INTERCONTINENTAL Samui Baan Taling Ngam has opened, a new flag after several different managements including Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts.

Located in the enclave of Taling Ngam Bay, on the west coast of Koh Samui, the 81-key resort offers guestrooms, suites and beachfront villas that come fitted with state-of-the-art amenities including LCD flat-screen TVs, DVD players, iPod docking stations. Private plunge pools are featured in all villas, and complimentary Internet access is provided across all room types.

Dining and entertainment establishments include Air Bar, Amber and Flames.

Highlights of the resort include seven designer pools, a private beach with a 150m licensed private jetty and a 200m pier that provides guests easy access to the rest of Koh Samui’s well-known destinations.

ROYAL Brunei Airlines will be increasing its services between Melbourne and Bandar Seri Begawan from four-weekly to daily starting March 25.

The enhanced services will improve connections and travel options for passengers travelling between Melbourne and London, Dubai, Manila, Bangkok, Sabah or Sarawak, the flag carrier said in a statement.

Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, Louise Asher, said: “South-east Asia is one of Victoria’s fastest growing markets, and these additional services will enable greater tourism and trade linkages and opportunities across this valuable growth market.”

Melbourne Airport CEO, Chris Woodruff, said: “In addition to a link to Brunei, Royal Brunei’s extensive Asian and European networks support Melbourne’s two most significant longhaul markets, China and the UK.”

Meanwhile, Melbourne Airport handled 6.6 million international passengers in 2011, an 11 per cent rise over the year before.

The airport’s key international growth markets were from Asia, with passengers from China up by 23.2 per cent, the Philippines up 17.3 per cent, Singapore up 10.5 per cent, Indonesia up 10.4 per cent and Taiwan up 10.0 per cent.

Traditional markets also experienced growth, with nationals from New Zealand up 11.1 per cent, the US up 5.2 per cent and the UK up 2.1 per cent.

THE THAILAND Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is planning to declare 2013 as the Year of MICE, as part of an aggressive strategy to win more major events for the country.

According to TCEB president Akapol Sorasuchat, the Year of MICE initiative, derived from a private-public sector discussion held in January, had already been tabled to the Thai cabinet for approval.

“The plan comes as Thailand is scheduled to host 17 major events this year. It is also in line with our long-term strategy to prepare the country’s MICE industry for regional economic integration under the ASEAN Economic Community agreement in 2015,” he said.

Thailand is targeting 750,000 overseas MICE visitors this year, up from 720,000 in 2011. The number is expected to grow to 958,320 visitors in 2015, and hit one million in 2016.

Meanwhile, Thailand has won the rights to host an 18,000-pax Amway China incentive event in Phuket this year, as well as a 1,700-pax incentive group from Unilever Hindustan.

The two MICE wins are on top of other major events already confirmed for the year, such as the 2012 Rotary International Convention for 38,000 pax at IMPACT Arena Exhibition & Convention Centre, the Million Dollar Round Table for 5,000 delegates, and the International Congress on Infectious Diseases for 3,000 delegates.

Reporting by Sirima Eamtako

GARUDA Indonesia is looking to boost its business from Hong Kong and Macau through the development of trade partnerships across all sectors in the region.

“This year, we are targeting five more trade partners such as Ocean Park and hotels in (Macau’s) City of Dreams,” said the airline’s general manager Hong Kong & Macau, Riza Perdana Kusuma. “All Garuda offices will follow an open channel management, and act as a business solutions partner to offer one-stop solutions for travel to Indonesia.”

“Apart from growing our own business, we aim to help our trade partners grow their businesses. For instance, we helped Hong Kong Disneyland bring in an Indonesian media group last year,” he added.

Kusuma is hoping to double the number of Garuda’s corporate partners in the region from 65 to 150, as well as ramp up promotional efforts targeting Hong Kong outbound, such as launching a local website and adding more social media elements to the exisiting portal.

“We hope to expand our international network beyond just Jakarta and Bali. Our 32 domestic routes within Indonesia and 25 international destinations translate to good alternatives,” he said.

Last December, Garuda inaugurated a new office in Causeway Bay, complete with lounge and meeting facilities for visiting trade partners.

STARWOOD Asia-Pacific Hotels & Resorts has rolled out a campaign to rebuild MICE business at its Thailand properties after the floods.

Although none of Starwood’s properties in the destination was damaged by Bangkok’s floods which swept in late October, business was affected, as visitors gave the destination a wide berth.

In an earlier interview with Alison Taylor, Starwood Asia-Pacific vice president of sales, TTG Asia e-Daily was told that the flood had inflicted a “much greater” impact on Starwood properties in Bangkok, compared to properties outside the city. By early December, more than 100 group bookings were cancelled or postponed across 16 Starwood properties, said Taylor.

The Unbeatable Spirit of Thailand campaign will see Starwood properties in Bangkok and selected ones elsewhere in the country offering a meeting deal that includes a 10 per cent discount off the master bill and complimentary value-adds. The deal is valid till March 31.

The hotel group will also organise Starwood Expos in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok on March 7, 12 and 15 respectively to showcase 19 hotels across Thailand. Further, a group of top 10 clients from Malaysia and Singapore will be hosted at the expo in Thailand and site inspections in Bangkok.

The campaign comes on top of several trade and media familiarisation trips hosted by Starwood and Thai Airways International Australia since last December to boost visitor confidence.

Taylor said: “We are confident that business will resume as it has always been for the case of Thailand.”

Regional vice president, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, Wayne Buckingham, pointed to the inaugural Thailand Golf Championships from December 15-18 as an Illustration of Thailand’s resilience. The event, where four Starwood properties were joint hospitality partners, attracted more than 15,000 spectators, of which 15 per cent were tourists.

“The success of the tournament, which took place soon after the floods, was testament to Thailand’s resilience as an events destination and also to Starwood’s strong support of the Thai MICE industry. Thailand has so much to offer to meeting planners and this makes it an evergreen MICE destination. With the crisis behind us and with the hospitality and tourism sector doing all it can to regain visitor confidence, I am positive that it will not be long before we see visitor numbers going up again.”

INDONESIA’S Mandala Airlines, which suspended operations last January due to financial difficulties, may take to the skies again in April if it regains its Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation spokesperson, Bambang S Ervan, had told Bisnis Indonesia that there were plans to “hand over the AOC to Mandala in the second week of February”.

Mandala Airlines’ major shareholder, Saratoga Capital Investment manager, Devin Wirawan, said the airline was ready to begin operations.
“We have two Airbus 320 ready for delivery as soon as the AOC is issued,” he said.

He added that the airline would comply with the government regulation that requires the company to operate 10 aircraft, five of which must be owned.

Mandala Airlines was brought back to financial health after Saratoga Group and Tiger Airways bought 51.3 per cent and 33 per cent of the airline’s stake.