THE TRAVEL market in the Asia-Pacific region is thriving, and is leading the way in many economic indicators and in business travel volumes, according to to the 2012 Travel Price Forecast of Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT), a global firm that focuses on business travel and meetings and events management.

“However, APAC travel prices will be flatter in 2012 on a quarter-over-quarter basis, given that the region was not as affected by the economic downturn as other parts of the world, and has already been experiencing strong growth rates throughout 2011,” stated the study.

For next year, CWT foresees airline pricing in the region to increase by 3.1 per cent to 3.8 per cent, as “a dynamic mix of legacy airlines and a growing group of low-cost carriers compete for travellers, holding down fares in the region.”

Regarding hotel projections, average daily rates (ADR) are seen to range from a 1.9 per cent decrease to a 2.1 per cent increase in the first half of 2012, and a 0.9 decrease to remain flat for the second half of the year.

The region’s business hubs currently have the highest occupancy rates in the world, which remain a challenge for travellers. But the strong supply growth across the region will keep overall ADR modest, as per the study.

The 2012 Travel Price Forecast, which projects supplier prices for airlines, hotels, ground transportation providers, and meetings and events spend, provides projections for every region in the world and country-level expectations for markets where CWT clients travel to most frequently. Based on the study, the most substantial increases are projected for Latin America.

BANYAN Tree, in collaboration with Lumayan Indah, is set to make its presence felt in Malaysia for the first time in 2016, with the Banyan Tree Signatures Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, a hotel-and-residence concept in the prime Golden Triangle area.

Ho Kwon Ping, executive chairman, Banyan Tree Holdings, said: “Residents, city dwellers and guests can look forward to taking respite from the fast pace of life with luxury spa treatments from the Banyan Tree Spa – again a first in Malaysia.

“At Banyan Tree Signatures Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, both residents and guests will enjoy a holistic lifestyle that encompasses dining, shopping and relaxation delivered with the signature Banyan Tree service standards.”

Upon completion, the property will be the tallest residential building in Kuala Lumpur.

AUSTRALIA-based Jade Express Travel has appointed Bangkok-based G2 Travel as its sales representative in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Jade Express Travel managing director Tony Liu added, however, that the company would continue to directly service some key accounts in Thailand due to its 25 years of experience in the Thai market.

He said the partnership with G2 Travel is to allow Jade Express to tap into new markets while maintaining and growing its presence in existing ones.

The company earlier signed a similar partnership agreement with G2 Travel in Jakarta for sales representations in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

G2 Travel is a new global land operator co-founded by David Littlefair, the former general manager of GTA Thailand for 19 years.

Littlefair will be overseeing the Bangkok office operations of G2 Travel, which also has offices in Hong Kong, Jakarta, Rome and London. The company is slated to begin promoting outbound travel from Asia to Europe from the first quarter of next year, he added.

By Sirima Eamtako

ENETT International, a joint venture between Travelport and PSP International, will launch its vNett virtual card solution in Asia and the Middle East, after successful roll-outs in Europe and Australia.

The solution is backed by financial institutions such as Citibank, JP Morgan and Mastercard.

The UAE is on the cards in November, followed by Singapore, Hong Kong and India in the first quarter of 2012. eNett is also looking at Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Targeted principally at OTAs, traditional travel agents and TMCs, vNett allows these buyers to pay suppliers using a 16-digit single-use MasterCard virtual account number for a specific transaction. Agencies who sign up for vNett will also have access to feeNett, which enables clients to process service fees without the need for a point-of-sale terminal. Agencies can also use eNett’s capability to mitigate the cost of cross-currency exchanges through its desktop fx tool.

“There is no other virtual card supplier like us in Asia offering the tools we have to deliver seamless payments. vNett provides agencies with greater transparency and most importantly instantaneous data to understand exactly what is being charged – expenses are clearly itemised and they can be easily tracked,” explained Anthony Hynes, managing director and CEO, eNett. Another key advantage of the product is its easy set-up and integration with existing back-end systems and GDSs.

Hynes revealed that he was negotiating with various airlines in the Asia-Pacific region to accept vNett payments. He also mentioned that Carlson Wagonlit had signed up for vNett. However, he declined to elaborate who else had decided to adopt the payment platform.

When questioned, Hynes conceded that he was unfazed by the potential issue of resistance, particularly from traditional agents.

“We see enormous growth and opportunity in Asia, not just in terms of size, as we are working from a low base. It’s a market that has not been reached by other providers before and we expect firms to be receptive to our product as it is so easy to set up and use.”

