TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Friday, 3rd April 2026
Page 1292

Germans take off for Asia this Easter

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Hong Kong and China are winning intercontinental destinations for Germans for Easter this year.

According to ForwardKeys, intercontinental bookings from Germany are currently up 2.7% for the Easter holiday period compared to last year.

Figures show a 31.4% jump for Hong Kong bookings, and China 30.9%. Other favoured destinations are the US, ahead 20.6%, and Morocco, ahead 20.0%.

Thailand is the top performer for German bookings to Asia

While Thailand is not quite showing the strongest growth, it seems to be the top performer; as over 40% of all German Internet flight searches for travel to Asia include Thailand.

This summer, the Asia-Pacific region will benefit most from increased intercontinental scheduled seat capacity from Germany. Between May and October, it’s up 4.1% for the region, which has a 5% market share. The total international capacity increase from Germany is 0.7% on last year.

Capacity of flights to other European destinations, with an 82% market share, is up 0.4%.

Intercontinental destinations with the largest growth in scheduled flight capacity from Germany between May and October are Qatar (up 18.2%), Thailand (up 12.9%) and Hong Kong (up 10.0%).

The collapse of the German holiday airline, Germania, earlier this month, has had an impact on some destinations, but others are proving to be resilient.

Among those once served by Germania, but still showing capacity growth for this summer, are Serbia (up 5.9%), Egypt (0.2%) and Turkey (7.3%).

Olivier Ponti, vice president, insights, ForwardKeys, commented:“Despite very serious turbulence in the German airline industry, it’s encouraging to see air capacity still growing overall, particularly as capacity increases are a sign of economic confidence. Over the Easter holidays, Hong Kong and China look set to do particularly well from German visitors.”

Thomas Cook India to buy imaging solutions provider for attractions

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Thomas Cook India Group is acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI), an imaging solutions and services provider, at an enterprise value of US$40.6 million.

The acquisition marks Thomas Cook India Group’s entry into an adjacent sector, complementary to its travel & travel related services portfolio.

Madhavan Menon, chairman and managing director, Thomas Cook (India), said: “Our acquisition of DEI, a global imaging solutions and services giant, presents the Thomas Cook India Group an opportunity to participate in an exciting new business space, adjacent to our core travel services portfolio that is both PAT and free cash accretive from day one.”

Elaborating on common markets and synergies, he said: “We see an immediate opportunity for our outbound customers from India and Hong Kong, as well as our inbound and DMS customers across our global network. With the growing demand for experiential travel and social sharing, DEI’s partnerships with attractions, theme parks, water parks and resorts will further enhance our travel services portfolio in line with our philosophy of creating long-term shareholder value.”

Established in 2004, Dubai-based DEI is a technology driven company with offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai, Orlando and Kuala Lumpur. DEI focuses on imaging solutions for the attractions industry with an end-to-end turnkey model providing equipment, software, talent and operational expertise consultation to partners.

With a network of over 120 partners, DEI is present at more than 250 venues across over 14 countries (Hong Kong, Singapore, the UAE, Macau, China, the US, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mauritius, the Maldives, Egypt, India and Kuwait), and completed 3.6 million transactions in 2018.

The strategic location of its regional headquarters in Singapore since 2012 has enabled DEI to successfully securing the majority share of imaging partnerships in Singapore, including the Wildlife Reserves Singapore, One Faber Group and Marina Bay Sands.

DEI is aggressively expanding its presence into Greater China, including Hong Kong, and its proprietary imaging solution has enabled payment gateway localisation for the local Chinese market expanding into AliPay and WeChat Pay.

Their local hosting and content distribution allows guests to share memories on Chinese social media channels like WeChat, Sina Weibo, QQ and Qzone. DEI intend to focus on rapid growth over the preceding years in this Far East belt.

KS Ramakrishnan, founder CEO and president of DEI, said: “DEI is leading the digital transformation of the guest photo journey through NFC, facial recognition and other state of the art proprietary technology enabling the guest to receive and share their memories in real time.”

Vietnam’s Lux Group to launch new adventure travel division

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Vietnam-based tour operator Luxury Travel, a member of the Lux Group, has launched a new brand focussing on community-based adventure tourism.

“We are constantly coming up with innovative ideas and looking out for opportunities. We create a new brand for them and let them behave like a small independent businesses as part of our ‘string of pearls’ strategy under the Lux Group umbrella,” said Pham Ha, president of the Lux Group.

Adventura Travel will focus on sustainable and community-based tourism projects across Vietnam

“Active travel or adventure tourism has evolved over the years from a tiny niche market to become one of the nerve centers of growth and development within the travel industry. This form of traveling is increasingly popular among people who’re in search of leisure or holiday destinations combined with vibrant environmental, cultural and natural experiences.”

Though popularly known among tourists for its war history, Vietnam has the makings of an adventure tourism, with hills, mountains, valleys, rice paddies and deserted beaches among its assets, the Lux Group said in a statement.

Examples of activities include trekking the mountains of Sapa, cycling on the Ho Chi Minh trail or rock climbing and kayaking in Cat Ba Archipelago, discovering Bai Tu Long Bay, hiking in Dalat. Wildlife can be experienced at the Cuc Phuong or Nam Cat Tien national parks.

