Cordelia Cruises will operate new international itineraries for Empress from October 25, 2026, with direct sailings from Kochi to Malé, the Maldives and Colombo in Sri Lanka.
Kochi becomes the ship’s new homeport, giving Indian travellers access to key destinations across the Indian Ocean.
Cordelia Cruises offers direct sailings from Kochi to the Maldives and Sri Lanka starting October 2026; photo by Cordelia Cruises
The five-night itinerary sails Kochi to Malé, as well as to Colombo and Kochi, departing every Sunday and returning Friday, with two full days at sea. A two-night weekend cruise operates from and to Kochi with days at sea, departing every Friday and returning Sunday, providing a short-break option.
Onboard, guests can enjoy a range of dining options, entertainment, and activities. Shore excursions in the Maldives include lagoon visits, coral reef exploration, and island tours, while Sri Lanka offers historic forts, local markets, cultural landmarks, and beaches.
JW Marriott Singapore South Beach has appointed Karl Hudson as general manager.
Hudson, who has overseen the opening of over 80 hotels with Marriott International and most recently served as regional vice president for Japan and Guam, brings extensive leadership experience to the hotel.
He will guide the property’s growth while maintaining its lifestyle identity and design focus, emphasising people, personalisation, and place-making to ensure it remains a leading destination for both business and leisure.
Soneva Group has appointed three senior executives to its leadership team, effective September 2025.
Joanna Flint joins as chief commercial officer, Chris Whitehouse as chief financial officer, and Abhishek Sharma has been promoted to chief operating officer.
From left: Chris Whitehouse, Joanna Flint and Abhishek Sharma
Flint brings over 20 years of experience in luxury hospitality and technology, with roles at Mandarin Oriental, Google, and Singapore Airlines. She will drive Soneva’s global commercial strategy, enhancing sales, digital capabilities, and customer experience across existing and new markets.
Whitehouse brings his expertise in financial strategy, risk, corporate financing, and asset management gained at The Dot Group, Candy & Candy, and CPC to his new role. He will strengthen Soneva’s financial foundations and support sustainable expansion.
With more than 25 years’ experience in luxury hospitality across the Maldives, India, Egypt, and Mauritius, Sharma will oversaw all three Soneva resorts.
The appointments coincide with the opening of Soneva’s global headquarters in Dubai, providing a strategic base to strengthen industry partnerships, attract talent, and connect with key feeder markets.
Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, operated by Minor Hotels, has appointed Michael Parker as general manager.
He brings over 20 years of leadership experience in luxury hospitality, with senior roles across the UK, China, Cambodia, and the Maldives. He joined Minor Hotels in 2023 as complex general manager, overseeing Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, Anantara Veli Maldives Resort, and Naladhu Private Island Maldives.
In his new role, Parker will focus on a renovation of Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort’s food and beverage outlets and enhancements to the Anantara Wellness programme. His goal is to elevate culinary offerings and expand wellness experiences.
Thailand has become the first Asian destination to host Tourism Cares’ Global Meaningful Travel Summit, held from September 7 to 13, 2025, across locations in Krabi and Bangkok.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and its Los Angeles office partnered with the US-based non-profit to deliver the inaugural Asian edition, first announced at Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2024 and the TAT Strategic Directive briefing last year.
Attendees of the summit in Thailand during the event’s opening ceremony at the White Lotus Sofitel in Krabi; photo by Tourism Authority of Thailand
Greg Takehara, CEO of Tourism Cares, called the collaboration a natural fit.
“Having our first Global Meaningful Travel Summit in Asia was an incredible milestone for Tourism Cares. The Tourism Authority of Thailand was the perfect destination partner to host our summit, as they are embedding sustainability through many of their strategic programmes, such as their STAR sustainability certification and their Meaningful Relationship initiative,” he said, referencing TAT’s 2023 campaign encouraging travellers to connect with themselves, local communities, and nature.
The programme combined education, networking, and immersive field visits – including a stop at TAT’s Amazing Green Fest 2025 eco-travel showcase in Nakhon Pathom – linking international travel professionals with Thai community leaders and enterprises.
Attendees ranged from senior figures at global tour operators, DMOs, airlines, and sustainability consultancies to media and social enterprises.
Notable participants included representatives from the Jordan Tourism Board North America, Intrepid Travel, Disney’s Adventures by Disney/National Geographic Expeditions, USTOA, and agencies from Latin America.
