 40^th anniversary of the ASEAN-Japan Exchange to go all out with promotions for Visit Japan, engaging not only tourism-related government agencies but also diplomatic offices, the Japan External Trade Organization and the Japan Foundation.

Existing initiatives to grow South-east Asian inbound include the facilitation of multiple-entry visas for Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian passport holders, and the opening of an office in Indonesia next year.

Japan expects South-east Asia to become one of its major markets, and will focus its efforts on wooing the leisure market before getting to work on luring incentives. Currently, foreign tourists come mainly from East Asia, which contributed 4.1 million, or 65 per cent, of the 6.2 million total arrivals to Japan last year.

JET Airways has added hotel inventory to its two websites, www.jetairways.com and www.jetkonnect.com, following the airline’s tie-up with Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN).

Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways, said: “(The) opportunity to engage with a renowned online travel company is of huge value to us, as it means we can go beyond guest expectations (by) providing them with a number of value-added services.”

Liz Travel Solutions CEO, Zacharia George, said: “The single-window booking for flights and hotels will facilitate mostly business travellers as they usually do not need any add-ons. Leisure tourists will use this facility for single-city travel but not much on multiple-destination itineraries,” he said.

EAN also recently inked a similar agreement with Air China, and has 10,000 partners in 33 countries, including Tiger Airways and Scoot.

EAN’s vice president, product & marketing, Benoit Jolin, said there was a need to tailor hotel offerings to flight booking behaviour. “Optimising conversion by knowing which hotels to offer to different flight shopper profiles can enrich the airline loyalty programme, boost revenues and airline brand loyalty, and increase customer retention.

“Making a hotel suggestion based on flight purchase behaviour combined with an optimised shopping experience can drive additional ancillary revenue streams over time.”

Jet Airways is rolling out an introductory offer for all bookings made before November 30. A discount of five per cent on net room tariff will be offered at 160,000 hotels in 20,000 cities.