More Trips from Singapore to Okinawa

Regional operators such as Silkair and Jetstar will begin 14 new charter flights between Singapore and Okinawa. The direct flights are expected to contribute to Okinawa’s growing tourism market, which is at the moment heavily reliant on Japanese domestic demand. From an international tourism angle Okinawa shows potential with its sub-tropical climate and pristine beaches but growth has been restricted due to the time and effort required to travel there, usually via other gateway cities in Japan. With the increase in demand to travel to Okinawa, more customised tour packages are also planned by Singaporean travel agencies.

EVEN & Element: Health & Wellness Brands

As keeping fit and healthy is becoming more of a lifestyle routine for many travellers, hotel groups such as Starwood Hotels and Resorts and InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) have developed health and wellness brands: Element and EVEN hotels to cater to this growing segment of travellers. McKenna Luke from HVS Dallas office highlighted that these wellness tourists spend about 150% more when they travel. It is reported that wellness tourism is to grow to a more than 675-billion market and at a much quicker pace than the rest of the global tourism industry.

W Hotels in Brisbane and Phuket by 2018

With 11 existing properties and 2 other recently signed on properties in Australia (as of 30th June 2014), W Hotel Brisbane (with 305 rooms) will be the 14th property by Starwood Hotels and Resorts to be open in the country. It is also one of the 15 hotels expected to open before 2019, for the brand in the Asia Pacific region. Another W property that is part of this pipeline includes W Retreat Phuket – Phang Nga Bay with 79 villas. This would be the fifth W Retreat by the hotel group following after W Retreat and Spa Goa which is expected to open in 2015. Both W Hotel Brisbane and W Retreat Phuket are expected to open in 2018.

CitizenM Sets Foot into Asia Pacific

With its Asia Pacific flagship set to open in Ximending, Taipei by end 2016, CitizenM expects to establish itself firmly in the region. Key gateway cities such Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok will be targeted to expand the brand further. Currently, CitizenM operates seven hotels in Europe and has six properties under development which encompasses of approximately 3,000 keys in total.

Accor’s Marketing Base Moves from Paris to Singapore

As tourism growth continues in Asia Pacific, particularly in the high end and luxury segments, Accor has announced that it will move its luxury and upscale marketing operations from Paris, France to Singapore. Customers from the Asia Pacific region account for almost half of their worldwide sales. Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure and Sebel are brands which cater to the specific market targeted in Asia. Reportedly Accor will open, on average one of such hotels in Asia Pacific every month for the next five years as there are currently 70 hotels undergoing development.

Indonesia Hotel Watch 2014 Highlights on Jakarta

Released on the 4th of September, the Indonesia Hotel Watch 2014 by HVS covers detailed tourism outlooks on several dynamic and emerging cities all over Indonesia. Featuring Jakarta as the first key market of the country, the publication highlights the robust city to expect a huge pipeline set up to 2018 across two- to five-star property levels. With a very developed and vibrant hotel industry in Jakarta, growth in demand over the past four-five years for the city was remarkable.

Absolute Share Price Performance, as at 12 September 2014