Switzerland’s TAG Aviation Holding’s subsidiary, TAG Aviation Asia, has been granted the coveted Hong Kong Air Operator’s Certificate (Hong Kong AOC) by the Civil Aviation Department. This accreditation comes in the wake of the company’s effort at expanding its aircraft charter, aircraft management, aircraft completion monitoring, and aircraft brokerage services in the country. Read the rest of the article…
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The Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre has embarked on a new drive to boost environmental awareness in the business events sector, through its involvement in a government sustainability program. The centre has signed up for an 18-month New South Wales Government Sustainability Advantage Program in order to identify new measures that will help the venue and its clients achieve a better environment. Operated by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, the program is designed to boost business understanding of sustainability and assist in the identification and management of present and future environmental issues, with a particular focus on energy efficiency. Read the rest of the article…
India’s premier international airline, Jet Airways, has established itself as a leading carrier on the competitive Indo-UK sector through the introduction of the Première fares to London from several Indian cities. The carrier has launched a special limited period offer for Première passengers from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune traveling to London between May 29 and September 30, 2009. Read the rest of the article…
Emirates Airline launched the first commercial Airbus A380 flights to Bangkok, Thailand, this month. The A380 ’super jumbo’ aircraft will serve the Dubai-Bangkok route on a daily basis. The new Thai route extends the Dubai-based Emirates’ A380 presence in Asia after the launch of its A380 flights to Sydney and Auckland in February this year. With an expected increase in capacity of about 30% provided by the change of aircraft, Emirates seeks equally to strengthen its support for popular transit markets. Read the rest of the article…
Hotels in the Asia Pacific region are reporting double-digit decreases for all three key performance metrics for April 2009. Based on data compiled by STR Global, the region’s occupancy dropped 14.3% to 59.2% with the average daily rate declining 20.1% to USD 117.10 and revenue per available room sliding 31.5% to USD 69.36. Read the rest of the article…
The MICE industry in Australia is set to make important headways where Tourism Australia has outlined a comprehensive trade marketing program to promote the country as a premier business events destination and increase its share of the lucrative sector. According to Tourism Australia Managing Director, Geoff Buckley, the innovative trade marketing program is to promote Australia as an aspirational destination that offers value for money in the current climate where competition between destinations for the business events and incentive dollar is indeed fierce. Read the rest of the article…
There is an impressive line-up of buyers and sellers attending the PATA Travel Mart 2009 in Hangzhou China (PRC). The travel and tourism industry is recognizing the value of participating in the region’s premier contracting and business networking event, with the numbers of buyers now registered for PTM up by an impressive 70% compared to the same period in 2008. Read the rest of the article…
Predictions made at the recently held Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Singapore indicate an emerging trend with Asian family money filling in the vacuum left by the flight of international funds from the region’s hospitality market. Most hotel transactions are to be rewritten across the region with this source coming in the wake of a mountain of debt accrued from massive development in 2008, and with most of these debts expiring between 2009 and 2012. Read the rest of the article…
China’s travel industry players are experimenting using social media networking sites to attract and engage travelers, but where the best ways to leverage those sites monetarily are still unclear. This uncertainty was indeed a major topic of discussion and debate at the recent China Travel Innovation Summit in Beijing that sought to outline strategies particularly involving online social networking for the travel industry. With China’s leisure travel market growing at the same time as its online usership mushrooms, it is no surprise that a number of players are looking to capture the attention of travel consumers through social media. Read the rest of the article…
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns that the aviation industry faces a global loss of USD 9 billion for 2009. According to its revised outlook, this loss is nearly double the USD 4.7 billion estimate predicted in the month of March. IATA reports that indeed this is among the most difficult situation that the industry has ever faced. Comparatively, after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, revenues fell by 7%. It took three years to recover lost ground, even on the back of a strong economy. The loss estimate for 2008 was also revised to USD 10.4 billion replacing the previous estimate of USD 8.5 billion. Read the rest of the article…
HONG KONG | One of Hong Kong’s major tourist attractions, Ocean Park, has closed its aviary for three weeks from last Thursday after a heron there tested positive for bird flu. A preliminary test on the carcass of a black-crowned heron showed it had the H5 virus and further tests were being conducted, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in a statement. Read the rest of the article…
China (PRC) welcomed 131.9 million international arrivals in 2007 (preliminary estimate), an increase of 5.5% over 2006, while receipts saw growth of 23.5%, generating more than US$41.9 billion. For arrivals, this translates into an average annual growth rate of close to 7% since 2000; 9.5% since the SARS-induced trough of 2003. PATA forecasts continued growth in 2008 of 7-8%; an increase of more than 11 million international visitors in this Olympic year. Read the rest of the article…
BEIJIING | The Chinese government has launched an ambitious plan to build 97 regional airports by 2020 at an estimated cost of USD 62.5 billion in an attempt to meet soaring domestic passenger and cargo demand. London’s Financial Times says the cabinet has approved the plan in recent days, stipulating that 45 of the new airports are to be finished by the end of 2010. By the end of 2006, China had 147 civilian airports.
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Results of ChinaContact’s first ever global survey on the Chinese travel industry provides an overview of what international organizations have done and intend to do in preparation for the unquestionable growth of China’s outbound tourism. The survey aims to answer critical questions concerning effective sales and marketing strategies to China for the benefit of active and upcoming destinations. Read the rest of the article…
Korean families spent KRW 4.75 trillion (USD 5.16 billion) overseas in the three months leading to September, beating the previous record of KRW 4.63 trillion in the first quarter of the year, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). Read the rest of the article…
The Chinese government has scrapped one of the country’s three “golden week” holidays, the May Day Holiday, and introduced three one-day public holidays namely Tomb-Sweeping Day, the Dragonboat Festival, and the Mid Autumn Festival. The plan, to take effect on January 1st, increases the total number of holidays from the current 10 to 11. The government also intends to move national holidays adjacent to weekends in order to give citizens more flexibility. Read the rest of the article…
Rising oil prices, the spread of the sub-prime credit issue in international markets and the slow down in the US economy, are all taking their toll on world consumer confidence.
According to the latest Global Consumer Confidence Study conducted by The Nielsen Company, more than a quarter of global consumers expect a global recession in 2008, resulting in a dip in confidence in 21 of the 48 markets surveyed. Read the rest of the article…
As part of action plan for the accomplishment of 20 million outbound travelers in 2010, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) is studying the feasibility of boosting travel demand across the nation by selecting target destinations and operating hundreds of charter flights to these places. Read the rest of the article…
