The one-kilometre XLine Dubai Marina, believed to be the world’s longest zip line, is now open to the public.
Suspending 170m above ground at a 16-degree incline, thrill-seekers can expect to zip down the line at an average top speed of 80km/h.
New superman-style harness
The zipline builds on the original XLine launched in 2015, with the extended version twice the length of its forerunner and featuring two zip lines running adjacent to one another.
Also new is the Superman-style harness, suspending daredevils horizontally as they zip from one of the Amwaj towers in JBR down to the terrace of Dubai Marina Mall.
Chinese visitor numbers dropped to zero after advisory was implemented
Bali is expecting a big comeback of the China market, after visitor numbers hit rock bottom with China’s November 27 imposition of a travel advisory due to the Mount Agung eruption.
Although the government advisory was lifted towards the end of last year, concerns lingered in the travel industry and Chinese arrivals were slow to rebound.
Chinese visitor numbers dropped to zero after advisory was implemented
As recently as last week, Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies’ (ASITA) international marketing manager Eddy Sunyoto still had not seen a pick-up in the leisure segment. “It was two weeks prior to the Chinese New Year (CNY) period and customers still had not confirmed their bookings,” he groused.
However, good news came after Indonesia’s tourism minister Arief Yahya visited Beijing to meet 400 travel agents last week, resulting in 6,000 confirmed bookings, 5,000 of which will arrive during the CNY period, with more bookings expected to come in.
Some 1,500 Chinese travellers will arrive in Bali on China Eastern Airlines’ chartered services from Beijing and Shanghai during CNY, while an additional 3,500 are scheduled to arrive on other carriers.
ASITA Bali’s head of Chinese market division Elsye Deliana confirmed to the media that China Eastern, which suspended its flights in November 2017 due to volcanic ash from Mount Agung, will resume flights to Bali in February.
“(At) this moment, hotels in Bali are fully booked and tourism in Bali is recovering,” she added.
Gajah Bali Tour’s general manager Bambang Sugiono said that travellers from China are already trickling back into Bali, citing the example of 350 passengers arriving in Bali on Garuda Indonesia’s scheduled services earlier this week.
Business is expected to pick up even more significantly in conjunction with the CNY holiday. “The peak rush is going to be from February 12 to 16. But we are expecting more to come on February 17 and 18,” Bambang added.
About 40,000 China Eastern and 10,000 Xiamen Airlines passengers reportedly affected
Some 50,000 passengers are expected to be affected by the cancellation of flights between China and Taiwan in the Lunar New Year period amid escalating tensions between the two governments.
China Eastern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines had started selling tickets for the 176 round-trip flights, added to meet the increased travel demand during Chinese New Year, sans agreement from Taiwan, according to media reports.
About 40,000 China Eastern and 10,000 Xiamen Airlines passengers reportedly affected
The airlines said Taiwan’s refusal to approve the new routes leaves them no choice but to cancel all 176 flights, a claim contested by Taiwanese officials. China’s launch of the new flights reportedly goes against a deal between Taiwan and China to first discuss certain flight paths before they come into operation.
Among the disputed routes China opened to Taiwan this month is M503, a northbound route up the Taiwan Strait, which skirts air space used for Taiwanese military exercises, Singapore’s Straits Times reports.
According to the same Straits Times report, China Eastern is offering refunds and rebookings to the 40,000 passengers on its 106 cancelled flights. Xiamen Airlines has said it will do the same for its 10,000 passengers affected by the cancellation of its 70 added flights.
Barely three months after it launched the five-times weekly Johor Bahru-Kolkata flights on November 28, AirAsia will pull the plug on this route come February 3, much to the dismay of inbound and outbound agents.
AirAsia’s head of commercial, Spencer Lee, revealed that passenger loads in both directions were poor, leading to the airline’s decision.
Poor loads have resulted in the airline deciding to cease operating the route to Johor Bahru (pictured)
“AirAsia has been shortsighted in its move. The gestation period for a new route to develop is at least six months,” opined Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager, New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel. “Airlines have a responsibility to develop second-tier destinations through connectivity, otherwise Malaysia will lose its share as a tourist destination and will find it difficult to attract repeat visitors who have already visited Kuala Lumpur.”
Even without direct flights, Raaj said the agency will continue to promote Johor in Kolkata, through strategies such as twinning Singapore and the Malaysian state.
For Tesy Antony, director at Pelancongan Daya Kukuh in Johor, the state’s tourism is once again facing a challenging reality.
