Viet Nam rolled out the red carpet for ATF Delegates

Under the ambitious theme ASEAN Tourism – Striving to a new height Viet Nam has successfully organised the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) in the capital Ha Noi on January 5 – 12, 2009 in order to promote the development of regional countries. ASEAN companies Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

Viet Nam tried to do its best to roll out the red carpet to all ATF delegates during the show, especially during the Travel Exchange (TRAVEX), which was held at the Viet Nam Exhibition Fair Centre during January 10 – 12. Some 1,641 registered delegates, including tourism ministers and heads of national tourism organizations, enjoyed the altogether 591 seller booths of tourism related services to meet with 455 buyers of travel products from around the world. Also, there were 68 international media delegates to cover the event accordingly.

It was up to H.E. Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam, to preside over the official opening ceremony of ATF2009 at the National Conference Centre on January 9 in the evening, including a spectacular cultural show. In the fore field of the opening ceremony, complimentary tours were offered to all ATF delegates.

The first stop was at the Ba Dinh Square to visit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Also visited were the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s House on stilts, where Uncle Ho lived from 1958-1969, and the 11th century One Pillar Pagoda, dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy.

The next stop were the old Temple of Literature, which illustrates the Confucian way of thought, and the centrally located Jade Mountain Temple at the Lake of the Restored Sword, dedicated to Tran Hung Dao, the most important hero and deity of the Vietnamese.

The final stop was made at a fine restaurant at the huge West Lake to enjoy a dinner of Vietnamese cuisine.

On January 8, there was a full day tour by bus to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay. The tour offered intimate views of life in the Red River Delta and a delicious sea food lunch on board the BHAYA luxury cruise ship. The highlight of the trip was the visit to Heavenly Palace Cave located on one of the 3,000 islands of Ha Long Bay. On the 160km long return way, we stopped at the stunning Hai Duong Art Centre to marvel at Vietnamese lacquer ware and marble furniture.

During the first three nights in Ha Noi, we had the privilege to stay at the newly opened Moevenpick Hotel Ha Noi. Conveniently located near the Ha Noi Railway Station, there are 154 well-equipped rooms and suites. Four multipurpose meeting rooms can accommodate up to 110 persons. The just opened Mangosteen all day dining restaurant is cosy and trendy, so that GM Knuth Kiefer is proud to offer his guests a warm and relaxed atmosphere. Located on the third floor, exercise equipment, massage and sauna facilities are available, while the lobby lounge features a wine cellar.

On January 9, we moved into the Thang Loi Hotel at the West Lake, one of the official hotels that the Viet Nam Host Committee has arranged for most of the media delegates.

At the packed Tourism Ministers Press Conference in the Daewoo Hotel on the same afternoon it was concluded, that ASEAN human resources development should be facilitated, youth and cruise tourism be promoted, and last not least, tourism integration be reached by 2011-2015.

At the ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) on January 10 in the morning, there were three outstanding presentations by:

Mr. Gregory A. Duffell, President and CEO of PATA, on ASEAN tourism during crisis

Mr. Mason Florence, Director of Mekong Tourism Co-ordinating Office, on destination branding

Mr. Baron Ah Moo, CEO of Indochina Hotels & Resorts, on coastal tourism development

Also, there was a signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding an USAID-sponsored project to enhance economic integration in the ASEAN region by encouraging tourists to visit multiple Southeast Asian destinations and to raise the profile of “Southeast Asia.” The campaign will promote Southeast Asia as a brand, co-branded by ASEAN, and build upon the previous “Visit ASEAN” campaign.

The eagerly awaited media briefings of Viet Nam, Singapore and Myanmar happened next, while Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Cambodia and Thailand followed on January 11.

Also, there was a special media briefing by “Mekong” and Brunei in the morning of January 12.

It will be in Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam that the next ATF will be organised during January 21-28, 2010 under the theme “The Heart of Green” – 10 destinations, one conservation vision.

Finally, H.E. Mr. Tran Chien Thang, Vice-Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam and Chairman of the Organising Committee, presided over the closing ceremony of ATF 2009 at the Daewoo Hotel in the evening.

Most of the delegates of ATF2009 left Ha Noi on January 13, exhausted by the many lunches, dinner parties and late-night functions, but some of the hosted buyers and media joined one of the offered post-forum tours. We opted to join the trip through Viet Nam offered by Mandarin Media to Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City.

We left Vietnam, having enjoyed the Hidden Charm of Viet Nam to the fullest.
Text & Photos By: Reinhard Hohler & Mohan Gunti

International tourism challenged by deteriorating world economy

In 2008, international tourist arrivals reached 924 million, up 16 million over 2007, representing a growth of 2 percent. Tourism demand slowed significantly through the year under the influence of an extremely volatile world economy (financial crisis, commodity and oil price rises, sharp exchange rate fluctuations), undermining both consumer and business confidence and resulting in the current global economic recession. The second half of 2008 saw growth come to a standstill with the number of international arrivals declining slightly -­ a trend which is expected to continue in 2009.

Weakening overall demand
The overall 2 percent growth in international tourism for 2008 builds on the strong results of the first part of the year before the collapse of the financial markets. The second half of the year showed an abrupt shift in trend with international tourist arrivals flat or showing negative growth in each of the last six months of 2008. Overall, the 5 percent growth between January and June gave way to a 1 percent decline in the second half of the year. Though certainly not immune to the economic woes, tourism has initially resisted the economic downturn better than other economic sectors, such as construction, real estate, or car manufacturing.

As the current troubled economic scenario is expected to continue well into
2009 and probably beyond, UNWTO's initial forecast for this year is for an even more modest performance. According to the January 2009 issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism is expected to stagnate or even decline slightly during the year. But, there is still a high degree of uncertainty and much will depend on the evolving economic conditions. If the economy starts to show signs of an earlier recovery, international tourism might grow slightly in 2009, but if the economy deteriorates further, then the current forecast might be revised downwards.

Given the global uncertainty and with economic forecasts experiencing continued downward revisions, UNWTO will closely monitor developments to provide the most accurate analysis possible.

Mixed results by region in 2008
For the year as a whole, all regions were positive except Europe, which suffered a stagnation in arrivals. The best performances were registered in the Middle East (+11 percent), Africa (+5 percent) and the Americas (+4 percent) ­- in the case of the Americas, due to the strength of traffic to the USA up to August and the favorable performance of most Central and Southern American destinations.

Growth was negative in the last six months of 2008 in both Europe (-3 percent) and Asia (-3 percent). The drop is even more significant in Asia given its double digit growth in 2007 and strong showing in the first part of 2008 (+6 percent). On the other hand, the Americas (+1 percent), Africa (+4 percent), and the Middle East (+5 percent) still posted positive results in the second half of the year, although with a significant slowdown compared with the period between January and June.

Despite the general deceleration, in 2008 several destinations around the world showed very positive results in all world regions - notably Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Uruguay, the Republic of Korea, Macao (China), Indonesia, India, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey.

