INDONESIA - Is sex tourism fine with Indonesia?

A senior Indonesian official has acknowledged that many tourists from Arabic region currently toured the hill town of Puncak near Jakarta to enter into short-term marriage contracts with Indonesian women. And Indonesia’s vice president Jusuf Kalla reportedly said that he saw “nothing wrong with Arab men paying local women to marry and then divorcing them days or hours later.”

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VIETNAM - Foreign visitors to HCM City increase

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 1.15 million foreign visitors in the first half of this year, a 16% year-on-year rise.
The city's ten largest tourist markets were the US, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Australia, China, Canada, France, Singapore and Britain. Highest increases were seen in the number of visitors from Russia (60%), Singapore (40%) and the RoK (30%).

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VIETNAM - Tourists flock to ancient Hue city in first half of year

Central Thua Thien-Hue province in the first six months of 2006 received over 625,000 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 18.2%. The ancient Hue city alone welcomed nearly 230,000 foreign tourists in this period.

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INDIA - Goa focuses on family-oriented positioning

Keen on positioning itself as a family-oriented destination, India’s popular tourist destination Goa is taking series of regulatory and infrastructure development initiatives. Among its major plans is Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC)’s decision to put up an amusement park, likely to be set up in North Goa.

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ACCOMMODATION - Amatapura causes buying frenzy when launched in Hong Kong. Is Krabi taking off?

Amatapura is undeniably an extremely high-quality accommodation development. But it is safe to say that even with that pedigree nobody expected its launch to be quite so dramatic. Over the course of a single weekend in a Hong Kong hotel, 9 out of 29 villas were sold with a total value in excess of $8.5 million US.

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PHILIPPINES - Palawan sets up one-stop shop in Makati

THE TRAUMA caused by the infamous kidnapping of tourists in one of its resorts in 2001 is definitely gone and the western island province of Palawan has bounced back to life.
Tourism and real estate -- two of its main industries -- are booming again.

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MALAYSIA - Pulau Kapas revived

Now that infrastructure and accommodation in Pulau Kapas are no longer an issue, Tourism Malaysia and the state government are going all out to attract the European market via advertisements in foreign publications and press fam trips.

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CHINA - Developing Hainan’s potential

China’s southern-most island has aspirations to become the country’s answer to Phuket, Hainan mayor, Mr Wei Liucheng, told the local media in March this year. He said Hainan was comparable to any other well-known tropical resort in the world.

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MARKETS - Pros and cons of going niche

GOING niche has advantages and risks. Being a specialist most certainly allows for a deeper understanding of the product and more domain knowledge. This enhances the credibility of the travel professional. On the flip side, it also means that your risks are less spread out and therefore requires more planing for external contingencies.

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THAILAND -Thai agents face industry-wide clean-up

BANGKOK – Upon receiving numerous complaints in recent months from agents and consumers concerning e-ticket fraud – wholesalers acting as retail agents and airlines dealing directly with corporations – the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) wants to “clean up” the industry with regulations requiring outbound agents to get certified.

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PHILIPPINES - campaign woos US-based Filipinos

With a new campaign in hand, the Philippines will focus on four new markets this year – Germany, Australia, Russia, and second- and third-generation Americans of Philippine origin residing in North America.The new strategy was formed to complement the seasonality of arrivals from its priority markets of Japan, China and South Korea. The Department of Tourism’s (DoT) new The Philippines – Explore, Experience, Return campaign particularly targets the 3.3 million Filipino-Americans in the US.

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VIETNAM - dreams big on tight budget

Expect Vietnam’s tourism marketing to be more professional as the destination rolls out its five-year national tourism action plan, which has just been approved by the government.Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) vice chairman, Mr Pham Tu, said: “We will hire foreign consultants to help in marketing and promotion.”

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AUSTRALIA - Changes to Working Holiday Visas

LONDON, June 26/Significant changes to Australia's popular Working Holiday Maker Visa come into effect 1 July 2006. The changes give holiday makers the opportunity to work and study for longer in Australia and the chance to extend their visa for another year by offering an increased selection of seasonal jobs in regional areas.

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AUSTRALIA - Western Australia, Queensland keen on direct flights to China

Following Queensland’s recent announcement of the in-principle agreement between a Chinese airline and Queensland authorities to work closely together to remove possible barriers for flights between Chinese cities and Brisbane, Western Australia has expressed interest for direct connectivity.

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NEW ZEALAND - Slow Internet Blamed For Tourism Industry Losses

The recent New Zealand Tourism Industry Association conference was told the lack of broadband access in New Zealand has led to lost business in the tourism industry, according to published reports.

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CONFERENCES - 4th APacCHRIE Conference

The 4th Apac-CHRIE and the 12th Asia Pacific Tourism Association Joint Conference will be an exciting international event being held in Hualien, the last wonderlands in Taiwan June 26-29, 2006.

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FIJI - Tourism on track to deliver promise

THE tourism industry is on track to become a billion-dollar industry by next year, the Fiji Visitors Bureau says. Bureau's chief executive officer Viliame Gavoka made the comment at the 145th Asia Pacific Incentive and Meetings Expo currently held in Australia.

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VIETNAM - Health tourism promoters pin hopes on renowned acupuncturists

Hoping to cash in on the global trend to travel abroad for healthcare, several tour companies have joined forces with the Central Acupuncture Hospital. Trung Hieu makes reservations for a little drug-free pain relief.

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SINGAPORE - high-end residential market perking

According to a report by the Singapore office of international real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, prices of private residential units in the island republic increased by 3.8 per cent in 2005, compared with just 0.9 per cent in the previous year.

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MALAYSIA - Plan to set up artist colony in Penang

Khoo Kongsi president Tan Sri Khoo Kay Por said restoration of eight pre-war houses nearest to the clan temple had been completed. “We are currently in talks with Pempena Sdn Bhd to lease these eight units for a special Khoo Kongsi Arts Village artist colony to house artists and craftsmen for tourists to visit,” he said recently at the launching of the centenary celebration of the rebuilding of the clan temple.

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