But now Kazakhstan’s foreign minister has said he is “grateful” to Borat for “helping attract tourists” to the country.

He said ten times more people were applying for visas to go there.

The film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan follows the journalist Borat Sagdiyev as he travels to the US and pursues the actress Pamela Anderson.

Complaint

Although it was shot in Romania, officials felt the movie portrayed Kazakhstan as a racist, sexist and primitive country.

Borat bragged about incest and rape. He also joked that the former Soviet nation had the cleanest prostitutes in the world.

The government banned sales of the DVD and blocked users from visiting Borat’s website.

Just last month Kazakhstan lodged a formal complaint with the Olympic Committee of Asia after a spoof national anthem from Borat was played at a sports event in Kuwait by mistake.

But Foreign Minister Yerzhan Kazykhanov told politicians on Monday, 23 April: “With the release of this film, the number of visas issued by Kazakhstan grew tenfold.

“I am grateful to ‘Borat’ for helping attract tourists to Kazakhstan.”

Panelists: Makots Arima, Google Japan; CHEN Rong, China International Travel Service CEO; AW Kah Peng, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive; Tatsuko Nakamura, Japan Association of Travel Agents; and David Katz, Visa head of Government Relations for North Asia.

Makots Arima: I believe in Southeast it is rapidly growing in terms of Google-use. The use of smartphone and mobiles for travel is rapidly increasing, which surprises us the most. This is the region that uses the most of mobile phones. The Indonesian people are using Internet the most, followed by Singapore and China.

CHEN Rong: The Chinese economy is rapidly growing. China has the largest outbound travelers, and US469 billion in spending. Shift is more on “deep” tourism. Three elements that will impact Chinese outbound travel– the development technology, we need to capture the needs of the elderly (180 million elderly in China), and globalization (we need to systematize this).

AW Kah Peng: Visitors arrivals have always been important. We put additional emphasis on tourism receipts, because they give us an insight on what tourists what they are spending on. We’re now doing a lot research to look at what they are spending.

Tatsuko Nakamura: In principle, consumers and clients also make reservation through the Internet. The amount of sales through Internet is growing. The Japanese customers, they want to know the substance of the tour. Even if the product is available on the Internet, they still want over-the-counter agents sales.

David Katz: The Asia-Pacific now counts for a major travel trend, but a lot of that is intra-Asia Pacific. Southeast, North Asia then Oceania are the leading regions.

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Cost of Living
For tourism in Malaysia, try to find out about the cost of living of the place where you are planning to stay. This will help you to make cost estimates and help you to stay within your budget. Shanghai and Macau, for instance, are very expensive cities in Asia.

FlyKLIA is now offering cheap flight tickets to travel to Asia, thus, helping to boost the economy of the region through tourism. Those who want to book tickets to Malaysia can do so from the comfort of their home through the FlyKLIA website. Tickets to various Asian destinations can be booked at low rates at the FlyKLIA web site.

The hotel transaction was for a total of HKD 2.368b (USD 305m), representing the largest single hotel sale in Hong Kong in over 10 years and in the wider Asian region since the Global Economic Downturn.

Since undergoing a complete refurbishment and rebranding in 2008, 389 room experiencing occupancies in excess of 95% and became one of the most popular hotels in Hong Kong.

LaSalle Investment Management are well known in Phuket as the entity behind the redevelopment of the Karon Villa into the Crowne Plaza and ultimately sold to become the Moevenpick Resort and Spa.

“We are very confident in the market potential of Ibis Bandung Trans Studio, which offers the most advanced level of comfort in the economy segment in the city,” Patrick Sibourg, the general manager of Ibis Bandung Trans Studio said in a statement.

He said that all 606 modern, minimalist-style, guest rooms feature a 32-inch LCD TV, Internet access and in-room safe.

The hotel also has 222 connecting rooms for families. “The hotel is sure to quickly become ‘the place to stay’ for visitors seeking out great value accommodation in Bandung,” he added.

In addition, the 22-story hotel features the Oopen restaurant, which offers pasta and grill specialties with an open kitchen concept. Accor, the largest hotel operator in Indonesia, operates a network of 46 hotels in 18 cities.

The two-day forum, organized with the assistance of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Asian Development Bank aims to promote tourism industry based on Buddhist heritage and natural environment.

The forum has being organized to promote tourism focusing on connectivity and Destination, Management of Cultural and Natural resources in the South Asia Sub-region, Strategy and Road Map for Institutional Arrangements for Cooperation.

Minister Rajapaksa also launched the Tourism Promotional Website for South Asian Sub-region at the inaugural meeting.

A coordinating office was also established in collaboration with the program to promote natural, regional and historical attractions in the region.

