Muji Hotel Shenzhen
Designed to reflect an “anti-gorgeous, anti-cheap concept” is the first Muji Hotel in the world. The Shenzhen property has 79 rooms, decked out with regular mod-cons such as an electric kettle and fridge, across five configurations. Facilities on-site include 118-seater eatery Muji Diner Shanghai Huaihai 755, a gym, three conference rooms, and a library holding approximately 650 tomes. The hotel is located in the heart of the city in the new UpperHills multi-use complex and sits above – what else? – a Muji store.
Six Senses Fiji
Located in a secluded bay on Malolo Island, Six Senses Fiji will feature 24 one- and two-bedroom pool villas boasting private pools, decks and outdoor showers. In addition, there will be 10 more private residences of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom configuration (with another 50 scheduled to be built during phase two of the development), and furnished with private pools, barbecues, and fully-equipped kitchens. Amenities on the island include five F&B options, kid’s club, tennis courts, gym, hot and cold whirlpools, spa, and an elevated treetop yoga pavilion. The property officially opens on April 14, but reservations can now be made.
Hyatt Centric Ginza Tokyo
The first Hyatt Centric-branded property has opened on Namiki-dori street in Ginza, Tokyo. The 12-storey property offers 164 guestrooms furnished with environmentally conscious bath products by Beekind, Bluetooth-enabled electronics and salon-grade blowdryers. Amenities include the Namiki667 restaurant and bar, and a gym. For meeting planners, in addition to the hotel’s 86m2 of function space, the 127m2 Namiki Suite on the top floor is also bookable as a meeting room.
Alba Wellness Resort
Billing itself as the “first ever complete wellness resort in Vietnam” is the 56-key Alba Wellness Resort. The five-star property features 2,000m2 indoor and outdoor onsen pools filled with natural mineral hot spring water, a spa centre with an extensive list of treatments, three restaurants and bars, swimming pool, and a garden for yoga workouts. The hotel is located 30km north of Hue city, at the foot of Truong Son mountain.
The Chen, Box Hill
The seventh hotel in the Art Series Hotel’s collection is located in Melbourne’s Box Hill suburb, and is inspired by and dedicated to Chinese Australian artist Zhong Chen. The hotel is filled with Zhong’s portraits and prints, and all of its 100 rooms feature views of the city skyline or Dandenong Ranges and its surrounds. Facilities include a rooftop pool and entertainment deck, a modern Australian cafe, yum cha eatery, and gym. Renowned art tours, art libraries and dedicated art channels are also available for guests, alongside the rental of Art Series-branded Smart Cars and Lekker bicycles.
The recently launched (December 13, 2017) four-times-weekly flights by Qatar Airways to Chiang Mai now makes it more convenient for longhaul visitors to also visit its South-east Asian neighbours.
Malinee Nitikasetsunthorn, director, The Americas market division covering North America and Latin America, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), believes the direct flights will make it much easier to promote Northern Thailand to Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, where Qatar has direct daily connections.
Malinee added that the opening of TAT’s first office in Sao Paulo in 2018 will help to develop markets and drive traffic from South America. Moreover, as a longhaul destination, Malinee opined that Chiang Mai will attract tourists from niche segments such as luxury and honeymooners.
Yves Van Kerrebroeck, managing director of Bangkok-based Asian Trails, indicated that the new flights will offer more opportunities to tap into the source markets Qatar has connections to.
“These could be Qataris or expats working in Qatar and its surrounds, as well as European and Latin/North Americans,” he said.
“I don’t see Chiang Mai as a standalone destination for the longhaul market, but it could in some cases work as a starting point for some tailored and unique longhaul products. For example, we have an overland itinerary combining the northern regions of Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Such a programme is a perfect match for Qatar’s direct Chiang Mai flight, so we will promote this new option to our partners in Europe, Latin and North America,” Van Kerrebroeck shared.
TAT’s governor Yuthasak Supasorn pointed out: “The entire Northern Thailand region is worth a stay of at least 10 days. If you add the neighbouring countries of Laos and Myanmar, which are just across the border and easily accessible by road, the importance of Chiang Mai as a gateway becomes more apparent. It is highly unlikely that people who travel such long distances will return home after spending only a few days in Chiang Mai.”
Wanchai Thavorthaveekul, deputy managing director of Destination Asia Thailand, shared that holidaymakers from European and Latin America markets usually combine Chiang Mai with a beach stay before leaving Thailand, and Phuket made perfect sense as travellers can depart for Doha from Phuket via Qatar Airways’ twice-daily flights.
