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Asia/Singapore Monday, 6th April 2026
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Hidden Culinary Gems of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT Line

By S Puvaneswary
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Streetside eats

Why
Malaysian food presents a true culinary adventure, a reflection of the diverse origin of its multi-ethnic population.

To let guests have a taste of hidden culinary gems in Kuala Lumpur, local tour operator Adventoro has rolled out a unique food trail around the Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line. Participants visit local restaurants and hawkers serving some of the best of Malaysian classics, such as banana fritters, chendol, prawn mee, asam laksa, beef noodles, nasi lemak and satay, to name a few.

Streetside eats

What
All food stops are within walking distance from MRT stations along the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line.

The tour starts at Brickfields and ends at the famous Sate Kajang Hj Samuri. During the walk from the MRT station to the food outlet, my guide, Ken Lau, shared snippets of history and interesting facts about each location.

What impressed me was his commitment to ensure I had a good time, even if it meant taking me to food places that were not on the list.

For example, at Shin Kee coffee shop near Central Market, which served the best beef noodles I had ever tasted, we started talking about durian and I mentioned that I hadn’t eaten one for a long time. To my surprise and delight, Lau decided we should drop by Petaling Street for a durian feast by the roadside – Malaysian style!

The coffee shops we visited were not fancy, but don’t let their appearance fool you. On closer look, you will see numerous awards the shop has collected over the years hanging on the walls.

Similarly, an entire wall at the eponymous Auntie Lora Kopitiam was filled with pictures of Auntie Lora with Malaysian politicians and local celebrities who had dined there in the past, as well as newspaper articles of food reviews and awards. Auntie Lora Kopitiam has been operating in Kuala Lumpur since 1981, after moving from Penang.

Lau said it served the best prawn mee and asam laksa in the city, and it only took a sampling of these dishes for me to be utterly convinced.

I was lucky to have picked Wednesday for this tour, which also happens to be the day Taman Connaught night market comes to life. This is the longest night market in Malaysia with more than 700 stalls, half of which sell food, including fresh vegetables and meat.

By the time we arrived at Sate Kajang Hj Samuri nearly eight hours after the tour started at 12.30, I was almost full. But I had to taste Sate Kajang to find out why people travel here from Penang and Johor just for the satay. The secret lies in the thick, fragrant peanut sauce, which comes with a separate plate of chilli paste. The chicken sticks are also almost twice as large as you would find elsewhere.

How
The tour is sold online on the Adventoro.com website. The tour price is inclusive of an English-speaking guide, MRT tickets to various locations, plus food and drinks. On average, there are six food stops. Portions are kept small so guests are able to sample different types of food.

A day or two prior to the food tour, guests be notified via email or WhatsApp of the food stops. At this point, they may request to change some of the outlets.

Verdict
The food outlets in this tour have been well researched and almost all have won food awards of some kind. I would recommend this to foodies visiting Kuala Lumpur.

Duration Full-day tour departing at 12.30
Rates RM190 (US$46) per person
Contact details
Website: www.adventoro.com

New GM for InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay

By TTG Asia
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InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay has appointed Tania Getzova as general manager.

An accomplished hotelier with over 20 years of experience, Getzova has held various general manager and leadership roles across luxury and boutique hotels in New York, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge in luxury hotel operations, strategy and business acumen. InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay is her first foray into Asia.

The Bulgarian native joins the hotel from Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York, where she was the opening general manager since 2014.

Japan dangles huge incentives to lure tourists back to quake-hit Hokkaido

By Julian Ryall
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Former Hokkaido Government Office in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Travel companies across Hokkaido are welcoming an initiative from the national government that will provide subsidies of up to 20,000 yen (US$176) per night for tourists who stay in the prefecture, which was rattled by a major earthquake on September 6.

The scheme was introduced on October 1 for domestic travellers to Hokkaido, with OTAs providing the discounts through coupons provided by the national government to cover up to 70 per cent of their travel costs for up to three nights. A similar scheme is being rolled out for foreign visitors, but up to a maximum of five nights.

Both domestic and foreign travellers to the region will get former subsidies; former Hokkaido Government Office in Sapporo, Hokkaido pictured

The Japanese government is setting aside 15.3 billion yen to fund the programme, as well as increasing the number of staff at a call centre managed by the Japan National Tourism Organization to provide information to foreign travellers.

