Hertz Global Holdings has appointed Angela Brav as president of Hertz’s international division.
Most recently the CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group’s (IHG) European region, Brav has 25 years of executive experience with IHG in multiple operational and strategic roles in the US and Europe.
She is based at the car rental company’s international headquarters near London, and will report to Hertz’s president & CEO Kathryn Marinello.
Radisson Hotel Group will be bringing its Radisson Red brand to Australia for the first time, following the signing of Radisson Red West Perth.
Scheduled to open in 2022, the 129-key hotel will feature a restaurant, a swimming pool, a rooftop bar, hangout spots, communal work spaces, and three function rooms spanning over 160m² of space.
Radisson Red West Perth will rise on the corner of Wellington Street and Colin Street, directly opposite the Harold Boas Gardens. The hotel will be located just a short walk from the Perth Arena and Hay Street, and a three-minute drive from the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre.
Radisson Hotel Group currently operates hotels in Sydney and Melbourne, and recently secured its first Radisson Collection hotel in the Blue Mountains.
The red-hot experiential travel trend is fuelling the rise of young tour operators in Singapore, as the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) has reported an influx of new members that include young and rising players.
Speaking at the Singapore Tourism Board’s Travel Agent Industry Forum last week, NATAS’ president Steven Ler said: “We are seeing a lot more millennial tour operators in Singapore becoming more active now, (offering) many types of local and curated tours. NATAS is engaging this group of new tour operators to understand what their needs are.”
These needs include advice and support in regional marketing, social media outreach and partnerships with other travel companies, he elaborated. Some 50 new agencies joined NATAS in 2019, bringing the association’s current membership count to more than 400.
“These are newer agencies with newer ideas, and we have been engaging them to find out how we can support them. We also work with our inbound community to help drive more traffic into Singapore, which can definitely benefit this group of tour operators,” said Ler.
One such operator that NATAS is working with is Oriental Travel & Tours, which brings visitors to uncommonly toured areas in Singapore, such as Ang Mo Kio’s Bird Singing Club and Tanglin. Soon to come is the Creepy Tales of Singapore night tour that will bring guests to explore mysterious World War II locations with a guide wielding ghost-detecting gear.
“We believe we can make a difference in the industry, as travellers are showing a lot of behavioural changes. Our customers are mainly from Europe and the US, and they are looking for something different to do beyond attractions like the Merlion and Sentosa, especially tourists who have visited Singapore more than three times. There are many pockets of the island that they can explore,” said Jasmine Tan, co-founder, Oriental Travel and Tours.
Another new operator, Kayak Fishing Fever, was started in August 2018 by founder Aaron Ang to take visitors and locals alike to Singapore’s prime fishing and kayaking spots. The operator has risen in popularity among Americans, Europeans and Australians, and Ang is now looking to boost its name among Asian travellers.
“We appeal to people who want to explore the real Singapore, especially travellers who like fishing and nature,” he told TTG Asia. “A lot of people don’t know that something like this even exists in Singapore, so I want to bring awareness to it.”
Despite having the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia has yet to effectively tap the halal tourism boom, something the trade hopes to change as the government steps up pursuit of the growing Muslim travel market.
Halal travel is projected to contribute US$274 billion revenue in 2023 worldwide, up from US$177 billion in 2017, according to the State of the Global Islamic Economy Report.
Stakeholders in Indonesia therefore need to consider the forecast seriously in order for the country to take a bigger bite of the growing halal tourism pie, said Anang Sutono, senior advisor for economy and tourism development, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
Speaking during the recent Indonesia Halal Tourism Conference at Jakarta Convention Center, he said that Indonesia aims to attract six million Muslim travellers to the country by 2024, nearly double from the current target of 3.6 million. Their expenditure is also projected to increase from the current target of US$4.5 billion to US$7.6 billion in 2024.
Indonesia Halal Tourism Association’s chairman Riyanto Sofyan stressed that the development of halal tourism in Indonesia is important to boost international Muslim tourist arrivals as spending from this segment drove a large part of Indonesia’s GDP.
Muslim travellers make up around 20 per cent of the total inbound tourists to Indonesia every year, according to Riyanto. In 2018, the country drew around three million Muslim travellers, contributing US$3.9 billion to the economy.
However, Riyanto noted that the number of Muslim visitors from the Middle East to Indonesia was less in numbers as compared to inbound arrivals from Malaysia, India, China, Australia and Europe. “The average spending of a Muslim traveller from the Middle East ranges from US$2,000 to US$2,500 per visit,” he said.
“Most of the Muslim travellers from Europe hail from Germany, the UK, and France. European visitors in Indonesia spend, on average, US$1,300 per visit. They are also our target,” he added.
However, efforts in developing halal tourism across the archipelagic country have been met with resistance by locals in some areas with religious minorities, who fear that the halal branding clashes with their customs and habits.
“We have to do more campaigns to disseminate information about halal tourism so that there won’t be any misleading information about it,” Anang stated. The government will also strengthen collaboration in the development of Muslim-friendly facilities and attractions and improve the quality of human resources through certification.
