AVIATION - Indonesian carriers: Ticking time bombs?

eTN, 28-6-2007

The Indonesian government takes steps to improve its air safety record with the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Indonesia's Ministry of Transport has grounded nine out of the total 20 Indonesian airlines that currently have an operating license.The transport ministry unveiled its audit last Tuesday after promising to set-up new “roadmap” and warning airlines to comply with standards or face closure.The sweeping action came almost four months after authorities announced that none of the carriers surveyed were in the top safety category, while seven were in the bottom.

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REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS - UNESCO ponders if World Heritage Sites endangered by mass tourism

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee is to discuss this week whether its World Heritage Sites are now in danger from mass tourism..

While the committee meets in Christchurch, New Zealand, China publicly announced in Kuala Lumpur that it supports Malaysia's proposal for a separate chapter of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage center.
In October 2006, Malaysia proposed the establishment of an Asian list, arguing it felt too much emphasis and recognition is placed on Europe and the US, and not enough heritage and historical sites in Asia are being recognized.
"Asia has its own distinct set of values and principles, and deserves its own criteria for what constitutes a World Heritage Site," added Sun.

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PHILIPPINES - Philippine Airlines eyes US$50 million Investment at Clark

ASIAtraveltips.com, 26 June 2007

Philippine Airlines is to invest between $30 and $50 million in putting up strategic facilities at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at Clark Field, Pampanga, in preparation for the extension of PAL’s Manila operations to Clark and the start of direct PAL service from Clark to foreign destinations.
“We are definitely operating at Clark. Our chairman – Dr. Lucio Tan – is excited at our plan to join the development of Clark. We are just trying to align our specific requirements with the master plan of Clark,” said PAL President Jaime J. Bautista.While the current airport handles approximately one million passengers a year, the Clark airport’s master plan envisions two terminals capable of handling 20 to 30 million passengers annually.

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VIETNAM -Hanoi is thirsty for high-grade hotels

VietNamNet Bridge,

A big wave of investment in five-star hotels is taking place in Vietnam’s capital, aiming to meet the accommodation requirements of visitors, according to the Hanoi Department of Tourism.
Hanoi is one of the most attractive and lovely destinations in Vietnam, and is now the center for MICE tourism in the region.
Readers of the U.S. Travel and Leisure magazine voted Hanoi as the sixth most attractive city in Asia. MSN network readers have also chosen it as the third best culinary city in the world. In addition, De Loitte & Touche LLP rating company ranked Hanoi as having the third highest number of hotel rooms of any city in the world.

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REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS - Asian giants team up to lure visitors

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN, 06/26/2007

Japan plans to join forces with the Chinese and South Korean governments to attract more tourists from the United States and Europe, sources said Monday.
Tetsuzo Fuyushiba, minister of land, infrastructure and transport who is also in charge of promoting tourism, will meet his counterparts from Beijing and Seoul on Tuesday in Qingdao, China.
Under the expected agreement, the three governments will encourage Western travel agencies to organize tours to all three nations, taking advantage of international events, such as the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

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PHILIPPINES - Cagayan town seen as North Luzon's 'Boracay'

news.balita.ph, june 20, 2007

STA. ANA, Cagayan, June 20 - Investments have started pouring into this northernmost town of Luzon which the Arroyo administration is now marketing as the "Boracay of the North," transforming this once sleepy town into a world-class tourism site and North Luzon's center for economic growth.Now hosting several online gaming facilities and some hundred million-dollar hotel facilities, this town, where the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) has been established as an additional come-on to tourists, had just held its third Viray Festival which began with a grand fluvial parade showcasing the town's cultural origin and tourism potentials.

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NEW ZEALAND - Welcomes More Inbound Chinese Tourists

chinahospitalitynews.com, June 27, 2007

Following the success of its first China Summit in 2005, Tourism New Zealand has once again convened leaders of the tourism industry of New Zealand in Beijing.
Apart from the host Tourism New Zealand, 48 representatives from New Zealand Tourism Department, New Zealand Embassy in China, Immigration New Zealand, Air New Zealand, and travel agencies from both New Zealand and China attended the meeting and contributed their ideas to the future development of New Zealand tourism.

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MACAU - Plans Future Tourism Campaigns

chinahospitalitynews.com, June 26, 2007

Director of Macau Government Tourist Office João Manuel Costa Antunes has presented the tourism development of Macau and outlined future marketing strategies to guests and MGTO's representatives from 16 countries and regions.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Macau Government Tourist Office Annual Marketing Meeting, Antunes pointed out that Macau's tourism industry has entered a new phase of growth and is moving towards diversification. During the first five months of this year, visitor arrivals exceeded 10 million, registering an increase of 21.45% compared with the same period of 2006. Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan continue to be the three largest visitor generating markets, with growths of 19.44%, 23.21% and 1.93% respectively.

