BHUTAN flag carrier Druk Air intends to launch twice-weekly services between Paro and Mumbai on September 1, coinciding with the scheduled introduction of flights to Singapore around the same period (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 6, 2012).

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily during the recently-concluded PATA Adventure Travel & Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2012 in Paro, Sonam Wangchuk, manager, marketing & planning, Druk Air, said: “Mumbai was selected as it is a key hub for domestic and international air traffic in India. With the new flights, Druk Air will be able to tap demand from the central and southern parts of India.”

Wangchuk warned, however, that the Mumbai flights might not take off as scheduled if the airline is unable to obtain a third A319 aircraft, similar to the situation with the launch of Singapore services—already postponed twice before.

“Druk Air has ordered another A319 from Airbus, but the plane will not be delivered until 2015,” he explained. “Consequently, the airline is looking to lease a plane so that we can offer these (Mumbai) flights as planned.”

Draft plans have been drawn up to configure the aircraft with seating for 12 business-class and 120 economy-class passengers, Wangchuk added.

BHUTAN’s MICE industry will get a much-needed hardware boost in the near future, if plans for a new conference centre in the capital Thimpu come to fruition.

A site for the yet-unnamed conference centre has already been designated in the centre of Thimpu, but no schedule for its construction have been set so far. The facility will be able to house between 800-1,000 delegates, said Kesang Wangdi, director general, Tourism Council of Bhutan.

“It was necessary for us to plan for such a facility as a lot of MICE activity congregates in Thimpu, which is Bhutan’s main seat of government and its offices,” he said.

According to government proposals, the low-rise, eco-friendly facility will be designed and operated based on the national policy of Gross National Happiness, to ensure that local communities benefit from its presence.

Wangdi said the TCB was also looking at the feasibility of developing several smaller MICE venues in other areas of Bhutan, particularly in the central and eastern regions where new domestic airports (Yonphula and Bumthang) have been built.

According to Wangdi, around a quarter of Bhutan’s 37,482 arrivals in 2011 were for MICE.

AIRASIA Philippines yesterday received its air operator certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and is planning to launch three domestic and three international routes from its hub at Clark International Airport.

The carrier is scheduled to start domestic flights to Davao (March 15), Kalibo and Puerto Princesa next month, with Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau heading the list of intended international destinations.

AirAsia Philippines expects to obtain commercial flying permits for its first set of international routes by end-March, and will add Bangkok and Incheon when it obtains a second leased Airbus A320 towards the end of the year.

The country’s Civil Aeronautics Board has also granted the airline 1,260 seats for a Clark-Kuala Lumpur route, seven flights a week for Clark-Cambodia, six flights per week to Japan—which can be used for either Osaka or Nagoya, as well as air rights to China, Taiwan and South Korea.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Marianne Hontiveros said the carrier would bulk up with at least 16 leased A320 aircraft by 2015-2016.

“Our initial target was 857,000 passengers (handled per year), premised on full-year operations in 2012,” she added, but that target has since been revised downwards.

AUSTRALIA’s Tourism Northern Territory has appointed Pacific Leisure Marketing as its marketing representative in Singapore. Adventure travel and MICE have been earmarked as key focus areas for development.

Pacific Leisure Marketing’s managing director, Charles Leong, told TTG Asia e-Daily that his first task was to raise awareness of the Northern Territory (NT), which he admitted was “less well-known compared to other Australian states”.

Major destinations in NT include Darwin, Alice Springs, Katherine, Nhulunbuy, Tennant Creek and other areas in the centre and central northern regions of the country.

According to Leong, NT’s nature as “an outdoor, adventure type of destination” endears it to “young travellers and incentive groups who want fresh ideas and unique venues”, but makes it difficult to sell to the average Singaporean consumer, for whom adventure travel is still a niche segment.

“Most Singaporeans prefer shopping and dining during their holidays,” he explained. “However, younger travellers are seeking different experiences, and families are now affluent enough to send their children on holidays.”

Apart from reaching out to these younger travellers as well as MICE buyers, Pacific Leisure Marketing is also planning to organise training and fam trips for travel consultants, develop tactical advertising in tandem with travel agencies, and engage in joint marketing efforts with trade players.

“We have been talking to Jetstar and SilkAir about collaborating on media and trade fam tours, which we hope will take place in March when SilkAir inaugurates its Singapore-Darwin services (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 13, 2011),” said Leong.

Felicia Teng, general manager of Singapore-based The Meeting Lab, said the addition of SilkAir’s new route to Darwin would help persuade more corporate groups to consider the destination, as “not all corporate travellers are willing to fly low-cost”.

On another note, Jetstar is scheduled to boost its current Singapore-Darwin daily services to 10-weekly starting March 25.

