Taiwan can expect lowered business income tax to encourage

Brussels Airlines re-connects
Brussels
directly
with
Finland in a new partnership
with Blue1
Brussels/Helsinki 2nd December 2009 — Thanks to a new
partnership with Star Alliance member Blue1, Brussels Airlines
will be able to offer its passengers excellent connections to
Finland starting next spring. Blue 1 will operate two daily
flights between the Brussels and Helsinki in codeshare with
Brussels Airlines, as well as smooth onward connections to
several domestic Finish destinations.
Blue1, member of Star Alliance, will start its operations
between Brussels and Helsinki on 29 March 2010. Thanks to a
partnership agreement, Blue1 and Brussels Airlines will
jointly sell seats on two daily flights on weekdays, morning
and evening, and one flight on Sundays. Flights will operated
on comfortable AVRO RJ aircraft. The timetable is very
convenient for both business travellers and for leisure
passengers who will also appreciate the very competitive
fares. Blue1 and Brussels Airlines will distribute tickets via
their respective sales channels. Brussels Airlines passengers
will be able to earn or spend Miles & More frequent traveller
miles whenever they make use of this new flight service.
Domestic connections
By teaming up with Blue1, Brussels Airlines can offer its
passengers excellent connections to other important Finish
regions. As a result Brussels Airlines will put its ‘SN’ code
on Blue1’s domestic connections to Kuopio, Oulu and Vaasa.
Vice versa, Blue1 passengers will be able to travel via
Brussels to Brussels Airlines destinations in the UK, Spain,
Switzerland, France and Italy. Thanks to an excellent schedule
optimisation, passengers who want to make connections on Blue1
in Helsinki or Brussels Airlines in Brussels can do so in a
highly time-efficient manner.
“This partnership with Blue1 is another example of the many
advantages Brussels Airlines can offer its passengers thanks
to the upcoming membership of Star Alliance”, says co CEO
Bernard Gustin. Brussels Airlines will join the global
alliance on the 9th of December while Blue1 is already member
of Star Alliance.
Costa
Croisières:
Grand
Concours pour les agents de
voyage
Du 1er décembre 2009 au 15 juin 2010 Costa Croisières organise
un grand concours à destination des agents de voyage.
En jeu de nombreux cadeaux dont une croisière de rêve pour
deux personnes au Moyen Orient au départ de Dubaï sur un des
fleurons de la flotte, ou encore la bellissima Vespa « C » aux
couleurs de Costa Croisières.
Comment participer:
Toutes les 3 réservations – effectuées dès le 1er décembre
parmi les départs de la brochure 2010, il suffit de remplir un
formulaire* et de le renvoyer à Costa Croisières.
Autant de formulaires complétés jusqu’au 15 juin, autant de
chances de gagner !
La soirée de cloture:
Ce concours se clôturera en apothéose, le jeudi 24 juin 2010,
lors d’une soirée très « Dolce Vita » au cours de laquelle les
gagnants seront tirés au sort.
Le petit plus
Les agents de voyages peuvent se rendre sur le stand Costa
Croisières n°96 au Salon BTexpo qui se tient les 9 et 10
décembre à Tour et Taxis.
L’occasion
pour
eux
d’obtenir
des
informations
complémentaires, de déposer déjà les premiers formulaires mais
aussi de découvrir la Vespa Costa
Et comme chaque année une surprise attend les visiteurs !
*les formulaires d’inscription ainsi que le règlement du
concours sont disponibles sur le site www.costaclick.be
New Strategic Plan for ASEAN
Tourism Under Way
BANGKOK, 2 December 2009 – A new strategic plan for
tourism in the ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia will be
prepared to help the region achieve an integrated ASEAN
Community by 2015. The plan will recommend a wide range of
policies and reforms in ASEAN’s tourism marketing, branding,
product development, human resource development, quality
standards, investment strategies, cruise development, crisis
management and communications, infrastructure, and border,
customs, and immigration policy
The College of Innovation in Bangkok’s Thammasat University
has been tasked with preparing the plan in full consultation
with the industry.
The ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2011-2015 was commissioned as
a result of partnerships and agreements between the ASEAN
National Tourism Organizations, the ASEAN Competitiveness
Enhancement office, a project designed and funded by the
United States Agency for International Development, and
tourism specialists at the university
“The plan will be built on a broad vision and will make fresh,
strategic and readily actionable tourism industry
recommendations,” said Professor Dr Walter Jamieson of the
university.
Under the supervision of ACE and ASEAN National Tourism
Organizations, the university’s scope of work will include a
review of ASEAN declarations relating to tourism, consultation
with public and private sector stakeholders, an assessment of
projects initiated under the existing road map, the
identification of priority activities, and the formulation of
a vision and set of strategies that, when implemented, would
lead to the successful regional integration of ASEAN tourism
by 2015.
