TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Tuesday, 30th December 2025
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Avani to make Maldives debut come 2019

By TTG Asia
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Avani Fares Maldives Resort, a US$70 million joint venture partnership between Thailand-based Minor Hotel Group and Cyprea Group, is scheduled to open on the private 12.4ha Fares Island in the Baa Atoll in 4Q2019.

The resort will comprise 200 guestrooms – including standard rooms and a selection of villas – with complimentary Wi-Fi, media hub docking station and 40-inch flat-screen TV.


Fares Island, the build site of the upcoming Avani property

Looking out to the ocean, the resort’s open plan lobby follows a communal living space concept blending reception, lounge, meeting spaces, all-day dining restaurant and The Pantry, which serves comfort food and deli snacks around the clock. The resort will also feature a speciality restaurant, spa, kids’ club as well as a swimming pool and pool bar.

Avani Fares Maldives Resort is 45 minutes by sea plane from Malé and 30 minutes by speedboat from the newly opened domestic airport on Baa Atoll.

Avani Hotels & Resorts was launched in 2011 as a sister brand to Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, which currently has three resorts in the Maldives including Anantara Kihavah, also located in the Baa Atoll.

Dusit seals deal for two Huizhou hotels in China

By TTG Asia
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Dusit International, represented in China by Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts, has signed a management agreement with Huizhou Yuetai Investment Company to operate two new properties in Huizhou in China’s Guangdong Province.

The Dusit Devarana Resort, Huizhou Shuangyue Bay will comprise 84 guest rooms and 64 villas. F&B outlets will include an all-day-dining restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and a lobby lounge, while a 900m2 pillarless ballroom and three meeting rooms will cater for meetings and events. Also on offer are facilities such as a gymnasium, outdoor swimming pool, kids’ club and a Devarana Spa.


The Dusit Devarana Resort, Huizhou Shuangyue Bay

Overlooking the South China Sea in a 29-storey tower, the dusitD2 Serviced Residence, Huizhou Shuangyue Bay will offer 550 apartments, an all-day-dining restaurant, and a lobby lounge with a focus on appealing to millennial travellers.

Set to open in 2020, both hotels will be located in Huizhou’s Shuangyue Bay, which is approximately 90 minutes by car from Huizhou’s Pingtan Airport and 45 minutes from the high-speed train station. Huizhou city centre and Shenzhen are two hours away by car, while Guangzhou is a three-hour drive away.

London’s Big Ben to stand silent until 2021

By TTG Asia
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At noon on Monday, London’s iconic Big Ben made its final chime until the tower’s scheduled restoration work completes in 2021, according to the Parliament.uk website.

Tours of the icon have been ceased since the £29 million (US$37.3 million) restoration project got underway early this year. The last time significant work was carried out on the tower was in 1983-85.


Big Ben falls silent as restoration begins

A notice on the Parliament.uk website stated that there will be clock mechanics on hand to ensure that the Big Ben can still bong for important national events such as New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday.

A new Aura takes over M Social Singapore

By TTG Asia
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Meet Aura, South-east Asia’s first front-of-house autonomous service delivery robot which is now making its rounds at M Social Singapore to send items like bottled water, towels and toiletries to guestrooms.

The robotic solution was introduced by Millennium Hotels and Resorts to optimise operations, boost productivity and lift guest experiences to a new level.


Aura delivers newspapers to Lee Richards, vice president of operations Singapore, Millennium Hotels and Resorts

Developed by robot builders Savioke and the first of her kind to be deployed outside the US, Aura can operate and ride in elevators, navigate her way to a guest’s door, let them know that a delivery has arrived (guest phone rings), and then open her lid for guests when they answer the door. Once the item is delivered, she will return to the docking station by herself.

More Auras are set to be launched in the near future in Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties in Singapore, namely the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, M Hotel Singapore, Orchard Hotel Singapore and Studio M Hotel.

Aura also has a brother, who is yet to be named, with the ability to cook different types of eggs. He is likely to be introduced to the hotel industry in 2018.

Khong heads Singapore’s first Courtyard by Marriott as GM

By TTG Asia
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Peter Khong has joined Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena’s pre-opening team as general manager.

In this role, Khong will be responsible for launching the first Courtyard by Marriott in Singapore, as well as overseeing all aspects of the hotel’s operations. The hotel is slated to open in 4Q2017.

The hospitality veteran has nearly three decades of industry experience, having first started his career in operations with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 1989, before joining other brands such as Hyatt and Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

Prior to his return to Singapore, Khong spent 20 years in China, where he was general manager of Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning.

Malaysia bookings lunge ahead during SEA Games

By S Puvaneswary
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Kuala Lumpur enjoying greater visitor traffic as host city of the 29th SEA Games

The 29th SEA Games, which is taking place in Kuala Lumpur from August 19 to 31, has boosted regional traffic into the capital city and its surrounding destinations, said inbound agents in Malaysia.

S Jayakumar, operations manager at Dayangti Transport & Tours, observed an increase of 15 to 20 per cent in regional inbound demand during the SEA Games period, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Kuala Lumpur enjoying greater visitor traffic as host city of the 29th SEA Games

He said: “We are getting bookings from family members and supporters of foreign athletes. There are also requests for sightseeing tours around the city, Resorts World Genting and visits to Sunway Lagoon theme park in Selangor.”

Syed Mohd Razif Al Yahya, group managing director of Sutra Group of Companies, added: “We have seen a 20 per cent spike in bookings made from ASEAN nations through our online booking engine, Sutra.my, during the SEA Games. Bookings are for hotel rooms within the city and surrounding areas, as well as for tours in Langkawi.”

