Dream Cruises on Tuesday kicked off the construction for its Global Class flagship with a keel-laying ceremony at the MV Werften shipyard in Rostock, Germany.
Genting Hong Kong’s chairman Lim Kok Thay and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state prime minister Manuela Schwesig placed the traditional lucky coins in the keel before the 95m-high gantry crane lowered the section into place.
From left: Genting Hong Kong’s chairman Lim Kok Thay and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state prime minister Manuela Schwesig
The “laying” of the first section measuring 22m long, 26m wide and weighing 410 tons, about half of the full keel, marks the start of construction of the largest cruise ship ever built in Germany.
Amenities on board the 204,000-gross ton ship, which measures 342m long and over 46m wide, will include a theme park featuring a rollercoaster with virtual reality, a Cineplex, Asian and Western spas, shopping facilities, as well as Asian and international dining experiences and fast food restaurants.
The 2,500 cabins will accommodate up to 5,000 passengers on a twin-share basis, and will be able to cater for up to 9,500 passengers during peak holiday periods.
As Japan picks up the pieces from two major natural disasters that struck the nation in the space of three days, it is now focused on getting the message that it is business as usual across to travellers who might have been planning to cancel their trips.
The strongest typhoon in 25 years lashed central Japan in the early part of last week, coming close to Osaka and causing damage to Kansai International Airport – the major international air hub for western Japan – as well as road and rail links.
It’s all well in Sapporo (pictured) as the cities quickly recover from the recent spate of natural disasters
The airport, which at one point was under 50cm of water, has resumed domestic flights and is expected to restart international routes very soon. The airport also had to close the bridge that linked the man-made island to the mainland after it was struck and damaged by a freighter. However, airlines have been able to re-route flights to other Japanese airports.
“The closure of the airport had an impact on foreign arrivals but we are back to normal with domestic travellers and people coming in to Osaka from other parts of Japan by rail and road,” said Hiroko Ao, sales manager for the Hilton Osaka.
“There is little damage in the city itself, but rural areas have been harder hit,” she said. “There have been landslides, roads have been cut and power has been knocked out in many smaller towns, but Osaka and the big cities are back to normal. The damage does not really affect tourists too much.”
Two days after the typhoon, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Hokkaido, causing prefecture-wide blackouts and severing water supplies. Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport also had to be shut then, but it has since reopened.
“Nearly all tourist-related infrastructure has been completely restored at this point and are operating as normal,” Margery Weidman, a spokesperson for the city’s tourism department, told TTG Asia.
Some foreign tourists have contacted their travel agencies, hotels and the tourism office to express concern about their vacations, while some have even cancelled trips, Weidman admitted.
“We would like tourists to know that the well-being and liveliness of the city, and the people who live here, are steadily recovering, and that tourist spots around Sapporo are open for business again,” she said. “We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to Sapporo just as we did before.”
Chris Pickering, director and group general manager of Hokkaido Tourism Management, said the experience of Japanese people and the emergency services meant that there was no panic among the public. For example, water and electricity in the resort of Niseko were reconnected within 24 hours, and that foreign visitors rather enjoyed the novelty of the experience.
“We have had a few cancellations because people could not drive here from Sapporo or were unable to use the airport, but this was a one-off and we are already taking bookings for the winter season,” he said.
“Japan is very good at dealing with these situations and the people are very resilient,” Pickering stressed.
Avis Budget Group in Asia has rolled out its one-stop training platform, Beep, for travel trade professionals.
Beep provides an overview of the company’s brands, Avis Car Rental and Budget Car Rental, featuring training modules, booking tools, destination and driving guides.
A screenshot from the new platform
The Avis platform includes products from its 5,500 locations in approximately 170 countries, while the Budget platforms will have approximately 3,500 locations in more than 120 countries.
Both the Avis and the Budget platforms will be rolled out simultaneously, which is expected to make it easier for travel agents to offer products and services from the two brands to their customers.
All bookings made through the platform are commissionable, and Avis Budget Group will progressively launch incentives and competitions as the platform is introduced in different countries across Asia.
The platforms will initially be offered in English, with plans to gradually update languages to include simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai.
Tan was previously the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) regional director for the Cordillera Administrative Region. She also held various positions with the DoT and TPB – when it was still known as Philippine Convention and Visitors Bureau – both in the Philippines and abroad.
TripAdvisor said in a statement that it takes review fraud extremely seriously
A pivotal legal ruling in Italy saw a persistent online review fraudster sentenced to jail, prompting reviews site TripAdvisor to emphasise its stance against paid reviews companies.
