Just a 10-minute boat ride from the capital island of Male, site of a police mutiny that led to ex-president Mohamed Nasheed’s departure last week and ensuing clashes, lies the paradise most visitors associate with the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Step off the 15-metre power boat, replete with an air-conditioned cabin and leather seats, that whisks you to the dock at Kurumba resort on Vihamanafushi, and you are immediately in a land of luxury, water sports and relaxation.

The political turmoil, as far as American literature professor Jerzy Sobieraj was concerned, was an ocean away across the glassine turquoise waters at his feet.

“We are having a great time. We heard about the coup, but it doesn’t matter to us. It hasn’t affected us at all,” Sobieraj told Reuters, sipping a glass of white wine alongside his wife, lawyer Ewa Korzan-Sobieraj, on a chaise longue.

“And even if there is trouble, the airport is on another island, so no trouble,” he said, gesturing to the nearby international airport from where most tourists leave directly for their resorts without ever reaching Male. The couple was on a 10-day escape from winter’s bite in Warsaw, Poland.

Kurumba is the genesis of the luxury tourism concept that changed the face and economy of the Maldives, a chain of 1192 coral-ringed islands located to India’s southwest, with its establishment in 1972.

The explosion of resorts after Kurumba transformed the islands from a remote outpost reliant on fishing to a destination favoured by Hollywood stars, honeymooners and others who can afford hideaway holidays where huts suspended over the water routinely cost more than $US1000 ($A931) a night.

At the five-star Kurumba, a basic room costs $US225 a night, while a private villa replete with butler and a private pool costs $US2200. On the menus, a quarter-hour on a jet ski will set you back $US70, a pizza around $US25.

ONE ISLAND, ONE RESORT

Tourism officially accounts for 30 per cent of the Maldives’ $US2.1 billion economy, but SimMohamed Ibrahim, secretary-general of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry, said it was closer to 75-80 per cent.

The Maldives, for nine centuries an Islamic sultanate, now has 101 resorts, nearly all of them on uninhabited islands reached by speedboat or seaplanes that criss-cross the skies over the 90,000 sq-km archipelago.

That segregation is by design, both as part of the Robinson Crusoe get-away-from-it-all experience the resorts offer, and to protect the religious sensibilities of Maldivians, all 330,000 of whom are Sunni Muslims.

The Maldives’ “one island, one resort” concept has been a saving grace amid the turmoil, saidJason Kruse, Kurumba’s general manager.

“The local islands and the tourist islands are a world apart,” he said. “There have been some cancellations, but that is a result of people not understanding the destination.”

The resorts, which cater primarily to Western tourists and, increasingly, Chinese holidaymakers, are placed on uninhabited islands. That provides a crucial loophole: the ability to serve alcohol. It is banned on inhabited islands.

Nasheed’s plans to put new resorts on inhabited islands drew condemnation from political opponents who exploited rising conservative Islamic sentiment to savage his religious credentials.

Pressure from pro-Islamic parties also prompted the government to briefly shut down resort massage parlours in January. Nasheed also drew fire for tax reforms that would have plugged some holes that allow potentially hundreds of millions of dollars brought in by tourism to escape taxation.

‘COUP BY RESORT OWNERS’

Nasheed last week flatly blamed a cabal of resort owners for engineering what he maintains was his forced exit, although he gave few specifics as to why they wanted him out.

“The coup was largely financed by resort owners,” Nasheed told journalists. Asked why, he responded: “I suppose they liked the old order of corruption.”

Nasheed, in a historic 2008 election, unseated Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years with untrammeled authority, and tried to bring a series of multi-million dollar graft cases against his allies. Gayoom denies any wrongdoing.

A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said resort owners were powerful but evenly spread across the political divide. So if any were against Nasheed, it was for reasons more related to politics than tourism.

“The political class are involved in everything, including tourism, and all the bad publicity this has caused is not in their interest,” the diplomat said.

HONEYMOON OVER?

As far as tourist operators are concerned, the end of the uproar cannot come fast enough before the Maldives’ paradise image is tarnished, said Ibrahim of the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry.

“There is great concern from tour operators that there will be more cancellations as the news is only now sinking in,” he said. “It’s impossible to explain that what is happening is in Male and not the resorts.”

