Mount Tangkuban Perahu in Bandung, West Java, a popular tourist spot in Indonesia, erupted on Friday afternoon, prompting authorities to restrict access to the area.
The volcanic ash soared 200m up from the mountain’s peak, which is about 2,284m above sea level, said the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG). After the eruption, thick grey volcanic ash spread to the south and north-east.
Kawah Ratu, a volcanic crater on Mount Tangkuban Perahu
Being a phreatic eruption, the volcanic activity has taken travellers and residences by surprise as there was no signal prior to the eruption.
At press time, the Mount Tangkuban Perahu tourism complex remains closed as the area has been covered in ashes and cleaning works were carried out over the weekend.
PVMBG updates this morning stated that the closed area now was 500m from the crater, and activities and accommodations in the tourism complex would gradually start operating today.
PVMBG head, Kasbani, however, warned locals, traders and travellers to stay alert for any possible increase in volcanic activities.
“A phreatic eruption could happen at any time without any clear volcanic signals,” he said.
Meanwhile, activities in the Bandung city and surrounding areas as well as the Husein Sastranegara Airport are operating as per normal.
Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage listed city in Sri Lanka
Three months after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings, Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is starting to show signs of recovery, with flight bookings stabilising at 26 per cent down, a report has shown.
The report from ForwardKeys, which analyses over 17 million flight bookings a day, has shown that between January 1 and April 21, international flight bookings to Sri Lanka rose 3 per cent up from the year before.
Kandy, a UNESCO World Heritage listed city in Sri Lanka
But in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, there was a spike in cancellations and bookings collapsed. The first week saw a decline of 181 per cent, which means that in addition to no new bookings being made, there was a wave of cancellations of existing bookings.
From the beginning of May, a timid recovery trend began. But bookings still have a long way to go before they bounce back to last year’s levels. Over the three-month period from April 22 to July 21, bookings have been 69 per cent down from the equivalent dates in 2018.
Less than two months after the suicide bombings, flight bookings to Sri Lanka stabilised. From June 9 to July 21, the level plateaued at 26 per cent down from the equivalent period last year.
Jameson Wong, Asia-Pacific business development director of ForwardKeys, said: “One has to feel deep sympathy for the people of Sri Lanka. They suffered from a coordinated campaign of ghastly suicide bombings on Easter Sunday, a day of the year which will make the horrors harder to forget. The deliberate targeting of tourists, as well as locals, is having a severe impact on a valuable sector of the country’s economy, which (according to the WTTC) is responsible for 27 per cent of export revenue.”
He added: “We are seeing initial signs of recovery, but it is likely to take time before visitors regain their confidence in travelling to this beautiful country. The irony is that this is a really good time to visit Sri Lanka, as there will be pressure on prices. Also, it will be a fantastic experience to support a recovering nation and feel the warmth of Sri Lankan hospitality.”
The skyline of Singapore with hotels such as Mandarin Oriental and Pan Pacific in the background
Alibaba Cloud, the data intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, and the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS) signed an MoU last week at the recently-concluded Singapore MICE Forum 2019.
The agreement will see the two parties work together to offer trainings and technologies collaborations in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud.
The skyline of Singapore with hotels such as Mandarin Oriental and Pan Pacific in the background
As part of the collaboration, SACEOS and its members will explore hosting training and workshops to equip SACEOS members with the technology competencies to transform their businesses.
On the leisure traveller front, Alibaba Cloud will also connect Singapore hospitality industries with the Alibaba ecosystem, and with it millions of potential Chinese customers to drive arrivals and spending. This will benefit hotels and resorts, restaurants and retail companies as they can build and launch mini programmes into Alibaba’s ecosystem.
Earlier in April 2019, Alibaba Group and Singapore Tourism Board signed a three-year MoU to drive inbound Chinese visitor arrivals and spending.
Phuket is set to push the sustainability agenda when it plays host to PHIST (Phuket Hotels for Islands Sustaining Tourism) come September 23, when the free-to-attend one-day conference organised by Phuket Hotels Association, C9 Hotelworks and Greenview takes place at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa.
Over 1,000 delegates – including more than 70 of Phuket’s leading hotels, retailers and other key stakeholders from across the region – are expected to attend the second edition of PHIST to discuss critical environmental issues and devise ways of tackling them head-on.