Delegates engaged with organisations featured on the Meaningful Travel Map, a digital platform curated by Tourism Cares to showcase vetted community-based enterprises. The map reflects the organisation’s definition of “meaningful travel” as tourism that delivers social, environmental, and economic benefits to host communities while providing travellers with authentic, high-quality experiences.
Takehara emphasised the summit’s impact: “Attendees got to experience first-hand how these community-based organisations in Krabi and Bangkok were prioritising sustainability while integrating the needs of their communities and creating top-notch visitor experiences,” he noted.
The summit also forged stronger links between Thai partners on the map and global operators, with participants committing to integrate new goals for positive impact into their own businesses.
The initiative builds on the March 2024 Meaningful Travel FAM in Thailand, organised with TAT, Delta Air Lines, and Korean Air, which laid the groundwork for the larger-scale summit and helped identify the 45+ Thai partners now featured on the Meaningful Travel Map.
Looking forward, Takehara cautioned that Asia’s rising demand must be managed responsibly: “We are at a significant crossroads where traveller interest in Asia is growing significantly, but we must ensure that everyone benefits in this new chapter.”
Looking forward, Tourism Cares will continue expanding its support for its Thai Meaningful Travel Map impact partners, focusing on training, resources, and trade connections to ensure small businesses have a stronger “seat at the table” in shaping the region’s tourism future.
BWH Hotels has signed Aiden Surawong Bangkok, introducing its Aiden brand in Thailand.
Situated in Surawong, one of Bangkok’s oldest districts, the avant-garde boutique hotel is close to the Chao Phraya River and the city’s cultural attractions. Aiden Surawong Bangkok will combine social spaces, remote working areas and wellness offerings, under a design concept inspired by celestial stars and gemstones.
Aiden Surawong Bangkok will offer 77 rooms when it opens end of this year
The hotel will feature 77 rooms with organic textures and locally inspired amenities. Guests can unwind on the rooftop with an urban pool and city views, or gather in the lobby lounge for cocktails and social interaction.
Aiden Surawong Bangkok is scheduled to open in December 2025 and will become BWH Hotels’ 14th property in Bangkok across eight of its brands, with additional properties planned in the city.
Olivier Berrivin, vice president – APAC, BWH Hotels, said: “Aiden is a new generation of hotels for smart, savvy, and well-informed travellers who crave complete convenience without sacrificing their sense of style. From a social hangout to moments of relaxation and Instagram-worthy spaces, this impressive hotel will give our guests the inspiration they need to continue their journey of discovery in Bangkok.”
InterContinental, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio, has launched Doors Unlocked 2025, a new series of exclusive packages that give guests behind-the-scenes access to the world’s leading cultural events.
The limited-edition packages are available in London, New York, Dubai, Phuket, Tokyo, and Sydney, providing insider experiences curated with local tastemakers.
Guests can access VIP events, private tours, and masterclasses across six global cities with the new Doors Unlocked packages
Each package combines luxury accommodation with unique cultural access, from fashion and film festivals to contemporary art and ballet performances. Guests can expect VIP screenings, private studio tours, curated dinners, behind-the-scenes experiences, masterclasses, and guided tours, offering an immersive perspective of each city’s cultural highlights.
InterContinental Doors Unlocked packages are priced from US$1,500 for a 48-hour experience, including two nights’ accommodation, breakfast, curated meals and insider access.
Packages are available now and bookings can be made via the InterContinental Doors Unlocked website. Guests also earn benefits through the IHG One Rewards loyalty programme.
Tom Rowntree, vice president global luxury brands at IHG, said: “Today’s luxury travellers, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, seek more than elegant accommodation – they crave authentic, culturally rich experiences that capture the zeitgeist of their destinations. True to our vision of facilitating cultural discovery, we have evolved our entire guest experience to captivate the imaginations of modern-day travellers with a focus on satisfying their yearning for knowledge and culturally rich experiences.
“With Doors Unlocked, we will place our guests at the centre of vibrant cultural conversations, leveraging our global expertise and local connections to create unforgettable experiences. Our team’s deep knowledge will ensure every guest feels truly ‘in the know’ from the moment they arrive.”
Trip.com Group data shows that Golden Week 2025 is expected to be one of the busiest travel periods in recent years, with outbound accommodation bookings from China recording triple-digit growth year-on-year.
