Singapore event creators currently using the integration include The Whiskey Wander
Global ticketing and event technology platform Eventbrite has announced the Singaporean launch of Buy On Facebook, an integration that allows event creators and attendees to more easily sell and buy tickets directly through Facebook.
With the integration, event attendees can secure a ticket with just two taps, and without having to leave Facebook.
Singapore event creators currently using the integration include The Whiskey Wander
In a statement, Eventbrite said that its integration with Facebook will serve as a powerful event marketing tool, helping event creators reach millions of potential ticket buyers – and their friends.
When event-goers purchase a ticket on Facebook, their attendance can be shared with friends with a single tap, expanding the event’s reach and generating more buzz, according to the ticketing company.
What’s more, events that offer native ticketing have, on average, twice the number of viewers on Facebook as those without native tickets.
Phil Silverstone, general manager, Eventbrite Asia Pacific, said: “Reaching new attendees and providing a frictionless purchase experience is one of the greatest challenges event professionals face. Buy on Facebook solves both of these problems for event creators, providing a two-step native checkout experience that accelerates the conversion of browsers to buyers, seamlessly.”
Besides Singapore, Eventbrite’s Buy on Facebook integration is also available in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada.
THAI unveils flights to Sendai
Beginning October 29, 2019, Thai Airways International (THAI) will operate direct flights from Bangkok to Sendai, Japan three times a week.
The route will utilise a Boeing 777-200 aircraft with 30 seats in Royal Silk Class and 279 seats in Economy Class.
TG626 will depart Bangkok on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 23.50, and arrive in Sendai at 07.30 the following day. The return flight, TG627 will depart Sendai on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 11.15, and land in Bangkok at 16.05.
Korean Air adds China and Philippines to network
Korean Air will launch three new routes to cities in China and one to the Philippines.
The new China routes of Korean Air will be Incheon-Nanjing, Zhangjiajie and Hangzhou. Meanwhile, the carrier will begin services between Incheon and Clark with seven flights a week beginning in end October.
The airline will also increase its frequency of the Incheon-Delhi to seven flights a week from September 1, and up the Incheon-Beijing route from 14 flights a week to 18 flights a week from end October.
As well, the airline will suspend the Incheon-Nadi (Fiji) flight from October 1.
Thai AirAsia X now flies to Brisbane
Thai AirAsia X is the first in the AirAsia Group to start direct flights from Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport to Brisbane. The four-times weekly scheduled flights will be operated on an Airbus A330-300.
Flight XJ310 will Don Mueang at 23.40 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and arrive in Brisbane at 11.35 the following day. Return flight XJ311 will depart Brisbane on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12.50, and arrive in Bangkok at 19.10.
United adds second daily service between San Francisco and Hong Kong
United Airlines has added a second daily nonstop flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong from October 26. This will give customers the choice of midday or late-night departures from both airports.
Qatar Airways bring Qsuite onboard its Bangkok Route
Qatar Airways will launch its business class seat, Qsuite, on board flights from Bangkok starting July 15.
QSuite features the industry’s first-ever double bed available in business class, with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private cabin. Adjustable panels and movable TV monitors in the centre of four seats allow people travelling together to transform the space into a private suite.
Location
Frasers Hospitality has opened its latest Capri by Fraser hotel in the heart of Singapore’s CBD, a buzzing district during the weekdays but a quiet respite on the weekends.
For overseas guests, the 16-storey hotel offers a convenient base from which they can explore the Lion City, as there are four MRT lines (green, red, purple and blue) within a 10-minute walk.
Capri by Fraser China Square
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Lobby
Jun Restaurant
The Den
Studio Executive Bedroom
Studio Deluxe Executive
Gym (with talents)
Swimming Pool
Rooms
My 29m2 Studio Executive has a kitchenette, complete with cooker hood, hob, microwave, plates and cooking utensils. While compact, the room type makes a good option for longer-staying guests, or even those who like to do light cooking while on vacation.
The side tables on both sides of the comfortable king-sized bed came in a special shape, inspired by the tiffin carriers of yesteryears. There were ample USB ports on both sides of the bed, but I especially liked the wireless charger positioned under the lamp on the work desk. This came in extremely handy – and was a relief – as I forgot to bring a cable to charge my iPhoneX.