For those with their toes in the sand escaping from everyday drudgery or celebrating a new marriage, none of that matters.

Engineer Abdul Wafi, an Egyptian who lives in Paris, said politics did not interfere with his honeymoon.

“Do you really have a political problem here? The fact is we come from Egypt,” Wafi chuckled as a seaplane roared overhead.

“There is no comparison to Tahrir Square,” referring to the locus of last year’s popular uprising against President Hosni Mubarak in his native country. “Egypt, it was violent and it’s just not that violent here.”

The St. Regis Singapore’s Guests Confirm the Hotel’s Reputation for being the best address in Singapore

The arbiters of timeless elegance and refined living, The St. Regis Singapore was recognized by TripAdvisor reviewers as the pinnacle of luxury accommodation when in Singapore.

In addition to being voted the #1 Luxury Hotel in Singapore, The St. Regis Singapore was also among the #3 Top Hotels in Singapore, affirming the hotel’s position as the address of exceptional experiences for discerning travelers.

TripAdvisor Travelers Choice 2012 is the review site’s 10th annual awards, recognizing premier properties in the U.S. and world. Unlike any other hotel honors, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on votes by millions of reviewers and valuable opinions from travelers around the world.

“This outstanding recognition and endorsement from our guests, who independently affirm our reputation for being the city’s leading luxury hotel in Singapore, is especially rewarding for us. We view TripAdvisor as a vital avenue to garner feedback, and it is increasingly important to acknowledge and engage our guests on platforms such as TripAdvisor.

The St. Regis Singapore remains committed to our promise of delivering exceptional service and refined living for our guests,” said Ananda Arawwawela, Managing Director of The St. Regis Singapore.

“This recognition from TripAdvisor travelers is very significant for St. Regis as we continue to grow globally to cater to the affluent traveler.  We are indeed most appreciative and proud of this acknowledgement,” said Yeoh Fay-Linn, St. Regis Brand Director of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific.

This unprecedented accolade comes on the back of The St. Regis Singapore being awarded the Best Hotel Experience for the Singapore Tourism Board’s annual Singapore Experience Awards 2011 in October last year. The coveted industry award recognizes the hotel as representing the pinnacle in delivering distinctive, compelling experiences in Singapore.

Opened in 2008, the four-year luxury hotel has received continuous endorsements by respected industry benchmarks for providing experience differentiators, such as its signature St. Regis Butler service, the only hotel to provide this level of personalized attention to every guest.

“Going beyond simply providing refined accommodation, The St. Regis Singapore is committed to cultivating a service culture built by engaging the best people, who uphold the St. Regis brand promises of providing consistent, meaningful luxury experiences for our guests,”  said Arawwawela.

The IPO, which the company had said was expected to raise about HK$5 billion ($643.88 million), has been postponed as advised by Goldman Sachs Group Inc, deputy general manager and company spokesperson Eva Chan told Reuters. “Goldman recommended postponing the IPO a bit as they find the market volatile.”

The Hong Kong-based carrier is controlled by Hong Kong Airlines Holding Ltd, which counts Hainan Airlines Co Ltd and Hainan Airlines’ parent HNA Group among its top shareholders.

The airline’s decision to delay the offering comes on the back of growing volatility in global equity markets that has sapped investor demand for new listings and caused a 51 percent plunge in Asia-Pacific IPO issuance in 2011 from 2010.

The market could weaken further this year because of ongoing concern over recovery in Europe and other major economies, with consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd forecasting a 26 percent drop in IPOs in Hong Kong in 2012.

Such a development would dent the city’s status as one of the world’s main capital-raising hubs.

Hong Kong Airlines, which currently has a fleet of 14 aircraft including six A330-200s and eight Boeing 737-800s, is taking delivery of eight to 10 aircraft this year, including two A330-200s this month, Chan said.

The company, which will start daily flights between Hong Kong and London in March, had also ordered 10 A380 jumbo jets, which will be delivered from 2015, she added.

The A380 super jumbo has a list price of $375 million. Airbus is a subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co NV.

The European Union’s launch of a new carbon trading scheme this year to include all airlines using EU airports will have no impact on the deliveries, Chan said, without elaboration.

