Hotel industry and travel news from around the Asia Pacific region: Visa-free entry into Myanmar for Hong Kong and Macau passport holders, Ctrip and KLM sign strategic partnership agreement and more...

Mulpha Group Acquires Waldorf Stadium Apartment Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand

The Waldorf Stadium Apartment Hotel in Auckland’s Central Business District (CBD) has been sold to Australia-based Mulpha Group (“Mulpha”), a subsidiary of Malaysia-based real estate developer and hospitality giant, Mulpha International Bhd, at an undisclosed sum. Built in 2008, the 178-unit strata-title development was sold subject to a new 11-year performance lease underpinned by Japan-based serviced apartment conglomerate, Daiwa House Group (“Daiwa”). The hotel comprises a mix of studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments. Other facilities include a breakfast restaurant and a business centre. Located in downtown Auckland, it is in close proximity to major attractions including the 12,000-capacity Spark Arena, the Britomart precinct, Auckland Waterfront and Queen Street; the city’s main commercial and retail thoroughfare. Dean Humphries, National Director of Hotels at Colliers International, stated that the transaction is the first major hotel sale and the largest hotel transaction in Auckland for the past 12 years. Insiders valued the deal to be at between NZD60 million to NZD70 million (about AUD55 million to AUD63 million).

Sunshine Coast to Develop a New Central Business District with 3.6 Hectare Hotel Precinct

Queensland government and Sunshine Coast Regional Council have jointly pre-approved a 3.6-hectare site for hotel and apartments development to fill the shortage of hotel rooms in the city. The development scheme includes a 250-room hotel with adjacent convention and exhibition facilities, 100 apartments and 15,000 square metres (“sqm”) of retail space. The development is part of Sunshine Coast’s ongoing transformation under a master plan to create a Central Business District (“CBD”) from a greenfield site of 53 hectares in the heart of Maroochydore. With construction starting in 2019, the CBD will feature 65,000 sqm of retail space, 150,000 sqm of commercial space, 2000 residential apartments, dining and entertainment, public plazas, new waterways, parks and community facilities. Moreover, by 2020, the Sunshine Coast Airport will feature a new runway, enabling direct flights to more destinations across Australia, Asia and the Western Pacific. In anticipation of the increased demand, an additional six to ten new hotels, including luxury five-stars properties, are expected by 2024.

Visa-Free Entry into Myanmar for Hong Kong and Macau Passport Holders

Myanmar has expanded its visa-exempt Asian nationalities to include Hong Kong and Macau passport holders not long after adding Japan and South Korea to its list. Effective from 1st October, the visa-exemption applies to eligible travellers entering via its international airports and recognized land checkpoints. The arrangement is on a one-year trial period in an effort to counter declining tourist arrivals. Myanmar received 1.8 million visitors between January and June this year—a fall of approximately 38,000 tourists from the same period last year. A simplified 30-day extendable visa-on-arrival is also available for Chinese visitors for a fee of US$50 at Yangon International Airport, Mandalay International Airport, and Nay Pyi Taw International Airport. In early September, Myanmar allowed all nationalities to enter through the two overland borders, Tamu and Rih Khaw Dar, and continue to travel overland to Thailand using any of the four borders.

Lufthansa To Launch Daily Flight Between Bangkok and Munich

Germany-based Deutsche Lufthansa AG (‘Lufthansa’) has announced plans to commence a new direct service between Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, and Bavaria’s regional capital, Munich, starting on 2nd June 2019. This will be the third direct link between the two cities with Thai Airways International Airline (‘Thai’) currently operating this route daily, and Eurowings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa operating on a seasonal basis with two flights a week until the 31st of October 2018. The new long-haul connection between Bangkok and Munich will add more than 2,000 seats per week. The outbound flight will depart from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) at 10:25AM, arriving to Munich Airport (MUC) at 04:50PM. While the return flight will depart MUC at 4:40PM, arriving into BKK the following morning, at 07:55AM. The new route will be operated daily by Lufthansa’s Airbus A350, comprising of 48 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 224 seats in economy. Lufthansa Group has 31 weekly frequencies out of Thailand to Europe.

Ctrip and KLM Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement

China-based leading online travel agency Ctrip.com (“Ctrip”) and Netherlands-based KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (“KLM”) have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement. This partnership aims to help both sides realize significant innovations in areas including customer service, data operations, flight route development and product marketing. Ctrip’s new travel trend report shows that Europe is an increasingly popular destination for Chinese travellers. Ctrip’s international air ticketing business has maintained solid growth momentum, increasing 40% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2018. In 2017, the number of Chinese outbound tourists to Europe ranked second among all continents, increasing 26.3% compared with 2016. Average travel spending per person also increased by 36% year-on-year. As 2018 is designated as “EU-China Tourism Year”, the cooperation between China and Europe in the civil aviation industry has further deepen, with several new flight routes slated to open for operation this year.

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