TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Thursday, 2nd April 2026
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TTG Asia | Asia-Pacific visitor arrivals to exceed pre-pandemic levels from 2026, PATA forecasts
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Bangkok Airways takes codeshare, FC routes to strengthen Indochina market position

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena
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Linking up secondary destinations and opening access to more beaches in South-east Asia remain focal points for Bangkok Airways as it seeks to entrench its Indochina market position, revealed Puttipong Prasarttong-osoth, the president of Bangkok Airways.

The airline continues to introduce new connections to beach destinations in South-east Asia, including new services from Bangkok to Danang, Phu Quoc and Cam Ranh, and linking up its secondary hub of Chiang Mai with Hanoi. Coming up next will be two new routes from Chiang Mai to Krabi (end-March) and Luang Prabang (early April).

Bangkok Airways’ Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth and Borussia Dortmund’s Jörg Heinrich

Such a strategy has worked especially well for the European market, for which beaches remain a top draw for South-east Asian holidays, Puttipong added.

And while Vietnam beaches have emerged as hot destinations in recent years, Puttipong revealed that the airline is also studying the feasibility of launching services to Myanmar’s untouched beaches in the south, although the country is currently hampered by the lack of adequate airport facilities.

Meanwhile, codeshare partnerships remain a vital strategy for Bangkok Airways in courting the European market.

“We now have codeshare partnerships with 27 airlines, with Philippines Airlines being the latest. We expect to sign with a few more carriers this year,” said Puttipong.

To further penetrate the European market, Bangkok Airways in 2018 sealed a two-year marketing partnership with Borussia Dortmund, one of Europe’s top football teams, to leverage branding cooperation of both companies to tap into a larger market reach in Asia, said Puttipong.

Dortmund has a big fan following from Germany, so we joined up with this football club to promote Bangkok Airways and make the airline better known across Asia and Europe.”

At the same time, Bangkok Airways’ adoption of IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard has opened new opportunities and even geographic source markets for the carrier, vice president – sales Varong Israsena told TTG Asia.

“We were not able to offer our products on OTAs just 12 months ago. NDC has now enabled us to build another plug to bridge our products to our digital market. We can now sell on OTAs,” he said.

He added: “We have seen bookings coming from South Africa and Pakistan, which are new markets that we have never seen or sold in before. NDC has performed exceptionally well for us, and we were surprised too. However, we’re still in the infancy stage of our digital transformation.”

Bangkok Airways has unveiled plans to transform itself into a “fully digital integrated airline”, with one of the aims focussing on selling more tickets online.

Last year, the carrier also developed its systems to be able to connect to OTAs such as eDreams, Ctrip, Mystifly and MakeMyTrip.

Kempinski Hotels’ CEO and CFO to step down

By TTG Asia
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From left: Markus Semer and Colin Lubbe

Markus Semer, Kempinski Hotels’ chairman of the management board and CEO, and Colin Lubbe, Kempinski Hotels’ CFO and vice chairman, are both stepping down from their positions, the company revealed in a statement.

To ensure a continued successful management of the Kempinski Group, both men have accepted to extend their mandates during the transition until successors are found.

From left: Markus Semer and Colin Lubbe

Semer joined the company 16 years ago, and was deputy CEO for the past six years before becoming the chairman of the management board and CEO. Prior to this, Semer served for over 11 years as a member of the management board of Kempinski, and as a director of the board of Kempinski Hotels.

Semer will be leaving the hospitality group for a new assignment which begins in January 2020.

Upon Semer’s announcement to leave Kempinski, Lubbe will also not be prolonging his mandate as CFO and vice chairman of the management board.

Since his appointment 10 years ago, Lubbe has served as a member of the management board of Kempinski, and as a director of the board of Kempinski Hotels. For the last three years, Lubbe served as vice chairman of the management board.

Lubbe has also been in charge of finance, IT and technical & pre-opening services during this decade of service with the Kempinski brand.

Ctrip inks distribution deal with Millennium Hotels and Resorts

By TTG Asia
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Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has entered into a distribution deal with Ctrip to promote its properties to the Chinese OTA’s customer base of 300 million.

Through this collaboration, MHR will partner with Ctrip’s membership programme to certify its portfolio of properties as “Chinese Friendly Hotels”.

