AIRASIA X will suspend its four-times weekly service between Kuala Lumpur and Tehran from October 15.

Passengers who have booked flights beyond October 14 will be offered a full refund or credit shell.

The Malaysia-based carrier cited “challenging economic and business conditions including the volatility of the Iranian currency” as its basis for pulling out.

AirAsia X’s decision comes just months after the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents and the Iranian Tour Operators Association inked an MoU to collaborate on tourism-related events and promotion of each other’s products.

Both associations have an agreement with Mahan Air, Iran Air and AirAsia X to allocate up to 50 per cent of their capacity on the outbound sector between Kuala Lumpur and Tehran. Mahan Air and Iran Air will continue to serve Kuala Lumpur.

Earlier this year, AirAsia X suspended operations to Christchurch, London, Paris, New Delhi and Mumbai.

MYANMAR tourism officials have unveiled wide-ranging plans to develop the country’s tourism industry in anticipation of a surge in inbound tourists.

During a keynote presentation at last Friday’s Lao National Institute of Tourism & Hospitality (LANITH) Quarterly Symposium in Vientiane, Kyi Thein Ko, head of secretary, Myanmar Tourism Federation (MTF), said Myanmar had engaged a branding firm to promote its tourism products, while MTF maintains a large presence at major regional and international travel tradeshows.

Eighty per cent of the marketing target themes such as history, culture, temples, nature, architecture and Buddhism in the country’s four main destinations: Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake.

The country has also designated 15 eco-destinations. “We would like to share information in developing our ecotourism with Laos, as they have the experience,” said MTF senior tourism advisor, Daw Kyi Kyi Aye.

Addressing Myanmar’s high-end room shortage, Daw Kyi Kyi Aye said “local hotels were now upgrading,” and the situation was ripe for foreign investors, who have already earmarked US$1.15 billion for new upscale hotels that will add 1,415 rooms to the local inventory.

She noted that only 35 hotels with 6,560 rooms were geared for business travellers, and this lack of quality accommodation was an issue that the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism was acting on. “We don’t want more hotels for backpackers, but for the ‘laptop’ guests, as business travellers spend money,” she said.

Concerning connectivity, Daw Kyi Kyi Aye said Myanmar was planning to develop international air hubs at its major destinations, as well as more expressways and overland routes to neighbouring countries.

“We must be ready for the SEA Games in 2013 when we will also hold the ASEAN Chair,” she said. “We also have some 800 meetings scheduled and we aim to be a MICE destination by 2014 before hosting the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2015.”

Both she and Kyi Thein Ko stressed the importance of partnerships, communication among stakeholders and human resource development in developing an effective strategy to promote the destination.

Discussions are already being held with LANITH chief technical advisor, Peter Semone, to provide guidance in implementing a Passport to Success skills training programme, starting a tourism and hospitality school, and producing master local trainers and educators.

QUAY Grand Suites Sydney was today rebranded to Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour, making it the third Pullman in Sydney as part of an aggressive local expansion for the five-star hotel brand.

Simon McGrath, COO, Accor Pacific, said growing the Pullman brand in Australia was a key priority for the group, with many of the former Mirvac hotels scheduled to be rebranded to Pullman over the next 12 months.

“The Pullman brand holds such a rich history and is highly regarded throughout Asia and Europe, and it makes sense for us to grow this brand in Australia where there is clear demand for quality internationally branded hotels aimed at the corporate and upscale leisure markets,” he said.

“Pullman is already a major brand in key source markets for Australia across Asia and Europe, and it is anticipated that there will be some 150 Pullman hotels and resorts by 2015.”

Set on the eastern shore of Circular Quay and overlooking Sydney Harbour, the Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour offers 67 one- and two-bedroom suites, fine dining in Quadrant Restaurant, and three function rooms that can cater for up to 140 guests.

The hotel joins Pullman Sydney Olympic Park, Pullman Sydney Hyde Park – currently undergoing an upgrading programme following a rebranding from Sydney Marriott in May – Pullman Reef Casino in Cairns and the recently rebadged Pullman Resort Bunker Bay in Western Australia’s Margaret River region.

The Sebel Cairns, The Sebel King George Square Brisbane and The Sebel Albert Park Melbourne are all primed to take on Pullman branding within the next six months, putting Pullman on track to grow its Australia network to 15 hotels by end-2013.

SINGAPORE will see more than 9,500 delegates from across the globe attending next week’s TravelRave, billed as Asia’s mega travel and tourism festival.

Running from October 15-19, this year’s edition promises to provide an expanded platform for travel business leaders and professionals to network, share insights and discover new business opportunities.

The highlight of TravelRave 2012 will be ITB Asia, a B2B travel trade show and convention that will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre from October 17-19. In partnership with ITB Asia, TTG Asia Media will also be organising the second annual TTG Travel Experts Conference at the same venue on October 18.

Conferences include the Asia Pacific Tourism Destination Investment Conference 2012 and Web In Travel Conference 2012 from October 15-17, Aviation Outlook Asia from October 17-18, and the Hotel Technology Conference 2012 and Asia Travel Leaders Summit on October 16.

Award ceremonies lined up include the Singapore Experience Awards on October 15 and the World Travel Awards Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremony on October 18.

The official TravelRave networking event – Rave On! TravelRave Party – will be hosted by the Singapore Tourism Board at Gardens by the Bay on October 17.

OVOLO Group, a hotel and serviced apartment owner and operator based in Hong Kong, launched today its new flagship hotel, Ovolo 2 Arbuthnot Road (Ovolo 2AR).

Situated in the heart of Central just above Wyndham Street and Soho, Ovolo 2AR offers 42 guest rooms equipped with Apple TVs, high-speed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, complimentary minibars with a selection of drinks and alcohol replenished daily and Nespresso coffee machines.

