Airlines globally reroute to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace
Major carriers in Asia-Pacific such as Singapore Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Taiwan’s Eva Air, Malaysia Airlines and Australia’s Qantas have adjusted their flight paths, diverting routes from Iranian and Iraqi airspace.
This comes at a time of heightened tensions between US and Iraq, during which a passenger plane was shot down mistakenly by Iran in early January.
Airlines globally reroute to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) flight 752, a scheduled international passenger flight from Tehran to Kiev, was shot down shortly after takeoff from Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport. All 176 passengers and crew were killed, the first fatal air accident for UIA.
After initially blaming it on technical error and denying the aeroplane was hit by a missile, Iran backpedalled, blaming “human error for the strike”, and that the plane had been “misidentified as a cruise missile”, reported the Straits Times.
The plane’s downing came hours after Iran had fired a barrage of missiles at two American air bases in neighbouring Iraq, in retaliation for a drone strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad.
According to Bloomberg, the US Federal Aviation Administration has also barred civilian services over Iraq, Iran, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
From left: Emirates' Orhan Abbas and Trip.com Group's David Han
Emirates signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chinese OTA Trip.com Group in Shanghai yesterday, as the airline looks to expand its reach in the Chinese market.
According to the agreement, Emirates will further explore the market’s potential by leveraging the user network of Trip.com Group, and expand customer reach and penetration in the market through exclusive fares and tailor-made products for Trip.com Group’s customer base.
From left: Emirates’ Orhan Abbas and a representative from Trip.com
In the next phase of the strategic cooperation, both parties will explore joint initiatives to provide members of their loyalty programmes with customised and exclusive offers.
Commenting on the MoU, Orhan Abbas, senior vice president – commercial operations, Far East, at Emirates said: “China has always been a key strategic market for Emirates, and last year marked the 15th year of Emirates’ direct flights to mainland China.”
Orhan added that the newly-renovated airport lounge at Shanghai Pudong International Airport was opened last October, “representing an investment of more than US$3 million”, and was a “testament to the emphasis the airline places on the Chinese market.
Tan Yudong, vice president of Trip.com Group and chief operating officer of Trip.com Group Flight Business Group, added: “The partnership with Emirates will enable users of the platform to have more choice with access to more airline options when booking international travel, more destinations to choose from, and flight options that provide seamless connectivity for their travel plans. ”
Emirates was the first airline to establish non-stop connectivity between the Middle East and mainland China in 2004. Today, Emirates operates 35 flights a week to mainland China, all operated by the A380 aircraft, with – twice-daily services to both Beijing and Shanghai, and daily services to Guangzhou.
Jetstar Asia adds 46 services over Lunar New Year
Jetstar Asia will add 46 return services between Singapore and five destinations – Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, Yangon in Myanmar, Medan in Indonesia and Shantou in China – to meet the increased travel demand over the 2020 Lunar New Year holidays.
The expanded schedule will operate from now until February 13, 2020, in addition to the airline’s regular scheduled services.
There will be 24 additional services between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, 14 between Singapore and Penang, two between Singapore and Yangon, four between Singapore and Medan, and two between Singapore and Shantou.
Lufthansa operates A380 to Thailand
Lufthansa Group has become the first European carrier to operate the A380 to Thailand as it looks to expand the capacity on its Bangkok to Frankfurt route.
Lufthansa initially increased capacity by going from the Boeing 747-400 to the Airbus A380 during the 2017/18 winter schedule. This is the third season Lufthansa is operating an A380 on the Frankfurt-Bangkok route.
PAL connects Clark to Quanzhou
Philippine Airlines (PAL) now offers travellers a wide array of flights to get to Quanzhou (Jinjiang), which is located in the southeastern part of Fujian Province, China.
PR350, the Clark-Quanzhou (Jinjiang) service, operates every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The flight departs Clark at 13.50 and touches down in Quanzhou (Jinjiang) at 16.30, while the return flight leaves Quanzhou (Jinjiang) at 17.30 and arrives in Manila at 19.55.
Vietjet expands reach in Asia
Vietjet has launched five new routes linking Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City to multiple destinations in Japan.
The new routes – Hanoi-Nagoya, Ho Chi Minh City-Nagoya, Da Nang-Nagoya, Hanoi-Fukuoka and Hanoi-Kagoshima – are expected to commence operations in 2020.
