BASE Entertainment Asia, the live entertainment production company which has brought in successful runs of Broadway and West End musicals such as The Lion King, Mamma Mia!, and Wicked to Singapore, is keen to ramp up its corporate hospitality business.

Corporate ticketing currently contributes 15 per cent of Base’s total revenue, with Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia as the main source markets for its corporate hospitality clientele.

With Base planning to add to its stellar lineup of shows later this year and in 2013, the company’s managing director, Milan Rovic, was highly optimistic about growth for the corporate segment of Base’s Asian business.

“We’ve seen firms (in Asia) hosting just one corporate hospitality event a year. (This has increased) to two or three a year now – figures that should increase alongside the number of productions staged,” he said.

According to Katie Marsden, head of marketing, product & business development at ticket-packaging firm Showbiz Asia, which Base works with to develop and sell corporate hospitality packages, more companies in Asia were employing corporate hospitality tactics to grow their businesses.

“Firms that we’ve worked with in the Asia-Pacific region are aware that corporate hospitality play a vital role when it comes to forging business relationships. To them, the rationale behind corporate hospitality events is no longer just about entertaining clients but optimising the ROI of an existing marketing budget,” she said.

AUSTRIA is gaining in popularity among Indian travellers. The destination drew 85,000 Indian visitors in 2011, a 41 per cent increase over the year before, according to the Austrian National Tourism Office (ANTO).

Christine Mukharji, market manager – India, ANTO, expects “a growth of at least 20 per cent in Indian inbound in 2012”.

Salzburg and Vienna, the capital, are ‘must-dos’ for Indian tourists familiar with The Sound of Music film, while Innsbruck, the capital city of Tyrol state in the west, offers alpine surroundings, handmade cuckoo clocks and a Swarovski Krystal World factory outlet.

According to Veneeta Rawat, director, Amazing Vacations Mumbai, Indian travellers to Austria were staying longer. ANTO figures confirm this: the number of Indian overnights rose 46 per cent year-on-year to 165,000 in 2011.

“We are seeing 50 per cent increase in the number of clients requesting for longer stays in Austria, some as much as four nights,” said Rawat.

“This is a good trend as we used to see one-night stays each in Vienna and Salzburg, but now, it could be at least three or four nights covering other regions like Innsbruck.”

ANTO is promoting new regions such as Zell am See, located two hours from Munich Airport and with snow all year round; Melk, next to the Wachau valley along the Danube river; and the resort area of Salzkammergut.

SRI LANKA is ramping up its infrastructure development to accommodate its fast-growing tourism industry, with a new high-speed rail link set to connect the international airport to the capital, Colombo.

The US$600 million project is an investment by Airport Express Air and Rail Company (AEARC) Malaysia, and will allow passengers to cover the 30-kilometre distance between Bandaranaike International Airport and Colombo within 25 minutes, compared to more than an hour by road.

The rail service will be able to ferry 400 passengers each time, and is scheduled to operate nine return trips a day.

Construction is expected to commence early next year, once feasibility and technical studies are completed and approvals from authorities are obtained, said AEARC chairman, Parimalan Michael.

GOOGLE Street View’s (GSV) launch in Thailand last Friday will provide tourists and travel companies with a new tool to explore and promote the destination.

GSV, a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth, provides street-level panoramic views of a location or landmark.

Thailand is the second South-east Asian nation, after Singapore, to offer the service, which was introduced in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket, and is set to expand to other cities and UNESCO World Heritage sites.

“To be able to feature in Google Street View, this is a step ahead for us,” said Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, Suraphon Svetasreni. “If you talk about our competitors in the region and worldwide, countries are doing everything possible to woo tourists, that’s why Thailand has to grab opportunities.”

“In Thailand, we have so many different places and activities that can be publicised through this channel. (GSV) opens up opportunities and stimulates curiosity for travellers who are looking for something different,” he added.

GSV is expected to benefit tourists and tourism businesses alike, through providing a means to explore destinations and plan itineraries without having to visit beforehand.

“Everyone is using the Internet to plan their trip. Being able to see the destination you are visiting is a good advantage,” said Ariya Banomyong, country business manager for Google Thailand.

Tourism businesses can also embed the service on their websites, giving potential customers a starting point to preview the area being considered for travel.

Suraphon said: “In Bangkok, Street View will benefit hotels in terms of exposure and how to find the location, as well as other services like restaurants. In Phuket, there are many natural attractions and viewpoints to see, and in Chiang Mai there are many historical sights and temples to explore.”

As part of Thailand’s My Miracle campaign, TAT has launched an online poll inviting Thais to nominate and vote for their favourite locations within the country. The top ten locations will be mapped by GSV and presented in a special collection to promote travel.

Reporting by Timothy France

BANGKOK Airways has commenced a codeshare arrangement with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) on selected domestic services, and international routes between Thailand and Malaysia.

Effective March 25, the arrangement applies to Bangkok Airways’ Bangkok-Koh Samui (31-weekly), Bangkok-Phuket (twice-daily), Bangkok-Chiang Mai (twice-daily), Koh Samui-Phuket (twice-daily), and Koh Samui-Kuala Lumpur (daily) services due to launch on March 31.