The region’s tourism sector is required to identify and
prepare new strategies and programs for 2011-2015 for the
establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015. The plan will
succeed the ASEAN Roadmap for the Integration of the Tourism
Sector which expires in 2010.
ACE and Thammasat University are expected to present the final
ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan to ASEAN national tourism
organizations by November 2010.
Felix Cruz, the Chairman of the public-private sector ASEAN
Tourism Association, welcomed the deal. “We need Thammasat to
take an honest, candid and strategic view that clearly
identifies opportunities, but doesn’t shy away from the hard
issues,” said Manila-based Mr Cruz, who is also Vice President
of Marketing Support for Philippine Airlines.
Tran Dong Phuong, Head of the Infrastructure Division, ASEAN
Economic Community Department, part of the ASEAN Secretariat
based in Jakarta, said a good plan well implemented would
create jobs and visitor satisfaction. “We look forward to a
plan that identifies priority areas and actions for
cooperation and integration across the ten ASEAN tourism
markets. The plan will help boost the quality and quantity of
tourism across ASEAN,” he said.
In July, the 30th meeting of the ASEAN National Tourism
Organizations in Phnom Penh formally requested the ASEAN
Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) Project to support the
development of the plan.
Bangkok-based ACE project Director, Mr RJ Gurley, said:
“ASEAN’s tourism senior officials welcome the plan. They
realize it will have to strike a balance between being
visionary and practical at the same time.”
The Dean of the College of Innovation at Thammasat University,
MR Pongsvas Svasti, said that Professor Jamieson’s team will
include Ms Pawinee Sunalai, Senior Administrative Officer, at
the College, and specialist consultants throughout the region.
Dr Jamieson has over 35 years of experience and Ms Pawinee has
11 years of experience working in tourism planning and
development in the region.
About ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement
ACE was designed and funded by USAID’s Regional Development
Mission in Asia (RDMA), which is based in Bangkok. ACE’s
objective is to enhance the integration and competitiveness
imperatives of two of ASEAN’s priority sectors: travel &
tourism and textiles & apparel. The ACE Project is part of the
broader ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership which was launched in
2006, under which the United States pledged its support to
ASEAN in pursuing its objective of becoming an ASEAN Community
by 2015. The ACE Project is managed by Nathan Associates Inc.
E-mail: [email protected].
Novotel to take a strategic
position in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, December 2, 2009 – Vietnam’s largest
international hotel operator, Accor, today announced the
development of the Novotel Saigon Centre. The 350 room hotel
is to be built in the city centre in District 1 and is
scheduled to open in 2012.
Novotel Saigon Centre will be located on the site of the
current Metropole Hotel, a well-recognised part of the Ho Chi
Minh City (Saigon) landscape. This highly visible location is
steps from Ben Thanh Market and on the road connecting the
market (Tran Hung Dao) to China Town. The hotel is surrounded
by trendy retail and commercial buildings.
Patrick Basset –Vice President for Accor Vietnam, Philippines,
South Korea and Japan, says “Accor is delighted to be
continuing its expansion in Vietnam with this strategically
located Novotel, which will be developed by The Que Huong –
Liberty Group. Currently, Accor operates 4 Novotel’s
throughout Vietnam – the most extensive network for any
international 4 star brand in the country. The hotel will
fulfill a demand for upscale international quality hotels,
which has existed in Ho Chi Minh City for some time.”
Novotel Saigon Centre will feature 2 restaurants, a street
bar, roof level Executive Club lounge, outdoor swimming pool
and kids pool, fitness centre, business centre, Web Corner on
a Mac and 900 square metres of flexible event space. The 24storey hotel will offer magnificent views of the city and
Saigon River. The guestrooms will adopt the latest innovations
of the Novotel brand, including concept guestroom lighting,
modern interiors and surfaces, 32-inch LCD television, and
plug and play connectivity panel.
Novotel Saigon Centre will be the first hotel in Vietnam to
incorporate louvers into the façade of the building, which by
shading the building will improve energy consumption. The
hotel is being designed by Kume Sekkei Architecture firm of
Japan.
The Novotel brand globally is committed to achieving
certification under Green Globe Sustainable Tourism. The first
hotel in Vietnam to achieve this was Novotel Phan Thiet Ocean
Dunes & Golf Resort along with a further 32 hotels within the
Asia Pacific region.
The Que Huong – Liberty Group today owns 7 hotels in Ho Chi
Minh City and intends to develop more hotels in the coming
years throughout Vietnam. Novotel Saigon Centre will be the
first new hotel development announced for Saigon in the many
years to come and this will reinforce Accor’s leadership in
the Vietnam hotel arena.
Novotel has 82 hotels throughout the Asia Pacific region
today, with a further 28 hotels committed for development.
