BRUNEI Tourism has lined up some 69 projects from this year – including strategic marketing tie-ups with the trade and the introduction of new attractions and tour packages – even as its long-serving chief, Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed prepares for his swansong.

Four new ecotourism resorts, five detox spas, a reinvented diving package that offers shipwreck exploration and farmstays will be rolled out progressively. Also on offer is a three-night Islamic heritage tour package that showcases the sultan’s collection of miniature Quran, 300 rare mushaf or religious scrolls, and 60 kinds of prayer beads among other treasures.

Brunei, a popular destination for golf enthusiasts and the host of major tournaments including the Brunei Open and Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters, will also court new professional golf tournaments, said Brunei Tourism CEO, Sheikh Jamaluddin, who will be retiring in 2013.

He also revealed that a joint marketing campaign with AirAsia was being developed. The LCC has twice-weekly flights linking Kuala Lumpur and Brunei.

Although air links to Brunei suffered a setback with flag carrier Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) withdrawing flights from East Malaysia’s Kuching last August and Australia and New Zealand last October (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 7, 2011), Sheikh Jamaluddin said the destination still has good partnerships with other feeder airlines.

Japan would also join Brunei Tourism’s list of target source markets should RBA commence flights to Tokyo, as there has been talk of new services between the two countries, said Sheikh Jamaluddin.

He added that the NTO would focus on the China, Hong Kong and Singapore markets for growth, cheekily pointing out that the destination’s competitive advantage was that it offered an escape “from urban jungle to real jungle”.

Arrivals are targeted to grow by 15 per cent this year, up from 209,720 in 2011.

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MONEY is being poured into infrastructure, products and marketing, as Laos suits up for an action-packed year ahead, banking on three major events to raise its profile among international tourists.

Four key provinces – Luang Prabang, Vientiane, Savannakhet and Champasak – will be recipients of infrastructure investments, which include new hotels, airports, roads and bridges across the Mekong River easing travel to neighbouring Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

A new convention centre is also under construction in Vientiane, targeted for completion before the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in November, as 3,000 delegates from 46 countries are scheduled to arrive, said Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism tourism development department director general, Sounh Manivong.

Other developments are afoot in the capital, including an expansion of the airport in order for it to handle 1,000 passengers daily. It currently serves 500 pax a day. Elsewhere in Laos, land for three new airports that will cater to medium-size aircraft has also been earmarked.

Manivong revealed that new airlines have expressed interest in launching flights to Vientiane, such as German charter carrier Condor and Jin Air, which already operates charters from South Korea but is intending to mount regular services.

National carrier Lao Airlines was also able to deploy its new Airbus A320s on its thrice-weekly Singapore-Vientiane flights launched last November. Guangzhou, Seoul and Tokyo are next destinations on the airline’s radar.

Manivong said: “We are developing new products like homestays, ecotourism, and cultural and soft adventure tours that will appeal to our primary source markets.”

Hotel supply in Vientiane is also being beefed up, with several to open this year, adding to the 14 upscale hotels, according to Lao Hotel and Restaurant Association president, Oudet Souvannavong.

Some 2.8 million visitors are expected this year, with 1.8 million likely to be from ASEAN countries.

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OPERATORS and tourism stakeholders in East Malaysia have been forced to rethink their marketing strategies due to Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) impending withdrawal of direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and South Korea, Japan, and Australia (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 9, 2012).

Sabah Tourism Board (STB) deputy general manager, Gordon Yapp, said it was now “a matter of survival”.

“We are an isolated destination; 90 per cent of our arrivals are by air, so the cuts will impact our competitiveness, especially with regards to Japan and Australia,” he said. “South Korea is less affected because of existing flights by Asiana and Korean Air.”

Yapp said STB would attempt to convince Japanese to fly with Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong, or Asiana and Korean Air via South Korea, while traffic from Perth would have to go through Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

“We will work with any willing airline, since we cannot rely on MAS,” he said, adding that incentives will be offered to travel consultants who send customers over. STB will also help with marketing efforts.