Bangkok Airways will codeshare on MAS’ Kuala Lumpur-Bangkok (thrice-daily) and Kuala Lumpur-Phuket (twice-daily) routes.

MAS senior vice president international affairs, Germal Singh, said: “The codeshare fits nicely into the needs of our travellers. They now have better options to get to Chiangmai via Bangkok, or on circuit trips like KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport)-Phuket-Koh Samui-Bangkok-KLIA.”

Bangkok Airway’s senior vice president – network, Peter Weisner, said: “This new partnership will offer better connectivity for passengers travelling on MAS longhaul routes to KLIA for their onward journey to Koh Samui. Our departure times from KLIA bring in good traffic flow from both Europe and Oceania. We are also expecting a sizable number of Malaysian tourists to Koh Samui.”

Reporting by N. Nithiyananthan

KOSMOPOLITO Hotels International has rebranded the former Maytower Hotel & Serviced Residences under its Silka Hotels portfolio.

The 179-key Silka Maytower Hotel & Serviced Residences, Kuala Lumpur features a swimming pool, a fitness centre, and a single F&B outlet.

MICE facilities include a 200-pax ballroom and several smaller meeting rooms.

CHINA Eastern Airlines and Qantas have entered into a strategic partnership to create Jetstar Hong Kong, the first low-cost carrier based in the SAR.

Jetstar Hong Kong will incorporate both partners’ local knowledge and networks to service shorthaul routes in Asia, including Greater China, Japan, South Korea and South-east Asia.

Subject to regulatory approval, operations are scheduled to begin in 2013 with a fleet of three Airbus A320s, growing to 18 A320s by 2015.

Jetstar Group CEO, Bruce Buchanan, said: “This is a unique opportunity for Jetstar to capitalise on the enormous potential of the Greater Chinese market, where the penetration rate of low-cost carriers is less than five per cent.”

Chairman of China Eastern Airlines, Liu Shaoyong, said: “We believe there are huge opportunities for the Jetstar low fares model throughout Asia, including Greater China, and are excited to be the first major Chinese carrier to bring this travel option to the region.”

“Cooperation with Qantas Group is a key step in China Eastern Airlines’ international expansion strategy, and an excellent opportunity for China Eastern Airlines to develop low-cost carrier operations to complement its existing business model,” he added.

According to Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce, the alliance with China Eastern will provide a platform for the Australian flag carrier to tap the Asian aviation market.

“We see tremendous potential for the Qantas Group in Asia and we’re looking forward to working more closely with China Eastern Airlines to deliver on it,” he said.

Jetstar Hong Kong will have a total capitalisation of up to US$198 million, with China Eastern Airlines and Qantas Group as equal partners in the joint venture.

NATAS has signed an MoU with leading GDSs such as Amadeus, Abacus and Galileo by Travelport to kick-start a new corporate ticketing consultant development scheme run by the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS).

Targeted at school leavers considering a career as a corporate ticketing consultant, the programme forms part of the NATAS Industry Accreditation initiative, which is slated for launch sometime later this year.

During the inaugural session, around 20 individuals will be introduced to the basics of operating Amadeus’ corporate reservation system, through a series of classroom training and scenario-based practicum sessions utilising live GDS data. Participants will be given a monthly stipend of about S$1,500 (US$1,190). Subsequent courses will expose trainees to the reservation systems offered by other GDSs.

Robert Khoo, CEO of NATAS said: “Currently, (travel) consultancies dedicate very little time to formal training for new staff members, as managers are often bogged down by day-to-day operations. This new course ensures that recruits hit the ground running, saving firms both time and money. With this new programme, we hope to fulfill the demand for (travel industy) professionals, and to pave the way for future development in professional training for the industry.”

Singapore nationals and permanent residents who undertake the training will have up to 90 per cent of their course fees subsidised by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency. Newly qualified corporate ticketing consultants are expected to serve a bond.

Some 19 travel consultancies including American Lloyd Travel Services, Fortune Travel, Mandarin Tour, Pinnacle Travel Services, STA Travel, Sunny Holidays and Thoha Travels and Tours have signed up for the programme so far.

TMIS and NATAS are looking to train up to 60 corporate ticketing consultants before year-end. If demand is high, the programme will be reintroduced in 2013.

GARUDA Indonesia registered 27.2 trillion rupiah (US$3.02 billion) in revenue last year, a 39.1 per cent increase over the 19.5 trillion rupiah earned in 2010.

The flag carrier recorded an operational profit of 1.01 trillion rupiah for 2011, compared to a loss of 67.2 billion rupiah the year before. Net income over the same period was 859 billion rupiah, more than double the figure in 2010.

Garuda vice president corporate communications Pujobroto said: “The increase in revenue and comprehensive profit was the result of the company’s operational expansion through Quantum Leap and efficiency programmes, and optimising resource and aircraft utility.”

The airline expects to boost overall sales by at least 20 per cent this year, according to CFO, Elisa Lumbantoruan.

Garuda carried 13.9 million domestic and 3.2 million international passengers in 2011, a 36.2 per cent jump over the year before.

Flight frequencies in 2011 were up 26.6 per cent to 130,043, including 108,381 domestic and 21,662 international flights. The average load factor increased from 71.7 per cent in 2010, to 75.2 per cent last year.