Western Australia Sees Surge of Singapore Visitors

Data from Tourism Western Australia shows Singapore is now the number one source of foreign visitors, with Singaporeans accounting for 24% of all international arrivals in the September quarter, despite Singapore’s relatively low population. Singapore arrivals are already back at 80% of pre-Covid numbers with 270 flights per week between Changi and Perth Airport. Before Covid hit, Singapore was Western Australia’s third largest international market, after China and the UK but that has now changed, partly due to TWA’s efforts in promoting the state to Singaporeans. 87% of Singaporean travelers there are repeat visitors so it appears they enjoy being there.

The Ascott Ltd. has launched Citadines Connect in Lebuh Noordin, Georgetown, Penang, a hotel situated in a two story pre-war building. This marks CapitaLand Investment’s Ascott Ltd’s third operating property in Penang, Malaysia. The 143-room property consists of modern rooms, suites and apartments. The hotel revolves around their concepts. There is a shared space called RE-SPACE which is a place to catch a breather, connect and recharge before check-in and check-out. CONNECT is a flexible breakaway space for guests who as seeking extra privacy to catch up on work or small group discussions and thrive through the ‘Grab and Go’ concept. After this soft opening and eventual grand opening, Ascott expects to launch a few more properties over the next two years such as lyf Raja Chulan Kuala Lumpur, Domitys Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, Somerset KL Metropolis Kuala Lumpur, Citadines Waterfront Kota Kinabalu, Citadines Tanjung Tokong Penang and Harris Sunshine Penang.

Mohegan’s Inspire Entertainment Resort, under development in Incheon, South Korea, signed a management agreement with Hanwha Hotel & Resorts for the operation of five-star hotel towers in the property. Hanwha will manage three five-star hotel towers, expected to open in the latter half of 2023. The agreement covers 1,270 hotel rooms and suites. Mohegan is aiming to open the integrated resort’s Phase 1 in the fourth quarter of 2023. The $5 billion project is expected to include a foreigner-only casino, a 15,000 seat arena, convention space, dining, retail and entertainment, alongside an indoor water park and outside family park. The project is expected to be the largest integrated resort in Northeast Asia, at 4.3 million square meters. The site is being marketed as the first destination resort in the world with its own private air terminal, to be located in the northeast area of the Incheon International Airport in Yeongjong-do.

Indian Hotels Company announced the signing of its first hotel in Rajkot, Gujarat. The conversion of the existing hotel will result in a rebrand to an IHCL – SeleQtionshotel after extensive renovations. The 12- key hotel is situated in the city center. It will house an all-day dining, specialty restaurants and a lobby lounge with a deli. The hotel will offer 750 square meters of banqueting space along with small meeting rooms. Other recreational facilities will include a swimming pool, fitness center and a salon. With the addition of this hotel, IHCL will have 20 hotels across Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta and Ginger brands across Gujarat including four under development. The hotel is owned by City Organisers Pvt Ltd.

Lemon Tree Hotels announced the opening of its largest hotel – Lemon Tree Hotel, Mukteshwar, in Uttarakhand. The hotel features 41 rooms and suites, complemented by a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar. The closest airport to the hotel is Pantnagar Airport, around 90 km away.

The Mayor of Osaka, Japan, Ichiro Matsui, said that three of the four companies requesting a real estate appraisal for the lot earmarked for what may eventually be the Osaka Casino Integrated Resort have agreed on the leasing price. Osaka is planning to lease 49 hectares of land on Yumeshima to MGM/Orix for a 35 year lease for the annual rent of US$18.4 million. 

Dubai-based Deyaar Development said it would develop three new projects worth about US$81.7 million in Al Furjan as the UAE’s real estate sector registers record-breaking growth. The firm’s three projects will consist of residential units and hotel apartments and will include approximately 400 diverse units with one, two and three bedrooms. The first project is Amalia Residences with the remaining two to be announced next year.

Valor Hospitality Partners announced their partnership with the hospitality and leisure vertical of Investment Corporation of Dubai, the principal investment arm of the government of Dubai, which manages a portfolio of commercial companies and investments. With the joint venture in place, Valor has commenced operational transition of 800+ keys across hotels in the Emirate, including Dubai’s first five star property, the Radisson Blu Hotel Dubai Deira Creek and three Wyndham Deira hotels. The properties will be added to the portfolio of operating and pipeline properties Valor have in the region. Valor Hospitality operates 85+ properties globally. Dubai and the Middle East continue to lead when it comes to hospitality with 65,000 hotel rooms in development alone in Dubai.

Personnel Move

The Fern Hotels & Resorts announced five new appointments in their sales department. Vikram Pandey has been promoted to Associate Director Sales. Deepak Kumar has been appointed as Associate Director Sales at Fern Hotels’ Ahmedabad Regional Sales Office. The company promoted Gilbert Buthello as Associated Director of Sales while Atul Kumar has been promoted as Senior Sales Manager at the Fern Hotels & Resorts in the Noida region. Finally, Amol Bhosle has been promoted as Sales Manager at the Fern Hotels & Resorts Pune regional office.