VFS Global, which has been a trusted partner for the UK Government since 2003, has won the global contract for overseas UK visa and citizenship services.
VFS Global was also recently awarded the global biometric collection service mandate with Australia and renewal of the global visa service contract with Sweden.
Karkaria: providing customers with a seamless, simple and secure visa and passport application experience
During 2024, VFS Global will deploy 240 Visa and Citizenship Application Service (VCAS) Centres for the UK in 142 countries across Africa and Middle East, Americas, Australasia and Europe, China and Taiwan, as well as Asia and Asia-Pacific regions. These centres will accept all categories of visa applications as well as UK passport applications in some locations. Combined, these new centres are estimated to process 3.8 million applicants every year.
In addition, VFS Global will invest to improve the customer journey and increase accessibility, including through new customer websites and updated in-person experiences.
VFS Global will also expand its network of additional paid application centres bringing the visa application process closer to home for customers through partnerships with popular hotels and resorts. It currently offers these in India, the UAE and the US through hotel partners in those countries.
Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO, VFS Global, said: “We are excited to begin operations in new locations, and to take the next step towards providing customers with a seamless, simple and secure visa and passport application experience.”
The 17th Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Half Marathon will take place on February 24, 2024, and will boast a new route on Al Marjan Island as well as stage its first-ever 10km Road Race.
The annual event, hosted by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), will feature many of the world’s elite long-distance athletes in the marquee 21.1km race with thousands of runners joining them either in the associated 10km or 2km runs. However, this will be the first time the RAK Half Marathon has offered a 10km race.
The 17th Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will feature a new route on Al Marjan Island
The new route will see the start and finish remain on Al Marjan Island. All three races will be on the roads of the emirate’s premiere destination, a unique cluster of four coral-shaped islands in a man-made archipelago.
RAKTDA CEO Raki Phillips said: “Since its launch 17 years ago, the event has created its own standing on the global running stage directing the sporting spotlight on Ras Al Khaimah and attracting spectators and competitors of all abilities. The yearly race continues to produce world-class champions, while bringing the local and international community together.”
Registration for the annual three-race event is now open.
Come aboard Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas this holiday season, sailing from Singapore to Georgetown in Penang, Malaysia and the sandy beaches of Phuket in Thailand.
Guests can look forward to a line-up of entertainment, activities, and feasts onboard this December. Not only will Santa’s elves hand out gifts for all kids and teens, Santa will also make surprise appearances too – spot Santa as he scales the Rock Climbing Wall or even as he rides waves on the surf simulator FlowRider.
Guests can spot Santa riding waves on the surf simulator FlowRider
Throughout the month, kids club Adventure Ocean will keep kids busy wit activities such as creating their own holiday storybooks, making holiday crafts and listening to classic holiday stories. They can even write their holiday wishes to Santa using Deck the Holidays-themed stationary and dropping them off at the letterboxes located outside Adventure Ocean.
Indulge in a Christmas feast at Windjammer Marketplace which will feature a Milk and Cookies Corner, or at the Main Dining Room where an elevated menu with special dishes on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve awaits all guests.
There will even be Christmas carolling and holiday movie nights, as well as an Ugly Sweater Party.
Giving Asian hotel owners more flexibility on how they wish their hotels to be managed is a key strategy for Radisson Hotel Group to achieve its “aggressive” ambition to expand in South-east Asia and the Pacific.
In Asia-Pacific, excluding China, the chain has made its biggest impact this year in India, where it signed the most number of hotels, according to executive vice president and global chief development officer, Elie Younes.
Younes: we have a very aggressive ambition for this part of the world
It will be harder for it to crack South-east Asia, where chains such as Marriott, Accor and IHG are bigger and have been in the market for longer – but the flexible approach seems to do the trick.
A deal struck with Australia’s La Vie Hotels & Resorts in May, for example, is on track to bring more than 30 hotels under five Radisson brands – Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Radisson, Park Inn and Country Inn & Suites – over the next 10 years. Key markets include Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, Fiji and Vanuatu.
The first three hotels have materialised in Sri Lanka, marking the company’s entry there.
The agreement also signals a growing acceptance by global hotel chains and Asian owners of the so-called “third-party or white-label management operator” model, which is common in the US and Europe but is relatively new to the East.