A key focus at this year’s forum will be on the tourism slump in Phuket, and how sustainable tourism can help drive recovery efforts. The event will be attended by Kanokkrittika Kritwutthikorn, the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s (TAT) director for Phuket, who will speak on how the TAT aims to ensure the island’s longevity by targeting more high-end, eco-conscious travellers.
From left: C9 HotelWorks’ Mr. Bill Barnett; Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Kanokkrittika Kritwutthikorn; Central Pattana Group’s Wilaiporn Pitimanaaree; Blue Tree Phuket’s Mr. Michael Ayling; and Phuket Hotels Association’s Sumi Soorian
“The recent drop in arrivals to Phuket shows just how damaging the boom and bust of mass tourism can be. More than 15,000 new hotel rooms are set to enter the market over the next five years, but who will fill them? Phuket, like all island destinations, needs to develop a sustainable tourism industry that works for the island, is immune to global economic volatility, and ensures the preservation of the island’s natural resources for generations to come,” said Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks.
Another important delegate will be Wilaiporn Pitimanaaree, senior vice-president of Central Pattana Group, who announced at last year’s inaugural PHIST their pledge to stop giving out plastic bags to their customers, resulting in the reduction of over four million plastic bags per month.
Guests at PHIST 2019 will work with the TAT and each other to concoct creative and original ways of managing mass tourism in South-east Asia’s island destinations. By day’s end, the participants will sign a collaborative pledge for the sustainable management of the tourism industry.
At last year’s PHIST, the Phuket Hotels Association’s 71 hotels agreed to remove single-use plastic water bottles from their properties, resulting in a 51 per cent reduction in 2019, and over 4.4 million bottles saved. In addition, Phuket Hotels Association is now launching the Great Big Green Guide, a collection of eco-friendly ideas and practices.
PHIST 2019 will also aim to engage the next generation with a series of children’s workshops and activities. The forum will also feature the finals of Green Beat 60, a film-making contest that invites eco-warriors of all ages to comment on critical issues.
Anthony Lark, president of Phuket Hotels Association, said: “At PHIST 2019, we want to push sustainability to the top of the agenda by tackling the key issue facing Asia’s island destination: The shift from mass tourism to a more sustainable future. We want all visitors to be able to experience our wonderful destinations, but this must be achieved without negatively impacting the environment.”
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Passengers on Thai Airways International (THAI) will now have the option of selecting preferred seats on all international flights. From July 27, Economy Class and Royal Silk Class passengers may take advantage of this service.
The preferred seat fee will vary based on actual flight distance flown.
Thai Airways to charge extra for preferred seats
After tickets have been issued, Economy Class passengers will be able to purchase front row or exit row seats in each zone of Economy Class. Royal Silk Class passengers will be able to purchase First Class seats on flights where preferred seats service is available.
Preferred seats will be available for purchase on THAI’s website beginning mid-August.
Angie Stephens, managing director, Asia Pacific, mingling with agents
The Royal Caribbean International Asia Pacific team recently celebrated its 50 Years Bold global anniversary with its travel partners at a cocktail event held at Mandarin Orchard Hotel.
Angie Stephens, managing director, Asia Pacific, mingling with agents
Angie Stephen, managing director, Asia Pacific, thanked attendees for the strong partnerships that have contributed to Royal Caribbean’s long-time success in the region. The entire team look to the year’s next big highlights – the upcoming refurbishments and new seasons of Voyager of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas in Singapore.
Rover Tours Group’s Lord of The Rings themed tours
If Hollywood is the film capital of the US, then Wellington is New Zealand’s. In Wellington, affectionately termed Wellywood, the film industry is the second largest employer.
Rover Tours Group’s Lord of The Rings themed tours
Most notably, the Lord of the Rings (LOTR) movies catapulted the city into greater prominence not only in the film industry but also in tourism.
Scott Courtney, director of Rover Tours Group, said: “Before LOTR there were about five films made here. Since the first LOTR film, there has been nearly 200 (and counting).”
Tours themed around LOTR are Rover Tours Group’s best selling products.
“We have not seen any year where the demand for the tour was down since (the first film) was launched in 2001,” he said.
Having said that, famous film locations are not all that the city has to offer, as evidenced by the growing number of tourists visiting the city for overnight stays rather than just day tours.
Wellington has seen the average length of stay of tourists increase from point-zero night 10 years ago to around two nights today.
Philip Louie, trade and sales manager of Rover Tours Group, said: “(Traditionally), travellers followed the Golden route of Auckland down to Rotorua. They might get to Wellington, not to stay, but to catch the ferry to go to the South Island.