THE WESTIN Singapore Marina Bay is banking on its location and the brand’s lifestyle proposition to compete in a market which has changed since it left a decade ago.

Westin was in Singapore until 2002, in the form of The Westin Stamford and The Westin Plaza at the Raffles City complex, now Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore respectively.

Asked to compare the new Westin, which will open in the last quarter of 2013 (TTG Asia e-Daily, October 11), with the old, Vincent Ong, director brand management Asia-Pacific of Sheraton & Westin, said The Westin Stamford did not have programmes such as Superfoods menu, WestinWorkout gym, The Heavenly Spa by Westin and nature-inspired design aesthetics, all now part of the brand’s ‘wellness’ DNA.

Westin, he said, was all about catering to the “I” in individuals, so that every guest would leave feeling better than when he arrived. Starwood Hotels & Resorts had been sharpening the brand’s positioning since 2005, along with creating distinct personalities for its other brands such as Sheraton, Ong said, during a media launch of the Westin Singapore comeback on Monday.

The hotel will occupy the 32nd to 46th floors of Asia Square Tower 2, featuring 305 rooms and the highest hotel lobby in the city. It will also have four F&B outlets and a 480m2 Banquet Hall.

The hotel is owned by an MGPA managed fund. MGPA managing director James David said Westin fitted Asia Square’s ‘Work, Play, Live, Grow’ proposition well.

AS BANGKOK races to prevent floodwaters from rushing down from the central plains to the inner city in less than 48 hours, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has reiterated that majority of the tourist attractions in the country are operating as usual.

According to TAT governor Suraphon Svetasreni, of the more than 6,000 tourist sites around the country, only 40 attractions – including the UNESCO World Heritage Ayutthaya Historical park – are hit by flood waters. Most of these are located in the ancient Thai capital.

Attractions in key destinations such as Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui continue to operate normally. All airports, including Suvarnabhumi Airport in the capital, are also running as usual.

TAT is urging travellers and the travel trade to monitor developments via its offical website, www.thailandtourismupdate.com.

To illustrate that key tourist attractions are still business as usual, a mass Thai-style wedding ceremony for 100 inbound Chinese couples will proceed tomorrow as scheduled.

The event is jointly organised by TAT, the Shanghai Worker Travel Service and Good Luck Express at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, located near Pattaya, around 1.5 hours by car from Bangkok.

By Sirima Eamtako

A MUCH-anticipated tourism campaign to increase Sri Lanka’s global visibility (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 20) has been postponed indefinitely in a dispute over costs and prioritisation.

The campaign was supposed to kick off this month, with efforts earmarked including promotional activities through traditional media, as well as the Internet and social media.

“Except for media advertising, we are proceeding with what we have been doing (previously) – web marketing, fam tours and social marketing,” said Sri Lanka Tourism chairman Nalaka Godahewa, adding that the country’s annual promotional budget, approximately 100 million rupees (less than US$1 million), was hardly enough for a media campaign.

One hotelier, who declined to be named, said: “The (Sri Lankan) Treasury says the product (infrastructure) needs to be developed before money is spent on promotion. The real reason is that the state is short of cash for promotion.”

“We are compelled to plough in our own money to promote our properties and also the destination,” the hotelier added.

Malin Hapugoda, managing director of Colombo-based Aitken Spence Hotels, is another lamenting Sri Lanka’s lack of overseas promotion since the end of the civil war.

“We need to be visible. We were seen as a cheap destination during the conflict—a perception we need to change,” he said. “While beach tourism will be our bread and butter since we are an island, we also need to attract the top end.”

THE ST. REGIS brand is set to make its debut in Shenzhen with the opening of a new hotel atop the Kingkey 100 building by year-end.

Located in the middle of Shenzhen’s Caiwuwei financial district, the St. Regis Shenzhen will occupy the top 28 floors of the Kingkey 100 building.

“We are looking forward to introducing the St. Regis brand to Shenzhen and southern China,” said Stephen Ford, general manager of The St. Regis Shenzhen.

The hotel will offer 257 guest rooms and 40 suites, a spa on the 75th floor, an indoor swimming pool, as well as 2,100m2 of meeting space including a ballroom and eight smaller rooms.

F&B options at the hotel will include a Chinese restaurant offering private dining, an all-day-dining restaurant serving international cuisine, a Mediterranean outlet, and several bars and lounges.