THIS YEAR’s ITB Asia will take place at The Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, from October 17-19.

Suntec Singapore, which has hosted ITB Asia for the past four years, is currently undergoing major refurbishment (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 1, 2011). The show plans to return to the newly renovated venue in 2013.

Exhibition floor space at ITB Asia 2012 is expected to increase by about 15 per cent compared to last year’s event, which saw over 7,500 trade visitors in attendance, representing more than 90 countries.

The 2011 show also had the largest conference line-up ever, including the inaugural TTG Travel Agent Conference.

A NEW wholesale tour operator formed by a group of former Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) staff is hoping to tap Asian group outbound travel to the tune of 25 million euros (US$32.8 million) a year, pitting itself against other European operators such as Kuoni, which is also going after a bigger slice of the market.

To help it stake a claim is no other than David Babai – founder of GTA who eventually sold the company to Cendant for US$1.1 billion in 2005 – who is coming on board G2 Travel as chairman, having recently seen the conclusion of his six-year non-compete agreement with GTA.

The birth of G2 comes as Kuoni completed its acquisition of GTA last May (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 6, 2011) and continues to strengthen Kuoni Destination Management, which is expanding in Asia.

G2 Travel is officially launching at the end of the month, having spent the last three months putting its foundations in place as a wholesale operator headquartered in Hong Kong, with offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, London, Rome and Bucharest.

David Littlefair heads the Hong Kong and Bangkok operation, while the Jakarta office is headed by Al Mulenga. Both were former general managers of GTA in Thailand and Indonesia, respectively. The names of the other three directors will be released in due course, said Littlefair in a phone interview.

While G2 Travel will also tap outbound group travel from the Middle East, Australia, North America and Europe, Asia is where “the growth story” is, according to Littlefair. The Bangkok office will cover Thailand and Indochina, with Vietnam outbound seen as “growing phenomenally”. Hong Kong will cover the Philippines, while Indonesia will look after Malaysia and Brunei. Most of the Asian business is expected to head for Europe.

Babai said in a statement: “The emerging economies are growing rapidly and with new wealth comes the desire to travel abroad. For the inexperienced traveller, longhaul destinations are incredibly exciting but a huge challenge owing to language barriers, cultural norms, difficulty in getting visas or simply the desire to find the food one likes to eat. Our team really understands how to deal with these issues and provide a memorable experience for the traveller at an acceptable price point, whilst earning a fair return for the effort and knowledge required.”

– Read why there is money in group travel, TTG Asia, February 10 issue

AIRASIA Japan, the low-cost carrier joint venture between AirAsia Berhad and All Nippon Airways, received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) from the Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau on February 1.

The AOC will enable AirAsia Japan to operate aircraft in its fleet for commercial flights to international and domestic destinations.

AirAsia Japan is planning to operate international and domestic routes out of Tokyo’s Narita Airport by August (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 1, 2011), but the launch could be brought forward subject to aircraft availability.

AUSTRALIA has become the latest beneficiary of the Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau’s (MyCEB) successful Twin Deal corporate incentive programme, which has secured over 9,000 participants since it debuted in China last September.

The two-pronged rewards programme targets incentive planners and participants, offering value add-ons that promise to enhance the quality of events held in Malaysia.

Ho Yoke Ping, general manager of sales & marketing, MyCEB, said: “With the establishment of the bureau and the launch of our new branding campaign and tagline Malaysia – Asia’s Business Events Hub, it is timely that we reintroduce Malaysia as an incentive destination to the Australian market.”

“There has been an increase in the number of Australian companies organising (overseas) meetings and incentive trips due to the country’s strong economy and strengthening Australian dollar. Malaysia’s proximity to Australia, connectivity and value-for-money status makes it an ideal choice for companies planning to reward their employees or clients.”

Ho said there was stronger Australian interest in Malaysia last year compared to before, and that MyCEB was expecting 16,000 Australian delegates to sign up for the Twin Deal programme between now and end-2012.

The programme was introduced to corporate event buyers during MyCEB’s inaugural sales mission to Melbourne and Sydney last week. The bureau is planning another roadshow to both cities by the second half of the year, and will also host a fam trip for key corporate and incentive players.

Twin Deal features offered to Australian planners are different from what are available to the Chinese market, said Ho.

“We plan to launch a series of Twin Deals, each tailor-made for the market, as the needs of each market is different. For the Australian market, we are offering a real Asian incentive experience, where one gets to experience the authenticity and diversity of Malaysia’s people and culture,” she explained.

Examples of privileges offered to Australian incentive participants are a complimentary canopy walk at Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, a Feng Shui talk by a renowned local Feng Shui master and a Malaysia cultural session.