| Starwood is currently in talks with more than seven
partners for possible hotels in Malaysian cities such as Johor Bahru and
Penang. This includes rebranding of existing hotels and new hotel developments.
According to Peter Frawley, Regional Vice-President of Starwood Asia Pacific
Hotels and Resorts, the most popular Starwood brands in Asia Pacific include
the Four Points by Sheraton, Luxury Collection, Sheraton, Le Meridien and
Westin. At present, there are eight Starwood hotels in Malaysia and the
ninth hotel is expected to commence operations by 2010. All the Starwood
hotels in Malaysia, except the two Westin hotels are undergoing or will
undergo refurbishment. |
| The hotel industry in Singapore is currently enjoying
a good run with high occupancy and average room rates for the first half
of 2007. The latest report by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) indicated
that average room rates in May had recorded a historic high of approximately
US$126 while monthly average occupancy had recorded at 85% since April 2007.
Several hotels in the Marina area are expecting room rates to increase by
25% in the whole of 2007 and occupancy to average over 90% in the last quarter
of 2007. The Singapore Government has announced the release of several new
hotel sites for the development of boutique and mid-tier hotels in bid to
meet the growing lodging demand. |
| The Taiwanese government has announced its plans
to revitalize four urban areas located in the cities of Taipei, Keelung
and Kaohsiung in bid to resolve land utilisation issues and stem slowing
population growth. The plan, which includes a business and tourism development
to be built on a 7.6 hectare site near the Keelung Railway Station, is intended
to create huge business opportunities and sharpen Taiwan's international
competitiveness. This proposal comes after the selection of 50 other areas
in Taiwan for redevelopment, commencing at the end of 2007, which will produce
105,000 jobs and drive business opportunities worth approximately US$11.58
billion. |
| The dean of the tourism administration department
at Beijing International Studies University has revealed that the Chinese
government is likely to shorten its golden week holidays and declare public
holidays on dates of other traditional festivals by 2009. Speaking at a
forum in Xiamen, Fujian province, Zhang Hui revealed that the May Day and
the National Day holidays may be shortened, while only the Lunar New Year
golden week would be preserved. Traditional Chinese festivals like the Mid
Autumn Festival and the Lantern Festival may be chosen as public holidays
to make up for lost holidays. This comes in the light of feedback from domestic
tourism experts that the current volume of domestic travel during the holidays
is threatening many heritage sites and scenic spots and there are increasing
appeals to cancel the golden weeks. |
| Hotels in Sri Lanka are cutting prices in an attempt
to win back tourists in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami and continuing
civil conflict between the Tamil Tigers and the local government. According
to published figures, the number of British visitors to Sri Lanka fell from
38,420 during the first five months of 2006 to 34,021 in the same period
in 2007, while total tourist arrivals fell by 40% in May 2007 as compared
to the same month in 2006. Several three-star hotels had shut down due to
low occupancy while other hotels are reducing prices. Local tourism officials
have only issued travel advisories against the northern and north eastern
regions of the country and despite that, no foreigner has been affected
to date. Security has also been tightened in Colombo. This makes the country
a good time to visit with many bargains on offer. Operators and hoteliers
also hope that the planned visit of the England cricket team at the end
of 2007 may encourage tourists to return. |
| Australia's Tourism Forecasting Committee has indicated
that the country's inbound and domestic tourism would contribute approximately
US$85.9 billion a year, in real terms, into the national economy by 2016.
This increase, from US$72.1 billion in 2006, will be mainly driven by increased
Asian visitors as the aviation sector in Asia develops while the Australian
dollar is weakening. It is also forecasted that travellers coming to Australia
would spend US$30 billion a year in real terms by 2016, compared to US$18.9
billion in 2006. Domestic tourism is predicted to contribute US$55.8 billion
to the economy in 2016, an increase from US$53.2 billion in 2006. |
