KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is set to transform its non-stop Amsterdam-Manila services into a one-stop service via Taiwan or Hong Kong in April. The move would result in a reduction in the number of seats available from Europe and Amsterdam to Manila, since capacity will be shared by both stops.

Currently the only European carrier still operating direct flights to Manila, the restructure is part of KLM’s efforts to counter the impact of the Common Carrier Tax (three per cent) and Gross Philippine Billings tax (2.5 per cent) being levied by Philippine authorities.

Philippine-based airlines operating both domestic and international services are exempted from paying the taxes.

KLM’s general manager South China Sea, Cees Ursem, said: “These taxes are a heavy burden for all foreign carriers, but especially for European carriers. That’s why all the European carriers have left the Philippines in the last decade.”

“We still think that the Philippines is a market with a lot of potential, but it has its limitation when it is getting too expensive for foreign carriers,” he added.

European carriers that have exited the Philippines in recent years include Aeroflot, British Airways, Alitalia, Swissair, Air France and Lufthansa.

ANGSANA Hotels & Resorts has launched Angsana Balaclava in Mauritius.

The 52-key resort is located in Turtle Bay on the northwest of the island, a 15-min drive from the capital, Port Louis.

The property offers 18 garden suites (72m2), 21 spa suites (84m2) and 10 beachfront suites (125-180m2) with private plunge pools, and an imperial villa (770m2) with four bedrooms, three private pools and a personal butler.

Facilities include three overlapping swimming pools separated by waterfalls, a beauty salon, a fitness centre, a business centre, and an Angsana Spa.

The main restaurant, Oryza, offers both al fresco and indoor dining options and is surrounded by the pool, beach and Sylea bar. The Passion Grill, with its swim up bar, offers a poolside dining alternative. There are also in-villa or private dining options.

STAR Cruises has embarked on a US$25-million refurbishment of SuperStar Virgo.

The 1,870-pax Singapore-homeported cruise ship will receive a makeover of its hull design and cabins, as well as its F&B, entertainment, shopping, sports and recreation facilities.

The vessel will return to service on January 23, 2012, and is scheduled to ply the straits of Singapore and Malacca in various two-, three- and five-night itineraries calling at destinations such as Phuket, Langkawi, Port Klang, Malacca, Redang, and Penang; and one- and two-night high seas cruises.

“This US$25-million investment underpins Star Cruises’ continuous drive to grow Asia’s cruise industry,” said William Ng, CEO, Star Cruises.

“The Asia-Pacific cruise industry is expected to grow in leaps and bounds, and Star Cruises is well-positioned to take the lead in further developing and expanding the industry,” he added.

This rejuvenation programme follows the refurbishments of Star Pisces (homeport in Hong Kong) and SuperStar Aquarius (current season’s homeport in Sanya), in February and April last year respectively, at a combined cost of US$13.6 million.

TTG ASIA’s ongoing Facebook competition has found its lucky December winner in Karen Low, a travel consultant with Citystate Travel in Singapore.

Low won for herself a three-night stay in an executive suite at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre, including daily breakfast and executive lounge access, after ‘liking’ the TTG Asia Facebook page and subscribing to the travel trade magazine.

The prize up for grabs this month is a four-day three-night stay at The Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers in Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Members of the travel trade industry stand to win prizes every month by ‘liking’ the TTG Asia Facebook page, and increase their chances by subscribing to the magazine.

For more details, visit www.facebook.com/ttgasia

PHILIPPINE low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) will commence from March 23 onwards thrice-weekly Manila-Xiamen-Manila services, the carrier’s 18th international destination.

CEB will deploy an Airbus A319 aircraft on the route, offering 150 seats in an all-economy configuration.

The airline, which flies thrice-weekly to Beijing and Guangzhou, and daily to Shanghai, had earlier announced plans to boost its Manila-Beijing-Manila services to four-weekly starting January 7.

“CEB looks forward to expanding its network in China, especially with Xiamen and Fujian province being the well-known hometown of about 85 per cent of Filipino-Chinese in the Philippines,” said CEB vice president for marketing & distribution, Candice Iyog.

“We flew 30 per cent more passengers to mainland China in the third quarter of 2011, compared to the same period the year before. CEB will continue to grow its China market with its trademark low fares and destination offerings,” Iyog added.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) has adopted a new management structure, effective January 1, to ensure the success of its overhaul efforts launched in December last year (TTG Asia e-Daily, December 8).

Changes include the appointment of two new senior executives from outside the airline, the departure of four senior staff members, and additional responsibilities and portfolios for the group CEO and group COO.

MAS group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said: “The organisation (re) structure signals a new era for the Malaysia Airlines group. It involves the setting up of several new business units and the renaming of existing functions, as well as the introduction of new leaders to take over from familiar faces.”

The airline’s two new appointees are Hugh Dunleavy, head of the newly formed network, alliance, strategy & planning division, and Shihaj Kutty, who will lead the revenue management division.

Dunleavy previously held senior positions at WestJet Airlines, Lufthansa Systems, Star Alliance and Air Canada, while Kutty was head of pricing at Etihad Airways. Both will be joining the airline by mid-January.

Those leaving are executive vice president of commercial strategy, Dr Amin Khan; assistant general manager of revenue management, Sharifah Salwa Syed Kamaruddin; head of aerospace engineering, Mohd Roslan Ismail; and head of MASkargo, Shahari Sulaiman.

As part of the restructuring, the heads of customer experience, operations, human capital, and network, alliance, strategy & planning will now report directly to Ahmad Jauhari, who also takes on the role as CEO of longhaul operations.

Meanwhile, in his capacity as deputy group CEO and CEO of shorthaul operations, Mohammed Rashdan Mohd Yusof will head the airline’s shorthaul business, group finance, and aircraft finance & management, while overseeing commercial matters in the interim.

Reporting by N. Nithiyananthan

THE TOURISM Authority of Thailand (TAT) is ramping up its Beautiful Thailand campaign efforts, and is also planning to launch next year a new Thailand Welcomes the World campaign, as part of its strategy to boost the country’s image after the recent floods.

The NTO is hosting a series of fam trips for more than 350 travel experts and media representatives from 23 countries from December 6-18, to see for themselves that the flood crisis is now well and truly over.

“Our major focus now is on bringing back tourists’ confidence in Thailand,” said TAT governor Suraphon Svetaserni.

Meanwhile, a new campaign, Thailand Welcomes the World, will be launched next year to improve Thailand’s image in overseas markets. Special emphasis will be placed on creating a good first impression when tourists arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport, through providing better services and conveniences.

Thailand welcomed 17.1 million international visitors between January and November, a 21.1 per cent jump over the same period last year. ASEAN remains the country’s largest market, contributing 4.9 million visitors (a 22 per cent increase), followed by Europe at 4.4 million visitors (up 13.6 per cent), and North-east Asia at 4.3 million arrivals (up 34.2 per cent).

Thailand is anticipating about 18.3-18.6 million foreign arrivals and 703-716 billion baht (about US$23 billion) in tourism revenue for this year. Last year, the country received 15.96 million international visitors, and generated 593 billion baht in revenue.