From left: Ctrip’s Jim Chung, Ray Chen and David Zhou; MHR’s Nayan Peshkar; Ctrip’s Jun Lai; and MHR’s Hana Chlebna at the signing

Currently, about one in four Chinese citizens use Ctrip to book and search for outbound flight tickets. According to Ctrip’s 2018 Travel Report, its customers’ top destinations are England, France, Germany, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia and the US, all of which are home to hotels owned or operated by MHR and its associates.

MHR and Ctrip will also work towards customer initiatives such as launching a flagship store on Ctrip’s digital platforms, joint marketing campaigns, as well as knowledge sharing and cross exposure programmes.

Nayan Peshkar, MHR’s senior vice president – digital, distribution & revenue strategy, commented that joining forces with Ctrip will enable the hotel group to raise its profile in the “large and fast-growing China travel market”. Asia currently forms MHR’s second biggest region of operations, he added.

Oyo pledges US$200m to bolster services in India, launches new midscale brand

By TTG Asia
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India-based hospitality company Oyo Hotels & Homes has pumped US$200 million into its India & South Asia business to expand its reach in the subcontinent.

Oyo is present in more than 250 cities in India, offering more than 173,000 keys. Last year, the company added over 81 Indian cities to its portfolio. Globally, it is currently present in 10 countries and 500 cities, and has over 515,000 rooms.

The group has committed more than US$200 million to be put towards technology investments, renovation, and managing investments

As well, Oyo recently launched Collection O, a midscale business hotel brand to cater to this burgeoning corporate travel segment.

Collection O joins six other brands in the company – Oyo Townhouse, Oyo Home, Capital O, SilverKey, Palette Resorts, and, more recently, Oyo Life in the housing rental space.

To ensure a secure and safe experience for guests, Oyo has piloted what it says is an industry-first in-app SoS button in over 25 cities in India, which activates on check-in and includes options to contact the police and Oyo’s 24/7 safety response team. In addition, the company will also ensure real photos of the property are provided to guests.

Guests will also have access to in-person assistance by the Oyo Captain, in-app feedback options, as well as CCTV surveillance in all lobby areas during their stays.

Tomeu Gili rejoins Bedsonline to helm sales division

By TTG Asia
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Bedsonline has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of Tomeu Gili as director of sales for Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In this newly-created position, Gili will be responsible for supporting Bedsonline’s existing travel agency customers in the local markets to drive growth while further expanding and diversifying the number of agencies working with Bedsonline’s booking platform. He will be based in Dubai and lead a team of 70.

Gili brings with him over 20 years of experience in the travel industry, where he was spent time in leadership positions for companies such as Destinations of the World, RTS and Gowaii Corp. Prior to these, Gili worked for Bedsonline in senior leadership roles for 12 years following the brand’s launch in 2003.

This latest appointment follows Hotelbeds’ integration of both GTA and Bedsonline under the refreshed Bedsonline brand.

New hotels: Hotel Indigo Phuket Patong, Karma Reef Gili Meno and more

By TTG Asia
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Hotel Indigo Phuket Patong, Thailand
This newly-opened property features 180 guestrooms and suites, all decorated to reflect the neighbourhood that it stands in – in this case, Patong’s past as a fishing village is highlighted.

There are six categories of rooms and suites, such as the Oasis Pool Access Room, where guests have access to a personal terrace and the pool, and the 72m2 Executive Suite. Aside from the three F&B venues, recreational facilities include a fitness centre, two swimming pools (one on the rooftop), and a full-size Muay Thai boxing ring. Meeting planners can book one of the three function spaces, or the rooftop garden, for corporate events.

Karma Reef Gili Meno, Indonesia
Located on the tiny, traffic-free island of Gili Meno, Karma Reef presents 14 rooms over several categories, from the 37m2 one-bedroom sea front tents to the 46m2 two-storey bungalows. Room service breakfast is included in the room rate.

Amenities on the island include the Sea Spa, the Tiki Bar offering cocktails and juices, Karma Beach restaurant, and the free use of bicycles and non-motorised water sports. A beach lounge offers night programmes such as live acoustic music, seafood barbecues, movie under the stars and traditional Indonesian-themed nights.

Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing, China
Located on the upper levels of the WF Central retail centre, the first Mandarin Oriental-branded hotel in China’s capital offers 73 guestrooms and suites. Rooms start from 55m2, with many offering views towards the Forbidden City. Amenities on-site include a spa with four suites, fitness centre, 25m-long indoor lap pool and three F&B options – rooftop MO Bar, Café Zi and Mandarin Grill + Bar.

