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Asia/Singapore Thursday, 29th January 2026
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Rebranded Great Singapore Sale goes beyond shopping to offer tours, fashion shows, films and more

By TTG Asia
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Container pop-ups along Orchard Road, film screenings, events at the heritage-steeped Kampong Glam and more

The 25-year-old Great Singapore Sale has been rebranded into Experience Singapore, set to take place from June 21 to July 28 2019.

Said to deliver a retail experience that transcends discounts, Singapore’s new marquee event for shoppers is a collaboration between the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA), One Kampong Gelam (OKG), Orchard Road Business Association (ORBA), Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS), Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC), and Textile and Fashion Federation (TAFF) to deliver a retail experience that transcends beyond discounts.

Container pop-ups along Orchard Road, film screenings, events at the heritage-steeped Kampong Glam and more

GSS: Experience Singapore will bring to the city an array of pop-up events that celebrate local lifestyle, fashion, culture, art and talent.

The Great Singapore Street Pop-Up opens daily from June 21 to 30 (11.00 to 22.00) with 42 retail and F&B operators from cult jeans and active sports wear, fashion apparel and accessories, furniture and home furnishings, jewelry and vintage collectibles, cosmetics, arts and crafts and food.

Visitors can treat themselves to Ah Hoi’s chilli crabs, sashimi & sushi and Singapore’s own concoction of bubble tea.

From July 5 to 14, The Experience Kampong Gelam will bring educational experiences to visitors, shedding light on the cultural and national significance of the preserved community through a fashion show, car boot sale, home and lifestyle bazaar, cultural entertainment and curated precinct tours.

The Great Singapore Stories is a collection of local films, music and stories told by Singaporean filmmakers, musicians and students. Visitors can enjoy curated short films by students of Temasek Polytechnic, movies by Singapore filmmakers (‘Forever Fever’ @DesignOrchard Rooftop on June 22 and ‘A Great Great World’ @ Grange Road Carpark on June 28, courtesy of Singapore Film Commission) and tune in to jazz bands and buskers performances by our very local talents.

Classroom learning takes to the retail floor with creative window shopfronts designed and produced by Visual Merchandising & Interior Design students from Raffles Design Institute, Singapore Polytechnic and Temasek Polytechnic.

Visitors can check out their creative works at these stores – CYC at Capitol Piazza & Fullerton Hotel; Deja Vu Vintage (Millenia Walk), Echo of Nature (Suntec City), Playdress (Suntec City) and The Commune Life (Millenia Walk).

Robinsons The Heeren (Level 5) will host the Great Furniture Showcase including new or limited-edition creations produced for the GSS: Experience Singapore period by design houses like 11H, Creativeans, Fraction Design Studio, Modu Designers, Nextofkin Creatives and OON.

To keep discount lovers coming, there will special deals on every Friday of the discount season as well as a 7.7 GST Absorbed Day.

R Dhinakaran, president of the SRA, the organiser of GSS: Experience Singapore commented: “As the retail landscape advances, it was important for our flagship retail extravaganza to reflect that, too. SRA is incredibly grateful to all our partners for bringing the first-ever cross-sector collaboration to life by leveraging the synergies of different industries to create an all-encompassing lifestyle event to meet the demands of today’s experience-seeking consumer.”

Ranita Sundra, director, retail and dining, STB, added: “The rebranded GSS: Experience Singapore… is aligned with our broader vision for Orchard Road to be a lifestyle destination, and we invite both locals and visitors to enjoy the shopping deals and lifestyle and entertainment offerings on offer.”

New point values for seats, lower fees and more in Qantas’ overhauled rewards programme

By TTG Asia
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More Australia to London route options

Touting the biggest overhaul of its loyalty programme, Qantas has unveiled changes including reduced fees for reward flights, access to more seats and more rewards for those who spend on-the-ground.

While the changes come at a US$25 million investment, the airline expects this to be offset within the first year by increased programme engagement.

