Etienne Dalançon named GM of Waldorf Astoria Maldives ahead of opening
Hilton has appointed Etienne Dalançon as general manager of Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi, a 122-villa resort set to open in the summer of 2019.
Dalançon joined the Hilton team in 2018, and earlier at Hyatt Hotels Corporate where he held roles as general manager of opening projects as well as various senior positions including sales and marketing.
With more than 20 years of experience in various roles within the hospitality industry, Dalançon has worked across multiple geographies including Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo as well as in his native France.
US, Vietnam presidents witness Vietjet’s signing of 100 Boeing jets
Vietjet and Boeing Commercial Airplanes have signed a US$12.7 billion deal for 100 new Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, doubling the airline’s order with Boeing to 200 airplanes.
During the same ceremony, Vietjet and General Electric signed a long-term Engine Support Agreement valued at US$5.3 billion to equip Vietjet aircraft with LEAP-1B engines.
Vietjet president and CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao and Boeing Commercial Airplanes president & CEO Kevin McAllister co-signed the airplane purchase deal, with Vietnam president Nguyen Phu Trong and US president Donald Trump as witnesses.
Earlier in 2016, Vietjet also signed a 100 Boeing 737 MAX order, setting the mark for the largest commercial jet purchase within Vietnam’s aviation sector at the time and making the airline the largest purchaser of the aircraft model in Asia.
Highlighting the airline’s rapid growth, Vietjet’s Nguyen said: “The deal for 100 new airplanes and other agreements for 200 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes today (are) important moves for us to meet our international flight network expansion plans with a higher capacity, offering our passengers opportunities to fly to new international destinations.
“This contract signing ceremony, witnessed by the top leaders of Vietnam and the US on the occasion of the US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi, will mark a milestone for the two companies’ growth.”
In addition to the aircraft purchases, Boeing will support Vietjet in enhancing technical and engineering expertise, training pilots and technicians to improve management capabilities at the airline.
The total value of the signed deals between Vietjet and the US companies will reach US$18 billion.
Ski-and-stay deal at Kiroro Resort, Hokaido
Hokkaido’s Kiroro Resort, with a snow season that stretches through spring, has launched a ski-and-stay package.
Visitors to Kiroro resort can choose from two properties: Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort and The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel.
Located right at the base of the slopes, Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort features 140 guestrooms and suites along with three restaurants. The resort is adjacent to the mountain centre, with easy access to the ski and snowboard academy, rental shop and ski valet.
The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel is a luxury alpine resort with views of two nearby peaks, Asari and Nagamine. The 282-room hotel offers mountain vistas from every room, and five dining options ranging from Japanese to Italian.
The Kiroro Big Package – offered through April 26 at The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel and through April 14 at Sheraton Hokkaido Kidodo Resort –includes:
– three nights’ accommodations for the price of two;
– complimentary breakfast;
– 50 per cent discount on wear and gear rentals, including skis and snowboards;
– complimentary access to resort pool and fitness centre
Cambodia-American deportees reconnect with motherland through new tours
A tour group is aiming to showcase Cambodia in a different light while highlighting the plight of deported Cambodian-Americans.
The seed for Zin Adventures was planted in April 2018 when its core founders decided to form a social enterprise to offer employment and support to their peers. The five men are a fraction of the more than 700 Cambodian-Americans who have been sent to Cambodia since 2002.
The majority have never set foot on Cambodian soil, born in refugee camps that dotted the Thai border after their families fled the brutality of the Khmer Rouge, under which almost a quarter of the population died between 1975 to 1979. In the 1980s, the US started accepting refugees, numbering over 178,000 arrivals. Many families were placed into under-privileged neighbourhoods where turf wars were rife. Growing up, children turned to gangs for survival.
Although refugees were given legal permanent residence, they did not automatically receive citizenship. In 2002, America and Cambodia signed a law that saw non-citizens who commit a crime, including minor offences, deported after serving jail time – in many cases, several years later. Today, about 1,800 people in the US are waiting to be exiled to Cambodia.
Having managed to turn tragedy into a second chance with the financial backing of two business people in Cambodia, the team – Buck Billy, Bobby Orn, Bunthoeun Ly, Khan Hin and Jimmy Hiem – hope through Zin they can do the same for others.
They plan to recruit and train up to 20 employees from their community, as well as an additional 20 locals, and expand their itineraries across the country.
Currently, they have developed a one-day tour – which can be extended to three – to Kirirom and a 90-minute walking tour through the capital’s Old European Quarter, followed by an optional boat tour with a Khmer dance class from members of award-winning Sophiline Arts Ensemble.
The team has spent almost a year carrying out extensive research to seek out hidden relics, spots and stories that cannot be found in the guidebooks. Months were spent trawling online resources, newspapers and books, carrying out site visits and extensively interviewing locals.
The route starts in Phnom Penh and goes on to Kirirom – a national park about 2.5 hours from the capital.
Zin also recently teamed up with bike tour operator Grasshopper Adventures to offer trips through Kirirom National Park.
Through the Gold Luck City tour, an itinerary has been curated to capture fading parts of the city’s more prosperous past. These include an ancient colonial church, a former Chinese assembly hall and a striking Chinese Hokkien temple.
