Australia’s Queensland State has unveiled a new indigenous interactive culture experience entitled Spirits of the Red Sand.
During the interactive production, guests move from set to set as they journey back in time to 1880s Queensland and experience the trials and challenges as the British and Aboriginal ways of life collide. Told by Jarrah, the only surviving member of three Aboriginal brothers, the show is set within a real 19th-century Australian town complete with Church, Pub and Indigenous village.
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The theatre and dinner experience can be found in Beenleigh, a town located between Brisbane and The Gold Coast. Round-trip transfers from select hotels from both Brisbane and The Gold Coast.
Tickets cost A$120 (US$85) for adults, A$25 for children aged between five and nine, A$65 for 10-15 year olds, and A$99 for students and seniors. Dinner is a chargrilled Australian barbecue with dessert and a licensed bar.
Spirits of the Red Sand is the only South East Queensland tourism experience to be endorsed by Tourism Australia’s Discover Aboriginal Experiences Program.
Tourists visiting the Prambanan Temple compound in Yogyakarta
As one of the world’s largest countries by land and population, Indonesia holds vast potential for tourism, some economy hotel players say, but there are obstacles in the way of unlocking growth opportunities, including the lack of local market understanding of international businesses as well as human resource challenges.
Hartono Liman, CEO of LoyalGuest.com said: “Compared to other destinations (in the region), there are so many untapped destinations in the country. The government has been developing infrastructure – airports, seaports and roads across the country, resulting in the growth of domestic travel.
Tourists visiting the Prambanan Temple compound in Yogyakarta
“Thanks to budget airlines, the middle to low income classes can now travel. The new infrastructure being built now allows people to vacation in nearby destinations,” Hartono said.
Speaking at a keynote panel at Travel Meet Asia organised by Messe Berlin in Jakarta, Hartono said that the growth of the vast low to middle class market would still be huge in the years to come as the national GDP climbs.
“Destinations within two- to three hours’ drive will be in demand,” he surmised, adding that the new highways built across Java and Sumatra have cut short travelling times and given travellers new options farther afield.
Amit Saberwal, founder & CEO of RedDoorz, a South-east Asian value hotel chain, said: “Indonesia is the most exciting travel market. It has among the (highest rates of e-commerce consumption) in the world. In fact, it is bigger than China: 76 per cent of the people have bought (at least) one e-commerce or done an economic transaction on the mobile phone, while China is 74 per cent.”
Saberwal added: “The government has really been pushing the domestic market, so we plan to go wider across the country and deeper into the cities.”
Domestic travellers typically pave the road for international tourism in emerging destinations. Local travel spurs the development of infrastructure, before these areas open up to the international travel community, he explained.
However, Albina Lanina, COO of Zen Rooms, a chain of independent budget hotels in South-east Asia, said: “Human resources in an asset but at the same time it is a challenge in Indonesia. The budget segment (accommodations) is not ready for international travellers. (There are) language and skills barriers.
Zen Rooms, which assists budget accommodation providers across South-east Asia in areas like operation efficiencies and online presence, also provides English language classes for staff in Indonesia.
She also noted that with only some three per cent of the population utilising cards for online payment, cash payment option is essential in the country.
Saberwal further highlighted the need for businesses to understand the situation and characteristics of local markets. Home-grown players like Traveloka and Tiket.com are more successful than global players in Indonesia because of this.
He said: “Cities in Indonesia are different. Online penetrations is not the same in each city. In Jakarta it is extremely high but it may not be the same in other cities. Therefore players like Traveloka, Tiket.com and all are reaching out to the customers both online and offline. You see their (promotions) at the airports, on TV, everywhere.”
Meanwhile, Hartono said that based on LoyalGuest data, Indonesians book more than one room (1.2) per visit, which suggests they travel either with families or groups of friends.
“They like to spend time together. Therefore, a hotel with limited common rooms is likely to be less favoured by the market,” he said.