Around 70 per cent of Vietnamese live in the countryside and remote mountainous areas. Travellers can support communities by participating in charity or voluntourism projects, while discovering the country in a responsible way.

Adventura Travel will pioneer tourism projects in Vietnam’s north, centre and south that give back to communities in through sustainable development and poverty reduction.

“I am excited about our new tourism projects for communities, and proud of being the first company in Vietnam to pioneer active travel, CBT and voluntourism. Five per cent of our net profits will be contributed to LuxCare for our mission to create better places for people to live in and visit, ” said Tien Hung, adventure travel specialist and the new head of department of Adventura Travel.

The Lux Group is headquartered in Hanoi and has offices in Indochina and sales offices in the main markets in the US, Australia, the UK, Germany and Argentina. The Lux Group has a fleet of five star Emperor Cruises in Nha Trang, Bai Tu Long Bay and will launch Heritage Cruises in the Gulf of Tonkin in May 2019.

Signing of new Bangkok hotel clicks into place for Best Western

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Best Western Hotels & Resorts has signed a new hotel in Bangkok’s Sathorn Soi 11, scheduled to open its doors in 2021.

The new-build Best Western Click Sathorn 11 Bangkok is located close to the Silom shopping and entertainment district, Chao Phraya River, and two BTS skytrain stations – Surasak and Chong Nonsi.

Best Western Click Sathorn 11 Bangkok will open in 2021

The hotel will feature 119 rooms and suites, swimming pool, fitness centre and a cafe for all-day dining.

Best Western already has six hotels operating across the city. Its latest Sathorn signing is with Wealth Plus Property Company.

ATPCO completes Routehappy integration

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A year into its acquisition of Routehappy, the first in its 54-year history, ATPCO announced that integration is complete, marked by a bolstered leadership team and a new retailing solutions product line.

By integrating and aligning ATPCO’s flagship pricing data with Routehappy’s rich content, ATPCO says it is “vastly expanding its value to the industry”. This combination enables ATPCO to better provide modern retailing solutions including dynamic pricing, branded fares, rich content, IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) and other distribution capabilities along with the new Next Generation Storefront solution.

ATPCO has bolstered its retail solution with the complete integration of Routehappy

“ATPCO continues to evolve with marketplace needs, with a current emphasis on transforming from a company known for airline fare filing to one that provides innovative solutions that help the entire industry modernise,” said Rolf Purzer, CEO of ATPCO.

According to Purzer, the company’s top priority is leading airlines, systems, and channels into the next generation of retailing. “We will provide solutions that help airlines modernise offer management and product display in all channels.”

With the expanded focus on retailing, ATPCO has announced key leadership changes to its executive team.

Transitioning from their roles at Routehappy are Robert Albert, Routehappy founder and CEO, who has assumed a new role as executive vice president, retailing; Jonathan Savitch, Routehappy sales head, has been named chief commercial officer; and Jaivin Anzalota, Routehappy product head, now appointed chief product officer

In addition, Tom Gregorson has been named chief strategy officer; John Murphy, chief information officer; and Priscilla O’Donnell, chief human relations officer.

The newly constituted team reports directly to Purzer. More than 155 people have joined the company since October 2016, fuelling new collaborative energy working together on the company’s products that power flight shopping globally.

All former Routehappy staff have accepted roles within ATPCO, focusing on retailing.

The new Retailing Solutions product line brings together ATPCO’s Optional Services and Branded Fares with Routehappy’s Amenities Hub, UTA Hub, and UPA Hub.

ATPCO Retailing Solutions helps airlines create, manage and distribute differentiated products through all channels, enabling them to integrate and display differentiated airline products to consumers.

ATPCO’s innovative Next Generation Storefront solution, which provides channels a better way to display flights, will be incorporated into Retailing Solutions after incubation.

Retailing Solutions has had important recent customer wins, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates and Japanese GDS Infini. The new Retailing Solutions team is working on launching codeshare UPAs (Universal Product Attributes) for more partner airlines and expanding UTA (Universal Ticket Attribute) content coverage. All ATPCO Retailing Solutions rich content subscriptions will continue to be sold under the Routehappy brand name.

Industry players such as IATA have reacted positively to the integration. Aleks Popovich, the association’s senior vice president, financial and distribution services, said: “IATA has been encouraged to see ATPCO drive initiatives like Next Generation Storefront (NGS) that are moving the industry forward, where retailing is a priority and can work for all – airlines, channels and consumers alike.”

New appointments at Galle Face Sri Lanka

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The Galle Face Hotel in Colombo now has a new resident manager and head of sales & marketing.

Gaffoor (leftmost) and McDougall (second from left), together with other new appointments at Galle Face Hotel

Mubarak Gaffoor is the hotel’s resident manager, overseeing operational departments including the rooms division and F&B.

Gaffoor has been a part of the Galle Face Hotel family since 2014 when he joined as a director of sales, before being promoted to director of group sales & marketing.

