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Asia/Singapore Wednesday, 31st December 2025
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New Nerf attraction hits Singapore, with more to come in global pipeline

By Rachel AJ Lee
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Singapore-based design and production group Kingsmen Creatives has partnered global play and entertainment company Hasbro to open the world’s first NAX (Nerf Action Xperience) arena in the Marina Square shopping mall in Singapore.

At the unveiling of the new attraction last Friday, Kingsmen Creatives’ group CEO Andrew Cheng said: “(The) NAX arena is a first-of-its-kind branded attraction centre in the world. It unlocks a whole new way for fans to experience the renowned Nerf brand. The NAX arena is not just a fun venue; it is also a highly interactive arena that encourages learning, teambuilding and family or community bonding through active play.”

Nerf Action Xperience
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Spanning more than 1,600m², the attraction houses four activity zones – Compete, Conquer, Challenge, and Create – which are themed after extreme natural environments to challenge players, and targeted at both the young – aged three to 16 – and young at heart.

“The NAX arena is unique and will enrich Singapore’s family-friendly offerings. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will continue to support industry partners with good ideas to make Singapore even more interesting and fun for visitors and locals,” said STB’s chief executive Keith Tan, who was in attendance at the opening.

When asked how much of the revenue generated by the attraction he thinks will come from tourists, Cheng said: “Attractions’ revenue in Singapore is generally 80 per cent from the domestic market, with 20 per cent from tourists. Being in a prime location, we hope to grow revenue from tourists to 30 or 40 per cent.”

“That is why we’re promoting NAX regionally, and not (just) in Singapore. We will be attending regional roadshows with STB, and conducting promotions on websites, through influencers, as well as to travel agents,” he elaborated.

The NAX arena is the first of multiple Family Entertainment Centre concepts that Kingsmen plans to roll out globally within the next few years.

Earlier in July, Kingsmen signed a partnership with Vision High to bring NAX to the China market. The first NAX in China is currently being constructed in a mall in Chongqing.

Kingsmen Exhibits’ group managing director Anthony Chong added: “All of our NAX centres will be located in malls. At the moment, we’re also looking at South Korea and Japan, as there’s lots of interest from those markets.”

The Singapore NAX arena is open to single players and groups, with four rooms available for event bookings. It will retail exclusive made-for-Singapore NERF blasters and merchandise. The NAX arena is open daily from 10.00 to 22.00, with last entry at 19.30.

Thousands of jobs saved as Hays Travel snaps up Thomas Cook UK stores

By TTG Asia
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The sale of 555 Thomas Cook UK shops to Hays Travel is a potential game-changer that could save up to 2,500 jobs.

All the Thomas Cook stores will be rebranded as Hays Travel following the acquisition for an “undisclosed sum”, according to a BBC report.

Hays Travel acquires 555 Thomas Cook UK shops in a move that could save up to 2,500 jobs

Thomas Cook’s collapse last month put 22,000 jobs worldwide at risk, including 9,000 in the UK. It also sparked the biggest ever peacetime repatriation by the CAA to bring more than 150,000 holidaymakers back to the UK.

John Hays, who owns and founded the Sunderland-based travel firm, said it is difficult to give guarantees about every Thomas Cook shop as it is subject to discussions with individual landlords, but the company plans to offer reemployment to all former Thomas Cook staff.

Hays, which runs 190 shops and has 1,900 staff, reported sales of £379 million (US$463 million) and profits of £10 million last year.

The acquisition will see Hays trebling their number of shops and doubling their workforce, said the BBC report. More than 100 new jobs will be based at Hays Travel’s Sunderland headquarters, with the rest in shops across the UK.

The takeover deal was struck with the travel industry regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), after several days of negotiations, it added, further quoting a CCA spokesperson as saying that he expected many of the shops to reopen on Thursday.

Following the news of the takeover, GlobalData said in a statement that Hays Travel’s acquisition of Thomas Cook stores is a “gamble that could pay off”.

Nick Wyatt, head of R&A, travel & tourism at GlobalData, said: “Not many of us saw this deal coming but it is welcomed news for the high street. It is a bold move on Hays’ part, but Thomas Cook is a cherished brand with an established customer base and if Hays has negotiated well, the move may just pay off.

“Much will depend on the terms of the deal. As this is breaking news, we don’t yet know the cost of the deal, what terms can be agreed with landlords for example, but this was most certainly a buyer’s market situation so Hays should have been able to negotiate favourable terms.

