Tourism Asis Online

Vol. 08 | No: 4. April 2012

Top 8 Travel Destinations in China

Kenya Airways adds links in India

Top 8 Travel Destinations in China


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contents april

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India and Brazil are planning a number of ways to strengthen cooperation in various sectors of tourism. The visiting Tourism Min-ister of Brazil Mr Gastao Vieira who called on Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai here today said that Brazil is keen to exchange experience in destination man-agement and promotion with India. He said Brazil would also like to share with India its best practices in the area of Rural and Eco-tourism.

Travel Malaysia on a Budget

India, Brazil Plan Boost in Bilateral Tourism, Invest-mentsa

Tourism Asia | April 2012

More Chinese Mainland Tourists Get Nod to Visit Taiwan

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San Miguel buys 49-per cent stake in Philippine Airlines

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for everyone in KL

Saudi Arabia: Domestic Tourism Gradually Developing

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contents april

4 Tourism Asia | April 2012

Top 8 Travel Destinations in CHINA22

20 28 Travel and Tour World announced as the supporting media partner of WTM

Toll free travel during festival

TripAdvisor Introduces Travel Advicefrom 'Friend of a Friend'

Travel and Tour World – one of the leading online travel trade magazines in the world is now the supporting media partner of World Travel Market 2012 – the leading global event in the travel indus-try. The partnership was announced after an agreement was signed between the two entities.

TripAdvisor launched its "Friend of a Friend" feature that highlights trusted reviews and opin-ions from friends of Facebook friends. Represent-ing the next step in making travel planning more social for the TripAdvisor global community, travel-ers are now ten times more likely to see personal-ized travel advice on TripAdvisor.

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Kenya Airways adds links in India 26

Managing EditorGroup EditorExecutive EditorPhoto EditorArt EditorSenior CorrespondentSenior Sub EditorEditorial Team

MarketingLegal AdvisorFinancial Controller

From the editor’s desk

All communications to:Tourism AsiaGround Floor, ‘Tower House’, Convent RoadThiruvananthapuram, Kerala, IndiaPhone: +91 471 2470660, Fax: +91 471 2470660Email: [email protected]: www.tourismasiaonline.info

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Edited and Published by:Sreekumara Menon

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publisher. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010

soil and the sky of India.

India is the land of gods and diverse religions where lies the serenity of its heritage. India is dotted with pilgrimages. Great religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism have originated on the Indian soil. Over 80% of India's population practices Hinduism, the ancient indigenous religion of India which has a wide variety of forms and expressions. Muslims constitute about 10% of the Indian population. Other significant religious groups in India include Jains, and Christians. Buddhism is almost extinct in the land of its birth, but many exiled Tibetan Buddhists now make their home in India, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama. India's famed spirituality has made it a popular destination for spiritually-inclined travelers..

There are a number of Tour operators in the country that offer various pilgrimage tour packages to tourists. These operators also arrange for the stay, the food and other comforts for the pilgrimage. Any pilgrimage tour in India is sure to make you feel elated. These pilgrimage tours are sure to provide the tour-ists with peace and tranquility.

Pilgrimage tourism as a business has also become big in India in the recent times. There is no denying to the fact that Indians are religious and religion is a part of their life. The boom in the travel industry has helped tourists to visit these pilgrimage spots often. A lot of people from across different parts of the world are being attracted to India for its pilgrimage destina-tions.

