Cathay Pacific has completed the acquisition of Hong Kong Express Airways (HK Express), and has also picked one of its own to head the wholly-owned subsidiary.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific director commercial and cargo, will be the CEO of HK Express, which will remain as a stand-alone low-cost carrier to serve a niche market.
Cathay adds budget carrier to group portfolio
Cathay Pacific CEO and HK Express chairman Rupert Hogg said: “HK Express will continue to operate as a stand-alone airline using the low-cost carrier business model. I would also like to reassure HK Express customers that there is no change to the airline’s operating model and that business will continue as usual. There will be more value fares and more destinations available to travellers.”
Hogg added that the acquisition of HK Express is an attractive and practical way for the Cathay Pacific Group to develop and grow its aviation business over the long term, while also enhancing the competitiveness of its Hong Kong home base as a leading aviation hub.
“Our respective businesses and business models are largely complementary. HK Express captures a unique market segment that, together with the extensive network offered by the Cathay Pacific Group, could multiply connection opportunities through Hong Kong. This will bring tremendous benefits to the travelling public with more choices and greater convenience for their travel experience,” he said.
Hmlet bridging gaps in demand for affordable, flexible and secure housing across the region.
Singapore-based co-living operator Hmlet has raised US$40 million in a Series B funding round, which will enable it to grow its presence in gateway cities across the region.
Led by Burda Principal Investments, this latest funding round also saw participation from existing investor Sequoia India and new investors Mitsubishi Estate, Reinventure Group and angel investors.
Hmlet aims to bridge gaps in demand for affordable, flexible and secure housing across the region
Hmlet plans to use its fresh injection of funds to expand its presence in gateway cities – where housing is expensive – across the company’s existing markets of Singapore, Hong Kong and Sydney. Plans for launch in Melbourne, Brisbane and Tokyo are also in the pipeline.
Alongside Hmlet’s co-living business model, the Series B funding will also go into growing local operations to further capitalise on current conditions of property markets.
Prior to this Series B funding round, Hmlet raised a US$6.5 Million Series A in November 2018, and a US$1.5 million seed round in 2017.
“When we launched Hmlet, we wanted to create a better way of living for an increasingly mobile workforce, who want a sense of home and community in whichever country they choose to live in. We’ve seen our philosophy and operational model resonate with the market, which has allowed us to secure our Series B funding less than 12 months after our Series A round,” said Yoan Kamalski, CEO of Hmlet.
The startup has also announced the launch of its largest facility in Singapore to date, a 150-room property at 150 Cantonment Road that features co-living spaces including communal kitchens, a wellness studio and an all-day, in-house cafe.
Incorporated in 2016, Hmlet currently manages over 1,500 rooms in 75 locations across three cities in Asia-Pacific, and is looking to build a network that spans across 10 cities in five countries within the next two years.
Due to recent seismic activity at Mount Bromo in central Java, Indonesia, the crater rim at this iconic destination is no longer permitted for visits until further notice, according to an Asian Trails Indonesia newsletter to clients. This applies to all bookings with immediate effect.
Visitors are still able to access the viewing point at Penanjakan, and vehicles will still drive down to the parking area at the foot of Mount Bromo, but clients will no longer be able to venture any further by foot as the could previously. All Asian Trails tours will be operational with this slight amendment to the touring activity.
Mount Bromo is showing signs of seismic activity
Mount Bromo erupted last Friday afternoon (July 19) at 16.67, according to The Jakarta Post which obtained the information from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
Although the eruption caused tremors up to 37 millimetres, a BNPB spokesperson told The Jakarta Post that the situation is under control. However, tremors with amplitudes of 0.5 to 1 mm were still recorded through Saturday morning.
Mount Bromo has been on Level 2 alert (caution) since 2016.
Australian holiday parks are gradually regaining control of their online sales distribution channels, and clawing back market share from large OTAs such as Booking.com and Expedia, according the first RMS Cloud Holiday Park Performance Index.
The findings were based on more than two million online bookings that were made through the RMS Cloud distribution and property management platform from 2014-2018.
