THE SOFITEL So Bangkok will open early next year, and is banking on its Apple-based digital hotel entertainment system and service directory to give it a competitive edge.

All 238 rooms will offer an Apple Mac mini computer, a high-definition 40-inch flat panel television, a wireless keyboard and trackpad, and high-speed Internet access.

The Apple Mac mini will function as a multimedia centre, giving guests access to digital television and radio channels, movies, a music library, a DVD and CD player, and the ability to sync with personal iPods, iPhones and iPads.

The hotel, located on the corner of Rama IV and Sathorn Road, will join a host of new upscale properties, including the 224-key The St Regis Bangkok that opened in April, and the 414-room W Bangkok, slated to open middle of next year.

THE RECRUITMENT process to fill three key roles at PATA is well underway, according to the organisation’s interim CEO, Bill Calderwood.

The first interviews for the roles of director of marketing & membership and regional director Asia will be held this week. “I’m hopeful that we’ll be in a position to make a decision by mid-July, and then have someone in place by the end of August for both positions,” said Calderwood.

Meanwhile, candidates interested in the position of CEO have until the end of June to submit their applications, after which PATA will work together with an executive search team to select the successful individual. The aim is to have someone identified, appointed and in place by October, said Calderwood.

To ensure that the new appointees will be able to hit the ground running, Calderwood explained that PATA was currently working on a series of strategies and plans that would allow them to turn April’s strategic focus paper into more concrete deliverables.

At the heart of this was what Calderwood referred to as the Strategic Link Programme, which will ensure that different components of PATA’s service delivery – from insights and research, to events, advocacy, marketing and communications – focus on the same issues identified as being most relevant to PATA members.

“This is the way in which the strategic plan is evolving,” he said. “I want to see PATA become one team, with one voice, one message and one focus. That focus has got to be about building the business.”

Calderwood said he was currently working on 15 different projects for PATA. The projects include looking at how to improve the organisation’s membership structure, setting up new committees, establishing the new Outreach Programme (which will see PATA hold highly-focused events in key ‘world cities’), Chapter development, communications, developing organisational structure, research and insights, providing education and training, as well as setting up tasks forces – of which two are now up and running (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 12).

While many of these plans are still in their infancy, Calderwood said he was already seeing a change in attitude towards PATA. “In recent weeks, I’ve spoken at various conferences, and it’s been very interesting to hear the reaction of companies who have not engaged with PATA in the past, but now are seeing it from a different perspective,” said Calderwood.

“They’re now talking about joining up as members,” he said. “It’s not because I’m a better salesperson, but because we’re talking in a simple language that people can understand. We’re talking from the consumer perspective, rather than perhaps from more of a production perspective.”

By Catherine Monthienvichienchai

SOME Singapore travel agents are expecting a short-term drop in bookings to Australia and New Zealand due to the ash cloud from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile, as airlines plying the routes between the three countries continue to see service disruptions.

Alica Seah, senior vice president (marketing & public relations), CTC Travel, said: “Some of our tour groups as well as independent travellers have been affected by the ash cloud. It will take about a week or so for us to gain a clearer grasp of the situation, but we expect that new bookings will not be made in the next two weeks.”

Margaret Low, managing director, Airelated Travel, said: “More than a week ago, we had a couple of enquiries, but none of them have turned into actual bookings. There have been zero bookings since the ash cloud, and travellers seem to be adopting a wait-and-see attitude.”

Singapore Airlines (SIA) was today forced to divert its SQ297 Singapore-Christchurch flight to Auckland. The return flight, SQ298 from Christchurch to Singapore, was also unable to operate as planned.

SIA said in a statement on its website that accommodation has been arranged for affected customers in both Auckland and Christchurch.

The airline added: “At this time, all other flights to and from New Zealand and Australia are operating.”

Qantas’ services to and from New Zealand were non-operational today. The airline said in a statement on its website that its New Zealand operations for June 17 would be confirmed by this evening.

Aside from a few cancelled flights due to the ongoing disruptions across its network, the majority of Qantas’ domestic (Australian) services were operating as scheduled, and are due to operate as per normal on June 17 and 18.

Jetstar’s services between Singapore and Auckland, which were cancelled earlier today, have now resumed, with their first flight leaving from Singapore this evening.

The low-cost carrier’s Perth-Singapore flights are operating as planned.

All the carrier’s domestic (Australian) services are running as per normal, and no changes are expected tomorrow.

WHILE recognising the good foresight of the UNWTO’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 13), tourism stakeholders attending the recent 10th World Committee on Tourism Ethnics (WCTE) session in Bali believe that implementing the code in the private sector will not be plain sailing.

Stuppa Indonesia executive director, Wiendu Nuryanti, said: “The code of ethics may apply universally, but the effective implementation is easier said than done. How do we encourage the industry to adopt these guidelines?”

Brunei Darussalam director of tourism, Sheikh Jamaluddin Sheikh Mohamed, was another who questioned whether the UNWTO would have the authority to enforce the code across the board.

Floressa Wisata Bali president director, Paul Edmundus, meanwhile, was unsure whom should be tasked to deal with unethical practices by foreign investors who violate the guidelines.

UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Rifai, said: “The codes are implemented voluntarily by the member countries. The regulation and enforcement of the guidelines will take place at the individual country’s government level.”

Rifai added that the WCTE’s role was to convince the tourism industry that they would get better business through successful implementation of the code.

WCTE executive member, I Gede Ardika, said: “It is through dialogue with the industry that will we be able to accelerate the implementation (process).”

PHILIPPINE leisure and gaming company Belle Corp is planning a common stock offering next quarter to raise four to five billion pesos (US$93 to 116 million) for its Belle Grande Manila Bay project within the upcoming Entertainment City Manila.

