THAI AirAsia is planning to mount regular flights from Bangkok to Nay Pyi Taw and Bagan before the start of the 2013 South-east Asian Games in Myanmar.

Speaking at a promotional event ahead of the launch of four-weekly Bangkok-Mandalay services (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 15, 2012) and the addition of a third Bangkok-Yangon daily flight on October 4, Thai AirAsia CEO, Tassapon Bijleveld, emphasised that facilities at nearly all of the country’s airports would have to be upgraded before international airlines could launch more routes.

“We have a plan to (fly to) Nay Pyi Taw, but the facilities have to be upgraded… I am sure the government is doing it and by next year we should be able to fly to Nay Pyi Taw,” he said.

“For flights to Bagan, we will look at maybe middle or the end of next year. I think we need to upgrade the (airport) facilities, such as ground handling services.”

Tassapon added that the Bangkok-Mandalay flights operated by Thai AirAsia would likely increase to a daily frequency within six months.

“A lot of people would like to come and see Mandalay, especially tourists from Europe. We have a lot of (European) tourists coming to Thailand and many of them want to visit Myanmar,” he said.

THE Indian government has decided to allow up to 49 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) by international airlines in Indian carriers.

Foreign airlines were previously barred from investing in Indian carriers, although up to 49 percent FDI by stakeholders unrelated to airline businesses was permissible.

The development comes as a welcome relief for most Indian airlines, which have been reeling from a combination of high state taxes, rising airport charges and fluctuating fuel costs.

Meanwhile, SpiceJet, which operates to 41 destinations across South Asia and the Middle East, is in talks with a Gulf-based airline for direct investment.

Neill Mills, CEO of SpiceJet said: “There have been preliminary discussions whether there is any interest on both sides and the confirmation is, yes, there is. Any future tie-up would produce reciprocal benefits.”

CENTARA Hotels & Resorts will embark on its maiden foray into Mauritius when the Centara Poste Lafayette Resort & Spa soft opens this December.

“This is a very significant move for Centara, as it marks a strategic step into a tourism market that we feel has very exciting potential,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts.

Located at Poste Lafayette on the northeast coast of Mauritius, the low-rise resort will be flanked by a beach with its own lagoon and reef on one side and a mountain on the other.

The property will offer 100 rooms, with a choice of superior and deluxe with garden or ocean views. The larger rooms, in addition to the king or twin bed options, will also be equipped with a sofa bed.

F&B facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant serving international cuisine; an a la carte restaurant specialising in Asian and Indian Ocean dishes; and a beach restaurant and bar.

Leisure amenities will include Spa Cenvaree, a free-form swimming pool and children’s pool, a fitness centre, and a kids’club.

Accommodation will be offered as Half Board Plus, inclusive of buffet breakfast and a choice of either lunch or dinner together with complimentary open bar during the meal service period; or All Inclusive, which covers all meals and full open bar served from 11.00 to 23.00 daily.

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.”