THE SCIENCE Centre Singapore is slated to undergo a S$29 million (US$23.2 million) makeover, according to The Straits Times.

First opened in December 1977, the Science Centre is planning to embark on a five-year upgrading programme that will see the addition of a digital planetarium, a virtual aquarium, a city gallery, a children science centre, and a space academy.

Science Centre CEO, Lim Tit Meng, was quoted by The Straits Times as saying that the addition of new attractions was essential for the facility to stay relevant.

The last time the Science Centre underwent a major facelift was in 1999, when S$38 million was splashed out on expanding its exhibition space, creating a new entrance, and building a direct connection to the separate Singapore Omni-Theatre building.

SRI Lanka registered 452,867 inbound arrivals in the first half of 2012, an 18.7 per cent year-on-year increase, according to the latest figures from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority.

A large proportion of inbound traffic originated from South Asian markets (116,717 visitors), which jointly recorded a 4.6 per cent year-on-year increase in numbers. India was the top market in the region, contributing 85,426 visitors.

Compared to the same period last year, visitor numbers from South-east Asia and the Far East rose by 36.7 per cent, while arrivals from the US and Europe grew by 20.2 per cent and 20.3 per cent, respectively.

“Sri Lanka is emerging as a leading leisure destination and this upward trend and interest will continue to grow exponentially,” said Chandra Wickramasinghe, deputy chairman of Amaya Resorts & Spas, which operates several resort properties throughout Sri Lanka.

Sonal Swamy, director, Syrisa Travels Mumbai, said: “Once the perception that Sri Lanka was safe to travel to permeated throughout the travel industry, we promoted it vigorously to our clients.”

“For Indians and East Asians, Sri Lanka is a dream destination that is shorthaul and not as expensive as the Maldives, Mauritius or Seychelles. The simple visa process also helps the travel trade create last-minute itineraries.”

This year, the Sri Lankan government is targeting one million arrivals and US$2 billion in tourism revenue.

MYANMAR Airways International (MAI) is planning to launch flights from Mandalay to Bangkok in October – the same month that Thai AirAsia is scheduled to begin four-weekly services from Bangkok to Mandalay.

While Thai AirAsia’s Bangkok-Mandalay route will be direct, the alternative offered by the Myanmar flag carrier will incorporate a short stopover in Yangon, said Daw Aye Mra Tha, MAI’s marketing & public relations representative.

“We have to add more aircraft before we can start operating (direct) flights between Mandalay and Bangkok,” she explained, adding that the service would run three times a week – on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays.

As part of its expansion strategy, MAI is also planning to mount direct flights from Yangon to Vientiane, Hong Kong and Seoul later this year (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 13, 2012).

“We are planning to operate (flights to) Hong Kong, and expect to be able to start this route in December,” said Daw.

Meanwhile, MAI will ramp up the frequency of its Singapore flights from two to three times a week through a codeshare arrangement with Jetstar, beginning October 1.

Flights to Siem Reap and Gaya – the second largest city in the Indian state of Bihar – are also set to resume in October, after being suspended due to the low season.

AIRASIA will offer thrice-weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Lombok, one of the main islands in Indonesia’s West Nusa Tenggara province, starting October 12.

Available on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, the new flights mark the low-cost carrier’s 15th destination in Indonesia.

AirAsia head of commercial, Jasmine Lee, said: “Lombok is a must for those seeking adventure, serenity or a romantic getaway. Outdoor lovers may embark on adventurous trips to explore Mount Rinjani. Honeymooners will find the sandy beaches at Senggigi and the surrounding Gili Island as romantic retreats.”

The travel trade in Lombok have been expecting a slew of new flight connections since the opening of Lombok International Airport last October (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 26, 2011).

FAST-rising Park Hotel Group has trumped a dozen international chains to clinch its first management contract for a four-star hotel in central-west Singapore. The hitherto owner-operator expects to sign three to four of such deals by year-end, citing strong interest from markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.

The Singapore-based Park Hotel Group today inked an agreement with CEL-Alexandra, a wholly owned subsidiary of CEL Development. An arm of Singapore-listed Chip Eng Seng Corporation, this will be the construction and property company’s first hotel.