The Criminal Court of Lecce ruled that writing fake reviews using a false identity is criminal conduct under Italian criminal law.
TripAdvisor said in a statement that it takes review fraud extremely seriously
The owner of PromoSalento, which sold fake review packages to hospitality businesses in Italy, was sentenced to nine months in prison and ordered to pay approximately 8,000 euros (US$9,294) in costs and damages.
Paid review fraud – when companies or individuals ‘sell’ fake reviews to business owners – is a violation of the law in many jurisdictions, but this is one of the first cases of enforcement resulting in a criminal conviction.
In a statement, TripAdvisor said it supported the prosecution of PromoSalento as a civil claimant by sharing evidence from its extensive in-house fraud investigations and providing support from its Italian legal counsel.
“Review fraud is something TripAdvisor takes extremely seriously, employing advanced tracking technology and a dedicated team of investigators to catch paid review companies and prevent them from operating on the site,” the statement read.
Brad Young, vice president, associate general counsel, TripAdvisor, said: “We invest a lot in fraud prevention and (are) successful at tackling it – since 2015, we’ve put a stop to the activity of more than 60 different paid review companies worldwide. However, we can only do so much alone, which is why we’re eager to collaborate with regulators and law enforcement authorities to support their prosecutions.”
The company last year published the World Committee on Tourism Ethics guidelines, with recommendations developed in collaboration with TripAdvisor, Minube and Yelp.
“We know that industry collaboration has an important role to play in tackling review fraud,” Young stressed.
TripAdvisor assures that all reports made to its Content Integrity team will be investigated and “any information, no matter how minor” can help.
TripAdvisor recently launched a new online information resource where people can learn more about how the company moderates reviews and protects its content. New articles will be added regularly addressing popular topics such as how TripAdvisor moderates reviews, or determines whether a review is biased.
Peak DMC, operating brand for the Intrepid Group, is expanding in South-east Asia with the opening of Peak DMC Indonesia.
The Indonesia office marks Peak DMC’s 21st DMC globally, adding to its existing South-east Asia operations in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Peak DMC’s tour leaders and staff celebrate the opening of a new branch
Since 2014, there has been a 47 per cent increase in travellers booking on Indonesian itineraries offered by Intrepid Group brands – including Intrepid Travel, Peregrine Adventures and other partner brands.
Peak DMC Indonesia will be located in Sanur and have nine local office staff, in addition to over 20 group leaders. The new office will also enable the company to better develop new trips that will not only relieve pressure on over-visited sites, but create economic benefits for local communities.
Peak DMC Indonesia country manager, Chris Hardy, says tourist dispersal is also a priority at the new office, aligned with the Indonesian government’s priority to encourage travel beyond Bali to lesser-visited destinations such as Lake Toba in North Sumatra and Mount Bromo in East Java.
While the office will be located in Bali, the country’s most popular destination, Hardy hopes travellers will use Bali as a launching pad to explore the rest of the country.
“When Australians think of Indonesia, they often think of fly and flop resort holidays in Bali. We want to show travellers that there is so much more to Bali and encourage them to discover different destinations within Indonesia. For example, not many people know that Sumatra is actually a better place to see wild orangutans than Borneo.”
Geoff Manchester, Intrepid co-founder, added: “Tourism in Indonesia has had its fair share of ups and downs, but the country has so much to offer that travellers keep coming back. The goal of our new business is not just to grow tourism, it’s to grow sustainable tourism.”
As experience-led tours gain traction in India, Cox & Kings has created a host of new thematic journeys on localised and unique activities.
Yusuf Poonawala, senior vice president, Cox & Kings, shared with TTG Asia that the company is promoting the 101 Xperiential Tours series at PATA Travel Mart 2018, with itineraries centred on themes such as hotels, sightseeing and culinary offerings.
Curvy roads along the old trading route between China and India in Sikkim
Cox & Kings recently launched Self-Drive 365 for exotic road trips through India and the rest of the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region, which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as member states.
“Self-drive is picking up in India, especially among the younger generation aged between 25-35 years old. The India self-drive car rental market is growing at an impressive CAGR and is poised to reach 14 billion rupees (US$200 million) by 2020,” said Yusuf.
He added that while perennial favourites like Delhi, Agra and Jaipur continue to be popular, demand for newer destinations are on the rise.
