BRITISH Airways (BA) will launch six weekly flights between Seoul (Incheon) and London (Heathrow) on December 2, 2012.

The direct service will be operated using a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with a four-class configuration – First and Club World business class with fully flat beds, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy class.

BA’s route launch to Seoul follows a recent announcement by parent company, International Airlines Group, of plans to expand its presence in Asia. BA last flew the Seoul-London route between 1996 and 1998.

Kevin McQuillan, BA regional general manager, East Asia, said: “Seoul is an important market for both tourism and business, and is the biggest origin and destination market in East Asia that we do not currently fly to.”

BA’s flights from Seoul will land at Heathrow’s Terminal 5, which is exclusive to BA passengers and its sister airline, Iberia.

ABSOLUTE Hotel Services has signed a management contract with PT Graha Albros to operate Le Grande Bali, which will be rebranded as U Agathis Pecatu this coming August.

U Agathis Pecatu will be the second Bali property to be managed by Bangkok-based Absolute, following the debut of U Paasha Seminyak Bali earlier this year.

Located within the Pecatu Indah Resort Complex next to the New Kuta Golf Course, U Agathis Pecatu will offer 190 guest rooms, including 60 suites and 130 deluxe rooms.

The resort will also feature an outdoor swimming pool, a spa, a fitness centre, and divisible meeting rooms with a max capacity of 250 pax.

THE TOURISM Authority of Thailand (TAT) is getting on the ASEAN Economic Zone (AEZ) bandwagon by taking over 100 staff members on a discovery tour of Vietnam and Laos.

The AEZ, due to launch in 2015, aims to foster greater economic integration among ASEAN member countries and enhance the flow of travellers within the region.

To explore opportunities and pitfalls of the AEZ in relation to tourism, TAT will organise two overland trips: Vietnam from May 4-9 and Laos from June 1-6. Previous staff outings were limited to local destinations.

Suraphon Svetasreni, TAT Governor, said: “We want our staff to really get to know our ASEAN neighbors, who are important tourist source markets as well as main destinations for visitors from (other) countries. There is much tourism potential in these areas when Thailand enters the AEZ, but we must be ready to take advantage of (this) by 2015.”

Both trips commence in Bangkok and enter Indochina through Thailand’s North-east. The Vietnam tour will cover Mukdahan Province in Thailand, Savannakhet in Laos, World Heriage Sites in Hue and Hoi An, and Danang. The Laos trip will cover Nong Khai Province, Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

Suraphon added: “We are going not solely for marketing purposes, also to build closer relations with our Vietnamese and Lao friends. Tourism is always a two-way business, so we are keen on making the trips which we hope will spur further intra-regional travel.”

THOMAS Cook Sport has appointed Bonvo Travel as the official travel agent partner in Singapore for its suite of English Premier League (EPL) Match Break packages.

As part of the deal, Bonvo will offer Singapore-based Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur fans the chance to watch live EPL home matches for the duration of the 2012-13 season.

Match Breaks, which typically include match tickets, overnight accommodation, match day programme and a stadium tour, will be rolled out for Manchester United games first. Packages to catch the other EPL clubs live will be added over the next three months.

Bonvo and Thomas Cook will work together to secure transfers and accommodation for guests, while Bonvo will oversee other relevant ground arrangements. Both Bonvo and Thomas Cook are expecting the average Singapore customer to stay for at least six days.

According to Joachim Steffen, managing director of Bonvo Travel’s parent company, Q Lifestyle, some 280 Match Breaks were sold via the Thomas Cook Sport website to Singaporeans in 2011.

“The (sports tourism) market is growing consecutively in Asia year-on-year. Coming to Asia is a whole new undertaking for Thomas Cook Sport, and we hope to be able to extend Match Breaks to fans across the region,” said Huw Wigley, business development manager, Thomas Cook Sport.

Wigley added that expansion to China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea was on the cards.

In addition, packages to view live cricket, rugby, Wimbledon matches and Formula One races will be introduced at a later stage. Plans to target incentive groups are also in the pipeline.