“We have started to see that change a little bit. A lot of this has to do with high season capacity in New Zealand where places like Rotorua and Napier are so overly done.”
Travellers are having to seek out less crowded spots to visit during high season – and Wellington fits the bill to a tee. “Our peak seasons particularly for accommodation are almost reversed. Being the country’s political capital, we receive the most visitors during the weekdays and in the middle of the year.
“If we look at the accommodation capacity on weekends and particularly around Christmas and New Years, Wellington hotels tend to be at their lowest occupancy. Hotel rates also tend to be lower on weekends than weekends,” Louie observed.
Furthermore, over the past 10 years, the tourism supply has been growing considerably since the Te Papa Museum opened in 1999. Local products like craft beer and coffee in particular have increasingly figured into tourists’ itineraries.
Helen Tickner, marketing manager of Tranzit Group, added: “Wellington may not attract first-time travellers to New Zealand, but repeat visitors enjoy the city because it offers something different. Brewery tours, for example, are popular.”
Meanwhile, Kapiti Island, which started off with day tours and domestic demand, has stepped up its offer to international tourists.
Len Yu, tourism trade specialist of Wellington Tourism, said that it is not realistic to expect travellers to come a long way only to visit Wellington – but visitors should stay a minimum of two nights in order to truly experience what the city has to offer.
“Wellington is very compact. Many activities take only half a day or a few hours, and one attraction is close to another. This allows travellers to have multiple activities within one day,” Yu said.
While this has worked well for daytrippers, tourism players will have no trouble piecing together overnight itineraries for visitors.
Yu remarked: “Wellington attracts those who are looking deeper into getting local experiences.”
Experiences such as behind-the-scene tours of beer breweries or chocolate factories, or having a meal hosted by a local family, tell the Wellington story to tourists.
In addition, Rover Tours Group, recently introduced the Seal Coast Safari, a half-day 4×4 tour to see the seal colony in the South Coast of Wellington.
As well, Museum of New Zealand: Te Papa Tongarewa, a major attraction in the city, has just added Te Taiao Nature, an interactive experience with specimens showcasing New Zealand’s unique environment.
Working in Wellington’s favour is Singapore Airlines’ recently launched services between Singapore and Wellington via Melbourne.
“Even if you arrive in Auckland, there is a flight to Wellington every 15 minutes, so accessibility is not really an issue,” Yu said.
As functional aviation hubs evolve into destinations for today’s high-tempo and experience-driven travellers, lines are blurring between airport and destination, physical and digital customer experience, and the different stages of air travel.
The Rain Vortex is a centrepiece at Singapore’s newly opened Jewel Changi Airport
To adapt to new needs of today’s travellers, airports are increasingly incorporating entertainment features, immersive retail experiences, as well as design or product elements that evoke a sense of place.
The concept of airports as experience hubs was brought to fruition, arguably in its most complete form to-date, when Jewel Changi Airport was launched this year as a massive lifestyle destination with multi-dimensional offerings (see sidebar).
In Hong Kong, the SkyCity megaproject is underway, scheduled to be completed in phases between 2023 and 2027. Connected to Hong Kong International Airport, the landmark will boast 35ha of floor area, comprising 19.5ha for dining and retail outlets and 5.3ha each for experience-based entertainment facilities and office space.
New World Development was awarded the tender for the project, which it hopes would serve as a commercial-retail-entertainment hub for locals and visitors from the Greater Bay Area and abroad. The project is expected to introduce an array of international “technovation” brands to the city and region, including Hong Kong’s first indoor and outdoor go-kart track, AR and VR interactive game facilities and an “experiential zone” for kids.
With Airport Authority Hong Kong’s acquisition of AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), located within a multi-modal transport hub and fully integrated with the city’s airport, opportunities for larger-scale events such as sporting events, concerts and exhibitions could also open up within the airport’s vicinity and make the airport “a destination in itself”, said Fred Lam, CEO, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK).
He added: “The concept (of SkyCity) goes far beyond the traditional notion of a shopping mall and will provides a full range of retail, dining and entertainment facilities plus offices and hotels. Right next to it is AWE which offers a wide range of facilities for conventions, exhibitions, entertainment and sporting events.
At Sydney Airport, manager for service strategy and customer experience, Claire Donnellan, also shared that a lifestyle precinct opened in Terminal 2 recently, encompassing new F&B concepts as well as fresh experience for passengers.
