29 January 2013.indd - Travel Daily Media

TRAVEL DAILY INDIA TRAVEL DAILY UK TRAVEL DAILY DAILY MIDDLE ME EAST SINGAPORE TRAVEL NEWS CRUISE NEWS UKwww.traveldailymedia.com/asia29 January 2013▶ P 2QUOTEQUOTEOF THE DAY“The Ministry“The of Transport UK it is of anAfghanistanimportant totally rejects marketthesefor allegationsus as it is andrequests the USthenumber embassy one and sourceUSmilitary to submitconcrete of tourists evidence.” fromEurope”OF THE DAYDr DaoudAli Najafi,Afghanistan’sMarie Minister Tan, regionalofdirector Transport for & EuropeCivilAviation, rejectsUS for Philippinesclaims thatKam Air is usingcivilian Tourism flights tosmuggle drugs.SilverNeedle plansboutique brandexpansionRiva Surya, BangkokSilverNeedle Hospitality hasannounced plans for a majorexpansion of its boutique hotel brand,the SilverNeedle Collection. Thebrand, which currently features threeproperties in Thailand and Laos,is expected to grow to at least 15properties by 2016. And on a recentvisit to Bangkok, SilverNeedle'sManaging Director & Group CEO,Iqbal Jumabhoy, said Thailandpresented significant opportunities forthe brand's expansion."Thailand especially is a keymarket for development and we areactively pursuing opportunities forhotels and resorts that are the rightfit for the SilverNeedle Collection,"Jumabhoy said.Currently the SilverNeedleCollection includes the 68-room RivaSurya in Bangkok, the 30-suite 137Pillars House in Chiang Mai and the24-room Kiridara Luang Prabang.And Jumabhoy said future additionsto the portfolio would encompass arange of styles, "from intimate retreatsembraced by nature to urban havensin the city". Click here for full story.Asia Pacific most open for visas – UNWTOAlmost half the world can access Asian countries with easy visas...Asia Pacific and the Americasare the most "open" regions interms of tourist visa requirements,a new UNWTO study has found.Based on a global evaluation ofvisa requirements, including theimplementation of visa-on-arrivaland eVisa policies, the UNWTOfound that an average 20% of theworld’s population does not requirea visa to visit an Asian destination,while 19% could obtain a visa-onarrivaland 7% an eVisa. In termsof the Americas, 31% do not needa visa, but only 8% can get visaon-arrivaland just 1% an eVisa.European destinations werefound to be the most prohibitive.Although 21% of the worldpopulation was not required avisa to enter Europe for tourismpurposes, only 6% were able toapply for a visa-on-arrival and noeVisa system was in place.“An overall restrictive visapolicy means lost opportunitiesAsia drives Le Méridien expansionNew hotel openings in theAsia Pacific region will drivethe expansion of Starwood's LeMéridien brand in 2013. Of thenine new Le Méridien hotelsopening worldwide over the next12 months, six will be in the AsiaPacific region, with two openingsin China, and others in Indonesia,India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.The expansion will commencethis week with the opening ofthe 118-room Le Méridien BaliJimbaran on 31 January. Then inMay 2013, the brand's first newChinese property, the 350-room LeMéridien Zhengzhou, will open inthe capital of Henan province.Le Méridien Zhengzhou will open in MayIn June, Le Méridien Saigonwill add 350 rooms in Ho Chi MinhCity, and a month later in July,the 300-room Le Méridien Dhakawill mark the brand's entry intoBangladesh. Finally in October2013, Le Méridien will launchtwo new Le Méridien properties;Le Méridien Jiaonan Resort,on the shores of the Yellow Seain Qingdao, and Le MéridienMahabaleshwar Resort & Spa,in the hills of the Indian state ofMaharashtra.Other new Le Méridienproperties will launch this year inAtlanta, Chicago and Cairo. Clickhere for full story.for economic growth and jobs,which tourism could bring todestinations. Travellers regardvisas as a formality which entailsa cost. This can be a deterrent totravel if costs - whether monetaryor indirect - including distance,wait times and service, exceed acertain threshold,” said UNWTOSecretary-General, Taleb Rifai.On a global level, only 18%of the world’s population werenot required a visa at all whentravelling for tourism in 2012. Onaverage from 63% of the world’spopulation were required to obtaina traditional visa before travelling,while a further 16% were able toapply for a visa-on-arrival. Only2% of the world's population wasallowed to apply for an eVisa.The UNWTO research doesshow however, considerableprogress over recent years,reducing the amount proportionof the world's population needingfrom 77% to 63% between2008 and 2012, with significantmovement over the last two years.Since 2010, 43 destinationschanged the visa process forcitizens of at least 20 countriesfrom ‘visa required’ to either ‘novisa required’, ‘visa-on-arrival’ or‘eVisa’. Click here for full story.Afghan airline deniesdrug smugglingAfghanistan-based Kam Air hasdismissed claims it is involvedin drug smuggling as “baseless”.A report in the Wall Street Journalrevealed that the US has stoppedissuing military contracts to KamAir, following allegations that ithas been using civilian fl ights tosmuggle opium to Tajikistan. In astrong-worded statement however,Kam Air said it “categoricallydenies any involvement in suchactivity” and urged the US toproduce evidence to back up theallegations. The Afghan Ministry ofTransport & Civil Aviation also saidit “totally rejects” the US claims.New airline tolaunch in TongaThe Pacifi c island nation of Tongawill soon have a new airline.Expected to launch on 4 March2013, Real Tonga is a domesticcarrier initially operating a fl eet oftwo 17-seat Harbin Y-12 aircraft. Italso has a nine-seat BN2 Islander,19-seat DHC6 Twin Otter and a 68-seat ATR72-500 aircraft available,which will be introduced whendemand for services picks up. Theairline will operate between Tonga'sfour main islands - Vava'u, Ha'apai,Tongatapu and Eua.follow us onAdvertise with TDA today! Email us at advertising@traveldailyasia.comEditor-in-Chief: Mark Elliott Managing Director & Editor: Gary Marshall 101A Upper Cross Street, #11-16 People’s Park Centre, Singapore, 058358