China’s major airlines have said they will refuse to pay any charges under the EU scheme, while other Asia Pacific carriers, already battling a weak travel market, are likely to pass on the extra cost to passengers.

The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) was launched in 2005 as one of the major pillars of the bloc’s efforts to combat climate change. From Jan. 1, all airlines using EU airports are included in the cap-and-trade scheme.

Cai Haibo, deputy secretary-general of the China Air Transport Association (CATA), said last week that the industry body would not rule out taking legal action or resort to asking the Chinese government to take retaliatory measures.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd and some other Asian airlines, facing a sluggish economy and weak cargo demand, said they may impose surcharges or increase airfares to counter the ETS impact. ($1 = 7.7654 Hong Kong dollars) (Additional reporting by Elzio Barreto; Writing by Charlie Zhu; Editing by Chris Lewis and Ken Wills)

From January 1, all airlines using EU airports are included in it.”China will not cooperate with the European Union on the ETS, so Chinese airlines will not impose surcharges on customers relating to the emissions tax,” Cai Haibo, deputy secretary-general of the China Air Transport Association (CATA), told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday.

CATA represents the country’s four major airlines: flag-carrier Air China Ltd , China Southern Airlines , China Eastern Airlines and Hainan Airlines.EU law makes a provision to enforce fines of 100 euros for each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted for which airlines have not surrendered carbon allowances.

In the event airlines persistently flout the EU law, the Commission has the option of banning an aircraft operator.

But the law also allows some flexibility, giving countries the option of seeking alternative ways to offset airline emissions.”Our law gives all countries the choice to reduce aviation’s carbon pollution differently.

If they take equivalent measures, all incoming flights from these countries can be exempt,” Isaac Valero-Ladron, EU spokesman for climate action, said.

“Instead, some countries are basically saying: ‘We don’t like your approach, but we aren’t going to do anything to reduce emissions.’ Hopefully, these countries will quickly shift their attention to the need to take bold action at home.”Immediately after a December ruling from Europe’s highest court that inclusion of airlines in the ETS was valid, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency warned of a trade war, although the foreign ministry later stated its opposition less stridently and called on the EU to talk to other governments.

The United States has also warned of possible retaliation, while a draft law in the US Congress proposes to make it illegal to comply with the EU legislation.Chinese airlines will consider legal action against the EU in response to its charges for carbon emissions, Cai said.

But they will not rush into this, he added, mindful that US airlines in December lost their legal challenge against the ETS and given that collection of the carbon cost from airlines will not be until March 2013.

Australia’s Qantas Airways has said it was also considering legal action against the scheme.”We are now walking on two legs – first, we would not rule out the chance of taking legal action and, second, to resort to the government for retaliatory measures.

Several departments have been looking into this,” Cai said.

CATA estimates the scheme will cost Chinese airlines 800 million yuan ($123 million) in the first year and more than triple that by 2020.

This commercial flight will follow a non-commercial one on December 21. All of this is supposed to support the company’s Travel Green initiative that is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. In fact, just recently Thai President Piyasvasti Amranand said that under the new Corporate Social Responsibility, the airline had developed an important project on sustainability. This is in line with His Majesty the King’s vision on renewable energy. Using jet biofuel is a way to help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions. Each company needs to do what it can to reduce global warming.

The first flight on December 21 will use a Boeing 777-200 plane. On this flight there will be members of the press and representatives from various groups that support Thailand’s biofuel project. This will include (but will not be limited to): PTT, Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, the Department of Civil Aviation, Rolls-Royce and Boeing

Of course, as said before, Thai Airways is not the first airline to be using biofuel flights. In fact, a number of airlines outside of Asia are already starting to use biofuel flights as well. However, it has still yet to catch on for all airlines. Experts have already told the media why not all airlines are switching over to biofuel right away.

Apparently, although biofuel flights are better for the environment, they are also more expensive. This may not have been an issue before the economic downturn, but lately airlines have been struggling to stay afloat. In fact, some airlines have had to cut back on staff and routes just to keep their doors open and their planes in the air. It should come as no shock that airlines are not quick to take on a practice that is going to cost them even more money.

The truth of the matter is pretty simple. Fuel costs are the number one expense for any airline. So it should not be shocking that airlines would want to increase this expense by switching to a more expensive form of fuel. Instead, many airlines are investing money in new planes. Most of these planes have less mass, which means that they consume less fuel while in the air. Although they still put out more CO2 than biofuel flights, they do put off less CO2 than normal planes.

