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Asia/Singapore Wednesday, 8th April 2026
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STB opens call for entries for Singapore Tourism Accelerator

By TTG Asia
0
Singapore Tourism Accelerator opens for applications

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is calling for local and international companies to join the Singapore Tourism Accelerator programme.

The pilot programme, which will run for two years, aims to develop solutions to long-standing issues, as well as developing new ideas that will transform the tourism sector.

Singapore Tourism Accelerator opens for applications

Poh Chi Chuan, director, digital transformation, STB said: “With increasing disruption faced by the tourism sector, we are committed to help our industry partners meet the challenges and stay ahead of the competition.

“The Singapore Tourism Accelerator gives us a platform to work with companies with innovative solutions that can be applied across the industry and to enhance the overall visitor experience.”

The accelerator was first announced during the 2019 Tourism Industry Conference as the Singapore Tourism Incubator.

However, it has been renamed to reflect that the programme fast-tracks the development and scaling-up of promising solutions within a fixed period of time.

This means targeting start-ups already at the prototyping or business development stage, as well as those that have piloted a breakthrough solution in another city and are looking for opportunities to scale their solutions in the Singapore and Asian markets.

STB will work with the accelerator’s appointed partner Found8 to select start-ups to participate in the programme. To qualify, companies must already have prototype solutions or have piloted their solutions elsewhere.

The accelerator, located on STB’s premises, will take in its first batch of 12 companies in October. During the first stage of the programme, companies go through workshops and informal sharing sessions, to help refine and adapt their solutions to meet the needs of Singapore’s tourism sector.

They will also be working with established industry players that include Expedia Group, Sentosa Development Corporation, SingEx Holdings, Singapore Airlines and Marina Bay Sands. At the end of three months, the solutions will be evaluated by a panel of industry members.

Selected companies will move on to the next stage where they will receive funding support of 70 per cent of qualifying costs, up to S$25,000 per company, to testbed their solutions with an industry partner. The programme concludes with a showcase, which is where they get to pitch their business plans to industry stakeholders and investors.

Grace Sai, co-founder and co-CEO, Found8 shared that the company has supported more than 90 corporates in their innovation journeys.

Google Flights gets full access to Routehappy content

By TTG Asia
0
A screenshot from the Google Flights page

Google Flights has gained access to all Routehappy rich content with the signing of a long-term deal with ATPCO.

In 2014, Google Flights was one of the first metasearch websites to integrate Routehappy’s Amenities data (Wi-Fi, seat pitch, IFE, power availability etc) in its flight search results.

A screenshot from the Google Flights page

With the new deal, Google can now broaden its display options with Routehappy’s Universal Ticket Attributes (UTAs) and Universal Product Attributes (UPAs) product types.

UTAs provide information by fare about benefits and restrictions such as cancellation rules, baggage allowance, upgrade eligibility, check-in, and boarding priority, making it easier for flight-seekers to discover important ticket attributes associated with each flight.

UPAs visually highlight in-flight features through descriptive text, photos, graphics, and videos, improving the shopping experience for consumers.

Vietnam’s no threat to Thailand as holiday destination in SE Asia – yet

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena
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Vietnam may be a rising destination in South-east Asia’s tourism landscape, but travel sellers at the recent Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) are not concerned about the competition it may pose to tourism heavyweight Thailand – at least not yet.

Nicola Scaramuzzino, Thailand country manager for Panorama Destination, thinks other South-east Asian countries offer “more incentives than competition” to Thailand. Furthermore, he contends that it’s comparatively harder to spend two weeks in Laos or Cambodia than Thailand, where tourism offerings are much richer and diverse.

Vietnam is not seen as a threat to Thailand yet

Sharing similar views, Tobias Fischer, director of business development at Go Vacations Thailand, remarked: “Vietnam definitely has more authentic experiences which are harder to find (in Thailand), but Thailand is diverse. There’s no better repeater destination than Thailand in this region.

