| Taipei Hotels Urged To Improve Service To Meet Influx Of Mainland China Tourists | Return to Headlines |
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In view of a likely influx of mainland China tourists to Taiwan upon the agreement between China and Taiwan to allow mainland China tourists to visit Taiwan by June 2008 and the launch of weekend direct cross-Taiwan Strait charter flights in July 2008, hoteliers in the city of Taipei are urged to improve their service to attract more guests. According to Taiwan's municipal Department of Information and Tourism, it is expected that around 140 hotels in Taipei will acquire the city's quality guarantee certificate by the end of 2008 upon completing seminars sponsored by the municipal department to assist the hotels to improve in areas such as fire fighting, hygiene, safety and effective management. |
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| South Korean Developers To Invest US$23 Million To Develop Resort Hotel In Subic, The Philippines | Return to Headlines |
| South Korea's MGfnd Subic, Inc and Subic Rexmier C&D Company Limited have signed an investment deal to develop an approximately US$23 million Rexmier Resort and Hotel in Subic, the Philippines. Located on a 25,000-square-metre land plot along Perimeter Road at the Subic Bay Gateway Park, the proposed hotel is expected to offer 170 condominium-hotel units and 43 hotel rooms, with facilities such as a 25-metre swimming pool, a spa, a restaurant bar, gift shops and an indoor golf driving range. The hotel is likely to target tourists from South Korea, the United States and Japan. According to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), the Rexmier Resort and Hotel is one of the development projects expected to commence at the Subic Bay Freeport in 2008. Other developers which have signed investment contracts to build condominiums, hotels, restaurants and other leisure projects include Subic Enerzone Corporation which is expected to invest US$10.4 million on a hotel and condominium project. | |
| Four More New Hotels To Open In Labuan, Malaysia | Return to Headlines |
| Four new hotels are expected to be constructed on Labuan Island, Malaysia, to alleviate the hotel room shortage on the island. These hotel developments include the construction of two three-star hotels, one of which would cost approximately US$8 million, and two other hotel development projects, namely the 192-room Labuan Times Square and the 200-room Lazenda Central. In addition, various development projects totalling approximately US$98.4 million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) are expected to accelerate development on the island. These include tourism development projects such as an international lawn bowl arena, futsal courts, a cultural waterfront, Siswazah Corner, Marina Awam and upgrading works on facilities such as community halls. | |
| Mid-Tier And Upscale Hotels Performing Best In Singapore | Return to Headlines |
| The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has classified the Singapore hotels into four classes, namely luxury hotels, upscale hotels, mid-tier hotels and economy hotels, and released figures on their performance for the first time in April 2008. Among the four classes, upscale hotels performed best in terms of growth in revenue per available room (RevPAR), recording a 27.9% increase in April 2008 compared to the same period last year, while mid-tier hotels fared best in average room rates, posting a 28.2% increase. Average room rate and hotel occupancy registered US$186 and 84%, respectively, in April 2008. The STB has confirmed it made the data available to facilitate business and investment decisions. | |
| Abundant Rooms Still Available For August Beijing Olympic Games | Return to Headlines |
| According to Beijing's Tourism Bureau, only 77% of Beijing's five-star hotels and 44% of four-star hotels have been booked for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the rate is lower for three-star and two-star hotels. Five hundred thousand foreign visitors and one million domestic tourists are expected to turn up for the event while there are a total of approximately 660,000 beds across the city. In addition, the Tourism Bureau is selecting between 600 and 1,000 homestay rooms for foreign visitors by mid-June 2008. The average price for a four-star hotel room during the Olympics is expected to be about US$320, three times the room rate of 2007, and that for a five-star hotel room is about US$521. | |
| India Looking To Visa On Arrival To Spur Tourism Growth | Return to Headlines |
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The India authorities are contemplating the implementation of visa on arrival at its major airports for visitors from friendly nations such as Singapore, Malaysia and major European countries, in an attempt to boost tourism growth. However, security concerns have to be addressed before its implementation. In addition, there are also plans to upgrade run-down and overcrowded airports to ease air travel and attract more tourists to the country. An estimated five million tourists visit India annually, generating approximately US$12 billion in earnings. |
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| Absolute Share Price Performance, as at 30 May 2008 |