Another inbound operator, Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, said inbound business from Indonesia this month climbed 12 per cent. He said the uptick in business started a few days before the games until the first week of September. Besides transport services to the competition venues, the company is also seeing demand for city tours, as well as trips to Melaka, Genting and Sunway Lagoon.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture expects a 50 per cent spike in tourist arrivals from ASEAN countries this month over the 1.7 million visitors in the corresponding 2016 period due to the SEA Games, reported Bernama.

APAC a bright spot as global tourism sustains growth: UNWTO

By TTG Asia
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In 2016, tourism accounted for seven per cent of the world’s exports, or US$1.4 trillion, after increasing one percentage point and outpacing the growth of world trade for the fifth year running, according to the latest UNWTO Tourism Highlights report.

International tourist arrivals increased 3.9 per cent to hit nearly 1.2 billion worldwide in 2016. The growth is led by Asia-Pacific, which recorded a nine per cent increase in international arrivals, followed by Africa (+eight per cent) and the Americas (+three per cent).

International tourist arrivals grew 3.9 per cent in 2016

The world’s most visited region, Europe (+two per cent) showed mixed results, while available data for the Middle East (-four per cent) points to a decline in arrivals.

France, the US, Spain and China continued to top the international arrivals ranking in 2016. In receipts, the US and Spain remain at the top, followed by Thailand and China in third and fourth place.

Meanwhile, international tourism receipts grew 2.6 per cent in real terms with total earnings in the destinations estimated at US$1.2 trillion worldwide in 2016.

France and Italy moved up in receipts to fifth and sixth position respectively, while the UK, Mexico and Thailand moved up to sixth, eighth and ninth place in arrivals.

According to projections in UNWTO’s Tourism Towards 2030 report, between 2010 and 2030, arrivals in emerging destinations (+4.4 per cent a year) are expected to increase at twice the rate of those in advanced economies (+2.2 per cent a year).

The market share of emerging economies increased from 30 per cent in 1980 to 45 per cent in 2016, and is expected to reach 57 per cent by 2030, equivalent to over one billion international tourist arrivals.

Pan Pacific creates new management roles

By TTG Asia
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Croley (left) named senior vice president, business development; and Tan chief sales and marketing officer

Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has appointed Kevin Croley and Cinn Tan to the newly-created roles of senior vice president, business development, and chief sales and marketing officer respectively, both based out of the group’s corporate headquarters in Singapore.

In his new role, Croley will focus on developing relationships with third-party owners and sourcing new management agreement opportunities for PPHG in key markets across Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.

Croley (left) named senior vice president, business development; and Tan chief sales and marketing officer

Croley was previously senior vice president, marketing with the group, where he led the development of its brand strategies as well as its loyalty, distribution and digital platforms.

With a 30-year career in hospitality – of which 25 years were spent in the Asia-Pacific region – Croley has held senior positions with Hilton Worldwide, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and InterContinental Hotels Group.

Meanwhile, Tan will be responsible for driving the marketing and sales strategy and synergising efforts across the PPHG’s portfolio of Pan Pacific and Parkroyal hotels, resorts and serviced suites.

The Singaporean hospitality veteran brings more than 20 years of Asia-focused sales and marketing management experience. She was most recently chief operating and marketing officer at Yearth Alliance, a start-up she co-founded to provide online sales and marketing capabilities as well as a loyalty programme to individual hotels and boutique chains in the region.

Prior to this, Tan was senior vice president of marketing & sales for Jin Jiang International Hotels. Her hospitality career started with the Ascott Group, where she spent more than 10 years in Singapore and China leading sales, revenue and distribution, as well as branding and marketing functions.

Vespa sidecar tours scoot into Singapore

By TTG Asia
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Many a photo opportunity on Sideways' tours

Sideways.sg was launched in Singapore earlier this year to offer Vespa sidecar tour service in the city.

Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and co-created with tour agency and hostel Betel Box, the sidecar tours include 30-minute Selfie Spins as well as the half-day Chinatown & Rooftops programme.

Many a photo opportunity on Sideways’ tours

Selfie Spin itineraries offer a choice of districts to explore, including Chinatown, Joo Chiat and Katong, as well as Kampong Glam and Haji Lane.

Sideways is planning to add more half-day rides, namely the Little India Sunset Ride & Dine and the F1 Route Sunset Ride & Dine.

Thailand, Vietnam among top gap year destinations for Brits

By TTG Asia
0
Thailand new favourite pick for British students taking a gap year

Thailand has pulled ahead of Australia to become the top destination for British students taking a gap year, according to a ranking by Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Australasia, South-east Asia, the US and South America have emerged as the most popular choices as ABTA members specialising in gap year travel report more than 30 per cent increases in bookings over the last 12 months.

Thailand new favourite pick for British students taking a gap year

After Thailand, the top picks are respectively Australia, Vietnam, Peru, New Zealand, the US, Laos and Cambodia, South Africa, Argentina and India.

Volunteering, work experience, adventure and cultural tours are starting to edge out partying as the foremost gap year priorities, according to ABTA.

Examples of volunteer stints include conservation projects in South America beaches and Madagascar forests, in addition to medical internships in South Africa.

ABTA members report partying as the least important factor for students booking gap year trips, as many students want to use the year to gain experience either on internships or in paid employment to “boost their CV in a competitive job market”.

Activities including trekking, white water rafting and biking, plus cultural tours to historic cities are also proving popular this year.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Hilton appoints Marco Neukom to lead dual Bali hotels
TTG Asia | JAL steps up sustainable aviation efforts
TTG Asia | Productivity in tourism economy takes centre stage at 11th GTEF