Meanwhile, Klaus Ludwig, general manager at Kulturen Leben in Rüsselsheim am Main, Germany, added: “People travelling all the way from Europe won’t want to just see Chiang Mai. They will want to explore other parts of Thailand or Asia. Thus, the flights open up the possibility of making Chiang Mai a main gateway. Chiang Mai also has direct air connections to Asian cities such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Yangon and Hong Kong, so itineraries could also be combined with other cities in Asia.”
The Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2017 published in May showed around 121 million Muslim international travellers in 2016, a figure projected to grow to 156 million by 2020.
Under-30s make up the bulk of the Muslim travel market
No less important were Muslim millennial travellers, the report was eager to show. In fact, the Muslim Millennial Travel Report 2017 launched in October identified Muslim millennials as a key driver of growth in the Muslim travel market.
The research projected total expenditure from Muslim millennial travellers alone to surpass US$100 billion by 2025, while spending by the overall Muslim travel segment was estimated to reach US$300 billion by 2026.
Those under the age of 30 formed a bulk of the market, making up 60 per cent of the population in Muslim-majority countries.
Fazal Bahardeen, CEO of CrescentRating & HalalTrip, said Muslim millennials constituted a “fast-growing and increasingly influential market”, adding that this group would be entering their peak earning, spending and travelling life stage in the next five to 10 years.
A panelist at the report’s launch, Nisha Barkathunnisha, founder & principal consultant at Elevated Consultancy & Training based in Singapore, further pointed out that the report helped debunk the notion that Muslim millennials mainly resided in the Middle East.
Of the 372 respondents surveyed in the 2017 report, 88 per cent were from Asia-Pacific. This was congruent with geographical representation in other studies where only 20 per cent of the world’s Muslims lived in the Middle East and North Africa, and 60 per cent resided in Asia.
Nisha also reminded that Muslim travellers were heterogeneous, segmented by gender, income and education level.
“Service providers looking to tap into this segment need to understand their relationship with travel and what they value – such as authenticity, affordability and accessibility, as revealed in our research – while ensuring that they also cater to their faith-based needs and requirements,” Aisha Islam, vice president, core & digital products, Indonesia, Malaysia & Brunei division, Mastercard, said.
Potentially helping travel suppliers cater better to the segment, the study found that Muslim millennials travelled mostly for leisure and holidays, to experience local culture and heritage, as well as to visit friends and relatives. On average, Muslim millennials travelled two to five times a year, and tended to be cost conscious.
When it comes to the booking of accommodation, Muslim millennial travellers typically opted for OTAs and direct booking channels. They prioritised affordability, location and free Wi-Fi when selecting accommodation. In terms of Muslim-friendly services and amenities, they valued availability and proximity to halal food options, mosques and prayer facilities.
For flight bookings, Muslim millennial travellers mostly opted for online direct booking, followed by travel websites. They shared that ticket pricing, safety records, baggage allowances and halal meal choices were important considerations when selecting flights.
Notably, while Muslim millennial travellers said they preferred halal-assured and certified places, they were open to patronising seafood- or vegetarian-only restaurants if such establishments were not available.
The study also showed that they used photo sharing apps like Instagram and other platforms such as Facebook and Snapshot during their travels, and were motivated to remain active and visible online during their travels.
Tourists at the old Sarajevo bazaar
Travel providers up their game
Even beyond AMEA, travel players are catching on to the potential of this sub-segment, interviews by TTG Asia showed.
Barbara Sette, managing director, Sette Reps, the appointed representative in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines for specialised local operators from West Central and Eastern Europe, Balkans and Russia, said: “We have been running escorted tours for Muslim travellers to the Balkans and Spain since 2014. Initially, these tours were popular with the senior market but we (have since) observed growing interest from young couples and small groups of millennials.”
The company is also seeing a trend of millennial Muslims extending their stay in Europe after their Umrah pilgrimage.
Apart from allowing time for prayer in hotel rooms or mosques, the company also designs its itineraries such that stops can be made for halal dining. “It took us a few years to develop such tours as there are restaurants in Europe claiming to be halal but in fact are not ‘fully certified’,” Sette explained.
The company works closely with hotels in Europe to ensure breakfast lines are clearly labelled, indicating dishes containing pork, for example.
As well, it holds roadshows to Indonesia and Malaysia to facilitate information exchange between its European partners and local outbound agents.
Outbound agents opined that lack of access to halal food in longhaul markets has not been a major deterrent to selling longhaul destinations – especially when targeting Muslim millennials – having found creative solutions to circumvent the challenge.
