MYANMAR’S Ministry of Energy’s announcement that it would stop subsidising aviation fuel from March 1, instead selling it at market rate, will result in an increase in domestic airfares by about 20 per cent from March 8.

Travel consultants caution against such sudden changes, saying they could harm the country’s tourism industry, as they would have to renegotiate prices with customers and overseas partners.

Eainsie Phyu from New Age Travellers said: “Myanmar tourism won’t thrive in this region if these kinds of things happen regularly. We should remember that we are not alone. Travellers have many destinations to choose from.”

Customers who have already been issued tickets for travel from March 8 will be required to pay the fuel surcharge on check-in for most airlines.

But Myat Thu, an assistant general manager from Air KBZ, said his company would impose the surcharge only on those who bought their tickets from March 3 [for travel from March 8] and not before.

The surcharge will depend on the destination, with the largest increase being on routes from Yangon to Myitkyina, Putao, Bhamo, Lashio, Kalay and Kawthoung. Increases range from US$10 to $25 for foreign visitors.

A PUSH by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for buyers to look beyond the oft-trodden Delhi-Agra-Jaipur circuit is seeing willing takers, thanks to better connectivity through the Kolkata gateway.

Buyers at CII’s Destination East showcase in Kolkata give a nod to the push.

Patrick Lee, regional director of Singapore-based Best Travels Deals, said: “There are several exciting options that the outbound market in ASEAN does not know of. The connectivity is very good in Kolkata and I am sending groups and FIT to beaches in Odisha and the mountains in Darjeeling. Most people do not know that a part of the Himalayas is so near,” he said.

Alan Moxon, managing director of Carte Blanche Travel UK, said: “This is my second visit to eastern India and we are already selling FIT packages for tea tourism in Darjeeling combined with a heritage tour in Kolkata. I hope to bring small groups this year.”

The third edition of Destination East brought 53 buyers from 15 countries to Kolkata to meet suppliers and join a three-day familiarisation trip to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Odisha and the gateway metropolis Kolkata.

A STRONG delegation of 30 to 40 delegates from the Maldivian government and private sector are making a big pitch to buyers at ITB this week that all is well in paradise.

Discussions are also underway to revive the old and familiar “Sunny Side of Life” slogan, a move welcomed by Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators. The slogan was said to work better and re-branding would require a lot of funding.

The 11-year-old “Sunny Side of Life” was replaced last October with a new slogan called “Maldives – Always Natural”.

Sim Mohamed Ibrahim, secretary-general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry, said: “This (ITB) is a good opportunity to meet clients from our main source markets and allay fears that tourists need not worry coming to the Maldives.”

There have been cancellations of bookings since political unrest erupted in Male, the capital of the Maldives, after former President Mohamed Nasheed stepped down on February 7.

SINGAPORE-based travel metasearch engine Wego.com has officially launched Wego Indonesia, one of 35 international sites to be introduced as part of its global expansion.

Available in Bahasa Indonesia and English, the site, www.wego.co.id, has been in beta testing mode since last December.

Wego co-founder and CEO, Ross Veitch, said: “There was strong growth from the Indonesian market over the last 18 months, hence our early decision to invest heavily in localising our services for Indonesians.”

Recent Indonesian market trends observed by Wego include domestic flight clicks growing by over 400 per cent year-on-year, with users frequently referred to Lion Air, Batavia Air, Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air and AirAsia Indonesia flights.

International flight clicks increased by 180 per cent year-on-year, with Tiger Airways, AirAsia Indonesia, Malaysia Airlines, Lion Air, Garuda Indonesia, ValuAir and Jetstar seeing the most volume. Singapore was the primary international destination for Tiger Airways flights.

Popular destinations within Indonesia, including Padang, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Malang, Kupang, Bengkulu, Jayapura, Kendari and Palu, witnessed seven- and up to eight-fold increases in interest, while Bali tripled in search volume year-on-year.