Point requirements lowered for economy and raised for premium cabins

Rewarding on-the-ground transactions
Qantas will also recognise members who earn points through non-flying related transactions through the new Points Club.

The club will unlock flight and travel benefits including lounge access and bonus status credits – as well as member-exclusive offers and discounts across Qantas Frequent Flyer and partners.

The entry-level Points Club tier will be accessed through earning 150,000 points on the ground while the exclusive ‘Points Club Plus’ tier, with richer member benefits, will have a higher annual threshold. Points Club will be launched in late 2019.

Changes to fees and number of points required
The number of points required for international economy Classic Reward seats will decrease by up to 10 per cent effective immediately.

For premium cabins, the number of points required will increase by up to 15 per cent effective September 18, 2019. Points required for upgrades will also increase by up to nine per cent.

Carrier charges
Carrier charges will be slashed by up to 50 per cent on international redemption bookings, saving members on average A$200 (US$139) per return journey, halving the out of pocket expenses associated with reward travel.

A return Classic Reward flight from Sydney or Melbourne to London will see carrier charges reduced from A$1,080 to A$700 in business class while a return economy flight from Sydney to New York will see carrier charges reduced from A$360 to A$180.

The reduction in charges on international economy flights is already in effect, while premium cabin bookings charges will be decreased from September 18, 2019.

More reward seats
Frequent Flyers will have access to more than a million extra reward seats annually on Qantas and a growing list of partner airlines including during peak leisure travel periods to popular destinations such as London, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Singapore.

Overall, the airline estimates members will enjoy up to 30 per cent increase in high-demand reward seats in Qantas International premium cabins over the next 12 months.

Members will also enjoy greater choice when travelling to destinations across Europe, New Zealand and South-east Asia through new frequent flyer agreements with Air New Zealand, China Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Lifetime Platinum
Qantas Frequent Flyer will be the first Australian loyalty programme to offer Lifetime Platinum status. Entry to Lifetime Platinum will be reached by a member accruing 75,000 status credits, and adds to the existing Lifetime Gold and Lifetime Silver frequent flyer tiers. The new Lifetime tier will be introduced in September.

User experience
Changes to the search functionality will make finding reward seats quicker and easier – displaying 12 months of reward seats in under five seconds and letting members see the next available redemption flight for popular destinations every time you log into your account.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce commented: “We know the majority of our members want to use their points to take a dream trip overseas, so we are adding more reward seats as well as slashing carrier charges.

“While the points required for business class seats on international and domestic flights will increase slightly, it is the first increase in 15 years and the product has improved a lot in that time.”

Since its inception in 1987, the frequent flyer programme has grown from 50,000 members who could only earn points on travel to almost 13 million members who can earn points with more than 300 partners.

Qantas loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said the changes take into consideration “extensive research into the habits and behaviours of frequent flyers”.

“While frequent travellers have always been at the centre of what we do, the growth of our programme and its hundreds of partners has provided opportunities for many members to now earn most of their points on the ground,” she said.

Further details on each of these changes will be provided to members as they are introduced.

Royal Brunei Airlines relocates commercial office in Singapore

By TTG Asia
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High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam in Singapore, Saifulbahri Mansor (second from right), with Royal Brunei Airlines' Nick Naung, Karam Chand and Ai-Ling Ng

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) last week celebrated its move into a new Singapore commercial office at Liat Towers.

The opening was officiated by guest of honour, Saifulbahri Mansor, high commissioner of Brunei Darussalam in Singapore and Karam Chand, RB’s CEO.

High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam in Singapore, Saifulbahri Mansor (second from right), with (from left) Royal Brunei Airlines’ Nick Naung, Karam Chand and Ai-Ling Ng

A traditional Malay silat performance followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and cocktail reception marked the occasion, which was attended by RB’s business partners, corporate clients, trade agents and members of the media.

