THE THAILAND Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) and Seoul Tourism Organisation (STO) have inked an MOU to jointly develop their tourism and MICE businesses.

This is the first partnership between TCEB and a South Korean city.

TCEB director, meetings & incentives, Puripan Bunnag, told TTG Asia e-Daily that details of the partnership would be revealed at a later date. “For now, it is understood that TCEB and STO will share information on potential event bids, and support each other at trade shows and road shows,” he explained.

“For example, when STO participates in IT&CMA in Bangkok, TCEB will connect it with top outbound Thai agents who can sell Seoul. We expect the same support from STO with TCEB holds road shows and trade shows in Seoul.”

Akapol Sorasuchart, president of TCEB, said the partnership would enhance bilateral cooperation between the two destinations, which already share strong trade ties.

“South Korea is considered a high potential MICE market for Thailand’s MICE industry,” he said. “South Korean arrivals form 6.1 per cent of total Asian MICE travellers to Thailand. In 2010, the growth rate reached 21 per cent, with 25,429 South Korean MICE tourists visiting Thailand. This generated US$52 million in revenue.”

Hong Heegon, who stepped into his role as president and CEO of STO just over a month ago, said that Thailand was the third most popular destination for South Koreans, after China and Japan.

Meanwhile, Puripan added that an MOU between TCEB and Busan Convention & Visitors Bureau, initially planned for last November, might follow soon after.

THAI Airways International (THAI) will launch a direct thrice-weekly Bangkok-Brussels service from November 17, making it the only South-east Asian carrier to operate on the route.

The airline will operate the flight using Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, with 30 seats in Royal Silk class and 262 seats in economy class.

Brussels is THAI’s 72nd destination. The airline will allow reservations for the Bangkok-Brussels service starting July 1.

AIRFARES search site Skyscanner will open its first Asia-Pacific operation in Singapore by September, as it embarks on ambitious plans to capitalise on the region’s booming aviation market.

The move comes on the back of the Edinburgh-based company releasing figures detailing a 75 per cent increase in turnover last year to 15.2 million pounds (US$24.3 million).

Ewan Gray, Skyscanner’s newly-appointed regional director for Asia-Pacific, said Singapore was the ideal base to build the Skyscanner brand in the region, as the company had already established a string of commercial relationships in the city-state. When pressed for other reasons, he added that Singapore was a “hotbed for talent”.

While Skyscanner has no plans in the pipeline for other offices in the region, Gray explained that Singapore, China, Indonesia, India and Malaysia were to be the main focus of the company’s expansion drive.

Gray added that these emerging segments pose a unique set of technical and business challenges for the company, owing to their “sophistication and speed of growth”. Nonetheless, Gray was confident that Skyscanner would see through these anticipated problems.

Skyscanner’s rapid rise in the last three years can be attributed to the brisk expansion of airline routes and alliances across the globe, alongside its own growing network of commercial partnerships with airlines, online travel agents and other travel-related organisations.

THE INFOCOMM Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), in partnership with SPRING Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Employment and Employability Institute, has called upon businesses in the F&B retail, hotel and attractions sectors to submit proposals on the development and adoption of mobile solutions.

Some S$15 million (US$12 million) has been set aside for this initiative, which aims to enhance the competitiveness and productivity of firms in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors.

STB will be participating in the evaluation of proposals received, and will also be assisting the IDA in engaging the tourism industry for this project.

In a fact sheet released by the IDA detailing the programme, some possibilities cited include mobile apps that allow self-guided tours and a mobile hotel concierge.

According to a spokeperson for the IDA, hotels such as Mandarin Orchard and Parkroyal on Kitchener Road have successfully deployed mobile solutions to better track and manage customers’ requests, and consequently, there has been a decline in complaints received.

The IDA and its partners are looking to fund around 30 projects, which will have to be completed within a timeframe of two years.

CHINESE online search giant Baidu has made inroads into the emerging travel search market in China with its purchase of local travel search engine Qunar.

Founded in 2005, Qunar enables Chinese consumers to make real-time searches for domestic air and rail tickets, hotels, as well as tour packages. The meta search engine also provides travel-related resources such as user discussion forums and group buying deals.

Baidu has agreed to invest US$306 million in Qunar, as it seeks to reap a share of the lucrative Chinese online travel sector. The investment will make Baidu the majority shareholder of Qunar.

After the investment is finalised in the third quarter of 2011, Qunar is expected to continue operating as an independent company, although both Baidu and Qunar will cooperate in certain areas of online travel search.

Baidu’s decision to acquire Qunar is being seen as a smart move, which will synergise and enhance the capabilities of both companies to capitalise upon the growth opportunities in the Chinese travel search arena.