These results reflect international tourist arrivals only, for which comprehensive data is currently available. For domestic tourism, which is highly important for many destinations, UNWTO expects that it will show a more or less similar slowing trend. Results for international tourism receipts will be presented in a later stage. However, the experience of past years suggests that the growth of receipts tends to follow fairly closely that of arrivals.

2009 Outlook linked to global economic performance
The slowdown in advanced economies, which are facing a contraction in gross domestic product for the first time since World War II, is already spreading to major emerging markets such as China, India, and Brazil.

UNWTO expects 2009 international tourism to be in the range of 0 percent to a 2 percent decline. Along with the Americas, Europe will be the most affected region in terms of overall tourism results, as most of its source markets are already in, or entering into, recession. In Asia and the Pacific, results are expected to be positive, although growth will continue to be much slower compared with the region¹s performance in recent years; the same applies to Africa and the Middle East.

Notwithstanding this assessment, UNWTO highlights the fact that the softening of international tourism growth follows four historically strong
years:

- +7 percent a year on average between 2004 and 2007, or well above the 4 percent long-term trend;

- 2008, with an increase of 2 percent based on a strong first half performance.

UNWTO's response
History proves that crises can also provide opportunity, because they call for substantial efforts and industry solidarity. Moreover, if short-term crisis actions can be aligned with the continuing longer-term global poverty and climate needs, the overall industry structure may actually be strengthened.

Against this background, UNWTO is increasing its response efforts to provide the sector, and its members in particular, with the necessary support to help them endure these challenging times.

UNWTO will focus on three interrelated initiatives:

- Supporting the sector's immediate response through its recently-established Tourism Resilience Committee to strengthen market intelligence and best practice sharing.

- Advocating tourism's priority inclusion in general economic stimulation measures.

- Advancing tourism in the new green economy as a sector that can deliver on smart growth, intelligent infrastructure, and clean energy jobs.

Their message will continue to be that this is a highly-resilient sector that will return to strong growth when the overall economic crisis abates and one that can contribute more than others to poverty alleviation, climate response, and a green new deal.

Download the full version of the barometer at www.unwto.org/UNWTOBarometer09.pdf . Please enter the password: prensa.

An excerpt of the January issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer is available for download at unwto.org/facts/eng/barometer.htm .

Assistant Secretary General & Spokesperson: Geoffrey Lipman Media Officer: Marcelo Risi T: +34 91-567-8178 /8100 F: +34 91-567-8218 E: comm@UNWTO.org W: www.unwto.org/index.php
Source: UNWTO

UNWTO calls on tourism leaders to join the green economy

NEW YORK, USA / MADRID, Spain - Despite the evolving global recession, there is a real opportunity if world leaders succeed in aligning short-term response to the economic meltdown; medium-term response to the development agenda; and long-term response to the climate imperative. The need for global stimulus should be linked with the transformational potential of a green economy. Tourism can reliably boost the economy in the short to medium term without loosing sight of long-term commitments to the sustainable development agenda. This was the main message delivered by UNWTO assistant secretary-general Geoffrey Lipman, addressing the European Travel Commission's Transatlantic Conference.

A new climate deal is expected to be reached at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of this year. The fundamental intention is to drop green house gas emissions to levels where global warming is tolerable, with clean-energy, focused consumption and production patterns, and with responsibility and benefits shared equitably by all states.

Achieving this will require a whole range of credible policy decisions and concrete measures. These range from country and company carbon targets, cap and trade auctions to intelligent bio-fuel and renewables support, efficient building, smart grid and hybrid vehicle investment, as well as green technology funds, taxes, and fiscal incentives.

UNWTO assistant secretary-general Geoffrey Lipman stressed that, “Tourism has only scratched the surface of our clean, green potential - now it's time to mainstream it," and called on the tourism sector to:

- Get squarely behind the Green New Deal - in industry structures and operations.

- Build the quadruple bottom line into all policies and programs. Adding climate to economic, social, and environment fundamentals in the sustainability equation. This is to be underpinned with a massive ICT expansion and public/private sector collaboration to enhance efficiency.

- Account properly for our impacts ­linking tourism satellite accounting with mainstream green economic and carbon impact measurement.

- Promote our commitment with key audiences. With policymakers - shaping the transformation, putting together short-term, economic-stimulus packages and long-term, development-support funds for climate adaptation, trade strengthening, and technology transfer. And with consumers, suppliers, and destinations linked in the tourism chain.

- Replace talk and lofty statements with action. What we need is committed implementation starting NOW and evolving with the framework to be agreed in Copenhagen a year from now. While the decisions will be taken by states and the execution private sector focused, much of the international underpinning for change is being driven by the UN system, and we are working to ensure that tourism is properly positioned in that framework.

UNWTO's response efforts are being increased in order to provide members and the tourism sector with the necessary tools to be in the position to influence decision makers and to highlight tourism's undisputed potential to help to overcome the current situation.

Assistant Secretary General & Spokesperson: Geoffrey Lipman Media Officer: Marcelo Risi T: +34 91-567-8178 /8100 F: +34 91-567-8218 E: comm@UNWTO.org W: www.unwto.org/index.php

High wire thrills for India's heritage tourists

NEEMRANA, India — High above the tranquil lawns of a 15th-century hillside fort, a man flew through the air attached to a steel wire.

"There goes the British high commissioner," said one of the impressed spectators at the opening last week of India's first "zip wire" adventure venue.

Neemrana, 100 kilometres (60 miles) south of New Delhi, is one of several magnificent forts and palaces in Rajasthan that have been converted into luxury hotels over the past 15 years to offer tourists a taste of history and romance.

Now it has added a new twist to the country's popular "heritage trail" by giving visitors the chance to be strapped into a harness and slide down cables that are suspended far above its battlements.

The exhilarating activity of "zip wiring" is well established in New Zealand, Europe and North America, but India has been slow to embrace the booming adventure tourism market.

"Sitting on a camel was about as much as tourists in India could expect before this," said Jonathan Walter, one of two Delhi-based British entrepreneurs behind the scheme.

"Zip wiring is extremely exciting and certainly gets the adrenaline pumping. Teenagers and their parents both get an extraordinary kick out of it."

The Neemrana course consists of five separate wires which carry participants over wooded valleys, cliffs and rivers in the hills above the fort before delivering them back to base -- just in time for a cocktail by the pool.

"This is a unique way to observe Rajasthan's landscape and architecture, as long as you dare to open your eyes," said Walter, 40, a former Gurkha army officer who has led mountaineering expeditions around the world.

"Zip wiring is also very low-impact on the local environment, which is crucial at a protected cultural site like Neemrana.

"The wires don't ruin the view, it is quiet and we haven't had to interfere with the fort's structure at all."

The whole course takes over two hours to complete once clients have hiked up to the start of first wire, been given safety guidance and then completed the various "zips".

The longest wire, at 390 metres (1,300 feet), has been labelled "Where Eagles Dare" and gives an stunning view of the fort set against the Aravalli hills and the plains below.

Much of the equipment and cables has been installed by specialist Swiss engineers, and a full-time team of eight instructors have been employed on site to guide groups and issue instructions.