I did however, find it cumbersome to climb in and out of the bathtub to access the shower, and would have preferred a shower stall instead. The Wi-Fi was speedy, and there was no limit to the devices connected per room.
F&B
JÙN Restaurant is the sole all-day dining outlet on-site, serving local dishes like salted egg chicken and Teochew-style steamed fish, alongside innovative offerings such as chilli crab rillette kueh pie tee and baked chempedak crumble.
This is also where guests go for the breakfast buffet line in the mornings. My stomach was very pleased with the breakfast spread, as most of the dishes I tried were really tasty, in particular the hokkien mee.
Facilities
There is a rooftop pool (with underwater speakers so you can have music while doing laps); steam rooms; a fully-equipped gym that boasts Prama, an interactive fitness platform; and the 24/7 Spin & Play launderette with an Atari Pong table.
There are also two interconnecting meeting rooms, the 45m2 Pod 1 &78m2 Pod 2, on the second floor.
On the same floor is also the executive lounge, The Den, outfitted with plush sofas, business class-esque chairs in muted pinks and blues, as well as wireless chargers. Coffee and snacks were free flow, and I was delighted to see sandwiches alongside the biscuits. There were also several boardgames on offer, which could accommodate one to four players.
Service
Most service staff were courteous and helpful when approached, except for one who was a little rougher around the edges, though it’s nothing a little training won’t fix.
Verdict
Its enviable location, smack in the middle of Telok Ayer, is perfect for staycationers on the weekends as the CBD is quiet, and for bleisure travellers who work in the CBD area.
Number of rooms 304 Rates From S$250 (US$183) Contact details
Tel (65) 6437 0888
Email reservations.singapore@capribyfraser.com
Royal Park Hotels has appointed Hiroko Seki as the general manager of The Royal Park Canvas – Ginza 8, becoming the first-ever female general manager in the history of the Japan-headquartered hospitality group.
Seki has more than 16 years of hospitality experience under her belt, having worked in overseas properties such as Hanoi Daewoo Hotel in Vietnam and Mandarin Orchard Singapore.
In 2012 she returned to Japan and was employed at Royal Park Shiodome Tower as front receptionist, where she worked her way up to vice general manager accommodation in 2016.
In its transformation into an Asian megacity, Jakarta has been slow to increase its mix of international visitors, an imbalance that international-brand luxury hotels alone cannot correct, C9 Hotelworks argues.
In 2018, the city’s hotels hosted over 13 million guests, yet 86% were from the domestic segment.
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Alila SCBD
According to the newly released the Jakarta Hotel Market Review by C9 Hotelworks, over 2.7 million overseas passengers arrived at the gateway Soekarno-Hatta International Airport last year. Over a 10-year period the compound annual growth rate hit an impressive 7.4%.
Yet, the reality is that Indonesia’s largely domestic economic marketplace remains the key spotlight as public sector infrastructure is playing catch up with ongoing mass transportation developments trying to link the city’s spread of mini-metros, C9 Hotelworks observes.
A key outcome of the domestic feeding frenzy is that Indonesian conglomerates and real estate groups are developing massive integrated mixed-use properties with global luxury operators. Jakarta’s accommodation pipeline includes well-known names such as Park Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria, St. Regis, W, Regent and Langham.
Historically the influx of overseas guests are business travellers during peak mid-week periods who leave the city in advance of the weekend. C9 surmises that this leaves hotels with the choice of either lower room rates for the domestic market or empty beds.
Jakarta’s international geographic source of business profile has seen mainland China in the top position since 2015, with a five-year CAGR of 9%. Rounding out the top five are Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. There have been few surprises during the past few years yet two international sporting events, the 2018 Asia and Para Asian games pushed market-wide demand higher.
Looking forward, C9 Hotelworks managing director Bill Barnett said: “It’s unclear if the new luxury pipeline will dramatically induce the overseas market. Until there are broader economic reforms that will positively impact FDI (foreign direct investment) and improvements in commuting to CBD areas, the domestic segment is likely to remain firmly entrenched in the driver’s seat of Jakarta hotel performance.”
