UAE-based Islamic hospitality group Lootah Hotel Management (LHM) will launch the first shariah-compliant resort in the Maldives by 2013, having signed a memorandum of understanding with Maldives’ Kalaidhu Investment this week to undertake management of the resort.

The US$85-million property in the Maldives will comprise 50 luxury villas with private swimming pools, an exclusive beach, a restaurant, a recreation centre, a spa, and a marina.

Shariah-compliant hotels and resorts, operated based on Islamic principles, are fast becoming popular in the Arab world with their no alcohol, halal-prepared food policies and range of separate facilities for males and females, including gyms and spas.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) expects to sell some six million seats – two million for travel within Malaysia and four million on international routes – during its Global Deals, Dream Getaway sale, which previewed last week in Jakarta (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 26).

MAS regional vice president Azman Ahmad told TTG Asia: “It is still early to derive the numbers, but the response so far has been very encouraging. We are targeting an estimated RM108 million (US$36 million) in revenue for the 16-day campaign period from May 3 to 18.”

The promotion, offering discounts of up to 95 per cent on economy-class seats and up to 75 per cent on business-class seats until May 18, is valid for travel from May 3 to March 31 next year to destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas.

Hot seats on routes to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Ho Chih Minh City and London are being snapped up quickly.

Bookings made under MASHolidays’ Free and Easy programme are entitled to the discounts.

By Ellen Chen

KUONI has completed its takeover of Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) as planned (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 7).

With its acquisition of GTA from Travelport, which will be integrated into the Division Destinations arm of the Kuoni Group, Kuoni will become one of the leading global providers of online destination management services.

The new CEO of GTA is Rolf Schafroth, a member of the Kuoni Group executive board and responsible for Division Destinations. He will also continue to serve as CEO of the Kuoni Destination Management unit.

HOLIDAY Inn last week relaunched the Holiday Inn Chiangmai, Holiday Inn Resort Regent Beach Cha-Am and Holiday Inn Resort Phi Phi Island, completing the Thailand phase of its US$1 billion global brand refresh programme.

“We are delighted to complete the Thailand phase of the refresh project,” said Alan Watts, vice president of operations, South-east Asia, InterContinental Hotels Group.

“Although tourism in Thailand dipped in recent years due to unprecedented internal events, 2011 sees the country re-emerging strongly once again as a business and leisure destination of choice for local, regional, and international travelers,” he added.

Holiday Inn’s refresh programme creates a more contemporary brand image as part of the brand’s drive to increase quality and consistency across its global portfolio.

Aside from the introduction of modern amenities and facilitie, and improved room fittings and standards, its revamped hotels also offer an up-to-date sensory experience (look, feel, and scent), including a new logo and signage.

LUFTHANSA has resumed normal operations in Japan following the tsunami, earthquake and nuclear crisis there.

Having reduced capacity on its Japan routes by 25 per cent in the immediate aftermath of the disaster to maintain load factors of about 80 per cent, the airline’s services to Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo (Narita) are now back on full schedule.

Speaking at a media gathering yesterday to announce the stewardship transition of the German national carrier’s Asia-Pacific operations, outgoing Lufthansa vice president Asia & Pacific, Uwe Mueller, said that many Japanese were starting to book air tickets again, ending a six-week period where the airline had been experiencing cancellations and a downturn on its Japanese routes.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa’s operations in the rest of Asia, excluding Japan, has seen a double-digit increase in business for the first quarter of the year, compared to the same period in 2010.

“Our yearly outlook in Asia, excluding Japan, is going as planned,” said Mueller. “We are confident we will achieve our target of 14 to 15 per cent increase in capacity through employing larger aircraft and increasing frequencies.”

Incoming Lufthansa vice president Asia & Pacific, Steffen Harbath, said expansion in the region would focus on the key markets of China and India. “Asia-Pacific profitability is the backbone of Lufthansa profitability,” he said.

Harbath added that the airline was not planning to launch any new destinations in Asia-Pacific this year.

CENTARA Hotels & Resorts is supporting the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) efforts to boost arrivals from the Middle East by offering benefits to Arabian travellers between now and October 31.

Among the incentives are Arabic newspapers and television channels, exclusive family floors and private lounge areas for women and children, halal and regional Arabian cuisine in restaurants and room service, Arabic-speaking guest relations staff, and assisted hospital visits for those in Bangkok on medical programmes.

During the Ramadan period in August, the traditional pre-dawn meal of suhoor will be served. After sunset, the fast-breaking refreshments known as iftar will be provided. Extended spa opening hours and a private evening lounge will also be available.

The benefits will be offered at select Centara properties in Bangkok, Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Chiang Mai.

According to TAT, the Middle East is a fast growing market for Thai tourism, with arrivals to Thailand from the Middle East jumping from 483,983 in 2009 to 595,298 last year, an increase of 23 per cent. The leading Middle East source markets for Thailand are the UAE, Kuwait and Oman.

The recent sharp hike in the number of arrivals can be attributed to greater ease in obtaining visas and increasing direct air links. Currently, citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE can obtain visa-free entry to Thailand, and 12 airlines connect Thailand to nine countries in the Middle East.

WYNDHAM Hotel Group will open and manage its first Ramada Encore Hotel in the region, in Bangkok, on May 20.

Wyndham Hotel Group president and managing director-Asia Pacific, Ken Greene, said: “Bangkok continues to be a growing market that offers great opportunity for Wyndham Hotel Group and its brands.”

Conveniently located on Sukhumvit Soi 10, the Ramada Encore Bangkok will feature 188 guestrooms, a rooftop swimming pool, a fitness centre and two well-equipped meeting rooms.

The hotel will also have two dining options. The Hub offers local and international dishes all day, while Chakra is a rooftop restaurant and bar.

SRI LANKA-based Sunshine Holdings subsidiary Sunshine Travels and Tours last week signed an agreement with Nadathur Far East, an affiliate of Singapore-based SilverNeedle Hospitality Group, to manage and develop new hotels in Sri Lanka.

Sunshine Holdings said in a statement that the move was in line with SilverNeedle’s plans to expand its room base in Asia to 10,000 within five years through three-to-five-star properties.

Sunshine Travels and Tours operates a string of boutique hotels under the Mandira brand in Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hill regions using colonial-styled bungalows.