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THAILAND - Will Attract One Million Chinese Tourists

chinahospitalitynews.com, June 26, 2007

Nongnart Wattanachart, a director from the Thailand National Tourism Bureau, expressed during his recent visit to Shanghai that Thailand would attract one million Chinese tourists to visit Thailand this year and it would expect to receive three million Chinese tourists by 2010.
From June to September this year, the Thailand National Tourism Bureau will launch Green Travel packages targeting Chinese tourists, and it will specifically launch special trips for Chinese senior citizens. Bali Island and Phuket will also arrange various activities for family tourists from China.

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INDONESIA - hopes to attract Chinese visitors to Bali

chinaview.cn, 2007-06-25

The absence of a direct flight between China and the Indonesian famous resort island of Bali has hampered the government's effort to boost arrivals from China, an official said Monday.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia serves routes to Chinese cities but has no direct flight between China and Bali as its planes have to make a stopover in Jakarta, said I Gede Nurjaya (rpt. I Gede Nurjaya), the head of the Bali provincial tourism office.
The ongoing visit by Chinese Minister of Culture Sun Jiazheng to Bali is expected to become a turning point to boost arrivals from China, he was quoted by the national Antara news agency as saying.
Nurjaya said he got information that a Chinese airliner plans to serve a direct flight between Bali and Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province.

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PHILIPPINES - RP visitor arrivals reach one million

mb.com.ph, June 26, 2007

Auguring well to the tourism industry is the consistent positive growth rates in visitor arrivals from January to April with the month of January providing the biggest volume of 272,525 while the month of March recorded the highest growth of 15.1 percent.
The East Asian region maintained its position as the largest contributor of arrivals by region, accounting for 45.9 percent of the overall traffic base. This region posted an increase of 5.5 percent, from its output of 449,598 the previous year to 474,507 arrivals for the year.
The combined total of 239,285 arrivals supplied by the North American countries made this region the second biggest supplier of arrivals for the country. It grew by 3.3 percent versus its production of 231,670 arrivals the previous year. The ASEAN region shared 7.1 percent (73,572 arrivals) to the total visitor volume to rank third in visitor contribution while Australasia/Pacific have 50,952 arrivals to constitute the fourth biggest arrivals by region. Visitors from Western Europe increased by 9 percent as arrivals reached 46,604 compared to 42,771 arrivals last year.
Meanwhile, the influx of domestic travelers during the summer vacation has caused strong competition among foreign and domestic visitors for accommodations in various destinations of the country. This constrained the growth of foreign arrivals during this month. But total visitor arrivals for the month of April 2007 still increased with 243,441 compared to the arrivals of 238,941 last year.

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MANILA - SPAASIA ANNOUNCES 2007 WELLNESS SUMMIT TO BE STAGED IN MANILA, PHILIPPINES

ForImmediateRelease.Net, June 24, 2007

Wellness Media announces the return of SpaAsia Wellness Summit 2007 to be held on October 3- 5, 2007 in Manila, Philippines which will gather over 500 delegates and participants ranging from CEOs, directors, spa proprietors, journalists, healers, doctors, therapists and trainers to owners, financiers, investors, developers and development teams who have made invaluable contribution to the Asia Pacific spa industry.Now on its third year, the 2007 SpaAsia Wellness Summit proposes to address a theme of great relevance to the future of the spa and wellness industry at large. “Harnessing Collective Consciousness: Nurturing Growth, Inspiring Change” is an apt theme as the industry has now evolved and matured.

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MICRONESIA - PATA Micronesia Promotes Tourism Management Changes

yokwe.net, Jun 26, 2007

Major changes in tourism management throughout the Western Pacific region of Micronesia are being planned by the new leadership of PATA's Micronesia Chapter. The regional group's annual meeting was held June 12 in Tumon, Guam, at the Hilton Resort & Spa. Emelyn Simon, of the Marshall Islands Visitors Authority (MIVA), represented the Marshalls. There are nine national or state tourism officers for the emerging nations of Micronesia who automatically serve on the executive board along with nine elected private sector members.
Elected to serve were: Chapter Chairman - Darin Deleon, Managing Director of the Palau Visitors Authority in Palau; Vice Chairman - Lee Webber, Guam PDN; Treasurer - Judy Torres, Marianas Visitors Authority; and, Secretary - Jae Medina, PDN Guam.