Coinciding with the Mid-Autumn Festival, the holiday provides an average eight-day break, extending up to 12 days for those taking additional leave. The longer period is driving a broad rise in travel demand, with momentum likely to continue through Golden Week and the autumn season.
Doha, pictured, reports the strongest Golden Week booking growth in the Middle East
Japan and South Korea remain the main outbound markets, with Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore also in the top five. Osaka, Tokyo, and Seoul are leading destinations, while demand is rising for island and coastal cities including Cebu, Phu Quoc, Okinawa, Jeju, Nha Trang, Perth, Fukuoka, Sydney, and Macau.
In Europe, Düsseldorf bookings are up 188 per cent year-on-year, followed by strong growth in Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Geneva, Brussels, Oslo, Barcelona, Rome, and Nice.
Africa and the Middle East are also seeing increases. Johannesburg bookings are up 232 per cent, with Cairo and Kilimanjaro recording gains. Doha has grown 441 per cent, Abu Dhabi 229 per cent, with Riyadh also attracting higher numbers.
Travellers are booking earlier, with average lead times one week ahead of 2024, and are seeking cost-efficient options. Hostels saw a 240 per cent rise in reservations, led by younger travellers, while home stays, resorts, serviced apartments, ryokans, and villas also recorded growth.
Holiday overlaps across East Asia are driving demand for shorthaul routes. During Japan’s Silver Week from September 13 to 23, outbound travel rose 30 per cent year-on-year. South Korea’s Chuseok from October 3 to 9 recorded an 80 per cent increase. In Japan, 70 per cent of bookings are shorthaul flights; in South Korea, 62 per cent.
Chinese destinations including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Dalian, Qingdao, and Tianjin are the top choices for Japanese and Korean visitors. Trip.com Group has added the Hong Kong Free Layover Tour Service, offering six half-day itineraries. Flight bookings from Japan and South Korea to Dali, Quanzhou, Zhangjiajie, and Weihai are also rising.
Rakuten Travel has launched the Rakuten Travel AI Hotel Search, a free AI-powered service that provides tailored hotel recommendations to users via its smartphone site.
The service draws on Rakuten Travel’s extensive database of reviews, booking trends and accommodation plans from one of Japan’s widest hotel networks. It uses natural language processing to understand user requests, even when expressed in abstract terms, and generates optimised recommendations that can be viewed in a list or on a map.
Rakuten Travel’s new AI tool helps travellers find and compare hotels in Japan using natural language queries
Travellers can chat with the AI agent to specify destination, stay duration, number of guests, budget, accommodation type and preferred facilities. The tool then recommends up to 30 properties, presenting photos, prices, review scores and an AI Recommendation Points summary highlighting features that match user preferences.
Users can refine search results by adjusting stay length or hotel facilities and access Search Suggestions for more detailed queries, making the tool suitable even for first-time AI users.
Rakuten Travel plans to enhance the service based on user and partner feedback, with the long-term goal of expanding personalised support across different stages of the travel journey.
StarDream Cruises has introduced pickleball at sea – one of the fastest-growing sports in Asia and worldwide – aboard Genting Dream and Star Navigator.
Basketball courts were converted into two full pickleball courts on Genting Dream and one on Star Navigator, giving travellers a new way to serve, smash and score while cruising.
Guests can now enjoy pickleball at sea on Genting Dream and Star Navigator sailings
On Genting Dream, pickleball play debuted on September 21, 2025, on two- and three-night itineraries between Singapore, Melaka, Penang and Phuket. A special five-night cruise to South and North Bali on November 30, 2025, will also feature the sport.
Star Navigator will debut pickleball from September 26, 2025, offering longer itineraries across Asia. From Keelung, she will sail roundtrip voyages to Japan’s Okinawa and Kyushu, as well as Jeju and Busan in South Korea.
Between November 16, 2025, and January 30, 2026, Star Navigator will homeport in Kaohsiung with two- and five-night cruises to Okinawa, the Philippines (Laoag, Coron, Boracay, Puerto Princesa) and Vietnam (Halong Bay, Danang).
He will guide the property’s growth while maintaining its lifestyle identity and design focus, emphasising people, personalisation, and place-making to ensure it remains a leading destination for both business and leisure.
In his new role, Parker will focus on a renovation of Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort’s food and beverage outlets and enhancements to the Anantara Wellness programme. His goal is to elevate culinary offerings and expand wellness experiences.
