Penang-based theme park developer Sim Leisure Group (SLG) has signed an MoU with Sri Lanka’s Elpitiya Plantations, managed by Aitken Spence, to bring its Escape theme parks to Sri Lanka.
Under the agreement, SLG will develop and operate theme parks under its Escape brand, while Elpitiya will sublease a piece of land in Sri Lanka for the project.
Sim Leisure Group inks deal with Elpitiya Plantations to bring its Escape theme parks to Sri Lanka; Escape water theme park in Penang, Malaysia pictured
Both parties expect to sign the definitive agreement for the deal later this month, which will include the entry into a joint venture partnership whereby Sim Leisure and Elpitiya will become the joint venture partners of Venture Valley, a special purpose company incorporated by Elpitiya to develop the theme park.
With construction slated to begin this March, Escape Sri Lanka will be located halfway between Colombo city and the main beach resort of Galle, a city on the south-west coast of Sri Lanka.
Commenting on the investment, Sim Leisure CEO Sim Choo Kheng said: “The country’s unpolluted coastline and beaches bring tourists from all over the world and its tourism industry is growing at an incredible pace. Furthermore, the cost of doing business in Sri Lanka is relatively low.”
SLG, which runs two Escape theme parks in Penang, Malaysia, also has plans to expand to China and other South-east Asian cities.
The third edition of Further East, a luxury travel trade show organised by Beyond Luxury Media, has seen record growth – 62 per cent up on the same point last year – coupled with the selling out of its innovator rate packages, since its sales launched on January 6, 2020.
“We have seen momentum build rapidly for this year’s edition of Further East. Our current growth is in line with our target which is – due to the growth of the Asian market and customer demand – to grow the show by 50 per cent while committing to keep the quality of our exhibitors much higher than any other competitive shows in the region,” said Jemma Uglow, head of Further East.
Further East 2020 to take place in Seminyak, Bali, this November
Hosted by the beach in Seminyak, Bali, the four-day event will feature a unique thought-leadership programme, expert match-making software and nurturing business environment.
To sustain its growth, Further East has appointed Hiro Miyatake, co-founder and COO of Bear Luxe Japan, as its regional consultant in Japan.
In his new role, Miyatake will be responsible for seeking out the most unique luxury products and partnerships in Japan for this year’s show.
This year’s edition of Further East takes place in Seminyak, Bali, from November 9-12, 2020. Awaken, the un-conference, is hosted on November 9 at Potato Head Beach Club.
All Nippon Airways (ANA) has signed a joint venture framework agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA).
The joint venture, which is subject to regulatory approvals, aims to provide customers with more seamless flight connectivity between the two carriers and access to a wider network.
It would allow ANA and SIA to further strengthen their cooperation on services between Singapore and Japan, as well as in key markets including Australia, India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
Both airline groups would also be able to jointly offer customers more seamless access to flights in their respective route networks, a broad range of joint fare products, tie-ups between frequent flyer programmes and aligned corporate programmes to strengthen their proposition to corporate clients.
The joint venture goes beyond the existing partnership between the two airlines that focuses on codeshare flights, mileage programs, lounge access, and coordination on check-in baggage and connecting flights.
Korean Air flies to Budapest
Korean Air will be launching thrice-weekly flights between Incheon, Seoul, and Budapest, Hungary, from May 23, 2020.
Using an Airbus A330-200, the service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
KE971 will depart Incheon at 12.00 and arrive in Budapest at 16.25 on the same day, while return flight KE972 will leave Budapest at 18.30 and arrive in Incheon at 12.30 the next day.
LATAM to depart oneworld
LATAM Airlines Group will leave the Oneworld alliance on May 1, 2020 following its decision to end its membership.
The Chile-based carrier said oneworld benefits for LATAM customers will be offered on member airlines’ flights up to and including April 30. But, LATAM Pass members will not receive oneworld frequent flyer benefits offered by Royal Air Maroc, which will be joining the alliance on April 1.
A number of oneworld member airlines plan to maintain frequent flyer agreements with LATAM after April 30.
Vietjet links Hanoi and Bali
Vietjet has started daily flights from the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi to Bali, Indonesia.
The flight departs from Hanoi at 10.00 and arrives in Bali at 16.25, while the return flight takes off from Bali at 17.30 and lands in Hanoi at 21.55.
