Thursday, February 14, 2013
Burma opens 1st international lit fest amid new freedom of expression - Arts & Entertainment - CBC News
KUNA : Treasures from Kuwait''s famed al-Sabah Collection debut in Houston, Texas - Arts & Culture - 26/01/2013
Asia Week New York rallies Asian art collectors with an unprecedented array of museum-quality exhibitions
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tourists from SE Asia set to grow, says Deloitte Access Economics
TOURISM from Indonesia and Malaysia is expected to rapidly rise by 2015, while the number Australians holidaying overseas is showing signs of easing, a survey has found.
Deloitte Access Economics corporate finance director Lachlan Smirl said a cashed-up middle class in emerging economies throughout Asia is likely to have a flow-on-effect for the Australian tourism industry.
"Proximity is a major driver of travel patterns and Australia's proximity to Indonesia, coupled with the fact that it is well serviced by low cost carriers, is a key driver of the growth in inbound visitation from Indonesia," Mr Smirl said.
"Income growth is also an important driver of travel and on that front the outlook for Indonesia is also strong, with projected growth in real GDP (gross domestic product) of between 6 and 7 per cent over the next three years."
Visitor arrivals from India, China, and Indonesia are forecast to grow by about 7 per cent over the next three years, while Malaysians arrivals are expected to grow by 4.3 per cent.
The Deloitte's Tourism and Hotel Outlook for the third quarter of 2012 found that there was a spike in domestic trips in the March quarter, and that hotel room occupancy continued to trend at all-time highs.
"There is an increasing awareness that a number of capital cities are at breaking point and that, given current commercial conditions do not favour investment in hotel accommodation, measures will need to be taken to encourage and facilitate hotel investment," Mr Smirl said.
Finding an available hotel room on weeknights on the East Coast is likely to remain difficult, with occupancy rates expected to increase to 88 per cent in Sydney and to 84.6 per cent for Melbourne in 2015.
Perth continues to have the highest room occupancy in Australia largely as a result of the resource boom, trending at 86.2 per cent last quarter.
Tropical North Queensland is slowly recovering from the after effects of cyclones and flooding during a tumultuous 2011, but room occupancy rates are yet to reach their historical highs.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Asia Pacific airlines boosted by robust demand for leisure travel in July | TheMoodieReport.com
Asia Pacific airlines boosted by robust demand for leisure travel in July
Published: 29/08/12
Source: ©The Moodie Report
By Melody Ng, Asia Bureau Chief
ASIA PACIFIC. Asia Pacific airlines carried 18.5 million international passengers in July, +4.9% more than in the same month last year, boosted by robust leisure travel demand. These are preliminary traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA). Measured in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms, international passenger traffic grew by +3.2%, reflecting stronger growth on shorter regional routes. Offered seat capacity increased by +3.5%, resulting in an average international passenger load factor of 80.6% for the month, a marginal decline of 0.3 percentage points.
Commenting on the results, AAPA Director General Andrew Herdman said: “Asia Pacific airlines registered an impressive +8.1% increase in the number of international passengers carried during the first seven months of the year, with air travel demand holding up well despite signs of a general slowdown in global economic activity. However, international air cargo demand fell by -4.4% during the same period, reflecting continued weakness in key export markets.
“Airlines still face a very challenging operating environment, given the adverse impact of high oil prices and the uncertain global economic outlook,” Herdman concluded.
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Thailand scores high in Asia travel poll | Bangkok Post: news
- Published: 23/08/2012 at 10:09 AM
- Online news: Regional

Thai tourism destinations, airlines, airports, hotels and spa resorts scored high marks in the Best in Travel 2012 Poll announced by the popular website Smart Travel Asia 2012.
Altogether, a total of 61 Thai tourism industry products were listed in the poll rankings, some in the top ten and others in the top 25.
Altogether, a total of 61 Thai tourism industry products were listed in the poll rankings, some in the top ten and others in the top 25.
The list was led by Phuket, which was ranked the second-best holiday destination in Asia. Bangkok ranked 4th best city for business and fifth in the top ten holiday destinations in Asia. Ko Samui ranked the 10th best holiday destination in Asia.
Thai Airways International, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Samui Airport also fared well. An analysis of the poll results also indicated that the award-winning products were located nationwide, including Hua Hin and Chiang Rai.
Commented TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “We are proud to see so many of our destinations and products scoring highly in these rankings.
Thai Airways International, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Samui Airport also fared well. An analysis of the poll results also indicated that the award-winning products were located nationwide, including Hua Hin and Chiang Rai.
Commented TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “We are proud to see so many of our destinations and products scoring highly in these rankings.
"It clearly shows that the determined effort made by our entire industry to upgrade quality is paying off and getting global recognition.”
Announcing the awards, Smart Travel Asia’s Editor-Publisher Vijay Verghese said, “This year (2012) marks the eighth year of our online poll to discern travel preferences among our affluent frequent traveller readers who take over 16 air trips a year.
“The focus of the Best in Travel Poll is to determine which travel brands are sought after and why. The three-month exercise from May to July each year offers insights for our own editorial direction and generates useful comparative research data for hotels and airlines.”
Mr. Verghese said that one interesting finding this year is that affluent travellers by and large first seek trusted brand evaluations online (rather than price), but often fail to find this due to the blizzard of booking engines and sales sites that tend to dominate search results. “Readers clearly state that they will first evaluate a brand before booking it,” he said.
