SRI LANKA is planning to resume regular passenger ferry services between Colombo and the south Indian port city of Tuticorin within the next three months.

Twice-weekly Colombo-Tuticorin services operated by Flemingo Liners Dubai using the 1,000-pax Scotia Princess were halted last November, due to lower-than-expected load factors.

Earlier this year, Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSE), which handles the route on behalf of the Sri Lankan government, called for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from cruise operators interested in resuming the service. Prerequisites include being able to deploy a ship with 500-pax capacity and shortening the trip duration to eight to nine hours, from 14 hours previously.

Sunil Obadage, general manager, CSE said three EOIs had been received to date, and that a decision was expected within the next month or so.

“Unlike before, we didn’t call for tenders, but EOIs, because we want potential operators to also come up with some ideas,” he explained.

“Our Indian agent said there had been many inquiries to resume the service, as parents and children are keen to visit Sri Lanka for the next school holidays.”

DORSETT Regency Kwun Tong, Hong Kong will be the latest addition to Kosmopolito Hotels International’s four-star business hotel portfolio when it opens this summer.

Situated at Hung To Road, Kwun Tong – a major industrial area in the eastern part of Kowloon – the hotel will offer 361 rooms, a restaurant serving Chinese cuisine and Western buffet breakfast, as well as a fitness centre and outdoor swimming pool.

Meetings facilities will include an executive lounge, a business centre and three meeting rooms.

In conjunction with its opening, Dorsett Regency Kwun Tong is offering several introductory packages incorporating discounted rates, complimentary room upgrades, and 20 per cent off F&B purchases at La Maison de l’Orient restaurant.

The 570-room Dorsett Regency Tsuen Wan is due to open in Hong Kong next year, while other Dorsett Regency properties are in the pipeline in Singapore and London, and in Chengdu and Zhongshan in China.

Existing properties under the brand include the 209-room Dorsett Regency Hong Kong, and one each in Wuhan and Kuala Lumpur.

THE GERMAN National Tourist Office (GNTO) in India has narrowed its marketing focus on highlighting the country’s niche tourism products to attract more Indian leisure and business travellers.

Tapping on Indians’ penchant for visiting casinos, Wiesbaden, a city in southwest Germany, is promoting them in tandem with upscale spas featuring thermal springs. The other products being showcased are Riesling wine and gastronomy tours, and the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in Bavaria.

Romit Theophilus, GNTO India’s director of marketing & sales, said: “We have budgeted 500,000 euros (US$663,660) to promote Germany in India this year. We will organise roadshows in major cities to target both leisure and business travellers.”

“Lately, we have seen a spurt of Indians travelling to spas in Baden Baden (a town in Baden-Württemberg in the south),” he added.

Yvonne Otto, director of POC Stuttgart, an inbound operator, said: “We are getting more requests for incentive groups and specialty tours (from India). They are exploring the country more extensively and going off the usual track.”

Vineet Gopal, joint secretary, Outbound Tour Operators Association of India said: “Germany and Austria are seeing increased demand from not only the big cities in India but also second- and third-tier towns. This is a trend that is likely to continue over the next five years, as a critical mass of middle-income Indians look beyond ASEAN to Europe.”

According to GNTO, Germany received 550,000 Indian visitors in 2011, compared to 455,655 in 2010, and 358,588 the year before.

A CRUISE ship operated by luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises was involved in a head-on collision with a container vessel while en route to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam last Friday.

Reportedly sailing in conditions of reduced visibility due to thick fog, passengers on board the Silver Shadow were called to muster stations following the impact, but no evacuation maneuvers were executed in the end.

Passengers eyewitness accounts described severe damage to the container vessel – struck in the bridge, and with a large tear ripped in its side – as well as unconfirmed injuries to its crew.

The Silver Shadow emerged from the collision relatively unscathed, with a hole punctured in its bow. The ship is now docked in Hong Kong to undergo assessment of damage sustained.

In a press statement issued this morning, Silversea Cruises sought to downplay the incident:

“Silver Shadow was involved in a minor incident on March 16, 2012 at around 4:20 GMT as it was approaching the pilot station in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. There was contact between Silver Shadow and a local commercial vessel. Silver Shadow incurred limited minor dents and guests’ safety was never compromised. The ship was fully operational and continued on its course to Ha Long Bay where all shore tours operated normally.”

“Silversea will carry out a full investigation into the incident.”

Built in 2000, the 28,258-tonne Silver Shadow can carry a maximum of 382 passengers. The ship is scheduled to depart March 28 on a seven-day itinerary starting and ending in Singapore.

THE SINGAPORE Tourism Board (STB) has unveiled a ‘Singapore – The holiday you take home with you’ campaign to appeal to Indian travellers’ longing for experiences that last a lifetime.