“We had a number of foreign travellers cancel their holidays with us immediately after the earthquake, but not so many Japanese tourists as they are perhaps more used to situations like this,” said Misa Kawata, head of international inbound travel operations for Sapporo-based Hokkaido Treasure Island Travel Inc.

“Facilities and services are all back to normal now, but we still appreciate this assistance because it will be an important promotion to encourage more people to come to Hokkaido,” she told TTG Asia.

The initiative also saw positive reception from Chris Pickering, director and group general manager of Hokkaido Tourism Management. “There were similar coupon incentive programmes in the past and those worked because more people came to Hokkaido,” he said.

“We had some cancellations immediately after the earthquake, because the airport at Sapporo was shut and it was difficult for people to get here. But everything is back to normal now and the rest of October is looking to be very busy for us.

“Anything that can be done to get the word out that it’s business as usual here is welcome,” he added.

Takahiro Yoshioka, head of tourism promotion for the City of Sapporo, echoed that sentiment, saying: “While it is a sizeable cost (to the government), we think it will be an effective way to boost demand in the tourism sector here.”

Sulawesi tours unaffected by quake in non-touristy region

By Tiara Maharani
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The areas struck by the quake and tsunami were not big tourist regions, some tour operators say; the now collapsed Ponulele Bridge in Palu

As Indonesia picks up the pieces from the deadly earthquake that hit Central Sulawesi last Friday, trade players interviewed report that Sulawesi tour programmes remain largely unaffected.

Ricky Setiawanto, director of business development Africa, Europe, and Baltic States of Panorama Destination said Palu, Donggala and Mamuju – the trio struck by the tsunami following the earthquake – are not main tourist destinations and hence not included in its Sulawesi overland tours.

The areas struck by the quake and tsunami were not big tourist regions, some tour operators say; pictured, the now collapsed Ponulele Bridge in Palu

Each year, Destination Panorama sees an average of 10 tour groups, each with around 20 participants, taking up its Sulawesi Overland Tour. The trip starts in Manado, North Sulawesi to Makassar, South Sulawesi or vice versa. The only stops in Central Sulawesi are in Togean Island, Ampana and Tentena, which are quite far from Palu, Donggala and Mamuju.

Ricky explained: “At the time of the earthquake, we had a tour group in Tentena, Central Sulawesi. They were a little shaken but not affected. Now the group is already in Toraja and the tour goes as usual.”

Palu and the affected areas are also not featured in Sulawesi tour programmes for Makassar-based Incito Vacations although some of its clients transit in Palu.

Ng Sebastian, owner of Incito Vacations, said: “The impact (from the recent disaster) is minimal as only a few of my guests want to transit in Palu. Most of them fly directly from Makassar to Poso or Gorontalo.”

For those who have booked through Palu, Ng will divert the route directly to Poso as the Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport in Palu resumes operations.

Based on updates given by the Ministry of Transportation, there is a little damage in the airport. Other airports around Palu like Jalaludin Airport – Gorontalo, Kasiguncu Poso Airport and Tanjung Api Ampana airport appear to be intact with all flights operating as usual.

Ng said: “(Travellers spend up to) 23 days on overland tour (in Sulawesi), but the route does not pass through Palu, Mamuju nor Donggala.

“The closest tourist attraction from Palu is Lore Lindu, and this is not in the overland tour package. Special interest tourists, such as the bird-watchers visit here,” he said, adding that travellers could still visit the area via Poso.

Arief Yahya, tourism minister was quick to assure that other destinations in Indonesia remain safe to visit. He said: “The Java Islands in general, Bintan and Bali are safe.”

Currently the Ministry of Tourism, through the Tourism Crisis Center, continues to monitor the situation in Central Sulawesi.

Arief said: “Our current priority is evacuation. The government will do the best to help the people in Palu, Donggala and Mamuju. After the emergency response period is over, we will begin the recovery process.”

The Ministry of Tourism will focus on handling human resources and the overall recovery of affected destinations, while simultaneously conducting promotions and marketing.

Palu and Central Sulawesi in general are an industrial area, particularly in the nickel industry.