Meanwhile, operators like YTL Hotels, which is opening the Gaya Island Resort, Borneo in July, have been forced to overhaul their marketing. “We intended to target South Korea, Japan, Australia and Europe. Now, it looks like we have to concentrate our efforts on Europe,” said Ai Lin, assistant director of sales.

Emong Tinsang senior manager-sales & operations of Kuching’s Borneo Adventure, which has a large Australian clientele, expects at least a 20 per cent drop in business, and now has to target the high-end European market.

Baton Bijamin, general manager of Kota Kinabalu-based Borneo Eco Tours, whose top three markets are Australia, Europe and the US, said he would turn to Eastern Europe and Scandinavia via Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, and expats based in China and Hong Kong.

“We will also create more products which are able to sell regardless of whether there are direct flights, such as adventure, nature and wildlife tours, bird-watching, local culinary journeys and tribal homestays,” he said.

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PANORAMA Group’s hotel arm, PHM Hospitality, will unveil two new brands and at least two openings by year-end.

Two new-builds in Bali will carry the new brand names, to be disclosed in February, said the group’s CEO, Budi Tirtawisata, who added that one would be a mid-tier thematic hotel and the other, a budget property.

Four more hotels under the company’s The 1O1 label (three-star premium) are also being constructed in Jakarta, Bali, Bogor and Jogjakarta. The 1O1 Dharmawangsa Jakarta will hit the market in mid-2013 with 138 rooms, while The 1O1 Legian’s new 106-room wing will open early 2013.

“With these four brands (the fourth being The Haven, a four-star brand), we aim to develop 10 more hotels this year,” said Budi.

PHM Hospitality’s aim is to have 15 hotels by 2013 and 30 hotels by 2015. New destinations such as Medan, Surabaya and Manado, where Panorama Group has a competitive advantage, have been earmarked for future development, he added.

LIMITED accessibility and insufficient marketing promotions have been identified as hurdles to growing Indonesia as a tourist destination.

The comments came from buyers representing nine markets – Malaysia, India, Switzerland, Thailand, Russia, Canada, Indonesia, Singapore and the Middle East – during a first-ever dialogue with Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, Mari Elka Pangestu, at ATF 2012.

Aditya Dhumma, managing director of India’s Classis Travels & Tours, said Manado’s potential as a destination among Indians was hampered by air connectivity. Indian travellers have two route options – Singapore-Jakarta-Manado or Bangkok-Bali-Manado.

Tourcan Vacations Canada president, Vivek Khanna, who used to see better volume to Indonesia 25 years ago when Garuda Indonesia operated flights to Canada, said: “Traffic must go through Hong Kong or Seoul but promotional seats (with Cathay Pacific and Korean Air) beyond those points are difficult to secure. You need to book at least six months ahead.”

The minister said the government would resolve connectivity issues within the next three years. An airport has been planned for Bitung to draw Filipinos to North Sulawesi, as well as for northern Bali. Roads connecting Sanur to Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, which will complete its expansion by April 2013, will be built.

Buyers also called for stronger destination promotions.

Flex Travel Zurich senior product manager Asia, Ulrike Meissner, suggested that a Visit Indonesia Tourism Officer (VITO) be appointed in Switzerland or incorporated under VITO Germany.

Russia’s Tour Express general manager, Diana Ignatenko, said her travellers were looking for new resort destinations and products such as jungle safaris, cave diving and extreme adventures, but Russian-speaking guides were needed.

The minister agreed to look into increasing cooperation with embassies and the presence of VITOs, and said that a temporary permit for Russian guides could be arranged until locals were ready to take over. Currently, rules stipulate that only locals can be hired as guides.

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THE OLD boys’ club seems to be taking advice from the right people, with its Next Gen logo now imprinted on the association’s namecards and marketing collateral, in addition to a recent hire said to embody its new philosophy.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of ATF 2012, PATA’s new, outspoken CEO, Martin Craigs, revealed that it was also on the hunt for online travel-related companies to welcome into its fold.

It is currently in talks with two (well-known) names, but you will have to watch this space to find out who they are.

Craigs has set about repositioning PATA as a forward-thinking body imbued with “fresh, new blood”, attuned to the world of technology.