UK-based independent tour operator Premier Holidays appointed John Parker as the new product manager to oversee its core destinations in Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei.
Currently the project manager for Africa, Parker has since September taken over the reins of Asia programme from David Carlaw, Premier’s former head of faraway who is now the UK sales representative for Diethelm Travel Group.
John Parker on a holiday in South Africa. (Photo credit: Premier Holidays: Trade’s Facebook)
Parker has been a product manager at Premier Holidays for 12 years, and in the past has contracted areas including Hong Kong, China, Australia and New Zealand. He still remains product manager for Africa.
Star Cruises’ Superstar Gemini will soon call multiple ports in Malaysia and Thailand home from November 5, 2018, until April 28, 2019.
For the upcoming deployment, SuperStar Gemini will homeport in the Malaysian destinations of Port Klang, Penang and Langkawi, along with Phuket in Thailand, with a focus on destinations around the Straits of Malacca.
SuperStar Gemini will be based in South-east Asia for a stint
Guests will be able to choose from round-trip itineraries from these homeports, ranging between two to four nights to include destinations including Krabi and Singapore.
“Genting Cruise Lines has a long history in this part of South-east Asia and we are excited to be making Malaysia SuperStar Gemini’s new home in November 2018 to carry on the legacy of SuperStar Libra, which recently retired from active duty from the Star Cruises fleet,” shared Kent Zhu, president, Genting Cruise Lines.
For Soonie Wattanahongsiri, who counts 15 years of experience in major DMCs in Thailand – including Exo Travel, Khiri Travel and Abercrombie & Kent – a trusted reputation and word of mouth referrals are the most valuable tools to attract business for Blackrice Travel, a boutique travel agency she founded in early 2018.
Soonie Wattanahongsiri
The Bangkok-based startup offers customised trips to Thailand and South-east Asia for both travellers and corporate agents alike. “We have no fixed tariffs or modules. It’s all about customisation,” said Soonie.
Designing each holiday around a client’s needs and preferences, Soonie is adamant that she gives “a personal touch” to each booking, whether it’s welcoming clients upon their arrival at hotels or giving personalised souvenirs – think wicker placemats and fans embroidered with their names.
In an era where competition is intense and the travel market rife with OTAs, Soonie firmly believes there remains a clear market demand for bespoke travel agents like her.
Her extensive product knowledge and operations experience accumulated during her years with the region’s leading DMCs give her access to a ready pool of industry friends and business contacts eager to seek out her expertise, as well as a curated network of freelance guides whom she relies on to run tours.
Small is beautiful for this one-person agency, as Soonie handles every aspect of the trip, from tour conception to execution, enabling her to communicate clients’ exact travel style and requests to tour guides on the ground without losing the essence along the way – which is not uncommon for bigger outfits as a client passes through several hands.
“I want to be the missing link between clients and tour guides,” the travel guru stressed.
Blackrice Travel has its sights set on targeting families and LGBT, segments where highly personalised service and recommendations for travel programmes are sought after.
And with experiential, authentic travel wave on the rise, food tourism is a tantalising focus sector in Soonie’s eyes.
“Food tourism has become a big thing. Visitors often come with requests wanting to try certain food,” she shared.
Her formidable knowledge of the local dining scene and food culture has already won her a spot on the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s upcoming Hello Taste campaign, where Blackrice Travel is among the operators picked to design food-themed itineraries showcasing the Thai culinary scene.
Location
After a six-month-long transformation, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort and Spa Singapore has finally reopened its Italian restaurant Trapizza. The beachfront eatery stands on Siloso Beach, a five-minute walk from the main hotel building.
Channelling the beach vibe
Ambience
Inspired by architecture in Palm Springs, California, the restaurant is decked out with cacti landscaping, palm trees, kombi vans, and turquoise and pink neon chairs.
The restaurant can take a maximum 214 persons – this includes the main dining area under a canopy, outdoor seating on the sand, and seats at the bar counter. There’s also a fully air-conditioned private dining room which can accommodate up to 16 diners.
For younger diners, Trapizza now features a new water play area, a colouring corner, and a play zone with a kitchenette playset. Parents with young kids will be able to kick back and relax with a bottle of Trapizza’s eponymous beer, while keeping a watchful eye on their brood.
