Aditya Ghosh, presently serving as CEO, India and South Asia, at Oyo Hotels & Homes, will be joining the company’s board of directors, announced the hospitality unicorn.
Aditya will be joining Oyo’s founder and group CEO Ritesh Agarwal, Baja Corporation’s founder and CEO Betsy Atkins, and other industry experts including SoftBank Vision Fund’s managing partner Munish Varma, Lightspeed India Partners Advisors’ partner Bejul Somaia, Sequoia Capital India Advisor’s managing director Mohit Bhatnagar, among others.
Aditya Ghosh (left) & Rohit Kapoor
In his new role, Ghosh will focus on five key areas at Oyo, namely, safety and security, customer experience, corporate governance, revenue management, and stakeholder communications.
“Aditya’s strong business acumen, problem-solving capabilities, passion for building an organisation with strong corporate governance and a high performing work culture that thrives on principles of diversity and inclusion, makes him the perfect choice for this larger and more strategic role, at a global level,” said Ritesh Agarwal, founder & group CEO, Oyo Hotels & Homes.
Meanwhile, Rohit Kapoor, who is currently serving as the CEO of new real estate businesses will be taking over Ghosh’s role as the chief executive for the India and South Asia business.
In his year-long tenure with Oyo, Kapoor has been overseeing the growth of Oyo Life, the brand’s long-term rental housing portfolio, as well as other new real estate businesses in India. He will now also helm the operations of over 18,000 hotels across more than 500 cities in India and South Asia.
Countries will have more power to crack down on unruly behaviour onboard aircraft, once the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) comes into effect on January 1, 2020, said the IATA.
MP14, properly named the Protocol to Amend the Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, is a global treaty that strengthens the powers of states to prosecute unruly passengers.
New global treaty seeks to curb unruly passenger behaviour on board aircraft
It closes a legal gap under the Tokyo Convention 1963, whereby jurisdiction over offences committed on board international flights rests with the state where the aircraft is registered. This causes issues when unruly passengers are delivered to the authorities upon landing in foreign territories.
Unruly and disruptive passenger incidents on board flights include physical assault, harassment, smoking or failing to follow crew instructions. These incidents may compromise flight safety, cause significant delays and operational disruption, and adversely impact the travel experience and work environment for passengers and crew.
“Everybody on board is entitled to enjoy a journey free from abusive or other unacceptable behaviour. But the deterrent to unruly behaviour is weak. About 60 per cent of offences go unpunished because of jurisdictional issues,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
“MP14 strengthens the deterrent to unruly behaviour by enabling prosecution in the state where the aircraft lands. The treaty is in force. But the job is not done. We encourage more states to ratify MP14 so that unruly passengers can be prosecuted according to uniform global guidelines.”
To date, 22 nations have ratified MP14, with Nigeria being the latest country to do so on November 26, 2019.
States should also review the effectiveness of the enforcement mechanisms available to them in line with ICAO Guidance on Legal Aspects of Unruly and Disruptive Passengers (ICAO Document 10117) which gives information on how civil and administrative fines and penalties can be used to supplement criminal prosecutions, said IATA in a statement.
In addition to strengthening jurisdiction and enforcement, airlines are working on a range of measures to help prevent incidents and manage them more effectively when they do happen, according to IATA. These include enhanced crew training and raising awareness with passengers of the potential consequences of unruly behaviour on board.
Hotel Verve Bangkok will be rebranded as Hotel JAL City Bangkok, as part of an agreement between Grand Tower Enterprise and Japanese hospitality firm Okura Nikko Hotel Management, a subsidiary of Hotel Okura.
Under the deal which was signed on November 15, 2019, the Grand Tower Enterprise hotels will be reopened as an Okura Nikko Hotel Management property come 2Q2020.
The rebranded Hotel JAL City Bangkok is slated to open in 2Q2020
Hotel JAL City Bangkok is situated adjacent to Hotel Nikko Bangkok, which was opened this January, a three-minute walk from Thonglor BTS Skytrain station.
