The iconic hotel has postponed its closure until January 2019
Originally slated to close for redevelopment on April 16 this year, Dusit Thani Bangkok will now operate as usual until January 5, 2019.
According to Dusit International, the closing date has been postponed to allow the hotel company and its partners more time to add greater value to the new version of the hotel, which will open as part of a 36.7 billion baht (US$1.1 billion) mixed-use project to be built in partnership with Central Pattana.
The iconic hotel has postponed its closure until January 2019
Suphajee Suthumpun, group CEO, Dusit International, said that while the majority of guest feedback on redevelopment was positive, there were also those who wondered how Dusit could “embrace our heritage and continue our legacy in a new building”.
“The answer, of course, lies in taking our time to ensure we get it right,” Suphajee said. “We are exploring many ways to add value to the new hotel and mixed-use project in terms of design and innovation. This includes embracing a green concept,… creating direct links to both the MRT and BTS mass transit rail systems, and alleviating traffic in the area by providing new infrastructure.”
What started as a tool to pay their way through school has grown into a full-fledged business for a trio of young Cambodian women, who have developed a series of female-led motorbike tours exploring the capital.
When Chea Renou’s father fell sick in 2015, she quit her job at a finance company to help her mother deliver groceries from the family-run market stall. Despite him returning to work after recovering, the 27-year-old knew she needed to find a flexible form of income that could support her studies and enable her to help out at home, if needed.
See Cambodia in a different light while on a tour with MotogirlTour
Said Renou: “My Aunty lives on the border with Thailand and told me about Thai girls on motorbike taxis taking local people around to pay for their school. My cousin is a tour guide and only works when she has tours, so I thought, ‘This sounds interesting’. I can drive a motorbike, I speak English, and I love meeting new people and sharing my culture; why not start motorbike tours?”
Her brother, who works in IT, created a website and Renou recruited her sister Chea Chanraksmey and cousin Horm Sreynich, both 23, to help launch all-female tour company, MotogirlTour in December 2015.
Tapping into Cambodia’s growing tourism industry while trying to offer more unique experiences to Phnom Penh’s visitors, the girls spent a year researching how to start and run a business, scouring the city for top spots to include in itineraries and, with no marketing budget, devising social media campaigns.
Said Chanraksmey: “The real challenge was finding good places for customers to experience. We want them to really feel what Cambodia is; what we like to eat, what Cambodian people believe. We want people to go away knowing what Cambodia is all about.”
The result is a series of scooter tours that offer guests a glimpse into the capital’s local life, taking in iconic attractions along the way. They include a shopping tour, a countryside jaunt and a night time cruise through the capital. Custom tours can also be created on request.
“Tourism is growing a lot here, so it seemed like a good business to make,” said Sreynich. “When we started, there were no other scooter tours in Phnom Penh so it was one more experience for tourists to do.”
Today, the company boasts six female drivers, including Sreynich, Chanraksmey and Renou, with more available if larger groups book.
“We started off thinking this would be a good way to make some money to pay for our school,” said Chanraksmey. “Now it is a full-time business for us.”
Hoping to build on their success and tap into the predicted 7.5 million annual foreign arrivals by 2020 – latest figures from the Ministry of Tourism show over 3.9 million people visited the country between January and September, an 11.5 percent year-on-year increase – MotogirlTour is planning to expand to Siem Reap and build on their customers, who mainly come from Europe, the US, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
“The best thing is being able to show people our country, meeting so many different people, sharing experiences and creating great memories,” said Renou.
A great value on this sailing, especially for clients who live in Singapore, Indonesia and the rest of the region, is that only a one-way air ticket is needed. Another value is sailing on a new ship, the Seabourn Encore, covering exotic ports-of-call in Indonesia.
The 10-day Gems of the Java Sea starting March 12 starts from Benoa (Denpasar) and the itinerary covers Komodo Island, Celukan Bawang, Probolinggo, Surabaya and Semarang before arriving in Singapore on March 22.
Seabourn Encore
Pricing is also sharp, starting from US$3,499 per person, double occupancy for the 10 days.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Seabourn and the celebration started on New Year’s Eve across the Seabourn fleet. Additional 30th anniversary-inspired enticements await guests throughout 2018 on their Seabourn cruise, where special touches will be seen in suites and at special events and dinners, promised the luxury line.
For instance, while guests always enjoy a wide variety of complimentary fine wines and spirits onboard, a special 30th Anniversary Wine Package, featuring a selection of top quality wine and champagne, will also be available for purchase during the celebration. Additionally, The Shops will feature a special collection of pearls this spring along with commemorative 30th anniversary merchandise. Guests will even be challenged on their knowledge of Seabourn during onboard trivia matches.
The cruise line will also debut its Seabourn Ovation in spring 2018, bringing its fleet size to five ships.
Impact of Mount Agung's eruption on Bali's tourism segment is being keenly felt
Hoteliers in Bali say the impact of Mount Agung’s eruption is larger than the 2002 Bali bombing, and are crying for more efforts and a bigger promotional budget to recover business losses.
