As Sabre achieved IATA’s level three NDC certification as an aggregator, adding to its existing level three capability as an IT provider, it has also expanded its Beyond NDC programme by entering into strategic relationships with additional airlines and agencies including United Airlines, BCD Travel, Finnair, American Express Travel & Lifestyle Services, Singapore Airlines and Corporate Travel Management.
Collaborating with agencies and airlines during the solutions design process
Beyond NDC is Sabre’s collaborative innovation initiative chartered to drive the industry forward through the development, integration and testing of end-to-end capabilities to process NDC-enabled offers and orders. Companies committed to the programme are participating with Sabre in the solution design process.
“IATA level three certification is another key step in developing holistic NDC-enabled solutions and we’re proud of this achievement, but the real work is being done in close collaboration with our airline and agency partners,” said Kathy Morgan, Sabre vice president of NDC.
Already, nearly 80 per cent of all air shopping in Sabre Red Workspace, the next-generation travel agency platform, starts with schedule and availability queries. Together, United Airlines and Sabre are working on schedule- and availability-led shopping solutions that were presented to attendees of IATA’s NDC Implementation Forum earlier this month.
Holiday Inn & Suites Saigon Hi-Tech Park will open in 2021, the result of a management agreement between the InterContinental Hotels Group and Công Ty Tnhh Mot Thanh Vien Đầu Tư Đông Sài Gòn DSG (DSG).
The new-build Holiday Inn & Suites Saigon Hi-Tech Park will offer 300 guest rooms, including 50 long-term stay suites, as part of a mixed-use development.
Back row, from left: IHG’s Sam Davies, Bryan Chan and Le Hoang Vu with Beton 6’s Le Thien Giao and Le Hoang Vu; back row, from left: IHG’s Serena Lim and DSG’s Pham Xuan Hung
Within the hotel there are three dining outlets, while facilities include outdoor pool, gym, spa and e-gaming facility. For corporate functions and special occasions, event planners can choose from five meeting rooms, including a banquet-style room that can accommodate up to 600 guests.
And with the property’s prime location in District 9, business travellers will enjoy proximity to the technology hub and connection to downtown District 1 via the upcoming metro network.
The Holiday Inn hotel will be 20 minutes away from the Tan Son Nhat Airport and the future Long Thanh Airport.
Thai hospitality group Centara has inked an MoU with Asia Investment, Development & Construction Sole to manage three hotels in Laos with a combined total of 214 keys in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.
The three hotels will be operated under three distinct brands in the Centara Hotels & Resorts portfolio.
From left: Central Group’s Uaychai Khuhakarn, AIDC’s Adul Chaiprom, Dan Chinsupakul (board), Pheutsapha Phoummasak, Suthikiati Chirathivat (board), Suparat Chirathivat, Ronnachit Mahattanapreut and Markland Blaiklock
In close proximity to Luang Prabang airport and major tourist attractions will be Centara Grand, the upper upscale hotel comprising rooms, leisure and meeting facilities.
Targeting the more cost-conscious traveller in Luang Prabang will be a Centra by Centara hotel, a value offering in a convenient city location, while the latest Cosi branded hotel will be built in Vientiane.
This latest development is in line with Centara’s expansion strategy to bring its hotel count in Laos up to four, with Centara Plumeria Resort Pakse already well under development and scheduled to open in 2020.
Luckrada Lucksanawimol has been appointed regional director sales – Asia of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, based in the Bangkok regional head office.
Luckrada, better known as Annie, has held senior sales and management roles for a series of major hotels and resorts, both at property and head office levels.
Most recently, she was executive assistant manager at B-Lay Tong Phuket, having returned to the property in 2017.
Her experience also includes serving as director of sales at B-Lay Tong Phuket, during the time it was operated by AccorHotels as part of the MGallery Collection; and as director of sales for the former dusitD2 Patong Resort, which was managed by Dusit International. She was also cluster director of sales for Bangkok-based BHMAsia, overseeing 17 properties in Thailand and beyond.
An extended season in Singapore for the Sapphire Princess
To support travel agents in Asia, CLIA is organising a cruise seminar at ITB Asia 2018 in Singapore in partnership with eight cruise brands to equip travel agents with the skills to matchmake the cruise products to consumers.
The two-hour seminar, titled Navigating the Cruise Industry Towards Greater Profits, will highlight the latest trends and opportunities for travel agents, as well as share tips on how travel agents can use the different cruise brands’ unique selling points to sell to and attract Asian cruise passengers.
