Tech firm's subsidiary in partnership to engage in luxury tours

MANILA, Philippines - The Singapore-based subsidiary of listed technology company DFNN has partnered with a Japanese company to engage in luxury tours and high-end travel packages in the Philippines, Singapore and Japan. Avensis Leisure Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of DFNN, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Tokyo-headquartered Asian Elite Club to promote the three countries among Asia's wealthy in especially designed tour packages. The packages, which will come in between $10,000 to $300,000 each, will offer niche travel service to big-spending tourists. The packages will last between five days and seven days. The first batch of tourists to the Philippines will come in the year's fourth quarter. In a briefing, Ramon Garcia, DFNN chief executive officer, said the partnership with the Japanese company will provide exclusivity to wealthy tourists. “It’s high time that the Department of Tourism realizes that this kind of market exists," Garcia said. Makoto Honda, Asian Elite chief executive officer, noted the Philippines has an edge in the tourism sector with its population's ready smiles and welcoming attitude to foreign visitors. “More importantly, the Philippines is well known for its hospitality and Filipinos are already providing the very best in terms of services to the hotel and tourism industry throughout the world. Thus, they would be the perfect partners for the concierge and the dedicated type services that we would like to provide our clients who have come to Japan and are now looking for other destinations in Asia," Honda said. He noted that the Philippines, with its more than 7,100 islands, “is rare" in the sense that it has abundant natural resources and lots of entertainment to offer to foreign tourists. Honda said the leisure and entertainment city along Roxas Boulevard to be built by state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. as one of the possible attractions for its tour packages in the Philippines. Fort Bonifacio, on the other hand, is seen as a “mini-Dubai" owing to the number of constructions being done there. He added that the joint venture, which has yet to be named, will be providing choppers, private jets, dining in restaurants that would be closed down to the public with chefs cooking the dishes in front of the tourists, luxurious accommodations and even security personnel to wealthy tourists. Honda said he is aiming to mount two tours per week in the Philippines. Garcia said the joint venture have yet to decide what to name the company, but will be a 50-50 partnership between Avensis and Asian Elite. Asian Elite has been providing business consulting, tour planning, and marketing services for high net worth tourists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Asian countries. It has been providing clients with services to its niche market such as private commercial aircraft and executive ground transport. The company also has offices in Osaka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok and Manila. - GMANews.TV