AirAsia heads to Ahmedabad
AirAsia will be starting a direct flight to Ahmedabad, India from Kuala Lumpur, from April 29, 2020.
The four-times-weekly services will boost tourism flow between Malaysia and the western India state of Gujarat with a population of 62 million.
In the wake of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, the Maldives is the latest country to ban visitors from China, which is the Indian Ocean islands’ largest tourism source market, from Monday (February 3).
Announced at a media conference late on Sunday by Tourism Minister Ali Wahid, the decision was taken as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus that has killed more than 300 and infected over 17,000 across China, with infections reported around the world.
Maldives latest country to ban visitors from China
No case has been reported in the Maldives so far.
Confirming the decision, managing director of Maldives Marketing & Public Relations Corporation Thoyyib Mohamed told TTG Asia that the decision would be reviewed in around 10 days. “It was taken to prevent the spread of the disease for the sake of the population and ensure the safety and comfort of all other visitors to the Maldives,” he said.
Last year, a record 1.7 million tourists visited the Maldives, representing a 14.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Authorities have said that the government is aiming for higher numbers this year, though the temporary ban on Chinese arrivals may pose a challenge.
In 2019, Chinese arrivals totalled 284,029, just marginally up by 0.3 per cent and accounting for 16.7 per cent of the total arrivals. India was the second largest source, with arrivals surging by 83.5 per cent to 166,030.
Last week, the Maldives government indefinitely suspended inbound flights from China and arranged chartered flights to assist thousands of Chinese tourists in the Maldives to return to their home country.
At least 10 passengers on a 3,711-pax cruise ship that was quarantined yesterday in Yokohama port have tested positive for the new coronavirus, reported Today news media.
The move to quarantine the Diamond Princess comes after an 80-year-old passenger who disembarked on January 25 in Hong Kong tested positive for the deadly virus.
A Diamond Princess cruise ship has been quarantined after at least 10 passengers tested positive for coronavirus
The cruise ship was quarantined once, on Saturday, at a port in Naha in Okinawa. Those onboard are being tested for the virus, with specimens from more than 200 people have been collected.
The 10 people who have tested positive have since disembarked the vessel, and been sent to relevant medical organisations.
More than 20 countries have confirmed cases of the virus, which has killed nearly 500 people and infected more than 24,000 in mainland China.
The outbreak has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency, several governments to institute travel restrictions, and airlines to suspend flights to and from China.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Prachuap Khiri Khan Office has partnered Hua Hin’s public and private sectors to launch a new destination brand called Hua Hin: Thai Authentic Beach, with emphasis on local-themed street art installations located at the town’s communities.
Launched on November 21, 2019, the new brand leverages Hua Hin’s unique history and cultural significance as Thailand’s first beach resort destination.
Hua Hin street art installations
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TAT Prachuap Khiri Khan director, Soraya Homchuen, said: “The launch of the new brand provides Hua Hin’s tourism operators with an authentic new marketing tool to promote the destination (among) both local and international tourists.”
Under the newly-created brand, the TAT Prachuap Khiri Khan Office will promote the town’s latest landmarks and street art installations in the villages of Samo Riang, Poon Suk, and Khao Tao.
The street art initiatives, which features creative images that reflect the locals’ way of life as well as paintings of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, are part of integrated collaborations between the villages and Hua Hin’s public and private sectors to create new tourism experiences.
The Khao Tao community is also creating a tourist trail linking Khao Tao Reservoir with the village centre and the beach, which will showcase the fishing village’s way of life as well as local products from the Ban Khao Tao Professional Handicraft Centre.
The fourth edition of Booking.com’s Booking Booster programme, which recognises and backs the development of sustainable travel solutions, is now open to applications with a focus on sustainable accommodation.
The 2020 Booking Booster will bring startups, social enterprises, non-profit organisations and accommodations of all kinds together directly to explore solutions to become more sustainable. Participants with innovative products and services, including accommodations themselves, will have the opportunity to secure grants from the company’s US$3.4 million fund.
This year’s edition of Booking.com’s Booking Booster programme will provide $34 million in grants to support sustainable accommodation
The accommodation focus for the 2020 Booking Booster programme is underpinned by Booking.com’s research, which shows that 82 per cent of the company’s accommodation partners want to collaborate on sustainability and that 87 per cent of global travellers think it is important to consider sustainable properties when travelling.