As well, Vietjet has also inaugurated its first two international services connecting Can Tho, the hub city of the Mekong Delta region, with Taipei and Seoul.
The Can Tho-Taipei route operates four times weekly. The flight departs Can Tho at 12.40 and arrives in Taipei at 17.10, while the return flight takes off from Taipei at 18.10 and lands in Can Tho at 20.55.
Meanwhile, the Can Tho-Seoul (Incheon) route will operate three times weekly. Flights will depart from Can Tho at 16.50 and arrive in Seoul (Incheon) at 23.55, while the return flight takes off from Seoul (Incheon) at 02.30 and lands in Can Tho at 06.20.
An innovative twist to digital storytelling – in the form of a water screen – will take place on the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland during the Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival on January 31.
A new festival feature, stories honouring the Māori heritage of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland will be projected onto millions of water droplets propelled into the air at 21.00, creating an illusion of images floating on water.
Tāmaki Herenga Waka Festival
The content will pay homage to the waka that carried Māori ancestors across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean) to arrive in Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Tāmaki Makaurau. It will also celebrate te reo Māori, the joining of two worlds, and music.
From 18.00 to 21.00, performances will take place on a land-based stage moored against Queens Wharf. Headline acts include Māori artists Maisey Rika, Louis Baker and a seven-piece reggae band Tomorrow People.
Rika’s soulful vocals and te reo anthems will bring a close to the festival at 23.00, alongside a Kapa Haka performance by Ngā Tumanako, the winning group from Te Matatini 2019 (a nation-wide Māori performing arts festival and competition for kapa haka performers).
Festivalgoers can also be entertained by traditional Māori games, temporary ta moko tattoos, and a lighting installation inspired by pouwhenua (Māori carved pillars) on the Captain Cook Wharf. A collection of garments from designer Shona Tawhiao as well as traditional food and delicacies will be sold.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has recently welcomed Allen Khoo as resident manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.
In his new role, he will support general manager Tane Picken in the group’s first Shangri-La hotel. As resident manager, Khoo will be responsible for overseeing the operations and driving optimal guest experiences across Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, Shangri-La Apartments and Shangri-La Residences.
Khoo joins the flagship hotel with more than 13 years of hotel leadership and hospitality management experience in Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts across Malaysia, China and Taiwan.
Prior to his move to Singapore, he was the resident manager in Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu, from May 2017.
ASEAN NTOs have agreed to recommend a mid-term review of the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) 2016-2025 to their tourism ministers during their meetings today (January 15) and tomorrow.
Benito Bengzon Jr, undersecretary, Philippines Department of Tourism, said the Philippines has offered to take the lead in organising what will be a combination of a retreat and planning session, planned for September this year, subject to ministerial approval.
ASEAN NTOs first met on January 12 in Brunei, and meetings will continue today and tomorrow
Bengzon Jr said the mid-term review is vital to evaluate the performance of ATSP and determine the future course of action for the next five years.
He said: “(The review) will set the overall direction and vision for tourism in South-east Asia, and more specifically, it will identify what strategic concerns need to be looked into. Currently, the ATSP basically talks about two main strategic directions, which are increasing the competitiveness of the region as a collective destination, and ensuring sustainability and inclusivity for the stakeholders.”
The review will also look at the existing committee and evaluate whether alterations are needed to achieve the goals.
Thong Rathanak, director general of Cambodia’s Tourism Development and International Cooperation and vice chair of the ASEAN NTO Meeting at ATF 2020, noted that with changes in the general and tourism landscape taking place so rapidly, NTO representatives were proposing a review every six months.
Thong remarked: “Changes may take place not even in months, but in days. For example, events happening in Australia and Iran may impact South-east Asia or our industry, so it will not be productive to conduct a review only once a year.”
He emphasised that there is a need to determine what “needs to be changed, and what needs to be our top priority”.
When asked what Philippine representatives would like to see happen through the review, Bengzon, Jr said member states needed “to rethink marketing and promotion initiatives” to take into account the market shift towards digital platforms, and to pay greater attention to delivering authentic destination experiences.
Rizki Handayani, head of the delegation from the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, identified the trend of multi-generational travel as well as the development of marine and island products as focal points.
For Noor Zari bin Hammat, secretary general, Malaysia Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, an effective balance between competitiveness and sustainability should be achieved.
ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) has presented its proposal to ASEAN NTOs to offer its support in organising TRAVEX from 2022 onwards on the grounds of combating current weaknesses in the system and improving the quality of the B2B component in the coming years.
ASEANTA president, Mingkwan Metmowlee, told TTG Asia that the proposal has been accepted in principle by the NTOs.
Mingkwan: ASENTA has ideas in place to bring about a better TRAVEX show once proposal is accepted
Another presentation will be made to ASEAN tourism ministers on Wednesday to get their approval, before a legal framework between ASEANTA and ASEAN NTOs can be drawn up in 1H2020. With these completed, ASEANTA will then be able to start preparing for TRAVEX 2022 in Indonesia.
Mingkwan sees this move as a natural progression for ASEANTA, as the organisation “has grown to become a tourism association of influence within the South-east Asian tourism landscape, playing an integral role in shaping tourism development growth and policies in the region”.
She added: “In the current set-up, where the host and organising committee changes with each ATF event, there is no central registry data of ATF buyers and sellers. As a result, there is no continuity in identifying good buyers and sellers.
“At times, we get bad buyers who do not perform and as a result, the quality of TRAVEX goes down. Also, some TRAVEX shows are more successful than others, due to the unequal level of development of tourism in ASEAN member countries.”
By having ASEANTA take the lead in TRAVEX organisation, Mingkwan believes that “a higher standard of TRAVEX” will be set, which will in turn “benefit the promotions of ASEAN destinations as a whole”.
Mingkwan explained that the plan is for the local members of the Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA) to take on event organisation duties when TRAVEX rotates, by alphabetical order, to their country.
FATA is one of the membership components of ASEANTA, with the others being the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association, the National Tourism Organisations, and the ASEAN Airline Association.
In ASEAN Tourism Research Association’s (ATRA) meeting with regional NTOs on Monday, recommendations have been made to prioritise the well-being of local communities in tourism policies impacting community-based tourism (CBT) and to diversify tourism across more destinations to resolve the scourge of overtourism.
ATRA’s honorary treasurer, Puvaneswaran Kunasekaran, told TTG Asia that recommendations relating to CBT included capacity training for local communities so they become self-reliant, and creation of niche segments such as gastronomy tours that are initiated by the communities themselves.
Bangkok is one of the destinations in Asia-Pacific suffering from overtourism Chatuchak Weekend Market crowded with tourists pictured
Citing examples of successful CBT projects in the region, Puvaneswaran said that some of the aboriginal Mah Meri women on Carey Island in Selangor, Malaysia have formed a collective known as Tompoq Tompoh, and have been selling their handcrafted items online and at the Mah Meri Cultural Village.
He said: “They are the most successful aboriginal group practicing community-based tourism in Peninsular Malaysia.”
Another example exists in eastern Sabah where an eco-tourism cooperative of the Batu Puteh community in Lower Kinabatangan River was able to reduce the poverty rate of the locals, enhance local community participation and protect the natural environment.
On the flip side, Puvaneswaran, who is also a senior lecturer at the School of Hospitality, Tourism & Events at Taylor’s University Malaysia, warned that poorly managed CBT projects can limit benefits to the very communities they are meant to support.
Illustrating his point, he referenced Mabul Island in Sabah, Malaysia which is a popular dive destination. While local travel suppliers are thriving, the local population remains poor.
Overtourism is the other matter that warranted immediate attention, he noted, pointing to Bali, Bangkok, Phuket and Langkawi as destinations suffering the affliction.
Puvaneswaran said authorities must promote other destinations so as to disperse tourists to other parts of the country, a move that would also spread commercial benefits to more locals.
He said overtourism in a destination must first be declared by the local authorities before action can be taken.
“But there are (congested) places that are undeclared, such as Cameron Highlands in Malaysia during the school holidays. It takes about two hours to travel a distance of 6km from Brinchang to Blue Valley due to traffic jams caused by the many small shops selling souvenirs, flowers and vegetables along the road. The local population that is not involved in the businesses are inconvenienced as a result,” he said.
Passengers boarding the plane at Manila International Airport
Filipinos’ passion for travel has not been doused by the current tumultuous situations around the globe, in particular, the US-Iran tensions, protests in Hong Kong, bushfires in Australia, and safety issues in other destinations.
