Blaming economic conditions in Europe  Garuda said it was reducing  its daily service Jakarta – Dubai – Amsterdam to four a week starting 1 March.

Amsterdam is Garuda’s only destination in Europe, launched in June 2010 after the airline was removed from EU’s safety blacklist.

Instead the airline will focus on Tokyo and Taipei, with new services, Denpasar – Tokyo (Haneda) from 27 April, and Jakarta – Taipei from 19 May.

The five weekly flights to Haneda will use an Airbus 330-300 with 257 seats (42 in business class and 215 in economy class).

Upon initiating the Denpasar – Haneda service, Garuda will close the Denpasar – Nagoya service, 10 April, due to declining bookings.

The Taipei service will use a Boeing 737-800 with 156 seats (12 seats in business class and 144 seats in economy class).

Beginning in February 2012, Garuda will also increase the frequency of its Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur service to three daily up from the current two.

Domestically it will add flights on several route; Jakarta – Batam from four to five daily; Jakarta – Pekanbaru from five to six daily, and will begin a daily Bandung – Surabaya flight from 10 February.

Late last year, the airline increased services:

Denpasar – Sydney from six weekly to daily;

Denpasar – Seoul from five weekly to daily;

Jakarta – Melbourne from three to four weekly;

Denpasar – Melbourne from four to five weekly;

Jakarta – Shanghai, from five weekly to daily;

Jakarta – Beijing, from three to five weekly;

Jakarta – Seoul, from six weekly to daily.

ASEAN exhibitors will form some 920 of these delegates, while international buyers from 51 countries and media from 36 countries comprise 390 and 103 of total attendance respectively.

Pre-TRAVEX networking activities was underway today with the first of the full-day complimentary pre-show city tours around Manado, organised by the host committee, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia. These tours give TRAVEX delegates the opportunity to experience the city through its architecture, culture and famous sights, ably brought to life by local guides.

Such pre-show city tours and post-show tours to other destinations within the country are excellent platforms for the host country to showcase up and coming destinations to the industry, allowing them to experience a full-scale of its tourism infrastructure, hospitality and other tourist highlights. This aspect is how ATF uniquely promotes all its 10 member countries, through the rotation of host countries every year.

Pre-show city tours continue tomorrow, 12th January 2012, along with other social and networking activities including the ATF Friendly Golf Game (0800 to 1400) and ATF 2012 opening ceremony and ASEANTA awards (1900 to 2200hrs) hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia.

During the opening ceremony, delegates can look forward to an extravaganza of cultural performances, mouthwatering cuisine and Manado hospitality, said ASEAN – Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia Anastasia deputy director international promotion, Chris Miastuti, “Indonesia has much to offer through its culture, music, dance and costumes. Arts like puppetry and mask dances are some of the unique ways that Indonesia tells its stories. We are thrilled to be giving ATF delegates a glimpse into this beautiful country.”

In addition to the networking activities, the ASEAN Tourism Ministers Press Conference and Signing of MOU on ASEAN-India Tourism Cooperation will take place tomorrow at the Novotel Manado Convention Centre from 1500 to 1600hrs.

Official TRAVEX days will follow from 13 to 15 January 2012. Highlights during these business days include: on-site business appointment scheduling sessions between sellers and buyers, exhibition and TRAVEX appointment sessions, media briefings by all 10 ASEAN NTOs, the ASEAN Tourism Conference on “ASEAN Goes Green” featuring industry leaders. There are also six other hosted luncheons, dinners and late night functions brought to you by sponsors such as, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy Indonesia, Philippine Department of Tourism, Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organization and Tourism Authority of Thailand: Pattaya Office, Sutanraja Hotel Convention & Recreation, Malaysia Tourism and Tourism and Cultural Office of Manado City Government.

For more information and programme updates on ATF 2012, visit www.atfindonesia.com

On her return to Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck said the Indonesian President expressed his wish to see wider cooperation on tourism between the two countries.

However, she did not clarify on how the two countries would beef up cooperation.

The two leaders also discussed cooperation in halal food production, fisheries and agriculture.

Ministry of Tourism and Sports reports that during January to August this year Indonesia supplied 257,000 travellers to Thailand, an increase of 46.61% from 175,294 visits during the same period last year. In the ASEAN market, Indonesia follows Malaysia (1,556,503; 21.91%); Laos (565,012; +22.05%); and Singapore (453,281; +23.29%) as a top tourism supplier for Thailand.

Last year, there were 286,072 Indonesian visits representing an increase of 25.91% from 227,205 visits in 2009.

The data shows that Indonesians stay 5.76 days on average and spend  Bt4,357 per day.

Possible projects include a cruise terminal in Bali and a rail link between Jakarta and the main airport.

