SINGAPORE-based Discovery Holidays will receive two chartered flights from Iran this month, a first for the agency, which specialises in the Middle East market.

Operated by Mahan Air, the flights will arrive in Kuala Lumpur and the 400 travellers will enter Singapore by overland coaches.

Discovery Holidays managing director Rodney Yew told TTG Asia e-Daily that his company will receive over 7,000 Iranians in March, the peak travel season for Iran. The rest come via scheduled flights and visit a mix of destinations, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

“The unrest in Tunisia, one of the main holiday destinations for the Iranians, have led Iranians to take their New Year holidays in this region,” Yew explained.

The Iranian New Year was on March 21.

BEST Western International has opened its first hotel in Cambodia, the BEST WESTERN Suites and Sweet Resort Angkor in Siem Reap.

Less than a 10-minute drive from both Siem Reap town and the main entrance to the Angkor Wat temple complex, the property offers 18 suites housed in nine villas, each with their own private pool and terrace.

Featuring Khmer-style design and décor, the suites are nestled among tropical gardens around an ornamental lake, reminiscent of a Cambodian floating village.

“The addition of the fascinating country of Cambodia is a significant milestone for Best Western International,” said Best Western International vice president of international operations – Asia and the Middle East, Glenn de Souza.

ONE of Thailand’s long-established tour operators, East West Siam, will be managed by Bali’s Asialink Holidays, a DMC with operations in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, effective April 1.

In a letter sent to travel agents and business partners last week, Asialink Holidays general manager, Thailand, Sandor Leinwand recte Rein, said: “We will continue the existing operations of East West Siam…we will do our utmost to make sure (any glitches during the transition period) will be solved well and swiftly.”

Rein was appointed general manager of East West Siam shortly before assuming this new role. Formerly in charge of Asialink Holidays’ operations in Indochina, he had joined East West Siam when director Chananya Phataraprasit was restructuring the company.

At press time, both Rein and Phataraprasit could not be reached for comment.

Established in 1968, East West Siam was managed for almost 20 years by one of Thailand’s most respectable tour operators, Vincent Tabuteau, who stepped down in 2008 to set up his own company, Asia Marine.

Tabuteau’s successor Thierry Rodet took the helm for almost two years before leaving to make way for the restructuring under Manfred Ilg, who left after less than a year to join Hansar Bangkok hotel as general manager.

By Sirima Eamtako

HILTON Worldwide and Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa’s owning company Oikonomos International Resources Corporation will end their management agreement on March 31, 2011.

In a statement, Hilton said the termination was “mutually agreed upon and allows both parties to explore new opportunities independently”.

This will have no impact on local hotel team members who are employed by the owning company.

MALAYSIA Airlines (MAS) will hand over to its low-cost subsidiary, Firefly, domestic routes from Johor Bahru to the two East Malaysian state capitals.

Firefly will commence operations from its southern hub with twice-daily, return flights from Johor Bahru to Kuching from May 19. Later on June 16, it will kickstart twice-daily, return flights from Johor Bahru to Kota Kinabalu.

Firefly managing director Eddy Leong said the decision was made based on passenger profile for the route, which comprises mainly FIT leisure travellers and non-executive workers.

He said Firefly’s Boeing 737-400, with an all-economy configuration, was more suitable for carrying this segment of travellers, compared to MAS’ two-class configuration of business and economy seats.

Firefly will take delivery of its second B737-400 in May, to be stationed in Johor Bahru. The aircraft will be used to operate daily flights between Johor Bahru and Langkawi and between Johor Bahru and Penang during the school holiday period from May 27 to June 12.

From August 1, Firefly will also mount twice-daily flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sandakan.

PACTO has won the account to handle Iberojet’s clients for Indonesia, adding a second Spanish tour operator to its portfolio.

It is already the groundhandler for Iberojet’s sister company, Kirunna Travel, which is under the Orizonia Group.

Pacto director of business development Umberto Cadamuro said: “We have been handling Kirunna, an upmarket FIT specialist, in the last three years. With Iberojet, it gives us a stronger position in the Spanish market, as it is strong in groups.”

He expects between 1,000 and 2,000 passengers in the first year of operation, singling out a five-day/four-night Bali round trip as the topseller.

Cadamuro said the new account helped to better balance Pacto’s South Europe business, with Italy, Greece and Spain in its grip. Having handled 4,000 passengers from South Europe last year, he predicts the market will grow by between 10 and 15 per cent this year.

