Qantas trials digital health pass
Qantas Airways has completed its first customer trial of the CommonPass digital health app on its international repatriation flight from Frankfurt to Darwin.
This follows a successful trial with crew last month and comes as the national carrier prepares to restart international flights from late October.
The CommonPass smartphone app helps to verify Covid test results and vaccination information to border or health officials and airline staff. The app connects passengers to certified testing labs so that results can be uploaded to the platform and passengers can show they have proof of a negative Covid test result before their flight, which is a requirement on all repatriation flights Qantas is operating on behalf of the Australian government.
Qantas Group CCO Stephanie Tully said a digital health pass would assist airlines and governments globally to facilitate safe international travel when borders reopen.
“We want to get our international flights back in the air and our people back to work and a digital health pass will be a key part of that,” she said. “Covid test results and proof of vaccine will be required in many countries for quarantine-free travel, just as it has been for polio and yellow fever vaccinations in the past.”
Longer-term, there are plans to integrate the technology with the existing Qantas app to create a one-stop solution for passengers, Tully said. “Ultimately we’re focused on ensuring that the process will be as seamless as possible for our customers to share this information so they can travel internationally again,” she added.
CommonPass is one of two digital solutions that Qantas is assessing, alongside the IATA Travel Pass.
The Federal Government announced last month that vaccination certificates will be issued and made available through the Medicare and MyGov apps. Qantas is working on solutions for passengers to elect to have this medical information integrated with their clearance to travel in a secure way and in accordance with global privacy regulations.
Meanwhile, the Australian government has rolled out a A$1.2 billion (US$928 million) tourism support package designed to support the country’s aviation and tourism sectors, and boost domestic travel.
Under the plan, an estimated 550,000 discounted Qantas and Jetstar fares will be offered to targeted markets, while direct support will be given to around 7,500 employees directly impacted by continued international border closure, among others.
Tourism Malaysia ropes in GoPro for video contest to spur domestic travel
Tourism Malaysia has partnered with GoPro to bring forth a new social media challenge inviting all residents in Malaysia to create and share videos of their past travels capturing diverse attractions within the country.
Dubbed Dream Malaysia Challenge, the campaign aims to promote Malaysia as the preferred destination and to boost domestic tourism.
Video submissions can be captured from any device, but must have been polished up through the GoPro App. Participants can send in their 30-45 second videos via the GoPro Awards Portal under the challenge Malaysia|Living Local.
In addition, participants are also required to post their videos on their personal Facebook and Instagram profiles, detailing their travel experience in the caption using both the #DreamMalaysia and #GoProxTourismMalaysia hashtags. They must also tag both GoPro and Tourism Malaysia on their respective Instagram and Facebook accounts.
Participants who wish to add background sound to their videos must use only music taken from the GoPro app.
The Dream Malaysia Challenge, which kick-started on March 13, will end on March 28 at 23.00. Participants stand a chance to win the latest GoPro HERO9 Black, GoPro MAX, GoPro HERO8 and full board stays at Taman Negara, Gopeng Glamping Park and Tadom Hill.
TTG Conversations: Innovator Chat with Monster Day Tours and Lion Heartlanders
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of collaboration over competition – and for two tour operators in Singapore, closing ranks have saved their skins amid these testing times.
TY Suen and Byron Koh, founders of Woopa Travels and Lion Heartlanders, respectively, began talks of collaboration shortly before Covid-19 struck.
When Singapore entered the circuit breaker period last year, Woopa Travels launched a new series of virtual tours under its Monster Day Tours brand. The Virtual Bingo Tours dangle the lure of prizes and spur active participation by gamifying live broadcasts of local exploration. They have since evolved to include different locations in Singapore, as well as a Kyoto itinerary, accompanied by a new breed of physical and hybrid learning tours.
In this episode of TTG Conversations: Innovator Chat, Suen and Koh reveal how these innovations and risks proved critical for survival.
Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office chief makes an exit
Jens Thraenhart, the longest serving executive director at the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), has put in his resignation and will serve out his notice in 90 days.
Thraenhart joined the organisation – a secretariat of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Tourism Working Group and which is owned and funded by the six governments of the GMS – in June 2014, after serving as strategic advisor to the previous MTCO executive director.
Thraenhart told TTG Asia that he is exiting for personal reasons, adding that “external factors make it increasingly difficult to do my job and carry out the mandate of the MTCO”.
He paid tribute to the six governments of the GMS who had put their “trust and confidence” in him to head the MTCO.
“I am proud of what we have achieved. I am deeply honoured to have served the tourism stakeholders of the Greater Mekong Subregion,” he said.
Thraenhart is widely recognised for his work in promoting the GMS and enhancing the MTCO’s digital offerings, specifically the MTCO website (MekongTourism.org) and Mekong Tourism’s social media presence which have won several awards, such as the PATA Gold Award and the HSMAI Adrian Gold Award.
MTCO’s annual flagship event, the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF), was also recognised by the UNWTO as a global best practice in inclusive and responsible tourism. Since its launch in 2017, MTF has enabled hundreds of small tourism businesses in emerging destinations to be showcased to the world.
He is also behind the creation of the private sector framework, Destination Mekong, which aims to develop, execute and operate various pro-tourism initiatives, such as Mekong Moments and Mekong Mini Movie Festival campaigns, the Experience Mekong Collection, Mekong Heroes, Mekong Trends, and the Mekong Innovations in Sustainable Tourism programme.
Other powerful public-private sector partnerships in regional tourism development formed during his leadership includes the Mekong Tourism Marketing Plan and the Mekong Tourism Sector Strategy.
Information on Thraenhart’s replacement and interim leadership arrangement is not available at press time.
