PAN Pacific Orchard has unveiled refreshed guest rooms, restaurants and facilities following a S$10 million (US$8.2 million) refurbishment programme completed this month.

The revamped hardware extends from the hotel’s new executive rooms, studio rooms and Pacific Club suites to its restaurants, 10 at Claymore and Lobby Lounge, as well as public areas including the entrance, main lobby and meeting facilities.

The hotel has also added a St. Gregory spa to its stable of wellness facilities that already comprises a steam room, a fitness centre and a mineral water swimming pool.

“The refurbishment is part of our continuing journey to provide relevant choices and enriching experiences for today’s discerning travellers,” said Dean Rossilli, general manager of Pan Pacific Orchard.

“It is a proactive response to the guest feedback we solicited through a series of focus group interviews conducted to delineate specific enhancements for our rooms and amenities.”

INCUMBENT assistant secretary for Tourism Planning & Promotions and acting OIC of the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), Domingo Ramon ‘Chicoy’ Enerio III, has been formally appointed COO of TPB for a one-year term beginning July 1, 2012.

A career diplomat who has worked at the Philippines’ Department of Tourism (DoT) for more than thirty years, Enerio previously served as a tourism attaché in London, Paris, Frankfurt and Tokyo.

Henceforth, all national tourism marketing and promotional duties will be transferred from DoT to TPB, which will responsible for providing marketing promotions support, “whether it be for entertainment, hotels and resorts development, investments; all these will fall under the scope of TPB’s (functions),” explained Enerio.

DoT will retain overall macro-planning functions, guided by its National Tourism Development Plan. “There is a lot more to take care of (at DoT), especially when it comes to product development and enhancement, planning, research, and administrative requirements,” said Enerio.

A five-member board of directors has also been appointed to oversee the following committees within TPB: Margie Munsayac (accommodation enterprises), Monette Hamlin (conventions and travel exhibitions), Edwin Vincent Ortiz (accredited tourism enterprises), Margarita Villarica (travel and tour services) and Isagani Buenaflor (land, air, and sea tourist transport services).

“We want (the board) to signal to us what the requirements are of their respective sectors, so we are able to respond to the concerns of the industry,” said Enerio.

Meanwhile, Dentsu Philippines has been appointed agency for media planning and placement as the DoT’s tourism marketing campaign moves into its second phase. The NTO has been granted PHP 2.6 billion (US$62.67 million) for its 2012/2013 marketing budget, a 91 per cent year-on-year increase.

“The major increase is in the area of international advertising and promotions,” said Enerio. “For the last quarter of this year, we’ve been able to plan a major international campaign…with TV commercials, brochures and websites.”

“We have big plans for digital. In our research and surveys, we’ve found that ‘digital’ is a very crucial element in foreigners’ decision-making process,” he added.

SEEKING an approach to sustainable tourism development that takes into account the welfare of indigenous communities, Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have jointly launched the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Tourism and Green Jobs for Indonesia.

Speaking at the Bali Sustainable Tourism Conference yesterday, Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy, Sapta Nirwandar, explained that sustainable tourism development practices were already relatively well established in the country.

“The Strategic Plan serves as a policy recommendation to determine the professional development of sustainable tourism (in Indonesia),” he said.

Also at the conference, Indonesia tourism planning expert and ILO consultant, Myra Gunawan, urged sustainable tourism development to take into account both the local environment and people.

She explained: “There needs to be a mindset change among tourism stakeholders from merely measuring tourism development in terms of arrivals and spending, to including how much the development has improved the welfare of people in a destination.”

Citing the example of Machu Picchu in Peru, where the government’s concessions to the private sector for tourism development came at the expense of the livelihoods of 10,000 local fishermen and farmers, Gunawan pointed out that such cases should be avoided.

She urged the government to establish guidelines to ensure that future tourism investments would provide tangible benefits and sustainable income avenues for local communities.

THAILAND’S capital saw the opening of its first Tune Hotel yesterday, marking the third outpost in the country for the budget hospitality brand after Hat Yai and Pattaya.