"When I first heard about this plan, I was not entirely sure it would ever happen," said Richard Stagg, the 53-year-old British high commissioner (ambassador), before he flew down the wires last week.

"But here it is and it is fabulous. The project will be a great boost to tourism, which needs all the help it can get at the moment."

India's tourism industry is struggling as the global economic downturn worsens and after the Mumbai terror attacks, with some hotels in destinations such as Jaipur city -- two hours south of Neemrana -- reporting only 15 cent occupancy.

An opulent new sleeper train, the Royal Rajasthan, launched last month for wealthy foreigners, has already been shunted into the sidings due to a lack of bookings.

But Walter is certain that zip wiring is going to generate huge interest, and "Flying Fox" -- the company he co-founded to bring the adventure sport to India -- is already scouting for its next location.

"We're expecting a lot of Indian clients, as well as overseas tourists," he said. "The domestic market is still strong and every year India becomes an easier place to visit as roads and hotels are improving all the time."

source: afp

Asia braces for tough tourism year

Across Asia, hotels, airlines and tourism operators are bracing for another tough year as the financial crisis sees long-haul visitors remain at home, and regional travelers tighten purse-strings with shorter, budget trips.

Hong Kong, now one of Asia’s top tourist hubs with 29.5 million visitors last year, is predicting visitor arrivals to dip 1.6 percent in 2009, though a steeper drop of 9.2 percent is forecast for non-Chinese visitors.

“There’ll definitely be a drop in business, fewer tourists is a reality,” said Laurence Lai, the owner of photo galleries located in two of Hong Kong’s busiest tourist hotspots including the Star Ferry pier.

“I expect a 30-percent fall at least. I’m having to shift my strategies to confront this financial tsunami, but you just have to stand firm and face the winds,” added Lai, who relies on tourists for half his sales.

Asia’s blend of diverse cultures, geography, bargains and exoticism, with travel gems ranging from snowy Himalayan kingdoms to neon-lit capitals, crumbling Khmer ruins and powdery beaches - have made it one of the world’s fastest growing tourism regions in recent years, along with the Middle East.

But since the downturn intensified last year, travel markets spanning Asia have suffered sharp contractions, at times worsened by political turmoil, with many projecting negative growth in 2009.

Hong Kong, now one of Asia’s top tourist hubs with 29.5 million visitors last year, is predicting visitor arrivals to dip 1.6 percent in 2009, though a steeper drop of 9.2 percent is forecast for non-Chinese visitors.

Singapore’s tourist arrivals, meanwhile, fell 2 percent last year with more gloom expected, while Thailand and Malaysia both expect 9-percent drops in visitors this year.

Tighter budgets bite

The UN’s World Tourism Organization has described the Asia-Pacific region’s performance in 2008 as having “deteriorated most rapidly,” compared with the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, with tourism demand expected to be impacted further in the short to medium term.

The International Air Transport Association has warned that global airlines face their worst business crisis in 50 years with carriers facing possible collapse, revenues tumbling and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk.

IATA’S director-general said in December that some 300,000 jobs to 400,000 jobs were at risk among some 32 million or so people now employed around the world in air transport, travel and tourism sectors.

Despite the extremely fragile situation, the Pacific Asia Travel Association expects Asia, which lured around 280 million international arrivals in 2008, to bounce back and enjoy 4 percent to 5 percent average growth over the next three years.

“We are extremely cautious in our optimism, but we still believe it’ll be above the line over the next couple of years,” said John Koldowski, director of the Strategic Intelligence Centre for PATA.

But Koldowski said more budget-conscious travelers cutting back on lengths of stay and spending, could spell worse-than-expected pain for tourism-reliant businesses such as retailers, catering and hotels.

“While we’re saying the (arrivals) numbers may still show some growth, we’re very conscious of the fact that people are changing their habits and you can’t expect the same amount of revenue out there,” Koldowski added.

Hotel occupancy rates in the Asia Pacific region fell to 66.7 percent last November, versus 76.4 percent for the same period a year before, according to STR Global.

The UNWTO says it expects the decline in trip duration and spending to be “more pronounced” than the fall in arrivals.

James Standen, an American tourist is an example of this.

Snapping shots of Hong Kong’s cityscape with his wife on Victoria Peak, he said the tanking United States economy hadn’t put them off their 10-day trip to Asia, but they delayed coming till after the New Year to save on airfares.

“The economy hasn’t really bitten us … but it cost about half as much by coming later.”

Political risk

Political instability and shifting government policies have also exacerbated the strain on the tourism sector in countries such as Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

The week-long siege of Bangkok’s airports tarnished Thailand’s reputation as a tourist haven, and caused around a million foreign visitors to cancel or go elsewhere. The country’s central bank recently forecast tourist arrivals could fall 9 percent this year to 12.8 million, the worst year since 2005 after the tsunami disaster.

In India, 179 people, including scores of tourists, were killed in November’s Mumbai attacks, when gunmen targeted luxury hotels and other popular tourist spots in India’s financial capital.

The gloom has since spread to places such as Goa, one of the country’s top tourist draws where visitor arrivals plunged 25 percent during the peak season, according to officials in the tourism industry.

Source: Xinhua

Thailand is considering waiving visa fees for tourists

BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand is considering waiving visa fees for three months in a bid to revive its key tourism industry, which has been battered by political turmoil that culminated in the occupation of Bangkok's two airports late last year.

The measure, already approved by the government's economic ministers, will be proposed to the full Cabinet next week, Juthaporn Rerngronasa, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said Friday.

"We hope this will be one of many measures that will boost the tourism industry in Thailand amid the global slowdown and following the political crisis," Juthaporn said.

Residents of many neighboring and Western countries already enjoy visa-free entry privileges for short visits, but those planning longer stays must obtain visas in advance for a fee of at least $30 per entry.

source: ap

Earlier this week, Thailand's new government allocated 1 billion baht ($28.6 million) of its 115-billion-baht ($3.3 billion) fiscal stimulus package to rejuvenate the tourism industry, which accounts for about 5 percent of the country's economy.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who took office last month, earlier said the government will also consider discounts on aircraft landing fees.

Anti-government protests last year included the weeklong seizure of Bangkok's airports at the end of November, stranding more than 300,000 travelers.

The Bank of Thailand has estimated the country would lose 290 billion baht ($8.3 billion) as a result of the protests, which called for the ouster of the previous government led by allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They accused Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power.

The central bank forecast that tourist arrivals this year would drop by 8.8 percent from 12.8 million in 2008.

Deputy government spokesman Puttipong Punnakan said the Cabinet plans to discuss other measures as well, including a short-term reduction in interest rates and property tax for hotel operators, and a reduction of airport surcharges, as well as discounts on air tickets.

Minority groups in Cambodia get spotlight

According to media sources in Phnom Penh, the Center for Advanced Study (CAS) has announced a release of the first book about the history of ethnic minority groups in Cambodia.

The 664-page book examines the lifestyles and cultures of Cambodian residents of Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Laotian descent, as well as members of Muslim and other minority communities, CAS director Hun Sokhom was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

"We hope the book will help Khmer people better understand the traditions and cultures of each ethnic group," Hun Sokhun said, adding that he believed that widespread distribution of the book will reduce discrimination directed at minority groups.