Additional Secretary to Ministry of Economic Development Nihal Somaweera, ADB Country Director to Sri Lanka Mrs. Rita O’Sullivan, and Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Dir. Nalaka Godahewa also participated in the occasion.

The Malaysian-based airline is ending its service because of spiraling fuel costs.

The cost of fuel has risen 30 percent since the airline launched its South Island service almost a year ago.

Christchurch Airport CEO Jim Boult says it’s a blow for local tourism.

“There’s around 50,000 arrivals we would’ve seen over a 12 month period, some of those are Kiwis obviously going away and coming back but because of Air Asia X it would be in the order of 25,000 to 30,000 visitors to the South Island.”

However Mr Boult is confident another Asian airline will come on board to offer a similar service.

“A lot of work we’re doing at the present time is around promoting the service to other airlines and we’ve very confident in the next year or two we’ll see another one, if not two.”

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker says the tourism industry will have to ride out a tough winter until another airline fills the gap.

“I think that it’s a difficult time for tourism. Australian numbers are down and with the loss of this airline heading into winter, it’s not good news but perhaps there’ll be some salvation if we get a good ski season.”

Mr Parker says his recent sojourns to Asia show there is interest from that market to come to the south.

New Zealand aviation expert Peter Clark doesn’t believe the decision is that clear cut.

“So to use it as the main excuse, I don’t think’s relevant. I think it’s bad planning, I think the incentive there was from Christchurch Airport which I slightly disagree with because they offered them incentives to come to Christchurch.”

Mr Clark says Air Asia was struggling before they agreed to add Christchurch to their flight plans.

Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing CEO Tim Hunter says there will certainly be a short term dip in the number of visitors from that market.

“I think our goal is we’ve opened the eyes of Malaysians to the wonders of the South Island and we’ve got to get back into that market hard and build relationships with new carriers and see if we can redirect some of that business.”

Mr Hunter says the airline brought in 25,000 visitors each year which shows there’s a market there for other airlines to tap into.

House of Travel spokesman Brent Thomas says the airline has offered a full refund to ticket holders but that won’t cover other costs incurred.

“It isn’t just simply a change of flight because they’ve got accommodation, they’ll have certain sight seeings all booked. Given the events of bookings, particularly for winter holidays, we are talking of hundreds and hundreds of people.”

Mr Thomas says it’s a major disruption and passengers are in a real dilemma now.

“It’s quite an emotional time for people obviously they have been planning these holidays for often months and they’re really looking forward to them. They are the most important four weeks of the year, those holidays, and so people have got their hearts set on these things so now we’re trying to find alternatives for them.”

Speaking in a recent interview with Kyodo News, Ito, 61, also said the company will transfer power to its group companies such as low-cost carriers Peach Aviation Ltd. and AirAsia Japan Co. by adopting a holding company structure in April 2013.

“Value will be added to flights in Asia used by many passengers coming across the Pacific (such as from the United States). The rate of foreign passengers is on the increase and is largely contributing to growth in ANA’s international flights,” he said.

The company announced a management plan last month to expand its U.S., European and Asian routes and boost international passenger transport capacity by 22 percent in fiscal 2013 from the fiscal 2011 level.

Asked about rival Japan Airlines Co.’s plan to increase international transport capacity by 25 percent in fiscal 2016, Ito said, “We are not less focused on growth because we are aiming to bolster international capacity in a short span of two years.”

Ito also said the decision to operate low-cost carriers as group companies has prompted the major Japanese airline to come up with the plan to adopt a holding company structure as swifter adjustments will be required in the changing environment.

On Peach Aviation, which started operating flights on Thursday, Ito said, “Though we still do not know to what extent the low-cost carrier business will grow, we will be taking the lead,” referring to the share of around 30 percent held by such carriers in the United States and Europe.

Tourism New Zealand is pleased to announce the appointment of industry stalwart Tony Everitt, to the position of General Manager – Asian Markets.

Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says Tony’s appointment is great news for Tourism New Zealand and the industry as a whole.

“Tony has an extensive career in tourism including previous senior management roles at Tourism New Zealand and most recently as the Chief Executive of Destination Queenstown.

“This position is an integral part of the organisation and is responsible for the leadership and management of our Asian operations, with particular focus on working alongside the Asian travel trade and strategic partners such as airlines and the New Zealand travel industry.

Tony has an in-depth knowledge of Asian markets having worked for Tourism New Zealand in Asia and Wellington, between 1993 – 1997 and again from 1999 – 2006 in Asia.

“His appointment has ensured we have the skills and experience we need to capitalize on the significant opportunities for growth and untapped visitor demand that exist across the Asian markets.”

Tony will take up his new position on Tourism New Zealand’s executive leadership team on 26 April 2012 and will join the Asian markets team based in Shanghai on 14 May, conditional on visa and work permit approvals.

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.”