THAILAND will continue to count on its decade-old Amazing Thailand marketing slogan to achieve its target of 19.5 million foreign arrivals and 760 billion Thai baht (US$24.85 billion) in revenue next year.

The country will use its popular theme, first introduced in 1998, with the updated tagline Always Amazes You.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, Suraphon Svetasreni, said the NTO was planning to introduce two key messages – one for Asian markets and the other for the US and European markets – as well as continue to be more aggressive in its digital marketing strategy via social network channels.

Meanwhile, TAT has revised its 2011 target to 18-18.3 million foreign visitors and 700 billion baht in revenue, an increase over its original target of 15.5 million and 600 billion baht. The revision was in view of the country registering a 24.3 per cent year-on-year increase to 8.2 million visitors over the first five months of the year.

Last year, Thailand welcomed 15.9 million arrivals, up 12.6 per cent over the year before, despite almost three months of political crisis in Bangkok, the global economic downturn and the volcanic eruption in Iceland in April.

– Read more in TTG Asia, July 8 issue

By Sirima Eamtako

THE STRING of natural disasters in New Zealand, Australia and Japan, coupled with unrest in the Middle East, put a dampener on Singapore outbound travel in the first half of 2011.

Expectations were high among local travel agents that bookings would increase in 2011, due to the relative buoyancy of 2010. However, agents whom TTG Asia e-daily recently spoke to reported a 10 to 40 per cent decline in bookings over the first six months of 2011, compared to the same period last year.

Stella Chow, manager, Outbound Tours, Hong Thai Travel Services, said: “Singaporeans were hit by an avalanche of uncertainty in the first six months of 2011, and as a result, many decided to scrap their travel plans.”

Business in April and May, traditionally busy months for the travel trade, was “sluggish and slow”, according to Mike Chan, managing director, Global Holidays.

Alicia Seah, senior vice president (marketing & PR), CTC Travel, added: “Bookings for the June holiday period were a huge disappointment.”

It is not all doom and gloom though, as pointed out by Robin Yap, managing director, Insight Vacations. “We are seeing a remarkable surge in bookings out of Singapore to Europe because of the weakening euro,” he said.

Yap said the strengthening Singapore dollar was also stimulating travel to the US, albeit from a small base.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts Worldwide will open a slew of Sheraton-branded properties in China by the end of September.

The group will open its second Sheraton in both Beijing and Xian, and will debut the brand in Guangzhou, Zhenjiang, Wanning and Hangzhou.

Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng Hotel will feature 441 guest rooms and four restaurants, as well as more than 2,322m2 of meeting and function space.

Sheraton Xian North City Hotel will offer 491 guest rooms, more than 1,672m2 of meeting space and three restaurants.

The 445-room Sheraton Guangzhou Hotel will be located in the heart of Guangzhou’s Tianhe CBD. The Sheraton Guangzhou Huadu Resort, located in Beixin Town in the northeastern part of Huadu city, will feature more than 100 deluxe rooms, villas, and suites.

Sheraton Zhenjiang Hotel will feature 289 guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool, a fitness centre and spa, several restaurants and more than 3,065m2 of meeting space.

Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort, located to the southeast of Wanning City on Hainan Island, will feature 307 rooms, more than 836m2 of meeting space, a Shine Spa for Sheraton, and a swimming pool.

Sheraton Hangzhou Wetland Park Resort will offer 383 guest rooms, more than 1,114m2 of meeting space, three restaurants and a spa.

With the addition of these seven hotels, Sheraton will grow its China portfolio to 42 hotels by year’s end, moving Starwood closer to its goal of operating 100 hotels in the country by end 2012.

CENTARA Hotels & Resorts’ second property at Ao Nang in Krabi will soft-open in September.

Located near Nopparat Thara beach, Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi is a newly-built four-star property. Centara signed a management contract for the resort with Anda Dhevi Resort and Spa Company Limited in January this year.

Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts, said that although the new resort is situated near the Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi, located at Pai Plong Bay, the two are not competing for the same market.

“The two resorts in fact represent two different segments of the tourism market, and consequently, they complement each other,” he explained. “We now cover a broader range in the increasingly popular resort of Krabi, and this makes us stronger in Southern Thailand.”

The Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi will offer 135 rooms and suites, consisting of 72 Deluxe Garden View rooms ranging in size from 36 to 40m2, 50 Deluxe Pool View rooms at 42m2, one Family Suite Pool View at 83m2, 11 Deluxe Pool Access rooms at 46m2, and one Honeymoon Suite Pool Access room at 92m2.

The resort will have an all-day dining restaurant serving Thai and international cuisine, a lobby bar and lounge. It will also offer facilities including a 43m swimming pool with waterslides and a bar, a children’s pool, a kids’ club, a fitness centre and a SPA Cenvaree.

