TRAVELTITBITS
Outbound travellers from Asia are expected to grow by an estimated 6% next year with Chinese and Japanese tourists leading the way, according to the latest ITB World Travel Trends report that has just been published.
The report said that the outlook for most Asian markets is positive, with two-thirds of Asians saying the global financial crisis would not affect their travel plans while only one-third saying it would.
A little over 50% said they would undertake the same amount of trips as last year while only 16% aim to travel less, and the rest are expected to travel more.
Chinese tourists will lead the surge as 38% of them plan to travel more next year, followed by Japanese tourists, at 21%. For Southeast Asia, Indonesian and Filipino tourists are expected to head the list, each estimated to post an identical 10% growth while the proportion of Thais travelling beyond Asia is expected to rise by less than 5%, the same as Malaysians and Singaporeans.
Trang hits magic mark
The southern province of Trang recently welcomed its one millionth visitor this year. According to the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's (TAT) office in Trang, Charun Chuennaitom, the province has on average welcomed 3,200 tourists daily since the beginning of the year, and the one millionth visitor arrived at the end of November.
He said Trang of late has become an alternative destination for tourists travelling to Krabi and even Phuket, which he attributed to its unique culture, abundant natural attractions and outstanding local, Malay and Hokkien cuisines.
The province is famous for boat cruises in coastal waters, or to Emerald Cave and lush islands such as Koh Libong and others, while inland it boasts lively waterfalls and subterranean caves.
The office expects Trang to attract 1.15 million travellers this year, up 14% from last year.
Airlines update
- Following the launch of direct flights to Vientiane last month, Bangkok Airways plans to offer a similar service to Mandalay in Myanmar next year.
The service will start in second half of 2013 with four weekly flights, after which the frequency will increase to daily. The airline will also add a flight to Yangon from Bangkok due to rising tourist traffic on the route.
Also on its list are direct flights to Udon Thani and Krabi from Bangkok by the end of next year.
- Etihad Airways has introduced inflight high-speed internet and mobile connectivity services, moving in a direction opposite to Qantas Airlines which decided to stop the service after an eight-month trial run. "Etihad Wi-Fly", as the service is called, is a 10-year project needing an investment of $1 billion (about 31 billion baht), according to airline President and CEO James Hogan.
"The broadband internet is high-speed, in line with what our guests would experience at home or at work, so we believe this will be hugely popular," he said, adding that Etihad will initially offer the service on 10 aircraft by the end of first quarter of next year, before expanding it to its entire fleet by the end of 2014.
Qantas, meanwhile, has said it was ending the service because of low demand during the trial run, during which less than 5% of the passengers used the service. Qantas said customers preferred better internet access at airports rather than in the sky, and the airline will rather invest in upgrading connectivity at its domestic and international lounges.
Hotels update
- Zinc/InVision, a cutting edge hospitality company, has opened an outlet _ Glow Elixir Koh Yao Yai _ in Phangnga province.
The company bought a beachfront hotel and spent 40 million baht to renovate and rebrand the property, which features 35 suites and pool villas with space ranging from 44m2 to 184 m2.
Facilities include a restaurant, bar, swimming pool with a pool bar, fitness centre, spa, space for hosting events for up to 80 people and free Wi-Fi service. Available is transport between the hotel and airports in Phuket and Krabi as well as private transfer by speed boat.
Visit www.zinchospitality.com/glowbyzinc/kohyaoyai for details.
- Centara Hotels Resorts has unveiled a new brand for cost conscious travellers _ Cosi Hotels.
The Cosi brand has been developed in response to rapid economic expansion within the Asia Pacific region, said Centara Hotels Resorts CEO Thirayuth Chirathivat.
Cosi Hotels will offer both twin and king beds for standard room types and specially designed rooms for families.
It will also provide "grab-n-go" restaurants, seminar rooms for corporate guests, an entertainment corner in the lobby area for movies and live sport and free Wi-Fi.
Estimated room rates are 1,000-1,250 baht per night based on dynamic pricing, which depends on booking periods and booking conditions. Centara plans to have at least 30 Cosi Hotels by 2020 with the first to open in 2015.
If you have any comments or news to share, send them to karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th.
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About the author
Writer: Karnjana KarnjanatawePosition: Reporter
Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2012/12/14/china-and-japan-lead-travel-surge/
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