Currently in Vietnam, Accor operates 11 hotels including four
Novotel hotels – Novotel Phan Thiet Ocean Dunes and Golf
Resort, Novotel Nha Trang, Novotel Dalat and Novotel Halong
Bay.
Emirates : A380 in PARIS
From the 29th of December 2009, a new A380 will operate
between Dubai and the French capital, PARIS.
After London, Sydney, Toronto and Bangkok, Paris will be added
to the exclusive list of cities served by the new generation
aircraft.
Until the 16th of Jan, A380 flights will be limited to 3 times
a week on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday and from the 17th of
January 2010 on a daily basis.
This aircraft carries 489 passengers spread over 2 levels:
First and Business classes in the upper deck and all economy
class passengers in the lower deck.
On board, passengers can enjoy in First class of private
suites, 2 showers-SPA and one private bar.
The business class proposes flat beds, one lounge and one bar.
In Economy class, passengers will be charmed by the comfort of
the new generation service with 1.000 audio & video channels,
200 on request films and more than 100 games.
Click here to read more.
Time to book your stand at
UITT
Ukraine’s leading travel and tourism exhibition
24-26 March 2010 | Kiev, Ukraine
761 exhibitors | 71 destinations | 15,960 visitors
UITT offers a valuable opportunity to meet tour operators and
travel agencies throughout Ukraine during two ‘trade only’
days, as well as the travelling public. As such, it is ideal
for increasing awareness and demonstrating your services in
the best possible light. In just 3 days, you have the
opportunity to promote your destination and services to over
15,000 visitors.
More and more people in Ukraine are travelling abroad for
holidays and business trips. The Ukraine government, in
partnership with the IMF, have introduced a number of measures
to alleviate the effects of the economic crisis and, with the
travel industry expected to return to double digit growth by
2013, now is the time to build relationships with local
operators and generate interest amongst the travelling
population
More about the 2010 show
Latest market news
A number of events are boosting
Ukraine’s travel market:
• In 2012, the country will host the
Euro 2012 football tournament
• European travellers no longer
need a visa to stay for under 180 days
• Wizz Air recently entered the
Ukrainian travel market, offering lowcost travel to/from the country and
driving down rival carrier fares
Latest event news
Egypt, Israel and Czech
Republic have all increased
their stands at UITT. Other
confirmed destinations at the
2010 show include: Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Dubai, France,
Greece, Lebanon, Malaysia,
Slovenia, Spain, Thailand and
Tunisia. This year, the event
will again feature a section
dedicated to medical tourism.
Please visit the website for
more information.
Quick downloads
Click on the links below to
download useful documents:
• Application Form
• Exhibitor List
• Testimonials
• Photos
• Post Show Report
ITE’s travel exhibitions
UITT is one of a portfolio of
travel and tourism exhibitions
organised by the ITE Group,
which includes MITT (Russia),
EMITT (Turkey), Leisure
(Russia), TourSib (Russia),
KITF (Kazakhstan) and AITF
(Azerbaijan). For more
information, please
see www.travel-exhibitions.com.
Outrigger
Laguna
Phuket
Resort and Villas Now Open
PHUKET, 1 December 2009 – The Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort
and Villas opened today with over 75% occupancy booked for
December and January. Outrigger’s second property in Phuket
opened on time in an environment where many hotel openings
have been delayed.
The property’s opening General Manager, Mr Pieter van der
Hoeven, attributed exceptional booking levels from Korea, Hong
Kong, Japan and Australia to the resort’s unique “value plus
space” proposition.
Until 31 March, 2011 the 229 square metre two-bedroom villa
will sell from Thai Baht 6,000* (US$176), the 457 square metre
three-bedroom pool villa starts at Thai Baht 9,000* (US$265),
and the 604 square metre four-bedroom pool villa is available
from Thai Baht 13,000* (US$382).
“We’re getting a lot of interest and bookings from visitors
who already know Phuket quite well, but want a home away from
home where they can find time for themselves in luxury
surroundings,” said Mr van der Hoeven.
The 68-villa property is part of the Laguna Phuket destination
resort at Bang Tao beach. Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and
Villas guests have signing privileges at 30 food and beverage
outlets and spa facilities across Laguna Phuket, and at the
nearby Laguna Phuket Golf Course. Outrigger guests also
receive free transfers to the resort’s own beach club.
Mr van der Hoeven said butler service, a gymnasium, a kids’
club, free wifi and a conveniently located international
poolside restaurant were contributing factors that had driven
demand beyond pre-opening expectations.
The special opening rates at Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort
and Villas, which are valid until 31 March 2011, can be booked
online at www.outrigger.com. Or by calling (+66) 76 336 900.
Or by emailing [email protected].
* All rates are subject to 18.7% service charge and VAT and
are valid from 1 December 2009 until 31 March 2011.
