Genting to commence domestic cruises from Hainan
Genting Cruise Lines (GCL) is forging a strategic partnership with the Sanya CBD Administration and a national travel industry corporation to establish a joint venture company to facilitate operations of Dream Cruises’ flagship in Sanya.
The goal of the new joint venture will be to launch domestic cruise itineraries out of the central cruise hub of Hainan, and to support the development of a free trade, pilot cruise tourism zone on Hainan Island.
GCL said in a press release that Sanya boasts an abundance of advantages to complement the pilot implementation of the Hainan Cruise Port Sea-Upstream Route plan, such as the first dedicated cruise terminal providing the only cruise itineraries to the Xisha islands in the country. The city’s location also allows for the longest number cruising days for domestic sailings, and there are plans to further develop Sanya into the largest cruise homeport in China, it added.
The Sanya CBD, one of the 11 districts and parks implementing Hainan’s free trade port policies, manages the Sanya Headquarters Economy division, the CBD division and the cruise and yachting division.
To further boost tourism and reinforce the positioning of the Hainan Free Trade Port, the Hainan government announced earlier this year the pilot plan for the Hainan Island Cruise Itineraries for Chinese-funded Flag of Convenience Ships, providing more options for cruise companies.
GCL president Kent Zhu said: “The establishment of a joint venture company in Sanya demonstrates our commitment and determination to further drive the development of cruise tourism in Hainan. Our aim is to provide a dedicate presence in Sanya, focused on promoting the rich cultural heritage of the island coupled with the wealth of cruise experience of Genting Cruise Lines.
“In the post-pandemic era of travel, we hope that the authorities will further relax their policy for cruise companies operating domestic cruises and we will leverage on policies in Hainan, such as the Flag Of Convenience pilot programme, to entice inbound international travellers.”
Diethelm Travel’s e-market platform connects artisans with buyers
Diethelm Travel Group has launched an online marketplace showcasing handcrafted products sourced from its staff and partner communities.
The curated marketplace, marketplace.diethelmtravel.com, seeks to connect Asian artisans and makers with a worldwide audience, during a time when many Asian borders remain closed to foreign tourists.
Available for international orders, the marketplace currently features a variety of high-quality, handcrafted goods, sourced by Diethelm Travel Thailand. The company plans to expand its product line by sourcing from all 13 Asian countries it operates in, with profits from each sale going directly to the makers.
One such community providing goods is a village in Thailand’s Sukhothai province that usually benefits from Diethelm Travel guests participating in community-based tourism programmes. The village is also known for its unique way of using natural mud to dye cotton fabric to create distinctive hues and a soft feel. With the evaporation of tourism-generated income, the community is turning to selling its fabric goods for financial security.
Stephan Roemer, CEO of Diethelm Travel Group, said: “As the Asian travel industry continues to be at a standstill due to the Covid-19 pandemic and strict government restrictions, we’re still committed to connecting people across borders and supporting both our team and the communities we work in. By making a purchase through Diethelm Marketplace, you’re not only receiving a unique handmade good – or “souvenir” – but helping support people whose livelihoods have been greatly affected by the current global situation.”
Select accommodation deals available for people already in Thailand are also listed on the marketplace website for easy online local bookings.
AirAsia India strikes car rental deal with Avis
AirAsia India has partnered with Avis India to offer the airline’s passengers discounted car rental services, as travellers increasingly seek private modes of transport.
AirAsia India guests can opt to hire airport transfers, chauffeur-driven vehicles, long-term car rentals or self-drive cars from Avis’s fleet of mid, premium, luxury and SUV cars.
Through this partnership, AirAsia India guests can use the services of Avis across 14 cities – Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Kochi, Pune, Bhubaneswar, and Jaipur. They will also be able to enjoy other benefits such as complimentary upgrades in India and internationally.
Sunil Gupta, managing director and CEO, Avis India, said: “In the wake of coronavirus, many people remain apprehensive about taking public transport or booking cabs. With this partnership, we are happy to take forward the responsibility to offer a hassle-free and safe travel experience once our travellers depart the airport.”
Genting HK sells Zouk Group for US$10.2 million
Genting Hong Kong has sold the Zouk Group, which operates the popular nightclub in Singapore, for S$14 million (US$10.2 million) to Malaysian firm Tulipa, as part of efforts to offload non-core assets and investments and strengthen the group’s liquidity.
The cash sale is expected to result in a gain of about HK$6.7 million (S$1.2 million), which will be used as working capital, according to a filing on the Hong Kong Exchange on Tuesday, The Straits Times reported.
The filing said the selling of the Zouk Group is part of efforts to conserve cash and seek additional sources of finance to sustain the business, pending the resumption of cruise operations.
Upon completion of the transaction, Zouk Group will cease to be an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Genting Hong Kong.
Tulipa is owned by Lim Keong Hui, the son of Genting Group chairman and Genting Hong Kong’s controlling shareholder Lim Kok Thay, who holds a 76 per cent stake or six billion shares in the company.