The book is based on two separate studies carried out by Khmer and foreign experts - a three-month study by the United Nations in 1996, and a 12-month study in 2006, paid for by the Rockefeller Foundation, according to the newspaper.

Don't misbehave with foreign tourists: Aamir to tell people

New Delhi - Donning a new hat, actor Aamir Khan will now be seen asking countrymen not to misbehave with foreign tourists and deface monuments as part of the Tourism Ministry's social awareness campaign.

Aamir, will appear in TV commercials, national dailies and also on Internet as part of the domestic ad campaign of 'Atithi Devo Bhavah', Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee said.

The campaign consists of two TV commercials – one sensitising against misbehaviour with foreign tourists and the other against garbage and graffiti at tourist sites.

In the 60-second first commercial, the ‘Ghajini’ star, appointed brand ambassador of the ministry's 'Atithi Devo Bhavah' campaign, advocates friendly behaviour towards tourists saying it is a ‘matter of national honour’.

The second commercial, of 40 seconds duration, shows Khan asking people not to dump garbage and put up graffiti on monuments. The ad has been shot at the Kanheri caves in Mumbai.

The script of the advertisements have been written by Prasoon Joshi and directed by Rakeysh Mehra of ‘Rang De Basanti’ fame.

The ministry also launched an interactive website with Aamir seeking participation of visitors to stand up against misbehaviour with tourists and stop people from defacing the monuments and littering at tourist sites.

Posters will also be put up at various strategic points in cities to make the campaign a complete integrated programme which will eventually turn into a mass movement, said Banerjee.

Thailand Visitor Arrivals down by 20 per cent in 2008

Officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) did their best at the recent ASEAN Tourism Forum to convince participants that overseas visitor numbers were on the increase.

“Amazing Thailand is staging an amazing recovery,” said TAT deputy governor for marking communications, Juthaporn Rerngronasa.

The deputy director reported that tactical marketing campaigns mounted by the TAT and special offers made by hotels around the country were beginning to show results.

She did say, however, that international visitor arrivals in January so far have been 20 per cent below the same period last year. “It’s coming back, bit by bit,” the tourism official added.

The tourism authority will launch road shows around North Asia in February, in an attempt to boost tourism in markets that have been among the worst performing so far this year.

The most recent figures on the numbers of tourists handled by members of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA) show the largest decline in 10 years.

ATTA said that its members handling tourists arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in 2008 report a 17.03 per cent drop off in business - from 2,495,809 clients in 2007 to 2,070,666 in 2008.

In 2008, ATTA member companies saw a decrease of 425,143 arrivals over the previous year.

The decline in tourist arrivals began in August and then accelerated when anti-government demonstrators occupied and shut down Bangkok’s two main airports for 10 days at the end of November.

Tourism futures: A case for 3 dimensional thinking

The world is swallowing a dangerous cocktail of economic recession, financial malaise, credit crunch, stock market turmoil and crumbling business/consumer confidence. Corporations and countries are being bailed out. Warren Buffet, says he can’t predict the next six months except headlines will be nasty and severe but in 4 years time markets and the economy will be just dandy. Given Mr Buffet’s track record, I’ll defer to his wisdom and offer my take on key issues for tourism.

Current estimates of 2008/2009 performance of the sector, globally, regionally and nationally will be revised downwards for the next 6 months as rapidly worsening macroeconomic structures progressively unfold. And as business and consumer confidence follows suit. The situation will only change with coordinated widespread stimulus packages, a global trade deal and nationally coordinated initiatives to shore up failing structures and sectors - which will bite over time.

All markets will be affected – but not equally, as business and consumers cut back on budgets, postpone or cancel travel plans, go closer to home, trade down in price/quality options while reducing stay and spend. We will see major consolidation across the sector – transport, accommodation and related services. It will be vertical and horizontal. Job losses will be significant with bankruptcies, mergers and takeovers all too familiar. The big losers will be in the world’s poorest countries, where tourism is an economic lifeline and development imperative. We must advocate for their support now – not when it is too late.

Those equipped to take advantage – other than having deep pockets – will ruthlessly cut non-essential costs and reposition products/prices to feasible markets and reliable segments. They will protect vital resources, starting with the human ones and eliminate the unnecessary.

This is also the moment to plan “smart tourism” – clean: green: ethical and quality – no mat-ter where in the product range and use ICT and public/private partnership to extend operational and delivery capabilities. Skilfully done, it can reduce medium term costs while increasing customer appeal and satisfaction. For the UK Olympics or the African Soccer World Cup there will be special positioning and promotion challenges.

Lessons from UNWTO’s “Resilience” activity can help in tracking market shifts, identifying best practice and sharing information. As well as identifying tourism as a key player in the emerging New Green Economy.

In this context, it’s vital to position tourism as the logical sector to help economic stimulus – whether its employment support (because we create so many job) or infrastructure programs (because our payback across the economy is so pervasive and wide ranging). Particularly when financial mechanisms are considered – we will deliver on tax breaks and moratoria better than most industries and money spent on tourism promotion will provide massive export and investment returns.

It’s equally vital to stay on course with our development and climate action, because it’s right and because policymakers must do so. Tourism is critical for development as an export driver and job creator. It’s critical for climate, like all major socio-economic sectors and a key component of any green technology paradigm shift.

Today, any consideration of the future should be like three-dimensional chess, intensive actions in the hyper-dynamic 2008 economic game must strengthen the 2015 development game and the 2050 climate game. Such vision is not easy, faced with immediate crisis of this proportion. But when the upturn occurs, because economies ultimately correct and mobility is hardwired into the human gene - the big winners will be those who really understand the value of aligning short- and long-term decisions.

Geoffrey Lipman is currently the assistant secretary general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and is a professor at Victoria University and Christel DeHaan Institute.

India launches one more royal tourist train

Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, a regal train chugging across the land of maharajas in western India, Sunday started its maiden journey, with the government promising to launch similar services in more states.

"Many states have shown interest in this regard and I am going to take up the issue before the cabinet and also with the states that are keen on having luxury tourist trains," Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after flagging off the new train at the Safdarjung railway station here.

The luxury train is a joint venture by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and the Indian Railways.

It will provide an alternative to the Palace on Wheels, India's first luxury train, which is already booked till 2010.

The seven-day sojourn on the Royal Rajasthan train promises to be a heady mix of Rajasthan's pristine historic experience, said Soni.

With a carrying capacity of 82 people, the train will have 13 deluxe saloons and one super deluxe saloon, four service cars and two restaurant bars. A top-class spa and wi-fi facilities are also in the offing.

The itinerary of the train will be the same as the Palace on Wheels: it would leave Delhi and start on its week-long journey through Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Sawai Madhopur among other places before terminating the run at Delhi.

Due to technical difficulties, the train will not go to Bikaner this season though announced earlier.