“I don’t think Vietnam takes visitors away from Thailand but adds to overall South-east Asia’s appeal,” he stressed. However, Vietnam’s growing international flight connections have also made combination tours with Thailand a thing of the past, acknowledged Fischer.

It’s also Thailand’s friendlier policies towards foreign travellers that make it a more attractive destination than its regional counterparts, overseas buyers at TTM+ pointed out.

“I don’t think Vietnam will be a threat to Thailand for quite some time yet. Thailand is seen as a ‘flop and drop’ destination for Australians. With its visa-free entry policy for Australians, they can just turn up in the country any time,” said Simone Nankervis, product manager of Fusion Holidays Australia.

Thailand is still “selling much better” than Vietnam, which is “a new and slowly emerging destination” for the Australian market, Nankervis told TTG Asia. And Bali, which direct connections from most parts of Australia, poses a stronger competition to Thailand than Vietnam, she added.

But not all buyers at TTM+ are quick to write off the threat from other up-and-rising destinations in South-east Asia though.

David Kevan of UK-based Chic Locations observed: “Bookings are holding up for Thailand but the gap between the top three is narrowing month by month, with both Vietnam and Indonesia pushing Thailand hard.”

Despite Indonesia losing a direct connection in Garuda Indonesia’s Jakarta-London service, Kevan still sees competitive pairing of destinations such as Singapore-Bali for the UK market.

What he urges for Thailand is more controlled development and less complacency from the authorities as the country struggles with ever-growing arrival numbers.

“The fire haze created by farmers in the country’s north has hit demand for the region, and in many resorts in the south the beach and sea pollution is making clients search for alternatives,” he stressed.

“But there seems very little real desire to improve the situation, it’s finger pointing at other departments, shrugging of shoulders and acceptance of that is how it is. Great pity as Thailand is better than that,” lamented Kevan.

Go Vacations’ Fischer also recognises that competition is no longer confined to Thailand’s immediate neighbours. Competition to the destination also comes from Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt and Mediterranean, which have come back on the travel radar for European travellers, and with attractive rates to rival Thailand’s to boot.

Maldives’ pursuit of tourism growth stumbles on delays in airport expansion

By Feizal Samath
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Investor confidence closely tied to completion of airport expansion

The Maldives’ arrivals target could be hampered by delays in the expansion of the Velana International Airport to accommodate 7.5 million passenger annually by 2022.

This year, the Maldives revised its arrivals target to 1.5 million from 1.4 million, after the destination saw a 36.3 per cent surge in arrivals in April from the same 2018 month.

The country is aiming for 2-2.5 million arrivals in 2022-2023, largely dependent on the completion of the airport expansion. The current airport can accommodate two to three million passengers annually.

Industry sentiment riding on the completion of Maldives’ airport expansion

“The airport expansion delays worry us, a lot of things are in the pipeline (because of the delays). A lot of airlines want to fly and increase the airlift from here but the delay is the issue,” said Thoyyib Mohamed, managing director of the Maldives Marketing and PR Corporation (MMPRC), the country’s main tourism promotion agency.

Describing the slow expansion of the airport, Mohamed Nihaj, general manager at Rahaa, a four-star, 100-villa resort due to open next month, pointed out that while the new runway is ready, other infrastructure like the relocated seaplane terminal and new terminal building are not ready yet.

“When this all is ready, there will be more flights. One of the problems now is that the airport cannot cope with the demand and planes have to sometimes circle the airport till the runway is clear for landing,” he said.

These developments are part of a US$800 million project to expand and upgrade the country’s main international airport. The project involves building a brand-new runway, a new passenger terminal and a seaplane terminal, as well as other support facilities.

While the new runway was completed in September 2018, it cannot be operated as the old seaplane terminal, near the same land, has to first be moved. The new passenger terminal will not be ready until 2022.

Speaking in February this year, the nation’s president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, acknowledged concerns over the slow progress of the development vis-à-vis the rapid expansion of the tourism industry and room stock.