SureStay Plus by Best Western Shin-Osaka, Japan
The SureStay Hotel Group has made its Japanese debut in downtown Osaka, near to the Shin-Osaka train station. The new-build offers 108 guestrooms all equipped with complimentary Wi-Fi, as well as facilities such as a gym, laundromat and a business centre. A restaurant on site serves daily buffet breakfast.

DoubleTree by Hilton Perth Northbridge, Australia
Located at 100 James Street, the new-build offers 206 guestrooms, each with a Digital Key allowing Hilton Honors guests to use their smartphones as room keys, Sweet Dreams by DoubleTree sleep experience beds and Crabtree & Evelyn bath products. Facilities include an outdoor pool and bar, 24-hour fitness centre, executive lounge on level two, a versatile meeting space with capacity of up to 160 guests, and the James St Bar + Kitchen all-day dining venue.

Join WTTC’s Global Summit 2019 – the leading Travel & Tourism event of the year

By TTG
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Brought to you by The World Travel & Tourism Council

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit 2019 centred on the theme of ‘Changemakers’ will celebrate and gather the people and ideas who are defining the future of the Travel & Tourism industry.

This year, WTTC’s Global Summit will be held in Seville, Spain on 2-4 April and will be hosted by Ayuntamiento of Seville in partnership with Turismo Andaluz and Turespaña.

For the first time ever, WTTC will be opening the Global Summit for industry professionals to apply to attend with a registration fee.

In addition to gathering industry leaders to influence the future of Travel & Tourism, the WTTC Global Summit will celebrate a pivotal moment in history, one that signalled the birth for global travel as we know it today – 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of the departure of the first circumnavigation of the world from Seville and the world-changing impact of that achievement.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President & CEO, commented, “The WTTC Global Summit is the principal event where the global public and private leaders of our sector meet. We are happy to be back in Europe and especially in the beautiful city of Seville, where we will celebrate the 500 years since the first circumnavigation, while we define and shape the future of our sector and recognise the ideas which will make it happen. Anyone wanting to know what the future of our sector looks like should come to the WTTC Global Summit.”

“At our last summit in Buenos Aires we had more than 1,300 delegates with more than 100 CEOs, the President of Argentina, the Prime Minister of Rwanda, more than 30 ministers or heads of tourism, three former presidents, three United Nations’ Secretaries General (UNWTO, UNFCCC and ICAO) as well as leaders from PATA, IATA, WEF, CLIA, and even one Academy Award winning film director.

“So, 2019 provides a new opportunity for industry peers to attend and gain inspiration from our ‘Changemakers’, outlining a future vision of Travel & Tourism with the pioneering individuals and disruptive ideas that will make it happen.”

In addition to providing an invaluable networking opportunity for the Travel & Tourism industry at large, the WTTC Global Summit also offers an opportunity for its host city to take the spotlight and expose its unique heritage to the global Travel & Tourism community.

Juan Espadas, Mayor of Seville, said “The Global Summit will demonstrate the extraordinary economic and tourist potential of Seville. It offers a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to recognise the possibilities of investment in the city and for tourists to see Seville as a destination of global importance. I have no doubt that the WTTC Global Summit will position Seville on the ‘tourist map’ and highlight our great city as an obligatory place to visit given its heritage, culture and history.”

Places are limited so don’t miss this opportunity – register your place now!

Register Now

Use code TTGAsiaGS2019 for a travel trade discount: wttc.org/GS2019

U Zenmaya Phuket gets a new GM

By TTG Asia
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Absolute Hotel Services (AHS) Group has appointed Yaowanarth Phothiprom as general manager of U Zenmaya Phuket.

Yaowanarth first joined the company in 2017 as general manager at Eastin Residences Muscat in Oman.

Prior to joining AHS, the seasoned hotelier spent over two decades working with properties such as Dusit Thani Maldives, Santhiya Koh Yao Yai Resort & Spa, The Sukhothai Bangkok and Chikusenso Mt Zao Resort & Spa in Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture.

Fate of Malaysia Airlines hangs in balance

By S Puvaneswary
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Malaysia Airlines

The Malaysian government will be conducting a study to decide the fate of ailing national carrier, Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

National sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional – the sole shareholder of MAS – had accounted half of its RM7.3 billion (US$1.8 billion) impairments registered last year in sustaining MAS. This caused Khazanah Nasional to post a pre-tax loss of RM6.3 billion in 2018, its first since 2005, reported TheEdge Markets.