Other amenities include a 24-hour gym, while F&B options include Cafe O, which serves complimentary daily breakfast, and Lo Lounge, which offers complimentary happy hour drinks from 18.00-20.00 daily.

The standard rack rate at Ovolo 2AR is HK$3,380 (US$436) per night. An introductory rate of HK$2,190 per night is available until further notice.

Meanwhile, Ovolo Group is planning to open a new hotel in Wong Chuk Hang on Hong Kong Island in 3Q2013, and intends to refurbish its existing hotel at 100 Shek Pai Wan in Aberdeen.

The company opened its first international hotel in Melbourne in September (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 20, 2012).

LUXURY cruise line Silversea Cruises has released two new brochures for 2013, showcasing over 200 of its cruise offerings for the coming year.

Available from January through December 2013, Silversea’s lineup for 2013 will cover more than 450 destinations across all seven continents.

Highlights include a 115-day World Cruise, which departs from Los Angeles on January 5 and sails to 52 destinations in 28 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore; the Grand Voyages cruise for an immersive experience over 34 to 54 days; and the 31-day South Pacific Voyage onboard the Silver Spirit, which sets off from Los Angeles on February 1.

Silverseas’ 2013 Voyages details the cruise line-up for Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit, covering worldwide itineraries by region, as well as information on shore excursions, land programmes, deck plans and pricing.

The second brochure, Silversea Expeditions’ 2013 Voyages, highlights 27 expedition cruises to remote destinations onboard the Silver Explorer.

QATAR Airways is to join oneworld, becoming the first of the three major Gulf carriers to sign for a global airline alliance.

Qatar Airways CEO, Akbar Al Baker, said: “Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today – and that will continue long into the future. Qatar Airways has carefully reviewed its strategic options and it is clear that joining oneworld is the best way forward for us as we look to strengthen our competitive offering and give passengers more choice.”

British Airways will serve as Qatar Airways’ sponsor during its implementation into the alliance, a process that is expected to take between 12 and 18 months.

The Doha-based carrier will become oneworld’s second member airline based in the Middle East. Royal Jordanian was the first carrier from the region to join a global alliance when it boarded oneworld in 2007.

Qatar Airways’ addition will plug 15 destinations and three countries – Iran, Rwanda and the Seychelles – into the oneworld map, boosting the alliance’s global coverage to 856 destinations in 159 countries and provide routing alternatives across hundreds of city pairs.

Qatar Airways already codeshares with oneworld member designate Malaysia Airlines. Two oneworld member airlines currently serve its Doha home – British Airways from its London hub, and Royal Jordanian from its Amman base – along with member elect SriLankan, from its Colombo hub.

American Airlines’ chairman and chief executive, Tom Horton, chairman of the oneworld governing board, said: “Adding Qatar Airways will significantly improve our connectivity between many of the destinations that are most important to (our) customers, so (the) agreement with Qatar Airways will enable us to offer even more value.”

oneworld CEO, Bruce Ashby, added: “oneworld is delighted to be the first of the global alliances to welcome a member airline from this region, enabling us to be the first to offer consumers the services and benefits offered by both a global alliance and a Gulf carrier.”

MALAYSIA Airlines will introduce double daily Airbus A380 services on its Kuala Lumpur-London (Heathrow) route beginning November 24. The flag carrier will also commence daily A380 operations to Paris effective March 1, 2013, replacing existing daily services with Boeing B777 aircraft.

The move will raise the weekly seat capacity on the Kuala Lumpur-London route from 5,971 to 6,916 seats in each direction, a 16 per cent increase.

MAS group CEO, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, said: “This initiative is part of our efforts to standardise our product offering on (the Kuala Lumpur-London) route for oneworld customers when we join the alliance early next year (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 9, 2012).”

Noor Mohammad, head, Europe department, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said increased capacity on the Kuala Lumpur-London route would help alleviate the shortage of seats during the peak British travel season in November and December.

“However, whether it will lead to a significant increase in (inbound) tourists is still too early to tell, as it will also depend on airfares,” he added.

Abdul Rahman Mohamed, deputy general manager channel management, Mayflower Acme Tours, said: “MAS has the inventory, but whether it will stir the market depends on its fare pricing. Will it be as competitive as Middle East carriers, especially during the peak season?”

MAS’ move to boost capacity to Europe comes at the expense of planned A380 services to Sydney (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 13, 2012) and Melbourne. The carrier was orginally due to deploy the A380 on its daily Sydney-Kuala Lumpur flights from November 26, with Melbourne expected to follow from March 2013.

THE Jetstar Group yesterday launched its first Indonesian retail outlet in Kelapa Gading, the southernmost subdistrict of North Jakarta, to reach out to an extended customer base in the country.

Operated in collaboration with Holiday Tours & Travel, Qantas Group’s GSA for Indonesia, the outlet is expected to make it more convenient for Indonesian consumers to book and pay for fares across the entire Jetstar network.

Barathan Pasupathi, CEO, Jetstar Asia and Valuair, explained: “While credit card payments make up between 80 and 90 per cent (of overall transactions) in places such as Singapore, in Indonesia it is around 25 to 30 per cent. Many customers here still like to talk to people when planning a trip and prefer cash payments.”

He added: “Our Indonesian services are now running at around 80 per cent load factor and there is still room to grow. (The new retail outlet) will also make it more convenient for group bookings.”

Pasupathi told TTG Asia e-Daily that the group was planning to open additional retail outlets in Jakarta and other Jetstar destinations in Indonesia, while travel products including hotels and travel insurance would soon be available.

The Jetstar Group currently operates 80 flights a week from Australia and Singapore to Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya and Medan.