A deadly earthquake and tsunami hit the area on late Friday afternoon, when the city of Palu was celebrating its anniversary with a number of events, among which were the Cross Country Paragliding Championship and Palu Nomini Cultural Festival.

Strong domestic demand drives Pattaya’s rebounding hotel market: C9

By TTG Asia
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Thailand’s second largest tourism market, Pattaya, has pushed through the volatility hangover of the 2014 era, with its hotel sector now showing signs of rising stability.

According to the latest available data, strong demand from the Thai domestic sector accounted for 38% of hotel guests at Chonburi province accommodation establishments.

C9 notes the rising stability in Pattaya’s hotel sector

Greater Pattaya’s expanding gateway aviation hub of U-Tapao International Airport has been a critical stimulator of demand, where passenger arrivals over a three-year period rose at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 79, according to a new report from consulting group C9 Hotelworks.

According to C9, the Thai government finalising plans for high-speed rail links between U-Tapao and Bangkok’s two airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, is undoubtedly a game changer for the Eastern Seaboard area. New international routes into U-Tapao grew dramatically through the past three years as airlift arrivals increased significantly with a CAGR of 59%.

Translating airlift into hotel metrics, global data provider STR recorded an 8.7% year-on-year spike in key indicator RevPAR at the end of 2017. By mid-2018, market-wide occupancy hit 77.9%.

While the current number of accommodation establishments in Chonburi province is 1,046 with 81,607 keys, most of the growth is centred in Greater Pattaya. C9 Hotelworks report shows 11 new hotels in the development pipeline which accounts for 2,645 additional rooms.

C9’s managing director Bill Barnett said: “There is a substantial influx of branded select service and economy hotels including Holiday Inn Express, Ozo, Cosi and Citadines which are targeted at not only mainland China and India but regional South-east Asian markets.

“The impact of this new supply in the short to medium period will take time to absorb and likely create rate issues in the economy and midscale tiers, until such time as the EEC development becomes more pronounced. Though at the same time, Chonburi province last year racked up more than 16,000,000 hotel guests at accommodation establishments and there is little doubt that Greater Pattaya is moving into a broader tourism platform.”

Kathleen Tan confirms departure from AirAsia China

By TTG Asia
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Kathleen Tan steps down. Photo credit: Facebook officialkathleentan

Airline industry high-flyer Kathleen Tan has confirmed on social media that she is stepping down from the president post at AirAsia China and will be “taking (a) long break to unwind”.

According to a Singapore media report, Tan will resign effective October 8. She reportedly cited cultural factors for her decision.

Tan steps down as AirAsia’s China president. Photo credit: Facebook @officialkathleentan

TTG Asia tried to reach out to Tan and AirAsia but both did not respond at press time.

Tan became president of AirAsia China in June 2017. Prior to that, she was president, North Asia, a role that involved building the China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan markets.

She stepped down from her role as CEO of AAE Travel in 2015, after taking up the post at the former AirAsia and Expedia Group joint venture in 2013. The airline this August disposed of its remaining equity interest in AAE Travel to Expedia Group.

 

Singapore’s Thomson Medical sells off Ariva Hospitality

By TTG Asia
0
Ariva Trillion Residences Kuala Lumpur
Ariva Trillion Residences Kuala Lumpur

Singapore-based Thomson Medical Group has sold the Ariva hospitality unit to Tang Dynasty, majority-owned by property tycoon Gordon Tang, for S$3.4 million (US$2.5 million).

The medical group, which operates a chain of women and children’s specialist clinics, said that its current focus is to develop its healthcare business, and will assess options to divest its real estate portfolio, reported Singapore’s Straits Times.

Ariva was acquired in 2016 from a group of vendors, who had also made loans to Thomson Medical’s wholly owned subsidiary Rowsley Hospitality Holdings. According to the Straits Times article, these vendors have also agreed to terminate Rowsley Hospitality’s obligations to pay earn-out considerations and to repay the loans, in exchange for payment of a compromised amount.

TAFI launches digital platform to better connect agents to marketplace

By Rohit Kaul
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Praveen:

The Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) launched the TAFI Connect platform on World Tourism Day to help members boost non air revenue and reach Indian and global suppliers directly.

