THE MYANMAR President’s Office has approved an application by the Ministry of Hotels & Tourism to develop a new 250-hectare hotel zone at Inle Lake.

Set on a hill to the east of the lake, the site will be divided to accommodate 16 hotels, for which development plans are already underway.

Moe Zaw Htut, deputy head of office for the Minister for Hotels & Tourism, said the new hotel zone would boost room inventory and cater to growing tourism demand at Inle Lake.

The Ministry of Hotels & Tourism had originally applied for 810 hectares, but the Union Government slashed this by more than two-thirds following consultations with the Ministry of Environmental Conservation & Forestry and the Shan State government.

THE BOARD of Thai Airways International (THAI) has sacked its president, Piyasvasti Amranand, citing a breakdown in communications, and irreconcilable differences over strategy and aircraft purchases.

Reuters quoted the airline’s chairman, Ampon Kittiampon, as saying: “The (THAI) board has agreed to terminate the president’s contract because he cannot work in unity with the strategy committee.”

Thailand’s transport minister, Jarupong Ruangsuwan, weighed in with his two cents’ worth, explaining that Piyasvasti was dismissed because he failed to see eye-to-eye with the THAI board over acquisition of new aircraft.

Piyasvasti, who joined the national carrier as president in October 2009, said: “The reasons the (THAI) board gave, that I have communication problems and differences of opinion, are ambiguous. (THAI’s) performance during my term improved in every aspect, and I passed the (recent annual) evaluation at 86 per cent.”

Meanwhile, Thailand’s prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and finance minister, Kittiratt Na-Ranong, have sought to refute allegations that the government played a part in Piyasvasti’s dismissal.

Chokchai Panyayong, THAI’s executive vice president, strategy and business development, has been appointed acting president of the national carrier.

EXPEDIA has launched its Travel Agent Affiliate Program (TAAP) in Hong Kong, and is offering a HK$800 (US$103) bonus on top of commissions for the first HK$12,000 worth of bookings for new partners.

Travel experts who sign up with TAAP will gain access to Expedia’s global inventory of more than 145,000 hotels, be able to check availability of hotel rooms, activities and flights, and make bookings in real time.

Commission levels for TAAP are up to 10 per cent on hotels and activities, and five per cent on packages (flight plus minimum of three nights’ hotel stay).

“The Internet has fundamentally changed the landscape for how travel products are distributed. Today, travel (experts) can buy inventory from any part of the world at any time of the day from the Internet,” said Charee Guico, travel agent distribution manager Asia, Expedia.

“Expedia is offering a great opportunity for travel (experts) to increase their revenue when booking online,” she added.

TAAP was first launched in Italy in 2002 and has since expanded to the rest of Europe, America and Asia-Pacific.

In Asia, TAAP rolled out in India in 2010, in Singapore, Japan and Malaysia in 2011, and in Thailand and South Korea in 1Q2012. The programme currently has 3,500 travel expert partners in the region, and subsequent launches are planned in Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam over the coming months.

For more information, visit access.expedia.com.hk or call (852) 2157-0605.

AIRASIA will scrap its daily flights from Kuala Lumpur to Solo in Central Java, Indonesia, effective September 2, 2012.

The low-cost carrier explained in a statement that the route suspension was in line with business strategy to realign and strengthen its operations in Indonesia.

Affected customers with confirmed bookings will be given the option of either bringing forward their travel dates without additonal charge, a complimentary change of flight from Kuala Lumpur-Solo to Yogyakarta or Semarang, a credit shell for the value paid with a validity of three months, or a full refund.

Meanwhile, AirAsia said that “more connectivity” was on the cards for routes between Kuala Lumpur and other destinations in Indonesia.

SINGAPORE’s second cruise terminal, Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS), is expected to reinforce the country’s position as an international cruise hub once it becomes fully operational by the second half of the year.

The 28,000m² facility, which will be operated by SATS-Creuers Cruise Services, has effectively doubled Singapore’s berth capacity. Featuring 80 check-in counters and up to 40 immigration counters, the terminal will be able to handle up to 6,800 passengers at a time.

Though not yet opened to the public, the terminal is scheduled to welcome its first ship, Royal Caribbean International’s 3,840-pax Voyager of the Seas, on May 26.

Singapore’s Second Minister for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, told reporters during a media preview yesterday that the country was well-positioned to capitalise on the booming cruise industry in Asia, due to its ideal geographic location and excellent air connectivity.

“The MBCCS is a key infrastructure piece of Singapore’s tourism landscape. With MBCCS, more cruise ships will be able to homeport and call on Singapore and Asia. Moreover, people come to Singapore in order to board their cruise ship, or disembark in Singapore before going home, which means the fly cruise component is quite important,” he said.

According to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), cruise visitor numbers to Singapore declined over the past two years, but are expected to rise to 1.5 million over the next three to five years, up from one million in 2011.

Aw Kah Peng, STB’s departing chief executive, said: “Numbers have fallen and it’s partly because the (cruise) industry is restructuring. After the two integrated resorts opened, gaming ships no longer made any sense. But I think the structural adjustment is at an end, and now, we’re seeing more interest from cruise ships that are not gaming ships.”

THOMAS Cook Group will sell its 77.1 per cent stake in Thomas Cook India (TCI) to Fairbridge Capital, a subsidiary of Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings, which is owned by India-born billionaire Prem Watsa.

With a bid price of US$150 million, Fairbridge Capital trumped other suitors such as KKR, Tata Capital, Bravia Capital, Japan Travel Bureau, Travelex and The Carlysle Group.

TCI shares are currently trading at Rs 61.20 each (US$1.09), meaning Fairbridge Capital will effectively seal the deal with a 20 per cent discount on TCI’s US$190 million valuation.

The takeover will give Fairbridge Capital the right to use the Thomas Cook brand name for 12 years, with the licensing rights applicable across India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. Madhavan Menon, currently managing director of TCI, will remain in charge.

Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators and chairman, Stic Travels New Delhi, said: “TCI is a strong company and it appears they will not separate their travel and forex business, as had been (suggested) earlier. The sale is a welcome move as it will add fresh impetus to an already solid business.”

Thomas Cook Group put its India subsidiary up for sale in January to extricate itself from a financial meltdown. The company is also in the midst of offloading its 51 per cent stake in Hoteles Y Clubs De Vacaciones to Palma de Mallorca-based Grupo Iberostar for US$96.3 million.