Marengo Holiday Park in Apollo Bay, Australia
Holiday park operators boost direct bookings
The performance index shows between 2014-2018, the online market share of Booking.com and Expedia fell from 65% to 55% – a drop of 15%. Meanwhile, consumer direct bookings on independent holiday park websites rose by 15%, climbing from 34% in 2014 to an all-time high of 39% in 2018.
If the present trajectory continues, the index stated that direct bookings would be able to overtake OTA bookings by 2024.
Direct bookings much more profitable for operators
Cabin revenue achieved by operators through their own websites is much higher than via either Expedia or Booking.com, the RMS Cloud Holiday Park Performance Index also revealed.
Direct cabin bookings generate an average of 21% more revenue per booking than Expedia and are 10% more lucrative than Booking.com, the analysis showed.
When the 15% average commission charged by OTAs is factored in, the income differential between direct and OTA bookings can exceed 30%. It must be noted direct bookings often comes at a cost such as marketing, website development or price incentives.
Holiday park rates peaked in 2015, but it’s been mostly downhill since as operators have no pricing power outside of peak holiday periods. As a result, profits in the industry are under pressure and it’s easy to see why operators are putting a greater emphasis on direct bookings.
OTA sector a straight duopoly
Despite the progress Australian holiday parks have made over the past 18 months in reclaiming online share, the OTA duopoly of Booking.com and Expedia still have 55% of web bookings. Booking.com is the market leader, outselling Expedia 3: 1 in the holiday park market.
These two companies are famously competitive but in the Australian holiday park market, Booking.com is the clear OTA leader and pulling away.
Shifting landscape
Managing director of RMS Cloud, Peter Buttigieg, said holiday park operators are building better websites and marketing more aggressively to boost their share of online bookings and save on the commissions charged by dominant OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia.
“The landscape has shifted, and the data shows that for the first time ever, OTAs are losing market share to holiday park operators,” said Buttigieg.
“Previously it’s all been one-way traffic in the other direction, but now smart operators have lifted their online game and are fighting back, often with great success, demonstrating that given the choice and a great deal many consumers prefer to book directly with suppliers.”
Other findings
Other findings of the report revealed that holiday park stays are getting shorter while average booking lead times have increased. The average booking in 2018 was made 39 days out, up from 30 days in 2014.
Average nights per stay has also fallen 10%, from 2.1 nights to 1.9 nights. While it doesn’t sound like much, when combined with flat or declining rates, this fall has significantly impacted the average revenue per booking.
Conclusion
After many years of allowing foreign-owned OTAs Booking.com and Expedia to dominate online holiday park bookings, Australian holiday park operators are fighting back. They are investing in their websites and online presence while pushing book direct offers to consumers, cutting out the middlemen and saving on hefty commission rates.
In an era of stagnant rates, it’s their best option to maintain or increase profit, and for that reason alone it is fair to assume 2018 marks the leading edge of a longer-term trend, one that over time may eventually see direct bookings exceed those coming through the OTAs.
Global customer benefits and loyalty firm Collinson will inject an undisclosed investment in French airport retail and duty free ordering platform Inflyter as well as US-based airport e-commerce service platform Grab (not to be confused with Singapore-based Grab Holdings).
Collinson sees Inflyter as “a key investment to fast-track innovation for its own core products” including its airport experiences programme, Priority Pass, and create an incubator to drive joint R&D in the airport arena with this start-up. Collinson will also take a seat on Inflyter’s board, which will enable the start-up to leverage its global footprint, expertise and relationships to expand to new clients and markets.
Inflyter
Both the Inflyter and Grab investments form part of Collinson’s multi-million-dollar commitment to redefine the airport experience for passengers, coming on top pf its earlier significant investment in India and the US to fuel additional growth of Priority Pass.
Colin Evans, Collinson founder and chairman, said: “The travel retail business is experiencing tremendous change as it comes to grips with the increasingly digital passenger behaviour and their rapidly changing demands, such as pre-ordering and personalised experiences.
“For both Inflyter and Grab, we offer the ability to continue to innovate as a scale-up, taking advantage of their size and nimbleness, and provide access to the support of a US$1 billion turnover business with close relationships with airlines, airports and financial services partners.”
Dream Cruises has unveiled a host of new summer itineraries for 2020, featuring new destinations including Christmas Island and Belitung that Genting Dream will be calling at.