Flight
Directors
has
appointed Jade Barton to the
new role of Sales Account
Manager
–
Asia
Pacific
Airlines
Jade arrives in the sales team having experience life in the
front line working in Flight Directors Airline call centre.
She will report directly to Vikki Joyce, Head of Sales and
Marketing who said: ” Jade will be specifically focused on
developing trade sales on the services of Garuda Indonesia,
Air Niugini and Solomon Airlines. All three airlines are
growing rapidly for different reasons and we are looking
forward to introducing all of them to more agents and into the
IT programmes of many more Tour Operators during 2010.
Flight Directors is one of the UK’s leading General Sales
Agents and specialises in representing “developed airlines
from developing countries”. Paul Argyle Chief Executive
explained: ” Unseen is unsold” and whilst all the airlines we
represent are well financed with modern aircraft and well
known at home, they deserve a much higher profile in the UK
market.. our job is to give them that enhanced visibility.”
Gallia lanceert Gallia Ontdek
en Gallia Découverte op BT
Expo
De laatste in de reeks van nieuwe Gallia brochures voor 2010
werd klaargestoomd om voorgesteld te worden op de BTExpo op 9
december. Gallia Ontdek is de brochure gewijd aan de groene
bestemmingen Ierland, Groot-Brittannië, Noorwegen, Zweden,
Finland en Denemarken. Zijn Franstalige tegenhanger Gallia
Découverte is gewijd aan Ierland en Groot-Brittannië.
Om deze lancering extra in de verf te zetten organiseert
Gallia een ludieke actie voor reisagenten op BTExpo. Wie de
code van onze koffer raadt vertrekt misschien sneller dan
gedacht naar Jersey of de Tuinen van Kent.
In de koffer zitten enkele mooie reisjes voor 2 personen:
– een 3-daagse Jersey met overtochten met Condor ferries en 2
overnachtingen in Samara Coast hotel op basis van kamer en
ontbijt
– een 3-daagse Tuinen van Kent met overtochten met Norfolkline
en 2 overnachtingen in een Shepherd Neame Inn op basis van
kamer en ontbijt + een National Trust Pass 2010
– een 3-daagse Kent met overtochten met Norfolkline en 2
overnachtingen in een Shepherd Neame Inn op basis van kamer en
ontbijt.
Kom zeker uw exemplaar van de Gallia Ontdek brochure ophalen
op onze stand. Maak tegelijk ook kennis met onze preferentiële
partners Jersey Tourism en Norfolkline.
Nog niet ingeschreven ? Doe dat dan vlug op www.btexpo.com
Cet hiver, ibis offre
nuits à prix mini
des
A l’approche des fêtes, ibis donne un coup de pouce à ses
clients avec une réduction de 10 € ou 15 € par nuit d’hôtel du
18 décembre au 10 janvier, dans plus de 400 destinations au
monde.
L’heure est venue de préparer la période des fêtes. Que ce
soit pour réunir la famille ou pour partir au soleil, les
voyageurs peuvent céder à la tentation sans se ruiner avec
l’offre hiver d’ibis. Un voyage à prix léger qui permettra de
dormir sur ses deux oreilles… En effet, la marque mondiale
d’hôtellerie économique du groupe Accor lance aujourd’hui
cette offre spéciale disponible exclusivement sur les sites
Internet ibishotel.com et accorhotels.com.
Chaque nuit passée dans l’un des 635 hôtels ibis participant à
l’opération dans 23 pays bénéficiera d’une réduction de 10 €
ou 15 € par nuit.
En Belgique et au Grand Duché de Luxembourg, 24 hôtels
participent à l’opération, y compris l’ibis Brussels off
Grand’Place, l’ibis Antwerpen Centrum situé à Anvers et l’ibis
Luxembourg Sud situé à Livange.
Bien entendu, ibis propose cette réduction sans réduire son
niveau de qualité et de services, garantis par son standard au
niveau mondial : des chambres modernes et parfaitement
équipées, un personnel accueillant et disponible 24 heures sur
24 pour offrir les principaux services de l’hôtel, un bar et
un service de snacks disponibles sans interruption tous les
jours, un petit déjeuner servi de 4 heures à midi ainsi que
l’accès à Internet.
Conditions
♣ Selon les hôtels, -10 € ou -15 € (ou devise équivalente pour
les hôtels situés hors de la zone euro) sur le prix de la
chambre, toutes taxes comprises.
♣ Cette offre est disponible dans les hôtels du 18/12/09 au
10/01/10 en Allemagne, Autriche, Belgique, Cameroun, Emirats
Arabes Unis, Espagne, France, Hongrie, Italie, Jordanie,
Koweït, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Maroc, Oman, Pays-Bas,
Portugal, Roumanie, Russie, Slovaquie, Suède, Suisse2,
Turquie.