A NEW blueprint for Australia’s tourism industry has been unveiled, which sets out how to capitalise on growing demand from Asia.

Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson says the fresh plan sets a course for industry and governments to work together to make the most of “the Asian century”.

“Tourism 2020, which has been endorsed by all state and territory tourism ministers, brings the work, research and collaboration between the industry and governments into a single plan which links tourism supply with demand,” Mr Ferguson told AAP.

The new plan integrates the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy with the 2020 Tourism Industry Potential, which aims to double overnight tourism expenditure to as much as $140 billion by the end of the decade.

Mr Ferguson said Australia will never abandon its traditional markets of North America and Europe, which are facing tough economic challenges.

“But we have to accept that opportunities for the next five to 10 years for real growth will come from Asia. It’s the Asian century.

“We’ve got terrific growth, over 26 per cent out of China in the last 12 months, tremendous growth out of Malaysia and Indonesia, and India’s there with a growing economy of 7.8 per cent.”

The minister said market opportunities have to be seized when they’re available and the updated plan is all about lifting productivity, innovation and quality.

Tourism Australia (TA) is now spending one-in-five of its marketing dollars in China to capitalise on the country’s incredible tourist potential, and that will increase in the years ahead.

But Mr Ferguson warned the way we do business has to keep pace with technology, with only 35 per cent of Aussie tourism businesses currently accepting online payments for instant confirmation bookings.

“That’s where people do their research and that’s where they want to make their bookings and that’s one of the key opportunities of the long term tourism strategy – going with the times, online is the future.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said despite the operation curfew imposed on Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), China and Hong Kong posted the highest increase in tourists (38.5 per cent) up to September this year.

“Sabah has lost many chartered flights from China, Korea and Russia due to the KKIA operation curfew,” he said during the seventh edition of the Sabah Tourism Awards at Magellan Sutera Harbour, here, Saturday night.

The curfew from 12.30am to 6am is due to the ongoing construction and upgrading works at the KKIA.

However, Masidi was upbeat that once the highly anticipated upgraded runway is completed in April 2012 and adopts a 24-hour daily air connectivity, it will further increase tourist arrivals to the State.

He said his ministry’s target of achieving 2.63 million arrivals was on track, adding the State’s tourism sector registered a first-time double-digit growth of 15 per cent for the first nine months this year.

He also thanked the Royal Brunei Airlines for providing direct flights from Perth, which contributed to a 16 per cent increase in the number of Australian visitors.

Attributing the boom experienced by the local tourism industry to greater air accessibility and the region’s economic and political stability, Masidi said:

“China remains a major driving force in the growth of international tourism. This is the market that could sustain our industry.

“We need to cater to the demand of this important market sector.

Even the USA and Europe are banking on China,” he added.

Strategically located in Macau, the centre is an independent research organisation with a special emphasis on tourism and travel development in Asia and sustaining global economic growth.

Attuned to the regions events through research and exchange platforms, the centre will share with government and travel and tourism bodies how Asia’s development will positively impact the world.

Global Tourism Economy Research Centre Chairman Ms. Pansy Ho expressed her enthusiasm in the setting up of the Centre, describing Asia as the “major growth driver of global tourism”.

“For the Centre, the key event slated for next year will be the gathering of influential leaders worldwide in Macao, in which these world figures will examine the challenges and opportunities within the global economy as well as tourism industry for Asia and the world.” Ms Ho said.

“By grasping the opportunities ahead, the Macau tourism industry will be better equipped in steering and developing diversification, ultimately optimizing and internationalizing the tourism economy.”

In addition to the research the Centre is preparing for its first “Global Tourism Economic Forum” scheduled for mid next year in Macao.

The forum is designed to allow industry leaders to share their experiences on how tourism can advance the global economy to effectively contribute to tourism and economic growth.

Macau Government Tourist Office Director João Manual Costa Antunes said Macau has welcomed around 20 million visitors for the third quarter of 2011.

“Tourism is a mainstay of the economy for Macau.”

Ms Ho added, the Centre will be active in enhancing collaboration between Macau businesses and organizations in promoting tourism.