V.Sreekumara MenonEditor & Publisher

[email protected]+91 9447798108

India is probably the ultimate destination of all kinds of pilgrims following any faith around the world. The great religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christi-anity and Sikhism are the integral part of Indian culture and heritage whose values and faiths are mingled with the air,

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: Sreekumara Menon

: Janeesh Jalaluddin

: Kriebel George

: Madhu Menon

: Dileep

: Subhash Ghosh

: Anish Kumar

: Anu S

: Viji V S

: Suresh Kumar S

: Adv. Preeja K S

: Abhilash S P

Representatives

: Vinod Chandana

: Gagan Sarangi

: S K Singh

: Shine G Nair

: Bhagvan Din Kumar

: Gagan Sarangi

: Balachandar

: Shinu

: Annie Chacko

: Cynthia Lim

: S K Singh

: Aneena Jacob

: Ajith Menon

: Prebuddha

: Tae

North IndiaEast IndiaWest IndiaBahrain BangaloreBhubaneshwarChennai DubaiNew DelhiPhilippinesPuneQatarSingaporeSrilanka Thailand

Tourism Asia | January 2012

India and Brazil are planning a number of ways to strengthen cooperation in various sectors of tourism. The visiting Tourism Minister of Brazil Mr Gastao Vieira who called on Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahai here today said that Brazil is keen to exchange experience in destina-tion management and promotion with India. He said Brazil would also like to share with India its best practices in the area of Rural and Eco-tourism. Both countries have agreed to explore the possibilities of promoting joint venture investment in the field of hotel industry and tourism infrastructure. Mr Sahai said that as hotels and tourism sector has been opened for foreign direct investment upto hundred percent on automatic route, Brazilian investment in tourism infrastruc-ture in India could be the major invest-ment in tourism. There was also a suggestion to organize a special programme wherein the HRD experts from India and Brazil can visit some of the Hotel Management and Tour-ism Institute in both the countries and interact with the teaching faculty through conferences and seminars. Mr Subodh Kant also suggested holding of BRICS tourism ministers conclave. A bilateral tourism cooperation agree-ment between India and Brazil was signed in January 2004. India and Brazil are also part of IBSA, a trilateral, developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South coopera


News & Views

tion and exchange. The 5th India Brazil Joint Commission was held in New Delhi on 12th December 2011. As per the proposed action plan under IBSA Agreement, India will organize a work-shop on rural tourism while Brazil will be holding a workshop on beach tourism. A workshop on rural tourism is supposed to be held this year subject to the confirma-tion of participation by Brazil and South Africa. The Ministry of Tourism for enhancing its reach to prospective tourists has proposed the appointment of an India Tourism Marketing Representative office in Brazil. An expression of interest (EoI) has been invited. The number of tourist arrivals from Brazil to India during the last few years was as follows: 2006: 9,148 2007: 10,7882008: 11,5302009: 13,9642010: 15,129In 2009, tourists from India to Brazil totalled 19,456. India Tourism Office New York looks after the tourism promotion aspects in Brazil. It conducts Road Shows/Workshops/ Seminar in various cities of Brazil and also partici-pates in Association of Brazilian Travel Agents, Trade Fair every year.

India, Brazil Plan Boost in Bilateral Tourism, Investments

News & Views

With oil prices at all time high Saudi Arabia’s domestic tourism is benefiting by getting a serious revamp and upgrade. The kingdom may not have the reputation of a popular tourist destina-tion, but it is definitely changing this perception. Job creation in the tourism industry is promoting more involvement of Saudis in their domestic travel trade. This has been in direct connection with the growing number of domestic tourists in Saudi Arabia. OpportunitiesVarious investors and government are currently pumping serious money into the infrastructure of domestic tourism. This is in anticipation of the expected growth in terms of revenue to be collected from the segment. In 2009, the revenue stood at around $16 billion and the expected growth for the year 2012 is likely to peak at something like $20 billion.