Sri Lanka's visa-on-arrival for 39 nationalities suspended after officials found foreign links to terror attacks
Sri Lanka has suspended a free visa-on-arrival (VoA) scheme which was to roll out on May 1 and benefit nationals of 39 countries after the devastating Easter Sunday attacks that killed nearly 360 people.
“Visa to enter Sri Lanka was to be granted to citizens of 39 countries on arrival in the country from May 1 on gratis (free) basis as per a Cabinet decision earlier this month. However, owing to the current security situation following the terror attacks on Easter Sunday, the government has decided to put the programme on hold until further notice,” the Tourism Ministry said in a statement yesterday.
Sri Lanka’s visa-on-arrival for 39 nationalities suspended after officials found foreign links to terror attacks
In Thursday’s statement on the suspension of the free VoA, minister of tourism John Amaratunga was quoted as saying that investigations have revealed foreign links to the attacks and “we don’t want this facility to be abused”.
The VoA programme was conceived as part of a larger initiative to increase tourist arrivals to the country during the six month off-season period from May to October.
Hotels Association of Sri Lanka President Sanath Ukwatte was quoted in local media as saying that from initial estimates, tourism earnings would suffer a loss of US$1.5 billion this year due to the attacks on three hotels. Since the end of a 30-year civil conflict in 2009, tourism has been the fastest-growing industry and earner of foreign currency.
Ukwatte said this was the first time in Sri Lanka, even during the 30-year-old conflict, that terrorists attacked tourists and hotels.
Only a few people patronised the Kingsbury Hotel, one of three hotels hit by suicide bombers, which reopened on Thursday after Sunday’s attacks. Imara De Chickera, the hotel’s director of communications and spokesperson, said just two Chinese had used the restaurant in the hotel while there were no in-house guests. “We got a few booking inquiries for May-August,” she said.
The other two affected hotels, the Shangri-La has been closed until further notice while the Cinnamon Grand was having limited operations since the blasts.
Meanwhile the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) expressed concern and empathy over the attack, saying: “We have seen so many disasters and calamities affecting people from around the world and tragic incidents, like the recent shooting in Christchurch. But never before has such tragedy directly implicated ICCA members like in Sri Lanka.
“We were speechless when we heard that The Kingsbury Hotel has been attacked along with other member hotels, the Cinnamon Hotel and Shangri-La Colombo (a former member). We only hope that the authorities will restore order and security and the preparators and their mastermind will be caught.
“As a gesture of camaraderie, at the upcoming ICCA Asia Pacific Chapter Meeting at IMEX Frankfurt on 20th May, we will pay our respects to the victims of these Sri Lanka attacks”.
While the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has directed churches to cancel mass and avoid public gatherings, some Muslim ministers also urged mosques to cancel the routine Friday noon prayers which draw crowds, to avoid possible retaliatory attacks.
At least 359 people, including 40 foreigners, died in the attacks at the three hotels and three churches across the land on Easter Sunday. International Islamic terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks, the worst single strike even during the 30-year Tamil separatist conflict which ended in May 2009. The government has blamed a breakaway faction, with foreign links, of the Islamic group called National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the attacks.
The country has been placed under a security blanket and Thursday also passed with search operations across the capital and outside.
Security authorities said the country’s main Bandaranaike International Airport at Katunayake, 30km north of Colombo, was only allowing passengers entry to the exit and entry terminals while car parks near the building have been closed. Passengers and their vehicles were subject to thorough searches at military-manned checkpoints.
Tourists enjoying the view at the recently-opened King Power Mahanakhon Tower
The Thailand government has approved the extension of the waiver of visa-on-arrival (VoA) fees for visitors hailing from 21 nations for another half year more, reported The Bangkok Post.
Initially scheduled to expire on April 30, the 2,000 baht (US$63) fee exemption will now be extended until October 31.
Tourists enjoying the view at the recently-opened King Power Mahanakhon Tower
While this move is estimated to cost the Thai government 2.9 billion baht in lost revenue, it is hoped that it will draw more foreign visitors and generate 104.6 billion baht in tourism income, according to The Bangkok Post.
