Top Headlines

HELSINKI - In April 2012 Finnair is planning to launch daily direct flights from Helsinki to Lyon in east-central France.

HUA HIN - Best Western has opened the Best Western Plus Serenity Hua Hin. Set just 350 meters from the large and inviting expanse of Hua Hin's white sand beach, Best Western Plus Serenity Hua Hin is ideal for sun seekers, ocean lovers and sunset admirers alike. The town centre, night street market, shopping area, restaurants, golf courses and many tourist attractions are all within 10 minutes of the hotel.

SYDNEY - Tiger Airways Australia has said that it will refund fares to those passengers holding reservations between now and 31 July 2011. The moves comes as it is believed that CASA intends to file an application in the Federal Court on 7 July seeking an extension to the suspension period until 31 July 2011.

JAIPUR - Marriott International brought its signature Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand to India’s state of Rajasthan with the opening of the 365-room Jaipur Marriott Hotel.

FRANKFURT - Frequent flyers who have achieved Senator status now have an opportunity to relax in style at Lufthansa’s largest airport lounge. In the Departures area of Terminal 1 at Frankfurt, top customers can for the first time enjoy a modern wellness area with luxury facilities that include ten showers and two spa rooms.

GUANGZHOU - Accor has opened the Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich. Located in the heart of Tianhe, Guangzhou’s most dynamic financial and business district, the Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich is less than one kilometer from the emblematic skyscraper CITIC Plaza and a few minutes from the East Railway Station that connects Guangzhou to Dongguan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

HONG KONG - Shangri-La’s Golden Circle Loyalty Programme is offering a special summer promotion to its members with double awards points and double qualifying nights with any two consecutive qualifying nights’ stay during 1 July to 30 September 2011 at any Shangri-La, Kerry or Traders hotel worldwide.

KUALA LUMPUR - DoubleTree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur is celebrating the hotel’s 1st Birthday Bash by giving away 1000 room nights and 1000 Makan Kitchen dining vouchers worth over MYR500,000 through various exciting activities.

SINGAPORE - Beach lovers rejoice. Tiger Airways today announced that from September 6, it will launch a direct service between Singapore and Cebu.

LONDON - International tourist arrivals grew by 4.5% in the first four months of 2011, despite new challenges emerging since the beginning of the year. According to the latest issue of the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, growth was positive in all regions with the exception of the Middle East. Some subregions achieved double-digit growth: South America (+17%), South Asia (+14%) and South-East Asia (+10%).

GENEVA - IATA’s traffic results for May 2011 show a 6.8% increase in passenger traffic over May 2010. This is 4% higher than the beginning of the year. Freight traffic showed a drop of 4% against the post-recession peak of the re-stocking cycle in May 2010. However, recent months show a renewed upward trend with freight volumes 2% higher than the start of the year.

SINGAPORE - Asia Pacific and the Middle East, followed by Europe, have become global hot spots for inter-regional long distance air travel, according to analysis by the market intelligence solution Amadeus Total Demand by airconomy.

PHUKET - Thai Airways International is to launch direct flights from Copenhagen to Phuket as well as additional flights from Bangkok to Copenhagen. Flights on these sectors will operate three times per week respectively, utilizing the Boeing 747-400 aircraft, with service commencing on 11 November 2011.

TAIPEI – Taiwanese carrier, TransAsia Airways, launched a daily service between Taipei and Singapore.

SINGAPORE – Singapore Airlines has signed an agreement with Airbus to lease another 15 A330-300 aircraft.

AUCKLAND – A mix of marae-based and civic events are being arranged as a special welcome for each of the 20 participating teams at Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) in New Zealand.

NEW YORK – Marriott recently opened its first dedicated Global Reservation Sales and Customer Care Centre in China, located in the Pearl River New City district in the city of Guangzhou.

LANGLEY – Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, has today outlined details of the new, ground breaking Travelport Rooms and More™ hotel booking engine.

HO CHI MINH – Exo embrace the concept of sustainability within all actions taken.

MUMBAI – Having created a landmark of its JW Marriott brand at Juhu in Mumbai, the business capital of India, Marriott International Inc., a global lodging leader, today repeats this extraordinary achievement in the city of Chandigarh with the launch of its JW Marriott Chandigarh – the first JW Marriott hotel in North India and the second in the country.