ASIAN Overland Tourism and Hospitality Group is making further inroads into the wellness segment, with the opening of its first Anti-Oxidant Centre outside of Malaysia last week and three more overseas outlets planned for Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India.

Anti-Oxidant Centre opened in Singapore on February 8 with five therapy rooms providing antioxidant sauna treatments using far-infrared rays.

The new flagship store will help to market the company’s antioxidant products and antioxidant sauna treatment services globally, said group managing director Anthony Wong.

The group’s target is for outlets to open in Jakarta, Colombo and Kerala by end-February, the second half of this year and early 2011 respectively.

There are already two centres in Malaysia, and further local expansion this year will be through franchising, said Wong.

KHIRI Asia has opened an office in downtown Bangkok to service rising demand from Asian visitors, especially the Indian market, to Thailand and Indochina, bringing the number of its offices across the region to nine.

The new Bangkok office, located in the Charn Issara II Tower in Petburi Road beside Thonglor, has three full-time staff, two of Indian origin. “We now have a completely separate unit closer to our customers in Bangkok,” said Ashok Kapur, CEO of Khiri Asia.

According to PATA head office statistics, 790,000 Indians visited Thailand last year, an increase of 29 per cent over 2009. Since 2006, Thailand has averaged an annual increase from India of 14.5 per cent.

Khiri Travel Group co-founder Willem Niemeijer said Thailand could boost demand from India further with a few minor service adjustments. “I’d like to see a little bit more flexibility from hotels in food catering for Indian guests.”

Cambodia received about 13,500 Indians and Laos around 3,000 or so in 2010, though the increase in Indian traffic to both destinations has averaged about 10 to 11 per cent over the last five years.

Niemeijer said Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam needed to create awareness campaigns in India to really lift numbers.

AIRLINES are expected to make a much smaller profit this year over last year, as a result of huge capacity increase and higher jet fuel price.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) is forecasting a global airline profit of US$9.1 billion this year, after the industry is slated to end last year with US$15.1 billion in profit. As it is, the US$9.1 billion forecast is based on last year’s jet fuel price averaging an estimated US$79 per barrel. IATA expects this year’s jet fuel price to average US$84 per barrel.

IATA director-general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani said just a dollar increase per barrel of oil would result in US$1.6 billion in additional cost for airlines.

Fuel accounts for 27 per cent of the total operating costs of airlines. Even though airlines impose fuel surcharges, those only covered up to 30 per cent of oil cost, with the heavy burden continuing to rest with the airlines, according to IATA spokesperson Anthony Concil.

Capacity, meanwhile, is expected to grow seven per cent this year, with 1,400 new aircraft delivered.

Of the anticipated US$9.1 billion profit, Asian airlines are expected to make US$4.6 billion, North American US$3.2 billion, Latin America US$700 million, the Middle East US$400 million and European a paltry US$100 million.

“Europe is the sick region of the aviation market,” said Bisignani.

Asia is the star, now and the future. “By 2014, one billion people will travel by air in Asia-Pacific. That’s 30 per cent of the global total and a four percentage point increase from the 26 per cent it represented in 2009,” he said during a media briefing yesterday.

– See also Tourism Data

MYANMAR will grant visa-on-arrival (VOA) for foreign visitors arriving in Yangon on Myanmar Airways International’s (MAI) direct flight from Siem Reap.

Myanmar Marketing Committee vice chairman Phyoe Wai Yar Zar told TTG Asia e-Daily that the scheme would take effect from February 23, the launch date of MAI’s twice-weekly service between Yangon and Siem Reap.

The direct service links two of ASEAN’s most veritable heritage sites, Bagan in Myanmar and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and is spurring tourism cooperation between the two countries (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 18).

MAI CEO, Aung Gyi, said the mandate letter was approved two days ago by the Cabinet, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs was currently working with immigration to implement the policy.

According to Phyoe, passengers will receive their VOA through the same system introduced between May 1 and August 31 last year for foreign visitors at Yangon and Mandalay International Airports.

By Sirima Eamtako

BANYAN Tree Hotels & Resorts is taking over the operations of the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, rebranding it as an Angsana Laguna Phuket when its current management contract with Starwood Hotels & Resorts expires on June 30.

The hotel will be closed from July 1 for a US$30 million renovation and refurbishment covering all rooms, meeting facilities and public spaces. It is scheduled to open by December as the largest resort under the Angsana brand with 384 keys. It would set the benchmark for 15 more Angsanas in the pipeline worldwide.

Laguna Resorts Holdings managing director Michael Ayling said Angsana was chosen to “draw a new segment of younger affluent travellers” that is currently not targeted by the existing hotels and resorts in the integrated resort.

The hotel will offer a destination beach club and introduce new concepts such as a tree house-inspired Kids’ Club and a Rice Bar featuring classic rice-based Asian favourites. Other facilities include an Angsana Spa, an Angsana retail gallery and a 358m² ballroom.

RAPHAEL Saw has filled the COO position at Singapore’s Far East Organization (FEO)’s hospitality division, a newly-created position that comes as the group made local headlines recently in snapping up Paramount Hotel and Shopping Centre, along East Coast Road, and a hotel site at Tanjong Pagar near the CBD.

TTG Asia e-Daily understands that Paramount will eventually be rebranded a Village hotel, an FEO brand that emphasises culture and heritage of local precincts. A new brand, Oasia, will also debut soon, the first hotel of which will be a 428-room Oasia Hotel in the Novena area, soft opening in mid-April and officially launched in July.

While the other FEO brand, Quincy, is boutique and personalised, Oasia hotels are larger, with meeting facilities. There are three Village hotels and one Quincy. The division also operates two independent hotels, Elizabeth and Orchard Parade, and service apartments. It is soft-launching The Clift Residences in Singapore, a loft concept, in May.

Saw said of the new COO position: “As we grow, the group has to build up its capability further.” He does not rule out regional expansion, but said: “First, we must run Singapore well, then look at opportunities to grow the brand.”

Saw joined the division two years ago as director of operations, a position he still holds. He previously held positions with Singapore Airlines, Millennium & Copthorne International and Jetstar Asia.