Airports are also aspiring to reflect a sense of place. Donnellan said: “Years ago a standard bathroom was considered fine, then travellers started expecting more (motion-activated) functions – and now, people actually want a sense of place and experience even when they go to the bathroom.”
The need to serve as more than just embarkation and disembarkation points is perhaps most pronounced in transit hubs.
Abu Dhabi International Airport’s head of airport service quality, Muna Al-Ghanim, said: “Customer experience has changed dramatically. Passengers used to travel day-to-day and thought of it as transport from point A to B. Over time, it has evolved into a total experience. Nowadays, they don’t just pass through airports, but go and look at airport websites, roam social media platforms and even download the airport apps to know what the offerings are in terms of service and facilities.”
For Plaza Premium Group, brand director, Mei Mei Song, the growing transit volume has placed increasing importance on rest-stop amenities, beyond simply F&B and retail experiences.
Meanwhile, the digital era has ushered in new demands for information at travellers’ fingertips across different stages of the air travel journey.
Song said: “Now with technology advancement through Amazon, Uber, or WeChat, people are accustomed to a level of convenience that was unheard of even two years ago.”
Indeed, the airport experience today spans pre- to post-arrival. Carlos Criado, business development director at Corporacion Quiport, which manages a brand-new airport outside Ecuador’s capital city, believes that customer experience starts from as early as beginning of trip planning.
Now, the task ahead of those in the game of improving customer experience for travellers is to be able to provide real-time, up-to-date information to travellers. Social media has bred an expectation for fast and easy access to information, making it “vital” that travellers get timely flight updates even before arriving at the airport, Criado stressed.
Similarly, AAHK, general manager, Terminal 1, Chapman Fong, remarked that the social media and greater computation power of smart have drastically changed the customer expectations. “Big giants in e-commerce or digital platforms like Google and Apple offer very good user experience, so we are not competing with airports but with these giants in user experience. This presents a big challenge to airport operators.”
Through surveying customers, AAHK has found that customers expect personalised information delivered to them before they even arrive at the airport. “We want to turn these challenges into opportunities for us to improve further,” Fong said.
For Texas’ San Antonio International Airport, chief customer experience officer, Karen Ellis, greater convenience also includes having the option of self service. “We need to include the ability to have self-service function while having somebody provide assistance if needed. We know some millennials want simply to be able to go through airport processes as quickly as possible.”
A shift to cloud technologies has also lessened the reliance on hardware within airport premises, according to Amadeus’ head of airport IT, Sarah Samuel.
Samuel said: “Digital transformation, as well a shift to cloud technology, removes the need for costly hardware within the premises, helping free up valuable space and eliminate the costs associated with hardware maintenance. This in turn also reduces an airport’s environment impact by lowering emissions. Cloud technologies are also being implemented for cyber security purposes, as protecting on-site servers is a complex, expensive task. Airports are choosing to outsource via the cloud to highly-secure data centers, such as Amadeus’.
“While optimising processes inside the airport can have a significant effect on passenger management and customer experience, the more innovative airports are those who are investing beyond the four walls and collaborating with external stakeholders or third-party providers,” Samuel expressed in a statement.
Examples of innovations that take air travel processes beyond the airport are curbside check-in, Samuel said. Off Airport Check-In Solutions provide pop-up check-in and baggage drop service. The system uses Amadeus’ Airport Common Use Service cloud technology to communicate with Virgin Australia’s system, providing travellers with off-site check-in at areas such as cruise terminals, hotel and sporting events. She also foresees door-to-door bag drop service being a viable solution down the line.
Hong Kong is preparing for a demonstration at the arrival hall of Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) in Lantau, as protesters plan to converge at one of Asia’s busiest air hub to spread their message to foreigners visiting the city, The Straits Times reported this morning.
In an advisory issued early this morning, Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry encouraged travellers to avoid HKIA as well as the rural town of Yuen Long in the New Territories following reports of upcoming protests at these locations.
Passengers walking through the Hong Kong International airport’s arrival hall
Singapore joins several other countries including Ireland, Canada, Japan and South Korea to issue travel advisories for Hong Kong.
The police have so far not given approval for the gathering at HKIA. Recent mass rallies have started out peaceful but escalated into violence later after groups of protesters clashed with police.
The planned rally at HKIA is the latest in a recent wave of protests that have gripped Hong Kong, which has caused shorthaul visitor arrivals from Asia to tumble in recent weeks.
Since June, millions of demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest against a controversial bill, which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have since evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms in Hong Kong.
