NORWEGIAN Cruise Line (NCL) has started a dedicated contact centre in Manila to cater to its growing Asia-Pacific business.

In view of Asia-Pacific sales doubling year-on-year in 2010, and in anticipation of a significant increase in bookings this year, NCL decided to launch the operation to provide real-time assistance to travel partners based in the region.

“This is just another step in building our Asia-Pacific business,” said Francis Riley, NCL director of sales for Asia-Pacific. “It’s important that as we continue to develop and grow these core markets, that we are able to provide a quick and efficient process for agents to deal with us locally.”

The centre will have a team of 15 reservation consultants, more than double the size of its original Asia-Pacific support team based in its Miami head office.

CAMBODIAN operators report a strong rebound in bookings in January after a difficult period last year, with the upward trend set to continue into the February-March low season.

FCC Cambodia, which operates a total of 60 rooms at an average daily rate of US$115, recorded occupancy of above 80 per cent in January at its three boutique hotels—two in Phnom Penh and one in Siem Reap.

This was an increase of about 10 per cent over last year, said FCC operations director Benoit Jancloes.

Based on advanced bookings, Jancloes also projected a similar performance for February and March.

Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra general manager Didier Lamoot said bookings continued to “look good” at the two Sofitel hotels in Cambodia heading into the off-peak period.

Agents are similarly looking at higher numbers, with Mekong Heritage Travel general manager Som Sun Sovann reporting a 20 per cent increase in Cambodian tour bookings last month.

“We expect the same in February and March—about 25 per cent more than last year,” she said.

By Steve Finch

LUXURY cruise company Silversea Cruises is offering for the first time a US$200 commission bonus per suite to travel agents in Asia, for reservations made before March 31 on any voyage departing till end June.

Silversea Cruises regional director (Asia) Melvyn Yap told TTG Asia e-Daily that the company usually issued a fixed commission of 10 per cent on each cruise-only fare to travel agencies, but not individual travel agents.

“We realised that we did not have any rewards for travel agents who are contributing almost 100 per cent of bookings,” Yap explained. “We hope by doing this, the reward of selling Silversea will trickle down to the agents who support us.”

Yap added that the Asia-Pacific region currently generates 15 per cent of Silversea’s total bookings. “We also hope to grow bookings from the region with this incentive,” he said.

SINGAPORE Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre is developing a new convention wing that will house 23 meeting rooms, pre-function spaces and other visitor facilities, ready to be unveiled in early 2012.

Branded as MAX Atria, the addition will be connected to the centre’s existing conference facilities in Foyer 1, located close to Hall 1. Greenery will be incorporated into the architecture.

Natalie Leung, a spokesperson of Singex Venues which manages the Singapore Expo, said the new wing was being developed to a tune of S$55 million (US$43 million) to S$60 million, which includes upgrades to the rest of the venue that started since last October.

MAX Atria’s new conference facilities will come in handy at a time where the business events industry is witnessing a a greater adoption of the confex model, a phenomenon Singex Venues CEO, Aloysius Arlando, described as “holding one or several conferences within an exhibition itself”.

In gearing up for the expansion, Singex Venues is also adding business development personnel to its human resource pool.

MAX Atria will join other upcoming projects in the Changi precinct such as the UE Biz Hub East, which comprises office and retail space, event venues and a 300-room Park Avenue Changi Hotel, also slated for completion in the same year.

AUSTRALIAN associations are increasingly looking to professional conference organisers (PCOs) to deliver not just quality meetings, but strategic ideas and sponsorship dollars, revealed a study conducted by the World’s Leading Conference Organisers (WLCO).

While issues such as governance and membership still dominate the agenda, developing new revenue streams beyond membership dues ranks a close third in priority for the non-profit sector.

Bryan Holliday, managing director of ICMS Australasia, the founding member of WLCO, said: “The survey of 38 of Australia’s major associations confirms anecdotal evidence that professional conference organisers are now major drivers of not only effective meetings but profitable events.

“The days where conference committees are happy just to break even are becoming a thing of the past. Non-profits now expect their PCO to be more than an organiser but a strategic partner as well.”

Holliday added that communication and relevance to Gen Y are also two major emerging issues that would likely impact the delivery of programmes via social media and the educational content of conferences.

THE VERDICT is out: Komodo National Park will stay on as an authorised New7Wonders of Nature finalist, but Indonesia’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism will no longer be given Official Supporting Committee status for Komodo’s entry in the global poll, stripping the tourism authority’s rights to campaign for votes.