Online travel transactions in China are increasing at an astronomical rate as the Chinese appetite for overseas holidays grows. According to internet market research company eMarketer, the Chinese spent US$15.4 billion on online travel bookings in 2011, up from just US$1.5 billion in 2006.

WYNDHAM Hotel Group will open three new Ramada properties in China, one of which will be the company’s first managed Ramada hotel in the country, and a resort in Phuket.

The new managed property in China, the Ramada Plaza Sanya, is scheduled to open in June next year, and will feature 496 rooms including 88 suites. Facilities will include a ballroom, meeting space, a business centre, an executive lounge, a spa, a swimming pool and a fitness centre. There will also be three restaurants offering all-day dining, Chinese cuisine and specialty dishes.

Wyndham has also signed two franchise agreements in China, one with Shaoguan Fengdu Real Estate for the Ramada Plaza Shaoguan City Center, and the other with Suzhou Dingfeng Real Estate Development for the Ramada Suzhou North.

The Ramada Plaza Shaoguan City Center, due to open in January next year, will feature 320 rooms including 32 suites. Scheduled to open in the summer of 2013, the Ramada Suzhou North will feature 278 rooms including 28 suites.

Meanwhile, the Ramada Phuket South Sea, due to open later this year, will offer 152 guest rooms with sea views. The new hotel, owned by Phuket development company South Sea Resort, will add to the five Ramada properties currently open in Thailand.

This is the second management agreement between South Sea Resort and Wyndham Hotel Group. The first was for the Wyndham Khao Lak, which is also expected to open later this year.

DB BAHN, the passenger services arm of the German National Rail company Deutsche Bahn, has appointed Deks Air Travel & Tours as its DB Agency for Singapore.

Passengers from Singapore can fly to Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Munich airports, and connect directly to Deutsche Bahn’s 320km/h high-speed Intercity Express trains, which run on an hourly schedule to major centres in Germany, and some cities in Austria, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

All trains offer seating in first and second class, and have an on-board restaurant or bistro.

A German Rail Pass can be purchased from 175 euros (US$247), and is valid for any three to ten days during a chosen one-month period. It allows unlimited travel on DB trains, including high-speed ICE in both second and first class.

STARTING June 28, individual travellers from mainland China will be allowed to visit Taiwan on FIT visas.

The new visa rules will initially be available to residents of Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen, with a quota of 500 arrivals per day.

Travellers above the age of 20 must prove they have the equivalent of NT$200,000 (US$6,900) in the bank, or a verifiable annual income of NT$500,000. The maximum length of stay is 15 days.

Eligible travellers can apply through 33 travel agents designated to handle group tours to Taiwan.

One of four assigned travel agents in Xiamen, Xiamen C&D Travel has come up with five FIT itineraries ranging from four to six days. Their four-day Taipei package, including direct flight and five-star hotel stay, costs RMB$3,980 (US$615) per person.

In order to cope with burgeoning FIT demand, cross-strait flights will be increased from 370 to 558 per week. The additonal frequency will go to second- and third-tier cities. North China is now served by 44 weekly flights, Yangtze River Delta has 165 flights, and Pearl River Delta has 48 flights.

INDONESIA and Australia agreed last week to increase air passenger capacity between the two countries by 70 per cent to 25,000 seats per week, in view of increasing demand.

Indonesia Ministry of Transportation director of Air Transportation, Edward Silooy, was quoted by Bisnis Indonesia daily as saying: “The current capacity of 14,800 seats is fully utilised, therefore, we have decided to increase it to 25,000 seats per week as demand continues to grow.

“Many Indonesians send their children to school in Australia, and there are a large number of Australians travelling to Indonesia for holidays,” he added.

Indonesia Air Carriers Association secretary general, Tengku Burhanuddin, said: “It is good that both governments have taken the move. The Indonesian airline industry needs more capacity.”

The increased capacity opens up opportunities for more Indonesian carriers to operate services to Australia.

While welcoming the move, the Indonesian travel trade has called on the government to prepare for the expected influx of arrivals from Australia.

The Seminyak, Bali director of sales and marketing, Gufron, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Bali can still absorb the capacity, but the government needs to prepare the infrastructure to enable tourists to disperse to areas other than South Bali.

“The travel industry in East, North and West Bali should start aggressively promoting themselves to tourists to get a share of the pie.”

NAY PYI TAW’S inaugural travel showcase, the Travel Mart and Food Show, will take place from June 28 to July 13 at the Thapyaygone Market in Zabuthiri township.

The event will feature more than 100 exhibitors, including the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, private sector associations, and destinations such as the Myeik Archipelago and Myitkyina.

Myanmar marketing committee chairman, Dr Aung Myat Kyaw, said his organisation would participate under the banner of the Myanmar Tourism Board.