Marcel van Aelst, CEO, Okura Nikko Hotel Management, said: “We are delighted to be able to introduce the Hotel JAL City brand outside Japan for the first time, and are hoping it will help bring broader recognition of the Okura Nikko Hotel brand in Thailand.”
The 324-key hotel, which are suitable for long-term stays, will feature in-room TVs offering nine Japanese TV channels and commercial channels, bathrooms with bathtubs and a separate shower booth as well as a separate toilet.
Other hotel facilities include an all-day dining restaurant, and two meeting rooms. Guests staying at the hotel will also be able to use the swimming pool at the adjacent Hotel Nikko Bangkok.
The hotel will be the first overseas property operating under the Hotel JAL City brand, and the fourth property in Thailand to be operated by Okura Nikko Hotel Management, following The Okura Prestige Bangkok (2012), Hotel Nikko Bangkok (2019), and Hotel Nikko Amata City Chonburi (scheduled to open in 2021).
With the year-round roster of events marking the 20th anniversary of its handover to China in 2019, coupled with an ever-growing crop of products and attractions, Macau is confident that the destination remains much sought after by visitors from Chinese mainland and the region alike.
Among key events held this year was Art Macau (June to October), during which visual artworks and installations were presented at the Macao Museum of Art, hotels and integrated resorts, foreign consulates, and public outdoor spaces, alongside a line-up of diverse musical and theatrical performances.
Macau continues to attract visitors with a full calendar of events, including the first TheArsenale showroom in Asia held in the City of Dreams this year
The first TheArsenale showroom in Asia – following launches in Paris, Miami and Dubai – also kicked off in the City of Dreams this year, featuring over 40 rare items from land, sea and air, including private jets, submarines, custom motorcycles and timepieces, among others.
Infrastructure development continues to keep pace with tourism development. When Macau International Airport (MIA)’s passenger terminal building south extension is completed this year, the annual handling capacity of the terminal building will increase to 10 million passengers.
As well, the MIA Zhongshan Service Centre is now connected via the Express Link service to MIA, providing convenient travel services to passengers in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area with a more integrated transportation network.
Cruise tourism is also a key focus for Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO). Said a MGTO spokesman: “We have also embraced a proactive approach in pushing forward the development of maritime tourism products.”
Moreover, MGTO has also joined forces with Alibaba Cloud in its push for smart tourism, with a trio of projects – Tourism Information Interchange Platform, Application for Visitor Insights, and Smart Application for Visitor Flow – put into operation this year.
MGTO has also launched a redesigned tourism promotion website with enhanced functionalities, featuring a more responsive design, visually-oriented content, and social media integration to create a seamless browsing experience for visitors seeking travel inspiration and tips in Macau.
During January-August 2019, Macau recorded 27.4 million visitor arrivals, an increase of 18 per cent over the same period in 2018.
British-based Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) will be growing its fleet size to eight with the addition of two new cruise ships come 2021.
CMV will take delivery of P&O Australia’s Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria in Singapore on March 2 and May 2, 2021, respectively, boosting the cruise line’s capacity to 9,000 berths and passenger capacity by 30 per cent.
CMV's new cruise ships
1 of 2
Pacific Dawn
Pacific Aria
Both shops will be officially renamed in mid-2021 after undergoing minor upgrades and re-livery works while dry docking in Singapore. The vessels will then embark on maiden positioning voyages via the Suez Canal to Northern Europe.
Pacific Dawn, which boasts 798 passenger cabins with a capacity for around 1,400 passengers, will be deployed in the UK market in late May 2021, cruising year-round alongside CMV’s flagship Columbus.
The smaller Pacific Aria, which comprises 630 passenger cabins with a capacity of around 1,100 passengers, will be deployed on the German market under the TransOcean Kreuzfahrten brand, cruising alongside CMV’s ship Vasco da Gama and replacing the 580-passenger Astor. Astor will be re-named as Jules Verne, and re-deployed to the French market in May 2021.
The new ship names will be unveiled later in December 2019, said CMV in a statement.