One of the examples is USD 8 billion that should be invested in the expansion and development of Dubai International Airport. Furthermore, international events like the 2022 World Cup have made the gulf country invest heavily in things like roads, hotels, infrastructure, stadiums and tourism related structures. Investors are upbeat about creating new hotels, apartments, and resorts to promote more tourism. In addition, the fact that tourism, both domestic and foreign, is injecting revenue into the GPD of the kingdom is another indicator that the industry is growing. For the year 2012, it is expected that the percentage will hit the 2.9% mark, up by 0.2% from the year 2009. Problems Despite the positive strides that this oil rich state has made in generating domestic tourism there are still some issues that hold this progress back. One of them is the lack of proper hotels and related infrastructure. Development is happening, but it is taking a rather slow pace. Modern day resorts, or better road infrastructure around the various destinations, are not complimenting availability of air travel. Another difficulty is represented by hotel staff and personnel. Saudi citizens have been complaining about the level of treatment they get from local hotel and tourism personnel. They do not feel that the quality of service has reached the very best, com-pared to other foreign destination places.The cost of traveling within the kingdom is still high compared to touring abroad. With added charges and extortion from local destinations, some Saudis view that traveling around their country is still very expensive.Despite all the above challenges, Saudi Arabia’s domestic tourism is expected to grow. With the government fully committed to increasing the number of domestic tourists, all industry players are earnestly looking at development and investment.

SAUDI ARABIA: DOMESTIC TOURISM GRADUALLY DEVELOPING

Tourism Asia | April 2012 10

News & Events

TRAVEL MALAYSIA ON A BUDGET

LankawiA jumping point between Malaysia and Thailand, this island is home to one of the biggest annual cycling races in Asia. Friendly locals, jagged mountain peaks and plenty of hiking, swimming and cycling options make it a place worth spending some time at. The entire island is duty-free, so the price of everyday things tends to be cheaper than anywhere else in Malaysia.

Tioman IslandThis jewel of an island has been named one of the best islands in the world by Time Magazine. Set off the east coast of the Malaysian peninsula, this island is reachable by boats from several cities on the coast such as Kuantan and Mersing. Cheap but high quality private beach houses, thriving biodiversity and wildlife and some of the best fresh seafood avail-able can be found here.

The southeast Asian country of Malaysia has been steadily growing as a top desti-nation for tourists from abroad. With the same laid back lifestyle as Thailand and great food and sights to see, there are still places which have not yet been flooded with package tourism.

For anyone searching for quality low cost holidays, Malaysia should be near the top of the list. Below are the top five destina-tions and activities in this beautiful coun-try: PenangA British colony in its past, this thriving city is set on an island off the coast of Malay-sia. A melting pot of cultures and cuisines, the old town area of Georgetown is burst-ing at the seams with culinary delights from all around Asia and the world. It’s cheap too, with large portions of flavorful dishes at restaurants for the same price as street vendors elsewhere. Lodging is inexpensive as well, with many family run hotels tucked away in small alleyways in the old town.

13Tourism Asia | April 2012

At Pulau Payar Marine Park you can swim with the fishes!for everyone in KL

Cross over to the village by the water taxi

News & Eventshistory with museums and tours readily available and fresh fruit from markets and street vendors, it is worth a visit. Kota Kinabalu is a great launching point to other budget destinations in Borneo as well, with Mount Kinabalu and the jungles of the Borneo rainforest close by. MelakaMalaysia's best destination for culture and history. Earning a place on the World Heritage Sites list by UNESCO in 2008, this

city is rich with architectural and cultural diversity. Temples, churches and mosques dot the quiet streets and are surrounded by colonial architecture. A true melting pot with a mixture of locals, Chinese and Indians, the city also features canals running and street vendors with the best cheap snacks you can imagine. With plenty of budget accommodations and cheap transportation, Melaka is truly a Malaysian paradise.


Perhaps the best reason to go to Tioman Island is the scuba diving though. Because of its relatively unknown status the prices have stayed low and the quality of the diving to be found here is comparable to the best spots in Thailand and Indonesia. Kota KinabaluThe biggest city on the island of Borneo, Kota Kinabalu is a budget traveler's para-dise. Affordable guesthouses with private rooms and ocean views, a rich cultural