“Another point to emerge is that while affluent travellers make travel decisions online, they do not commonly book online. They go offline to talk to a human being in order to ask questions and personalise the purchase.
Announcing the awards, Smart Travel Asia’s Editor-Publisher Vijay Verghese said, “This year (2012) marks the eighth year of our online poll to discern travel preferences among our affluent frequent traveller readers who take over 16 air trips a year.
“The focus of the Best in Travel Poll is to determine which travel brands are sought after and why. The three-month exercise from May to July each year offers insights for our own editorial direction and generates useful comparative research data for hotels and airlines.”
Mr. Verghese said that one interesting finding this year is that affluent travellers by and large first seek trusted brand evaluations online (rather than price), but often fail to find this due to the blizzard of booking engines and sales sites that tend to dominate search results. “Readers clearly state that they will first evaluate a brand before booking it,” he said.
“Another point to emerge is that while affluent travellers make travel decisions online, they do not commonly book online. They go offline to talk to a human being in order to ask questions and personalise the purchase.
"Business travellers in particular are averse to online bookings as travel circumstances change rapidly and unpredictably. They tend to use their own trusted travel agents or will talk to sales persons at a hotel of their choice.
"In other words, tracking ‘conversions’ often fails with this elite audience.”
Approximately 70 percent of the voters were based in Asia (largely Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and the Middle East), 15 percent in UK/Europe and 15 percent in USA and North America.
Approximately 70 percent of the voters were based in Asia (largely Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and the Middle East), 15 percent in UK/Europe and 15 percent in USA and North America.
They recorded an average of 16.22 air trips (up from 15.75) over the past 12 months and earned US$162,134 in household income (up modestly from US$156,716 in 2011).
There was no charge for nomination or any hidden fee. Readers were free to vote for any of thousands of travel products in Asia from Japan to the Middle East.
Here is a listing of all the Thai destinations and products that won awards:
There was no charge for nomination or any hidden fee. Readers were free to vote for any of thousands of travel products in Asia from Japan to the Middle East.
Here is a listing of all the Thai destinations and products that won awards:
Top 10 Holiday Destinations (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
2 | Phuket | 2 |
3 | Bangkok | 10 |
10 | Ko Samui | 9 |
Top 10 Cities for Business (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
4 | Bangkok | 10 |
Top 10 Airlines (worldwide)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
4 | Thai Airways International | 4 |
Top 10 Airlines, Business Class (worldwide)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
6 | Thai Airways International | 6 |
Top 10 Airlines, Cabin Service (worldwide)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
3 | Thai Airways International | 2 |
6 | BangkokAirways | 7 |
Top 10 Budget Airlines (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
10 | Nok Air | 9 |
Top 10 Airports (worldwide)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
6 | SuvarnabhumiAirport | 5 |
10 | SamuiAirport | 9 |
Top 25 Business Hotels (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
8 | Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok | 9 |
14 | SheratonGrande Sukhumvit, Bangkok | 12 |
15 | InterContinental Bangkok | 19 |
16 | Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok | 17 |
19 | ConradBangkok | 14 |
23 | Centara Grand at CentralWorld, Bangkok | 19 |
25 | DusitThaniBangkok | 25 |
25 | JWMarriottHotel Bangkok | 23 |
Top 25 Conference Hotels (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
10 | Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok | 13 |
11 | InterContinental Bangkok | 15 |
14 | Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok | 16 |
16 | SheratonGrande Sukhumvit, Bangkok | 14 |
17 | AngsanaLaguna Phuket | - |
22 | ConradBangkok | 15 |
24 | Centara Grand At CentralWorld, Bangkok | 20 |
25 | DusitThaniBangkok | 22 |
25 | JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa | |
25 | Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok | 25 |
Top 25 Spa Hotels & Resorts (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
4 | Banyan Tree Phuket | 5 |
5 | Amanpuri, Phuket | 4 |
8 | Six Senses Samui – A Sala Property | 9 |
10 | The Peninsula, Bangkok | 11 |
11 | JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa | 9 |
11 | Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok | 15 |
12 | Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai | 16 |
12 | CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Hua Hin | 13 |
13 | Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai | 23 |
18 | CentaraGrand BeachResort Samui | 16 |
18 | Chiva-Som, Hua Hin | 20 |
20 | AntaraHuaHin Resort & Spa | 22 |
21 | AngsanaLaguna Phuket | - |
22 | Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok | 25 |
24 | CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Krabi | 23 |
24 | Plaza Athenee Bangkok | 25 |
25 | AleentaPhuket– Phang Nga Resort & Spa | 25 |
25 | ConradBangkok | 19 |
Top 25 Leisure Hotels & Resorts (Asia)
2012 Rank | 2011 Rank | |
4 | AmanpuriPhuket | 4 |
7 | Twinpalms Phuket Resort | 8 |
12 | Banyan Tree Phuket | 17 |
13 | Mandarin Oriental Bangkok | 24 |
13 | SalaPhuketResort & Spa | 25 |
13 | The Chedi Chiang Mai | 16 |
14 | Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai | 18 |
15 | CentaraGrand BeachResort Samui | 16 |
17 | CentaraGrand BeachResort & Villas Hua Hin | 12 |
19 | JWMarriott PhuketResort & Spa | 18 |
24 | Indigo Pearl, Phuket | - |
25 | Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai | 23 |
25 | CentaraGrand Mirage BeachResort Pattaya | 21 |
25 | The Library, Ko Samui | 20 |
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