The train was earlier expected to commence operations from October 2008

ATF 2009 - Media Updates - Thailand

THAILAND MEDIA BRIEFING BY MRS. JUTHAPORN RERNGRONASA
Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications
ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 (ATF 2009)
Sunday, 11 January 2009, 16.00 – 17.00 hrs.
Vietnam Exhibition Fair Centre Hall 6A, Hanoi, Vietnam

Xin Chào, Sawasdee-kha and good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

I am very honoured and delighted to welcome you all to Hanoi as well as to our press briefing today. Thank you all for being with us and for giving us an opportunity to update you with the latest developments of Thai tourism.

I would like to begin by extending my warmest congratulations to the people and the entire tourism industry of Hanoi and Vietnam for their excellent arrangements in hosting their first ever ASEAN Tourism Forum.

Having hosted this important event five times in the past, including the last one in 2008, we know how much work is involved. All the feedback we have received from the delegates and participants has been very positive. Clearly, this is a coming of age for the long-standing policy of the countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion to build strong tourism relations amongst themselves as well as the countries of ASEAN.

THAILAND-VIETNAM TRAVEL
It is also due to the policy that bilateral tourism flows between Vietnam and Thailand are growing strongly. The fact that we have a mutual visa waiver system is of course a major contributing factor. We opened the TAT office in Ho Chi Minh City to directly promote Thailand tourism in the Vietnamese market.

In each year, there is an increasing number of Vietnamese arrivals to Thailand. In 2007, Vietnamese arrivals to Thailand totaled 270,000 and during January – October 2008, Thailand received 240,000 Vietnamese tourists.

In turn, Thai visitor arrivals to Vietnam in January-October 2008 totalled 150,000. We are proud to be the largest single source of visitor arrivals to Vietnam from amongst the ASEAN countries, and we hope to see continued growth in these two-way flows in future, especially because of the significant contribution to intra-regional ASEAN travel.

ASEAN VISITORS ARRIVALS TO THAILAND IN 2008
In total, the ASEAN countries contribute to about one-fourth of our total visitor arrivals. International visitor arrivals to Thailand in January – July 2008 totalled 9.14 million of whom 2.3 million visitors were from ASEAN countries, or a market share of about 25 per cent. Malaysia topped the list with one million arrivals, followed by Singapore with 370,000 and Lao PDR with 350,000.

OUTLOOK FOR TOURISM TO THAILAND AFTER THE AIRPORT CLOSURE CRISIS
I know most of you would like to get an update of what happened in Thailand during the airport closure and how we have recovered from this unprecedented crisis. Today, we can confidently say that Amazing Thailand is making an Amazing Recovery and is back in business.

The closure of Thailand’s main gateway airport at Suvarnabhumi between 25 November to 3 December was a completely unforeseen and unpredictable event caused by a domestic political dispute. The entire Thai tourism industry was mobilised to help the tourists, which became a top priority.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), together with the entire private sector provided accommodation, transportation, and meals.
Some emergency flights were operated from other airports, and city terminals were established for tourists to undergo early check-in procedures. Once the all-clear was declared, the entire aviation industry moved expeditiously and urgently to get the airport open again and help visitors return home to their loved ones.

After the reopening of the airports, the recovery in visitor arrivals was almost instantaneous. This is clear proof of the high levels of confidence that visitors have in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Thai people and the Thai tourism industry.

Now a new Thai government has been formed. Furthermore, the new Minister of Tourism and Sports, His Excellency Mr. Chumpol Silpa-archa, has pledged immediately to expedite the recovery of tourism. He will work with other ministers to ensure the necessary funding and infrastructure support.

Recovery Plan
The industry’s three-point recovery plan for 2009 includes:

Emergency measures to restore visitor confidence, Policy measures to promote more domestic travel and international visitor arrivals, and Tactical marketing measures which include special campaigns, especially via online marketing.

Our campaigns will focus on major markets where we will work with industry partners to launch special packages, advertise in local media, promote the Amazing Value Card and Coupon, organize media trips to Thailand, encourage overseas Thai residents to visit Thailand, and bring back seminars and exhibitions.

One of the key areas is the recovery of the domestic market. In times of crisis, we have always found that the Thai people turnout big time to help their fellow citizens. We are boosting our public relations, marketing and promotional activities in the domestic market in order to help us tide over the projected shortfall in international visitors.

We are also working closely with the private sector to launch special packages in both the international and domestic markets, for example:

1. One Price All Destinations Package
   eg. 40 boutique hotels have offered 2,000 Baht nett from January - March, 2009. Moreover, the Banyan Tree in Bangkok and Phuket is promoting a special offer of the “Thailand Smiles Again Package”: Buy 1 Get 1 Free for 1,000 rooms or during 8-31 January, 2009.
   
   
2. Thailand Super Deal portal website:
   You can find Thailand’s best deal packages from hotels, tour operators, airlines, shopping centres, etc.
   Please check out: http://www.tourismthailand.org, and
   www.thailandsuperdeal.com.

We are also organising roadshows abroad and bringing media / travel agents fam trips, especially from major markets; such as, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

REVISED ARRIVAL PROJECTIONS
We are expecting that final figures for 2008 will show a total of 14.3 million arrivals, which will be about the same as 2007. Although arrivals are projected to improve in the first quarter of 2009, they will definitely be lower than arrivals in the first quarter of 2008. However, we project an improvement in the second quarter of 2009. We target the international visitor arrivals in 2009 are not less than 14 million, again depending on extra budget from the government, as well as, local, regional, and global situation.

THAILAND: BEST VALUE FOR MONEY UNDER THE CAMPAIGN “AMAZING THAILAND, AMAZING VALUE”
There are certain underlying strengths in the Thai tourism industry that supports our resilience. For example, Thailand remains the world’s best value-for-money brand, as announced on 11 November, 2008, by the 2008 Country Brand Index (CBI), the third consecutive year it has won this accolade.

The Brand Index hailed the Kingdom thus: “Famous for its authentic culture, spectacular beaches and noteworthy nightlife, Thailand is also one of the most affordable destinations in the world.” In addition, Bangkok has been voted by the Travel and Leisure Magazine and the CondeNast Traveler, US to be the “Best International Business City 2008”. From the Scandinavian market, Thailand has won the Grand Travel Award Norway 2009 that was announced on 6 January, 2009. We have also won numerous other awards.

This reputation comes about due to the continuing investments that are being made by the private sector across the board of improving the Thai tourism product. Here is a listing of some of the more prominent ones:

NEW PRODUCTS
DRAGON DESCENDANTS MUSEUM in Suphan Buri, only 1 hour from Bangkok by car. Founded to mark the 20th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between the People’s Republic of China and Kingdom of Thailand, the Museum is designed to present the history of Chinese civilization, using the dragon as a known sacred imaginary animal.

CHIANG MAI ZOO AQUARIUM
The newest marine aquarium in Thailand, which also claims to be the largest aquarium in South East Asia and boasts the world’s longest tunnel aquarium. It houses about 3,600 aquatic animals of 250 different species. The Aquarium is linked together by a 230 metres walkway.

