News from around the Asia Pacific region, Nov 5. Monday, 5th November 2012

Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region; this week: Far Eastern expands, credit cards enter myanmar, Indonesia: Land of Opportunities, and more....

Far East Plans International Expansion

Singapore-based Far East Hospitality is planning a major expansion into the Asia Pacific region, with ASEAN countries and Australia being the main expansion areas. The company plans to double its portfolio and expand its three upscale brands - Village, Oasia and Quincy, into new markets such as Myanmar, Vietnam and Australia. Far East currently operates nine hotels and nine serviced residences in Singapore and one long-stay property in Kuala Lumpur. The company has identified markets such as Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, as well as key cities and resort areas in Indonesia to expand into.
 
Qatar Launches Flights to Phnom Penh

Doha-based airline, Qatar Airways, has announced plans to operate flights into Phnom Penh. The airline will launch daily flights to the capital of Cambodia, commencing 20 February 2013. All flights will fly via Ho Chi Minh City and will be operated on an Airbus A330 aircraft. Phnom Penh will be Qatar's 11th destination in Southeast Asia and the airline will be the only Middle Eastern carrier to operate flights into Cambodia.
 
Oakwood Expands into Japan with 8th Property

Oakwood and Tekko Building Co. have signed a management agreement that will see the development of Oakwood's 8th property in Japan, the Oakwood Residence Tokyo. The property is set to open in 2015 and is expected to operate with a hotel license. Oakwood Residence Tokyo will feature 123 serviced apartments, ranging from studios to three bedrooms and will cater to both short and extended-stay clients. The property will be located next to the Yaesu entrance of Tokyo station and will also provide an airport limousine bus service to Haneda and Narita airport.

Foreign Credit Cards to Enter Myanmar

Myanmar has granted permission for foreign credit card companies such as Visa, MasterCard, China UnionPay and Japan Credit Bureau to enter the country. Approval has been granted by the Myanmar finance ministry and upon integration, these card services will be introduced at local banks and ATMs and can be utilised at hotels and restaurants in the country. Major credit cards have not been widely accepted in the country and to date, tourists have been compelled to carry large amounts of cash in Myanmar. The approval of foreign credit cards in Myanmar is expected to have a profound impact on tourism and travel in the country. 
 
MAS to Increase Kota Kinabalu Flight Services

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will be increasing the number of connections from Kota Kinabalu, with the introduction of direct flight services to Perth and Osaka in addition to increased flight services to Hong Kong. This move will aim to boost inbound tourist arrivals to Kota Kinabalu, in addition to growing the tourism sector in Sabah and Sarawak. MAS will commence a weekly service to Perth come December 2012, while twice weekly flights to Osaka will begin in mid December 2012. The airline will also introduce two additional flights from Kota Kinabalu to Hong Kong from 1 December 2012. 

Indonesia - Where Massive Opportunities Await

Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago and is also one of the most biologically diverse regions on the globe.

As Southeast Asia's largest economy, the country has seen consistent year-to-year GDP growth over the past years with 6.5% growth from year 2010 to 2011 while international tourist arrivals translated into a strong compound annual growth rate of 6.7% from 2007 to 2011. Economic activities and investments are spreading throughout the nation due to the tremendous potential that the vast country offers.

The concentration of Indonesia's international tourist arrivals still revolves between the nation's capital city Jakarta and the world-renowned destination of Bali. For year to date August 2012 figures, Indonesia registered 5,211,704 international tourist arrivals from its various entry ports, translating to an approximate 5% increase over the same period of 2011. Of this, Bali's Ngurah Airport saw 1,891,452 and International Airport of Jakarta registered 1,324,295 international tourist arrivals, forming 36.3% and 25.4% of total international arrivals respectively.

However, there have been growing interests in Indonesia's second and third tier markets, with many market players taking note of their massive potential. Stakeholders such as hotel operators, investors, developers and the government sectors are hovering about the new investments 'hot spots' of Indonesia. Economy to mid-scale hotel properties are the key target segments for many stakeholders' growth expansion plans in the coming years.

International hotel chains such as Accor and InterContinental Hotels Group; to Indonesia's domestic hotel group Aston International have indicated their intentions of strengthening the presence of their economy to mid-scale brands in such emerging markets.

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Driven by the expected continuous increase of commercial activities, regions like the Southern part of Sumatra, Southern part of Sulawesi Island and West of Java Island are seeing an increase of demand for hotel accommodation.

Furthermore, Indonesia's Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy had earmarked 16 core areas as priority destinations to be developed. For example, Lombok and the Rinjani volcano, Flores in East Nusatenggara, Bromo-Tengger-Semeru in East Java and Togean Islands in Central Sulawesi.

The various initiatives and investments are all executed to tap into the consistent growth of the industries of Indonesia, and also the demand for leisure activities from the booming middle-class population due to their increasing disposable income and wealth. As such, key developments and investments opportunities are expected in Indonesia for the coming years.

Sourced: 4hoteliers