“The major challenge that Indian small- and medium-sized travel agencies are facing is how to keep up with transformations of the digital age. The need of the hour is that agents collaborate among themselves and become a formidable power,” said Praveen Chugh, president, TAFI.

Praveen: the dire need for agents to collaborate among themselves to keep up with the times

“TAFI Connect is a new-age technology, an ecosystem that patches the current fragmented offline travel scenario, enabling peer-to-peer transaction between travel agents, hotels, DMCs and corporates. It allows exchange of rates, inventory and intelligence in real time with automation in a common platform for real-time search and a payment platform that’s secure.”

TAFI Connect affords the association’s members multiple buying options, best rate guarantee from suppliers, as well as a plug-and-play platform that enables instant and direct connection with hotels and suppliers.

“It will have taxation compliance and payment will be dispersed to suppliers in 72 hours with our banking partner HDFC,” Praveen added.

Among the suppliers that TAFI has tied up with for the platform include MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Zomata, Cleartrip, GRNconnect.com, Oyo Rooms and Lemon Tree Hotels.

With this initiative, TAFI has also extended its Joint Bank Guarantee (JBG) scheme beyond air ticket bookings to its members. TAFI Connect will allow member agents to utilise 20 per cent of their JBG limit for booking of hotels and other services.

TAFI at present offers JBG as an alternative mode of financial security to IATA. The JBG scheme is based on the principle of mutual liability of the group involved in offering the financial security.

Rajat Bagaria, managing director, Shrishti Tours & Travels, sees value in having leading companies aggregating hotels across India and the world on one common, transparent platform.

“For small agents it is an opportunity to grow their business by reaching out directly to suppliers to get best price of a product, while through JBG suppliers they have the assurance that their money is not at risk,” he commented.

New US$1 tax kicks in for foreigners entering Laos

By TTG Asia
0
Laos immigration form pictured

With the implementation of a new tourism development levy in Laos effective October 1, all travellers entering the country on foreign passports, including residents, will now be taxed US$1.

All travellers now have to pay a US$1 levy; Laos immigration form pictured

Set up in line with a government decree issued in April last year, the tax is meant to go towards tourism development purposes.

The change comes amid greater demands on the country’s budget for flood disaster recovery efforts and infrastructure investment, according to a Laotian Times article.

Virtuoso Travel Week heads to China next year for Asia debut

By TTG Asia
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Agencies attending Virtuoso Travel Week gather for a shot

As more Chinese travel agencies join its network, Virtuoso will next year debut the Virtuoso Travel Week On Tour Asia in China, where the event will take place in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The global luxury travel network recently held the Virtuoso Travel Week 2018 in Las Vegas from August 12-16. The 30th edition of the annual travel week event saw the attendance of more than 6,000 travel representatives, including agents from 10 China-based luxury travel companies.

Agencies attending Virtuoso Travel Week gather for a shot

Commenting on upcoming China-focused initiatives, Virtuoso’s regional director, Asia, Evan Pierce said: “The engagement of our new members has been fantastic. We were delighted to have had all of our founding members make the trip to Las Vegas, with Virtuoso Supplier Partners equally enthused about connecting in person with the best luxury agencies in China.”

“Virtuoso Travel Week on Tour Asia will further enhance our engagement in the region, giving local front-line advisors a taste of the magic that happens in Vegas.”

Like a number of China-based travel agencies, a recent Chinese addition to the Virtuoso network, Zanadu, attended the recent Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas for the first time.

Zanadu chief product officer, Rick Xie, said: “Five years ago the luxury market in China did not exist, so while we are evolving quickly, we are still at the beginning of developing these networks and connections.”

Given how fresh the market’s luxury segment is, learning has become a focus area for agencies like Zanadu, and one of the reasons it joined the Virtuoso network.

An event like Virtuoso Travel Week has been “very relevant” and educational when it comes to information about Virtuoso services as well as products in the market.

“It’s not only the network meetings, it’s the professional development and engagement with Virtuoso staff who we can now work with to understand the services and tools Virtuoso offers to its network,” Xie said.

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TTG Asia | Sun World Vũng Tàu unveils beachfront water park in Vietnam
TTG Asia | Sono signs hotel project in Hanoi Old Quarter for 2026 opening
TTG Asia | Asia-Pacific LCCs face fuel cost shock amid Middle East conflict