Yusuf observed: “Bekal and Kovalam in Kerala, Chikmagalur and Madikeri in Karnataka, Madurai and Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, as well as Sikkim and Guwahati in the north-east are (gaining popularity among) tourists from South-east Asia because of their landscapes, spiritual value and diverse cultures.”
To fan out across the market, Cox & Kings also launched a sustainable adventure travel vertical Trip 360, and India’s first accessible holiday specialist brand, Enable Travel.
Radisson Hotel Group will be launching its Radisson Blu brand in both Hainan and Wuhan, with the latter getting another Radisson-branded hotel.
Located 30 minutes’ drive from Haikou Meilan International Airport, the 48-storey Radisson Blu Haikou is scheduled to open in 2Q2020 with uninterrupted views of the sea of Haikou Bay.
Radisson Blu Haikou will have uninterrupted views of the sea
The new-build will feature 301 guestrooms and suites, as well as three restaurants, a lounge, a pool and a fully-equipped fitness centre. The property will also provide flexible meeting and event spaces with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities.
Over in Wuhan, the group has signed the Radisson Blu Wuhan ETD Zone and Radisson Wuhan Optics Valley in the city’s high-tech business and development zones.
Radisson Blu Wuhan ETD Zone will open in 1Q2020 in Wuhan’s Economic & Technological Development Zone. The eight-storey lakeside hotel will have 355 rooms, featuring amenities including several restaurants, an indoor swimming pool, spa, fitness centre and children’s playground, plus nine meeting rooms and a 1,600m2 grand ballroom.
A rendering of the upcoming properties in Wuhan
Radisson Wuhan Optics Valley, located in the Donghu New Tech Development Zone, is scheduled for a June 2024 opening. The property will feature 220 contemporary rooms and suites, and an array of facilities including an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality Chinese restaurant, lobby lounge and fitness centre. There will also be a business centre, function rooms and a ballroom.
Both new hotels are easily accessible, with Radisson Blu Wuhan ETD Zone a 45 minutes’ drive from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, and Radisson Wuhan Optics Valley just over an hour’s drive via major highways.
Norwegian to ditch London-Singapore route
Budget airline Norwegian will axe its Gatwick-Singapore service after less than 18 months.
Flights will cease to operate from January 12, 2019, and a Norwegian spokesperson said that they will be using “this capacity elsewhere on our network”. The no-frills carrier started flying this route on September 28, 2017.
Customers who have booked to fly after this period will be offered alternative options to reach their destination or a full refund.
Qatar to fly to Danang
Qatar Airways will be launching direct flights to Danang from its Doha hub, beginning December 19. This is the airline’s third Vietnamese destination.
The four-times weekly flights will be serviced by a Boeing 787-8 aircraft, featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.
The inaugural flight schedule for December 19 will see the flight departing Doha at 02.30, and arriving in Danang at 13.20. The return flight will depart Danang at 19.15, and arrive in Doha at 23.45.
The regular flight schedule will be as follows. On Mondays and Saturdays, flights will depart Doha at 07.15 and arrive in Danang at 18.05. The return leg will depart Danang at 19.35 and arrive in Doha at 00.50 the next day.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, flights will depart Doha at 20.10 and arrive in Danang at 07.00 the following day. The return leg will then depart Danang on Wednesdays and Fridays at 08.30, arriving back in Doha at 13.00.
JAL adds Manila route; signs codeshare partnership with Garuda
Japan Airlines will be launching a new daily route between Tokyo Haneda and Manila starting February 1, 2019.
JL077 will depart Tokyo Haneda at 00.50 and arrive in Manila at 03.55, while the return flight JL078 will depart Manila at 23.50 and arrive in Tokyo Haneda at 04.55 the following day.
As well, JAL and Garuda Indonesia have signed a strategic partnership agreement, effective October 28, 2018.
The two airlines will first offer codeshare flights between Japan and Indonesia, and on domestic flights operated by Garuda Indonesia and Japan Airlines, respectively. Garuda Indonesia will also offer codeshare flights on select transpacific routes operated by Japan Airlines. Through this partnership, the two carriers will offer four daily flights between Japan and Indonesia.
Stéphanie Walters has joined The Datai Langkawi as director of sales.
She will be managing all the direct B2B transactions for the European market, as well as developing the golf segment of the business.
Walters brings with her almost 10 years of sales experience and a global outlook derived from living and working in Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, and South-east Asia, for international hotel management companies such as One&Only Resorts, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Jumeirah Hotels.