“The relocation and revamping of our Singapore City office presented new opportunities for the team to focus their priorities in creating guest loyalty by providing a more seamless guest experience and delivering effective sales and marketing activities with key business partners within the premises. Through the new office, we look forward to elevating RB’s brand presence in Singapore and the team to carry on the great work towards achieving the targets set and continued success,” said Chand.

The new Singapore office is located at Unit #15-01, 541 Orchard Road, Liat Towers. The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00, closed during lunch hours from 13.00 to 14.00 and on weekends and public holidays. RB guest may contact RB’s Singapore office at +65 6235 1767 for any ticketing and sales enquiries.

GM appointed for new Hotel Alexandra opening in HK next year

By TTG Asia
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Christina Cheng has been appointed general manager of Hotel Alexandra, a 840-room property scheduled to open in early 2020 in Hong Kong’s North Point waterfront.

Cheng boasts an extensive career within a number of luxury hospitality brands in Asia including The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, Mandarin Oriental Macau, as well as a broad 15 years at the flagship property Harbour Grand Kowloon of Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts from the pre-opening stages and beyond, championing key roles within sales and marketing.

With more than 30 years of professional experience in the hospitality space, Cheng was most recently general manager of Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees, having led the hotel since its pre-opening phase in 2009 and the decade thereafter.

Chris Dexter joins Wyndham as operations VP

By TTG Asia
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Chris Dexter has been appointed vice president, operations for South-east Asia and Pacific Rim by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.

The British national will lead the operations team from Wyndham’s regional head office in Singapore.

Dexter has been with Wyndham in China for the last 11 years, initially as general manager of Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hangzhou, before being promoted to vice president of operations for Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hotels & Resorts in Greater China, where he oversaw the operational responsibilities for 17 properties.

Dexter first embarked on his hospitality career in 1991 as F&B manager at the InterContinental Lusaka in Zambia. Other positions he has held include F&B director for Dusit Thani Bangkok; director of operations at Hilton opening properties in Chongqing and Phuket; and director of operations for the Leeds Marriott Hotel in the UK.

Maldives kicks off dedicated tourism campaign for SE Asia

By Feizal Samath
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The initiative by MMPRC aims to promote the Maldives as a top destination across the globe.

The Maldives will be embarking on an expo in Malaysia – in partnership with AirAsia – this week as part of a long-awaited campaign targeting South-east Asian’s outbound travellers.

“With the Malaysian event, we are kicking off our campaign in that region,” said Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC), the country’s main tourism promotion agency.

The initiative by MMPRC aims to promote the Maldives as a top destination across the globe.

Named the Visit Maldives Travel Expo, the event in Malaysia will be a three-day long tradeshow held from July 5-7 at a mall in Putrajaya, where 14 partners from Maldives will be participating.

“It’s a different kind of tradeshow, with the first two days devoted to B2B, and the final day being a B2C event,” Mohamed told TTG Asia in a phone interview last Saturday.

Earlier this month, Mohamed told TTG Asia in an interview in Male that the MMPRC was planning to hold numerous promotions in South-east Asia as the region’s travellers tend to be quick decision-makers on overseas trips unlike their European counterparts.

Aside from Malaysia, MMPRC is also looking to conduct “some marketing activity” in Philippines and Singapore. For instance, MMPRC and its local partners will be taking part in the NATAS Holiday Fair in Singapore from August 2-4.

He added that the agency is not ignoring Europe, where “many roadshows are lined up”.

In addition, the Maldives has announced a three-fold increase in its tourism promotion budget this year to around US$7 million, compared with US$2.2 million annually in the past few years. Arrivals have been set at 1.6 million this year, up from 1.4 million in 2018.

The new campaign focusing on the South-east Asian outbound market is expected to give a timely promotional boost for the Maldives, as the destination has been perceived to suffer from a lack of new attractions and costly airfares.

According to Anake Srishevachart, chairman of Thaisin Express and Uni Thai Trip: “Even though the Maldives has become an emerging destination for international tourists (like the) Chinese, many Thais feel it still lacks fresh attractions and new activities – aside from clear water, private islands and beaches.”