The state investment agency will work with its Indonesian partners to study the various infrastructure projects available, executive director and deputy chairman ,Tony Tan, told the Straits Times newspaper.

“We would be interested in it because GIC has quite a lot of experience in investing in infrastructure (although) so far mainly in developed countries,” Tan was quoted as saying.

Tony Tan

“I think not only GIC but also, other companies would be very interested given Indonesia’s good fundamentals and obvious need for infrastructure investment.”

Tan did not refer to any particular projects but the newspaper report said potential areas of investment ranged from a cruise terminal in the popular resort island of Bali and a railway line to link Jakarta and the main airport.

Set up in 1981, GIC is one of Singapore’s two sovereign wealth funds — along with Temasek Holdings — and invests the country’s massive foreign reserves of well over $100 billion.

GIC does not publicly give a value on its massive holdings but the US-based Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute ranks it as the seventh largest in the world with an asset portfolio valued at US$247.5 billion.

It invests in a wide range of asset classes from public equities to real estate, fixed income, natural resources and infrastructure.

In the financial year ended March 2010, GIC said the average rate of return on its investments rose to 7.1% in US dollar terms, up from 5.7% the previous year.

Investments in the Americas made up 43% of GIC’s portfolio, Europe 30% and Asia 24%.

© 1994-2010 Agence France-Presse

The airline is selling 9.36 billion shares, of which 79% are new, according to a term sheet seen by Dow Jones Newswires.

It will begin roadshows for the deal, which has no overallotment option, on 14 January and aims for a listing in Jakarta on 11 February, the term sheet said.

Once listed, 36.5% of the company will be in public hands.

Citigroup Inc. and UBS AG are the international bookrunners for the IPO, while PT Bahana Securities, PT Danareksa Sekuritas and PT Mandiri Sekuritas are the domestic bookrunners.

The proceeds will go towards capital expenditure, pre-delivery payments and other corporate payments, according to the term sheet.

The carrier made a stunning turnaround after suffering financial troubles six years ago.

It was cleared by European regulators in 2009, two years after all Indonesian airlines were banned from European Union airspace after a series of crashes and incidents which exposed poor safety standards across the country’s aviation industry.

Garuda, which posted a net profit of more than US$100 million in 2009, was named the world’s most improved airline by London-based research company Skytrax last May.

The airline is pushing for expansion by boosting its fleet, expanding international destinations and raising the number of domestic routes.

© 1994-2010 Agence France-Presse

The August 22 incident during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan resulted in retired Californian engineer Gregory Luke, 64, needing a police escort from his home on Lombok island as a mob tore it to pieces around him.

“He was found guilty of committing blasphemy, carrying out an act of violence and hampering people in Kute village from doing their religious activities,” chief judge Suhartoyo told a court in Praya, Lombok.

Luke had previously denied pulling the plug, but in a brief comment Wednesday said he was “satisfied” with the judges’ ruling.

The verdict was two months lighter than the jail term sought by prosecutors a day earlier. The Indonesian criminal code stipulates that an act of blasphemy carries a maximum five-year jail term.

Setting out mitigating circumstances, the judge said: “The defendant has never committed a crime before, acted politely during the trial and expressed regret for his act. He also participated in promoting tourism here.”

Luke, who runs a guesthouse for tourists on the islands, will get his freedom back in mid-February 2011.

Wearing a sarong, polo shirt and black Muslim hat, he said outside the courtroom that he accepted the ruling.

“I’m quite satisfied with the judges’ decision,” he said with a smile.

Luke has previously denied pulling the plug on the loudspeakers used to broadcast the call to prayer — a feature on most mosques in Indonesia.

In comments to local media, he has said he went to the mosque to ask for the volume to be turned down and was set upon by a group of local youths, who pushed him to the ground and pelted him with rocks.

A mob then chased him to his home and ransacked it as police looked on, apparently unable to intervene, he said. No one has been charged with any offence related to the mob attack on his house.

© 1994-2010 Agence France-Presse

Best Western hotel owners and senior corporate business development and marketing executives from Asia attended the group’s 6th Asian Members Meeting, held at New Kuta Condotel, Bali, Indonesia, last week.

The property hosting the event is the first Best Western hotel in Indonesia.

“The business agenda focused on opportunities that still undoubtedly exist even in today’s challenging trading conditions,” said Best Western International vice president operations – Asia, Glenn de Souza.

Besides owners of hotels that pay a membership to be part of the franchise network delegates included executives from Best Western area development office.

The group targets 20 hotels in Indonesia by 2013 and hopes to pass Accor, currently the largest hotel group in Asia Pacific, in recruiting hotel members this side of 2020.