“Having recently celebrated Genting Dream’s one millionth guest in June 2019, we are upping the stakes next summer in 2020 by introducing new destinations venturing to Christmas Island and Belitung while retaining our evergreen, popular ports of call in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines to provide our guests with a well-rounded selection of itineraries to suit all travel tastes,” said Michael Goh, senior vice president – international sales, Genting Cruise Lines.
Christmas Island
From April to November next year, Genting Dream will set sail from her homeport in Singapore on two-, three-, four- and five-night cruises that will take travellers to new destinations such as Christmas Island, an Australian territory south of Java, and Belitung, Indonesia.
These add to Genting Dream‘s regular stops such as Phuket, Penang, Palawan, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Koh Samui.
Genting Dream cruise itineraries (April – November 2020) are as follows:
A pair of capsule-shaped talking robots have recently joined YotelAir Singapore Changi Airport to serve guests at the futuristic-themed hotel.
The twin robot butlers, christened Yoji and Airabella, were named with the help of over 3,100 Instagram users as part of a month-long Instagram campaign in collaboration with local comic collective HighNunChicken.
Yoji and Airabella
These luggage-handling, sassy singing yobots, though smaller in stature than their Orchard counterparts, are intuitively interfaced with the hotel’s lifts and telephone systems. They can roam about the premises, deliver towels, toiletries and water bottles to the doorsteps of guests, and can even break out into a little ditty!
Word has it that the airport hotel will soon welcome one more robot butler, touting even more special capabilities. Watch this space.
Kerzner International Holdings, the owner of Atlantis Resort and Residences and One&Only Resorts brands worldwide, has announced the promotion of two key executives.
Philippe Zuber is now COO, while Brett Armitage has been promoted to the newly created role of CCO. Both will report to Michael Wale, CEO of Kerzner International.
From left: Philippe Zuber and Brett Armitage
Aside from leading the operation of all Kerzner resorts, Zuber will oversee the company’s strategic growth and expansion plans of its resorts and F&B concepts.
Zuber joined the company in 2015 as president and COO for One&Only Resorts, where he launched the evolution of the brand beyond beach resorts to include Nature Resorts, Urban Resorts and One&Only Private Homes.
As CCO, Armitage, will lead all commercial functions of Kerzner International, overseeing global revenue, distribution, communications, marketing and sales. He is also responsible for the launch and integration of new resorts.
Armitage joined Kerzner International back in 2007 when he successfully launched the Atlantis and The Palm in Dubai. In 2013, his role expanded to oversee the entire portfolio, leading Atlantis and One&Only Resorts worldwide and driving the integration of new resorts into the Kerzner sales structure.
Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad officially launched the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign logo yesterday at KL International Airport (KLIA), replacing the previous controversial version that received much flak for its amateurish design.
The new logo is inspired by the Malaysian batik, featuring icons such as the hornbill, the national flower of hibiscus, the wild fern, and colours of the Malaysian flag. They represent the diversity of Malaysia’s culture, heritage, flora and fauna, as well as experiences offered as a holiday destination, together with a Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020 campaign tagline.
Mahathir launching the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign logo as Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Mohamaddin Ketapi looks on; Photo credit: Bernama
Focusing on ecotourism, arts and culture, the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 campaign is targeting 30 million international tourist arrivals and RM100 billion (US$24.3 billion) in tourism receipts.
During his speech, Mahathir called upon the country to embrace the campaign, which has been conceived as a means to reach out to target high-yield markets namely South-east Asia, China, India, UK and Germany.
He reminded stakeholders that the success of the campaign depended on effective promotions, and that the tourism sector needed to “move in tandem with digital transformation” and emphasise on digital marketing with the help of social media platforms.
Mahathir shared: “Through this campaign, we will welcome visitors from all over the world to experience the uniqueness and beauty of Malaysia’s ecotourism attractions including our rainforests, mountains, islands and beaches. At the same time, visitors will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in our diverse culture, arts, heritage and history. This is in line with the campaign’s promotional theme – culture, nature and its people.”
The government also recently launched a new RM5 million tourism fund to help private-sector tourism industry players in their destination promotion efforts.
In addition, to bolster the growth of handicraft and homestay businesses, a RM500 million SME tourism fund will be made available by SME Bank for the government to subsidise interest rates by two per cent.