He added that there is still demand for Thomas Cook’s services as the company raked in £9.6 billion in revenue for the financial year of 2018.

“Hays should be able to operate without the millstone of debt round its neck and the publicity around the Thomas Cook collapse may even spur people to seek out Atol protected package holidays for peace of mind, which will play into Hays’ hands.

“The deal is not, however, without peril. It will have to conduct a review of store locations and operations and there may be a need for a rationalisation at some point, particularly in areas in which Hays already has a strong presence. Hays will also need to make sure it invests in digital trends as competitive online threats to a large store network are legion.”

Wildfires shut down Kawah Putih, a growing attraction in Bandung

By Kurniawan Ulung
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Travel trade players are anxious that the closure of the Kawah Putih, a crater lake in Bandung, West Java, due to forest fires would affect footfall to the increasingly popular tourist attraction.

The area’s management had closed off the popular attraction atop Bandung’s Mount Patuha since Tuesday due to forest fires. There were no casualties from the fire which broke out on Monday afternoon, according to the West Java Police, who is still investigating the cause of the fire.

Industry players fear closure of the Kawah Putih (above) due to forest fires would affect inbound tourism

Budijanto Ardijansyah, president director of My Duta Tour and chairman of the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) West Java chapter, was dismayed to learn that the fire had destroyed new stairs built to create easier access to the crater for visitors.

Kawah Putih’s closure comes at a time when the spot is emerging as an attractive alternative to Tangkuban Parahu, a hitherto popular destination that has seen a decline in visitor numbers since the government’s implementation of a price hike.

“Kawah Putih is growing as a major tourist destination (in West Java). Many foreign tourists visit this site,” he said, adding that most of My Duta Tour’s foreign visitors to Kawah Putih came from Malaysia and Singapore.

Budijanto said he did not receive any reports of cancellations from ASITA members, as tour operations could still run normally by replacing the Kawah Putih attraction with other nearby destinations, such as Situ Patenggang Lake.

Bandung-based Exotic Java Trails Tours and Travel’s director Daniel Nugraha said that he was also shattered by the news report as Kawah Putih is currently more attractive to foreigners than Tangkuban Parahu.

“Kawah Putih received more inbound tourists than Tangkuban Parahu. They prefer to visit Kawah Putih because the ticket to enter Tangkuban Parahu is too expensive (for them). We also met with difficulties while selling tour packages to Tangkuban Parahu for the same reason,” he said.

This fire, he added, made him more stressful than the eruption of Mount Tangkuban Parahu months ago. His concern was that without proper and clear information, travellers would presume that the entire Mount Patuha was closed off and that might lead to cancellations.

“The fire rages forests surrounding the crater only. Nearby tourist destinations, such as Rengganis Crater, which is behind Kawah Putih, remain open,” Nugraha said, adding that he had replaced Kawah Putih with Rengganis Crater in his company’s tour itinerary due to the fire.

Daniel said that leisure travellers made up the bulk of visitors to Kawah Putih. However, next week, he would be hosting corporate groups from Malaysia and Singapore planning to visit Kawah Putih during their business trips in Bandung.

“What we can do today is to take a wait-and-see approach as to whether it (Kawah Putih) will remain closed next week,” he said.

Halal-friendly OTA rolls out DIY Umrah packages to Saudi Arabia

By TTG Asia
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Saudi Arabia’s historic move to offer e-visas to citizens of 49 countries globally has prompted Rihaala.com, an OTA offering halal-friendly travel content, to launch DIY Umrah packages.

Muslims from the seven Asian countries eligible for the tourist e-visas – namely, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Kazakhstan and China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan – as well as Rihaala’s trade partners in the region, can now log onto Rihaala.com to arrange and book their personalised Umrah travel plans.

Halal-friendly OTA Rihaala.com has launched DIY Umrah packages to Saudi Arabia

They can hand-pick every aspect of the spiritual journey, including flights and hotels to transfers and post-Umrah travel and excursions, from a curated selection of halal-friendly amenities and services by the Rihaala team.

A dedicated Rihaala Agent Hub was also recently launched, enabling travel agents to package Umrah travel itineraries for their clients and earn commission on their bookings.

“Saudi Arabia’s introduction of tourist e-visas is a huge game-changer for Muslims around the world who are no longer required to use an agent to arrange their visa when travelling to the kingdom to perform Umrah,” said Rihaala founder Nabeel Shariff.