Sea adventures at Pulau Redang

KUALA LUMPUR

KL by night

News & Events


Residents of ten additional Chinese mainland cities will be allowed to travel to Taiwan as independent tourists, according to a deal reached between organizations from both sides of the Strait on Sunday.Residents of Tianjin, Chongqing, Nan-jing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Chengdu will be allowed to visit Taiwan individually starting from April 28, according to a deal reached by the Chinese mainland’s Association for Tourism Exchanges Across the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s Taiwan Strait Tour-ism Association.The agreement also states that residents of Jinan, Xi’an, Fuzhou and Shenzhen will be permitted to visit individually before the end of the year. Previously, only residents from Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen were allowed to make individual trips. Under the new agreement, the quota for mainland individual tourists to Taiwan will be increased to 1,000 per day from the current 500.The new move was welcomed by indi-vidual businesses as a potential stimu-lus for the island’ s service and tourism sectors.Pai Chung-Ren, president of the Taiwan-based Certified Travel Council-lor Association, predicted that more young people will travel to the island because of their preference for travel-ing alone. “They have strong purchas-ing power and are generally well-educated. I believe they will have a greater understanding of Taiwan after traveling individually,” Pai said.

Mainland tourism companies have predicted a sharp increase for cross-Straits tourism. In Fujian, Taiwan’s near-est mainland province, tourism compa-nies have signed agreements with their Taiwanese counterparts to deepen industry exchanges and cooperation.In a bid to meet increasing demand, the Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou will open a regular flight to Hualien in east Taiwan, making for a total of four regu-lar flights between the two cities.Xu Peng, deputy director of the Tour-ism Bureau of East China’s Zhejiang province, said the local tourism indus-try is ready for a travel boom, with many agencies launching a variety of services targeted at individual travel-ers.

Wu Chin-feng, deputy director of the Taiwan Strait Tourism Association (TSTA)’s Beijing office, said the associa-tion will visit the newly approved cities soon to organize promotional activi-ties.He said individual tourists are expected to benefit Taiwan’s small- and medium-sized enterprises, adding that the island’s ability to accommodate and transport increased numbers of tourists has been improved.Lu Wan-ciuan, a jewelry dealer, said the impact of strengthened tourism will not be limited to financial gain, stating that mainland tourists will have an opportunity to cement people-to-people ties and promote mutual understanding.

More Chinese Mainland Tourists Get Nod to Visit Taiwan

News & Events

Lucio Tan will remain chairman and controlling shareholder of the Philip-pine flag carrier after the deal is concluded.

The sale comes after PAL's announce-ment over the weekend of a new Manila-Bali route that will operate twice weekly, starting April 28.

PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told : "We are also planning to open a route connecting Cebu to Darwin, Australia, which is only three hours away. It is definitely in the pipeline."

PAL received its fourth Airbus A320 last week, bringing its fleet to 37 planes. The carrier will acquire two more Boeing B777-300s by end-2012 and in 2013, respectively.

Meanwhile, SMC, which recently diver-sified into airport infrastructure devel-opment, is interested in investing in Clark International Airport.

Clark recently issued a PHP360 million tender for expansion of its existing passenger terminal, and is looking to construct a new budget terminal in anticipation of increased arrivals


San Miguel buys 49-per cent stake in Philippine Airlines SAN Miguel Corporation (SMC, one of the Philippines' largest conglomerates, has purchased a 49-per cent stake in Philippine Airlines (PAL) and its low-cost subsidiary Airphil Express for PHP21.5 billion (US$500 million).

In a joint statement to shareholders, PAL chairman Lucio Tan and SMC presi-dent & COO Ramon Ang said: "The new investment will allow the two airlines to strengthen operations and stay competitive with the implementa-tion of PAL and Airphil's fleet moderni-sation programme."