In August, Lim pledged nearly his entire stake in Genting Hong Kong as collateral for loans, after the company’s stock fell by 38 per cent following its announcement that it would temporarily suspend all payments to the group’s financial creditors and seek to restructure its debt.
According to a filing with the Hong Kong Exchange, Genting Hong Kong’s outstanding financial indebtedness stood at US$3.37 billion as of July 31.
The company said then that the coronavirus pandemic had taken a toll on its finances, and that it would reserve its cash to maintain critical services for its operations.
Genting Hong Kong owns and operates three cruise brands – Dream Cruises, Star Cruises and Crystal Cruises. The company also has an interest in the Resorts World Manila.
Banking on home market
Malaysia’s travel and tourism industry is making a slow comeback, thanks in part to the persistent efforts of the federal and state governments as well as the private sector to revive domestic interest.
Incentives for Malaysians to holiday within the country include personal income tax relief of up to RM1,000 (US$235) on domestic tourism expenses as well as service tax exemption at hotels. These are in addition to attractive deals and promotions that local tourism suppliers have rolled out to entice bookings since the removal of interstate travel bans on June 10.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president, Tan Kok Liang, said the industry was on track for recovery, in line with the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s projection that travel and tourism rebound would happen in 2021.
The minister of tourism, arts and culture, Nancy Shukri, expects the tourism industry to begin recovering in 2Q2021.
While there is a strong dependence on the domestic market, Nigel Wong, director of Urban Rhythms Tours, Adventures and Travel, said there was a challenge in getting locals to book with tour operators.
He explained: “Domestic guests prefer to make their own arrangements and bookings. They do not realise that a tailor-made programme designed by a travel agent will result in convenience and time savings.”
To get residents to put their faith in local travel agents, Urban Rhythms is promoting interesting experiences that excite the senses, such as food tours with wine pairings in Penang and Ipoh as well as hidden gems that many Malaysians are unaware of due to a lack of promotions.
“This includes Ulu Tupai Waterfalls in Taiping, which is a pristine nature retreat just 15 minutes’ drive from Taiping town, and the many small nature resorts in Janda Baik, Pahang, which offers nature excursions and visits to fruit and vegetable farms,” Wong detailed.
May Chiong, product planner at Malaysian Harmony Tour & Travel, said the agency has been successfully selling tour packages and hotel stays on Facebook Live since June. Response has been good.
She said: “We use our in-house talents to lead the video programme in an engaging manner and we always include attractive packages offering good value to our Facebook fans.”
Chiong said live-streaming has also helped the company to build brand awareness in the domestic market. The company dealt mainly in outbound tourism pre-pandemic, but had to pivot to domestic tours and products for survival.
She observed that domestic travellers are price sensitive and prefer to shop around for good deals.
“We attract them by working with hotels to create attractively priced packages. Beach retreats and Instagrammable destinations are doing well, especially on weekends when families or friends travel together,” said Chiong.
Klook is also targeting domestic travellers through a series of exclusive staycation offers. Accommodation is bundled with perks, such as free massages, F&B credits and attraction passes, to create a well rounded vacation for the customer.
Emily Tan, marketing lead of Klook Malaysia, shared that nature-focused staycations and theme park hotels are in hot demand.
“Some customers enjoy a tropical paradise at Ipoh’s Belum Rainforest Resort to escape the usual hustle and bustle. Meanwhile, travelling groups with children prefer to mix hotel stays with theme parks nearby, such as Legoland Hotel Malaysia and Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast. This allows both the parents and children to get an enjoyable travel experience,” she said.
Tan remains optimistic that demand for local activities and experiences will continue to rise through 4Q2020, and will spike during the upcoming public holidays.”
To further boost travel confidence and peace of mind of travellers staying in certified hotels, the Malaysian Association of Hotels launched the Clean & Safe Malaysia hygiene and safety certification programme for properties in July. This is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.
Every certified hotel is issued the Clean & Safe Malaysia label. This is the benchmark of hygiene and safety standards for the hotel industry in the country.
White paper plots way forward for Myanmar’s tourism
Myanmar will reposition itself as a leading sustainable destination as part of a raft of measures unveiled in a white paper aimed at tourism recovery.
Entitled Tourism and Covid-19 in Myanmar: Priorities for Restarting Tourism, the white paper outlines a series of recommendations to help stimulate the industry once borders reopen.
May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing chairperson, said: “We have to think about the opportunities. What do we have and how can we create a better situation to rebuild based on these opportunities? We have to be creative and innovative.”
Under the measures, it is recommended that the industry focuses on responsible and sustainable tourism management. This includes improving the quality of existing products and creating new activities.
Nicole Häusler, co-author of the white paper, said: “When preparing for the new normal, the focus should no longer be exclusively on the four major destinations of Yangon, Mandalay, Inle Lake and Bagan, but rather on ecotourism and outdoor and adventure activities.
Häusler added that this should include new products, such as zip lining, rock climbing, agro tourism, birdwatching, nature tourism, caving, cycling and water sports.
She said: “What’s important to adapt to these new travel trends is to consider destination readiness along the tourism supply chain. We can only establish products when a destination and community members linked to these products are ready.”