“The cost of travel to the Maldives is also higher than other countries in Asia so only a few can afford packages. They may visit once but not (make repeat visits),” he added.

Wee Hee Ling, CEO at Euro-Asia Holidays on the other hand, shares that awareness of the Maldives in Singapore is not high.

“At the moment, it’s not a priority to visit (the Maldives), and there’s no rush to go there. Maldives tourism authorities have very quiet in the past two to three years, and there’s a lot more competition and options right now – for example, Fiji, Mauritius and the Pacific Islands have been very aggressive in spending money and effort on outreach. The Maldives has become a bit forgotten, and the demand from Singapore has dropped quite a bit compared to five years ago,” he elaborated.

Currently, South-east Asian travellers make up just 4.3 per cent of total traffic to the Maldives, and the MMPRC feels there is room to attract more. Main source markets from South-east Asia are Thailand – rising from 3,813 arrivals in 2009 to 32,436 in 2018; Malaysia – rising from 3,139 in 2009 to 22,202 in 2018, and Singapore – rising from 5,214 in 2009 to 18,638 in 2014 and then dropping to 13,877 in 2018.

  • Additional reporting from Suchat Sritama and Pamela Chow

Germany entices South-east Asian travellers with calendar of events

By Pamela Chow
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Rolling out events celebrating architecture, 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and more

The German National Tourist Board (GNTB) is eyeing South-east Asian markets “with an enormous amount of interest”, stepping up its promotional efforts in the region including through campaigns built around different themed events.

In Singapore, Germany is the second-most popular European travel destination after UK. According to IPK International’s World Travel Monitor data, tourist traffic from Singapore to Germany has been steadily increasing, posting a 45 per cent increase from 75,000 in 2016 to 109,000 in 2018.

Rolling out events celebrating architecture, 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and more

Of these travellers, the average length of stay is eight nights, and 81 per cent were booked online.

“We are looking at South-east Asia with an enormous amount of interest. This is an economical powerhouse with a huge market, and we’re expecting to see growth of five to six per cent a year from this region,” said Ulrich A Sante, ambassador to Singapore of the Federal Republic of Germany.

GNTB forecasts that by 2030, the number overnight stays by travellers from Asia-Pacific will grow by 123 per cent to reach 14.3 million.

The board’s trade efforts in the region include OTA campaigns, industry meet-ups, online roadshows and online training for agents.

This year’s activations will push 100 Years of Bauhaus, a celebration that includes festivals, events and activities centering on the architectural movement.

Concurrent campaigns that GNTB will push this year include German Summer Cities – which showcases urban attractions for summer vacations – and the 30-year mark since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2020, campaigns lined up to promote tourism to Germany include a nature campaign and the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven.

BeMyGuest raises new funds to boost growth in Asia

By TTG Asia
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Menchaca:

Singapore-based technology and distribution specialist BeMyGuest has announced a fresh injection of funds from its Series B round, coming largely from internal stakeholders, to bolster development in its home market of Asia.

The company also recently launched a SaaS platform to empower more operators with the ability to sell through those API-integrated partners.

Menchaca: company is committed to bolstering its tech lead

Blanca Menchaca, CEO & co-founder of BeMyGuest, said: “The new funding will take the company through its next phase of growth including the launch of a number of progressive technological initiatives… We view this funding as compelling evidence of the confidence not only in our business, but also this industry, and the Asian region.”

She added that BeMyGuest has established “a unique and agnostic B2B position in Asia”, including “the most robust API platform” in the attractions, tours and activities vertical that support more than 50 integrations with the region’s biggest OTAs.

“We are committed to building on our unique model which combines strong distribution with a powerful API to some of the largest OTAs in markets such as Indonesia, China, Korea and Vietnam. We also empower operators with our SaaS platform so that they get affordable tech to connect to our distribution network as well as use for their own business opportunities.”

