Northstar

6 | www.travelweekly-asia.com GLOBAL WRAP THE BEST OF TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA'S GLOBAL WRAP e-DAILY Exploration travel specialist Hurtigruten is deepening its strategic relationship with Fliggy, the tourism brand of Alibaba. The companies will offer five Antarctica voyages exclusively for the China market in 2019. "Expedition cruising is one of the fastest growing segments in the travel industry and China is one of the most dynamic travel markets in the world," said Hurtigruten CEO Daniel Skjeldam. "Hurtigruten is a very good fit for Chinese guests, offering active and unique adventures to some of the world's most spectacular destinations." The five voyages in 2019 are added to four exclusive Antarctica voyages with Fliggy for Chinese adventurers in January and February 2018. PAL, TOURISM NEW ZEALAND INK DEAL Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Tourism New Zealand have agreed to boost Philippine arrivals to New Zealand. An MOU was signed by PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista and Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall in Manila, aimed at increasing flight loads and Philippine arrivals. Bautista said the airline would have non-stop flights between Manila and Auckland, starting December 6. Auckland airport has estimated that the new non-stop flight will inject NZ$13.6 million (US$9.3m) annually into the New Zealand economy. BALI BUILDING BOOM STILL RED-HOT In another indication of the hotel building boom in Bali, STR reports that there are 5,378 rooms in 28 projects under contract, amounting to 7.4% of existing room supply on the island. Bali's figure for October 2017 is greater than the number of rooms under contract in the Chinese cities of Beijing (4399 rooms/17 projects) Markland Blaiklock ANTARCTICA EXCLUSIVELY FOR CHINESE CRUISERS and Chengdu (4538 rooms/21 projects). Bali's proposed developments are only just short of those planned for Jakarta, where 5932 rooms are under contract in 24 projects. operating officer in 2015. Outside its base in Thailand where it operates 32 properties, Centara currently has 67 properties open or under development across 13 countries in Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, China, the Middle East and the Caribbean. The next phase of growth will see the company become a more significant regional brand with openings in China, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Qatar and the UAE. SIA TICKS OFF A DEAL WITH STA TRAVEL Singapore Airlines has joined STA Travel's BlueTicket alliance. The global partnership will give STA travel customers in more than 50 countries access to exclusive deals on flights with Singapore Airlines. The agreement covers sector based airfare products that can be mixed and matched to suit the individual needs of young travellers. "Our Blue Tickets have been flying the young and studious around the planet on the lowest and most flexible fares for over 35 years," said STA Travel commercial director, John McCoach. AIR CHINA JOINS UP THE DOT (COMS) Star Alliance member Air China is adding to its three daily Los Angeles- Beijing flights with a new route that connects Southern California's Silicon Beach to China's own Silicon Valley starting December 7. The three times weekly nonstop service between Los Angeles and Shenzhen will be operated by the airline's newest Dreamliner, the Boeing 787-9. It will be the first direct service from Los Angeles to China's "City of the Future". FINNAIR PUTS PASSENGERS ON THE SCALES Finnair has begun weighing customers before they board their flights. However, the programme isn't as salacious as it might sound. "We have a strong safety culture at Finnair, and are also very data- driven organisation, so we want to ensure we have the best possible data in use in aircraft performance and loading calculations," the carrier said in a statement. Finnair plans to weigh at least 2,000 customers through next spring. CLIMBERS TO BE BANNED FROM AUSTRALIA'S SACRED SITE Tourists will be banned from climbing Uluru in Australia's Red Centre after its traditional owners unanimously voted to end the use of the sacred site as a "theme park". Climbs will end on October 26, 2019, the 34th anniversary of Uluru - previously known as Ayers Rock Road sign to Uluru - being handed back to traditional Anangu owners. "It is an extremely important place, not a playground or theme park like Disneyland," traditional owner Sammy Wilson said. "If I travel to another country and there is a sacred site, an area of restricted access, I don't enter or climb it, I respect it. It is the same here for Anangu," he said. PHOTO CREDITS: GETTYIMAGES. Auckland City CENTARA NAMES NEW DEPUT Y CEO Centara Hotels & Resorts has appointed Markland Blaiklock as deputy chief executive officer. In this newly-created role, Blaiklock will be responsible for steering the continued expansion of Centara, which aims to double both its revenues and number of properties over the next five years. Blaiklock returns to Centara in an expanded capacity and will oversee operations, human resources, sales, marketing, business development and legal services. He previously served as the company's chief

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