Chris Coates, CMV’s group commercial director, said: “These two fine cruise ships perfectly complement our existing fleet, providing trade partners and consumers alike with much needed extra capacity. For 2020, we expect close to 70 per cent of capacity to be sold by year end, in line with expectations. This provides an ideal platform for the early introduction of new tonnage and opportunities for 2021.”
CMV’s summer 2021 programmes will go on sale in 1Q2020, with special 2021 launch incentives planned to encourage early bookings.
Absolute Hotel Services has named Leon Dolle as general manager of Eastin Grand Hotel Nha Trang, a 1,086-room property set to open in Vietnam in 2020.
Dolle returns to South-east Asia from Germany, where he was most recently cluster general manager of two hotels there. He was part of the opening team for the Conrad Bangkok as well as the JW Marriott in Kuala Lumpur.
In 2012, Dolle joined citizenM as corporate F&B director, where he developed new F&B concepts and opened eight hotels, including flagship hotels in New York, London and Paris.
Chinese travellers are increasingly opting for destinations with diverse and exciting offerings, as they explore new ways to experience culture and nature during their holidays.
Exhibitors at the recent China International Travel Mart in Kunming, Yunnan told TTG Asia that as the Chinese market continues to expand rapidly, the demand for adventure travel is also swelling.
Demand for adventure travel is growing among Chinese outbound tourists
Sounh Manivong, director general, tourism marketing department of the Laos Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, noted: “The Chinese like to visit attractions like waterfalls, and do (activities like) rafting, kayaking and ziplining.”
He added that the China market is of growing importance to Laos. “For the first nine months of this year, Laos received 800,000 visitors from China, which was 22 per cent more than the same period last year. We’re expecting this number to reach one million by the end of this year,” he noted.
To play to the evolving tastes of Chinese travellers, Laos’ tourism ministry is spurring local travel sellers to enrich and expand the availability of outdoor and adventure offerings.
Likewise, travel sellers in Mongolia are seeing more Chinese travellers visiting the country not just to seek out landmarks like the 40m-tall Chinggis Khaan Statue Complex, but also overnight stays in a 13th century micro-kingdom run without electricity, interact with shamans and witness their ritual performance, and join pastoral herders in everyday experiences like producing dairy and riding yaks.
“We are getting more requests from Chinese visitors to visit and stay at these camps, so we are promoting new inbound group tours that cover these attractions at CITM,” said Unurchimeg Ochirbat, reservation manager, Genco Tour Bureau JSC.
In India, tour operators like Siva Kumar, spokesperson for Kerala Tourism, is also paying attention to China’s emergence as a growing feeder market to Kerala. The Indian state welcomes around 10,000 Chinese visitors a year, and numbers have continuously risen year-on-year.
“Nature and green tours are becoming increasingly popular among the Chinese, which is one of Kerala’s selling points. We also have other products like houseboats and white sandy beaches that we think will appeal to this market,” shared Kumar.
“To lure more Chinese leisure tourists, we’ve also held our own standalone roadshows in Shanghai and Beijing,” he added.
However, Kumar lamented that the lack of direct flights between China and Kerala are hampering growth for the Chinese inbound market, as most Chinese travellers have to connect to the state via New Delhi.
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park (TNBTS) Agency has rolled out an online booking platform for visits to Mount Bromo, a key attraction in East Java which Indonesian president Joko Widodo has envisioned as one of the 10 New Bali’s.
The website (www.bookingbromo.bromotenggersemeru.org) is aimed at bolstering arrivals as well as increasing transparency, TNBTS’ head John Kenedie said in a media release.
Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Agency rolls out online booking platform for visits to Mount Bromo
Bromo, Tengger, Semeru and Banyuwangi welcomed 417,949 inbound tourists in 2018, and the government set an ambitious target of one million visitors to these destinations this year.
TNBTS charges Rp29,000 (US$2) and Rp220,000 for domestic and foreign tourists, respectively, on weekdays; and Rp34,000 and Rp320,000 on holidays.