To date, Zin has met with about 15 tourism companies, ranging from small travel businesses to large tour operators, with “much interest” shown in the Good Lucky City Tour.
Plans going forward include attracting more travellers from the US, as well as creating memorials and naming projects after relatives who made the refugee exodus and victims of the war and genocide.
Said Bobby, 44, who was deported in 2011: “We want to show the others when they arrive here that life isn’t over and there is hope, while showing some special places in Cambodia to visitors.”
Singapore outbound travel to US gains traction
Thanks to an increase in direct flight connections and destination awareness, the US is gaining traction among Singaporean travellers, reported travel agents here.
Agents at the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) Travel Fair last weekend reported an uptick in travel interest to the US. Dynasty Travel has received 50 per cent more bookings, while CTC Travel saw 20 per cent more enquiries from its customers.
“We had customers coming in with another destination in mind, but when we told them about the promotional airfares to the US, they chose that instead,” said Vivian Lee, general manager of Euro-Asia Holidays.
At the NATAS Travel Fair, Singapore Airlines rolled out exclusive discounted airfares through 18 agents on all of its flights, including Los Angeles and New York.
Lee observed that the Singapore market is “more price sensitive”, and has a long-held perception of the US as an inaccessible and expensive destination.
However, with the growing roster of flight connections to the US, Euro-Asia Holidays can now offer a diverse range of airline partners such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Emirates, she said.
Better US representation in Singapore has also lifted the destination’s profile. In October last year, New York City’s official destination marketing organisation, NYC & Company, set up shop in Singapore – a move that has helped bring the US into the light, remarked James Wong, sales & marketing manager (MICE), Farmosa Holiday Tour.
“The US has been quiet for the past few years, but now with NYC & Company’s office in Singapore, at least the we can learn more about the new things New York City has to offer, and have someone to approach if we have questions,” explained Wong.
NYC & Company yesterday began its first South-east Asia trade mission in Singapore, followed by pitstops in Kuala Lumpur and Manila.
During this trade mission, the organisation will conduct training and networking sessions between travel agents and NYC & Company partners, namely Hudson Yards, The Museum of Modern Art, Tour America and Wyndham Garden Brooklyn Sunset Park Hotel New York.
The priority of this trade mission is to educate local tour operators about the wealth of offerings in New York City beyond the usual sights, said Ee Lian Lee, account director, South-east Asia representative office, NYC & Company.
Skal India launches second club in Mumbai
Skal International Mumbai South, the association’s second club in Mumbai, launched last Friday with 35 members.
Key members of Skal International India, including president Ranjini Nambiar, first vice president Carl Vaz and secretary Shekhar Divadkar were at the ITC Maratha hotel, Mumbai International Airport to grace the occasion, along with distinguished membre d’honneur Jason Samuel and secretary of the the Skal Asian Area Arun Raghavan.
Speaking at the event, Nambiar said: “(The) growth of Skal India in the last six months has been phenomenal, we have opened three clubs taking the count to 14 clubs with 1,183 members. Our vision was 20 clubs by year 2020, (now it) looks like we have to raise our bar higher to reach out to potential members across the length & breadth of this vast country.”
Raghavan joined the accompanying distinguished guests in a traditional lamp lighting ceremony to signify the opening of the new club.
Including VIP guests and spouses, 52 people were in attendance for cocktails, inauguration formalities in the ballroom and dinner in the adjoining gardens.
Skal India launches second club in Mumbai
Skal International Mumbai South, the association’s second club in Mumbai, launched last Friday with 35 members.
Key members of Skal International India, including president Ranjini Nambiar, first vice president Carl Vaz and secretary Shekhar Divadkar were at the ITC Maratha hotel, Mumbai International Airport to grace the occasion, along with distinguished membre d’honneur Jason Samuel and secretary of the the Skal Asian Area Arun Raghavan.
Speaking at the event, Nambiar said: “(The) growth of Skal India in the last six months has been phenomenal, we have opened three clubs taking the count to 14 clubs with 1,183 members. Our vision was 20 clubs by year 2020, (now it) looks like we have to raise our bar higher to reach out to potential members across the length & breadth of this vast country.”
Raghavan joined the accompanying distinguished guests in a traditional lamp lighting ceremony to signify the opening of the new club.
Including VIP guests and spouses, 52 people were in attendance for cocktails, inauguration formalities in the ballroom and dinner in the adjoining gardens.
International visitors driving Lombok’s tourism recovery
Tourism business in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, is gradually picking up six months after the devastating earthquake hit the island’s north in August last year.
With a number of promotional activities and events planned, NTB tourism stakeholders expect that by the peak summer season this year, recovery of business will reach between 60-80 per cent of pre-disaster levels.
Indonesia Ministry of Tourism has 30 promotional events in the pipeline, including fam trips and sales missions to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and the UK.
“Fam trips help bring confidence to travellers that Lombok is safe,” said Nia Niscaya, deputy minister of marketing development regional II, Ministry of Tourism, at a media presentation publicising the ministry’s 2019 marketing programmes at Katamaran Resort in Lombok last week. “There are also four (traditional) festivals to promote Lombok in the country’s calendar of events this year,” she added.