The need for Johor to have strong attractions is amplified in the absence of direct flights, Antony said. “There are numerous theme parks, but that does not attract the elderly groups or adults travelling without children.”
And while Desaru Coast is set to get a major new attraction by Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels in 2H2018, she pointed out that marketing the development is key.
“Product owners should work with the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents and Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association to organise fam trips and product briefings for inbound agents. Desaru is more than just fruit farms and homestays, and we need to be included to help promote the destination,” she elaborated.
Meanwhile, Legoland Malaysia Resort in Johor will continue to promote to the Indian market, having recently appointed a marketing representative in Kolkata, joining its network of offices in key Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.
China and South-east Asia will make up the bulk of Ascott’s ambitious expansion plans in the next five years, as the serviced residence operator aims to achieve a portfolio of 160,000 units globally by 2023, twice its current inventory.
Ascott has clinched contracts to manage four properties with 1,200 units in new cities such as Malacca and Davao, while deepening its presence in Guangzhou and Cebu.
Goh: focus will be growing in gateway cities in China and South-east Asia
Its Somerset property in Malacca, Ascott’s largest property to date, will benefit from an upcoming free economic zone and sea port. Meanwhile, its foray into Davao will anchor Ascott in the Philippines’ third fastest-growing economy which also serves as the economic and tourism hub of Southern Philippines. As well, Ascott’s fifth property under its lyf brand will be in Cebu.
Kevin Goh, Ascott’s CEO, said in a statement: “With the global economic upswing and international travel arrivals hitting a new high, we are confident of exceeding 80,000 units this year.
“We will also grow our franchise business, particularly through our Citadines and Quest brands, and form strategic alliances with leading companies that have a pipeline of properties for us to manage. We will focus on key gateway cities in our two biggest markets, China and South-east Asia, as well as markets such as Australia, Europe, Japan, South Korea and the US,” he added.
With these new additions, Ascott currently has more than 160 properties with about 30,000 units under development worldwide. About 35 of these properties with more than 6,500 units are scheduled to open this year, half of which are in China, and a quarter in South-east Asia.
The new management contracts have increased Ascott’s portfolio in South-east Asia to about 23,000 units in 111 properties across 34 cities. Its newly secured properties in Guangzhou has also strengthened Ascott’s foothold in China with over 20,000 units in about 110 properties across 31 cities.
PATA is now accepting submissions for PATA Face of the Future 2018, which recognises exceptional rising stars in the industry in line with the association’s human capital development programme.
The association is seeking an individual who has shown leadership in the implementation of tourism initiatives (including research projects) of tourism as well as demonstrated commitment to the sustainable development of the Asia-Pacific travel industry in line with PATA’s mission.
The winner will be awarded complimentary round-trip economy class air ticket and accommodation to attend the association’s Dinner and Awards Presentation during the PATA Annual Summit 2018 on May 18-21 in Gangneung, South Korea.
In addition, the winner will be given a speaking opportunity at the PATA Youth Symposium and the one-day conference during the PATA Annual Summit 2018, in addition to being invited to join the PATA Executive Board as a non-voting member and observer.
Other benefits include the chance to be mentored by PATA CEO Mario Hardy; speak at other PATA events or partner events on behalf of PATA; sit in on PATA Committee meetings; be a mentor as part of the PATA Young Tourism Professional Mentorship Programme. The winner will also enjoy complimentary registration to one PATAcademy-HCD training of their choice (June or December 2018).
Eligible candidates must be aged 18-35 as of May 21, and be working for a PATA member organisation “in good-standing” as of the same date.
To apply, candidates or a third-party person are required to submit a nomination letter, along with the nominee’s full professional contact details and bio-data with photo (JPG format, 300 dpi resolution, maximum 500KB total file size), in soft copy (DOC or PDF file; maximum three pages); and submit a video (up to three minutes in length) detailing the nominee’s experiences to date and aspirations for the future of travel.
Entries must be labelled ‘PATA Face of the Future 2018 Nomination’ and sent to Parita Niemwongse at fof@PATA.org by March 9, 2018.
The results will be notified to all entrants by March 16, 2018. Public announcement will be made by March 20, 2018.
Centara Hotels & Resorts has appointed as general manager of Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok.
Prior to his Bangkok move, Wilson was previously general manager at Centara Grand West Bay Hotel Doha in Qatar.