Anak Agung Yuniarta Putra, head of Bali Tourism Office (BTO), said: “When the Bali bombing took place, (Jakarta injected) a budget of 750 billion rupiah (US$56 million today or worth US$81 million in 2002) immediately. But nothing has been offered for Bali’s recovery yet.”
Impact of Mount Agung’s eruption on Bali’s tourism segment is being keenly felt
He stressed the need for the central government to continue promotions overseas to attract international travellers back to the island.
Haryadi Sukamdani, chairman of Indonesia Hotel & Restaurant Association (IHRA), told TTG Asia on the sidelines of the Visit Wonderful Indonesia 2018 launch recently that hotel occupancy post the airport closure was “alarming”.
“The impact is bigger than the Bali bombing. After the bombing, the recovery process could be done right after, while today we still do not know when the eruption is going to end. With travel warnings in place and insurance companies declining protection, it is not easy to convince travellers to come under such circumstances,” he lamented.
While Haryadi declined to mention the current occupancy of IHRA members in Bali, reports reveal that it is between 15 per cent and 25 per cent. This compares with an occupancy of around 80 per cent during the same period last year, according to BTO’s Putra.
In addition, the Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA) was quoted by Kontan.co.id as saying that flights to Bali had declined by 30 per cent as the result of the eruption. INACA’s head of flight affairs, Bayu Sutanto, opined that the trend would continue up to early next year as long as the high alert status of the volcano remains.
Last week, Indonesia’s tourism minister Arief Yahya estimated that there has been a loss of around a million arrivals due to the eruption.
Arief said: “Following the closure of the airport, daily arrivals to Bali was between 3,000 and 9,000 passengers, while average arrivals (on a normal day) is 15,000. This means a loss of around 250 billion rupiah per day.”
The minister has urged for “domestic travellers to spend their holidays in Bali and companies to stage events on the island”.
However, Indonesia’s two major inbound tour operators Panorama Destination and Pacto claimed that the impact on their business was low as the eruption took place during the low season. Although it is now the December holiday season, it is not as big as the June-August peak season.
Marcel Schneider, managing director of Panorama Destination, said: “With the exception of some group cancellations from India, we have had few cancellations. The reason for that might be that the majority of our clients come from European source markets (and this is not the season for Europeans).
“There is never a good moment for this to happen as it will affect the livelihood of lots of people. But in the low season, consequences will hopefully be less severe,” he shared.
Ratty Ning, president director of Pacto, said: “We lost around nine billion rupiah due to the eruption and closure of the airport, (but) that is only about three to four per cent of our total business this year.”
The Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), which was created by law to be a private sector consultative body in partnership with the Department of Tourism (DoT), is in for a major overhaul under its new board led by incoming president Jojo Clemente.
The board, which will be inducted early next year, has sat down to brainstorm and come up with a wishlist of what is required to strengthen TCP, and to ensure it is “in tune with the needs of the private sector, and can fulfil its mandate”, said Clemente who is also president of Rajah Tours.
Clemente: aspires to have a working partnership between TCP and DoT
One of his top priorities is to convince members who have left to return, and persuade those who are not members to join. Currently, membership stands at a dismal 99 members and, as such, has no clout.
Clemente hopes to gain membership that constitutes tourism-related enterprises in the country, in a bid to present a unified voice to the government when it comes to the needs and wants of the private sector. To do so, TCP has scheduled consultations with private sector stakeholders throughout the country.
“What I want is a partnership between the DoT and the private sector. “We look forward to the support of the DoT in partnering with the TCP for its projects in the coming months,” Clemente said.
“As constituted, the TCP relies on the DoT for the funding of its projects, and as such, hopes to come out with programmes that will positively affect stakeholders. We are committed to working with the DoT in achieving the goals of more arrivals and revenues for the country.”
Also on TCP’s list is the need to address the nomination of private sector in government-owned and controlled corporations, which at the moment is still not enough.
A rendering of the upcoming Staybridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor
Staybridge Suites, the all-suite hotel brand by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) for extended stay guests, will have two outposts rising in Bangkok, Staybridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor and Staybridge Suites Chonburi Sriracha, in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Rajit Sukumaran, IHG’s chief development officer, Asia Middle East Africa, said Bangkok is ideal as the first location for a Staybridge property in the region.
Sukumaran: Thailand has served IHG well with regional brand launches, Staybridge no different
“As Asia-Pacific’s most popular destination by tourist arrivals, Thailand’s tourism industry continues to grow and demonstrate not only a resilience to adversity, but also a demand for a variety of hotel and accommodation options.
“With Thailand’s tourism industry projected to achieve US$78.25 billion in spend by the end of this year, we are confident in long-term growth and see the market as an ideal place to introduce new regional brands.”
Sukumaran pointed out that Thailand has served IHG well with the regional launches of its other brands such as Holiday Inn Express and Hotel Indigo.