“Without the completion of a new terminal, the full potential of the new runway at the airport cannot be realised and more tourists cannot be brought in,” he said.

Echoing how investor confidence is entwined with the airport expansion,
Afrah Abdulla, reservations manager at Waldorp Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi – opening in July with 122 rooms – said: “Airport expansion will help enhance traffic and increase the number of first class and business class capacity, for which there is an (existing shortage).”

At least 162 new resorts – largely in the five-star category – have opened in 2016 to 2018, bringing the inventory up 7,152 beds to 43,770 in 2018. Another 20 resorts are opening or have opened this year, adding another 2,000 beds.

EVA Air cancellations continue as strike drags on

By TTG Asia
0

Some 2,000 EVA Air flight attendants have gone on strike, forcing the Taiwanese airline to cancel hundreds of flights up to June 30.

Flights between Taipei and Hong Kong – one of the world’s busiest international air routes – as well as from Taiwan to Japan, Singapore, London and New York have been affected.

Hundreds of flights grounded with cabin crew staff still on strike

According to Bloomberg, flight attendants are demanding higher pay and better working conditions. Their union voted in favour of a strike last week after negotiations with the airline failed.

The action, which started last Thursday, involves more than 2,000 staff, Bloomberg said, citing the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union’s Facebook page. This makes up half EVA Air’s flight attendant roster as of May 31.

The airline stated it is seeking to continue discussions with the attendants.

More than 150 flights were canceled between June 20 and June 23, resulting in about NT$580 million (US$19 million) of lost revenue, the company said in a statement Sunday. Its shares dropped 4.5 per cent since the close of trading on Thursday.

This is the second airline in the country to have gone on strike this year. Staff of China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest carrier, took action in February, stopping work for seven days. Pilots reached a deal with China Airlines on compensation that was estimated to add about NT$114 million to the carrier’s annual costs, according to Bloomberg.

Hyatt Place to check into Johor mall

By TTG Asia
0
From left: WCT's Goh Chin Liong; Hyatt's Patrick Finn; WCT's Lee Tuck Fook; and Hyatt's Willi Martin

A select-service hotel under the Hyatt Place brand is expected to open within Paradigm Mall in Malaysia’s Johor Bahru come 2022.

The 200-room Hyatt Place Johor Bahru, Paradigm Mall will be part of a nearly 5.3ha integrated development that includes the Paradigm Mall Johor Bahru and the soon-to-be-launched Paradigm Residence.

From left: WCT’s Goh Chin Liong; Hyatt’s Patrick Finn; WCT’s Lee Tuck Fook; and Hyatt’s Willi Martin

Hotel facilities include a cafe, swimming pool, fitness centre, as well as more than 225m2 of meeting space.

Situated in the city’s Skudai district, within a 10-minute drive from Johor Bahru City Centre, the hotel will provide direct access to major highways, including the Skudai Highway, Pasir Gudang Highway, North-South Highway and Second Link Expressway.

Commenting on the company’s first-time partnership with WCT, David Udell, Hyatt’s group president, Asia-Pacific, said the company is establishing its presence in “one of the fastest-growing cities in Malaysia”. Hyatt expects to double its Malaysian portfolio of five hotels by 2022.

Hyatt sees increasing interest in its select-service brand among owners and developers in Malaysia, according to Patrick Finn, Hyatt’s senior vice president, real estate and development, Asia-Pacific.

“We are confident given the prospects and business vibrancy of Johor Bahru that this new hotel will be well received by the local Johoreans, as well as business and leisure travellers from various parts of Malaysia and Singapore,” said Lee Tuck Fook, group managing director of WCT Holdings.

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
0
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
0
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
0

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.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Sarawak to host South-east Asian tourist guides conference in Sibu
TTG Asia | WTTC report outlines steps for Hong Kong to rebuild international tourism
TTG Asia | Higher fuel costs to dampen India travel demand