SIRINDHORN MUSEUM AND PHU KUM KHAO DINOSAUR EXCAVATION SITE IN KALASIN
The archaeological museum's outstanding exhibits include life-sized skeletons of the many significant dinosaur species discovered in this area. This museum is situated in the scenic foothills of Phu Kum Khao, Kalasin province and is named after Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The mysterious walkways take visitors back in time to the beginnings of the Earth and how it was formed, as well as the evolution of living creatures; such as, dinosaurs and humans.

PATTAYA FLOATING MARKET (FOUR REGIONS OF FLOATING MARKET)
The Four Regions Floating Market is the latest attraction for tourists visiting Pattaya. Tourists are ferried by boats around the compound linked by a network of canals. There are performances of Thai classical dances native to the four regions of the country.

AKSRA HOON LAKORN LEK THEATRE
Situated in the King Power Complex, it has been promoted as a showcase of Thailand’s cultural and dramatic heritage, the Aksra Theatre presents performances of traditional of Thai puppetry.

SUVARNABHUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT RAIL LINK:
A rail link is under construction from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to downtown Bangkok. The service is expected to be ready by May 2009. The rail link will be 28.6 kilometres long and express journeys will take 15 minutes and commuter trips 27 minutes.

THAI – LAO RAILWAY SERVICE
For the first time, a rail service between Thailand and Lao PDR. (Nong Khai – Ban Thanaleng, Vientiane) is due to be officially open in the beginning of March 2009. The construction of the 5.3 kilometre rail line from Nong Khai province on the Mittraphap Bridge to Ban Thanaleng in Lao PDR will further enhance tourism and trade between the two countries.

NEW HOTELS OPENING IN 2008 AND 2009
One of the major indicators of the continued confidence of investors in Thailand is the huge increase in new and refurbished hotels, as well as hotel expansion in both 2008 and 2009. Our records show that a total of 50 new hotels opened nationwide in 2008.

46 new hotels are set to open this year (2009). All these hotels include both international and local hotel chains, such as,

Ritz Hotel, Best Western, Crown Plaza in Bangkok Jumeirah Phuket Private Island Resort, 65 pool villas, five-star Shangri-La Phuket Resort and Spa, 315 rooms, five-star The Regent Phuket Cape Panwa, 106 rooms, five-star Conrad Koh Samui Resort, 79 villas, five-star DusitD2 Samui, 60 pool villas, boutique Banyan Tree Koh Samui , 100 villas, five-star Anantara of the Minor Groups in Phang nga, five-star

They indicate an inflow of investment from all over the world, including the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

THAILAND TO BE A HUB OF CHARTER FLIGHTS
We are also fortunate to have a good mix of airline traffic. Although scheduled flights are of course the dominant source of traffic, we are also seeing strong growth in low-cost airlines and charter traffic.

According to the Airports of Thailand, total Low Cost Carrier (LCC) passenger traffic at all the international airports in Thailand has risen from 7.1 million in the fiscal year of 2005 to 12.8 million in the fiscal year of 2008, a far higher growth rate than passenger movements on the regular scheduled airlines.

The winter season is also the time when we get a lot of charter traffic.

To Phuket: During the October 2008 - March 2009 season, we will have a total of 43 charter flights to Phuket per week including the inaugural flight of XL direct Charter Airlines from Paris and Brussels that landed in Phuket in December 2008. This is in addition to the regular charters we have from Italy, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. New charters are also coming from St Petersburg in Russia and Kazakhstan.

To Surat Thani: TuiFly Nordic AB Charter flights have landed to Surat Thani from Helsinki since 5 December, 2008.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Many interesting upcoming events this year will continue to facilitate our recovery. For example:

• CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION on 26 January – 4 February, 2009:
  The official opening ceremony of the Chinese New Year festival in Chinatown will be held on 26 January, 2009. This year, we have received good cooperation from seven provinces of China from Guangxi, Hainan, Xuantong, Anhui, Beijing, Heilong Jiang, and Yunnan provinces to present their local cultural shows in Amazing Thailand.
  
  
• 14th ASEAN SUMMIT 2009:
  This historic summit will now be held in Hua Hin during 27 February – 1 March 2009. It will be the first since the signing of the new ASEAN charter and will fast-track integration across all sectors, including economic, social, and cultural, and especially transport and communications. In November 2008, ASEAN transport ministers signed three air agreements that will lead to the full liberalization of freight and other air services in the ASEAN region. A wider Free Trade Agreement will go a long way towards boosting trade and business contacts. For more information, take a look at http://www.14thaseansummit.org/.
  
  
• Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2009:
  With cooperation between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the tourism industry, Thailand has an honour to annually host the largest B2B event “Thailand Travel Mart Plus the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) during June 3-7, 2009. The website of the event is www.thailandtravelmartplus.com.
  
  
• AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF TRAVEL WRITERS:
  Up to 200 of Australia's leading travel writers will descend upon Thailand on 21-23 August, 2009 for their annual general meeting, expected to be the largest off-shore event for the association since its inception in 1975. It will include the group’s AGM for three days in Bangkok, and a series of six tours of up to seven days’ duration.

INTERNATIONAL SPORT EVENTS

• THE 3rd GOLF PGA ROYAL TROPHY: This took place this week from 9-11 January, 2009, at the exclusive Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok. Asia and Europe’s best golfers are participating in this tournament; such as, former British open champion Paul Lawrie, Joe Ozaki, Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng, along with Japanese teen sensation Ryo Ishikawa and South Korea's S.K. Ho.
  
  
• PATTAYA WOMEN’S OPEN (TENNIS) 2009: Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments in Thailand has announced that the Dusit Thani Pattaya will be the venue for the upgraded WTA tournament which will be held from 7-15 February, 2009. It carries prize money of a minimum of US$220,000.
  
  
• 1st ASIAN MARTIAL ART GAMES on 25 April – 3 May, 2009: The Olympic Council of Asia has selected Thailand to host the 1st Asian Martial Art Games 2009. This is an entirely new event that OCA will organise for the first time even though these martial arts have long been part of the sporting tradition; namely, Karatedo, Kickboxing, Muai, Wushu, Kung Fu, Pencak Silat, etc. amongst the 45 members of OCA. It has received the help and support of nine martial arts associations.
  
  
• 4th LAGUNA PHUKET INTERNATIONAL MARATHON: This will be run on 14 June, 2009, featuring a Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10 Kilometre Run, 5 Kilometre Walk and a 2 Kilometre Kids Run. Registration is now open.
  
  
• 3rd THAILAND INTERNATIONAL BALLON FESTIVAL 2009
  The 3rd Thailand International Balloon Festival, scheduled for December 2009, will be up, up and away with more than 60 hot-air balloons from countries from around the world including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Croatia and Malaysia.

BIG INTERNATIONAL CONCERTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• “SIMPLY RED THE GREATEST HITS LIVE” IN BANGKOK 2009:
  The concert will be held on 1 February, 2009, at the Impact Arena, Impact Muang Thong Thani. The British soul-pop band, Simply Red, has embarked on a massive Greatest Hits World tour and are coming to Bangkok, which will be a bonus for their fans.
  
