Asia travel news

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• Ho Chi Minh City to host International Tourism Exhibition 2011
• Korean Air to serve Frankfurt with A380
• Hoteliers in China face rising costs
• Hotel Nikko Saigon to open in December

Ho Chi Minh City to host International Tourism Exhibition 2011 Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:57 PM PDT

Korean Air to serve Frankfurt with A380 Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:14 PM PDT + Click Image to Enlarge KOREA-Korean Air will operate its A380 superjumbo to the German financial hub from December 1. Business Traveller was alerted to the news by industry website airlineroute.net, and having checked the carrier’s online booking engine at koreanair.com, we can confirm that A380 flights between Seoul and Frankfurt are now available for purchase from the start of December. Flight KE905 departs Seoul Incheon at 1300, arriving into Frankfurt at 1650, with the return leg KE906 leaving Germany at 1855, landing back in South Korea at 1310 the following day. Korean Air launched its A380 aircraft on routes to Tokyo and Hong Kong, with New York recently being added to the list. The carrier will operate superjumbo services to Paris from September 26, followed by Los Angeles in October, and now Frankfurt in December. German flag carrier Lufthansa is currently the only airline to operate the A380 out of Frankfurt airport – Emirates will launch superjumbo flights to Munich from January 2012.

Hoteliers in China face rising costs Posted: 12 Aug 2011 01:58 AM PDT + Click Image to Enlarge CHINA-The Chinese hotel market is booming and international hoteliers are racing to open properties across the country. Foreign chains are expected to open a property in one of China’s 30 main cities every four days between 2010-2013, however rising costs will see returns on investment begin to erode slightly. A market report by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, shows that rising costs are a top business concern for many hoteliers this year as the rising cost of labour, energy and commodities reduce profit margins. The extent of rising costs is evident from China-based Home Inns & Hotels Management which yesterday reported a drop in profits after rising operating costs offset double-digit gains in revenue. The hotel occupancy in the second quarter was down 2.4 points on last year to 94%, yet operating costs soared 22%. Escalating costs and reduced revenue per available room subsequently off-set 12% revenue growth, producing a second quarter profit of CNY122.1 million ($18.9 million), representing a yearly dip of 10%. Analysts have thus advised operators to improve energy efficiency and revenue management in order to reduce costs. They add that rising labour costs are prevalent in tier I cities and slowing expansion in the Shanghai and Beijing areas are turning eyes to tier II cities. Places such as Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Zhengzhou (pictured) in Henan province, are likely to emerge as new growth markets and demand grows in the coming years.

Hotel Nikko Saigon to open in December Posted: 12 Aug 2011 01:29 AM PDT + Click Image to Enlarge VIETNAM-Tokyo-based JAL Hotels Co., Ltd. will open the five-star Hotel Nikko Saigon in mid-December 2011 as the second Nikko property in Vietnam. After three years’ construction, the Nikko Saigon has been built in a large, newly developed commercial complex, Royal Centre Project, on Nguyen Van Cu Street in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1. The property has 334 rooms, suites and 53 serviced apartments in a 23-story building next to the Now Zone fashion mall, the hotel source said. Facilities will include restaurants with Japanese, Chinese and other cuisines, banquet rooms, a business center, a spa, a pool and a fitness club. The hotel will cater to both business and leisure travelers. The hotel is set to come into operation on December 18. Taiwan-based Fei Yueh Co. is the investor of the Royal Centre Project. JAL Hotels Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, opened the Hotel Nikko Hanoi in the Vietnamese capital in 1998. The Ho Chi Minh City hotel market currently has around 10,000 rooms of three- to five-star classes, with almost three-fourths in District 1. The five-star hotels include Sheraton, Sofitel Plaza, Caravelle, Park Hyatt, Rex, New World, Equatorial, Mövenpick, Windsor Plaza and so on.

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