Ensuring the industry cleans up its act is another important element. Awareness raising campaigns are already underway to help industry players understand the negative impact of waste, especially plastic.
Paper co-author Thu Thu Zaw said: “We need to encourage stakeholders to stop single-use plastic waste by substituting with locally-available green products.”
Green activists are already working in various regions, including Inle Lake and Yangon, where young ambassadors have been carrying out environmental campaigns.
Looking at the Chinese market, zero-dollar tours should be banned and more licensed Chinese-speaking tour guides trained. Said Häusler: “We need to develop sustainable tours together with our Chinese colleagues to achieve benefits for Myanmar, especially along the whole tourist supply chain.”
Another consideration when reopening is visa waiver programmes and reduced visa fees, as well as complete transparency on quarantine and other restrictions travellers need to know before visiting.
Incheon Airport earns ACI’s stamp of approval
Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s largest airport, has become the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region to be accredited under the Airports Council International (ACI)’s Airport Health Accreditation programme.
ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme assists airports by assessing its compliance to new Covid health and safety measures in accordance with ICAO Council Aviation Recovery Task Force recommendations. Areas of assessment for accreditation include cleaning and disinfection, physical distancing (where feasible and practical), staff protection, physical layout, passenger communications and passenger facilities.
“Passengers travelling through or to Seoul, Korea can rest assured that Incheon is prioritising health and safety in a measurable, established manner,” said Stefano Baronci, director general, ACI Asia-Pacific.
The ICAO-supported Airport Health Accreditation programme, launched in July, has received more than 225 applications to date. The online application process is open to ACI member airports of all sizes globally across the regions.
HSH to acquire remaining stake in The Peninsula Bangkok
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels (HSH) is set to gain full ownership of The Peninsula Bangkok, through an acquisition of the remaining 50 per cent stake in a joint venture that operates the property.
In a press statement, HSH said that it plans to acquire the Phataraprasit shareholders’ 50 per cent stake in The Peninsula Bangkok and its surrounding land, for US$70 million in cash plus a 50 per cent stake in the Thai Country Club and nearby land parcels.
Upon completion of the deal, the company will assume full ownership and control over the development, management and future operations of The Peninsula Bangkok and its surrounding land. It will also cease to have any responsibility over the development, management and future operations of the Thai Country Club and its land parcels.
The company said that the restructuring is in line with its principal business of hotel ownership and management and reflects the desire of the company and the Phataraprasit shareholders to resolve all current and contingent disputes, including the dispute on the hotel management agreement relating to The Peninsula Bangkok.
HSH CEO and managing director Clement Kwok said that the decision was made in light of “the very challenging global and domestic market circumstances” and “the legal dispute between the partners”.
Centara expands Myanmar portfolio with trio of signings
Thailand’s Centara Hotels & Resorts has signed agreements with developer SL International Construction to manage three new hotels in Myanmar.
The agreements cover the management of Centra by Centara Hotel Thiri Hpa-An, Hpa-An Hilltop Resort & Spa, and Centara Hotel Mandalay.
In the last 12 months, Centara has inked management deals for a total of nine Myanmar properties, including the latest signings with SL International Construction.
Opening first in 2021 is Centra by Centara Hotel Thiri Hpa-An, a 77-key hotel nestled against one of Hpa-An’s karst mountains and featuring two F&B outlets, outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, and meeting facilities.
Opening in 2022 a short 20-minute drive from Centra by Centara Hotel Thiri Hpa-An is Hpa-An Hilltop Resort & Spa, which will be managed under the Centara Boutique Collection brand of upper upscale and individual boutique hotels. The new-build resort will feature 60 guestrooms and bungalows, two F&B outlets, a spa, kids’ club, fitness centre with swimming pool, and a guest entertainment centre.
In 2024, Centara Hotel Mandalay will open as part of a mixed-use project which will also include a shopping mall, office and casino. The 200-room hotel will feature three restaurants, meeting facilities, fitness centre with swimming pool, and guest recreational facilities.
Centara has signed management deals with six hotels this year so far outside of Thailand, including the three Myanmar properties, as well as one in Oman, and two in Vietnam. The latest signings add 337 keys to the group’s portfolio now totalling 17,154 keys across 81 properties.
In a bid to tighten border controls, Malaysia will deny entry to long-term pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines from September 7.
Senior minister (security cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob said during a press briefing that the move was in response to a spike in Covid-19 cases in these countries.
He added that the restriction includes those who are permanent resident pass holders, Malaysia My Second Home participants, expatriates with Employment Pass category 1, professional visit pass holders, Resident Pass and Spouse Visa and students.
Ismail Sabri did not rule out the possibility that similar restrictions might be extended to citizens of other countries experiencing surges.
“We have asked the Health Ministry to make detailed planning on how Malaysia should face threats and challenges in view of the possibility of an increase in cases during winter,” The Star quoted him as having said.
Another issue that needs to be looked into is the precaution measures that need to be taken in anticipation of the return of Malaysian citizens from countries experiencing winter, he added.