“Rihaala.com is the only dynamic platform with halal-friendly content to give pilgrims, as well as travel industry partners, the freedom to create and book their Umrah itinerary using one convenient online portal that offers transparency of choice and pricing.”

Messe Berlin Singapore to launch Travel Tech Asia next year

By TTG Asia
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Messe Berlin (Singapore) will launch the inaugural Travel Tech Asia 2020 in response to growing demand for travel technology in the Asian travel market.

The three-day conference, which will take place from October 21 to 23, 2020 at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, will be co-located with ITB Asia 2020 and MICE Show Asia 2020 under ITB Asia’s umbrella of events.

The inaugural Travel Tech Asia will take place next year at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore

“In recent years, we have seen a remarkable development in travel technology and the integral role it is playing for the travel industry. Travel Tech Asia 2020 aims to provide the community with a platform for in-depth discussions on how technology can disrupt and transform the travel landscape,” said Katrina Leung, managing director of Messe Berlin (Singapore).

Travel Tech Asia is expected to bring together a fresh set of tech buyers – comprising heads of distribution, sales and marketing, e-commerce and IT from hotels, travel agencies, airlines, tours and activities – who are the key decision-makers in evaluating and selecting the travel tech in the market that best fit the industry needs.

Conference speakers will share emerging technologies, trends, ideas and applicable case studies that will set the stage for new possibilities in travel. Innovations surrounding e-commerce, internet of things in hospitality, transportation, AI, VR and AR, big data and cloud, payment solutions and revenue management and optimisation, will also be featured at the show to showcase the possibilities in travel tech and how it is set to revolutionise the industry.

Exhibitors at the show will include industries such as AI, booking, reservations and metasearch, hotel tech, virtual reality and augmented reality, voice and biometrics, data, personalisation and mobile marketing, revenue management and optimisation, and more. Travel Tech Asia 2020 will see new exhibitors specifically catered for the travel tech industry, as technologies continue to fuel record growth in the travel industry.

Super Early Bird rates for exhibiting at Travel Tech Asia 2020 will run from now till October 31, 2019. More information on Travel Tech Asia 2020 can be found here.

Carnival breaks ground on new cruise terminal in Japan

By TTG Asia
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Carnival Corporation has officially began construction of the industry’s first cruise terminal in Japan, located at the port of Sasebo, which will support the country’s growing demand for cruise vacations and popularity as a destination.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by government, business and community representatives, including Carnival Corporation’s senior vice president port operations and development Remco Buis, and vice president of business development for Carnival Asia, Paul Chong; as well as representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and the city of Sasebo.

Carnival Corporation has broke ground on the construction of the first cruise terminal in Japan

As part of a strategic partnership agreement signed in March 2018 with the city of Sasebo and MLIT Japan, Carnival Corporation will construct and operate the new terminal, expected to open in summer 2020.

The partners in the Sasebo development project are working together on an efficient, contemporary design for the terminal to accommodate the corporation’s existing and newest ships, said the company in a statement.

Under the 20-year agreement, Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands will be granted berthing preference, enabling them to provide guests with optimised cruise itineraries when visiting the port.

Michael Thamm, group CEO, Costa Group and Carnival Asia, said that the new terminal “will complement (Carnival Corporation’s) strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region and furthers our commitment to help facilitate the rising demand for cruise vacations in the region”.

The company said it will continue to work with Japan’s government and MLIT to identify potential additional port development opportunities and future investments in the country.

Japan is a popular destination for seven of Carnival Corporation’s cruise line brands, including AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn. Overall, Carnival Corporation is expecting to accommodate an estimated 2 million passenger movements in the market in 2019, with nearly 800 calls from 15 ships from the company’s cruise line brands to over 50 ports in Japan.

Aviation roundup: THAI Smile Airways, Finnair and more

By TTG Asia
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THAI Smile Airways flies to Ahmedabad

THAI Smile Airways will commence direct flights from Bangkok to Ahmedabad, the largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat, from October 29.

Two classes will be available on the flights: Smile Plus (premium economy) and Smile Class (economy class), both offering full catering on board, advance-booking services and up to 40kg of free luggage allowance.

The Bangkok-Ahmedabad route will be available four times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. WE342 will depart Ahmedabad at 00.55 and arrive in Bangkok at 06.55, while return flight WE341 will depart Bangkok at 20.30 and arrive back in Ahmedabad at 23.55.

