ORBITZ Worldwide is steep in a project linking web to TV which its CEO, Barney Harford, told TTG Asia “is the future” of destination marketing.

The US-based online travel company is working with eminent adventure travel producer, Richard Bangs, to produce inspiring destination programmes for TV, which are then linked to Orbitz’s websites to enable people to book the exact experiences featured.

The first client is a yet-to-be-disclosed airline partner, but the destination is Latin America. The programme will be aired later this year on PBS, “which has 5,000 syndication slots”, he said, in an interview on the sidelines of the WTTC Global Summit recently.

– Read the full report, TTG Asia, May 4, 2012

THE SINGAPORE Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) has opened its membership to trade individuals and students in a bid to reach out to a larger pool of current and future trade practitioners.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily on the sidelines of the second Singapore MICE Forum, which has drawn 165 trade players from 11 countries, SACEOS president, Rosalind Ng, said: “SACEOS membership was (only) offered to companies in the past, but we want to grow our membership further than the five to ten per cent seen between 2011 and 2012. So, we launched a new membership drive in March, targeted at individuals and students.

“Student members are given the opportunity to engage with the industry, gain real life experiences through internships, and see if they want to eventually join us. The common misconception students have in the MICE trade is that it involves only hotels. This isn’t true and we need to correct them, and one way to do this is to have them join SACEOS.”

Ng explained that it became necessary for SACEOS to extend its membership to individual trade practitioners, because the current corporate membership arrangement tends to restrict attendance at association events to company bosses.

“It is usually the managing director or CEO who attends SACEOS events, so benefits of networking or knowledge exchange programmes do not filter down (through the company). Yet, there are a lot of people who want to be part of our events and the trade intelligence we provide,” she said.

SACEOS individual and student membership is available at S$250 (US$201) and S$25 per annum respectively, while corporate membership rates start from S$750, depending on the size of the company.

TRANSASIA Airways has introduced once-weekly services from Hualien to Hangzhou in China.

This is the first scheduled cross-straits service for TransAsia out of Hualien, as the carrier seeks to target second tier Chinese cities as part of its regional expansion strategy.

The flight (GE3124) will depart Hualien every Thursday at 20:30, arriving in Hangzhou at 22:00. It will return from Hangzhou (GE3123) every Friday at 09:05, and land in Hualien at 10:35.

Vincent Lin, chairman, TransAsia Airways, said: “On April 28, Hangzhou will be included as a destination under the ‘Free Independent Travel’ programme. This coincides perfectly with our route launch enabling us to bring passengers from Hangzhou to Hualien.”

TransAsia currently operates 92 weekly flights from Taiwan to 12 destinations in mainland China, including Shanghai, Hangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing.

DRAGONAIR will begin daily services from Hong Kong to Clark International Airport, effective May 29.

Using an Airbus 320 aircraft with no business-class seats, the flight will be in direct competition with Cebu Pacific, SEAir and AirPhil Express, which already serve the route with lost-cost fares.

“The service is into a destination outside of the traditional gateways Manila and Cebu. By featuring Clark, Dragonair is giving travellers one more destination to choose from,” said Philippine Department of Tourism assistant secretary, Benito Bengzon, Jr.

“Anytime there is a new service to the Philippines, it means more seats for travellers. It is a good development,” he added.

Clark is Dragonair’s second destination in the Philippines. The carrier already flies five times weekly to Manila.

AIR India is showing signs of recovery after the Indian government approved its financial restructuring plan and agreed to inject fresh funds into its operations.

The US$600 million equity infusion that will take place over the next eight years will help the cash-strapped national carrier recast its debt servicing over a longer stretch. The airline currently forks out US$48 million in annual interest to banks.

Air India recorded a 7.9 per cent increase in passenger numbers and 46 per cent revenue growth in March, compared to the same month last year. The carrier performed particularly well on international sectors, recording almost 33 per cent year-on-year growth in revenue, which was catalysed by an eight per cent hike in load factor and higher yield of 28 per cent.

