Saturday, November 12, 2011

Asia travel news

Asia travel news

AirAsia’s online booking services to be unavailable this weekend

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 08:26 PM PST

New Krabi Spa Cenvaree

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 08:08 PM PST

Ha Long Bay elected to be one of New7Wonders of Nature

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 07:53 PM PST

Qantas adds HK to A380 network

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 07:45 PM PST

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AUSTRALIA-Increasing capacity between China and Australia, Qantas has released plans to expands its A380 network into Hong Kong.

Subject to regulatory approval, the jumbo-jet will commence services into Hong Kong from 15 January next year and operate between the city and Sydney.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said Hong Kong was a key market in both business and leisure for the carrier.

Once launched onto the route, the aircraft will fly between Hong Kong and Sydney on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Planning to receive its eleventh and twelfth A380 later this year, the carrier said it will also add the jumbo jet onto flights between Melbourne and London via Singapore as well as its services between Melbourne and Los Angeles.

Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok launches travel trade promotion

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 07:22 PM PST

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THAILAND-The Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is inviting people working within the travel industry to take advantage of a special savings of 50% off Hyatt’s daily rate until 22 December 2011.

The 380-room Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok is a deluxe business hotel with choices of meeting and conference facilities across the hotel’s 14 versatile function rooms covering 3,300 sqm and resort-style facilities.

A wide range of restaurants and bars is available, including one of Bangkok’s first classic European restaurants with tableside cooking.

 On the hotel’s fifth floor, i.sawan Residential Spa & Club is a unique facility dedicated to pampering, fitness, relaxation, accommodation and cuisine.

The hotel is conveniently linked via Sky Bridge to two SkyTrain stations - Siam and Chidlom.

The promotion is is valid for hoteliers, staff of airlines and travel agents. An employee ID card is required upon check-in. Other terms and conditions apply.

Holiday Inn Resort Phuket Mai Khao Beach

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:29 AM PST

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THAILAND-The secluded Mai Khao Beach is the staging ground of the newest Holiday Inn debut, ideal for those seeking a slice of tranquility on a popular Thai island.

The 245 guest rooms are expansive—each measures upward of 41 square meters—featuring clean beige-toned interiors, framed black-and-white portraits and balconies affording views of landscaped greenery or the Andaman Sea. Like its Holiday Inn counterparts, this property also offers family-oriented suites with adjoining kids’ rooms kitted out in nautical themes and funky colors. On-site diversions are aplenty, including a beachfront pool fringed by daybeds and casuarina trees, a five-room spa surrounded by lotus ponds, as well as two resturants and a bar.

Address: 81 Moo 3, Mai Khao, Talang, Phuket, Thailand

Telephone: +66 76 603 699

Website: holidayinnresorts.com/phuketmaikhao

Danang, Vietnam is Asia's emerging golf destination

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:16 AM PST

AirAsia online booking service down for maintenance

Posted: 10 Nov 2011 08:26 PM PST

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AirAsia’s online flight booking service will be down on 12-13 November as the company carries out system maintenance and upgrade work. Booking services will be temporarily unavailable from 11am on Saturday 12 November 2011 (Malaysia time) to 6am on Sunday 13 November.

This means passengers will not be able to self check in via the web, by mobile or at the kiosks, neither will they be able to self-manage their booking online. The airline thus encourages early check-in via the web before the disruption period, to avoid any inconvenience to travel plans. All affected passenger will be informed via email and SMS about the online service disruption. Hotel bookings and reservations for tours and activities on www.airasiago.com will remain available throughout the AirAsia system upgrade.

Emirates to take delivery of Boeing’s 1,000th 777

Posted: 10 Nov 2011 07:28 PM PST

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UAE-Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is nearing the milestone of its 1,000th B777, with Emirates set to take delivery of the aircraft in March next year.

Boeing says assembly of the B777-300ER aircraft has commenced at Boeing’s factory in Everett, with a ceremony held to mark the start of production.

Emirates currently has 95 B777 aircraft in its fleet, the most of any carrier, and the milestone aircraft will be the airline’s 102nd 777 when it is delivered next year.

United Airlines was the launch customer for the twin-engine B777 back in 1995, and Boeing has taken a total of 1,295 orders for the aircraft from 64 carriers.

Qatar looks to future at World Travel Market 2011

Posted: 10 Nov 2011 07:10 PM PST

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QATAR-Visitors to Qatar will be truly spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to stay in the future, with the emerging destination outlining its plans at World Travel Market 2011.

There are currently 77 new hotels and 42 hotel apartments under construction in the destination, bringing a total of 21,107 new rooms into the Qatari hospitality market.

Many of these are luxury hotels offering the finest service and facilities, including world class restaurants and spas.

In this year alone, it is estimated a stock of 6,369 hotel rooms - comprised of 25 hotels and ten hotel apartments - have come on to the market.

This year also sees the opening of the Qatar National Convention Center at Education City – which will host some of the highest profile events and conferences.

Qatar continues to be chosen as a venue for high profile events and sporting competitions, including the Arab Games and the World Petroleum Congress, both being held in December 2011.

As it gears up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, more than 140 major projects are currently underway as the country focuses its investments on its transportation infrastructure.

Billions have been spent upgrading the extensive road networks connecting the country to the rest of the Middle East.

In addition, the $25 billion, 2,200 km Qatar National Rail Scheme will link to the six-state GCC Railway network, worth $30 billion, from 2017.

The first phase of the New Doha International Airport will open in 2012, and by the time it is fully operational in 2015, an estimated 50 million people will be transiting through the airport each year.

This will establish Doha as a regional hub in the Middle East, as well as a major international gateway.

With Qatar Airways flying to more than 100 destinations and other international carriers flying through Doha, Qatar has never been more accessible.

The first phase of the new $4.4 billion Doha Port will be functioning by 2014.

The port, spread over 20 square kilometres, will be equipped to handle the world’s largest ships, each laden with up to 12,000 containers, therefore increasing the destination’s position as a key trading post.

Additionally, planning is underway for the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway, the world’s longest suspension bridge, which will link the two countries.

And construction is well advanced on the Lusail City, a development to the north of the capital which will see the creation of a distinctive 21st century iconic city which celebrates the special cultural and geographical heritage of Qatar and the Gulf Region.

Qatar

Located on the shores of the Arabian peninsula, Qatar is a modern and thriving country in the heart of traditional Arabia.

Renowned for its outstanding hospitality, Qatar offers business and leisure travellers a completely unique and unforgettable experience.

With sprawling dunes in the country’s south, sandy coastlines and islets, reefs and salt flats, the small peninsula nation offers as much natural beauty as it does cultural richness.

With its 560 kilometres coastline, Qatar is a community linked with the sea. From a centre for fishing and pearling trades in a bygone era, Qatar’s identity has been shaped by an age-old seafaring civilization, always hosting travellers as welcome guests.

Qatar is a centre of both tradition and innovation and is home to world class educational and research facilities as well as some of the most striking and compelling cultural attractions in the region.

World Travel Awards

Qatar is recognised as the Middle East’s Leading Business Destination by the prestigious World Travel Awards.

The august body will host its annual Grand Final Gala Ceremony in the capital, Doha in January 2012.
at 2:28 AM