Furthermore, visa-on-arrival (VoA) facilities for Chinese and Indian tourists have also been expanded to 13 entry points in Malaysia, up from the previous six. The VoA can be given to Chinese and Indian tourists who enter Malaysia via Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Nigel Wong, secretary-general of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, said: “We applaud the government’s initiatives to assist the private sector and make Visit Malaysia 2020 a success. With just a few more months to go, both the government and private sector now need to step up promotional efforts.”
Uzaidi Udanis, president, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA), opined: “The launch event at KLIA had a strong turnout from the private sector and government agencies, which is proof that government and private sector partnership is strong, and that the people are fully supportive of the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign.
“As part of our efforts, MITA has conducted boot camps for inbound tourism players in almost all states, to help identify and develop new tourism products and packages,” he added.
The Philippines’ Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has lifted the moratorium on new and additional scheduled and chartered flights to Boracay’s gateways, Caticlan and Kalibo, following clamour from irate stakeholders over the loss in tourism earnings brought about by the flight ban.
Instead, CAB’s executive director Carmelo Arcilla said that the schedules of charters will “be spread out on certain days of the season”, depending upon the island’s carrying capacity.
CAB changes its mind, now allows charter flights to Boracay (pictured)
Arcilla also added that while scheduled flights will be maintained for IATA Summer Season 2019, “no new applications for new and/or additional flights, or revisions effectively (such as) adding new flights will be entertained”.
Charter operations also have to submit applications for chartered flights no later than 30 days to the intended flight date.
The CAB is also limiting all airline operators to use aircraft with a maximum of 200 seats.
The moratorium was imposed a month ago, when passenger arrivals to Boracay exceeded the 6,405 daily arrival cap in April and May. But the Department of Tourism (DoT) insisted that it didn’t breach the 19,215 tourist capacity that was imposed on Boracay at any given time. Instead, the DoT pointed to the need for better coordination between CAB and the DoT.
DoT’s secretary, Bernadette Romulo Puyat – who also sits on the CAB board – welcomed the lifting of the moratorium, saying it will “facilitate the stakeholders’ goal of ensuring a thriving and vibrant tourism industry in Boracay”.
“And with these (CAB) guidelines in place, we are assured that Boracay’s carrying capacity is strictly enforced by the authorities,” Puyat added.
Tourism Congress of the Philippines president, Jojo Clemente, said:
“We are happy that CAB’s moratorium of charter flights to Kalibo and Caticlan has been lifted. We also thank the DoT for intervening on behalf of the industry stakeholders and their concerns.
“We only hope that, in the future, similar actions be studied thoroughly before, and with consultation with affected stakeholders before implementation,” Clemente stressed.
Dream Cruises has unveiled a host of new summer itineraries for 2020, featuring new destinations including Christmas Island and Belitung that Genting Dream will be calling at.
“Having recently celebrated Genting Dream’s one millionth guest in June 2019, we are upping the stakes next summer in 2020 by introducing new destinations venturing to Christmas Island and Belitung while retaining our evergreen, popular ports of call in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines to provide our guests with a well-rounded selection of itineraries to suit all travel tastes,” said Michael Goh, senior vice president – international sales, Genting Cruise Lines.
From April to November next year, Genting Dream will set sail from her homeport in Singapore on two-, three-, four- and five-night cruises that will take travellers to new destinations such as Christmas Island, an Australian territory south of Java, and Belitung, Indonesia.
These add to Genting Dream‘s regular stops such as Phuket, Penang, Palawan, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Koh Samui.
Genting Dream cruise itineraries (April – November 2020) are as follows:
· 2-Night Weekend Bintan Cruise
· 2-Night Port Klang Cruise
· 2-Night Malacca Cruise
· 3-Night Langkawi/Phuket Cruise
· 3-Night Penang/Phuket Cruise
· 3-Night Penang/Langkawi Cruise
· 4-Night Malacca/Phuket Cruise
· 5-Night Penang/Phuket/Langkawi/Port Klang
· 5-Night Kota Kinabalu/Palawan (Puerto Princessa) Cruise
· 5-Night Belintung/Christmas Island Cruise
· 5-Night Redang/Koh Samui/Laem Chabang Cruise