Essentially, third-party operators such as La Vie are hired by hotel owners to operate their assets, yet allowing owners to have more say and control in the management, rather than leaving it in the hands of chains.
So, instead of the traditional hotel management agreement, an owner could franchise a hotel brand or remain non-branded, but use third-party management to increase their asset value and profitability.
“The agreement with La Vie is for us to collaborate and grow together as partners across Asia-Pacific. They would grow their business by signing management contracts with owners, and we would be the franchisor,” said Younes.
Another flexible approach is working with owner-operators, such as in the Philippines where it signed a master development agreement with SM Hotels & Convention Corp in April for 20 hotels across the country by 2028.
“They (SM) own and operate their hotels. This formula works when the owners are professional, have scale and the know-how, such as SM. They have a set-up inside the company similar to the set-up of the white-label operator,” said Younes.
The greater flexibility comes amid challenges for owners, which impact chains’ growth.
“You have to adjust and respond to the world around you. If the cost of developing a hotel today is 20 per cent more than 1.5 years ago, of course this impacts our ambitions (to grow). Borrowing US$10 million a year ago would have cost owners and developers, say, US$200,000 a year (based on a two per cent interest rate). Now, six per cent on US$10 million is US$600,000, so suddenly your cost of borrowing increases three times. These equations make it more complicated (for hotel development),” he explained.
“Along the way we face either tailwinds or headwinds. Sometimes the numbers (in the portfolio) increase, sometimes they decrease – what remains is we have a very aggressive ambition for this part of the world.”
The company currently has around 60 hotels in operation and development in South-east Asia and the Pacific.
Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) has teamed up with Thai DMC Lark Holidays to provide their IaaS level travel infrastructure and connectivity services.
This collaboration will empower Lark Holidays’ clients with virtual card or local fund transfer services to process payments dynamically with their business partners and minimise payment fees, particularly cross-border and FX fees.
TA Network will provide digital solutions for Lark Holidays; Chiang Mai in Thailand, pictured
Balaji Manavalan, managing director of Lark Holidays, commented: “TA Network has been going to great lengths with their technical excellence and has agreed to do the same for Lark Holidays. Lark Holidays welcomes this new relationship as it aligns with our expansion plans across the Asia-Pacific region.”
TA Network managing partner Josef Foo added: “The exchange of services and products from this partnership will provide digital solutions to the issues faced by today’s travel agents. Following this collaboration, problems such as unaffordable gaps in the technology and complicated connections between suppliers and distribution channels will be resolved.”
Vietjet has inaugurated two new international routes: Hanoi-Jakarta (Indonesia) and Phu Quoc-Busan (South Korea).
Vietjet launches services to Busan, South Korea today
The airline’s new route between Hanoi and Jakarta will operate four return flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, while the Phu Quoc-Busan route operates seven round-trip flights per week.
A new experience has been unveiled at Hobbiton Movie Set, where fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies can venture into an authentic Hobbit Hole interior, bringing them closer to the magic of Middle-earth.
Nestled in the Matamata countryside on the Alexander family farm in New Zealand, Hobbiton Movie Set has long been an admired destination for fans of the film series.
The Hobbit Hole features a labyrinth of fully-themed rooms with trinkets from yesteryear
The new immersive Bagshot Row experience will be included as part of every tour booked with Hobbiton Movie Set, and the tour durations will be increased to allow visitors sufficient time to explore the Hobbit Hole.
The Hobbit Hole features a labyrinth of fully-themed rooms: an entry hall, two bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and dining area, equipped pantry and a parlour complete with a fireplace. Hints of the inhabitants’ family lineage are seeded throughout, with heirlooms and trinkets from generations of Hobbits from yesteryear.
Visitors can even look out for several Easter eggs throughout the interior of the Hobbit Hole.
The lush foliage spread throughout the hotel acts as natural air purifiers and sinks for carbon dioxide, thereby helping to improve air quality and reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide within the building
The lush foliage spread throughout the hotel acts as natural air purifiers and sinks for carbon dioxide, thereby helping to improve air quality and reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide within the building
For environmentally-conscious travellers keen to explore a hotel that intertwines award-winning hospitality with innovative sustainability initiatives to curate unforgettable guest experiences, while providing green accommodation, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore will be an ideal choice for their sustainable sojourns.