  
• CHICAGO THE MUSICAL:
  The show will be held on 12-22 February, 2009, at the Muangthai Ratchadalai Theatre, Bangkok. CHICAGO has everything that makes Broadway great: a universal tale of fame, fortune and all that jazz; one show-stopping-song after another; and the most astonishing dancing you've ever seen.
  
  
• WONDER GIRLS LIVE IN BANGKOK 2009:
  The concert will be held on 28 February, 2009, at the National Stadium. The Wonder Girls are a famous South Korean girl group. The Wonder Girls held a fan meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in May 2008, attracting over 10,000 fans.
  
  
• ROD STEWART LIVE IN BANGKOK:
  The concert will be held in March 2009, Bangkok.

CONCLUSION
Distinguished media delegates,

In conclusion, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all of you for being here. Please convey the message to your readers and viewers that Amazing Thailand is making an Amazing Recovery and we are back in business. I will be happy to take a few questions before I sign off today. Please do join us this evening at the “Pattaya Thailand Night”, Horizon Hotel.

Thank you and sawasdee kha.

Growth in low-cost carrier passenger traffic within Asia Pacific

SINGAPORE - Airline companies have played an immense feat, juggling both the legacy and low-cost carrier segment with unwavering commitment in going through the test of times during the last seven years and especially through 2008. The year 2007 was a year of regaining profitability for the airline industry after the uphill struggle of cutting off redundant infrastructure and going through various mergers and acquisitions and recovering from the post 9/11 downturn in volume of passenger air traffic. The exponential surge in fuel price and present volatility in financial sectors have significantly affected the aerospace industry as a whole.

According to Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Consultant of Aerospace & Defense Practice Amartya De, the year 2008 alone saw the International Air Transport Association (IATA) terminate 26 carriers and is keeping watch on 10 - 15 other carriers.

"This watch is not concentrated on any particular part of the world, but rather, in many different pockets. The load factor has remained more or less close to 75 percent since the last 7 years, and there is not much one can do above this unless the existing capacities are significantly cut down," he said.

He added that North America has been the largest loser in 2008 with Europe and Asia Pacific making meager profits of a few hundred million dollars and the Middle East retaining a little respectable share by the close of 2008.

"Airline companies will be able to rationalize and offer efficient services with gradual freedom to operate in open skies if governments look to deregulation as a way to promote the industry as a whole. The previous drop of 50 percent in airline share prices might just reach their initial levels, post all the merger and infrastructure cutbacks by early 2009," he continued.

In terms of industry, Frost & Sullivan estimates that the year 2009 will have its share of global losses owing to the liquidity crunch in the airline industry but most of it will be taken off by the US market. Emerging economies in Asia Pacific will still see an increase in passenger traffic of the order of 5 - 7 percent.

"The prices of air tickets globally will have come down to initial levels by end of 2008. On a positive note, the Asia Pacific players will not face any loss for 2009 and might even be left with few cents in the pocket. The market will still see reasonable growth in Low Cost Carrier (LCC) passenger traffic within Asia Pacific and even in the long haul segment," De said.

Frost & Sullivan also estimates that there will be stronger growth in the economy class travel rather than in the long-haul business class travel mainly for Asia and intra-Europe. "The three sectors - namely Europe-Middle East, Middle East-Asia, and Asia-Europe - will continue to grow at about 7 percent CAGR in 2009," De continued.

He also added that despite the financial slowdown, there will be continuing demand for new and fuel-efficient narrow body aircrafts with around 1,800 new fuel-efficient aircraft deliveries for 2009 equally shared by Boeing/McD-D and Airbus, while on the other hand, airlines will continue to deal with volatility in foreign currencies and hedging strategies.

"The financial torrent is affecting the aircraft leasing sector more than ever before and these times of change are definitely going to lay the new foundations of this industry. Increasing cost-cutting measures and resource sharing are forging together new business models in the airline industry," he said.

According to De, "The distinction between Legacy and LCC becomes thinner and thinner, and eventually we will see fewer carriers with better service and a reasonable ticket prices."

source: etn

The 29th ASEAN Tourism Forum opens in Hanoi

HANOI - The 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Tourism Forum opened in Hanoi on Tuesday, with participants seeking solutions to boost tourism that was heavily hit by global economic downturn.

Tran Chien Thang, Vice Minister of Vietnamese Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry, said at the forum that global economic turmoil has reduced demand for traveling.

Thang called policy markers in ASEAN countries to map out favorable policies for tourism sectors to grow. He also suggested travel agencies to launch new products and services, like cruise tourism, to attract more customers.

Participants at the meeting discussed the establishment of ASEAN Tourism Investment Corridor, and plan to accredit regional selected hotels with the title of ASEAN Green Hotel.

With an aim to further lift the image of ASEAN tourism, participants agreed to carry out the ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) project in coordination with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Participants also agreed to strengthen regional cooperation to enhance competitiveness and deal with the challenges together.

ASEAN comprises ten countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The forum draws tourism ministers of ASEAN countries and representative of travel agencies, airlines and hotels from across the world.

Bruce Lee Hong Kong home to be saved as tourist site

HONG KONG - A philanthropic bid by a Hong Kong tycoon to preserve the one-time residence of kung fu legend Bruce Lee and transform it into a major tourist attraction honouring the film icon was approved Tuesday.

The green light comes after a long-running struggle by fans to save the 5,700 square-foot, two-storey town house from an inglorious fate as a seedy love motel in a leafy Kowloon suburb.

The fate of Lee's last home had hung in the balance for years, until its owner, real estate and hotel tycoon Yu Pang-lin, made a surprise decision last year to donate it to the city where the martial arts master first shot to fame.

"Both sides have now reached a consensus to go ahead and essentially proceed with this good plan," Yu told reporters after a meeting with government officials.

"I'm 88 years old now and hope that while I'm still alive I'll be able to see this Bruce Lee museum completed," he added.

Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said it agreed to preserve the "original outlook of the building and its features" with an aim to revitalize it for long-term sustainable operation as a tourism attraction.

Parts of the home will be recreated, including Lee's study and training hall stacked with martial arts weaponry and other paraphernalia of his discipline.

While further details have yet to be hammered out, Yu wants the site, which has served as a love motel with rooms rented out by the hour -- to include a library, martial arts centre and a cinema to fully commemorate Lee's life and philosophy.

government spokeswoman gave no time frame but hoped to get the project up and running as soon as possible.

Lee, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 aged 32, starred in such kung fu classics as "Fist of Fury," "Game of Death" and "Enter the Dragon."

Revered both by martial arts adherents and movie buffs the world over for popularizing the kung fu cinematic genre, Lee also helped usher in a golden age of Hong Kong film in the 1960s.

Before Yu's charitable gesture however, the government seemed reluctant to invest public money in a major site to commemorate the legacy of one of Hong Kong's most famous names.

While born in San Francisco, the brash though sinewy fighter was raised and made his name in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's Bruce Lee fan club welcomed the breakthrough, and expressed hopes the residence could prove as big a draw as other global memorial sites such as the Beatles Story in Liverpool and Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion in Tennessee.