“There will always be trouble but people are tired of being scared. Something untoward can happen even in one’s home. So the mentality (among Filipinos) is to travel while they can, are still strong and have the means to do so,” Golden Sky Travel and Tours president Dolly Santos said.
Passengers boarding a PAL plane at Manila International Airport
“We don’t have cancellations to the Holy Land (despite the rising tensions in Iran) and you’d be surprised that Hong Kong is coming back (as an attractive destination despite the ongoing protests there),” he added.
Bullish on outbound prospects this year, Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) president Ritchie Tuano likened the Filipinos’ insatiable appetite for travelling to “a raging river wherein if there’s a dead-end spout, it will always look for a hole to go somewhere”.
“Filipinos would find destinations to tick off their bucket list as they have more disposable income now and are really saving to travel,” Tuano said.
He said this explains why the upcoming PTAA TravelTour Expo, the biggest of its kind in the Philippines, boasts a long list of tour operators from across Europe and Central Asia like Georgia and Azerbaijan, Bhutan, and even traditional destinations like Israel and India, that are looking at growing outbound from the country.
Manila-based Golden Eagle Travel and Tours president Michelle Victoria observed a growing appetite among Filipinos for new destinations like Turkey, European countries for viewing the aurora borealis, and exotic destinations in Central Asia.
Given that Middle East destinations are popular among Filipinos, Tuano hopes to assure customers that travel to the region is safe.
He cited an advisory from Israel’s Ministry of Tourism stating that everything is business as usual and that there’s no immediate threat, alluding to the tensions in Iran.
Tuano also received a communication from the United Arab Emirates highlighting that the tensions are concentrated in Iran and Iraq, and that the Middle East is a big region and not all of it is affected.
Erhan Balaban, general manager of Turkish Airlines in the Philippines, noted that Turkey –being close to the Middle East region – have implemented safety measures, including avoiding flying into the airspace over Iran.
“Our priority is to maintain security. We have all the safety measures in place,” Balaban said.
A line-up of speakers, including executives from technology giants Grab, Line, Facebook and Google Travel, will be sharing their hotel marketing, revenue and distribution expertise at the Direct Booking Summit: Bangkok on February 19-20.
Summit delegates will also be hearing from hotels of all sizes, including Oyo, Onyx Hospitality Group, JPark Island & Resort, Discovery Hospitality, and Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, on how they drive their direct bookings.
First row, from left: Oyo’s Rotsen Quispe; Grab’s Shawn Heng; and Google’s Malte Jess. Second row, from left: Line’s Pruthisith Prateepavanich; Discovery Hospitality’s Blessy Townes; and Chroma Hospitality’s Sunish Sadasivan
Looking forward at future opportunities hotels may have in their digital marketing will be a key theme of this year’s Direct Booking Summit, epitomised by a session on super apps, led by Shawn Heng, regional head of business development and Grab for Business, Grab; and Pruthisith Prateepavanich, head of technology innovation, Line Corporation.
In an engaging debate, the duo will assess the impact of WeChat, Grab, Line and Traveloka on hotel distribution; and share how attendees can leverage those platforms to drive more direct bookings.
Revenue managers will be able to benefit from key discussions at the Summit, including a debate on the benefits and consequences of OTA’s discount schemes and short-term rate manipulation. Ratchaya Termsilkanok, vice president, revenue and e-commerce, Cross Hotels & Resorts; Sunish Sadasivan, vice president, e-commerce and revenue management, Chroma Hospitality; Michael Belanger, vice president revenue and distribution, GCP Hospitality; and Nicolas Durand, senior director of global distribution, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, will shed light on quick wins in revenue and discuss ways to create a lasting strategy.
In her keynote talk, Blessy Townes, vice president & head of digital, Discovery Hospitality, will share how to easily adapt a data-led approach to one of the most effective direct booking strategies – content marketing. From tracking your ROI to learning the secrets to success on social media platforms, Townes will help hotels of all sizes to build a content strategy that drives conversion.
As well, Rotsen Quispe, vice president product marketing and growth, Oyo, speak on the company’s disruption of the hotel landscape in Asia-Pacific.
Furthermore, Malte Jess, business manager & regional product lead, Travel Vertical Search APAC, Google, will run an interactive session for hoteliers getting started on the platform, while Rabin Gupta, corporate general manager, digital marketing, Compass Hospitality, will lead a deep-dive that can help hoteliers boost their properties’ performance on metasearch.