Narelle McDougall is the new head of sales & marketing for the Galle Face Hotel and Ceylon Hotel Corporation (CHC), overseeing sales and marketing, revenue and reservations, catering sales and public relations.

McDougall has had years of experience in the region including Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Maldives with leading brands such as InterContinental, Le Méridien and Anantara.

The Chronicles regarding Blogging

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Indonesia lays out sporting ambitions, with MotoGP 2021 headed to Lombok

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Indonesia’s tourism minister Arief Yahya says Mandalika, Lombok could take advantage of the MotoGP race event in 2021 to position itself as a sports destination.

The minister’s statement followed by news that the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC), the management of the Mandalika integrated resort development, will host the MotoGP race for three years from 2021. The promotor’s agreement was signed with Dorna Sports SL.

Indonesia will host the 2021 MotoGP race in Lombok

Last week, Indonesia also submitted a bid to host the 2032 Olympics, demonstrating an intention to attract more major sporting events after playing host to the Asian Games last summer.

Speaking during his visit to Lombok yesterday, Arief said: “With plans to host MotoGP and the development of golf courses in Mandalika, I suggest for Mandalika to position itself as a sports destination.

“Indonesia will host MotoGP race for the first time in 2021 in Mandalika and this will strengthen the position of West Nusa Tenggara as a destination. The race is expected to attract some 100,000 international travellers.”

The race in Mandalika will be a street race concept like the ones in Singapore and Monaco. The planned circuit will be 4.3km long with 18 turns, complete with a paddock with 40 garages and a grand stand of 93,200 seats, plus an area for 7,700 standing spectators.

As part of its support to the organising of MotoGP and its commitment to make Mandalika a sports destination, the Ministry of Tourism will allot a fund of one million euros (US$1.1 million) to help ITDC obtain the hosting licence.

Arief was in Lombok for the ground breaking of the 24-villa Ama-Lurra Resort on Gili Air. The net zero carbon emission concept resort will take an investment of US$2.2 million in two stages.

The tourism minister expressed his appreciation for the West Nusa Tenggara government and tourism stakeholders recovering from the natural disaster that struck the destination of Lombok.

Philippines identifies Israel as opportunity market for tourism

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The Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) is increasing its marketing spend in Israel by 20 per cent as it aims for 20 per cent from the emerging market this year, tourism undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr disclosed.

Total arrivals from Israel to the Philippines topped 20,000 last year, representing a 15 per cent jump from 17,446 in 2017 and more than double that seen in 2014.

Palawan will be among destinations actively promoted to Israeli travellers

While the numbers are small, there are strong growth potentials, making Israel an opportunity market for the Philippines, Bengzon said.

“We see arrivals from Israel potentially growing by 20 per cent but this will require stepping up marketing and promotions,” Bengzon told TTG Asia. Efforts will include fam trips for travel agents and media and advertising through different platforms.

He said various Philippine destinations will also be promoted more actively for adventure travellers including Palawan and Sagada, the top destinations for Israeli travellers, as well as beaches and other parts of the country.

Bengzon also noted that the Philippines had a more active participation in the recent International Mediterranean Tourist Market (IMTM) held in Tel Aviv on February 6 and 7, with 22 delegates from 15 tourism-related companies.

To further boost the market, the travel trade of both Israel and the Philippines are clamouring for Philippine Airlines (PAL) to mount flights from Manila to Tel Aviv, although Bengzon clarified that “nothing is definite yet”.

It is understood that PAL is still studying the possibility of being the first carrier to connect Tel Aviv directly to Manila, given the increasing inbound and outbound tourist traffic between the two destinations and the growing number of overseas Filipino workers in Israel.

Historically, the nations enjoy a friendly relationship as the Philippines welcomed over 1,000 Jews during the holocaust. It was also the only Asian country that voted for the creation of the state of Israel in the 1947 United Nations General Assembly.

Malaysia’s WA Hospitality to enter Cambodia with upscale Sihanoukville casino resort

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Malaysian-based WA Hospitality has announced plans to set foot in Sihanoukville following the recent signing of a management contract with Cambodian real estate developer Won Majestic to manage the 150-key Won Majestic Casino Hotel & Resort Cambodia, which is under construction and is targeted to open in 1Q2021.

When it opens in 2021, Won Majestic Casino Hotel & Resort Cambodia will target upscale FITs from Asia

The property is strategically located in the heart of Sihanoukville and opposite the renowned Sokha Beach Resort.

This is the first overseas management contract won by WA Hospitality, which was established in 2015 as a subsidiary company of World Avenues, established in the UK in 1995.

WA Hospitality’s executive director, Ally Bhoonee, shared: “It is not your typical casino hotel as this one will be right next to the beach and it will be an upscale, five-star property. The hotel concept is to provide entertainment and excellent personalised service.”

He said based on projections, the property is looking at an 80 per cent occupancy in the first year of operations.

Hotel features will include a KTV lounge with advance karaoke system, five F&B outlets that offer a wide variety of food, from Chinese to Western traditional and fusion dishes, an infinity rooftop pool and a 24-hour fully equipped gym overlooking the beachfront.

Ally said: “We are targeting upmarket FITs from China and South-east Asia.”