Wildlife Reserves Singapore is rolling out weekend camp programmes at a trio of its parks.
The River Safari camp (November 25-26) will allow participants to sleep in the company of manatees to end off a full day of wildlife discovery including close animal encounters, guided tours and more. The camp costs S$214 (US$158) per adults and S$181.90 per child age five to 12.
Photo credit: Wildlife Reserves Singapore
Guests may also choose the Singapore Zoo programme (December 2-3) where they get to cosy with family by a bonfire while being surrounded by wildlife. This camp is priced at S$181.90 (adult) and S$155.15 (child).
At the Night Safari, Sleep with the Night Critters campers get to dine in a tipi tent, traverse the safari in their own private buggy and participate in feeding sessions. This camp runs from December 9-10, costing S$300 (adult) and S$255 (child).
AccorHotels Asia Pacific has appointed two general managers, Marcus Hanna and Alan Burrows, for the Raffles City (RC) Hotel complex and Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay respectively.
Hanna will report to Tom Meyer, vice president operations luxe hotels Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, who remains at Raffles City Hotels as managing director.
Burrows (left) and Hanna
Hanna moves over to the RC Hotel complex – comprising Fairmont Singapore, Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore and Raffles City Convention Centre – from Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay, where he has been the general manager since 2015.
Hanna has been with AccorHotels for 13 years and has held various management positions, initially at Sofitel Melbourne, then as the opening general manager of Pullman at Sydney Olympic Park, followed by general manager assignments at Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach and Sofitel Brisbane Central.
Meanwhile, Burrows will replace Hanna as general manager of Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay.
Prior to this posting, he was the general manager of Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa.
Burrows has been with AccorHotels since 1996 and, over the years, has managed various hotels across the Novotel and Mecure brands in Sydney, Canberra and Perth.
Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and Pacific Rim has appointed Scott Walton to the dual role of area general manager, Thailand and general manager of Wyndham Sea Pearl Resort Phuket.
Based in Phuket, he will be responsible for Wyndham’s portfolio of mixed-use hotels in the country including Wyndham Grand Phuket Kalim Bay.
Prior to this, Walton was both the area general manager, Fiji and New Zealand, as well as general manager of the Wyndham Denarau Resort, Fiji.
He has a 17-year track record in the hospitality industry, having held positions in a similar capacity with brands such as Radisson Blu, The Regent, Langham Hotels & Resorts and Sheraton in destinations such as New Zealand, Fiji, China and Thailand.
Hong Kong saw the comeback of mainland Chinese group arrivals during the Golden Week holiday this year – the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China – with industry players pointing to contributing factors such as fading perceptions of hostility and traffic diversion from South Korea.
Travel Industry Council (TIC) executive director Joseph Tung, said: “In 2016, (there were) only 120 groups per day due to the impact of harassment on mainland tourists over last two years. This year, it’s around 200-220 groups each day.
Chinese groups returning to Hong Kong
“The recent political conflict between South Korean and China may have driven some Chinese traffic to Hong Kong, but (also) our hotel rate has been lowered and become more affordable versus expensive room rate in Macau.”
The 20th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain to China also had an effect, according to Sincere International Travel Services managing director, Charles Ng.
Ng said: “A series of celebrations and activities were organised and drew visitations. Moreover, the negative impression (that arose from) mainland visitors being harassed and besieged by radical locals eventually faded away after two years.”
He cited Hong Kong’s “stable business environment” for his optimism that the city would continue to grow in popularity among Chinese group and FIT travellers this year.
Agreeing, TIC’s Mainland China Inbound Tour Affairs Committee chairman, Paul Leung, said: “For years, Hong Kong has been an attractive destination for Chinese travellers. If China opens up more (source markets) to visit Hong Kong in future, the traffic will keep coming.
“In the long run, group travel will remain stable without big surges, but FITs will grow significantly.”
Based on statistics from Hong Kong’s Immigration Department, total Chinese arrivals between September 30 and Octobert 8 jumped 13 per cent to 1.5 million.
THAI's Usanee Sangsingkeo with consul general of the Australian Embassy in Thailand, Gerhard Gotz
South-east Asia will regain a nonstop connection to Vienna when Thai Airways (THAI) reinstates its Bangkok-Vienna service on November 16.
THAI suspended the service in 1993 due to poor loads, but the airline now sees potential demand for the route, a source from THAI told TTG Asia.
THAI’s Usanee Sangsingkeo with consul general of the Australian Embassy in Thailand, Gerhard Gotz
It offers four flights weekly using its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which has 42 seats in Royal Silk Class and 306 seats in economy class.
Destination Asia Thailand’s deputy managing director, Wanchai Thavorthaveekul, said: “The flights will also attract East Europeans from Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and Baltic countries to visit Thailand. These are emerging markets for Thailand.”
Meanwhile in Malaysia, Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, said: “The direct flights make it very easy for Austrians and Eastern Europeans to visit and experience (not just Bangkok but also) the region. We will work with our associates in Thailand who will introduce our itineraries to their clients who wish to extend their stay to Malaysia.”
