Asia Pacific Hotel & Destination Travel News

AirGuide Magazine & AirGuideOnline.com Airline & Travel News

March 25, 2009

(U.S. ASIAN WIRE via Pyramid Media Group)— Bali Hotels

Bali Hotels and Resorts are world renowned for offering outstanding value for the most discerning travelers. The true Balinese hospitality in combination with one of the world’s most vibrant traditional cultures caused Bali time and again to be named the world’s favorite tropical island destination in prestigious international surveys. In response to the uncertain global financial situation and to encourage travelers not to delay their Bali holiday plans, more than 40 leading Bali hotels have joined forces to offer ‘Bali Bonus Nights’ on new bookings for hotel stays through June 30, 2009. Mar 10, 2009

Langham Hotels

Langham Hotels International has confirmed that the Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai is just weeks away from its first enchanting encounters with rooms now available from May 1 via the web, local travel agent, or toll-free reservations. The iconic art deco building has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation that has restored the building to its former glory -- to create the city’s only art deco boutique property with 96 luxurious rooms and suites, China’s first Chuan Spa, five exceptional restaurants including the first outpost of the Michelin Two Star winner -- T’ang Court. Reservations for Langham hotels can be made by logging onto langhamhotels.com or eatonhotels.com. For the Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai, go to yangtzeboutique.langhamhotels.com. Mar 13, 2009


The Australian state of Queensland will ‘pull out all stops’ to restore tourist traffic before the Easter holidays to areas including its Sunshine Coast tainted by an oil spill 'substantially' larger than estimated. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh declared parts of the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Island, and Bribie Island disaster zones after a container ship leaked fuel oil in a storm, threatening populations of turtles, pelicans, and other wildlife. The slick has contaminated about 60 kilometers (37 miles) of beach and mangroves, the Australian newspaper reported today. Mar 14, 2009

ACP Rail

ACP Rail launched a new e-ticketing solution for the East Japan Rail Pass. Customers can now visit either the official East Japan Railway website’s English language pages (www.jreast.co.jp/e) or its own Japanese Rail site (www.japanraildirect.com) and receive both confirmation and e-ticketing voucher numbers by e-mail for exchange in Japan. Sites are powered by ACP Rail’s proprietary RailNet web-based system. In addition, travel agents can access this e-ticketing solution by booking directly on their GDS through carrier code 9B and receive a generous 8 percent commission. The procedures are the same as booking a flight segment. Clients need to bring their PNR number and their passport to claim their East Japan Rail Pass in Japan. More information for travel agents is available through www.Accesrail.com or on the GDS information pages for 9B. Mar 9, 2009

Brunei

Offering a unique blend of modern refinement, scenic allure, culture, and heritage, Brunei is a majestic kingdom of unexpected treasures. With such richness, it is no doubt that Brunei is a distinctive and exciting travel destination in southeast Asia. Brunei Tourism is working to market its undiscovered tourism potential in the extremely competitive global tourism market. It is with a clear and recent strategy of increased expert staff in conjunction with implementation of www.bruneitourism.travel, that Brunei Tourism is beginning to create its identity as a chosen destination. Mar 11, 2009

China

China Approves Wind, Hydropower Plant Construction to Spur Economic Growth China, the world’s second-biggest energy user, approved building wind power plants and hydropower stations with a combined capacity of 2,001 megawatts to boost economic growth and trim global-warming emissions. Mar 13, 2009

China

China's Tumbling Agriculture Prices Threaten Rural Incomes, Official Says China’s farm incomes may drop this year because of falling agricultural prices, hampering efforts to ensure social stability as 20 million rural migrant workers find themselves out of work. Mar 13, 2009

Greaves Tours

Greaves Tours LLC, specializing in travel to India and the subcontinent, partnered with Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and British Airways to launch exceptional last-minute savings up to 50 percent on three packages for those interested in India’s romantic spirit, rich cultural history and spectacular wildlife. Showcasing some of India's most captivating cities and thrilling excursions, the three programs are as follows: Wildlife of India -- Delhi, Agra, Ranthambore -- priced from $6,255 per person; Royalty of India -- Delhi, Agra, Jaipur -- priced from $6,599 per person; and Romance of India -- Delhi, Agra, Udaipur -- priced from $6,888 per person. www.greavesindia.com. Mar 12, 2009

Kashmir

Introduced by British Raj officials, Kashmir houseboats - long promoted as the picture of an ideal Kashmir holiday - are facing an uncertain future. The High Court of Kashmir has ordered the closure of houseboats discharging sewage into the deteriorating Dal Lake. Mar 11, 2009


North Korea

North Korea has allowed commercial flights to pass through its airspace since 1998, after more than 40 years of prohibiting civil flights. According to JoonAng Daily, South Korean carriers submit flight plans to North Korea for each flight that will pass through its airspace and the nation collects an average of $870 for each. The Unification Ministry said 5,260 flights per year use the route, adding that South Korean carriers annually pay nearly $4 million to Pyongyang for airspace access. North Korea's threat was condemned widely. South Korea's government said in a statement. "It can never be justified under any circumstance. Tensions are high on the peninsula, with North Korea stating that it plans to conduct missile tests and South Korea and the US planning to conduct annual military exercises this week that Pyongyang condemns. The US and South Korea said they plan to carry forward with the exercises that North Korea cited as the reason for its threat against airlines. Mar 9, 2009

North Korean

A tearful former North Korean agent met Wednesday with relatives of a Japanese woman abducted to the North decades ago, saying she knew the abductee as her language teacher and does not believe Pyongyang's account of her death. Kim Hyon-hui, convicted of bombing a Korean Air jet in a 1987 act of sabotage that killed all 115 people aboard, claims her spy training included coaching on Japanese language and culture by Yaeko Taguchi, who vanished in Tokyo in 1978. In 2002, North Korea admitted to abducting Taguchi and 12 other Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s and using them to train spies. North Korean officials allowed five of them to return to Japan, saying the other eight had died, including Taguchi, who they said was killed in a 1986 car accident. Mar 11, 2009

Pacific Delight Tours

China and Asia specialist Pacific Delight Tours is running a March Madness promotion that includes savings on most itineraries with discounts up to $250 per person. Jerry Pi, president of Pacific Delight Tours, said: While we’re sensitive to the need for value in today’s marketplace, we will continue to focus on providing superior vacation experiences for discerning travelers and are not in competition with operators that will strip their programs down to create a lower price point at the expense of their customers’ satisfaction. Travelers who book Pacific Delight’s distinctive Gold Experience will save $125 per person, whereas the leading tour operator’s Escapade & Supervalue programs offer a savings of $100 per person. www.PacificDelightTours.com. Mar 11, 2009

Shanghai Hotels

Announcing its audited results for the year ended Dec. 31, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH) said that given the challenging market conditions during the year, with the economic downturn in the U.S. having started at the beginning of the year, well before the global markets collapsed in September, HSH has performed well to have achieved earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of HK$1,425 million ($184 million), representing a fall of only 5.6 percent from 2007, and a profit before non-operating items only 10 percent less than 2007, which was a record year for the group. For more information, visit www.hshgroup.com or www.peninsula.com. Mar 13, 2009


Shanghai

More than 5,000 Shanghai residents have made trips to Taiwan since March 1, up 85 percent from the same period of last month, the Pudong border checkpoint said here Thursday. The daily average number of Shanghai visitors to Taiwan has climbed to more than 400 during the first 12 days of this month from no more than 250 since the island allowed mainland tourists on July 4 last year. Mar 13, 2009


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