Industry stakeholders in Lombok are already observing a gradual uptick in business, driven by international demand.
Emanuel Prasodjo Adji, general manager of Aston Sunset Beach Resort Gili Trawangan, said: “Before the earthquake, domestic and international arrivals to Gili Trawangan were between 1,000 and 3,000 people per day (depending on the seasons).” Currently, the number is around 900.
Looking at enquiries and forward bookings, he foresees that by the summer peak season, business would reach 60 per cent of the hotel’s summer 2017 performance.
Meanwhile, Wayan Sudiarta, general manager, Katamaran Hotel & Resort, said: “Despite the disaster, last year we managed to achieve an average occupancy of 80 per cent, which was 10 per cent lower than in 2017. “
It is still early to project for the year, according to Wayan, but looking at current bookings and performance, especially from China, Europe and the US, he estimated hotel occupancy can reach 70 per cent.
Despite the positive sentiment from the international market, the NTB Guides’ Association projects that full recovery to Lombok might take another year.
Said Lalu Widianing Artha, coordinator of the Code of Ethic Board at the association: “In areas like Gili (Trawangan), Kuta (Central Lombok) and Senggigi, currently only about 20 per cent of traffic has returned, also led by the international market.
“International travellers are more confident. They understand that natural disasters can happen anywhere and, unlike security threats such as terrorism. As soon as they see the destination (on its feet again), the demand (will return).”
He said fast boat operators from Bali are gradually increasing their frequencies and AirAsia’s plan to start flying between Perth and Lombok were a breath of fresh air for the destination, as accessibility is key to traffic growth.
On the other hand, the domestic market has been slower to rebound, according to Lalu.
He said: “The domestic market is big for Lombok. However, they are more hesitant to travel here now – feeling uncertain about safety. Besides, there are other issues like the decreasing seat capacity following the disaster. The hike of domestic airfares also has not helped to increase the desire to come here. This is a challenge for us.”
In response, the guides’ association has been doing a series of domestic road shows to Jogjakarta and Central Java and will next month travel to East Java.
“East Java is a very important market as about 80 per cent of domestic traffic to Lombok is from the province,” Lalu said.
TAT partners Grab to get anonymous data on travellers
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and GrabTaxi (Thailand) have announced a strategic collaboration to exchange big data for destination marketing and other tourism goals.
With the partnership, GrabTaxi (Thailand) will exchange big data collected anonymously over hundreds of thousands of daily rides from various services on the Grab app. This is expected to TAT give insights into the behaviour and lifestyle of both Thai and international tourists, their favourite destinations, the length of stay and travel patterns in Thailand.
GrabTaxi (Thailand) will also support the project with Grab Data scientists who will be working closely with TAT.
The agreement is in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy of utilising technology to integrate information from both the government and private sector to help move Thailand forward. The collaboration also includes co-creation of innovations to enhance local transportation and tourism as well as provide a better livelihood and increase sustainable income for local communities.
Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “TAT realises the benefits of utilising digital technology to develop a smart data system that can better support tourism marketing and serve the needs of tourists. Therefore, we have initiated the project ‘Tourism Smart Data, the Time Is Now’ and partnered with GrabTaxi (Thailand) to drive Thailand’s tourism industry.
“Our main goals are to attract the current group of tourists to revisit Thailand, expand new tourist targets, distribute tourism income to secondary provinces, and introduce new destinations to stimulate the market even further,” Yuthasak added.
According to Yuthasak, the partners will devise a tourism development plan as well as define the best approaches for using these insights to benefit all stakeholders in the Thai tourism industry.
The plan includes building of a smart data system for tourism, creating innovations for transportation, and launching campaigns to promote local tourism nationwide.
Tarin Thaniyavarn, country head of GrabTaxi (Thailand), said: “This MoU is another strategic move in the continued collaboration between TAT and GrabTaxi (Thailand), following the previous partnership in several campaigns including ‘Grab Xi’ in the end of 2018 as well as the 39th Thailand Tourism Festival 2019 earlier this year.”
Centara Hotels & Resorts is expanding its beach club and bistro concept, Coast, to more resort locations in Thailand, with Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi the latest addition.
Exclusive to the upper-upscale Centara Grand brand, Coast Beach Club and Bistro is a social dining and lounge concept with four beachfront locations currently operating in Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Phuket.
Coast beach clubs feature zones, including a raw bar serving local seafood and poke bowls, a seafood grill to cook the “catch of the day”, an Italian pizza oven, and a casual bar area serving cocktails, fine wines, fresh juices and tapas plates. Guests can also enjoy DJ entertainment after the sun sets.
Under Centara’s Coast for Groups concept, meeting planners have an array of options, including beachfront barbecues, buffets, teambuilding activities and private parties.
Families and groups of friends can also arrange their own events, and the Couples’ Dining programme creates candlelit dinners, private performances and special menus.
As Coast expands its presence around the world, guests can look forward to an extended calendar of global events, including themed dinners, creative classes, pop-up chef weekends, guest DJ performances and more.