Australia’s Mantra Group has confirmed that it has received a bid from AccorHotels pitched at A$3.96 (US$3.07) per share on a fully diluted basis, but stresses that discussions are still ongoing.
In an announcement to the Australian Securities Exchange, the hotel company said the proposed transaction is A$4.02 per share less than the final FY2017 dividend already paid. A potential special dividend is also included in the proposal.
AccorHotels eyeing the Australian group
It has been reported in the media that the indicative transaction translates to a valuation of A$1.18 billion.
According to Mantra’s announcement, there is no certainty that an agreement will be reached or that the proposal will be implemented.
After announcing it will bring its Amour romance travel show to Bangkok, Worldwide Events has now partnered Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) for the show’s inaugural Asia-Pacific edition.
The B2B event “(fits) perfectly” with TAT strategic push to position the country as a romantic destination, according to a joint statement released by the new partners.
“Wedding and honeymoon travel is one of the top drivers of tourism in Thailand and we have been working on a number of initiatives to position ourselves as the ‘romance hub’ of Asia-Pacific,” said TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn.
At the inaugural Amour Asia Pacific taking place from February 14-17 next year, international romance travel designers and wedding planners will be exposed to the variety of romance products and services available in major Thai destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Ko Samui and Chiang Mai.
Worldwide Events found that based on its first Amour – Europe Edition show held in Venice this year, 87 per cent of buyers chose Thailand for weddings and romance trips and 79 per cent listed Thailand in their top 10 destinations for 2018.
Charun Ohnmee, Sujitra Jongchansitto, Noppadon Pakprot, Santi Chudintra, Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Tanes Petsuwan and Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has announced a complete rotation of its seven deputy governor positions effective October 1.
Sujitra Jongchansitto, former deputy governor for domestic marketing, has become deputy governor for tourism products and business. In her new role, she will oversee the development and promotion of tourism products and services in line with traveller and investor demand.
(From left) Charun Ohnmee, Sujitra Jongchansitto, Noppadon Pakprot, Santi Chudintra, Srisuda Wanapinyosak, Tanes Petsuwan and Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya
Santi Chudintra, previously deputy governor for policy and planning, is now deputy governor for international marketing (Asia and the South Pacific). The position oversees the promotion of Thai tourism products and services and the cooperation with potential regional partners.
She replaces Srisuda Wanapinyosak, who has moved into the role of deputy governor for international marketing (Europe, Africa, Middle East and Americas).
Wanapinyosak’s new role was previously filled by Tanes Petsuwan, who is now deputy governor for marketing communications. Responsibilities include the planning and execution of strategic advertisement and public relations campaigns across all media channels.
Former deputy governor for marketing communications Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya has now become deputy governor for policy and planning, where he will oversee organisational policy, overall marketing strategy planning, monitoring and evaluation, and crisis management.
Noppadon Pakprot has moved from being deputy governor for tourism to his new role as deputy governor for domestic marketing.
Finally, Charun Ohnmee, TAT advisor, has become deputy governor for administration, overseeing human resources, finance, the organisation’s rules and regulations as well as bylaws.
The sector was slapped with the red flag status in 2015
ICAO has lifted a safety red flag imposed on Thai carriers, AFP (Agence France-Presse) reported, a move expected to bring relief to the country’s aviation sector.
Thailand’s aviation had in 2015 failed an ICAO audit, which had identified 33 “significant safety concerns (SSCs)”, which impacted the sector’s safety credentials and introduced flying restrictions.
The sector was slapped with the red flag status in 2015
Now free of the status, Thai carriers are can “fly anywhere in the world”, the AFP report quoted Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as saying.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT), the decision to remove the red flag came after an ICAO audit of CAAT from September 20-27, where CAAT’s progress and corrective actions taken to resolve the 33 SSCs were reviewed. The ICAO audit team also made industry visits to two airlines that were recently re-certified with Air Operator Certificates, CAAT stated.
A proud moment for Anand as he received the medal from Yves Perrin, consul general of France in Mumbai, who commended the recipient’s “distinguished work towards the promotion of France as a prime tourist destination”
Cox & Kings’ Karan Anand has been conferred the prestigious Gold Medal for Tourism (Médaille d’Or du Tourisme) by the French government, India’s first industry member to receive the honour.
The head of relationships and supplier management at Cox & Kings was recognised for his pioneering contribution in promoting destination France in India.
A proud moment for Anand as he received the medal from Yves Perrin, consul general of France in Mumbai, who commended the recipient’s “distinguished work towards the promotion of France as a prime tourist destination”
Among the notable achievements, Cox & Kings was the first to serve Indian cuisine at the Lido, facilitate an exclusive tie-up with the Grevin Wax Museum, introduce Parc Asterix (an amusement park), open Bordeaux for wine tours and successfully open the Charmonix Mont Blanc region to the Indian market.
Anand, in his advisory role with Atout France, has played a key role in advising the French tourism industry on the dynamics of the Indian market and on harnessing the potential in the market.