Owned and operated by franchisee Red Planet Hotels, the 130-room Tune Hotel Asoke, Bangkok is situated on Sukhumvit Soi 14, near the Terminal 21 shopping mall and the Asoke BTS Skytrain and Sukhumvit MRT stations.

Red Planet Hotels CEO, Tim Hansing, said: “We are on the verge of signing up to four or five more sites in Bangkok, as we expand the brand through a capital city receiving more and more leisure and corporate travellers each year.”

Following Bangkok, Phuket will welcome its first Tune Hotel with a 150-room property on Patong Beach in December.

Hansing added that 2012 had so far been a “milestone” year for Red Planet, which acquired a 16.05 per cent stake in Tune Hotels earlier this year to become the chain’s third-largest investor (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 17, 2012).

“By December, Red Planet Hotels will have achieved gaining ownership interests in 20 operating hotels in just 12 months,” he said.

THE launch of Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan in Hong Kong on Wednesday sets a standard for the economy brand’s new direction (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 11, 2012), and also marks Accor’s expansion beyond 100,000 rooms in Asia-Pacific.

Said Paul Richardson, COO of Accor Greater China: “Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan represents the brand’s new flagship property for Greater China. The opening of the hotel strengthens Accor’s presence in this market and will help us further promote the Ibis brand throughout the region.”

The 550-room Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan features three room types – Studio, City View and Harbour View – all outfitted with lightwood timber floors, 3m-high ceilings and large bay view windows. In-room amenities include complimentary WiFi Internet access, 32-inch LCD televisions, and coffee- and tea-making machines.

There are two dining outlets: Taste, offering eight hours of breakfast service beginning from 04.00, and a 24-hour bar offering drinks and snacks.

Situated near Sheung Wan MTR station and the Macau Ferry Terminal, Ibis Hong Kong Central and Sheung Wan also boasts convenient access to Hong Kong International Airport. Airport bus pick-up and drop-off points are located within the hotel, while Airport Express trains can be boarded one MTR stop away in Central.

A NEW luxury beachfront resort, The Sanchaya, is poised to open its doors on the northern shore of Indonesia’s Bintan Island in the first half of 2013.

Spread across 1,300 ha in the Lagoi Bay area, The Sanchaya – which means “collection” in Sanskrit – is a selection of 19 villas and nine suites. Each guestroom features Bang & Olufsen TVs and integrated sound and vision systems, as well as 462-threadcount Egyptian cotton Percale bedding.

Michael Gaehler, general manager of The Sanchaya, said: “Bintan is well-known to Singaporeans as a convenient island getaway, but we believe our offering will also appeal to sophisticated international travellers who might not otherwise have considered Bintan as a destination.”

He added: “Our vision for the estate is to offer guests an extraordinary experience like no other. Each and every one of our villas and suites will have its own exceptional style, reflecting the region’s art, culture and rich history.”

The Sanchaya is a part of a wider development project for Lagoi Bay and its surroundings, which will include private residences, hotels and private estates, commercial spaces, a golf course and an international airport (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 28, 2011).

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) has ramped up its services to India from September 1 (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 9, 2012), adding four daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Bengaluru, and three daily flights from the capital to both Mumbai and Chennai.

Duncan Bureau, senior vice president, global sales & distribution, MAS, said: “With the launch of these flights, we are expecting a 26 per cent increase in capacity from India in 2012. India is a prominent and growth-centric market for us, and we are expecting a 15 per cent growth in terms of passenger load.”

MAS currently operates 40 flights per week from Kuala Lumpur to India, of which 12 are to New Delhi and seven each to Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Rajendra Churiwala, managing director, Survottam Travels, said: “Increased connectivity with Malaysia through MAS will fill the void left by the exit of AirAsia X (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 13, 2012). Moreover, onward connections from Kuala Lumpur will increase through the MAS network. This offers good scope for growth in India-ASEAN tourist traffic.”

