ACCOR is continuing to expand its presence in Thailand, adding 1,400 rooms to its Thai portfolio over the last six months, despite concerns over the country’s oversupply and slow-moving demand.

The chain now manages 50 hotels and 11,759 rooms in Thailand, and is scheduled to open the 166-room Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan and 213-room Mercure Krabi Deevana over the next six months. It opened the 162-room All Seasons Bangkok Victory Monument yesterday.

“We will open more (hotels) within this year,” said Accor Thailand operations director, Paul Stevens. “We are negotiating management agreements with more investors.”

Accor’s hotels in the country finished the first quarter of the year with an average occupancy rate of more than 70 per cent, similar to the same period last year. Its average room rate improved by one to two per cent, while RevPAR “did not grow,” said Stevens, blaming this on a combination of Accor’s growing inventory, Thailand’s oversupply and sluggish visitor arrivals.

As the country is entering low season, Accor is set to deploy a tactical marketing strategy, “mostly through online channels and partnerships with commercial brands”, to fill up rooms between June and October.

By Sirima Eamtako

SRILANKAN Airlines said in a statement yesterday that all its flights to Europe were departing as scheduled, but that a contingency plan was in place should volcanic ash from Iceland’s Grimsvötn volcano sweep further into the region.

The carrier said its passengers to European destinations had been asked to check with the airline for the latest updates six hours before departure.

The volcano in Iceland, which began erupting last Saturday, caused European air traffic controllers to ground 252 flights yesterday, for fear that particles in the ash would stall jet engines and sandblast planes’ windows.

The British High Commission in Colombo released a statement saying that many flights to and from Scotland were cancelled yesterday.

Flights to and from Northern Ireland, Germany and Sweden have also been affected by expanding ash plume.

The High Commission advised British travellers in Sri Lanka and the Maldives to remain in close contact with their airlines and travel agents for latest developments and schedules, in case more flights were disrupted.

VOTING for the TTG Travel Awards 2011 starts today and ends on August 12.

Readers of the print and online editions can cast their votes for 66 awards in the Travel Supplier (51 awards) and Travel Agent (15 awards) categories.

For print titles, the voting forms will appear in TTG Asia (May 27, June 10, June 24, July 8, July 22 and August 5 issues), TTG China (June and July issues), TTG India (June/July issue), TTGmice (June, July and August issues), and TTG-BTmice China (July/August issue).

Online voting is now open and can be accessed at www.ttgasia.com/ttg-awards.

THE ANNUAL Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM Plus 2011), due to take place in Bangkok next month, will help drive the country’s recovery efforts, after a few years of faltering confidence in the destination due to domestic political woes, say some members of the Thai travel trade.

The mart will attract some 335 international buyers from 54 countries, who will meet and trade with 368 tourism suppliers from Thailand and neighbouring countries.

Furama Jomtien Beach general manager, Tatcha Riddhimat, said even though the country’s tourism industry was on the road to recovery this year, it was not yet at a stage to recoup all the losses suffered over the last few years. He added that he was expecting buyers at the mart to be more eager to promote Thailand this year.

The 75-key Sivatel Bangkok, which opened end-March, is planning to capture the inbound leisure market by targeting overseas buyers attending the mart. The hotel’s executive director, Apichan Sivayathorn, is hoping to fill up more rooms at the property, which now runs at about 30 per cent occupancy.

SI Tours CEO, Suwart Jitjomnongmate, said he expected India to be the market with high buying potential, albeit being the most price-sensitive. Russia would continue to be in a buying mood, while the UK market would be in recovery this year, he added.

Sansern Ngaorungsi, Tourism Authority of Thailand’s deputy governor – international marketing for Asia and South Pacific, said the number of Indian buyers attending this year’s mart has dropped from 70 last year to 20 this time round, as the Thai travel trade had already conducted a series of sales missions to India earlier in the year.

Meanwhile, in line with this year’s green tourism theme, the Thai Ecotourism and Adventure Travel Association has a quota to invite 20 buyers from the UK. Green tourism forums will be held for sellers and buyers at the mart.

By Sirima Eamtako

THE EXPANSION of the Bengaluru International Airport’s passenger terminal building will double its terminal area to 70,000m2, giving the airport the capacity to handle over 17 million passengers per annum, with the flexibility to expand to 20 million passengers.

The three-year-old Bengaluru International Airport currently has the capacity to handle 11 million people yearly and sees 33,000 passenger movements every day. The airport’s passenger traffic is growing at an annual rate of 18 per cent, higher than the national average of 16 per cent.

Bangalore International Airport Limited vice chairman GV Krishna Reddy said: “The decision to begin expansion has come at an appropriate time, given the rapid pace of growth that the airport is witnessing. ”

The work is due to commence in June this year, and is scheduled to finish within 18 months. Mumbai-based Larsen & Toubro has been chosen as the construction partner for the project through an international bidding process.

At the moment, 33 airlines operate to Bengaluru and connect to over 50 local and global destinations.

Thai AirAsia, Thai Tiger Airways, China Southern Airlines and All Nippon Airways have shown interest in flying to the destination in the future.

By Anand & Madhura Katti

ANANTARA Hotels, Resorts and Spas has appointed Masstige Moments as its GSA in Australia, in line with an overall plan to grow its global reach of hotels, resorts and spas over the next five years.

Tabatha Ramsay, vice president sales, Anantara, said: “With the aim of strengthening sales leadership for Anantara’s growing international portfolio, the appointment of Masstige Moments as Anantara’s GSA in Australia illustrates Anantara’s commitment to growth in key markets, and the faith we have in our dynamic global journey.”

Masstige Moments is run by Sydney-based Juanita von Stieglitz and Perth-based Margi Jansma.

VIETNAM-based Windsor Real Estate Management Corporation (WMC) will kick off its two-year expansion plan in Ho Chi Minh City with the opening of a mixed-used complex in the second half of the year.

The 40-storey complex, tentatively named Times Square, will comprise 250 hotel rooms, 100 apartments and high-end retail and commercial offices, among other facilities. The complex will be located in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1, a busy commercial area.

The expansion plan undertaken by the group also includes the acquisition and renovation of several three-star properties, a second serviced apartment and other hotel projects by joint-venture or acquisition.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily in Singapore, WMC CEO, Anthony Truong, said that the plan was to have 2,000 rooms in Ho Chi Minh City in the next two years. He has also started developing the group’s mobile booking capability to complement an existing online direct booking and payment system for travellers.

When asked how the home-grown group would compete with other international hotel chains in the city, Truong said: “There are not that many international and regional hotel chains and brands in Ho Chi Minh City. Sure, Renaissance, Park Hyatt and Equatorial are there, but there are still not that many international five-star hotels. Hotel development in the city is still in the early days, and it is time we establish ourselves. We can be the next big regional player.”

Truong added that the 400-room five-star Windsor Plaza Hotel Saigon and 38-unit Sherwood Residence serviced apartment, which WMC owns and manages, have performed well in terms of occupancy, attracting a majority international clientele.