The 303-room Staybridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor is situated along Sukhumvit Soi 55 road, a 10-minute walk from Thonglor BTS station. The 400-room Staybridge Suites Chonburi Siracha is located along the main Sukhumvit Road directly opposite Tukcom Siracha IT Mall, and close to Robinson Department Store and Aeon Siracha Shopping Centre.
A rendering of the upcoming Staybridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor
Suites in both hotels will feature fully-equipped kitchens, separate working areas, entertainment and free Wi-Fi. In addition, both properties will provide a complimentary hot breakfast daily, and feature facilities such as a business centre, fitness room and pantry. Guests can also socialise with other guests at The Evening Social, an evening reception held weekly, with complimentary refreshments, in every Staybridge Suites hotel.
The two Staybridge Suites in Bangkok will target corporate and middle-class travellers, as these segments are most likely to seek extended stay options, said Sukumaran.
Globally, there are 250 Staybridge Suites in operation, with a further 151 opening in the next three to five years. Sukumaran said IHG is assessing opportunities in other Asia-Pacific markets including Singapore, Japan, Australia, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Tourists going on the Underground River boat tour in Palawan, Philippines
China has overtaken US as second top feeder for the Philippines with 810,807 arrivals, comprising a 14.8 per cent market share.
South Korea remains the country’s top visitor market with 1.3 million arrivals, representing 24.3 per cent of the total arrivals, while the US is in third place with 785,269 (14.3 per cent) arrivals, Japan with 490,857 (nine per cent), and Australia with 206,443 (3.8 per cent).
Tourists going on the Underground River boat tour in Palawan, Philippines
Data released by the Department of Tourism (DoT) indicate there were a total of 5.5 million international arrivals for from January to October this year, an increase of 11.5 per cent when compared to the same period last year.
Compared to last year’s figures for the same period, Chinese arrivals jumped 39.3 per cent, while India visitors rose 20.3 per cent.
Total international visitor arrivals to the Philippines are on track to reach at least 6.5 million this year, the target set by the National Tourism Development Plan for 2017-2022.
In terms of revenue, visitor receipts recorded a double-digit gain of 36.3 per cent to 243.23 billion pesos (US$4.8 billion) for the period of January to September, a significant rise from the 178 billion pesos for the same period in 2016.
DoT secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo said: “The department will continue an aggressive marketing efforts, including through social media. We will promote emerging or developing destinations to entice more visitors from across the globe.”
As well, the DoT has launched the It’s More Fun in the Philippine Farms campaign, and revived the Bring Home A Friend programme as part of its strategy to hit 12 million tourists by 2022.
Oceania Cruises, the cruise line dedicated to epicurean enthusiasts, is offering a season of voyages – starting January – dedicated to exploring Asia’s culinary cities.
Oceania Cruises’ ships Nautica and Insignia will be calling on more than 50 ports in the region starting next month.
Nautica
Itineraries include the 15-day Pagodas and Shrines cruise aboard Nautica from Singapore to Hong Kong. Beginning January 20, destinations along the way include Koh Samui, Bangkok, Sihanoukville, Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi before ending in Hong Kong.
There is also the 15-day Eastern Escapade cruise, beginning February 4, aboard Nautica from Hong Kong to Bangkok. Guests will cruise through Ha Long Bay in Hanoi, before stopping at coastal city Nha Trang and the historic Ho Chi Minh City. Singapore and Koh Samui will be the next ports- of-call before the ship concludes its journey in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, Insignia’s cruises include a 20-day sojourn from Singapore to Beijing beginning March 15, and a 25-day journey from Tokyo to Singapore starting on March 31.
Both Nautica and Insignia field 342 suites and staterooms and are able to carry 684 guests and 400 staff. Facilities onboard include four restaurants, fitness centres, spas, lounges, bars and a casino.
Malaysian prime minister Najib Tun Razak presented Kwek Leng Beng, executive chairman of Hong Leong Group Singapore and chairman of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels, with the Global Blue Ocean Shift Award at the Global Entrepreneurship Community Summit held in Kuala Lumpur held on December 13.
Centred on the philosophy of global bestsellers, Blue Ocean Strategy and Blue Ocean Shift, the award was given to Kwek in recognition of his efforts in opening up new frontiers of opportunity and growth, and creating a new pipeline for economic expansion.
Najib Tun Razak (left) presenting the award to Kwek Leng Beng (right). Photo credit: Bernama
The Blue Ocean Shift ideology focuses on identifying untapped growth opportunities by moving from “red oceans” crowded with competition to “blue oceans” of uncontested market space and explosive growth.
M&C’s hotels have taken steps to implement various activities to support Kwek’s Blue Ocean vision. Activities include a monthly staff recognition programme where the most innovative idea wins S$100 (US$74). M&C’s hotels in Singapore include Grand Copthorne Waterfront, M Hotel, Orchard Hotel, Copthorne King’s and Studio M.