Menu
I liked that Trapizza is headed by Turin-born Alessandro Delle Cave, which was assuring, as anything that was put on the table would most certainly be authentic Italian cuisine.
The menu has a whole range of pizza flavours to choose from
Overall, items on the menu are reasonably-priced and portions are great for sharing, which is good news for families.
We started off with the chicken wings in a slightly spicy pomodoro-based sauce, before the calzone and prawn salad arrived. Chicken wings were fried to perfection and juicy, while the salad was light and refreshing. I wasn’t a fan of the calzone, as I was much more interested in the pizzas instead.
Thin-crust, wood-fired, and generous toppings – exactly how I like my pizzas, and Trapizza does not disappoint. We managed to try the Siciliana, Quattro Formaggio, di Mare, Inferno and Aloha, as the Family Sharing 16-Inch Pizzas enabled us to have three flavours per pizza. There were some other pizzas on the menu I would have liked to have tried, alas, we were rather full by then. But no matter, as it’s a reason to return.
Our group was also given the opportunity to dig into a variety of sweet treats. There was a lemon tart and pistachio-filled cannolis, but the two that really stood out were the jars of silky-smooth strawberry pannacotta, and creamy tiramisu.
A spread of desserts
There are even Pizzatinis on the menu. As its name suggests, this drink is a – rather questionable – marriage of savoury pizza flavours or toppings with martinis. For instance, the Bloody Mary topped with pepperoni and rosemary. It was interesting for sure!
If cocktails are not up your alley, try the fruity and refreshing lager that has been specially brewed for the restaurant by Rye & Pint Brewery. Trapizza intends to introduce a dark ale in the future as well.
It was a hot day when we visited, and I personally enjoyed the organic Lemon Lime & Bitters I chose. The number of drink options is rather staggering, and one will definitely be spoilt for choice!
There’s also a kombi van that houses the eatery’s new Grab n’ Go concept, and offers ready-to-go items such as popsicles, beverages, and paninis should you prefer to lounge under a coconut tree instead of sitting on a chair.
Service
The restaurant manager was welcoming and service was prompt.
Verdict
There is nothing I would have liked better than to sink into one of the chairs, grab a cold drink, put my feet up, and just chill. Did I mention the beachfront eatery is the perfect place to catch the sunset?
Patee Sarasin, former CEO of Nok Air, has launched his latest travel venture, Really Really Cool, which aims to make “exclusive packages and unique travel experiences” accessible to holidaymakers travelling into and out of Thailand.
The company will place an emphasis on packages designed specially with curated, authentic experiences.
Dusit International’s Suphajee Suthumpun (left) with Patee (centre) at Really Really Cool’s launch
Recognising that Thailand is home to a young and fast-expanding middle class, he intends to introduce new destinations to Thais and send them out to see the world, with the Maldives being the launch destination.
Really Really Cool has partnered Dusit Thani to bring travellers for its launch package, which will include round-trip air fare from Bangkok to the Maldives with Thai AirAsia, accommodation at the Dusit Thani Maldives, a full-board meal plan, complementary snorkel gear, domestic land and speedboat transfers, personalised butler service and a discount coupon redeemable for a 90-minute massage at the Devarana Spa.
The company is in the process of negotiating with other travel suppliers, hoteliers and airlines to create more experienced-based promotions.
“Travellers are rewriting their bucket lists and seeking out cool alternative experiences and fresh ways to travel, see and do things. So, we are starting by building experiences from scratch and taking a different approach to destination marketing,” Patee said.
“We believe in the future of this industry especially if we can capture a percentage of the ever-increasing numbers of visitors from around the world who are visiting Thailand.”
Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong - 11 June 2018: People walking across Apliu Street. Apliu Street Flea Market is a popular jumble of electronics and accessories.
After rolling out the Hong Kong Neighbourhoods campaign to encourage visitors to explore the city beyond the traditional tourist areas, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has now launched the Hong Kong Neighbourhoods – Sham Shui Po promotion.
A number of walking routes recommended by locals will be introduced, complemented by themed decorations displayed at various locations to help visitors experience the charm of Sham Shui Po.
People walking along the Apliu Street Flea Market in Sham Shui Po
HKTB has invited history professor Joseph Ting and three locals to recommend walking routes that introduce the history, creative trends, authentic food and treasure hunting hotspots of Sham Shui Po. The routes have been uploaded to a Sham Shui Po dedicated webpage on the HKTB website, complemented by video navigation and route-finding functions on Google Map.