“We all know that Greece is having economic problems and we are seeing a slowdown in business, especially in the FIT market. We can now expect an offset with the additional Spanish clients coming in,” he said.

Cadamuro added that the next move was to expand business to East Europe.

SEVERAL tour operators in Myanmar and Cambodia are reporting robust interest in Myanmar Airways International’s (MAI) new twice-weekly Yangon-Siem Reap flight launched on February 23.

Yangon-based Unique Asia Travels and Tours executive director Lynn Zaw Wai Mang said the company had started a four-day/three-night trip to Siem Reap from this month due to an influx in enquiries for tour programmes to the Angkor town.

Phnom Penh-based Great Angkor Tours managing director Ang Kim Eang said he had also introduced a Siem Reap-Yangon-Gaya (in India) package to cater to the predominantly Buddhist population of Cambodia.

But Cambodia’s Intra Travel director Han Rutten said more promotions were needed to spur interest, as many still did not know about the new Yangon-Siem Reap flight connection.

He suggested that tour promotions centre on the Siem Reap-Yangon-Bangkok route for international travellers and the Siem Reap-Yangon-Bagan or Siem Reap-Yangon-Bago-Kyaikhtiyo circuit for long-weekend visitors.

Myanmar has said it would grant visa-on-arrival for foreign visitors arriving in Yangon on MAI’s direct flight from Siem Reap (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 15, 2011).

WHILE inbound agents have said that Japanese arrivals to Singapore have dipped, not all accommodation providers here are hanging off the edge of their seats.

Robert Lagerway, Capella Singapore’s general manager, said there was a slight reduction in numbers, but not “an exodus of cancellations”.

For Swissôtel Merchant Court, the impact of immediate cancellations was somewhat softened by a number of extended stays by Japanese guests who were unable to return home.

General manager Rainer Tenius expects to see a drop in numbers for individual but not corporate travellers this year. He believes that the summer months may also see a rise in bookings from other travellers diverting their holidays from Japan.

A similar situation is already unfolding for Frasers Hospitality, which operates four serviced residences in Singapore.

General manager for Singapore, Tonya Khong, said international MNCs with offices in both countries were trying to relocate their employees to Singapore, which was considered a “safer hub” in the light of the recent crisis.

About half a dozen companies had booked extended stays – some even up to a month – contributing about 180 roomnights. Most of its properties are running 90 per cent occupancies.

Frasers’ Japan property in Osaka was also experiencing some spillover effect, added Khong.

Additional reporting from Gracia Chiang

THE ASSOCIATION of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) plans to step up marketing efforts in other potential Asian countries as Thailand steels itself for a decline of some 300,000 visitors from Japan and the Middle East this year.

Newly-elected ATTA president Sisdivachr Cheewarattanaporn said that once his appointment becomes official – within the next 21 days – a series of strategies to drive tourism from Indonesia, India, China, Russia and other ASEAN countries would be launched.

Marketing activities such as roadshows and fam trips would be introduced in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and related Thai tourism associations, especially those under the umbrella of the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations, he added.

Both Sisdivachr and outgoing ATTA president Surapol Sritrakul shared concerns that the situation in Japan and the Middle East would cause a slowdown in visitor arrivals from both markets.

“I am also concerned about the inbound European market, where the economic situation remains weak,” said Sisdivachr.

Thailand expects to welcome around 16.5 to 16.7 million foreign visitors this year, up from 15.8 million last year.

By Sirima Eamtako

WITH a new managerial staff on board, Santika Indonesia Hotels & Resorts will make further refinements to its three brands: the four-star Hotel Santika Premiere, the three-star Hotel Santika and the budget Amaris. This covers product upgrades.

Santika Indonesia Hotels & Resorts’ new corporate director of sales and marketing Guido Andriano, who assumed the position last month, said: “My first task is to fine-tune our products and marketing so that each brand is distinctive and the market understands clearly and knows what they can expect from the money they spend.”

Older Premiere properties in Semarang, Jogjakarta, Bali and Manado have gone or are undergoing major renovations using the Jakarta property as a benchmark.

“Santika Premiere has bigger room sizes and more facilities than the Hotel Santika brand and it is more of a lifestyle hotel. So in doing our marketing we are going to highlight the differences,” he said.

For the Amaris brand, Andriano said the bed-and-breakfast concept was still very new in Indonesia. “Our properties in Jakarta are doing very well, as travellers here have understood the concept. But in some areas outside Java, a hotel is still perceived to have full services including a swimming pool.”

Santika has 25 properties that will enter the market from now until 2012.