BALI’s popular Kuta beach has been off limits to tourists since Thursday due to debris brought ashore by seasonal winds, combined with bacterial bloom and rotting plankton that have turned the water dark brown.

Ngurah Rai Fish Quarantine Laboratory head, Putu Eka Sudaryatma, was quoted by the Jakarta Globe as saying the bacterial contamination was likely due to the large amount of waste discharged into the sea reacting to unusually high temperatures.�?��?�

“We don’t know what kind of bacteria we’re looking at because it’ll take at least five days to run the tests to find out,” Eka added.

Bali Tourism Office head Ida Bagus Kadek Subiksu said his office was working with relevant authorities to alert the public. �?��?�In the meantime, tourists have been advised by the Kuta lifeguard unit not to swim in the waters to avoid skin rashes or other potential health risks.

Anak Agung Ngurah Tresna, head of the Kuta lifeguard unit, said tourist numbers at the beach had drastically fallen in recent days.

BEST Western International will open four hotels in Malaysia this year, adding to its Best Western Kinabalu Daya Hotel in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The chain’s flagship property in Malaysia, Best Western Premier Dua Sentral, is scheduled to open in Kuala Lumpur by the third quarter. Three other properties are set to launch in Malacca, Sandakan and Pangkor by end-2011.

Best Western’s group director of sales & marketing for Malaysia, Jonathan Badman, said: “We are positioning ourselves at the top end of the mid-range market in Kuala Lumpur Sentral by offering a wide choice of accommodation types.”

The 361-key Best Western Premier Dua Sentral will offer six room types, ranging from superior/deluxe to one- and two-room suites. Its facilities will include five restaurants and bars, as well as 10 meeting rooms, the largest of which will be able to accommodate up to 250 people banquet-style.

THAI Airways International (THAI) will be showcasing new economy class seats and in-seat audio/video-on-demand systems on its Boeing 747-400 aircraft at ITB Berlin this week.

According to THAI, six of its B747-400s will feature new economy-class seats by the end of the year. The in-seat audio/video-on-demand systems will be implemented for all services in July.

The refurbishment is part of the flag carrier’s fleet expansion and upgrading plans. It includes accepting delivery of 75 new aircraft, including six Airbus A380-800s, between this year and 2022 (TTG Asia e-Daily, March 2).

The airline uses the B747-400 – with 10 first-class, 40 business-class and 325 economy-class seats – on its 21 weekly non-stop flights between Thailand and Germany, including twice-daily Bangkok-Frankfurt and daily Bangkok-Munich services.

THAI has earmarked Germany as one of its intercontinental destinations to be served by the A380, the first of which is expected to join the airline’s fleet next August.

AIR China has acquired five Boeing 747-8 jet aircraft for US$1.54 billion to meet growing demand on international routes.

He Li, vice president of Air China, said: “The new, high-capacity Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental will deliver exceptional economics and a great flying experience to our customers.”

The state-owned carrier, which had 381 aircraft in operation as of end of last June, said the planes would increase its fleet capacity by about 6.6 per cent.

Air China expects to take delivery of the new aircraft in 2014 and 2015.

IN A BID to grow its Indonesian market, Colombo-based low-cost carrier Mihin Lanka has appointed Langka Semestra Cemerlang (Tripuri Group) as its GSA there.

Mihin Lanka sales manager Indonesia, Fonny Wijaya, said that while its main business was the labour market heading to the Middle East, it seeks to tap into the leisure market for Colombo and beyond.

“Colombo is not yet a destination for Indonesians, but we have started getting leisure travellers to the Maldives,” Wijaya said.

The sister company of flag carrier SriLankan Airlines has thrice-weekly direct flights between Jakarta and Colombo. It operates Airbus 320 and A321 aircraft – both with 210 economy-class seats – on the route. Fares start from US$353 per person.

“The direct service provides an alternative for Indonesians going beyond Colombo to destinations such as Africa, the Middle East, India and Europe, via good connections in Colombo with SriLankan Airlines,” Wijaya said.

ASIA-PACIFIC is leading the resurgence of hotel room rates, according to corporate travel services company Hogg Robinson Group’s (HRG) 2010 Global Hotel Market Survey.