Bali plays host to live event for ITB Berlin NOW 2021
Indonesian sellers who took part in the recently-concluded virtual ITB Berlin NOW 2021 convened in a live meeting held in Bali, which was hosted by the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MOTCE).
The event, which took place from March 9-12, saw the ballroom at The Anvaya Beach Resort Bali transform into the ‘Indonesian Pavilion’ complete with a coffee corner, a photo booth plus handicraft booths in the foyer.
A total of 65 sellers – majority of whom were Bali-based – attended the event, conducting their business with buyers in the ballroom.
Dance and music performances were staged at the opening ceremony, while Visit Indonesia Tourism Office Germany and the Indonesia Inbound Tour Operators Association organised destination presentations.
Nia Niscaya, deputy for marketing, MOTCE, said that there were several reasons for organising a live event, including wanting to boost the sellers’ spirits amid the pandemic by giving them a working ambiance close to that of a trade show, as well as to ensure that sellers keep to their appointments to show their commitment to buyers.
The event also meant to showcase that business events could be conducted safely with strict implementation of the new protocols. All participants underwent antigen swab tests and stayed at the hotel.
Bali was chosen as the event venue as the volume search by potential international travellers remained high. It was also part of efforts to prepare for the reopening of the destination, with MOTCE “working closely with the related ministries to reopen the border in stages,” said Nia.
Plans underway for Singapore-Australia travel bubble
Singapore and Australia are in talks to forge a quarantine-free air travel bubble which will facilitate cross-border travel between both countries.
Additionally, the two nations are also in discussions on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resumption of travel with priority for students and business travellers, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Sunday (March 14).
MFA was responding to media queries following a report by The Sydney Morning Herald which said that plans for a two-way bubble between Singapore and Australia was underway. The report also stated that it could be possible for people from third countries to enter Australia via Singapore after completing a 14-day quarantine in the city-state.
“Australia is a key partner of Singapore in the region. We are in discussions on how to cooperate in opening our economies safely, taking into consideration the Covid-19 situation in both countries,” MFA said.
The ministry also stated that both countries are not in discussion on the concept of a quarantine centre or vaccination hub. It said: “Australian nationals can transit via Singapore without quarantining to return home if they travel on approved transit routes and if they comply with our public health protocols while in transit.”
Koh Samui pushes to reopen to vaccinated tourists by October
Thailand’s popular beach destination, Koh Samui, plans to allow quarantine-free entry to vaccinated foreign tourists from October 1.
“The island’s economy and infrastructure were built around foreign tourism, and businesses here have been struggling without foreign visitors over the past year,” Ratchaporn Poolsawadee, president of the Tourism Association of Koh Samui, said in an interview with Bloomberg.
“We need to reopen as soon as possible to be able to compete for visitors with other countries.”
According to the report, Ratchaporn said vaccinated travellers arriving on Koh Samui will also be able to travel quarantine-free to its neighbouring islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. About 160,000 vaccine doses are needed to cover at least 70 per cent of the current residents on these three islands, he added.
Koh Samui’s reopening plan follows Phuket’s proposal for the popular Thai island to reopen to vaccinated travellers by October 1, exempting them from the 14-day quarantine requirement. In line with that vision, Phuket industry associations are planning to carry out a private vaccination drive to inoculate at least 70 per cent of the island’s population to create herd immunity prior to its targeted reopening date.
Swiss-Belhotel grows Indonesia portfolio
Swiss-Belhotel International plans to open seven new properties in Indonesia by 2023, which will bring the group’s property count in the country to 82.
The new properties will comprise of the following brands: Swiss-Belcourt, Swiss-Belhotel, and Swiss-Belresort. They will be located in various cities across the archipelago, including Kupang, Makassar, Nusa Penida, Biak, Central Java and Jakarta.
Five of the new properties will open by end of 2021. They are the 102-room Swiss-Belhotel Cendrawasih Biak; the 98-room Swiss-Belcourt Kupang; the 75-room Swiss-Belcourt Makassar; the 62-key The Gamat Bay, Nusa Penida, Bali; and the 163-room Swiss-Belhotel Arjuna, Legian, Bali.
The 316-room Swiss-Belhotel Kelapa Gading, Jakarta is due to open in 2022, while the 271-room Swiss-Belhotel Purwokerto will open in 2023.
Thai AirAsia to restart all domestic routes
Thai AirAsia is set to resume operations on all 40 domestic routes in Thailand from April, including 14 regional routes from its hubs across the nation.
The move comes on the back of “pent-up demand for air travel in Thailand”, said AirAsia Thailand CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya. He cited how all 80,000 travel passes put up for sale under the airline’s recent #FlyRuaRuaPass promotion was sold out in 48 hours.
The domestic flights will be operated both direct to and from Bangkok (Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi). Additionally, the airline will also reboot domestic cross-regional connections from its hubs in Chiang Mai and Phuket.
From April 1, Thai AirAsia will also be increasing frequency on popular routes, such as from Don Mueang to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, and Surat Thani. It will also operate five daily flights to Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani; as well as reinstate five routes from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chiang Mai, Nan, Phuket, Hat Yai and Nakhon Si Tham.
Accor has launched the Recharge in the Maldives deal, offering guests complimentary breakfast, lunch and dinner; as well as an upgrade to the next available room category at the time of booking.
The offer is available at four of Accor’s resorts in the Maldives – Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort, Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives, and Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort.
The Recharge Maldives offer, which comes with flexible cancellation terms, is valid for bookings from now until April 30, 2021 for stays until September 30, 2021. Accor Plus members are entitled to an additional 10 per cent discount on accommodation.
Tourists of all nationalities can travel to the Maldives at present with proof of a negative Covid-19 test required upon entry as well as a confirmed hotel reservation.