According to John, online booking is mandatory for travellers who use the service provided by travel agents, tour operators and event organisers. On the other hand, independent travellers, who come alone or in groups, can opt to book tickets online or purchase them manually at counters for arrivals between 07.30 and 16.00. Online bookings are mandatory for them if they arrive between 16.01 and 07.29.
With this move, Adjie Wahjono, operation manager of Aneka Kartika Tours, expected illegal levy transactions in Mount Bromo to end under the TNBTS’ transparency push through the online booking service.
As well, he foresaw that the online platform could curb the fraudulent practice of foreign tourists passing off as locals in order to purchase domestic tourist tickets to enter Mount Bromo, as the identities of visitors are now needed for verification with their identity card or passport.
However, Adjie pointed out that the TNBTS agency’s different treatment towards independent visitors and those who book under a third-party provider was not only confusing but also discriminative.
“Why are independent travellers allowed to buy tickets manually on the spot (between 07.30 and 16.00)? (Fraud) will still exist then,” he said. “If the agency wants to implement a booking system, it should be enforced to all, not only travel agents.”
Meanwhile, Monas Tjahjono, managing director of Monas Tours and Travel, expressed concerns that the new booking system could put a damper on the business of travel agents who sold Bromo tour packages because of the same ticket price given to both agents and independent travellers.
“It will be okay if we got a discount of 10 per cent or more for a ticket that we book online for our guests,” he said.
Agreeing with Monas, Adjie said that travel agents deserved a special admission ticket price for their contribution in attracting inbound travellers to Bromo through overseas promotional activities.
As well, Monas found fault with the incomplete information on the new booking platform, such as the lack of explanation as to whether tourists could get a refund from TNBTS if they postpone or cancel the trip.
Monas also criticised the agency for making the website only available in Bahasa Indonesia, as it could deter foreign travellers. “Is the agency targeting the domestic market only?” he questioned.
Correction: An earlier version of this story wrote that online bookings are mandatory for visitor arrivals between 16.01 and 19.29. This is incorrect. Online bookings are required between 16.01 and 07.29.
Dillip Rajakarier will soon take up the role of group CEO for Minor International, effective 1 January 2020, the Thailand-based hospitality announced.
Promoted from group COO and Minor Hotels CEO, Rajakarier will maintain his current leadership role as Minor Hotels CEO. Founder Bill Heinecke will remain chairman of the board and chairman of the executive management committee.
A seasoned hotelier, Rajakarier has been instrumental to the global expansion drive of Minor International and Minor Hotels throughout the past decade, including the acquisition of Spain’s NH Hotels.
Indonesian ride-hailing company Go-Jek will be expanding its fleet in Singapore through a partnership with local taxi company Trans-Cab, according to a report by Channel NewsAsia.
The tie-up was announced at an event last week to celebrate Go-Jek’s first anniversary in Singapore.
Go-Jek to expand fleet size in Singapore via a partnership with local taxi company Trans-Cab
Trans-Cab, which is Singapore’s second-largest taxi operator, has a fleet of 2,954 taxis as of September, according to figures from the Land Transport Authority.
Under the partnership, Trans-Cab drivers will be able to access bookings made via Go-Jek’s platform. Trips on Trans-Cab taxis booked through the Gojek app will be priced at a flat rate, rather than by a metered fare, said the report. Trans-Cab drivers will also enjoy the same benefits as Go-Jek’s driver-partners, which include insurance and medical coverage, it added.
Trans-Cab CEO Teo Kiang An was also quoted by the report as saying that the two companies are also exploring new joint benefits for their respective drivers, including preferential home electricity rates by Union Energy, which is Trans-Cab’s parent company.
Go-Jek’s CEO Andre Soelistyo noted that the company hit 30 million trips in Singapore within its first year here, said the report.
Soelistyo took over the role of co-CEO last month, alongside co-founder Kevin Aluwi, after former CEO Nadiem Makarim resigned from the company to join Indonesian president Joko Widodo’s new cabinet.
In September, Trans-Cab had partnered with local ride-hailing firm Ryde to allow its taxis to be booked via its app.
The taxi operator had also previously tied up with Go-Jek’s rival Grab for the launch of its JustGrab service.
