In Brief

HK Tourism Q1 Records 10.8% Growth

Hong Kong welcomed 1,831,699 visitors in March 2005, the best March result on record and a 5.7 per cent increase compared with the same month in 2004, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced. For the first quarter of the year, cumulative growth in arrivals now stands at 10.8 per cent. Stimulated by increased air capacity and attractive fares from several key markets, and strong interest in the Rugby World Cup Sevens among long-haul visitors, most market regions showed double-digit growth over their March 2004 performance. Arrivals from India grew by 11 per cent to 21,961 taking the total arrivals to 55,045 between January to March 2005.

Tourism New Zealand Website Wins ‘Webby’ Award

The Tourism New Zealand website has won the 'Webby' Award, the online world's equivalent of an Oscar. The international academy of digital arts and sciences has recognised www.newzealand.com as the top tourism website in the world. Tourism New Zealand's consumer website beat out international contenders like the Italian Tourism Commission, Puerto Rico Tourism and Yellowstone Park. The Webby's recognise online achievement and innovation and are managed by the International Academy of Arts and Sciences. Websites are nominated and voted by their membership, which includes internationally recognised names as musician David Bowie, business woman Anita Roddick and the Simpson's creator Matt Groening. Tourism New Zealand and Shift join previous winners of this category including Lonely Planet, The New York Times and Expedia.

Emirates Holidays Launches Dubai Summer Surprise Packages

Emirates Holidays is gearing up to offer Indian travellers fun, entertainment, excitement and loads of shopping with its recently introduced Dubai Summer Surprises Holiday packages. One could visit the eighth Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) starting from June 22 until September 2, with Emirates Holidays accommodation-only packages starting from US$ 37 per person per night based on twin sharing. Dubai Summer Surprises was introduced, in the summer of 1998, since then it has seen an unprecedented growth, with visitor numbers at last year's event (June 17 - August 27) rising sharply to 1.51 million people, with an enormous Dh1.56 billion spent in Dubai at the time.

Malaysia Launches I-Visa Concept In India

Tourism Malaysia recently announced the introduction of new concept of Internet (I)-Visa by the Malaysian High Commission for the Indian market. The new system would be rolled in New Delhi from the first week of June, 2005, and would be accessible initially only to travel agents.

The system is based on the dual concept of convenience and technology and would thereby reduce the time of visa procedure by almost 48 hours. A travel agent would first need to register themselves on a special website named www.imi.gov.my to acquire registration number specific to the agency, for all further communications, followed by a submission of travel agent profile at the Immigration Department of the Malaysia High Commission, New Delhi. Commenting on the new service, Manoharan, director, Tourism Malaysia, India said, "The simplified visa system is yet another step by the Malaysian government to make travelling experience pleasurable and hassle free for tourist. The system would be of immense benefit to the travel agents, as it would not only lead to saving of time but even the convenience of submission post the embassy working hours. The tourism board expects this positive step to further boost the growing arrivals from India to Malaysia". The government of Malaysia had introduced this concept as pilot study in Chennai and now Delhi would be the second city where the new system would be implemented.