Slated to open in the first half of 2015, the proposed 450-room angled hotel tower will sit atop a six-storey podium and feature retail space. Located at the junction of Alexandra Road and Jalan Bukit Merah, room sizes will range from 21m2 to 42m2, while facilities include a club lounge, meeting rooms, a gym and a rooftop pool.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily, Park Hotel Group CEO, Allen Law, explained that despite Park Hotel at Alexandra’s city fringe location, it presented an untapped opportunity to serve clientele in the west as there were currently few competitors nearby.

Currently with eight hotels in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Japan, he anticipates that the group’s portfolio will swell to 20 by the end of next year.

Said Law: “We will continue to do direct investments but will grow faster in the area of management contracts. We’re always looking for the best locations within cities but these may be hard to come by. (Management contracts) cover locations we may not traditionally invest in due to risks we are not comfortable with.

“We want to grow the revenue coming from fee-based (management contracts) to a good 10 per cent of our total hotel revenue in the next three years.”

He added that the Group was looking for long-term relationships, preferring to “deal with the same partner for more projects than a different party for every project”.

When asked why he thought the Group managed to secure the hotly contested contract, Law attributed it to the chain’s Asian focus and its proven track record.

“We had Park Hotel Clarke Quay that we could showcase to the owner. It started as a greenfield project, won many awards for design and construction, and is now in its third year of operations…A lot of brands may be well known in a different location but not necessarily in Asia or even in Singapore.”

– Read more about the chain’s growth plans and its IPO ambition in View From The Top, TTG Asia September 7, 2012

AIR Astana will mount first-ever direct flights between the capitals of Kazakhstan and China when it launches twice-weekly Astana-Beijing services on August 25.

Operated every Wednesday and Saturday using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft, this will be Air Astana’s second route to mainland China, adding to existing Almaty-Beijing flights that are operated five times a week.

Meanwhile, Air Astana will also introduce twice-weekly Almaty-Hong Kong flights on August 28. To support this connection, Kazakh nationals have been granted visa-free stay in Hong Kong for up to 14 days. Reciprocally, residents of Hong Kong SAR have been granted 14-days’ visa-free entry into Kazakhstan.

Air Astana president, Peter Foster, had previously mentioned that the airline was planning to operate daily services from both Almaty and Astana to Beijing, as well as daily services from Almaty to Urumqi.

BRITISH Airways (BA) is planning to resume flights to Colombo, after pulling out from the Sri Lankan capital some ten years ago due to the civil war.

According to Sri Lankan aviation authorities, the UK flag carrier plans to operate thrice-weekly services between London (Gatwick) and Colombo via Male, beginning next March. Currently, the only direct connection between London and Colombo are daily flights operated by SriLankan Airlines.

“It’s a very good move. There will be (increased) positivity and confidence when an airline like BA starts flying to Colombo,” said Michael Elias, CEO of Walkers Tours, which represents Kuoni, Virgin Holidays and Thomas Cook in Sri Lanka.

Elias added that flying from Gatwick in South London would be a boon, as some of the main outbound travel operators such as Kuoni and Virgin Holidays had offices nearby.

Chaminda Dias, executive director, Luxe Asia, said the return of BA would lend credibility to Sri Lanka’s efforts to ramp up post-war tourism development. “It will legitimise the fact that Sri Lanka is normal and ready for tourism,” he said.

THE AUSTRALIAN Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) is planning to do away with its Travel Compensation Fund (TCF) by 2014, due to a lack of consumer awareness and doubts about the fund’s efficacy.

The TCF, which provides protection for local consumers in the event of the financial collapse of a participating travel agency, will be replaced by new consumer protection legislation, said AFTA CEO, Jayson Westbury.

“In a 2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers report, only three per cent of consumers surveyed were aware that the TCF was in existence. We do not believe that the TCF adds to the confidence of consumer decisions to purchase via a travel (consultant),” he said.

AFTA estimates that the average travel agency forks out about A$19,500 (US$20,500) a year to cover bonds, administration fees and regulatory red tape when dealing with the TCF.

Rose Yong, managing director of Melbourne-based inbound/outbound tour operator Extragreen Holidays, said her company had not seen any benefits from the TFC in over 18 years of membership.

Tracey Schwass, a travel consultant with Brisbane-based group tour specialist Travel by Tracey, believes the TCF should close as bonds and administration fees are too costly for smaller agencies – at about A$8,000 a year, while a disproportionate amount of time is spent with accountants on regulatory compliance.

“(The TCF closure) will be positive depending on the outcome of the new consumer legislation,” she said.