OYO 101 Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1
Oyo Hotels & Homes has officially launched in Vietnam, with the India-headquartered hotel chain committed to investing US$50 in the country’s booming tourism sector.
According to KrAsia, Oyo claims to have over 90 hotel partners across six major cities in Vietnam – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Phu Quoc, Vung Tau and Nha Trang. The company’s aim is to become the largest hotel chain in Vietnam by the end of 2020 with presence in 10 cities and 20,000 rooms.
OYO 101 Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1
Oyo Vietnam’s country head Dushyat Dwibedy told KrAsia that most hotel partners in Vietnam are mid-range and budget hotel owners with a smaller number of rooms, who are willing to adopt Oyo’s technology-based solutions to transform their hotel operations. Hotel owners have to pay in order to join Oyo, but Dwibedy said that such fees were flexible.
Currently, Vietnam’s OTA market has been dominated by foreign players such as Booking and Agoda, where local media have reported concerns that hotel owners in Vietnam are too dependent on these websites, and are subjected to higher listing fees.
This in turn, has spelled an opportunity for Oyo to enter the market and encourage users to book directly on the Oyo app or website that lists hotel partners, reported KrAsia.
Launched in 2013, Oyo became a unicorn within six years after raising US$1 billion led by Softbank’s Vision Fund in 2018 and other investors including Sequoia Capital and Grab. In January, Oyo announced that it would double investment in South-east Asia to US$200 million to achieve the goal of 2.5 million rooms by 2023.
Moving into the third quarter of 2019, Japan and Singapore hold onto top spot on the Henley Passport Index, with a visa-free/visa-on-arrival score of 189, while the US and UK are in their lowest position since 2010.
This latest ranking of passport power and global mobility – which is based on exclusive data from IATA marks the culmination of an 18-month long winning streak, after they unseated Germany from its long-held top position at the beginning of 2018.
Singapore and Japan passports currently hold top spot
Falling from the top spot it shared last quarter, South Korea now sits in second place along with Finland and Germany, accessing 187 destinations without a prior visa.
Finland’s ascent is due to recent changes to Pakistan’s formerly highly restrictive visa policy.
In the hope of attracting tourists and boosting its struggling economy, Pakistan now offers an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) to 50 countries – notably excluding the UK or the US.
With a score of 183, the UK and the US now share sixth place – the lowest position either country has held since 2010, and a significant drop from their top rankings in 2014.
Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg share third place, while France, Spain and Sweden sit in joint fourth.
In significant shifts elsewhere, the UAE has entered the top 20 for the first time in the index’s 14-year history, more than doubling its number of visa-free destinations over the past five years. Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the global mobility spectrum, with access to just 25 destinations worldwide.
Throughout most of the index’s history, the UK has held one of the top five places in the ranking. However, with its exit from the EU now imminent, the UK’s once-strong position looks increasingly uncertain.
The Brexit process has not yet had a direct impact on the UK’s ranking, but new research using exclusive historical data from the Henley Passport Index indicates that this could change, with consequences that extend beyond a decline in passport power.
Political science researchers Uğur Altundal and Ömer Zarpli, of Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh respectively, have found a link between visa-openness and progressive reform.
They say “the prospect of visa-waiver agreements with the EU has encouraged neighbouring countries to adopt important reforms in areas such as civil and political rights, rule of law, and security”.
They note that freedom of movement appears to be a vital pre-condition not only for economic growth, but also for social integration and progressive political change.
With nationalism on the rise, and global powerhouses like the UK and the US embracing policies that limit freedom of movement, this new research indicates that associated impacts on political rights, rule of law, security and democracy could be profound.
Christian Kaelin, chairman of Henley & Partners, and the creator of the passport index concept, said: “This latest research appears to confirm something that many of us already knew intuitively: that increased visa-openness benefits the entire global community, and not just the strongest countries.”
Countries with citizenship-by-investment programmes continue to perform strongly on the index, and demonstrate a similar connection between passport power and economic and social progress.
Malta now sits in seventh place with a score of 182, just one spot behind the UK and the US. Cyprus retains its 16th place, with a score of 172, while the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda is now in 29th place, rising 11 spots over the past decade.