Designed to support accommodation partners as they strive to overcome roadblocks to make their properties and operations more sustainable, the 2020 Booking Booster will consist of two complementary 10-day programmes exclusively focused on sustainable accommodation.
The first programme in May is geared towards organisations with innovative products and services to help accommodations become more sustainable.
The other programme in September targets accommodations, including those that are just starting their sustainability journey.
Participants from both sessions will present live on stage at the Booking Booster finale in September to secure scaling grants.
The 2019 Booking Booster, held in Amsterdam, benefitted 10 finalist teams that hailed from eight different countries including India, Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia. Okra Solar from Australia and IMPULSE Travel from Colombia were awarded with the largest grant of 400,000 euros (US$442,478) for their proposed plans.
A wave of Chinese investment has led to a slew of properties and developments mushrooming in the Cambodian costal village of Sihanoukville over the last few years.
However, the Cambodian government’s recent ban on online gambling over concerns of money laundering has dealt a serious blow to the city’s tourism and real estate sector, and disrupted a three-year booming business in the country which catered primarily to Chinese tourists.
Sihanoukville retains potential for growth on the back of ongoing construction projects and development of SSEZ: C9
Still, the outlook is not entirely bleak, in light of ongoing infrastructure projects and the development of the Chinese-invested Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ), noted C9 Hotelworks’ Sihanoukville Tourism & Property Market Update 2020.
“Sihanoukville was originally a peaceful coastal village set in the southwest of Cambodia. In the past, it attracted mostly Western tourists and was once a weekend getaway destination for locals. However, starting in 2017, the dramatic inflow of Chinese investment driven by the Belt and Road Initiative has changed the seaside town completely,” Bill Barnett, managing director, C9 Hotelworks, said.
“Prior to 2016, only limited domestic and charter flights served Sihanoukville airport. The emerging market has drawn attention from various segments, especially the gambling sector, and brought hundreds of thousands of mainland Chinese workers and investors to the city.”
As of year-to-date October 2019, the city’s main getaway Sihanoukville International Airport hosted 602,755 passenger arrivals, which is a 266 per cent year-on-year growth compared to the same period in 2018.
Currently, the Sihanoukville airport has direct connectivity to four countries, serving 27 destinations and 22 cities in mainland China.
“Land values, rents and condominium sales prices have skyrocketed during a three-year period due to the surging demand and massive development of the city,” Barnett added.
There are currently 3,296 hotel keys in Sihanoukville, ranging from midscale to the upper upscale tier, with most properties boasting large room stock that caters to groups, said the report.
“Without a doubt, the Cambodian ban of online gambling, driven by the Chinese government has hit the tourism and real estate sector hard. Yet, ongoing construction of public infrastructure and development of SSEZ will likely contribute to stabilising development in the medium to long term,” Barnett said.
Sihanoukville International Airport is undergoing an extension of the runway to serve larger aircraft, with the project expected to be completed this year.
Despite the challenged online gambling sector, future growth is expected to be diversified in various segments, with a focus on the industrial industry alongside a rebound in tourism, said the report.
While there is massive construction of buildings in the city, key projects total 18 developments, representing 30,549 condominium units. All upcoming projects include condominiums; with six mixed-use properties also having hotels, shopping malls and office buildings.
Luxury hotel group GHM will be launching The Chedi Kudavillingili, its first resort in the Maldives, later this year.
Located on a 1km coral island called Kudavillingili, The Chedi Kudavillingili will be located a 25-minute speedboat ride away from the Malé International Airport.
The Chedi Kudavillingili is slated to open later this year
The 99-villa property will feature 36 overwater villas, 63 island-based villas, a 150m central pool, a spa with eight treatment rooms, a beach club and bar, an all-day dining restaurant and Hawkers Stalls featuring four live cooking stations.
Thomas Schmitt-Glaeser has been appointed as the general manager of The Sukhothai Shanghai and vice president for The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts.
In his new roles, Schmitt-Glaeser will oversee the full operation and service delivery of The Sukhothai Shanghai and spearhead the brand expansion of the group.
With more than 25 years of experience from various hotels all over the world, Schmitt-Glaeser most recently served as the general manager of The Sukhothai Bangkok since 2016.
The hotelier spent more than 10 years with the Shangri-La hotel group before joining the Sukhothai family, where he worked in different locations including Bangkok, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.