Princess Cruises one of the participating cruise brands; Sapphire Princess pictured
The eight participating cruise brands are Costa Cruises, Dream Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises.
“CLIA’s mandate is to provide essential training, resources and support to Asia travel agents. As the cruise industry continues to grow further in Asia, we look forward to partnering our cruise lines members and host a meaningful seminar for Asia travel agents at ITB Asia 2018,” said Joel Katz, CLIA Australasia & Asia managing director.
Cruise is one of the fastest growing leisure travel segments globally and has been picking up steam in the Asia region. Most Asian markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, India, Mainland China and Malaysia registered double-digit year-on-year growth in passenger numbers.
This year will see 38 cruise lines deployed and more ships in Asian waters. Compared to 2017, the number of large vessels with a capacity of 2,000 – 3,500 passengers will see the most significant increase of almost 50 per cent. Followed by small, upscale ships with a capacity of under 750 passengers expecting a 20 per cent increase in numbers.
South-east Asia is expected to see a significant 20 per cent increase in port calls for 2018 due to the deployment of more ships. The increased inventory of cruise itineraries coupled with Asians’ preference to cruise close to home in Asia, means that travel agents in South-east Asia will have tremendous potential to grow their cruise profits.
The cruise seminar will be held on October 19, 2018, 11.30-13.30 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. CLIA will also be at ITB Asia booth P25 from October 17-19, 2018.
Regulating traffic at hotspots a chief concern as tourists still want to see icons such as Angkor Wat (pictured)
As overtourism becomes a growing challenge in Asia’s tourist hotspots, industry stakeholders are calling attention to the importance of tourism management.
“While it’s right to understand ‘overtourism’ (literally), what it basically means is a lack of tourism management,” said Willem Niemeijer, founder and CEO of Khiri Travel.
Promoting new destinations is one way to ease crowding, but it is far from the full solution.
Regulating traffic at hotspots a chief concern as tourists still want to see icons such as Angkor Wat (pictured)
Niemeijer said governments need to step in with measures to jump-start development in lesser-known destinations. “The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) 12 Hidden Gems campaign is great, but we still need to get international brands in (to attract travellers from around the world)…There should be tax holidays, investment incentives in (the secondary destinations) they want to promote.”
Moreover, Carl Needham, general manager of Peak DMC’s office in Thailand, pointed out: “TAT has done a good job making these new areas look attractive. Still, once people start (flocking to the next new place), there comes question of where’s next, and (so on).”
Some DMCs TTG Asia interviewed at the recent PATA Travel Mart shared that while more travellers are seeking new areas to visit, they typically still want to see icons in popular cities. This highlights the need for better regulation of traffic within tourist hotspots, something the private sector is already actively pushing for.
“There’s a lot of growth still possible even for places at breaking point, it comes down to management,” Niemeijer said.
For example, Peak DMC, which just opened an Indonesia office, will include areas in Bali overlooked by tourists. “We are working on community-based tourism projects that include Mount Batur. For now, lots of tourists merely pass by that area, and communities don’t get to benefit. We’re working with NGOs to open up some of these areas in Bali and beyond,” said Needham.
One way crowds can be managed at tourist sites, Niemeijer said, is through a pre-booking system. “Taking the example of museums in New York, Amsterdam or Paris, you need to buy tickets ahead and there are time slots for bookings. Even though (key attractions are packed with) tons of people, tourists don’t feel that because the traffic is well regulated,” Niemeijer remarked.
When scaled up however, the work of regulating visitor flow will require government involvement. “When (efforts are centred around) the destination, such as Phuket, it becomes a tougher situation.
“To think about issues like where people can build hotels, what public spaces need to stay free, etc, (requires) public sector work… but (as long as) the government allows people to build hotels anywhere they like, (overtourism) will happen,” Niemeijer said.
There is currently a lack of public-private sector collaborations to better manage tourist flows, he stressed.
Likewise, Needham opined that to address crowding and build up new destinations and better distribute tourism benefits to local communities would require partnership between different parts of the tourism ecosystem.
On top of government collaboration, community-level partnerships are also key. “It’s about looking at crowded tourist spots, identifying similar areas (whose communities can benefit from that boom) and expanding operational capabilities there by partnering local NGOs, which have great traction with communities,” said Pravin Tamang, general manager, Peak DMC India.
Raudhah app now offers the Umrah package feature with the API connection, which is also available to third party OTAs
With the introduction of an industry-first Umrah API, Muslim-friendly hotel booking portal Tripfez and Malaysian digital marketing specialist Media Prima Digital have launched a new Umrah package booking feature on Islamic app Raudhah.