Tarutao National Park is part of Thailand's Satun Province and located north of Langkawi
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) is proposing the merging of Langkawi in Malaysia and Satun province in southern Thailand to create the first transnational UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) in Asia.
According to The Star, LADA CEO Hezri Adnan said that he had passed this request to UNESCO, and that he will meet the Satun governor next month to discuss the matter.
Tarutao National Park is part of Thailand’s Satun Province and located north of Langkawi
Benefits cited include sharing the duties of conservation, managed development and promotion. The enhanced appeal of cross-border itineraries is also expected to significantly boost Langkawi’s tourism industry.
Situated in the Andaman Sea, both geoparks were formed at the same time during a massive tectonic event 550 million years ago.
“Geologically speaking, the Satun and Langkawi Geoparks are one and the same. Our lands share the same ancient history,” he was quoted as saying.
Langkawi was listed as a UGG in 2007, and Satun was awarded the same status last year.
Diethelm Travel Malaysia managing director, Manfred Kurz, supported the idea of combining both geoparks and marketing them together as one.
Travel between both geoparks currently take about 1.5 hour on a ferry ride.
He said: “Longhaul tourists usually like to see a few destinations in one trip. If the proposed is implemented, we will work with Diethelm Travel Thailand to work out a programme combining both. To further boost tourism, the authorities should ensure seamless immigration.”
Adam Kamal, general manager, Tour East Malaysia, said: “Both destinations have their own charm. Langkawi is rich in nature and natural attractions while Satun’s pull is its food and nightlife. Combining both destinations will provide clients with different experiences.”
As with any multi-destination itineraries, there may be extra visa applications work for certain nationalities, he reminded.
One of Oakwood's China properties, the Oakwood Residence Beijing
Hospitality company Oakwood has opened a new office in Beijing as part of its expansion in Asia Pacific and to better serve international companies doing business in China, the world’s largest corporate travel market.
With the establishment of a Beijing office, Oakwood is able to bill in local currency and issue fapiao, a legal receipt that serves as proof of purchase for goods and services. This allows companies to be reimbursed for taxes, and provides documentation for individuals to obtain reimbursements for business expenses.
One of Oakwood’s China properties, the Oakwood Residence Beijing
“For many of our clients, having a foothold in China, with a local office and trained staff that understands local nuances, is a key requirement for servicing multinational accounts,” explained Dean Schreiber, interim CEO, Oakwood and managing director, Oakwood Asia Pacific.
Oakwood currently has nine branded properties in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Sanya, Shanghai, Suzhou and Yangzhou, with more in the pipeline. In total, Oakwood has a footprint of 35,000 properties in more than 95 countries.
Oakwood says its global portfolio will enable partners to better source, book, and manage housing requirements for their clients and employees.
Acclaimed French chef Anne-Sophie Pic, with seven Michelin stars under her belt, will make her debut in Asia with the opening of French restaurant La Dame de Pic at Raffles Singapore on July 5, a month ahead of the hotel’s grand opening in August.
Located in the main building of the hotel, the 46-seater La Dame de Pic takes over the space that once was the Raffles Grill. The space has been designed by Champalimaud Design led by Alexandra Champalimaud, with soft pink hues and rich plums matched with grey clay tones and metallic accents. Taking centrestage in the restaurant is a gold chandelier composed of tiers of discs with laser-cut spades, a play on ‘La Dame de Pic’ which translates to ‘queen of spades’.
La Dame de Pic, Raffles Singapore
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Restaurant interior
Restaurant interior
Berlingots
Brittany Lobster
Signature dishes include berlingots (pasta parcels), cucumber with Oscietra caviar, Brittany lobster, and Tajima wagyu beef. The desserts menu will include white mille-feuille, Gariguette strawberry and rosat geranium, and Araguani chocolate mousse, among others. In addition, the extensive beverage menu features a wine list that leans towards the French regions, with a particular focus on Pic’s birthplace, the Rhône Valley.
A third-generation Michelin-star chef, Pic follows in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, hailing from a long lineage of chefs with the Pic family’s culinary heritage beginning since their first restaurant established in 1889.
There are two other La Dame de Pic restaurants in Paris and London.
