| Featured in this Asia Pacific Hospitality Newsletter - Week Ending 09 April 2004 |
| Swiss-Belhotel International to manage hotel in Indonesia | Return to Headlines |
| Hong Kong-based Swiss-Belhotel International plans to add another hotel to its portfolio in Indonesia. The Rp150 billion (US$17.6 million) hotel will cover a land area of 3.5 hectare and will be located in Mumbul, Bali. The property, which will be named the Swiss-Belhotel Bay View, will be owned by PT Bali Bay View. The construction will begin in September 2004 and is expected to be completed by the end of June 2006. The property will be an apartment complex cum hotel, comprising 68 apartments, a total of 156 rooms and 43 villas. Each apartment will be sold for between US$120,000 and US$200,000 while the villas will be sold at between $180,000 and $470,000. In Indonesia, Swiss-Belhotel manages and operates five properties: the Hotel Ciputra in West Jakarta, Hotel Ciputra Semarang in Central Java, Swiss-Belhotel Borneo in Banjarmasin, South kalimantan, Swiss-Belhotel Bali Aga in Nusa Dua and Pat-Mase Residence in Jimbaran, both in Bali. | |
| Sanctuary Resorts to manage hotel in Thailand | Return to Headlines |
| Hong Kong’s Sanctuary Resorts announced the opening of the La Flora resort in Thailand on 7 April. The resort, located in Khao Lak beach, Phang Nga region, comprises 68 rooms and villas, 2 restaurants and Sanctuary Spa facilities. Additionally, Sanctuary Resorts is developing a 70-villa resort on Koh Racha, just 25 minutes away from Phuket. The resort is due to open at the end of May. | |
| Le Meridien H&R takes over management of Plaza Athenee Bangkok | Return to Headlines |
| Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts and TCC Property Management Company Limited have signed an agreement to manage the Hotel Plaza Athenee Bangkok, Thailand. The hotel is renamed the Plaza Athénée Bangkok, a Royal Méridien Hotel. The hotel, which is also a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, comprises 7 food & beverage outlets, 900 square metre ballroom and recreational facilities. | |
| Best Western adds three hotels in Australia | Return to Headlines |
| Best Western has added three hotel properties to its portfolio in Australia. Positioned in the five-star hotel segment, the Best Western Pinnacles Resort & Spa is located on the Airlie Beach, Queensland. Opening in June 2003, the resort comprises 29 apartments with 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms and each is equipped with its own spa. Furthermore, the 39-room Chancellor Inn Port Arthur and the 55-room Chancellor Inn Burnie in Tasmania have also joined the Best Western hotel chain. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong up 3.3% in February | Return to Headlines |
| According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, visitor arrivals to Hong Kong reached 1.45 million in February, an increase of 3.3% compared to 2003. Visitor arrivals from Europe, Africa & the Middle East saw a 17% growth in arrivals to 104,082. Visitor arrivals from mainland China increased 15.6% in February. Furthermore, market-wide hotel occupancy reached 81% during the same period. | |
| Visitor arrivals to Thailand down 13% in March | Return to Headlines |
| According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, visitor arrivals to Thailand reached 580,000 in March, a decline of 13% compared to the same period last year. The decline was mainly to be the result of the avian flu and unrest in the South. | |
| Tourism in Laos | Return to Headlines |
| According to National Tourism Authority of Laos (NTAL), visitor arrivals to the country reached 636,000 in 2003. This figure reflects that Laos has emerged as an attractive choice for international travelers. For 2004, 1 million visitor arrivals are expected to visit the country and generate as much as US$120 million in tourism revenue. The main feeder markets will include China and Asean countries. Furthermore, NTAL plans to extend the entry visa for Asean countries from the current three days to initially one week or 15 days. | |
| Singapore to add low-fare carrier | Return to Headlines |
| Australia's Qantas Airways and Singapore's Temasek Holdings have joined forces to set up a fourth low-fare carrier in Singapore after Valuair, Singapore Airline's Tiger Airways and Malaysia's AirAsia. The airline - likely to be named Jetstar Asia is scheduled to be in operations by end of this year. Qantas will invest S$50 million for a 49.9% stake in this S$100 million low cost carrier while Temasek will take 19% and two Singaporean businessmen will take 21.1% and 10% of the stake. | |