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REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS - Another Bridge Crossing Mekong To Link China-Bangkok

bernama.com.my, June 21, 2007

A bridge crossing the Mekong River at Chiang Khong in northern Thailand and Houayxay in Laos will be completed in 2011 to connect the south-western province of China directly to Bangkok by road. Asian Development Bank (ADB) vice-president C. Lawrence Greenwood Jr said that the agreement to build the bridge was reached during the three-day 14th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Ministerial Conference which ended in Manila today. He said in a statement that the bridge, to be financed by the governments of China and Thailand, would be the final link in a north-south road system through the Mekong region under development by nations in the area and the ADB for more than a decade."When this vital bridge is completed, it will be possible for the first time to travel by land directly from Yunnan, China, through Laos to Thailand, opening up tremendous potential for increased trade, tourism, and further integration of the Mekong region," he said.

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THAILAND - Adrian Zecha, Philippe Starck & Jean-Michel Gathy to Create Luxury Boutique Hotel in Phuket

Asiatraveltips.com, 25 June 2007

Scheduled to open in 2008 on a private peninsula on Phuket’s dramatic east coast, new five-star General Hotel Management (GHM) operated boutique hotel, The Yamu, is aiming to raise the bar on previously held concepts of exclusivity and luxury.
This much anticipated collaboration between three internationally-renown industry gurus and visionaries – Adrian Zecha of GHM Hotels and Aman Resorts, French interior design guru Philippe Starck for yoo by Starck, and celebrated architect Jean-Michel Gathy – will result in the unique concept and creation of one of Phuket’s most exclusive boutique hotels.

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BALI - A Delicate Balance of Power

Balidiscovery.com, (6/24/2007)

Bali balances on the precipice of large scale brown-outs following malfunctions at a 5 major power generating stations in Java. Those malfunctions have left Bali facing a potential power deficit of 500 megawatts and prompted National Electrical Board (PLN) officials to ask consumers to reduce power consumption between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m..
As an additional precautionary step, PLN has asked hotels with stand by power to use their systems to reduce the drain on limited power supplies.
While it is not clear how long Bali's power supply will remain in a precarious position, there was some good news in the midst of the latest electrical crisis as the Asian Development Bank and World Bank have just agreed to make funds available for a five year plan to add 10,000 megawatts in power generation to the Java-Bali power grid.

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BALI - Toll Bridge Connecting Sanur and Nusa Dua Non-Viable

Balidiscovery.com, (6/24/2007)

Despite initial enthusiasm by local leaders and Bali legislators for a bridge that would connect Sanur's Serangan island with the Benoa peninsula, plans for a span that would reduce the current 30-45 minute strip from Sanur to Nusa Dua to just 5 minutes appear to be on indefinite hold.
The Figures Just Don't Add UpWith estimated costs of the bridge put at nearly US$99 million, financial analysts are finding it difficult to devise a schedule of fees that would provide sufficient revenues to service the debt needed to build the bridge and still remain attractive to those expected to travel the new toll-bridge.

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AVIATION - Garuda Eyeing a Return to Europe

Balidiscovery.com, (6/24/2007)

Garuda Indonesia's President Director, Emirsyah Satar has signaled that, barring unforeseen difficulties, the national carrier could resume service to Amsterdam as soon as 2008.
In a general abandonment of its European route network, Garuda stopped flying to Amsterdam in 2004.
According to local press reports, Garuda is in the process of applying for the necessary traffic rights to fly to Schiphol and determining what type of aircraft from their current armada or other sources is best suited to serve this route. The Commercial and Marketing Director of Garuda, Agus Priyanto, told the Bali Post that he feels confident that the Airline can achieve traffic loads of between 70-80% on flights between Amsterdam and Indonesia.

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INDONESIA - Tourism Funding Still Not a High Priority

Balidiscovery.com, (6/24/2007)

The Indonesian-language Bisnis Indonesia reports that the Department of Culture and Tourism will obtain official funding in the 2009 State budget in excess of Rp. 1 trillion (approximately US$111 million).



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CHINA - Tibet sees record influx of tourists in first five months

eTN, 25-6-2007

Southwest China's Tibet received a record 672,000 tourists in the first five months, a rise of 82 percent from the same period last year due to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway which began operation last July.
From January to May, the region hosted 627,000 domestic tourists and 45,000 from overseas, reaping a revenue of 636 million yuan (83.6 million U.S. dollars), up 78 percent, the regional tourism bureau said. Zha'nor, deputy director of the bureau, said the Qinghai-Tibet Railway had unblocked the transport bottleneck that had hindered tourism development of the region.

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