DESPITE events of the Arab Spring and economic uncertainty in key European markets, there is a bright future ahead for tourism in the Middle East and North Africa, according to a consensus of delegates at the inaugural UNWTO and Arabian Travel Market (ATM) industry forum on Monday.

Speaking at the forum, which is slated to become an annual affair, UNWTO secretary-general, Taleb Rifai, called the Middle East & North Africa region a “tourism success story in the first decade of the 21st century”, with the majority of markets registering a strong rebound following the challenges of the past year.

“We are very impressed by the rate of recovery of some of the most affected countries in the region. Countries that were directly affected, like Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Yemen, saw a downturn of 80-85 per cent as political events unfolded, but minimised their losses considerably in 2011, closing the year down by 25-30 per cent,” he said.

This year’s ATM, which takes place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from April 30 to May 3, features representatives from 87 countries, and 54 national tourism organisations participating as exhibitors.

The event saw a 46-per cent rise in visitor pre-registrations and 213-per cent increase in travel consultant registrations, compared to last year’s edition.

Mark Walsh, portfolio director, Reed Travel Exhibitions, which organised ATM 2012, said: “The record figures we’re receiving for this year’s event reflects the region’s positive approach to the tourism sector as a major economic driver.”

“Eighteen months on from the Arab Spring, we have seen a significant jump in interest from within the Gulf Cooperation Council States, which is confirmed by the positive pre-show figures we have seen across the board.”

THIS YEAR’s West Java Tourism Exchange, which takes place from May 1-2 in Bandung, is expected to rake in up to US$29 million in transactions, almost double last year’s haul of US$16.6 million, according to organising committee chairman, Hilwan Saleh.

“We have 135 Indonesian and overseas buyers. If each (buyer) brings an estimated 30 tourists every month with an average stay of three days and spending of US$200, the potential transaction could reach US$29 million,” he added.

Meanwhile, West Java Tourism Promotion Board chairman, Cecep Rukmana, noted that the growing domestic and international arrivals to the region, as well as increasing number of direct air connections to Bandung, demonstrated that West Java could attract a good mix of business and leisure travellers.

Garuda Indonesia recently launched Surabaya-Bandung daily services, while AirAsia is planning to start Bangkok-Bandung flights later this year, signaling Thailand’s potential as a source market in addition to Malaysia and Singapore.

THE MACAU government has finally approved Wynn Resorts’ Cotai land concession contract, paving the way for the company to begin construction on its second integrated resort in the SAR.

Stephen A. Wynn, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts said in a statement: “The official transfer of real estate in Cotai makes possible the commencement of the construction phase, of what will be the single most important project in the history of Wynn Resorts.”

Expected to open by 2016, the US$2.5 billion integrated resort will be located on a 20.6-hectare plot of reclaimed swampland on the Cotai Strip, and will incorporate a five-star hotel with 1,500-1,600 rooms, and a casino with 500 gaming tables and 1,300 slot machines.

The resort will also feature a spa, a range of F&B and retail outlets, and entertainment and convention facilities.

Wynn’s new resort will compete with several rivals on the Cotai Strip, including the recently opened Galaxy Macau and Sands Cotai Central, and the Venetian Macao.

JAPAN Airlines (JAL) has started using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on four out of five weekly services between Tokyo (Narita) and New Delhi, effective May 1.

The remaining flight will continue to be served by a B777-200ER aircraft with 245 seats. In comparison, JAL’s Dreamliner is configured with 42 business-class and 144 economy-class seats, translating into a 19-per cent reduction in capacity on the route.

Yasushi Isomura, country manager – India, JAL said: “We are making the best use of the Boeing 787’s long-range capability to serve markets with promising business demand. With the introduction of the Dreamliner, we are expecting to attract a lot of corporate business and leisure travellers.”

Susrita Banerjee, managing director, Fly Faraway Kolkata said: “Deployment of more fuel-efficient aircraft between India and Japan is welcome, as travel between the two countries is increasing substantially due to joint investments in industries such as light engineering and energy. If airline costs are lowered, ticket prices should remain low. We should also see some MICE movement from Japan to India soon.”