Thailand’s Highway Department general director, Wanchai Phaklak, said travellers will also be exempt from paying tolls on the Bangkok-Chon Buri motorway and the Bang Pa-in-Bang Phli outer ring road for seven days.“The aim is to lower costs for travellers who wish to visit their hometowns during the festival,” said Mr Wanchai.Mr Wanchai added that more service points would be opened and systems were in place to encourage safer driving. Meanwhile, the Expressway Authority of Thailand will also waive fees on three expressways – Burapa Withi (Bangkok-Chonburi), the elevated expressway south of Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Bang Phli – Suk Sawat Expressway, for five days, starting 0001 on 12 April to 2400, 16 April

BANGKOK: Motorway travel will be free during the Song-kran festival, from 1600 on 10 April to 2400 on 16 April, to encourage Thais travel up-country to visit friends and relatives.The concession applies to motorways 9 and 7 that skirt Bangkok and connect with highways to the North near

News & Views

Toll free travel during festival

Bang Pa-In and to the East in Chonburi linking resorts such as Pattaya and Rayong with Bangkok.

CAMBODIA

CHINA

HOLYLAND TOURS

HONG KONG

INDIA

JAPAN

KENYA

MACAU

MALAYSIA

MALDIVES

MAURITIUS

PHILIPPINES

SINGAPORE

SRI LANKA

THAILAND

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

UNITED KINGDOM

U.S.A

VIETNAM

COMBO TOURS

News & Views

China is one the world's top travel destinations. Orien-tal mysticism, exotic culture, historic tradition – all boils down to a state of wonderment that any traveler would want to unravel.


ShanghaiShanghai is among the top budget travel destinations of the world. It is one of China's key cities that give the best value for money. Recently, hotel rates had been slashed by around 47% with 5 star hotels averaging $197, down from previous rates of $300+. Shanghai is also the city where you find easy access to high speed trains that can take you to nearby historic destinations of Nanjing and Hangzhou. One of the famous landmarks of the city is the Bund, which was the seat of Shanghai's most powerful business enclaves in the in early 1900's

Xiahe and the Labrang Monastery (Gansu Province)This is the most holy Tibetan monastery outside of the Tibetan autonomous region. There is a maze of narrow streets, crisscross-ing and running counter of each other which can be confusing at times. The people though – Tibetan monks, pilgrims, tourists and residents – are generally friendly and easy to engage with. Visitors can experience the Tibetan culture while enjoying the chanting of monks and the various smells of incense filling the air.

Hua Shan (Shaanxi Province)

SanyaSanya in Hainan province is considered among one of the top honeymoon desti-nations of local travelers. The site boasts of clean, pristine beaches, sunny and balmy weather, and sunsets that are

city is replete with interesting architecture like the Big and Small Temples, and the Temple of Eight Immortals among others. The city’s biggest draw however is the army of terracotta warriors which was discovered in 1974. The warriors with distinct features, armaments and attires were buried in 210 BC with the first emperor of the Qin dynasty.

Xi'an Xi'an is China's ancient capital and the oldest city. It is home to ten dynasties including the Han and Tang dynasties. The

always a sight to behold. All the romantic elements engulf you in a breezy paradise while taking a stroll on moonlit nights.

TOP 8 TRAVEL DESTINATIONS IN CHINA

News & Views


If mountain climbing fascinates you, there can be no other place to be than Hua Shan. It is one of five Daoist mountains in China and based on reviews from mountaineers, this place is simply magical and exhilarating.

BeijingBeijing is one of the ancient capital cities and the center of China's socio, political and cultural heritage. Among the historic sites in Beijing are: the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Beijing Capital Museum, Great Wall, Ming Tomb and many others.

BeijingSilk Road Hong Kong

It is the ultimate destination that blends both oriental and European traditions – where east meets west. The place boasts of several attractions of its own. Myriad shop-ping can be done and the sceneries blend in the different cultures to an exotic mix that can only be found in the exotic city.

The Silk Road in China is a trade route with 2,000 year long history. It traverses from Xian to Central and West Asia. It has a length of more than 2,000 miles, with half of it within Chinese territory. Following the road offers stunning views and historical attrac-tions.


News & Views


KENYA Airways will commence four-weekly flights between Nairobi and New Delhi on May 15, with further plans to expand its reach in India to four other cities soon.