There will also be two meeting and events rooms, both fully equipped as convention rooms. The first room can accommodate up to 200 guests, while the second room can hold up to 80 people.

SRILANKAN Airlines will be resuming flights to Zurich starting December 23, after a six-year suspension.

The airline said it will operate two flights a week to Zurich, on Mondays and Fridays, with the option of a third flight later on. SriLankan Airlines CEO, Manoj Gunawardene, said the Airbus AB-340 and AB-330 aircrafts will be used, with a seat capacity of 313 seats and 287 respectively.

“Compared to 2009, the number of Swiss nationals travelling to Sri Lanka grew by 49 per cent last year,” he said, adding that the airline was also targeting ethnic Sri Lankans living there.

Abbas Esufally, managing director at Sri Lanka’s Hemas Hotels, said: “Zurich is good connection for travellers from Canada and the US, and this will certainly increase and widen our markets.”

MALAYSIA’s tourism minister, Dr Ng Yen Yen, said in a press conference that the industry stands to lose up to 1.2 billion ringgit (US$399 million) in income because of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 (Walk for Democracy) rally in Kuala Lumpur.

The police is expecting thousands to participate in the rally for a free and fair general election in Malaysia.

“The tourism industry is highly sensitive to such matters like rallies and street demonstrations that can disrupt travel plans,” she said. “Tourist arrivals last July was 2.2 million, with revenue of six billion ringgit, so if we lose just 20 per cent of that, it would be 1.2 billion ringgit. Furthermore, July is also our peak season for Middle Eastern visitors who come on holiday here.”

Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Paul Paw said that the China National Tourist Office had sent representatives to assess the situation, as over 100 travel agents were scheduled for a conference, road show and business exchange on July 10. This is part of a three-country visit that will also take them to Singapore and Indonesia.

“They are very concerned with news of the upcoming rally and are hesitant if it’s safe for their visit. We are expecting just half of the group to arrive as planned,” he told TTG Asia e-Daily. He added that his company, China Express Tours and Travels, stands to lose one million ringgit if the entire group cancelled their trip.

Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners executive director Shaharudin Saaid said that over 30 three- to five-star hotels in central Kuala Lumpur would be affected.

“The tourism industry is fragile and the slightest change or disruption affects us first,” added Red Fury Tours and Travels managing director Frankie S.K. Lee. “Should the rally go on as planned on July 9, we would definitely feel the impact in the aftermath, especially if the situation descends into chaos.”

By Ellen Chen

THE INDONESIA Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s biggest Islamic organisation, is working together to develop pilgrimage tours.

Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, and NU Chairman Said Aqil Siraj signed the MoU yesterday. The ministry will be conducting training for NU members on tourism, especially ones related to the Muslim sites.

Wacik said: “We have had the Trail of Civilisation, a cooperation between countries with historic Buddhist historic sites, Indonesia with Borobudur, Cambodia with Angkor Wat. We are now developing the Muslim pilgrimage tours.”

Through the cooperation, the ministry also expects tour operators to develop related package tours.

This is not the first time that the ministry is working with NU, according to Wacik. Earlier, they organised the Sunan Gunung Jati cultural performance in Cirebon, West Java, where they renovated some of the graves of the wali songo – leaders who spread Islam in Indonesia, especially in Java.

Siraj said: “We support tourism. The Koran teaches that Prophet Muhammad’s followers should travel and visit different countries and nations. (Pilgrims can) learn about the history of Islam in Indonesia through the wali songo who succeeded in using art, cultural the and humane approach (in spreading Islam), for example.”

He added that Middle Eastern countries have developed their tourism, which means that Muslims were open to travelling.

JAPAN Airlines Corp (JAL) is planning to enter the booming low-cost carrier (LCC) market through a joint venture with Qantas LCC subsidiary Jetstar.

The venture is a surprising turn for JAL, as its chairman Kazuo Inamori has repeatedly insisted that it would keep out of the low-cost sector.

The new discount airline, which will have a capital of 10-20 billion yen (US$115-231.6 million), is scheduled to launch as early as next year. It may serve Tokyo’s Narita airport, which is expanding its landing slots.

The venture will reportedly only cover domestic routes initially, but is expected to eventually operate international flights. The decision on which company will take management control is said to be decided at a later stage. Major Japanese trading houses Mitsubishi and Toyota Tsusho have been invited to invest in the deal.

JAL and Jetstar hope to finalise the alliance by the end of July.

JAL rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) is set to start Japan’s first budget airline, Peach Aviation, with the aid of Hong Kong and Japanese investors (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 10). It aims to start domestic services out of Kansai International Airport in Osaka in March 2012.

KHAO LAK is seeing an increase in arrivals from existing and new markets, benefiting in part from tourism influx in Phuket. The destination is also seeing an expansion of its inventory.