Finnair to take off for Haneda Airport

Finnair is starting daily flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as of the start of the 2020 summer season, subject to slot availability. The new frequencies to and from Haneda will be in addition to Finnair’s daily flights to Tokyo’s Narita Airport.

The new flights from Haneda will be codeshare flights with Finnair’s long-term partner, Japan Airlines, which has a wide network of connecting flights from Haneda onwards to other destinations in Japan.

The planned schedule for Finnair’s flight from Haneda is at night time which complements Finnair’s morning flights from Narita, offering more options and flexibility to passengers. The exact timetable is subject to slot approvals.

Adria Airways leaves Star Alliance

Slovenian airline Adria Airways, headquartered in Ljubljana, has ceased to be a member of Star Alliance, effective October 2, 2019.

The departure of Adria Airways from Star Alliance after 15 years follows the company’s recent bankruptcy developments and cessation of all flight operations as of September 30.

Star Alliance members Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Swiss have announced additional routes and frequencies to Ljubljana.

Korean Air links Incheon to the Philippines and China

Korean Air will launch new flights to Clark, the Philippines, and Nanjing, China, on October 27; and Zhangjiajie and Hangzhou, China, on October 28.

From October 27, Korean Air will operate the Incheon-Clark route seven times a week; and the Incheon-Nanjing route four times a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

From October 28, the airline will operate the Incheon-Zhangjiajie route three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday; and the Incheon-Hangzhou route twice a week on Monday and Friday.

The Incheon-Clark route will depart from Incheon at 07.55 and arrive in Clark at 11.05, while the return flight will depart Clark at 01.10 and arrive at Incheon Airport at 06.10. The flight from Incheon to Clark takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes.

The Incheon-Nanjing route is scheduled to depart Incheon at 10.40 and arrive in Nanjing at 12.10, while the return flight will depart at 01.15 and arrive in Incheon Airport at 04.45. The B737 will be used on this route from October 27 to November 29.

The Incheon-Zhangjiajie route will depart Incheon at 07.20 and arrive in Zhangjiajie at 10.20, while the return flight will depart at 11.30 and arrive in Incheon Airport at 03.40 the next day.

The Incheon-Hangzhou route will depart Incheon at 12.15 and arrive at 01.30 in Hangzhou, while the return flight will depart at 02.40 and arrive in Incheon at 06.00.

HK Express launches Hong Kong-Okinawa direct flight

HK Express has debuted a daily route from Hong Kong to Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, beginning September 26, 2019.

With the launch of this route, HK Express now operates flights to three destinations – Okinawa, Miyako (Shimojishima) and Ishigaki – across the islands.

Indonesia’s private sector steps up tourism investment beyond Bali

By Mimi Hudoyo
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Indonesia is intensifying efforts in developing the tourism industry beyond Bali, with the government pumping investment dollars into building supporting facilities and infrastructure in areas like Lake Toba, Mandalika, Labuan Bajo and Borobudur – which includes the Yogyakarta-Solo-Semarang triangle – this year as part of its 10 New Balis directive.

Efforts and dollars plowed by the government into developing these destinations has also spurred the private sector to seek out business opportunities in peripheral destinations beyond Bali, including Morotai, which is part of the 10 New Balis, Palu (Central Sulawesi) and Sorong (Papua).

One such enterprise is Sahid Hotels & Resorts which has opened its first three-star property in Morotai. The 62-key Moloka’I by Sahid, which sits beside Juanga Ferry Terminal, is part of the hotel’s move to back the government’s 10 New Bali initiative, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, president director of Sahid Hotels & Resorts.

Indonesia’s private sector boosts tourism investment in peripheral destinations beyond Bali, including Morotai; Zum Zum Island, Morotai, pictured

“The growth of tourism to Morotai has prompted Sahid Hotels & Resorts to expand to the island. Morotai is one of the primary (tourism) destinations in eastern Indonesia, famed especially for its marine attractions,” he said.

Similarly, Tauzia Hotels is also aligning its property pipeline with the projected growth of Indonesian tourism by building properties in less-developed regions, said Armand Steinmeyer, director of business development and investment at Tauzia International Management.

For instance, although Raja Ampat is West Papua’s key attraction, Tauzia is anchoring Sorong as the development platform in the region. Likewise, the group is looking to develop hotels in Medan overlooking Lake Toba. “Medan is the gateway to North Sumatra, with rooms still for development there,” Steinmeyer said.