The airline currently operates 10 weekly Mumbai-Kenya flights.

Tasneem Sharafally, director, Mumbai-based Global Destinations said: “Kenya is becoming increasingly popular for family vacations. (Travellers) want (Kenya’s) safari and luxury outdoor accommoda-tion.”

Sharafally expects an increase in business for the summer holiday season, driven by additional connections to other African destinations via Nairobi.

Jennifer Opondo, head-marketing, Kenya Tourist Board, said: “Historically India and Kenya have had a good amount of trade

and visits, as there is a large Indian migrant population in Kenya. We are culturally familiar with each other. This makes for a good platform to increase Indian (arrivals) to our country.”

Kashmira Irani, director of Mumbai’s Maher Tours & Travels, noted that Indian leisure traffic to Kenya had been growing, “compared to Indians mainly visiting friends and relatives”.

“This is a healthy trend and a sign of good growth,” Irani said.India is Kenya’s largest Asian source market and the fifth largest worldwide. Kenya Tourist Board aims to grow Indian tourist arrivals from 58,986 in 2011 by 15 to 20 per cent in 2012. Most of the tour-ists and business travellers to Kenya are from the western Indian states of Maha-rashtra and Gujarat, followed by New Delhi in the north.

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About WTM

World Travel Market, the leading global event for the travel industry - is a vibrant must attend four-day business-to-business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and International travel professionals. It is a unique oppor-tunity for the whole global travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct busi-ness under one roof.

Travel and Tour World – one of the leading online travel trade magazines in the world is now the supporting media partner of World Travel Market 2012 – the leading global event in the travel industry. The partnership was announced after an agreement was signed between the two entities.

As per the agreement, Travel and Tour World will promote the grand event by providing advertisements, editorial support, online supports and lots more.

Travel and Tour World welcomes the agreement and wants to thank World Travel Market for their immense support.

News & Views

Travel and Tour World announced as the supporting media partner of WTM


About Travel and Tour World

Travel and Tour World, a travel trade media and an information platform, is an all-inclusive and far-reaching B2B travel magazine. It aspires to build a network of travel and tour professionals across the globe to mark its presence in this increas-ingly competitive market. In a very short span of time, our readership has augmented to 200,000 which include niche readers from travel and hospitality trade industry professionals like Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Destination Management Companies, MICE Planners and Luxury Planners.


News & Views

TripAdvisor launched its "Friend of a Friend" feature that highlights trusted reviews and opinions from friends of Facebook friends. Representing the next step in making travel planning more social for the TripAdvisor global commu-nity, travelers are now ten times more likely to see personalized travel advice on TripAdvisor.

"Travel advice from friends is incredibly useful, but your inner circle may not have all the answers on a particular hotel or destination you are researching," says Adam Medros, vice president of global product for TripAdvisor. "The Friend of a Friend feature increases the probability of an even greater personalized TripAdvisor experience by highlighting opinions from a larger network of travelers that know the people you trust."

Every day, Facebook-connected people

write one out of four reviews submitted

on TripAdvisor. Each of these travelers

has an average of 190 people in their

friend network. With access to friends of

friends, the average network can soar to

tens of thousands, making social travel

planning exponentially more useful.

When researching a hotel, restaurant, or

attraction, people will see their friends'

reviews first, followed by reviews of their

friends' friends. They can use the TripAd-

visor private message service to ask

anyone in this network for further advice.

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* * * *

TripAdvisor Introduces Travel Advicefrom 'Friend of a Friend'

As always, reviews from the greater

TripAdvisor community will also be

displayed below friends' reviews so

travelers can continue to benefit from the

wisdom of the crowds.

Travelers can adjust their privacy settings

within their Account Settings on Face-

book to limit what their Facebook friends

can see on TripAdvisor. Travelers who do

not want access to their friends' travel

advice, or don't want their friends to see

their own reviews, can opt out.

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