JETSTAR launched its four-times-weekly service to Hangzhou yesterday, becoming the first carrier to offer direct flights between Singapore and the Chinese city south of Shanghai.

Flights using an Airbus A320 depart from Singapore every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

This brings the airline’s Greater China network to seven destinations, including four to the mainland. It also flies to Guilin, Haikou, Shantou, Hong Kong, Macau and Taipei.

CEO Chong Phit Lian said: “Jetstar’s strategy for China has consistently been to create new direct-from-Singapore flights to Chinese cities that have high tourism potential.”

Aside from the new flight connection, Jetstar has also teamed up with a ground partner to provide a two-way bus service between Hangzhou International Airport and Shanghai Huangpu bus station.

WITH Japan being one of Singapore’s top markets, the NTO said that recent events would have repercussions on the city-state, although “the real impact” was still uncertain.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual Tourism Industry Conference yesterday, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) chief executive Aw Kah Peng said: “It may take weeks, it may take longer…We believe that there will be an impact. How large that impact will be, we cannot be certain at this point.”

When asked if STB would move its marketing focus from Japan to other destinations, Aw said decisions were not based on short-term incidents.

“It’s way too early to tell. For us, being in the market, engaging our customers and potential visitors, it’s a long-term decision,” she added.

In 2010, Japan contributed 529,000 out of 11.6 million arrivals, making it the seventh-largest source market. This represented a growth of eight per cent over the previous year.

A MIXED-use island development, with residential, commercial and tourism infrastructure between Indonesia’s Batam and Singapore, will begin construction on April 1.

Comprising six Indonesian islets, Funtasy Island Resort will be home to an eco-park with nature trails, 350 villas, three four-star hotels – two of which are modelled after mega cruise ships – and an immigration facility. A highlight is the heart-shaped islet, Love Island, which will have a 1,000-pax banquet hall, a wedding chapel and themed landscaping.

The project is being undertaken by Singapore-registered Funtasy Island Development (FID), owner and/or developer of several commercial properties in Asia, such as Malaysia’s Carlton Holiday, Jakarta’s Pluit Mega Mall and Bali’s Novus Gawana Resort.

FID director Michael Yong expects the island to draw 2,000 tourists a day, with Singapore being the main gateway. “Funtasy Island’s success is dependent on Singapore. We will not compete with Singapore, but complement it with our eco-resort focus.”

The company is in talks with international hotel management companies, as well as the Singapore Cruise Centre and a ferry operator to establish services connecting Singapore with the island in under 30 minutes.

Phase one of the resort, which includes the two cruise-ship hotels, villas and the wedding chapel, will be completed in 2013. The entire project will span 15 years.

A GROUP of 177 top-notch Swiss travellers will visit Jogjakarta from tomorrow until Saturday as part of their 24-day world tour on an Edelweiss Air chartered flight, a testament of Indonesia’s ability to draw the moneyed crowd.

Organised by Globus Reisen/Voyage, the tour departed Zurich on March 10 and covers Cuba, Tahiti, Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, India and Oman. It is priced at 22,500 Swiss francs (US$24,000) per person.

Jongky Adiyasa, managing director of the group’s Indonesian groundhandler Ina Leisure, said: “This is a high-end niche market which Indonesia has potential to attract. It is also good news for Jogjakarta’s tourism, which is getting back on its feet after the devastating Mount Merapi eruption and is still facing the problem of cold lava flow.

He said the Swiss operator had distributed 200,000 brochures and embarked on digital and electronic promotions last year, and word should have reached at least 500,000 potential future travellers.

Said Adiyasa: “This is not the first time Globus Reisen/Voyage has included Indonesia in the world tour package. In 2009, they chose Bali. This time, the Borobudur Temple is the highlight.”

He said Ina had also suggested visits to the Jogjakarta Palace and Prambanan Temple, as well as the Ramayana dance-drama performance and batik shopping.

TOURISM Malaysia will step up promotions in China, India, Australia and countries in South-east Asia to make up for the possible shortfall in arrivals from Japan and the Middle East this year.

These targets are growing markets with direct air accessibility, said its acting director-general Azizan Noordin.

The tourism ministry maintains its aim of attracting 25 million international tourists this year.

In 2010, arrivals from Japan saw a 5.1 per cent increase over 2009 to 415,881 tourists, while the Middle East saw a 14.3 per cent growth to 116,252 visitors. Total arrivals was 24.57 million.

THIS year’s IT&CM China will be the keystone event of the first-ever Shanghai Business Events Week, launched by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration (SMTA).