Source: uk reuters

Tourism Arrivals in 2008 in Cambodia

Some 2.1 million tourists visited Cambodia last year, marking an 6.0 percent rise over 2007 but falling short of the government’s target of 2.3 million visitors, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Sunday, citing the global financial crisis and ongoing political turmoil in Thailand a major tourist gateway to Cambodia – as reasons for the slowdown. Still, he said the Kingdom’s arrival figures were likely to increase by at least 5.0 percent this year.

”We are targeting tourists from countries not [badly] affected by the economic downturn,” he told. Cambodia had hoped to see 2.3 million arrivals this year, Thong Khon said. He had said earlier that the Kingdom would try to attract more Chinese and East Asian visitors to offset the decline in tourists from Western countries.

Cambodia’s Kep, Sihanoukville and Pailin become new provinces

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni signed a royal decree on December 22 that will change the municipalities of Kep and Sihanoukville on the southern coast into provinces and re-demarcate the boundary between the provinces of Sihanoukville and Koh Kong accordingly.

Mr. Khieu Sopheak, Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, told that the changes were aimed at improving administrative efficiency and law and order. He added that the policy was in line with the government's existing de-centralization program that aims to upgrade the capacity and efficiency of local governments.

For the former beach resort town of Kep in the eastern part of the 443km-long coastline this new up-coming development will mean a lot. Being in the shadow of the old colonial port town of Kampot, Kep is located only some 25km away from Kampot and is reached on the way to the new border opening of Prek Chak/Xaxia into Ha Tien in Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta. It is becoming more and more popular these days because of its fresh seafood sold at the Crab Market and the nearby south sea escapes of Koh Tonsai or Rabbit Island as well as Koh Poa or Snake Island.

Actually, there is only one kilometer of sandy beach, which gets quite busy on weekends. With small boutique hotels and guesthouses, it is only a matter of time when Kep will return to its former glory that was before the Khmer Rouge totally destroyed the place during the murderous Pol Pot regime of 1975-1979. Around Kep, there are a lot of cattle farming and salt farming going on. Pepper plantations abound. Beautiful limestone-mountains dot the horizon with caves and intriguing pre-Angkorian sanctuaries.

From Kep, you can see the island of Phu Quoc, which is located some 60km off the Vietnamese coast, but less than 20km away from Kep. The colonial power of France had given this island to Viet Nam in 1949 to settle some border problems with Cambodia.

Passing the provincial town of Kampot, Tek Chhou River and Bokor Mountain, you will reach Sihanoukville, some 110km away, on the newly built Highway no. 33 via the market village of Veal Renh on Highway no. 4.

Sihanoukville was formerly known as Kampong Som until a deepwater port was built there in 1955. Since then, Sihanoukville developed steadily as a beach town until now. The latest attractions in town are the re-constructed Independence Hotel Boutique Resort & Spa, built in 1963 at the most beautiful spot of the whole area, and the newly arrived German-owned “Sun” 22mx7m luxury motor yacht, which comes with three decks plus sundeck on top, seven cosy cabins, bar and restaurant. There are regular overnight outings to Koh Rong Samloem or Koh Tang, including a co-operation with the Dive Shop Cambodia operators.

The best-featured restaurant on land is without doubt the Russian-owned Snake House, where eating around well-kept snakes and crocodiles is in order. Also, Cambodia’s first official motorbike club, Lone Brothers MC, opened in Sihanoukville recently.
Koh Kong is 222km by road from Sihanoukville at the western end of the coast and is the best province for Eco-tourism. In former times, there were four rivers to cross by ferries, but since the completion of Highway no. 48 the bus-ride takes only 4 hours - mostly along the wild Cardamom Mountains. As the gateway to the southern part of Cambodia, Koh Kong is just 12 km from the border opening of Cham Yeam/Hat Lek into Thailand’s Trat Province via the impressive new bridge across the Koh Kong River.

The sleepy town becomes more popular day by day and is the starting point to lush virginal rainforest, scenic waterfalls, lush mangroves and outlying islands. Boating is possible by contacting the German-run Neptune Guesthouse. Koh Kong Island has untouched sandy beaches and is still waiting to get developed in the future.

Interesting to note is that King Sihamoni has also signed the royal decree that the former Khmer Rouge-controlled and gem-infested Special Economic Zone of Pailin becomes a new Cambodian province. Thus, the re-demarcating of the provincial boundaries between Battambang and Pursat follows and will affect the northern part of Koh Kong accordingly. It seems that the tide of the impoverished Kingdom of Cambodia will turn to the better.

Tourism to Indonesia remains strong at year's end

Niether the financial crisis nor the Australian travel warning stopped tourists from spending Christmas and New Year in Bali, as the island once again broke its own record for highest number of visitors.

According to a report by the Christmas and New Year holidays' task force , as many as 133,705 tourists, both domestic and international, entered Bali via the Ngurah Rai International Airport between the 22 and 30 of Dec., an increase from 125,000 in the same period last year.

As many as 75,651 people passed through the domestic terminal, while 57,424 came on flights from overseas.

I Gede Ketut Astana, manager-in-duty at the airport, said the influx in tourists reached its peak on the 29th of Dec., when a total of 15,193 tourists, 8,479 of whom were domestic tourists and 6,714 were foreign tourists, arrived in the island.

"Apparently, despite the financial crisis, the numbers of foreign tourists remained high, especially from our main markets which are Japan, Korea, China and Australia," Astana said Wednesday.

Domestic airlines responded to the high demand by adding an average of four flights a day during this year end holiday season, Astana said. During non-holiday seasons, the airport manages about 54 domestic flights per day.

He said international airlines did not add any extra flights to their regular number of 40 per day.

He said he expected the mass departure of domestic tourists this coming Friday and international tourists on Saturday.

Head of the Bali Tourism Agency, I Gde Nurjaya, confirmed that Bali remained a sought-after holiday destination this new year, citing an average hotel occupancy rate of 68 percent throughout Bali.

"Specifically, the hotels in Kuta, Nusa Dua and Sanur have been quite full, with an occupancy rate of over 80 percent. Some hotels were even overbooked," he said.

He added that hotels in the northern and eastern areas of Bali, such as the Buleleng Regency and Karangasem Regency, however, were only about 60 percent occupied, which means that Bali's tourism industry has not managed to lure tourists away from the famous destinations in southern Bali, such as Kuta.

"So I would like to urge the tourism businesses again, especially travel agencies, to help spread out the distribution of tourists in Bali more evenly," he said.

"Because Bali is not just Kuta, Sanur or Nusa Dua. There are other interesting places they can find all throughout Bali."

Meanwhile, Kuta beach was very crowded on the days leading to New Year's Day.

Melinda, 28, a tourist from Surabaya, East Java, said she decided to visit Bali because it was perfect for vacationing.

"I love coming to Bali. There are beautiful places and all the souvenirs you can buy. Everything is here for you," she said.

When asked whether she was worried about the security of the island, she was not worried.

"I'm not afraid. I'm certain that Bali is a safe place to be," she said.

Source: jakarta post