HANS Haensel, Emirates Group’s senior vice president, destination & leisure management division, passed away in Dubai on Monday.

A sad note from Arabian Adventures, Congress Solutions International, Emirates Holidays and Timeless Spa said: “As you would imagine, he remained standing and braving Mother Nature up to the last minute, but the odds were just not fair.

“Hans was an exceptional man in many ways, as demanding as he was humane, as loyal to his staff as he was dedicated to his employers. In the words of Emirates’ President Tim Clark, ‘his contribution both to the development of tourism in Dubai and to the company’s leisure division over the last 20 years was immeasurable’.”

A memorial service will be held in Dubai, the date and details of which will be published at a later stage.

SRI LANKAN travel agents have expressed reservations about the country’s planned switch to an online visa scheme, a change from present practice where visitors, particularly those from the West, get a visa-on-arrival (VOA).

While agents are worried the new system will hurt tourism compared to the convenience of a hassle-free VOA, they have agreed to the change provided the online application process is simplified.

Currently, visitors from some 80 countries including Britain, France, Germany, India, the US, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Russia, Germany, China, Pakistan, India and other EU nations, get a 30-day visa at no charge upon arrival.

Once the new system kicks in, these nationals would have to apply for an online visa and pay fees equivalent to what Sri Lankans are charged when travelling to the West.

No visa fee will be charged from Singapore or Maldivian travellers in a reciprocal measure, as these are the only two countries where Sri Lankan nationals are accorded a free VOA.

Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration chief, Chulananda Perera, said visitors to the country would soon be able to apply for their visas through the website www.immigration.gov.lk.

Perera said the cabinet had only approved the initiative last week and implementation date has yet to be set.

THE MALACCA state government’s plan to impose a five per cent heritage fee on hotel guests from September 1 has drawn flak from the local travel trade.

“The heritage tax is unreasonable and irrelevant,” said Stadhuys Tours and Travel managing director William Chan. “It makes no sense to impose a tax, especially with the current economic situation. The state had already raised the water tariff recently, so an additional tax is a burden for the industry.”

Malacca Budget Hotels Association chairman Hendon Puteh said that as many members were already charging six per cent government tax, with some charging an additional 10 per cent service charge on hotel bills, the total 21 per cent fee imposed on guests would be too much of a disincentive for overnight stays.

Chan said that representatives from tour operators, hotels and the Malaysian Association of Hotels and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents were planning to present a memorandum to the Chief Minister to hold a discussion to review the tax.

According to Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, the estimated RM12.0 million (US$4.04 million) generated annually from the new tax will enable the state government to conduct maintenance and conservation of heritage sites and beautification programmes.

By Ellen Chen

THAILAND’s largest MICE event of the year, the Herbalife Asia Pacific Extravaganza 2011, to be held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center from May 6 to 8, will attract more than 25,000 delegates from 13 countries.

This is the fifth time that the Herbalife group has chosen to host the annual event in Thailand. Last year’s edition was in South Korea.

Bangkok is also slated to host another mega MICE event next year. The 103rd Convention of Rotary International, from May 6 to 9, is expected to attract 25,000 delegates worldwide.

AIR BERLIN will increase direct services between Germany and Thailand this coming winter, from nine to 12 flights weekly.

The airline will introduce a new weekly flight between Berlin and Phuket from November 1, boosting its frequency there to three per week. It normally operates two weekly flights between Munich and Phuket during winter.

Air Berlin will also increase its Düsseldorf-Bangkok flights from four to five weekly, and Berlin-Bangkok from three to four weekly.

BEST WESTERN International has launched the BEST WESTERN Hotel Kyoto, the chain’s 15th hotel in Japan and first in Kyoto.

The 84-room hotel is located next to the fashion centre of Shinkyogoku and the Gion nightlife, entertainment and shopping area.

TTG Asia Media, the most established travel trade publishing house in the region, will launch a regional travel agent conference at ITB Asia this year.

The sole aim of the conference is to ensure that travel agents walk away from it with tangible learning points that they can apply to their business. Experts from within and outside the industry will show them how to compete in today’s marketplace.

“It is no longer about debates and more debates on whether agents will live or die. We’re done with that. There is room for travel agents worldwide,” said Raini Hamdi, group editor, Travel Group, TTG Asia Media.

“The question is, who are the new agents? Why are they standing tall? How did they do it? What can I learn from them? What lessons can I take from those outside the industry who are successful and whose models I can apply to my business?”

The TTG Travel Agent Conference was thus conceived as a practical How To, at a time when travel agents in Asia have enormous opportunities at their fingertips, thanks to huge markets such as South-east Asia, China and India; the rise of low-cost carriers; the rise of B:B travel hypermarts; and the rise of new niches such as cruising and luxury travel, to name a few.

Currently, Asia does not have a regional travel agent conference. “TTG Asia Media hopes to fill this gap,” said Darren Ng, managing director, TTG Asia Media. “We have been with the industry for more than 35 years, and launching this conference is again a reflection of our commitment to the trade.”

The TTG Travel Agent Conference, in partnership with ITB Asia, is a non-profit event and is free to ITB Asia delegates and TTG Asia readers. This year’s conference will be half day. The date, venue and time are being finalised and will be announced soon.

ITB Asia executive director, Nino Gruettke, said: “We are pleased to be partnering TTG Asia Media to launch the region’s first, dedicated travel agent conference. This event will further seal ITB Asia as the platform for travel exchange and strengthens its education component.”

In the meantime, TTG Asia Media is seeking the views of regional travel agents. Tell us about a topic you would like your conference to cover and/or a speaker you would like to listen to and learn from. Please email Raini Hamdi at raini.hamdi@ttgasia.com and TTG Asia editor, Gracia Chiang, at gracia.chiang@ttgasia.com.

THE NATIONAL Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) and Temasek Polytechnic School of Business have announced that they are teaming up to attract the younger generation of Singaporeans to the travel services sector.

The move is in response to recent changes to foreign workers’ levy and an increasing demand for new industry leaders.

Robert Khoo, NATAS CEO, said: “The travel services sector has long been dominated by a mature workforce and it is definitely an opportune period for new blood to be injected into the industry.

“In our quest, we will be partnering with Temasek Polytechnic to tap into its student pool. We are positive that this alliance will benefit the younger generation who are keen to join this exciting sector.”

Daniel Yeow, director, Temasek Polytechnic School of Business, added: “The objective of this collaboration is to harness the expertise of NATAS and its members, so as to equip our students from the Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management with the skills to perform effectively in an ever-changing, service-oriented industry.

“With their valuable experience, they will become valuable contributors to the tourism industry.”

A memorandum of understanding will be signed by NATAS and Temasek Polytechnic representatives on May 4.