The government first waived the VoA fee for visitors from 21 countries at the tail end of 2018. This measure was then extended to April 30.
Millennials – often spur-of-the-moment travellers – are becoming a growing segment in the Maldives, allaying some worry over filling rooms in the destination’s growing accommodation inventory.
“Many millennials today are entering their peak earning years and gaining more affluence at unparallelled rates,” observed Jan Tibaldi, general manager at One&Only Reethi Rah.
“This means brands looking to make a splash within the millennial audience need to stop thinking of this generation as college students only and instead recognise the significant spending power that this group wields, especially in the luxury travel industry,” he added.
Deveekaa Nijhawan, spokesperson of Anantara Resorts Maldives and Niyama Private Islands Maldives, told TTG Asia: “At Niyama we have seen a surge in stays from Asian and Middle Eastern millennials, who have increased levels of disposable and discretionary income and are willing to spend on quality five-star experiences.”
She added: “Young and dynamic millennial travellers are disrupting the travel landscape. The preconceived notions of millennials being backpackers interested in exploring the world on a shoestring budget is no longer the reality.”
While a majority of guests to Niyama Private Islands Maldives remain honeymooners and babymooners, the resort is now seeing a rise in adventure seekers, young families and solo travellers.
With the rise of millennial travellers to the Maldives, Nijhawan pointed out that resorts are now dealing with shorter lead times for bookings.
“Unlike the previous conventional traveller who plan trips months in advance, millennials book a trip at the spur of the moment, resulting in many last-minute bookings for the hotel.
“The main trigger for this is social media. Millennials see friends and influencers post pictures and videos of their holidays and get inspired to travel,” she observed.
For Suresh Dissanayake, assistant vice president – sales & marketing, Heritance Aarah & Adaaran Resorts, young travellers tend to spend fewer nights compared to the older generation, and prefer to combine their holiday with another destination.
Riu senior vice president sales & business development Asia, Oliver Kluth, said the group’s new resorts in the Maldives are looking to work with the Asian market, especially with millennials seeking a hassle-free vacation without hidden extras that its all-inclusive, “affordable luxury” resorts can provide.
Meanwhile, room count has steadily increased in the island paradise. Some 46 new resorts have opened since 2016, and another 20 with approximately 2,000 beds are due to open in 2019.
The destination is now seeing the entrance of Singapore’s Park Hotel Group, Hard Rock International, Capella Hotel Group, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Emaar Hospitality Group, Baglioni Hotels, Emerald Collection and Meliá Hotels International, among others.
More aggressive country promotion this year, and a planned three-fold increase in promotion budget to US$6.7 million, is expected to boost arrivals in tandem with the growing room supply.
Come 2024, a Rosewood hotel will open in China’s Ningbo, at the intersection of Zhongshan Road East and Jiangdong Road North.
Rosewood Ningbo will occupy levels 43-56 of a mixed-use high-rise tower, offering 185 guestrooms and 15 oversized suites with unobstructed views of the urban landscape.
Rosewood heads to Ningbo, China
Recreational facilities include an indoor pool, fitness centre, and A Rosewood Spa on the 55th floor. Other facilities include five F&B options, as well as a 1,125m2 grand ballroom, and other meeting facilities totalling an additional 1,055m2.
The hotel will be the main anchor of the 100,000m2 Ningbo New World Plaza integrated property, located in the city’s CBD of Sanjiangkou. Ningbo New World Plaza will be developed in three phases, and will eventually comprise Rosewood Ningbo, the latest K11 Art Mall, K11 Atelier offices, high-end residences and the first art park in the city.
The area is expected to a new green landmark for the city with Ningbo New World Plaza designed as an eco-friendly environment with sustainable concepts including a bio-retention pond, a rain-water garden, permeable pavements and ecological rooftops.
This latest announcement comes off the most recent openings in Hong Kong and Bangkok. Meanwhile, upcoming Rosewood properties are planned in cities including Taipei, Yangon and Hermana Mayor, the Philippines.