Besides Sorong and Medan, Tauzia is planning to build properties in Lombok, Palu, and Pontianak or Singkawang in West Kalimantan.

“Our vision for 2020 is to support these destinations to become globally competitive in South-east Asia,” Steinmeyer said.

For Pacto DMC, the catalyst for expansion beyond Bali stemmed from the “unhealthy” over-reliance on the famed tourist island, which currently comprises 60 per cent of its offerings.

Umberto Cadamuro, COO inbound of Pacto, said: “We have learnt from natural disasters like the Mount Agung eruption and earthquake (in Lombok) that we cannot depend on Bali alone.

“We are lucky that Indonesia is large enough for us to have opportunities everywhere. As part of our 20-year development, the big plan is to spread our revenue (generation) across Indonesia.”

For starters, the company will add product development divisions in each of its branch offices in Medan, Bandung, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Makassar to broaden and strengthen its operations, Umberto said.

“As such, if anything happens in one destination, we still have others to offer,” he said, adding that Pacto’s development pipeline does not always align with the government’s plans.

Umberto also does not see the necessity of waiting for the infrastructure to fall in place to start developing new tourism products in a destination.

“Labuan Bajo started small and as facilities and infrastructure develop, arrivals are also growing. For Lake Toba, we have the opportunity to land one hour from the island (at Silangit Airport). That is already helpful because we can go from Medan to Toba, then fly to Jakarta directly,” he said.

“We can start working with a market (segment) now, and eventually, the volume will come.”

Oyo to raise US$1.5 billion in Series F funding

By TTG Asia
0
Airbnb confirms stake in India's OYO

Oyo Hotels & Homes will be raising US$1.5 billion in its latest funding round, of which a significant amount will go towards the company’s expansion in the US market, and strengthening its position in the vacation rentals business in Europe.

As a part of this Series F round, RA Hospitality Holdings will infuse approximately US$700 million as primary capital in the company, with the balance US$800 million being supplemented by other existing investors.

Oyo will be raising US$1.5 billion in its latest funding round

Earlier this year, Oyo announced that RA Hospitality Holdings has received CCI approval to invest US$2 billion in the company.

The company’s strong growth, improved margins and improvements in customer experience has led to the signing of a US$2 billion primary and secondary management investment round, spearheaded by founder and CEO, Ritesh Agarwal, with support from institutional banks and financial partners, said the company in a statement.

Prior to this, Oyo had raised over US$1 billion in its last financing round, announced on September 2018, led by SoftBank through SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia and Greenoaks Capital, and supported by new strategic partners like Airbnb.

Ritesh Agarwal, founder & CEO (global), Oyo Hotels & Homes, said: “I am also happy to share that on a year-on-year basis, we have seen that not only are we operating profitably at the building level, but at the same time, our EBITDA has also improved by 50 per cent on a year-on-year basis. The losses as a percentage of NRV have also been on a steady and significant declining curve.”

Vietnam unfurls new tourism marketing campaign

By TTG Asia
0

A new destination marketing campaign for Vietnam will soon be launched at the upcoming World Travel Market in London to present a “fresh and updated view” of the country to global travellers.

#VietnamNOW, a joint effort between Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), will spotlight the vast array of exciting experiences and world-class products Vietnam offers visitors, alongside its renowned natural beauty, and rich historical and cultural attractions.

Vietnam’s new tourism marketing campaign #VietnamNOW will promote the country’s famous street food, UNESCO heritage sites and natural landscapes, among others

“Through #VietnamNOW, we hope to expand the image of Vietnam overseas, by showing more of the outstanding options that are available in Vietnam today,” said Dinh Ngoc Duc, director general of VNAT’s tourism marketing department.

In addition to promoting Vietnam’s famous street food, UNESCO heritage sites, cultural treasures and natural landscapes, #VietnamNOW will also highlight new options for travellers, such as golf getaways, wellness retreats, luxury resorts, adventure tourism and urban breaks, VNAT officials said.

Events such as festivals, marathons and the 2020 Formula One Race in Hanoi will be leveraged to build awareness of Vietnam’s diverse tourism assets.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Productivity in tourism economy takes centre stage at 11th GTEF
TTG Asia | Hilton appoints Marco Neukom to lead dual Bali hotels
TTG Asia | Strong baht weighs on Thai tourism