In 1Q2012, the carrier’s yield on international routes increased by 18 per cent over the same period last year. Revenue from international operations for the quarter grew by US$9 million, while domestic business jumped by US$8 million.

Anil Punjabi, chairman-east, Travel Agents Federation of India, said: “It will be good for the trade if Air India revives and flies to many (new) sectors. This will also rationalise prices as demand is growing constantly.”

JAPAN plans to expand its tourism base and has its eyes peeled on the emerging Asian leisure and MICE markets.

Asia already dominates Japan’s top five inbound line-up – South Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US – but senior vice minister, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ken Okuda, said the nation would be “expanding activities” to grow North-east Asia markets further and tap South-east Asian markets.

Okuda, speaking at the recent WTTC Global Summit in Tokyo, unveiled a target of 18 million international arrivals by 2016 – a figure below the record 18.6 million foreign arrivals achieved in 2010, and also lower than the target before the tsunami of 20 million by 2016, as shown in a 2010 Japan National Tourism Organization document.

But, more than an arrival numbers game, the tragedy appears a watershed in stirring Japan to go with new ways in rebuilding its tourism industry. Okuda said “creative innovation” was required.

“It is important we capture Asia sophisticatedly and by highlighting new assets that show Japan is unique and unforgettable,” said Okuda. He gave the examples that Japan cuisine was not just sushi and tempura; it had unique Chinese, French and Italian traits with Japanese refinement. It was not just a land of automobiles, but had whole districts devoted to pop culture and electronics, such as Akihabara.

Hiromi Tagawa, JTB Corp president and CEO, urged tour companies to become “real DMCs” and remodel their offerings.

Atsutoshi Nishida, chairman and CEO of Japan Travel and Tourism Association, said Japan was committed not only to recovery, but “to creating something even better than (before) March 11”.

– Read the full report in TTG Asia, May 4 issue, 2012

MARRIOTT International has signed a deal with Galaxy Entertainment Group to manage the first-ever all-suite Ritz-Carlton and the world’s largest JW Marriott hotel in Macau.

The Ritz-Carlton, Macau and JW Marriott Hotel Macau will anchor the second phase of the Galaxy Macau integrated resort, and are expected to be Marriott International’s first properties in Macau when they open in 2015.

“We are very excited to be launching our brands in Macau,” said Simon Cooper, president and managing director, Marriott International, Asia.

“China is our second largest market outside North America, and opening two of our premier brands on the same site in such a fast growing market is a major commitment.”

Located on the top floors of the Galaxy Macau, The Ritz-Carlton, Macau will offer 250 one- and two-bedroom suites. F&B options will include an all-private-dining Chinese restaurant, a lobby lounge and bar, a pool bar, and a Ritz Bar with views of the Cotai skyline.

The hotel will also feature an outdoor rooftop pool with a Jacuzzi and eight private cabanas, as well as a spa.

The JW Marriott Hotel Macau will offer nearly 1,100 rooms and suites. The hotel’s signature restaurant will be Chinese and feature a selection of private dining rooms. Facilities will include a swimming pool, a spa, a fitness centre, and a salon.

In addition, both hotels will offer space for meetings, events and banquets – including ballrooms on the ground floor of each hotel – that will have a combined capacity for approximately 2,000 guests.

ROYAL Caribbean International’s Legend of the Seas arrived yesterday in Aomori, Japan for the first time.

The 11-deck, 2,074-guest cruise ship is currently on an eight-night voyage from Shanghai to Tokyo, which includes calls at Jeju Island and Otaru.

Aomori, located on Mutsu Bay at the northern end of Honshu, has a rich history as a port town, but is developing as a modern destination with hotspots on its bay area including Hakkoda-maru, Japan’s first ferry museum, and the Aomori Bay Bridge that defines the city’s skyline.