Adam Kamal, manager, Aidil Travel & Tours based in Kuala Lumpur, said: “We need to be creative when creating itineraries outside Moscow and St Petersburg, or to Eastern European destinations such as Croatia, for example. When halal food is unavailable, we inform clients to bring food from home. In some locations, (arrangements can be made for) Malaysian Muslims living abroad…to prepare food for our guests.”
Azizi Borhan, managing director of Asutra Convex, another outbound agency, said seafood or vegetarian meals are viable alternatives.
The company also caters to women millennial Muslim travellers. Being less adventurous than their male counterparts, they place greater emphasis on safety and prefer to be accompanied by a local guide.
Meanwhile, Aidil Travel’s Adam said Muslim millennials are venturing further afield, thanks to LCCs offering affordable airfares, and the availability of budget accommodations such as ecolodges and homestays.
One further afield destination is Fiji. Tourism Fiji targets Muslim travellers through its office in Singapore. Eelian Lee, country manager, Singapore, said: “Many agents from Malaysia and Indonesia have approached us to help them service Muslim travellers. Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have big Muslim populations which we want to tap.”
And in Spain, Eva Maria Riesgo Ramos, tourism counsellor South-east Asia, Australia and New Zealand for the Embassy of Spain, tourism division, said that in 2016, a fam trip to Madrid, Cordoba, Seville and Granada was held to showcase Muslim-friendly facilities to outbound travel agents from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
This year, a 13-episode travel documentary on Spain will be produced, targeting Muslim millennials and young working professionals. The television series will touch on topics ranging from the country’s historical ties with Morocco and North Africa and the resident Muslim population in the modern day.
Andalusian Tourism and Sport’s marketing officer, Jose Maria Perez, further shared that there are plans to publish a halal tourism guide, with listings of halal restaurants, among others.
Owner JBB ordered to remove its facilities from the area
The Minor Group says it is still business as usual at its Anantara Si Kao Resort which has reportedly been ordered by the Thai Supreme Court to exit, as it infringes on forest reserve and protected mangrove forest in the Tambon Mai Fad, Sikao district in the southern Thai province of Trang.
When contacted on whether the ruling was final and no further appeal would be made, Minor’s chairman & CEO Bill Heinecke told TTG Asia: “I believe the owner is in discussion with the national park to find a solution. For the moment it is business as usual. We shall keep you posted.”
Owner JBB ordered to remove its facilities from protected area
According to local media reports, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation brought an encroachment case against the resort owner, JBB, in 2013 after its aerial and ground survey showed that the resort was built on protected forest area. The case was dropped in 2014, upon which the department appealed. In 2015, the Appeals Court ruled in favour of the state. JBB appealed to the Supreme Court in the same year, with final ruling upholding the Appeals Court’s verdict. The verdict by the Supreme Court was read at the Trang Provincial Court on January 25 in the presence of both disputed parties.
The court ordered JBB to remove its facilities out of the area and ordered the Land Department to nullify the land ownership documents because they were illegitimately issued.
Tour operators are waiting for the official advice on the closure date. Said David Kevan, director, Chic Locations UK: “Once that is received, any clients booked will have to be offered an acceptable alternative or a full refund of holiday cost which will include any airfare.
“The resort is uniquely positioned in its location, so it will not be easy to find something similar. It’s very unfortunate on several levels, especially to the local staff who might find alternative employment difficult. But I think this is a general policy to show that any illegal building that infringes on national park land, or indeed beaches, be it large or small, will be demolished.”
Shifting perceptions of India being mainly for culture tours; Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir state pictured
A long neglected segment in India, adventure tourism is finally being given new focus with the country’s Ministry of Tourism declaring 2018 the Year of Adventure Travel.
Apart from increasing arrivals, the move is expected to help change the perception of India as being a mere cultural destination, according to tourism stakeholders TTG Asia spoke to.
Shifting perceptions of India being mainly for culture tours; Himalayas in Jammu and Kashmir state pictured
“With India’s inbound arrivals growing by more than 10 per cent last year, we believe that focus on potential segments like adventure tourism can help India to double its inbound tourist arrivals in a couple of years,” said Swadesh Kumar, president, Adventure Tour Operators Association of India.
Though there are no official statistics available to show the size of the Indian inbound adventure tourism market, the industry estimates the segment is growing five to seven per cent yearly, with about half a million adventure travellers arriving in the country.
“At present the (perception of) India is a cultural destination, although 73 per cent of the Himalayas are in India. Our counterparts in key inbound markets like the US are promoting places like Nepal and Bhutan for active holidays while India is promoted majorly as a cultural destination,” observed Tejbir Singh Anand, managing director, Holiday Moods Adventures.