The API connection gives third-party travel sites access to an Umrah feed and enable them to more easily access and digitally package Umrah travel.
Raudhah app now offers the Umrah package feature with the API connection, which is also available to third party OTAs
Raudhah’s over 250,000 existing users can search for flights and hotels for Umrah travel according to multiple criteria, including date of travel and the number of travellers in their group, thanks to live supplier feeds facilitated by Tripfez. Once they have selected each component of their Umrah package, bookings can made via an online order form.
“This new Raudhah app feature marks an exciting development in the Islamic travel and marketing space, with two dynamic Malaysian-headquartered companies working together to pioneer the digital distribution of Umrah packages, which until now, has been a traditional, non-digital business,” said Tripfez founder & CEO, Faeez Fadhlillah.
“Our collaboration with Media Prima Digital will not only make it easier than ever for Muslim travellers – in just a few taps of their smartphones or devices – but also facilitate the future growth of the Umrah travel sector, catering to pent-up demand for digital Umrah solutions, which today is driven by tech-savvy Muslim millennials.”
Raudhah provides users with easy access to exclusive videos from popular religious programmes such as Al- Kulliyyah, Tanyalah Ustaz and Halaqah, as well as prayer times based on location, azan notifications and listings of nearby mosques and restaurants.
The app has 14 features in total and is designed to cater to the religious needs of Muslims in Malaysia and around the world, providing them with accurate and verified lifestyle- and education-driven content.
The introduction of Raudhah’s Umrah feature is timely, with the number of Umrah visas issued to Malaysian travellers via official agents reaching an all-time high of 248,117 between 2016 and 2017, according to Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah. This compares to 188,487 between 2013-2014.
Of the estimated 18 million visitors to Saudi Arabia in 2017, around 6.8 million performed Umrah during the Hijri year 1438 (October 2, 2016 to September 20, 2017), according to figures released by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics. The kingdom aims to increase total Umrah visitor numbers to 30 million by 2030.
Former Singapore Tourism Board head Lionel Yeo has joined Grab as CEO advisor in addition to his involvement on several boards.
“Grab is honoured that Lionel Yeo has joined as CEO advisor, following his recent departure from the civil service. In addition to his involvement on several boards, Lionel’s experience from an illustrious career spanning 22 years in the public sector will add insight and value to the leadership team.
Singapore’s former tourism chief to steer Grab through growth in South-east Asia
“Lionel will steer the organisation through our next phase of growth, as we work towards building South-east Asia’s first everyday super app,” Grab spokesperson Fangying Ang said.
Yeo told TTG Asia: “I’ve always been a keen observer of Grab and I’m immensely proud of a homegrown company’s achievements and contributions to South-east Asia over the years.
“Grab is at an inflection point as it transforms from an on-demand transport solution to a super app, and I look forward to contributing as Grab embarks on its next phase of growth and creates more meaningful impact across South-east Asia.”
Travelport has appointed Mark Meehan as managing director of its newly formed Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APACMEA) region.
The Travelport veteran has held a range of high-profile global and regional roles over his 19-year tenure with the travel technology company. He was most recently managing director of Travelport’s Asia-Pacific operations, and prior to that managing director for Travelport Africa, a role that saw him grow the company’s share across the continent and establish owned operations in both South Africa and Kenya.
Before his time in Africa, Meehan was senior vice president of global operations at Travelport. He also held the role of vice president of finance and acquisition, where he led the integration of several businesses acquired in countries including the UK, Italy and Denmark.
In his new role, Meehan will focus on bringing greater alignment across Travelport’s operations in APACMEA, which are high-growth territories that share commonalities in customer needs and operational delivery.
While he will continue to be based in Singapore, Meehan will also regularly work from Travelport’s office in Dubai, which acts as the company’s sub-regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa.
Myanmar has introduced the Be Enchanted brand, replacing Let the Journey Begin launched five years ago.
According to a statement from the Myanmar Tourism Marketing Association, the new brand “portrays Myanmar as a friendly, charming, mystical and as-yet-undiscovered destination”.
“Be Enchanted is as much a promise as it is an invitation. It’s realisation. It’s a memory. It’s a moment. The word ‘enchanted’ holds within it the true heart of Myanmar,” the statement read.
The logo font is based on the shapes and identification of the Myanmar alphabet.
The new brand will be used officially in Myanmar’s marketing activities such as travel shows, tourism road shows and any digital marketing related to tourism promotional activities/events.