Malaysian government mulls over the future of its national carrier

According to The Star newspaper, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, said at a press conference: “To me, it’s a serious matter to shut down the national airline. We will nevertheless study whether we should shut it down or sell it off, or refinance it. All of these options are open for the government to decide.”

During a briefing on the sovereign fund’s 2018 results, Khazanah Nasional’s managing director, Shahril Ridzuan, stated in a New Straits Times report: “As a shareholder, we think that the important question to be asked is whether every dollar spent on MAS is generating other economic benefits to the country, which the government needs to answer to determine the right level of support for the airline.”

Agents TTG Asia spoken to offered suggestions, from corporatising MAS to revamping the airline.

Adam Kamal, secretary-general at Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, opined: “Shutting down the national carrier should be a last resort. If the government feels it is unable to carry the burden of maintaining the airline, they should corporatise it I am sure there will be takers. This option may even take MAS to greater heights.”

Kamal pointed to AirAsia as an example of a private company doing well, and stated that he was confident that if MAS is corporatised, “it will have a bright future”.

Richard Vuilleumier, managing director, Panorama Holidays, added: “What needs to be done is to re-strategise and revamp the airline and to have good leadership at the top management level who knows the aviation industry, and not politicians.

“As it is, MAS is not really benefiting agents who are selling longhaul as the only longhaul destination it flies to is London. To further grow the inbound longhaul market, which in turn will see increased tourism revenue, is to have more direct connections,” Vuilleumier added.

Manfred Kurz, managing director of Diethelm Travel Malaysia, agreed: “The ownership of the airline is of no interest to agents as long as it can provide good service, fly on important routes and has plans for further expansion.”

At press time, Malaysian finance minister gave his assurances that the government will not shut down MAS.

Singapore’s luxury properties a drawcard for European buyers

By Paige Lee Pei Qi
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Aerial view of Capella Singapore

An ever-growing roster of luxury hotels in Singapore is drawing greater interest from European buyers at the recent ITB Berlin.

Hollywood movie Crazy Rich Asians and the historic Trump-Kim summit in June last year delivered a promotional boost to Singapore, with icons like Marina Bay Sands, Capella Singapore and Raffles Singapore coming under the spotlight as some of the city’s luxury offerings.

Aerial view of Capella Singapore on Sentosa island

Rica Thies, team assistant Asia, Art of Travel Germany, said: “The luxury hotels in Singapore are so impressive that they are able to provide an experience on their own already.”

Thies said her clients, who typically stay between one to three nights in the city, would often prefer city-based five-star hotels with a view of the Singapore River.

Anticipating the reopening of the iconic Raffles Singapore in August this year, Thies said: “We have many requests for this hotel already because it combines a lot of history, elegance and luxury which we do not get in typical hotels.”

Hasan Hakim, general manager, Beyond Oceans Travel Lebanon, agreed that the ready availability of quality and luxury hotels in Singapore is a winning factor. “It makes the destination’s image feel secure when you know of all the big hotel names,” he said.

Hakim, who is exploring Singapore as a new product, shared that he is looking at packaging the city with surrounding destinations like Indonesia and the Philippines. “I am looking for new ideas that can excite, and I think Singapore has many to offer,” he said.

He added that Sentosa could be a potential key product for his clients as its resort island offering with luxury hotels and attractions in one spot is a novel and attractive one.

As for Karin Portzgen-Pruijssen, representative of Reisteam in Netherlands, Singapore is an “all-in-one city that has everything travellers need”, with shopping as one of the top favourite activities among them.

Apart from luxury hotels, Singapore’s reputation for quality hotels is a “very strong” drawcard for Portzgen-Pruijssen.

Earlier last month, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) unveiled plans to woo longhaul markets like the UK and Europe with a roster of Bicentennial-themed programmes and tour products.

STB has also launched the next phase of its Passion Made Possible global campaign in 16 markets worldwide, including Germany and the UK.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Thai tourism associations propose stimulus projects as new cabinet comes in
TTG Asia | Asia-Pacific visitor arrivals to exceed pre-pandemic levels from 2026, PATA forecasts
TTG Asia | China and Taiwan lead Thai tourism recovery