This is the third in a series of differentiated marketing campaigns targeted at top overseas markets, and follows similar initiatives aimed at China and Australia.

Randall Tan, STB’s regional director for South Asia, Middle East & Africa, explained that the India campaign focuses on imparting enriching experiences based on four core facets – family fun, active lifestyle, culinary and romance.

“The campaign attempts to draw Indians by appealing to their personal interests, rather than just selling Singapore’s major attractions,” he said.

“Indians are becoming more cosmopolitan, and they now want to visit destinations that can engage them and offer them unique experiences.”

STB’s marketing efforts for India will be driven by a digital thrust integrating online and mobile advertising, social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter, and a dedicated landing page on the YourSingapore destination website—which allows visitors to customise travel itineraries, view travel consultant listings, and obtain first-hand information on the latest events and attractions in Singapore.

Thomas Cook (India) and Mercury Travels have also been roped in to offer travel packages based on the four key tenets. The former will offer itineraries based on the family fun and active lifestyle themes, while the latter has developed packages showcasing Singapore’s culinary and romance hotspots.

The campaign is envisioned to run for at least the next two years.

DESPITE rampant jet fuel prices, Indonesian’s demand for outbound travel is expected to rise this year, with some outbound operators projecting up to 20 per cent year-on-year hikes in booking volume.

Elly Hutabarat, Association of Air Ticketing Companies in Indonesia (ASTINDO) chairman and PanTravel president director, said: “If you ask all the (operators) who organise tours, the numbers of travellers they are handling has been growing significantly.”

“Travelling has become a need and based on previous experience, even with fuel price hikes and fuel surcharges, no matter how high they are, people who have planned to travel will travel anyway,” she added.

According to Hubarat, Indonesia’s fast-growing middle class is fueling the rise in demand.

“This emerging middle class consists of discerning consumers who will definitely spend their money on quality. Millions of them are with (at least) US$3,000 in disposable income every year,” she said.

The recently concluded ASTINDO International Travel Fair (AITF) 2012 was organised to cater to this emerging market, with exhibitors doling out huge discounts on various travel products and services, tour packages and airfares, said Hubarat.

Garuda Indonesia, for example, offered up to 18 per cent off both domestic and international routes, with some ‘hot offers’ of up to 50 per cent discount. Chartis Travel Insurance offered complimentary trip cancellation and personal accident coverage for every package purchased during the fair.

Final sales results have yet to be released, but AITF executive chairman Anto Haditono expects to achieve the sales target of 50 billion rupiah. Last year, the show managed to reap a total of 42 billion rupiah in deals.

JET AIRWAYS will consolidate its low fare service products under a single JetKonnect brand as part of a strategic rebranding exercise, which the group hopes will simplify its service proposition and enhance brand recall.

Effective March 25, JetLite and Jet Airways Konnect services will operate under the JetKonnect brand, enabling guests to avail of a single in-flight product in the full service (Jet Airways) and low-fare (JetKonnect) categories.

Sudheer Raghavan, CCO, Jet Airways, said: “The decision was made to streamline our product portfolio and offer our guests a single superior in-flight product in the full service and low fare categories respectively, drawing synergies from the Jet Airways mother brand.”

Jet Airways (India) and JetLite (India) will continue as distinct business entities operating under their own airline operating permits.

JetKonnect will be the dedicated low fare service with a mixed fleet of Boeing and ATR aircraft to operate on metro, tier II and III routes.

The total number of flights by the Jet Airways group, which currently operates around 600 flights daily with a fleet of 120 aircraft, will remain unchanged.

VIRGIN Atlantic will relaunch daily services from London (Heathrow) to Mumbai starting October 29, following a suspension of the route in 2009 due to the global financial crisis.

The reinstated London-Mumbai flights will be operated using the Airbus A330-300 aircraft, which will feature the British carrier’s new Upper Class Dream Suite product with 33 seats, in addition to 48 premium economy- and 185 economy-class seats. Tickets will be sold from April 4.

Anju Desai, vice president, HMA Travel Mumbai said: “Flights to London are critical for onward connections within Europe and to the US. Virgin is popular with Indian fliers and we should see several new combinations of itineraries opening up.”

Meanwhile, Jet Airways launched on March 17 four-weekly flights from New Delhi to Dammam in Saudi Arabia, using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft with business- and economy-class seating.

The Indian carrier already operates flights to Dammam from Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, while its other Middle East destinations include Dubai, Sharjah, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jeddah and Riyadh.

Anil Punjabi, chairman (east), Travel Agents Federation of India, said: “The western and southern parts of India have immense demand for the Gulf, so added flights to Saudi Arabia will relieve the stress on seats. Moreover, the steady stream of non-resident Indians travelling that sector will keep up a sustained demand.”