Marriott Joins Hands with SAMHI to Launch First Dual Branded Hotel in India

American hotel major Marriott International has launched its first ever integrated property in the country, housing its Courtyard and Fairfield brands, under its joint venture (JV) with SAMHI Hotels. The JV, called SAMHI JV Business Hotels, includes 33 percent stake held by Marriott International and the remaining 67 percent stake owned by SAMHI. Located in Bengaluru's IT hub of Outer Ring Road, the 366-room property has been built with a total investment of over INR300 crore. The 170-key Courtyard by Marriott and 166-unit Fairfield are jointly located on two acres of land, and are linked by one common floor.

China to See 137 Million Overseas Tourists in 2016

More than 137 million overseas tourists will visit China in 2016, a 2.5 percent increase from the previous year. This would be the second year of growth in inbound tourism after the country saw years of decline in foreign tourists since 2011. International tourism revenue in 2016 is expected to reach $121 billion, an increase by 6.5 percent. During the annual work meeting held earlier this January, China National Tourism Administration set its development goal of 2016. According to Li Shihong, Deputy Head of the Administration, second- and third-tier cities as well as small towns will play a leading role in attracting overseas tourists since they have unique culture symbols, beautiful landscape and have persevered history in their daily lives better than modern cities. “Besides, the high-speed railway network has connected small towns and also made them more accessible than before. It is a great timing for them to develop the inbound tourism industry”, added Li.

Singapore Set to Attract More Travelers from Myanmar

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) aims to attract more Myanmar travelers to visit Asia’s Lion City, recognising it as a rapidly emerging source market for Singapore. STB reported that in 2014 there were more than 112,000 visitors from Myanmar to Singapore, while the number of leisure visitors increased more than 50 percent over the last five years. Additionally, the average length of stay for Myanmar leisure travellers to Singapore was about eight to nine days, which is much higher as compared to the global average. Although, unlike several other ASEAN nations, Singapore has yet to agree to a visa waiver for Myanmar nationals, this impediment does not seem to pose a great concern for most Myanmar travelers. STB will continue to drive awareness about Singapore and showcase the destination to Myanmar nationals through active social media campaigns, festivals and travel promotions. Despite fewer arrivals in 2015, STB remains optimistic about Myanmar and expects the number of arrivals to pick up soon, given the strong historic trend and their coordinated marketing efforts.

Thai Smile Airways Connects Bangkok to Siem Reap

Thai Smile Airways, the regional airline and wholly owned subsidiary of Thai Airways, launched new flights to Siem Reap on 1st February, in a move welcomed by Cambodia to attract more tourists to the historic town. The airline will offer flights from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Siem Reap International Airport four times a week, on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, in order to encourage travel over the weekend. According to Natthawut Phothisaro, Thai  Ambassador to Cambodia, “This new flight path will help connect people to people on the 65th anniversary of Thai-Cambodian relations.” This is Thai Smile Airways’ – and parent company Thai Airways’ – first Siem Reap flight, and with this, they join Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia and Cambodia Angkor Air in the route popular for tourists to the home of Angkor Wat. Thai Smile Airways’ new route becomes the fourth international destination for the carrier after Changsha, Macau and Yangon. 

HICSA 2016: Gaining Momentum for Another Year of Excellence

HVS is pleased to announce the 12th edition of Hotel Investment Conference (HICSA), scheduled to be held on 5 and 6 April, 2016, at the JW Marriott Aerocity, New Delhi. Recognized as the one of the most premier industry events in the region, HICSA brings together more than 500 delegates each year, from over 20 countries. One of the key highlights at HICSA 2016 include a Keynote Address by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri Chandrababu Naidu, on the opening day of the conference. Other notable speakers at the conference include, David Berg, CEO, Carlson Hospitality Group; Jan Smits, CEO-AMEA, InterContinental Hotels Group; Jonathan Vanica, MD-Asian Special Situations Group, Goldman Sachs; Kapil Chopra, President, The Oberoi Group; Kavin C Bloomer, Executive Director, Morgan Stanley; Michael Issenberg, Chairman & CEO-APAC, AccorHotels; Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Limited; Peter Fulton, Group President-EAME & SW Asia, Hyatt Hotels Corporation; Rajeev Menon, COO-APAC (excluding Greater China), Marriott International; Ratnesh Verma, President & MD, Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants International, and Thorsten Kirschke, President-APAC, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, to name a few.
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