RAFFLES Hotels & Resorts has ceased management of the Raffles Tianjin due to irreconcilable differences with the owner, according to a statement released yesterday by the hotel group.

“Raffles Hotels & Resorts continues to place high importance on the China market. The group continues to operate Raffles Beijing Hotel and is on track to open Raffles Clearwater Bay, Hainan later this year,” the statement added.

Checks by TTG Asia e-Daily revealed that Raffles Hotels & Resorts has already removed all traces of the Raffles Tianjin from its website. However, the original landing page for the property is still reachable via search engines like Google, albeit with a disclaimer attached: “Raffles Hotels & Resorts is no longer managing Raffles Tianjin with immediate effect”.

The Raffles Tianjin, opened in March 2010, was Raffles Hotels & Resorts’ second property in China after it opened the Raffles Beijing Hotel in 2006.

BANGKOK Airways will begin a new direct daily Koh Samui-Kuala Lumpur service from March 31, which will boost connections between the two destinations to 13 flights per week (TTG Asia e-Daily, September 27, 2011).

The carrier will deploy an all-economy 138-seat Airbus A319 aircraft on the route, which will be operated out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Existing direct air links between Koh Samui and Kuala Lumpur consist of Firefly’s four-weekly services using a 70-seat ATR72 aircraft and Berjaya Air’s twice-weekly flights using a 48-seat Dash 7 aircraft, both operated out of Subang Airport in Malaysia.

The route expansion is part of Bangkok Airways’ efforts to expand markets for Koh Samui, which has direct links to three other Asian cities – Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong.

CAMBODIA’s government is in talks with various airlines to open new routes to its capital, as part of a strategic plan to boost tourist arrivals.

Discussions are already underway with Aeroflot to open a route between Moscow and Phnom Penh, as well as with Emirates to launch a route from Dubai.

Cambodian authorities are also looking to work with Indonesia to establish flights from Jakarta.

Speaking at a press conference during ATF 2012 in Manado, Indonesia, Nim Sovann, deputy director, marketing and promotion department, Ministry of Tourism Cambodia, said all these routes were at the interim stage of development and would “facilitate tourism into Cambodia” if implemented successfully.

Cambodia is targeting 3.2 million arrivals in 2012. An estimated 2.8 million tourists visited the country last year.

VANCOUVER-based Rocky Mountaineer, the train holiday specialist for British Columbia, Canada has appointed Scenic Travel as its GSA for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily in Singapore yesterday, Dianna Schinella, sales manager – Asia Pacific, Rocky Mountaineer said the time was ripe for the company to step up efforts in capturing a share of South-east Asia outbound. The company’s existing source markets include Australia, the US, the UK, Europe and Canada.

“Asia and South-east Asia offer significant potential, although their numbers are proportionately small,” she said. “Their economies are doing well, disposable income is increasing, and more Asian consumers now desire experiential travel.”

Schinella said Rocky Mountaineer appointed a GSA in India early last year, and was also looking to appoint GSAs in Thailand and the Philippines.

Simon Er, general manager, Scenic Travel, said marketing initiatives including advertorials would be rolled out to target niche FIT and group travellers, while training sessions would be organised to educate travel professionals on the finer points of selling the product.

In a bid to bolster its marketing efforts outside Singapore, the GSA is also seeking partners in Indonesia and Malaysia.

“Given Rocky Mountaineer’s attributes, we are not going to target the mainstream leisure market. This is a specialist product that needs a different marketing approach,” said Er.

A total of 45 packages are being sold for Rocky Mountaineer’s 2012 season. Rail-cruise packages offered in conjunction with Holland America Line, and rail-car hire packages developed in partnership with Avis are also available. Packages range from as short as three-and-a-half hours to 19 days, and start from C$149 (US$146) for an adult, one-way.

MYANMAR’s tourist arrivals hit a record high for the second year running in 2011, rising more than 20 per cent over the year before, according to figures from the country’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism.

The number of foreign visitors arriving through Yangon increased 21.7 per cent to 359,359, up from 295,147 in 2010. More than two-thirds were from Asian countries, including 59,010 from Thailand, the largest single group, followed by China with 32,757. South Korea contributed 18,925 visitors.

European nationals accounted for 65,367 travellers, representing 22.1 per cent of total arrivals. France led the way with 13,102 visitors, followed by Germany (10,932) and the UK (7195).

The figures also revealed a sharp 44 per cent jump in visitors arriving on business visas, which are considered tourist arrivals. Business travellers made up 69,943, or almost 20 per cent, of all foreign visitors in 2011, up from 48,549 the previous year. Meanwhile, the number of foreigners arriving on social visas climbed about 20 per cent to 33,273.

A Ministry of Hotels and Tourism spokesperson said the government was working to establish strategies that ensured tourism developed in a sustainable and responsible manner.

“We are aware of the importance of smooth facilitation of travel for international visitors, and the government has recently formed the committee for smooth entrance of foreign visitors,” the spokesperson said. “The government’s long-term tourism objectives are to develop the industry to generate revenue, to create job opportunities and create income for residents.”

The spokesperson said the government had set about upgrading tourism-related infrastructure and facilities, and was keen to boost awareness of existing destinations through print material such as tourism guidebooks, brochures and leaflets.

“We were also able to establish a PATA Myanmar Chapter in November… we will continue to promote our tourism industry through PATA’s activities in the future,” the spokesperson added.

DAFAM Hotel Management has signed an agreement with Istana Group to manage Dafam Istana Luwuk, the first-ever star-rated property in Luwuk, the capital of Banggai Regency in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Built at a cost of 25 billion rupiah (US$2.75 million), the three-star Dafam Istana Luwuk is expected to start operations by end-2012, offering 65 rooms in two categories. Facilities will include a function hall with capacity for up to 1,200 people, two 50-pax meeting rooms, and a karaoke club with 20 rooms.

Dafam Hotels & Resort Indonesia managing director, Andhy Irawan, said: “Luwuk is a growing business destination with an abundance of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and nickel deposits, and is a transit point to Wakatobi—the famous dive resort destination.”

Sultan Group owner Bernard Mahamudu was optimistic that the property would soon be running at peak occupancy, as demand for hotel rooms in Luwuk was high.

“The accommodation (options) available in Luwuk are basic inns, yet they sell at 400,000 rupiah per night, and some (rooms) are sold to the LNG companies for their long-staying guests,” he said. “There is a big opportunity for a star-rated hotel here.”

Dafam Istana Luwuk will be the seventh hotel developed and managed by Dafam Hotel Management since the group launched last March. Four hotels are already operational, while three hotels in Bandung, Pekalongan and Solo will soft open next month.

Meanwhile, new projects in the pipeline include hotels in Jakarta, Bandung and Makassar, as well as eventual expansion outside Indonesia–to Beijing.

Luwuk is served by Batavia Air, Express Air and Merpati Airlines from Makassar and Manado, while Lion Air launched daily Jakarta-Makassar-Luwuk services starting today.