Vichien Kitsuwan, general manager of the 270-room Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort and Spa, said the resort was expected to run at peak to full capacity again in the November to March high season. This is based on forward bookings from existing markets – Scandinavia, Germany, France and Switzerland – as well as new arrivals from the Netherlands.

However, Vichien said that the resort was unlikely to fetch the average room rate of 3,200 baht (US$104) – a level it achieved in 2008 – because of more competition.

Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach and Spa Resort marketing director Linawaty Ko said the resort was cultivating new markets to grow its share amid competition from more hotels. Recent activities done by the resort and the Tourism Authority of Thailand had resulted in more arrivals from Australia, Southern Europe and India, she said.

While Khao Lak had also seen the rise of arrivals from Asia – Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea – spilling over from Phuket, more collective destination marketing is still needed to drum up interest, according to True Holiday Thailand managing director Wichukorn Kootrakool.

Wichukorn said: “Bookings from the Hong Kong market to Khao Lak started arriving slowly after my recent sales mission. Khao Lak has the potential to get more Hong Kong business, but the destination needs to increase their promotions and market awareness.”

The destination is also set to add more inventory. In November, Phuket-based Kata Group Resorts will open its Khao Lak Cassaway Resort and Spa with 153 one-bedroom villas, while Casa de La Flora, which soft-opened in March with 14 villas, will add another 22 villas.

Owners of Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa also plan to open a 350-key resort early next year. They will join the 78-key new wing of the 103-room Briza Beach Resort, which opened in February.

In addition, the 156-key Kantary Beach Hotel Villas and Suites opened in November last year

KHAO LAK is seeing an increase in arrivals from existing and new markets, benefiting in part from tourism influx in Phuket. The destination is also seeing an expansion of its inventory.

Vichien Kitsuwan, general manager of the 270-room Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort and Spa, said the resort was expected to run at peak to full capacity again in the November to March high season. This is based on forward bookings from existing markets – Scandinavia, Germany, France and Switzerland – as well as new arrivals from the Netherlands.

However, Vichien said that the resort was unlikely to fetch the average room rate of 3,200 baht (US$104) – a level it achieved in 2008 – because of more competition.

Le Meridien Khao Lak Beach and Spa Resort marketing director Linawaty Ko said the resort was cultivating new markets to grow its share amid competition from more hotels. Recent activities done by the resort and the Tourism Authority of Thailand had resulted in more arrivals from Australia, Southern Europe and India, she said.

While Khao Lak had also seen the rise of arrivals from Asia – Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea – spilling over from Phuket, more collective destination marketing is still needed to drum up interest, according to True Holiday Thailand managing director Wichukorn Kootrakool.

Wichukorn said: “Bookings from the Hong Kong market to Khao Lak started arriving slowly after my recent sales mission. Khao Lak has the potential to get more Hong Kong business, but the destination needs to increase their promotions and market awareness.”

The destination is also set to add more inventory. In November, Phuket-based Kata Group Resorts will open its Khao Lak Cassaway Resort and Spa with 153 one-bedroom villas, while Casa de La Flora, which soft-opened in March with 14 villas, will add another 22 villas.

Owners of Phuket Graceland Resort and Spa also plan to open a 350-key resort early next year. They will join the 78-key new wing of the 103-room Briza Beach Resort, which opened in February.

In addition, the 156-key Kantary Beach Hotel Villas and Suites opened in November last year

By Sirima Eamtako

AUSTRALIA-based Staywell Hotel Group is pressing on with its move to expand into Singapore, despite the challenge of finding a suitable site to build.

Speaking to TTG e-daily, CEO Simon Wan said that he was delighted with the performance of Staywelll’s Park Regis Singapore since it opened last November. Occupancy for the property is now up to 90 per cent, and Wan is bullish about the hotel group’s future prospects.

He said: “Singapore is a good starting point for any hotel wishing to break into the South-east Asian market. It is our strategic gateway to the rest of the region.”

Wan explained that Staywell had tendered for a site behind the Park Regis along Havelock Road in June last year as part of its expansion plans. But they were outbid by RB Capital, which plans on constructing a Holiday Inn Express.

He said that the company was currently studying various sites. He did not reveal which sites had caught the group’s attention, but said that it had to be big enough to accommodate at least 300 rooms.

While Wan confirmed that the company was also looking to expand its three-star Leisure Inn brand in Malaysia and Thailand, it may not do the same for Singapore.

“The high cost of land is putting a lot of pressure on us to ensure that we secure a good financial return on our investment. We keep asking ourselves, ‘What is the risk and return in Singapore compared to other investment opportunities outside Singapore?’ Staywell needs to examine both the Singapore hotel market and the financial feasibility of opening a hotel from scratch.”

He added: “There is definitely an obvious gap in Singapore for three-star leisure properties to cater to tourists to diversify the Singapore market.”