She said this unique approach is key in Asia where tech adoption is low among a large proportion of operators. “We want to empower more operators with tech so that the entire market grows and everyone wins.”

According to Menchaca, BeMyGuest has seen a doubling of its revenues for the fourth year running and is expected to maintain the rapid pace of growth this year.

Japan campaigns for tourists to buy travel insurance as unpaid hospital bills pile up

By TTG Asia
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Japanese government urges tourists to buy travel insurance as unpaid medical fees pile up; tourists at the Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto pictured

Government agencies in Japan are campaigning for foreign tourists to purchase travel insurance as unpaid medial bills left behind by visitors exert mounting pressure on hospital budgets, according to a Kyodo News report.

The country has been experiencing a tourism boom and visitor numbers are set to further surge next year, when the country hosts the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The Japanese government is urging tourists to buy travel insurance as unpaid medical fees pile up; tourists at the Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto pictured

Citing a survey by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, Kyodo News said that approximately 20 per cent of hospitals which have treated foreign tourists have seen patients’ medical bills go unpaid.

In one instance, a hospital counted over 10 million yen (US$92,000) in unpaid bills.

A survey conducted by the tourism agency in fiscal 2018 showed 27 per cent of foreign travellers arrived uninsured, while 48 per cent said they bought insurance from travel agencies or insurance companies and 23 per cent enrolled in travel insurance plans through credit cards, Kyodo News reported. Five per cent fell ill or suffered injuries while in Japan.

This is despite Japan’s tourism agency taking extra steps to sell insurance to foreign tourists in recent years.

Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance had developed an insurance policy in cooperation with Japan’s tourism agency. It started selling the product in 2016, when tourist numbers increased sharply.

The policy was kept affordable by focussing on medical coverage over other the loss of personal items, for example.

Now, the Japan Tourism Agency is stepping up on its travel insurance campaigns. It has created flyers and placed them at tourist information centers in airports and hotels, alongside distributing cards listing the price of the most expensive hospital treatments.

Available in Chinese, Korean, and Thai, the flyer also informs tourists that they can quickly and easily buy insurance using their smartphones or other devices, even after arriving in Japan.

Heritage Line to float out new Mekong vessel in Laos next year

By TTG Asia
0

Boutique luxury cruise company Heritage Line is expanding its portfolio next year with its new small ship, Anouvong, which will ply the Upper Mekong River.

Anouvong has two passenger decks for accommodation and public facilities, hosting a total of 10 cabins – eight staterooms and two suites.

The Deluxe and Deluxe Executive rooms are 20m2 in size, featuring French balconies and occupying both the main and upper terrace decks, with four rooms on each level. The two Signature Suites are located at the front of the main deck and boast 30m2 of floor space. Both Signature Suites comprise a private balcony and large bathroom with Jacuzzi.

Anouvong
1 of 3

The terrace deck offers shaded sun beds for guests to watch the passing river landscapes, and is connected to the air-conditioned café-bar lounge. Other facilities onboard include the Bodhi Spa and a dining hall.

The luxurious overnight vessel will start sailings on September 29, 2020 with two itineraries, one short and one long, along the upper Mekong River.

The shorter trip, the Golden Triangle Traverse, will sail guests from Huay Xai on the Thai/Lao border, to Luang Prabang in central Laos. This journey can be booked in both directions, with a stay of three nights.

The longer alternative, Laotian Serendipity, will connect Vientiane with Huay Xai, with a Luang Prabang stop. The cruise can also be booked in both directions (nine-nights upstream, seven nights downstream).

Anouvong is now open for bookings. Over the next few months, Heritage Line is offering a special opening rate with a 20 per cent discount on any sailing. Rates start from US$1,044 per person for the three-night Golden Triangle Traverse, and US$2,368 on the seven-night Laotian Serendipity cruise (or US$3,045 for nine-night upstream).

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Intrepid Travel appoints country GM
TTG Asia | An appealing region for travel
TTG Asia | Philippines steps up tourism marketing in Asia