With the tourism ministry’s new-found focus on adventure, Tejbir expects more of India’s adventure travel offerings will be on showcase at roadshows and exhibitions.
India’s Ministry of Tourism is also taking steps to prop India up as a destination for adventure travel, such as allowing the use of satellite phones in far-flung areas – something the travel industry players have long called for – and introducing safety guidelines for adventure tourism.
“One of the big things in adventure travel is risk management, so with the government allowing adventure tour operators to use satellite phones in areas of wilderness will help us to improve our safety standards,” said Ajeet Bajaj, managing director, Snow Leopard Adventures.
Suman Billa, joint secretary at India’s Ministry of Tourism, commented: “We need to get some big events that showcase adventure travel to happen in India, which would ultimately help us to create a roadmap for future growth in the segment.”
To begin with, the tourism ministry has lent its support to India’s first-ever Adventure Sports Expo Asia & Awards 2018, which took place in New Delhi from January 27 to 29. The event saw the participation from 500 delegates, including 60 exhibitors, some of whom were adventure tour operators.
Spa offers South-east Asian therapies, spa facials and polishes, body massages, barber services, TCM consultations and more
As Singapore’s key tourism muscles cast sights on growing the transfer visitor segment, a new rest stop option for connecting passengers has emerged in the heart of Singapore’s River Valley district.
Offering spa and entertainment facilities as well as a restaurant in the annex building of Furama Riverfront Hotel, Orient Palace sees itself an ideal one-stop hub for passengers seeking a more indulgent way to kill time between flights, according to Wee Hee-Ling, business development at Mary Chia Holdings, part of a trio of companies managing the concept.
Offering therapies, spa facials and polishes, body massages, barber services, TCM consultations and more
For example, VIP massage rooms and spa pools offer pampering for weary longhaul passengers, while reclining seats complete with multi-media screens and privacy curtains simulate cozy pods.
Moreover, Orient Palace will from March onwards operate 24 hours (it now closes at 03.00), ensuring doors will stay open for passengers of late-arriving flights such as Finnair’s, Wee shared.
And while wellness is not high on Singapore’s tourism agenda, Wee pointed out that Orient Palace presents a solid value proposition, as the River Valley area lacks hotel spas. “Furama Riverfront and most hotels in the vicinity do not have spas on-property,” Wee said.
Since its soft launch last November, Orient Palace has gotten itself on the lunch slot of some tour itineraries, Wee added. The establishment is working with travel agent partners on more ways to incorporate Orient Palace into tour packages, such as by offering live-band and karaoke entertainment as night-time activities.
Other segments Orient Palace is targeting include corporate and incentive visitors as well as hotel guests looking to occupy themselves pre-check-in and post-check-out.
Ow Yong Kit Fun has been named managing director and general manager of Tour East Singapore, effective today.
She joins the DMC with more than 30 years of travel industry experience, the majority of which with parent company JTB – in Singapore and more recently in Japan.
During her tenure, she has taken on a variety of leadership roles spanning the inbound and outbound sectors, travel procurement and operations.
New aggregator agreements to bring total hotel choices via Sabre to 900,000
Sabre Corporation will integrate content from hotel aggregators Bedsonline, TravelBound and the Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) into the Sabre Content Services for Lodging, a technology solution that integrates multiple sources of content.
Launching later this year, the first market release of Sabre Content Services will bring overall hotel choices available via Sabre to over 900,000 options from both GDS and non-GDS sources, according to a statement from the travel technology company.
New aggregator agreements to bring total hotel choices via Sabre to 900,000
Bedsonline brings a portfolio of more than 170,000 properties in 120 countries, while TravelBound reaches customers in 190 countries and offers experiences from more than 50,000 hotels. EAN will provide access to more than 350,000 properties worldwide and offer more than 650,000 deals on accommodations.
Sabre expects the move to help it answer industry demand for additional types of rate and inventory options, and achieve a “critical mass of new opportunities” for GDS consumers and buyers.
“Having aggregator content integrated with traditional GDS hotel content makes travel agents and corporate booking tool providers more efficient, effective and confident in the increased depth and breadth of lodging offerings they are able to bring to their travellers,” said Traci Mercer, senior vice president of lodging, ground and sea for Sabre Travel Network. “These agreements are key to helping us better serve customers in all regions around the globe.”
Apart from offering a breadth of options, the new solution will also display content at the room and rate level, side-by-side, for more efficient comparison.
The new lodging solution will include the capabilities of Sabre APIs and be incorporated into Sabre Red Workspace, GetThere and TripCase.