Margaret Bowler, director of global hotel relations at HRG, said: “Of the 75 cities we surveyed worldwide, more than half recorded room rate increases. Particular countries and regions are emerging quicker than others from the recession, but there are definite signs of increasing room rates, which go hand-in-hand with increasing business travel.”

Douglas McWilliams, chief executive of the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said: “The upswing has bolstered hotel prices, particularly in the fast growing emerging markets in the south and east, as economic power moves away from the West.”

According to HRG, Singapore’s average room rate last year increased by 14 per cent over 2009 to £150.55 (US$245). Room rates also ballooned in Hong Kong (12 per cent increase to £191.24) and Seoul (15 per cent increase to £142).

HRG’s full-year survey is based on a combination of industry intelligence, actual room nights booked and rates paid by its UK clients from last January to December compared to the same period in 2009.

TRAVELPORT has reached an agreement to sell its Gullivers Travel Associates (GTA) business to Kuoni for US$720 million in line with plans to focus on its core business.

Jeff Clarke, CEO & president of Travelport, said: “This is a positive opportunity for us to accelerate our plans. We will apply the net proceeds from this transaction to pay down our bank borrowings.”

For their part, Kuoni is planning to use the GTA acquisition to expand its online destination management business. “In acquiring GTA, Kuoni is investing in one of the fastest-growing business segments within the tourism industry,” said Peter Rothwell, CEO of the Kuoni Group.

The transaction, advised by Blackstone Advisory Partners LP and UBS Investment Bank, is scheduled for completion in May.

STARWOOD Hotels & Resorts is eyeing more room for growth, even as its entire brand portfolio arrives in Bangkok with upcoming openings of its St Regis, aloft and W Hotels.

Starwood’s vice-president and area managing director for Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, Wayne Buckingham, said the group would continue to look for opportunities to expand its mid-scale brands in the Thai capital, such as Four Points by Sheraton.

The group opened the 268-room Four Points by Sheraton Bangkok Sukhumivit on December 15 last year, joining its existing inventory of five hotels and 2,164 rooms under the Sheraton, Westin and Le Meridien brands.

Starwood will open the 224-room St Regis Bangkok in April, the 297-room aloft Bangkok-Sukhumvit 11 in October and the 414-room W Bangkok in May 2012.

Buckingham said that despite growing supply in the Thai capital, demand would soon level up as long as the political situation remained calm.

He added that Starwood’s Bangkok hotels are expected to run at 60 to 65 per cent occupancy this year, up from last year’s 55 to 60 per cent. Average room rates are seen to increase by three to four per cent.

By Sirima Eamtako

BALI’s upscale property market is getting a boost this year, with more than 600 rooms and 80 villas being added in Legian and Seminyak.

Indo Journey managing director Agus Winarko said: “The entry of upmarket properties is positive for Bali, as they bring more choices of such accommodation to clients.”

He added that new properties in Seminyak would emphasise its reputation as an upscale destination. On the other hand, the entry of upmarket international brands in Legian would add a new type of accommodation to predominantly mid-class properties there.

After some postponements, Accor’s Pullman Bali Nirwana finally opened its doors on February 28. The resort has 353 rooms and suites and is targeting leisure, corporate and MICE travellers, according to general manager Philippe Battle.

The W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak, which had also postponed opening a few times, finally welcomed guests on March 1 to its 158 rooms and suites and 79 villas.

Amadea Resort & Villas, opening in Seminyak by the second quarter, will add 93 rooms and suites and seven pool villas to Indonesia’s Prime Plaza Hotels & Resorts’ inventory.

CAMBODIA’s passenger service charge (PSC) on international departures will be included in airfares from April 1, according to Société Concessionnaire des Aéroports (SCA).

SCA operates the country’s three international airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville.

Passengers who booked flights on or after January 21 intending to fly in April or beyond already have the PSC – US$25 for adults, US$13 for children under 12 and free for babies under two – included in their fares. Cambodian nationals are charged US$18 for adults and US$10 for children.

Passengers who travel after April 1 but bought their tickets prior to January 21 will still have to pay the fee at the airport.

According to SCA, airlines serving 80 per cent of passengers at Cambodia’s international airports have already implemented the new charges, while the remaining carriers are in discussions to join.