“This tends to suggest that the domestic market is beginning to mature as travellers seek out new destinations beyond Bali,” said Graham Hills, Wego general manager Indonesia.

STAR Travel Corp Taipei was listed on Taiwan’s Gre Tai Securities Market stock exchange on February 24, becoming the second local travel consultancy to go public after Phoenix Tours International last November.

More domestic travel and hospitality firms are expected to follow suit, with Chateau International Development, a resort hotel operator in Kenting, scheduled to go public on March 14, and Lion Group Taipei due to launch an IPO in third quarter 2013.

According to Mars Hsu, analyst, Grand Cathay Securities, two travel consultancies, nine hotels and one amusement park are already listed on the stock exchange in Taiwan.

“I think this is an effort by (local travel companies) to push their brand names in China and elsewhere, though of course, they will also use the capitalisation to seek additional business opportunities,” he said.

Echoing Hsu’s sentiment, Star Travel CEO Vincent Lin explained that the opportunity to boost brand awareness overseas was a key factor behind his company’s listing, which he believes will help its three branch offices in China – in Xiamen, Shanghai and Suzhou – to grow traffic to Taiwan, particularly in the FIT segment.

“We wanted to elevate the value of our brand and increase brand perception among consumers,” said Lin. “Many companies use stock market listings to raise capital. We didn’t need to do that as we are part of Tsann Keun Enterprise (a Taiwanese home appliance and consumer electronics giant).”

Reporting by Glenn Smith

CHAKRA Resorts, the sister brand of Karma Royal Group’s Karma Resorts and Royal Resorts properties, is set to launch within the next two weeks.

Offering a global portfolio of 4.5-star properties in four locations, Chakra Resorts will feature self-contained suites, apartments and hotel rooms targeted at families, couples, as well as young, single travellers.

Founder and CEO of Karma Royal Group, John Spence told TTG Asia e-Daily that the new brand bridges the existing ultra-luxury Karma Resorts and upscale Royal Resorts brands.

He added that Chakra would retain some luxury features of Karma Resorts, but that rooms would cost from S$200 (US$159) per night, compared to the S$1,259 per night charged at Karma.

The four Chakra properties expected to launch by year-end include Schliersee in the Bavarian Alps, Rottnest Lodge near Perth, another in a historic mansion in Jaipur, and a fourth in Bali.

The group also plans to open resorts in the Bahamas, Tuscany in Italy, St Tropez in France, Dartmoor in the UK, and Palawan in the Philippines, alongside two Karma Spas in Qatar and Morocco.

THAILAND’s ONYX Hospitality Group is growing its footprint in Asia-Pacific through a 1.5 billion-baht (US$48.9 million) expansion programme.

Peter Henley, group president and CEO, said: “2012 is a big year for us, as we prepare to open five properties across three of our brands, whilst taking our first steps as a company into two new international markets (China and India).”

The group’s first OZO hotel will open in Hong Kong later this year, alongside Amari openings in China and India. Looking further ahead, the ONYX pipeline also features two more Shama properties in China, three properties in Sri Lanka and another in Qatar.

“Our expansion into China and India presents a great opportunity to take advantage of growing domestic visitor numbers, while plans to grow our offer into Sri Lanka means we will have a foothold in one of the world’s most rapidly growing tourist destinations,” said Henley.

On the domestic front, Amari Hua Hin will open in June this year, OZO Koh Samui in 2013 and Amari Residences Pattaya in 2015. Renovations are also set to begin at the Amari Watergate and Amari Coral Beach Phuket, as Thailand remains central to ONYX’s growth strategy.

Even though growth potential for the Thai hotel market is “minimal” in comparison to other parts of Asia, according to Yuthachai Charanachitta, owner, ONYX Hospitality Group, “Thailand remains our anchor. Whatever we do outside is intended to promote sales here,” he said.

With a current portfolio of 31 properties across two brands in Thailand, Hong Kong and China, Onyx aims to have 51 properties in operation by 2018.

By Timothy France