Ministry of Commerce's Chutima Bunyapraphasara and minister for tourism and sports Weerasak Kowsurat (back row, from left) witness the signing involving seven government agencies, represented by (front row, from left) Department of Internal Trade's Chatchai Saksilapachai, Department of Intellectual Property's hosapone Dansupautra, Department of International Trade Promotion's Banjongjitt Angsusingh, Tourism Authority of Thailand's Yuthasak Supasorn, Ministry of Commerce's Arunee Poolkaew, Department of Business Development's Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, and Department of Foreign Trade's Manatsanith Jirawat
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has signed a Trade and Tourism Alliance MoU with six departments under the Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) to integrate development strategies and marketing promotions while establishing links between trade and tourism.
The move also endeavours to support and facilitate services on trade and investment information, activities deemed beneficial for the expansion of international trade, as well as tourism promotion and development.
Ministry of Commerce’s Chutima Bunyapraphasara and minister for tourism and sports Weerasak Kowsurat (back row, right) witness the signing between seven partners, represented by (front row, from left) Department of Internal Trade’s Chatchai Saksilapachai, Department of Intellectual Property’s Thosapone Dansupautra, Department of International Trade Promotion’s Banjongjitt Angsusingh, Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Yuthasak Supasorn, Ministry of Commerce’s Arunee Poolkaew, Department of Business Development’s Vuttikrai Leewiraphan, and Department of Foreign Trade’s Manatsanith Jirawat
The six participating MOC departments include the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Department of Foreign Trade, Department of Internal Trade, Department of Intellectual Property, Department of Business Development and Department of International Trade Promotion.
Under the MoU, all parties will cooperate on providing support for the health and wellness, and gems and jewellery sectors through various online and offline activities.
It will also cooperate to organise and coordinate marketing activities for agricultural and food products (both community and seasonally-based), geographical indication products, plus all relevant products and services concerning tourism on all fronts through activities; such as fruit fairs or border trade fairs that are of equal interest to both Thai and foreign visitors.
In addition, all parties will work to coordinate information exchanges via the set-up of a knowledge centre that will cooperate on organising events and help encourage Thai businesses to become more knowledgeable on international trade and investment opportunities overseas, plus promote tourism-related trade and investment through training courses and seminars.
The country’s minister of tourism and sports Weerasak Kowsurat said in a statement that the MoU reflects the important role that tourism continues to play in Thailand’s economic development.
“Tourism is a primary driver for Thailand’s economy and economic development. It contributed over 3 trillion baht (US$94 billion) to Thailand’s economy in 2018, with two trillion baht coming from international visitors and one trillion baht from domestic tourism, representing 19 per cent of Thailand’s overall GDP,” he added.
“The Thai government is now placing more focus on sustainable tourism development and income distribution to local communities, and this much-welcomed Trade and Tourism Alliance MOU will leverage the strength of each partner to maximise the potential for national benefit,” shared Weerasak.
The Apurva Kempinski Bali, Indonesia
Kempinski Hotels’ latest opening in Bali has 475 keys, starting with 256 Grand Deluxe Rooms that range from 65-80m2 in size. In the next category are the 162 Junior Suites and 14 Specialist Suites with private plunge pools. At the upper end, a selection of 43 One-, Two- and Three- Bedroom Exclusive Villas offer up to 1,379m2 of space, with private pools and lounge areas, tropical gardens with outdoor showers and access to the Villa Lounge.
Amenities include six restaurants, bars and lounges; an ocean-facing spa; fitness centre; 60m-long swimming pool; a kid’s pool; and a family club. For events, The Apurva Kempinski Bali offers a range of spaces such as a 1,076m2 pillarfree ocean-view Grand Ballroom, an outdoor 2,200m2 ocean-facing lawn and 100-seater Apurva Chapel.
The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Malaysia
The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, located on the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula in Johor and part of the Desaru Coast development, has opened with 275 rooms. There are five F&B options, while recreational facilities include the Heavenly Spa by Westin complete with hydrothermal pools, an outdoor swimming pool and a fitness studio.