Taking place from April 11 to 15, Shanghai Business Events Week will bring together IT&CM China, SMTA’s China (Shanghai) International Meetings & Conferences Forum, Global Business Travel Association’s Corporate Travel Expert Certification Course, International Congress and Convention Association’s (ICCA) Association Database Workshop, IMEX-MPI–IT&CM China’s Future Leaders Forum and the TTG China Travel Awards.

IT&CM China’s keynote panel discussion on April 13 will see industry veterans Jacques Arnoux, Pacific World Asia managing director – Asia; Ni Hui, Grand China Express International Travel vice president; and ICCA president Arnaldo Nardone discuss the potential of China’s next MICE wave.

The Macau Government Tourist Office intends to raise its profile among buyers and media at IT&CM China by promoting its fam trips for key MICE planners and agents, product update seminars and industry trainings. Seoul Tourism Organisation will also take the opportunity to highlight its recent initiative, the Seoul MICE Alliance.

HAVING launched its YourSingapore branding with a website for pre-arrival planning last year, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has developed a new mobile app of the same name, aimed at helping tourists customise their visit.

To be introduced in May, the YourSingapore Guide app will allow travellers to access information about the city, including current events, what’s nearby, merchant privileges, as well as let them share their holiday experience through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare.

STB executive director, brand and marketing, marketing group, Sophia Ng said: “Travel agents should not look at it as competition but as a resource to make their itineraries better.” She added that trade partners could participate by providing relevant content, offer privileges or even have their own apps integrated onto the platform.

Although the app would make it easier for Singapore-bound tourists to plan their trips independently, agents were optimistic that it would not take away business. GTMC Travel CEO Samson Tan said: “Travellers will still come to us to help them package special interest trips, such as gourmet tours.”

Hong Thai Travel Services (S) director and general manager Alex Chan said: “I see it as an additional marketing tool for us. At the end of the day, it’s all about relationship building and we will still have support from our suppliers.”

The app will be offered as a free download on the iPhone and Android platforms with zero data charges if visitors purchase the YourSingapore-StarHub tourist prepaid card or surf via StarHub’s Wi-Fi hotspots.

ON THE back of a record year for Singapore, the tourism industry today was urged to focus on value creation, a move that would in turn drive receipts.

Speaking at the annual Tourism Industry Conference, Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Education, S Iswaran, said the tourism sector now needed to shift from “sheer quantity to yield and value capture as the norm”.

He pointed out that shopping malls had launched concierge services to target high net worth individuals; cross-selling was taking place between Suntec and Resorts World Sentosa to allow clients to conduct business events at the former and social functions at the latter; and hotels were on the cusp of implementing an industry-wide productivity plan. He added that these were examples of each of the three strategies of innovation, integration and productivity respectively.

This year, the Singapore Tourism Board is expecting to receive between 12 million and 13 million visitor arrivals and between S$22 billion (US$17.4 billion) and S$24 billion in tourism receipts. This would be an increase of at least three per cent in arrivals, but a minimum jump of 17 per cent in receipts.

Explaining the disparity, chief executive Aw Kah Peng said: “For us, it is about quality growth.” She added that the country’s key markets would continue to be “very diversified but Asian-centric”.

INDONESIA-based Dafam Hotels & Resorts, which operates two- to five-star properties with an emphasis on three star hotels, is planning to own and operate 20 hotels by 2015.

Dafam Hotels & Resorts president commissary, Soleh Dahlan, said: “We will have a couple of properties in Bali and Jakarta, but the majority will be in quieter cities, like Pekalongan and Cilacap, where we know there is potential but where other operators have not yet arrived.”

MG Holiday director of sales and marketing, Eddy Yeo, said of Dafam’s expansion: “The demand for two- and three-star properties in secondary and tertiary cities is there.”

So far, the group has taken over and is renovating the Grand Hotel Cilacap – which will be rebranded into Hotel Dafam Cilacap with 108 keys – and is also building the 102-room Hotel Dafam Pekalongan.

Both hotels are expected to launch end of the year, while projects in Jogjakarta, Solo, Bali, Medan and Manado also in the pipeline.

The Dahlan family, who owns Dafam Hotels & Resorts, is allotting one trillion rupiah (US$112.36 million) for the expansion.

INDONESIA’S Minister of Culture and Tourism is confident that the recent bomb scares in Jakarta and Bali will not have a major impact on the country’s tourism industry.

Minister Jero Wacik said: “This will not affect tourist arrivals much, as travellers today are used to news on terrorist threats in the world. It can happen anywhere.”

The Indonesian police remained on high alert after parcel bombs were sent to various public figures in Jakarta last week. One bomb exploded while police were attempting to diffuse it, seriously wounding three people.

Bali Police spokesperson Gde Sugianyar Dwi Putra also said that the SMS circulating over the past two days stating that there was an explosive-laden vehicle on the resort island was a hoax.