To overcome the lack of understanding, industry stakeholders have to spread the word about halal tourism and convince people that the development of halal facilities would benefit the local economy in each region, according to Anwar Bashori, chairman of Sharia Economy Team, Indonesian Economist Association, who spoke to TTG Asia on the sidelines of the conference.
“Halal tourism is not exclusive to Muslims. Even predominately non-Muslim countries like Japan and Thailand have already provided facilities for Muslim travellers,” Anwar said, adding that more seminars about halal tourism were necessary to solve this misinformation issue.
To help halal tourism gain wider acceptance in majority non-Muslim regions in Indonesia, Nouraddin Yau-Tzu Ma, managing director of Taipei Grand Mosque Foundation, urged the Indonesian government to appoint influential public figures in each city to give talks about halal tourism to the the locals.
Once they understand the concept, the government can encourage them to share it with others in their community – a strategy adopted by the Taiwanese government to garner initial public support for the development of halal tourism across the island.
With better understanding and acceptance of halal tourism, Indonesia will be in a better position to retain its top spot on the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2019, said Australia-based Globothink Consultants’ CEO Irshad Cadar.
Citing Global Islamic Travel Tourism’s report, Irshad added: “Out of 16 million tourists coming to Indonesia in 2019, four million are halal tourists. This is not enough. (Indonesia) should be increasing the numbers.”
Airbnb Experiences has introduced a new category of bookable experiences that will “unlock the hidden culinary traditions of families all around the world”, adding to the existing Adventure and Animals categories on the platform.
The Cooking on Airbnb Experiences, which offers guests access to 3,000 unique recipes across over 75 countries globally, not only presents a new way for guests to understand culture through food, but is also an avenue for them to form human connections, Airbnb said in a statement.
Hosted by families, farmers, pastry cooks and more, local hosts can now highlight the deeper meaning behind the food they eat, teaching traditional recipes and sharing stories in intimate settings around the world, it added.
To protect the personal nature of each recipe, each experience has been vetted against guidelines inspired by Slow Food, a grassroots organisation whose mission is to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions, according to Airbnb.
Through this vetting process, Airbnb said that it has verified that each host of an Airbnb Experience “communicates the unique essence of every dish through their personal stories and has proven (to have) a deep knowledge of the heritage of the cuisine that they share”.
“Ever since the very first guests travelled with Airbnb, we have realised that sharing a meal is the key that unlocks culture and fosters connection. Through Airbnb Cooking Experiences, we want to bring back the tradition of people coming together to make and share meals, and through this, help preserve unique recipes that are shared within family kitchens around the world,” said Brian Chesky, Airbnb’s CEO and co-founder.
Building on its partnership with Airbnb, Slow Food will also be introducing 15 special Airbnb Cooking Experiences, including Walk Cook & Eat in the Amalfi Coast and Let’s Rescue Food in Cartagena, Colombia.
Cooking on Airbnb Experiences boasts renowned hosts such as British TV presenter and culinary entrepreneur Prue Leith, Mexican chef Enrique Olvera, and Singaporean culinary icon and MasterChef judge Damian D’Silva.
Other highlighted experiences in this new category include a maize workshop with Enrique Olvera in Mexico City; traditional Uzbek home-cooking in Brooklyn, New York; French pastry making in Paris; and soba noodle making in a traditional home in Tokyo.
To celebrate the launch of Airbnb Cooking Experiences, the company is running a campaign calling on eligible Airbnb users to apply or nominate their favourite home cook via airbnb.com/cooking. Applications are open till December 23, 2019.
The top 100 applicants will be flown to Italy where they will learn to refine their family recipe and cement their legacy in an Airbnb cookbook, planned for 2020. They will get to study alongside experts, including Momofuku chef and founder David Chang and his mom, Sherri, during a course at Slow Food’s University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Northern Italy.
Singapore-based luxury hotel group Banyan Tree Holdings will be opening a new resort in Krabi, Thailand, come 2Q2020.
Now under development in a location on Tubkaek Beach beside the lush forests of Mu Ko Phi Phi and Khao Ngon Nak national parks, a 45-minute drive from Krabi Airport, Banyan Tree Krabi will offer 72 pool suites and villas, including seven two-bedroom options and one three-bedroom villa.
Facilities include all-day dining, a ballroom, a wedding chapel, a beach club, a kids’ club, a fitness centre, and a rainforest-themed spa.
Banyan Tree Krabi is expected to open its doors to guests on April 1, 2020, according to the company.
The desire for authentic cuisine experiences is one of the biggest factors influencing travellers’ vacation decisions today, according to a survey by Travelzoo.
Trying new food and experiencing the culinary culture of the destination is ranked as the second most popular reason (39%) for going overseas, just behind getting to see famous landmarks (41%).
Travelzoo’s 2019 Fall Travel Trends Survey, which polled 9,000 people across nine countries, also found that today’s travellers make an effort to support the local community and economy while on culinary trips.