Also known as Pagcor City, Entertainment City Manila is a US$15 billion gaming and entertainment complex sitting on an 8km2 piece of reclaimed land on Manila Bay, along Roxas Boulevard and Macapagal Avenue. It is the largest project of its kind in the Philippines.

The Belle Grande Manila Bay project is worth US$750 million. Belle is partnering with Leisure and Resorts World Corp, who put up about US$200 million in capital and will run Belle’s casino operations.

Willy Ocier, vice chairman of Belle Corp, said that the fully-built Belle Grande Manila Bay would occupy 300,000m2, up from the originally-intended 220,000m2.

Belle Grande will offer 19,626m2 of casino gaming space, including 1,600 slot machines and over 300 gaming tables. A 6,000m2 VIP playing area will be operational by late 2013.

Belle Grande’s soft opening is slated for second quarter/mid 2012. An initial 100 rooms should be ready by December 2012, while 1,000 rooms will be operational by end 2013. One of the hotels will be an 86-suite five-star facility for VIP guests, while another four- to five-star hotel will offer 159 rooms.

Belle hired HSAI Raintree in April to manage one of the hotel towers. HSAI Raintree manages the Discovery chain of hotels in the Philippines. Another hotel management company will be brought in to take care of the four remaining condotel tower projects, named Belle Grande Suites, with a total of 466 units.

Three other integrated casino projects have qualified for construction and gaming licenses within Entertainment City Manila. Two of these deals were inked by Genting Malaysia, which runs Resortsworld Manila, and Kazuo Okada, a business partner of Steve Wynn. Another Filipino company holds the remaining contract.

STARTING July 1, Hong Kong-based outbound travel agents will no longer be obliged to refund transport-related fees to consumers if package tours are cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as political unrest or natural disasters.

At the moment, agents have to refund airline, train and cruise booking fees in full to consumers, and are sometimes forced to absorb costs if suppliers like airlines, hotels and groundhandlers refuse to return the money.

Under the new ruling, agents will only be obliged to return the booking fees to consumers if their suppliers agree to the refund.

The decision approved on May 17 by the Board of Directors of Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council (TIC) was in response to the string of recent incidents/disasters that caused heavy losses to tour agents’ businesses.

According to TIC, the political turmoil in Egypt earlier this year affected close to 1,500 tour group travellers.

TIC chairman, Michael Wu, said: “Though airlines eventually relented and forked out the refunds, agents still lost more than HK$2 million (US$257,000) because local hotels and groundhandlers refused to return the deposits.”

“Why should agents have to shoulder the responsibility and risk?” he asked.

According to Blue Sky Travel Service managing director, Angela Ng, Hong Kong travellers may now “avoid unstable countries”.

“Since airfares usually account for about 40 per cent of package tour prices, this new ruling might affect consumers’ choice of destination,” she said.

EXPEDIA has been inundated with enquiries since the Singapore launch of its Travel Agent Affiliate Programme (TAAP) on June 8 (TTG Asia e-daily, June 8), according to its manager for travel distribution in South-east Asia, Charee Guico.

“Travel agents have been highly receptive and are keen to find out more about what Expedia has to offer,” she said.

Guico added that a large portion of the enquiries had translated into concrete agreements. “Almost a hundred consultants from major and smaller players have already signed up to the TAAP.”

Expedia will be providing training support to travel agencies that have signed up to join the TAAP.

When asked about future plans for the TAAP in Singapore, Guico said Expedia had decided to expand the TAAP’s product portfolio due to the exceptional level of response and feedback from travel agencies.

Eventually, agents will be able to book flights, car hires and activities on top of accommodation. Even though Guico was unable to provide specific dates for the new offerings, she was confident that “it would definitely be happening in the second half of 2011.”

TTG ASIA MEDIA has appointed veteran industry player and columnist Shekhar Niyogi as its chief correspondent – India.

Shekhar, based in Kolkata, will be in charge of India market coverage for all Travel Group titles, including TTG Asia, TTG Asia e-daily, TTG India and TTGmice.

Shekhar was consultant for 26 years in the travel industry and knows the leisure and MICE markets inside out. He is currently a contributor to several Indian, European and US publications, and a columnist with The Times of India, Economic Times and Hindustan Times, the three leading English language dailies in India.

He is also an education and career consultant in India, and a visiting faculty member teaching retail management and consumer behaviour in two business schools in India.

Meanwhile, TTG Asia Media is also pleased to name Linda Haden as assistant editor based in Singapore.

Linda will be responsible for Singapore market coverage for all Travel Group titles, and will assist in regional analyses as well as in the commissioning and editing of articles.

In the past decade, Linda was an active contributor to Mintel’s Travel & Tourism Analyst and its UK Travel Intelligence series, based initially in London and then in Zurich. She has conducted in-depth interviews with industry leaders and trade associations to ascertain market trends, threats and opportunities.

KOREAN Air’s first-ever A380 services will be launched between Seoul (Incheon) and Tokyo and Hong Kong tomorrow.

The pioneer A380 flight will take off from Incheon International Airport at 9.10 on June 17, and arrive in Narita International Airport at 11.30. The same flight will then return to Seoul, depart at 20.00 to Hong Kong International Airport, and arrive at 22.30 on the same day.

Configured in a three-class layout with 12 first-class Kosmo Suites and 301 economy-class seats on the lower deck, and 94 business-class Prestige seats on the upper deck, Korean Air’s A380s will feature the lowest configuration of any A380 operator (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 23).

The flag carrier has ordered ten A380 aircraft – the first five will be delivered by end 2011, the remaining five by 2014.

The airline will gradually expand its A380 services to popular shorthaul routes in Asia, such as Bangkok in July. The A380s will then be deployed on longhaul routes to destinations in Europe and North America, such as New York in August, Paris in September and Los Angeles in October.