The British National has almost 30 years’ hotel experience in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He had served as general manager for hotels such as Pathumwan Princess Hotel Bangkok, Dusit Thani Dubai and Millennium Corniche Hotel Abu Dhabi, as well as the vice president of operations at Dusit International.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts is commemorating its 50th anniversary with a stay promotion and extra loyalty programme rewards.
Since 12 North American hoteliers established Preferred Hotels Association as a referral organisation 50 years ago, the business has evolved to become Preferred Hotels & Resorts, an independent hotel collection with more than 650 member properties across 85 countries.
Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo
The brand is rolling out the Golden Anniversary package, which rewards travellers with the best available rate plus a US$50/£50/€50 hotel credit or a complimentary 50-minute activity at 200 participating hotels around the world.
Hotels participating in the 50-off promotion include Katamama in Bali, The Broadmoor in Colorado, Alpina Gstaad in Switzerland and Cape Royale Luxury Hotel & Residence in Cape Town.
And among the hotels extending complimentary experiences are The Franklin London, offering a Champagne Sabering and Testing class; Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, offering two cultural activities such as a Japanese language lesson and a tour of the hotel’s gardens; Nassima Royal Hotel in Dubai, offering a couples massage; and Galeria Plaza Reforma in Mexico City, offering a lesson in Mexican cuisine at its signature restaurant, Almara.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts has also launched the month-long Golden Points Promotion, which rewards I Prefer Members with 50,000 I Prefer bonus points when they book a minimum two-night stay via PreferredHotels.com by February 28, 2018.
The bonus points can be redeemed for cash vouchers, which can be used towards free room nights and other on-property expenditures at more than 600 participating hotels.
Seventeen awardees were celebrated at the inaugural ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards (ASTA), which took place on the last day of the recently concluded ATF 2018 in Chiang Mai.
Nine of the winners were recognised under the Rural Sustainable Products category were Sothy’s Pepper Farm in Cambodia, Desa Wisata Nglanggeran in Indonesia, Tree Top Explorer in Laos, Kopel Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor in Malaysia, the Pindaya Region in Myanmar, Walk on the Wild Side in the Philippines, Kranji Countryside in Singapore, the Kao Yao Noi Community Based Ecotourism Club in Thailand and the Stay with Tay Ethnic Village in Vietnam.
Recipients of ASEAN Sustainable Tourism Awards at ATF 2018
The eight winners in the Urban Sustainable Products category were Wat Phnom Historical and Cultural Site in Cambodia, the Nusa Dua in Indonesia, Phousi Mountain in Laos, the KL Forest Eco Park by KL Tower in Malaysia, the Kayin State’s Natural Limestone Caves in Myanmar, the Palina Greenbelt River Cruise Experience in the Philippines, the Marina Bay Precinct in Singapore and the Phuket Natural Experience in Thailand.
ASTA will now take place every two years as part of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan 2016-2025, much of which seeks to advance sustainable tourism objectives. The next award ceremony will take place at ATF in Brunei in 2020.
Netizens are raining criticism on the design of the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020) logo, but country’s tourism and culture minister, Nazri Abdul Aziz, has made his stand clear – the logo will stay.
The Star Online reported Nazri’s justifications: “Criticism is normal, we cannot get the consensus of the whole of Malaysia. If we want to wait for everyone to agree, even by 2020 it (the logo) will not be completed.”
Designed by the ministry’s in-house department
The logo, done in-house by the design department, had not incurred any additional expense for the ministry.
Accompanied by the tagline Travel.Enjoy.Respect., in line with the National Eco-Tourism Plan 2016 – 2025, the logo is designed to resemble a postage stamp and features the Petronas Twin Towers, an orang utan, a proboscis monkey and a turtle on a beach. According to Nazri, these icons are most closely associated with Malaysia.
The logo was launched along with VMY2020 during ATF 2018 in Chiang Mai last week.
While the logo may have caught flak online, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) says it is a fan.
MATTA president, KL Tan, said: “The new VMY2020 logo, which includes Malaysia’s best-known icons, are closely associated with promotions of popular destinations and enjoyable holiday experiences. The depiction of wildlife in the new logo is necessary for quick recognition while raising awareness of the importance that ecotourism can contribute towards development for rural communities.”
He added: “More importantly, close collaborations with the private sector at home and abroad are crucial in achieving the target set under the Malaysian Tourism Transformation Plan, which is to attract 36 million visitors and RM168 billion (US$43.2 billion) in tourism receipts in 2020.”
Apart from promotions and private sector collaborations, government policies such as granting 30-day visa-free entry for China and India nationals could boost arrivals, he continued.