Eco-friendly practices are central to the hotel’s core functions and applied across all its operations, with a holistic approach adopted towards sustainability and regeneration. From how they stay to what they eat, eco-conscious guests can go green all the way.
Green hospitality
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Tasty sustainable dining options are available for eco-conscious travellers
Motion sensors are deployed in all guestrooms to enable intelligent temperature control and efficient use of energy
With over 60 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers in the hotel's Urban Farm, the produce is used in its restaurants, bars, and spa
In the comfort of their rooms, hotel guests can enjoy water in glass bottles and from a water filtration system, eliminating the need for 360,000 single-use plastic bottles yearly
Green structural features
Beyond an attractive structural spotlight, the lush foliage featuring over 2,400 plants, trees, shrubs, and ground covers spread throughout the 583-key hotel acts as natural air purifiers and sinks for carbon dioxide – thereby helping to improve air quality and reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide within the building.
The planters are installed with drip auto-irrigation, which prevents water waste while energy-efficient grow lights are used to double up as support for the plants.
In 2020, the country’s first “Garden-in-a-Hotel” also approached its rebranding with a “rejuvenation” approach, rather than reconstruction, and avoided producing 51,300 metric tonnes of carbon emission – equivalent to wiping out 10,000 hectares of forest.
Reduction of energy and water consumption
Hotel guests enjoying the pool will be delighted to know that the 1,380 fibre-optic lights illuminating it during night-time, while visually beautiful, were chosen because they consumed three times less energy than standard lights.
Motion sensors are also deployed in all guestrooms to enable intelligent temperature control and efficient use of energy – they power down lights and air-conditioning when guests are away. Low-flow shower heads in the bathrooms help reduce water flow.
The luxury bayfront hotel’s 13 lifts and emergency lightings are also powered by the 210 rooftop solar panels which generate over 350 kWh of renewable energy per day, lowering overall electrical consumption and allow for savings of up to SG$21,900 per year on energy consumption.
Efficient waste management
Back in their guestrooms, hotel guests can enjoy water in glass bottles and from a water filtration system, eliminating the need for 360,000 single-use plastic bottles yearly. The hotel has also replaced miniature bath amenities with refillable pump bottles, doing away with two million miniature plastic packaging a year.
Besides, the in-room IPTV system helps minimise paper use too, while creating a more refreshed and clutter-free interior. Whether it is to book a spot in the gym or order room service, guests can do it all conveniently through the Stayplease digital concierge, by scanning an in-room QR code with their mobile devices.
Sustainable dining options
Eco-conscious travellers will also find tasty sustainable dining options widely available in PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore to feed their guilt-free indulgences.
The hotel boasts a 150m2 Urban Farm on its rooftop which forms the backbone of the hotel’s farm-to-table, farm-to-bar, and farm-to-spa concepts.
Better planning of menus months in advance help reduce food waste and the hotel always tries to offer seasonal greens so that the vegetables can be grown at the farm, or sourced locally.
Responsible culinary is also practised so that guests can savour dishes such as Non-kill Sturgeon Caviar, where the caviar is milked from the sturgeon, rather than killing the fish to extract it, and Watermelon Rind in Sweet Potato Dumpling where food waste such as watermelon rinds are recycled instead of being disposed.
At restaurant Peppermint, the chefs recycle food waste by making use of the beef trimmings from other beef dishes, to make Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta. The beef is slowly braised for at least six hours until it is tender, then shredded for the ragu sauce.
Desserts like Mulberry Light Cheesecake is made from the mulberries, marigold, passionfruit bachelor button and coral vein, harvested from the hotel’s farm.
Other green innovations include two energy-efficient food waste digesters that break down food waste in a safe and environmentally-friendly manner into liquid, which is safe for disposal into the waste pipe, while eliminating environmental pollution of groundwater.
A partnership with Nespresso ensures used coffee capsules from the guestrooms and the COLLECTION Club Lounge are collected so that the aluminium from the capsules are repurposed and upcycled into products, such as bicycle frames and ballpoint pens, while the coffee grounds are processed into compost and then sent back to the hotel’s farm.
Moving ahead, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore continues to soldier on its green stride to become even more sustainable, with the upcoming launch of its rainwater harvesting system in late 2023 – all while providing a distinct and memorable world-class guest experience.
For more information on PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore’s sustainability efforts, visit here.