As well, more than half (53%) of the respondents have gone on vacations for food or food-centric activities. Younger people aged 25 to 44 are twice as likely to go on these journeys of culinary discovery than people who are 55 or older, according to the survey. Local cuisines are the most preferred as travellers want to try something new and special (62%) and/or have an authentic experience to explore the local culture (54%).
Italian, Chinese and Japanese are the three most popular cuisines among respondents from all the surveyed countries, while Thai, Vietnamese and Korean food are the top three cuisines that respondents are curious to try in the future.
Travelzoo’s survey also found that Chinese consumers are today’s most adventurous foodies. A huge number (96%) of Chinese respondents have been on a break or vacation centred around food or culinary experiences, and 70% of them have tried food on vacation that they had never even heard of before. When asked whether they would be willing to try non-traditional foods, such as insects or live animals, the Chinese were three times more willing to do so out of curiosity than travellers from other countries, found the survey.
When abroad, Chinese consumers usually spend US$95 per person, per day, on food – about 80% more than the global average, said Travelzoo. The use of social media to show off foodie experiences is popular among travellers, and tech-savvy Chinese travellers do this the most, with 94% posting food images on social media. That number is twice as high as that of any other nation in the survey.
The survey also showed that travellers are becoming much more receptive to responsible travel solutions and sustainability concerning food during travel. When asked what they would take into account when dining abroad, 77% said they want their food to have been sourced locally, to help support the local economy and community. Millennials are twice as likely to consider the ethical and sustainable factors around food than older demographics.
Almost half (43%) of the respondents stated in the survey that supporting local people and local communities gives them a different and valuable experience to be close to the culture of their chosen destination.
Two-thirds of travellers report that they usually conduct intensive research to find the best food and restaurant options. It’s clear that curated culinary trips and local dining tips will inspire today’s travellers to explore more new destinations, concluded Travelzoo in its findings.
The number of Indian tourists travelling to the GCC is expected to increase 81% from 5.4 million in 2018 to 9.8 million in 2024, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10%, according to the latest data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020.
As destinations throughout the Middle East prepare to showcase their latest offerings at ATM 2020, which will be held at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19-22, 2020, Colliers International predicts that more than 20% of India’s total outbound market will travel to the GCC by 2024 – with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand.
Danielle Curtis, exhibition director Middle East, ATM, said: “This influx of Indian visitors to the GCC shows no sign of abating, with every reason to believe India will maintain its position as a top source market as the region prepares to welcome an estimated increase of 81% by 2024, providing a significant boost to the region’s tourism industry as we look ahead.
“This projected growth is being supported by a number of key stakeholders in the region, from immigration initiatives and mega events, to hotels, F&B venues, resorts, theme parks and malls – all of which appeal to Indian travellers.”
In 2018, the UAE welcomed 2.9 million Indian tourists, with this figure expected to reach 5.3 million by 2024, increasing at a CAGR of 11%, according to ATM’s official research partner, Colliers International.
Adding to this, India retained its top spot on Dubai’s list of source markets for inbound tourism, with almost one million Indian tourists arriving in the emirate in 1H2019.
“Driving this growth is a new generation of leisure attractions in the GCC, relaxed visa regulations for Indian nationals, additional airline routes, increasing business opportunities, a renewed focus on Indian weddings and the MICE segment, as well as the increasing popularity of adventure and ecotourism in countries including the UAE and Oman,” said Curtis.
Last year, Indian tourists accounted for approximately 26.1 million of total outbound trips made, with reports from the UNWTO estimating this figure will increase by 92% to reach more than 50 million by 2022.
Indian tourists are among the world’s highest spenders while travelling abroad, with outbound travel and tourism expenditure to increase from US$21.4 billion in 2018 to US$39.3 billion by 2024.
On average, Indian travellers spent approximately US$1,100 per trip made to the GCC in 2018, according to the latest data from Euromonitor International, with business and experience-seeking tourists likely to spend at least 15% more per trip.
Boeing has rolled out its first 737 Max 10 in a ceremony witnessed by thousands of employees at the company’s Renton, Washington factory.
In light of the global 737 Max grounding, the unveiling of the 737 Max 10 was a muted affair, similar to the 777X roll-out earlier this year.
The 737 Max 10, the largest variant of the Max family, can seat up to 230 passengers and offers the lowest seat-mile cost of any single-aisle airplane ever produced. The airplane will be undergoin system checks and engine runs prior to its first flight next year, Boeing said in a statement.
The 737 Max 10 currently has more than 550 orders and commitments from more than 20 customers around the globe.
Race promoter Singapore GP has released tickets to the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2020.
Tickets to the race weekend, which will take place from September 18-20, 2020, will be available for sale in phases starting from November 15, 2019. Special discounts will be applied to six ticket categories across all zones of the Circuit Park in the early sale stages.
During the Super Early Bird promotional period from November 15 to December 3, 2019, patrons can enjoy up to 28 per cent in savings, with prices for the available three-day ticket categories starting from S$268 (US$196). More ticket categories will be released in the coming weeks. Regular prices will apply from May 13, 2020 onwards.
Patrons will be able to catch the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix and entertainment performances at the Marina Bay Street Circuit with a valid ticket for the relevant zones.