Wakatobi Patuno Resort Managed by Sahid features 33 rooms and 38 cottages
Sahid Hotels & Resorts is continuing its expansion on homeground with the signing of five new resorts in Bogor, Bandung, Pangandaran, Lombok and Gili Trawangan.
Soft opening in 3Q2018, Sahid Resort Gili Trawangan Lombok, will sit on a four-hectare plot on the northwest tip of Lombok, comprising 50 villas, a number of international restaurants, a swimming pool with a pool bar, glamping area, outdoor facilities and more features.
Wakatobi Patuno Resort Managed by Sahid located on Wangi-Wangi island
This joins the group’s portfolio of 19 hotels located in Wakatobi, Bintan, Lampung, Jakarta, Cikarang, Solo, Yogyakarta, Pekalongan, Malang, Surabaya, Manado, Toraja, Makassar and Papua.
The most recent opening is the Wakatobi Patuno Resort Managed by Sahid, featuring 33 rooms and 38 cottages, and located in the heart of Wangi-Wangi, one of four Wakatobi islands in Southeast Sulawesi.
Air China debuts three new routes
Air China will launch new routes between Hangzhou and Nha Trang on February 1, and between Chengdu and Bangkok on February 12.
The Hangzhou-Nha Trang route will be operated thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Outbound flights will depart from Hangzhou at 14.40 and land in Nha Trang at 17.20. Return flights depart from Nha Trang at 18.20 and arrive in Hangzhou at 22.40.
Meanwhile, the daily Chengdu – Bangkok service will depart Chengdu at 14.40 and arrive in Bangkok at 17.00, while the return flight will depart Bangkok at 18.00 and arrive in Chengdu at 22.15.
On May 30, Air China will begin four-times weekly flights between Beijing and Copenhagen on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The outbound flight departs Beijing at 02.55 and arrives in Copenhagen at 06.45. Return flights will depart Copenhagen at 13.15 and arrives in Beijing at 04.10.
Qantas deploys Dreamliner on US route
From September 1 onwards, Qantas will replace its Boeing 747-400 with the Dreamliner on the daily route between Brisbane and Los Angeles. The Dreamliner will then continue on as QF11/12, Qantas’ connecting service between Los Angeles and New York’s JFK.
Between September and December 2018, the daily Brisbane-Los Angeles Dreamliner service will be complemented by up to thrice-weekly Boeing 747 flights to meet seasonal demand.
Once Qantas’ eighth Dreamliner has been delivered by the end of 2018, the airline will replace the thrice-weekly 747 services between Brisbane and Los Angeles with a second year-round Dreamliner service, operating four times a week.
Qantas’ Dreamliner carries 236 passengers across three cabins compared with 364 passengers on the 747-400 currently operating the route.
Scoot takes over some of SilkAir’s services
SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines (SIA), will transfer its services to Langkawi in Malaysia, Pekanbaru in Indonesia and Kalibo in the Philippines to Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of SIA.
SilkAir’s last Langkawi, Pekanbaru and Kalibo services are scheduled for April 8, May 30 and June 28 respectively. Currently, SilkAir flies thrice weekly to each destination.
Scoot already operates thrice and four-times weekly services to Langkawi and Kalibo respectively, while Pekanbaru will be a new addition to the network.
SilkAir customers booked for Langkawi for travel from April 9 onwards and Kalibo from June 29 onwards will be given the option to reroute their flight to another SilkAir point in Malaysia or the Philippines respectively, or to continue their travel to Langkawi or Kalibo on a Scoot flight. Alternatively, they can also opt for a full refund of their tickets.
Customers booked for Pekanbaru for travel from May 31 onwards will be given the option to reroute their flight to another SilkAir destination in Indonesia or alternatively obtain a full refund of their tickets.
Thai AirAsia ups frequency to Narita
Thai AirAsia X will increase its flight frequency from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Tokyo (Narita) from twice to thrice daily beginning March 25.
The new XJ602 flight will depart Don Mueang at 05.05 and arrive at Narita at 13.10, while flight XJ603 will depart Narita at 14.25 and arrive in Don Mueang at 19.10. The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-300.
Wings Air launches new international route
Wings Air, a low-cost airline based in Jakarta, launched an international route from Pontianak to Malaysia’s Kuching on January 24.
The twice-daily flight departs Pontianak’s Supadio Kubu Raya Airport at 09.45 and 18.00. From Kuching, flights will depart at 07.00 and 11.55. Either the ATR 72-500 or ATR 72-600 aircraft providing 72 seats will be deployed.