New7Wonders Foundation (N7W) president and founder Bernard Weber said: “The Ministry’s role should have been to support us and to lead the search for a solution to honour the legally binding contract for New7Wonders Official Host, signed in December 2010 with a leading Indonesian private consortium – a consortium endorsed by the Ministry in the first place.

Instead, they have reacted with malicious misinformation, invented financial commitments and prejudicial action to cover up for an apparent lack of moral responsibility and duty.”

Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik had earlier said the costs of hosting the official declaration ceremony was too high (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 7, 2011).

At a press conference yesterday, the minister added: “I don’t know what was said in the contract between the consortium and N7W, but if things don’t come out according to the contract, why should we be held responsible for it?”

The ministry also said it was ready to sue N7W for “acting overboard and illogically by linking the status of Komodo as a finalist and the offer to host the declaration of the winners”.

PLANS to relocate watersports operators at Penang’s Batu Ferringhi are being hailed as a good move by at least one hotel along the beach, which has long put up with guest complaints about these vendors.

A spokesperson from Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa said the Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang Chapter had been calling for the state government to regulate watersports activities over the last two years, but no action had been taken until Saturday’s incident involving a Chinese tourist who was hit by a water scooter (TTG Asia e-Daily, February 7, 2011).

Malaysia’s The Star reported continued activities along Batu Ferringhi yesterday, despite a temporary ban on watersports.

According to an article published today in another local newspaper New Straits Times, the Penang Island Municipal Council will inform all watersports operators on Friday about relocation plans to safer zones.

Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa’s spokesperson said hotel guests had complained about being harassed by these operators and felt intimidated by their aggressive approach.

“We are worried about the safety of our guests, and having these activities properly regulated and zoned will be good for the tourism industry.”

AIMING to boost connections between Asia and Europe through Doha, Qatar Airways has announced a host of network improvements to be phased in from March, including increasing flights to Kuala Lumpur from 11 a week to twice daily from March 27.

Focusing on Europe for its recent expansion, Qatar launched flights to Brussels, Bucharest and Budapest last month, and will start services to Stuttgart on March 6.

Capacity increases on the continent have also been earmarked: the double-daily Paris route will rise to 16 weekly services from March 27; Geneva capacity will increase to daily following the introduction of two weekly flights from May 2; and the Copenhagen route will go daily with an extra flight a week from March 27.

Two other destinations will also be served more from March 27, with Oman’s Muscat receiving 24 flights a week, up from 21, and Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam receiving 14 flights a week, up from 12.

In addition to these frequency increases, the carrier is deploying new capacity on existing routes. Daily services from to Bengaluru and Barcelona will be upgraded from a narrow-body Airbus A320 aircraft to a wide-body A330 from March 1 and March 27 respectively.

DESPITE recent clashes on the Thai-Cambodian border around the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Preah Vihear Temple, tour operators have not received any cancellations for bookings to both destinations.

Exotissimo Travel Group COO, Hamish Keith, said there were no cancellations, but the many enquiries on the situation prompted the company to issue a statement yesterday.

“The disputed area is an isolated border region, far from any of Thailand’s or Cambodia’s main attractions, and is not an area visited by tourists on either side of the border,” said the statement.

“Exotissimo Travel only operates a one-day excursion to the Preah Vihear Temple. We have no clients in the area or scheduled on the tour, and will not be selling this excursion until further notice.”

Destination Asia (Thailand) managing director Pornthip Hirunkate said bookings remained intact, and February continued to be one of the traditional high-season months for both destinations. Travellers fly directly into Siem Reap, which is located far from the tension area, she said.

Ho Vandy, managing director of Phnom Penh-based World Express Tours and Travel, also noted that the company received no cancellations.

By Sirima Eamtako

AIR MAURITIUS plans to use Malaysia as its hub of operations for future expansion plans in North Asia and South-east Asia, with its newest service being a Mauritius-Kuala Lumpur-Shanghai route that will commence on July 1.

The once-weekly flight uses the Airbus A330-200, which has 24 business-class seats and 251 economy-class seats.

Air Mauritius currently operates twice-weekly services to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, and thrice-weekly services to Hong Kong. Shanghai will be Air Mauritius’ fourth destination in Asia.

Air Mauritius regional manager, North-east & South-east Asia, Shiri Prakash Rai, said: “The third frequency to Kuala Lumpur and onward to Shanghai will provide more flexibility to the Malaysian market and is in line with our strategy of growing our frequencies to a daily for Asia.”

Singapore will remain as the airline’s regional office for North Asia and South-east Asia.

– Read more in TTG Asia, February 11