Moreover, visitors can scan QR codes to access information at the various points of interest via their mobile phones, or by using the HKTB mobile app My Hong Kong Guide.
To highlight the unique characteristics of the district, HKTB has put up different types of decorations in various places in Sham Shui Po, like in the MTR station, on the lamp posts along major roads and streets, the street-facing wall of the neighbourhood landmark Dragon Centre, street railings as well as CLP Power’s pillar boxes.
HKTB will continue to organise fam tours to Sham Shui Po for overseas trade and cooperate with them to promote the neighbourhood.
It has also published a Sham Shui Po Self-guided Walks guidebook, offering walking routes recommended by local personalities and 65 thematic points of interest. The printed version of the guidebook is available at HKTB Visitor Centres, and an online version can be found on the HKTB website for browsing or download.
As for global promotions, HKTB has launched a micro-film series. It has also invited renowned local travel and food columnist Michelle Loo to film a TV programme about Sham Shui Po that targets ethnic Chinese markets.
Secretary for commerce and economic development, Edward Yau, said: “We have been striving to enhance the competitiveness of our tourism industry. We released a development blueprint for Hong Kong’s tourism last year setting out strategies and measures to achieve this. The district promotion campaigns of the Tourism Board are in line with the strategy raised in the blueprint to develop tourism products with local and international characteristics.”
Business optimsim runs high for Centara Grand at CentralWorld
Political stability and surging international visitors arrivals are proving a potent mix for Bangkok, as the Thai capital is poised to achieve its strongest performance in recent years in 2018 with no disruptive events anticipated.
Business optimsim runs high for Centara Grand at CentralWorld
“Thailand has seen a lot of ups and downs over the past 10 years but it’s on a clear path of growth (in the hotel sector),” STR’s area director Asia-Pacific Jesper Palmqvist projected at Thailand Tourism Forum earlier this year.
Bangkok’s hotel sector is “finding its strides”, reflected in the steady rise of its ADR and occupancy rates in the past three years. RevPAR, for instance, broke 10-year records for 10 months out of 12 in 2017, Palmqvist shared.
The growth momentum recorded for Bangkok’s hotels in the last two years is likely to be repeated in 2018, said Horwath HTL’s director Nikhom Jensiriratanakorn.
According to a recent HVS Market Pulse report, the overall stability in the market has contributed to the strong performance of hotels during the first two quarters of 2018. The outlook for the remaining months of 2018 is optimistic, driven by expected strong demand levels in international visitor arrivals, coupled with the political stability in the market with elections being postponed to 2019.
The positive outlook of Bangkok lodging sector is also apparent at Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, which has enjoyed continued growth in all major metrics so far, Robert Maurer Loeffler, the hotel’s general manager and corporate director of operations told TTG Asia.
“Our Bangkok properties are enjoying a positive 2018. The first quarter was particularly strong and we have seen year-on-year growth in both occupancy and rates. Transient business has driven two-thirds of the growth while growth in the group segment has been led by double-digit increases from wholesale group business,” Loeffler commented.
“The remainder of 2018 is looking equally positive and while the transient growth will continue its trend from the first half of the year, the groups’ growth will be driven by increased MICE business, with other group segments remaining constant with last year. We hope to enter 2019 pacing ahead of prior years too,” he elaborated.
There is still considerable amount of new branded supply entering the Bangkok market in the foreseeable future, including much-anticipated brands like Capella, Edition and Four Seasons added to the city’s luxury segment.
Hilton, however, maintains “an extremely bullish outlook” on Thailand, including the luxury segment, said vice president, operations, luxury Asia-Pacific Daniel Welk. The hospitality giant has just launched its latest property, Waldorf Astoria Bangkok, in the Thai capital.
If there’s anything that growing competition has brought, it’s greater clarity for Hilton’s hotel brands, Welk stated.
Singapore’s Ascott Residence Trust (Ascott Reit) has acquired a prime greenfield site for S$62.4 million (US$45.6 million) for its maiden development project.
The property is expected to be managed by Ascott, under the co-living brand lyf. Lyf one-north Singapore, offering 324 units, is slated to achieve Temporary Occupation Permit by 2020 and open in 2021.