Adjacent to the resort is the Desaru Coast Conference Centre, managed by The Westin Desaru Coast Resort. The venue has a total of 1,252m2 of fully-equipped event space with the capacity to host almost 1,400 guests. Although the showpiece of the conference centre is a grand ballroom – which can be divided into four smaller event and pre-function spaces – there are outdoor venues by the beach available as well.
Mantra Epping, Australia
This new-build in Melbourne’s north offers 214 keys across several types of rooms: Hotel Rooms, One Bedroom Apartments and Two Bedroom Interconnecting Apartments. Apartments sport extra features such as kitchen facilities, European laundry and private balconies. Guests will also have access to the Trader Café, Restaurant and Bar, Beer Republic brewhouse, meeting facilities and gym.
Aloft Shanghai Zhangjiang Haike Hotel, China
Shanghai’s first Aloft hotel has launched in Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park Pudong. Its 191 rooms are equipped with a keyless mobile check-in system which enables guests to utilise their mobile phones as room keys; alongside free Wi-Fi and a 43-inch LCD TV. F&B options include all-day dining restaurant Nook; Re:fuel by Aloft, Aloft’s signature 24/7 grab-and-go facility; and the WXYZ Bar which doubles up as a social space during the day. Other facilities include a fitness centre, and seven meeting rooms totalling 890m2.
Hotel Verve, Thailand
The 17-storey Hotel Verve is a rebranding and thorough renovation of Bangkok’s Grand Tower Inn. The hotel offers 300 guestrooms, alongside F&B options such as all-day-dining venue S-SEN and a premium yakiniku restaurant. What sets the property apart is the presence of its own onsen facility – Nagare – located on the rooftop. There is also a 24-hour fitness facility on the 16th floor, and two meeting rooms on the third floor. On the second floor sits Loftimus, a modern co-working space boasting 20 individual work desks and five work rooms for up to six people per room.
From left: Chantiers de l’Atlantique's Jean-Yves Jaouen, Florence Mauduit, Laurent Castaing; and Royal Caribbean's Beatrice Siri and Joseph Pineau. Photo credit: Bernard Biger/Chantiers de l’Atlantique
Royal Caribbean International celebrated the steel cutting of a fifth Oasis Class ship this week at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The steel cutting marks the official start of construction of a new ship, scheduled to be delivered in 2021.
From left: Chantiers de l’Atlantique’s Jean-Yves Jaouen, Florence Mauduit, Laurent Castaing; and Royal Caribbean’s Beatrice Siri and Joseph Pineau. Photo credit: Bernard Biger/Chantiers de l’Atlantique
The fifth Oasis Class ship will combine the seven-neighbourhood concept that her sister ships feature with a lineup of thrilling experiences, imaginative dining, unparalleled entertainment and the latest technology.
The Oasis Class ships comprise the Oasis of the Seas, introduced a decade a ago, as well as the Symphony of the Seas which made its debut last year.
Toy Story characters and Disney•Pixar Friends will grace HKDL's streets this summer
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL) has announced a slight price adjustment to its admission ticket prices for the travel trade.
Under the new pricing, a one-day ticket for general admission (aged 12–64) will be HK$639 (US$82) and a child ticket (aged 3–11) will be HK$475, whereas a two-day ticket for general admission and child will be HK$825 and HK$609 respectively. For one-day and two-day senior admission tickets, pricing will remain unchanged at HK$100 and HK$170 respectively.
Toy Story characters and Disney•Pixar Friends will grace HKDL’s streets this summer
The resort will be offering a two-month grace period to the travel trade to enjoy the old ticket prices from now till June 24, 2019, where tickets will be valid through the same date.
From June 26 to September 1, 2019, HKDL will be presenting the Toy Story & Pixar Pals Summer Splash, in celebration of the latest Toy Story 4 which will hit big screens soon.
In addition, more new experiences will be unveiled in the resort. For example, young guests can be transformed into a real-life princess at the brand-new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in the castle area; and an all-new children’s playroom – called Nemo’s Recreation Reef – will be opening at Disney Explorers Lodge.