A NEW level of corporate hospitality was unveiled yesterday with the launch of 62 executive suites as part of the new Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang, touted to be the first of its kind in South-east Asia.

Dubbed the National Stadium Club, the suites, which come with exclusive VIP privileges and private facilities, are priced between S$72,000 (US$58,616) and S$272,000 annually.

Companies will be able to lease the suites, which range in size from 25-89m2, for either three or six years. Each suite will be able to accommodate between eight and 30 people, and can be customised on request.

The suites are managed and marketed by the World Sport Group, a sports marketing, media and event management company. A line-up of sports events is also being readied including football, cricket, rugby and athletics, alongside major concerts, to draw not only local spectators but regional ones.

The National Stadium is expected to host some 140 events per year, attracting a projected two to three million visitors annually.

“What we are focused on is creating consistency. What we want to avoid is having events that only happen once a year. We want to engage totally with visitors to Singapore as well as with local residents,” said Andrew Georgiou, COO, World Sport Group.

Some 8,000 premium club seats will also be offered to individuals further down the line.

The Sports Hub, with its centrepiece being the 55,000-seater National Stadium, is scheduled to open in April 2014.

PHILIPPINE hotel chain The Astoria Group is embarking on a resorts expansion and renovation plan in four of the country’s key tourist areas over the next two years.

The group, which recently ended its management contact with Genesis Hotels and Resorts, will be adding 30 rooms to its existing 39-room Astoria Boracay property, which opened in 2010. It will also debut a brand new 100-room property in a quiet and wider beachfront area in Boracay’s Station 3 in 2014.

Expansions are also underway in Bohol, where eight villas are currently operating at Astoria’s beachfront resort near the historic church of Baclayon. Sixty-two rooms will be opened by 1Q2013.

In Palawan, Astoria is readying the launch of a 60 native-style bungalow property in San Rafael, Honda Bay, south of Puerto Princesa.

Back at flagship property Astoria Plaza in Pasig, located near the Ortigas business district in Metro Manila, 120 rooms will be upgraded gradually to four-to-five-star standards.

“We aim to be in tried-and-tested destinations like Boracay,” said John Tanjangco, marketing services consultant, Astoria. “In Bohol, our resort is near the airport and just 10 minutes away from one of Bohol’s most important historical sites.”

Astoria receives strong occupancies from the country’s top visitor markets, especially the US, but is also visible in the European market, where German companies like Dertour and Meier’s Weltreisen promote its resorts in their brochures.

PRODUCT diversification and customisation were the buzzwords at the inaugural Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau this week, as industry experts urged delegates to meet changing consumer demands.

The three-day forum drew some 1,000 delegates from 20 countries, with the theme of Growth driving growth: the synergistic interplay of tourism and economic development.

One company that has walked the talk is Chinese OTA Ctrip, which recently acquired Chinese high-end tour operator Trip TM to expand its luxury offerings.

CEO, Min Fan, said the market for luxury travel in China was ripe as the country produced an increasing number of wealthy citizens. “There isn’t a travel consultant specialising solely in high-end products in Taiwan, Hong Kong or China. (Ctrip) will create different themes to suit different markets. For instance, wine-tasting tours.”

“In the long-term, we intend to leverage a full range of versatile products such as different grades of hotels, and explore more overseas options,” he added.

Chairman of executive board, TUI AG, and chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council, Michael Frenzel, said: “Real experience will become the status symbols of the future. Thus destination and resort planning is no longer a question of capacity but of experience management. Only those who know the customer can serve their very individual personalised needs.”

China International Travel Service president, Yu Ningning, agreed that travel consultants needed to keep innovating by introducing more diverse products such as self-drive holidays. In China, the silver hair market currently has the biggest potential, she added.

Research by TUI Travel’s think tank predicts that Chinese group travel to Europe would evolve into a large range of niche options for widely differing target groups, while customers would want to play an active role in arranging their holidays.

Frenzel added: “Digital solutions are becoming crucial in any customer interaction along the tourism value chain.”