Rendering of Lyf one-north
This will be the first co-living property within Singapore’s research and innovation business hub, one-north. From its location at Nepal Hill, the property will sit amid 400 companies, 800 startups and 50,000 professionals,
The 60-year leasehold site was put up by the JTC Corporation for sale in a two-envelope concept and price tender. Ascott Reit’s concept proposal features the creative use of communal spaces, a holistic design centred on building a vibrant and collaborative community, as well as comprehensive programmes which promote social bonding, wellness, personal development and business networking.
UNWTO has launched a report that aims to help manage growing urban tourism flows and their impact on cities and residents during the recent 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism in Seoul.
The ‘Overtourism’? Understanding and managing urban tourism growth beyond perceptions report proposes 11 strategies and 68 measures to help understand and manage visitor growth. The report is the result of collaboration between UNWTO, the Centre of Expertise Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (CELTH), Breda University of Applied Sciences and the European Tourism Futures Institute (ETFI) of NHL Stenden University of Applied sciences.
La Rambla Street, Barcelona
The recent growth of urban tourism requires the sector to ensure sustainable policies and practices that minimise adverse effects of tourism on the use of natural resources, infrastructure, mobility and congestion, as well as its socio-cultural impact.
Increased reports of negative attitudes among local populations towards visitors, due to perceived overcrowding, noise and other issues, have led to the spread of terms such as ‘overtourism’ and ‘tourismphobia’ in the media.
“Governance is key. Addressing the challenges facing urban tourism today is a much more complex issue than is commonly recognised. We need to set a sustainable roadmap for urban tourism and place tourism in the wider urban agenda,” said UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili. “We must also ensure local communities see and benefit from the positive aspects of tourism.”
To better understand visitor management challenges in urban contexts, particularly the relationship between residents and visitors, the report includes an analysis of residents’ perceptions towards tourism in eight European cities – Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Munich, Salzburg and Tallinn.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to deal with overtourism. Instead tourism needs to be part of a city-wide strategy for sustainable development”, Ko Koens of CELTH and Breda University of Applied Sciences concludes.
The report recommends a common strategic vision among all stakeholders involved, bringing residents and visitors together and adopting careful planning which respects the limits of capacity and the specificities of each destination.
“The involvement and support of local residents is key in achieving sustainable tourism”, professor Albert Postma of CELTH and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences explains. “Building shared responsibility amongst stakeholders directly or indirectly involved in tourism development is a key for ensuring long-term sustainability”, involved researcher Bernadett Papp concludes.
South Korea is looking further afield to boost its inbound tourism figures.
In the first seven months of 2018, the country welcomed 5.7 million foreign visitors. China topped the table with nearly 2.6 million arrivals, followed by Japan with 1.5 million arrivals.
Tourists taking photos at Nami Island
With these two source markets representing more than 50 per cent of arrivals and China’s growth slowing – a 1.8 per cent year-on-year increase – due to geopolitical tensions with Beijing, the industry is stepping up efforts to woo other markets.
Jang You Hyun, director of Korea Tourism Organization, said: “We need to diversify our source markets. The Chinese market is becoming smaller and smaller. The Japanese market may be growing, but we are still hungry.”
Jang said huge investment is being ploughed into attracting visitors from alternative longhaul markets, especially from Europe. He added: “Markets such as these have huge potential. We need to target them more.”
Large-scale marketing campaigns are currently being launched in Europe – mainly the UK and Germany. “We have to hugely invest in advertisement in these inbound markets,” said Jang.
Soy An, operator manager of Us Travel, said her company regularly attends travel marts worldwide to stimulate interest in South Korea.
She added: “Many longhaul markets don’t have much interest in South Korea yet, but that’s because they don’t know much. We need to change that.”
Despite this, she noted a growing increase in interest from Europe, thanks to Korean pop culture influence trickling into Europe. For example, French travellers are being inspired by the popularity of K-pop, encouraging them to explore South Korea.
Another event that is set to be a global game-changer for South Korea’s tourism was the recent 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The company has put together a post-Olympic itinerary, which is proving popular with Europeans.
Said An: “The Winter Olympics is great marketing and we believe it will lead to many more tourists from Europe wanting to explore South Korea.”
