MANDARIN Oriental Hotel Group is set to open its inaugural property in Guangzhou later this year.

Located above TaiKoo Hui in Guangzhou’s Tianhe CBD, the five-star hotel is part of a 450,000m2 mixed-use development comprising luxury shopping outlets, office spaces and a cultural centre.

The five-star property, with interiors designed by Tony Chi & Associates, features 233 rooms, 30 suites and 24 serviced apartments. Each guest room offers spa-inspired bathrooms, with separate “wet” & “dry” rooms, circular bathtubs and rainforest spa showers.

There are five dining and cocktails venues, including a signature grill restaurant, a Cantonese restaurant and the Mandarin Cake Shop. Other facilities include a 750m2 ballroom, a nine-room spa, a fitness centre and a 25m heated outdoor pool.

AIR China and US-based low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways have entered into an initial interline agreement that is expected to develop into a codeshare partnership this autumn.

The two airlines will initially offer interline connections between their networks at New York (JFK) and Los Angeles international airports. Tickets are expected to go on sale later this summer.

Subject to government approval, the partnership will be expanded into a codeshare this autumn, with Air China placing its CA designator on flights operated by JetBlue.

Unveiling the deal on the sidelines of the IATA 68th AGM & World Air Transport Summit in Beijing, Dave Barger, JetBlue president & CEO said: “The Chinese market continues to be a key portion of the global economy, and so we look forward to connecting business and leisure travellers between both of these networks.”

Cai Jianjiang, Air China president, said: “The partnership with JetBlue creates many connecting opportunities at Air China’s two US gateways, New York and Los Angeles. It strengthens both our networks and benefits travellers of both countries.”

Air China offers one daily flight from New York and two daily flights from Los Angeles to Beijing Capital Airport. Separate from the JetBlue interline, Air China also operates once a day from San Francisco and Vancouver to Beijing.

Meanwhile, starting October 1, Air China will deploy brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its New York route. The plane, which offer eight first-class, 41 business-class and 259 economy seats, is already operated on its Los Angeles flights.

DUBAI-BASED luxury hotel chain, Jumeirah Group, is set to augment its presence in Greater China with new hotels over the next three to five years and a new business development personnel.

The 205-room Jumeirah Guangzhou will open next year, followed by the 139-room Jumeirah Thousand Islands Lake Resort, Qiandaohu; the 250-room Jumeirah Hangzhou; the 250-room Jumeirah Clearwater Bay Resort, Sanya; and the 250-room Jumeirah Macau.

Akram Touma, general manager of Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai, which opened in March 2011 and is achieving 75 per cent occupancy rate, said: “The Jumeirah brand is very strong among the Chinese, especially among affluent travellers.”

Half of the hotel’s business is contributed by domestic travellers.

When asked whether the group intends to restart plans to launch its trendier label, VENU, a brand that Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel Shanghai was supposed to adopt, Touma said: “We want to have a strong foothold in the key cities before we consider our second brand. There are no plans to bring VENU to China at this stage.”

Jumeirah Group has also increased its sales presence in Asia with the appointment of Selena Xu as business development manager in Beijing to develop the northern Chinese market.

Meanwhile, the group will unveil four new hotels beyond China this year – the Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel & Spa in Mallorca, Spain; Jumeirah Bilgah Beach Hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan; Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel and Spa, Kuwait; and Jumeirah Creekside in Dubai, the UAE.

Reporting by Patricia Wee

THE KOREA Tourism Organisation (KTO) has established a Manila office, which will seek to grow Filipino arrivals through unique tour packages and the promotion of medical, MICE and winter tourism.

Sangyong Zhu, director of KTO Manila, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the Korean Wave – commonly known as Hallyu – had gained popularity in the Philippines, driving up travel demand for South Korea.

Arrivals from the Philippines have been growing annually at an average of 6.4 per cent. More than 337,000 Filipinos visited South Korea last year, making the Philippines the fifth largest inbound market for South Korea, after Japan, China, the US and Taiwan.

The office has started discussions with local outbound tour operators to develop itineraries that will include “essentials” such as royal palaces, amusement parks, film locations for TV shows, folk villages, UNESCO heritage sites and shopping opportunities.

The destination, which has been successful in reaching out to medical tourism markets such as Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Middle East, will also promote skin care and plastic surgery to middle- and high-income females in the Philippines.

Leveraging on South Korea’s snowy winter season which does not exist in the Philippines, KTO Manila will also feature ski resorts and skiing opportunities in its destination promotions.

“Ski resorts in South Korea are very competitive, with quality facilities and reasonable rates compared to other countries,” Zhu said.

As well, KTO Manila will capitalise on South Korea’s strength as a global MICE destination – it ranked sixth in the Union of International Associations’ top 10 international meeting destinations of 2011 – to entice corporate groups and events.

Manila KTO’s efforts will get a booster shot from the Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board’s move to add 9,500 seats to South Korea per week, all to be operated by Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Zest Air. Korean Air will further enhance air options with the reintroduction of a third daily Incheon-Manila service from October 28.

NATIONAL carrier Myanmar Airways International (MAI) plans to introduce direct flights from Yangon to Vientiane in Laos, Hong Kong and Seoul.

“As part of our expansion plan, we will add a few more Airbus aircraft soon and expect to utilise them on these routes. We are also in talks with Laos authorities and we hope to (commence the Yangon-Vientiane route) in October,” said Are Mra Tha, MAI marketing and commercial executive.

She added that flights from Yangon to Hong Kong and Seoul are expected to start before the year-end.

For the coming winter season, MAI intends to increase the frequency of its services to Singapore, from twice-weekly to thrice-weekly, through a code-share arrangement with Jetstar. Yangon-Guangzhou services will also get a boost in winter.

Flights to Siem Reap in Cambodia and Gaya in India, which are now suspended, will resume in October, with services to Gaya expected to increase from twice a week to thrice-weekly.