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Asia/Singapore Sunday, 12th April 2026
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Carnival’s China JV sails off; two Costa ships to be transferred

By TTG Asia
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These agreements were signed on behalf of CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping by Costa Group's Michael Thamm; Yang Jincheng, president of CSSC; and Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, during the China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai

Carnival Corporation has formally launched its cruise joint venture with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), under the name CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping, which will begin serving Chinese cruise passengers with its own fleet by end-2019.

CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping will purchase two existing ships from Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group. The 85,861-ton, 2,210-passenger Costa Atlantica, is scheduled to be transferred to the new Chinese cruise line by the end of 2019, while sister ship, the 2,114-passenger Costa Mediterranea, will be transferred at a later date.

These agreements were signed on behalf of CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping by Costa Group’s Michael Thamm; Yang Jincheng, president of CSSC; and Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, during the China International Import Expo in Shanghai

The new China-based cruise company has also signed a contract to finalise its previously announced agreement to order two new cruise ships that will be built in China and serve the Chinese cruise market.

The two new cruise ships will be constructed by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS), with the first ship expected to be delivered in 2023. The agreement also gives CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping the option to order four additional China-built cruise ships to serve growing demand from Chinese consumers.

CSSC, China’s largest shipbuilder, and global shipbuilder Fincantieri have established a separate joint venture to grant a technology license of the ship model platform and to provide technical and project service support to SWS throughout the shipbuilding process. The two new ships will be built with a design tailored for the new joint venture and the specific tastes of Chinese travellers.

Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, commented: “The official launch of our cruise joint venture in China is a significant milestone in the strategic development of a strong and sustainable cruise industry in China.”

Lei Fanpei, chairman of CSSC, said the partnership with leading international cruise enterprises will foster the development of a whole industrial chain and an ecosystem that will “nurture the sustainable growth of the cruise industry”.

“Our cooperation continues to receive great support from the Chinese government at both the central and local levels,” Lei added.

GHM names new CEO to drive expansion

By TTG Asia
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Luxury hotel group GHM has appointed Tommy Lai as its CEO to drive its next phase of expansion, the 26-year-old luxury hotel group .

The Singapore native will assume some responsibilities currently managed by GHM co-founder and president Hans R Jenni, but Lai’s primary role is to spearhead the development opportunities and to drive GHM’s overall growth ambitions.

“We’re on the verge of some significant new developments, which we’ll be announcing in the coming months,” said Jenni. “Tommy’s appointment is both timely and strategic. His experience and knowledge, especially with regard to the North Asia markets and our widening ambitions across the region, align nicely with our plans.

Lai joins GHM after six years with the Thailand-based Onyx Hospitality Group, where he led their North Asia operation from Hong Kong. His well-rounded understanding of the hospitality industry, complemented by his purposeful professional pursuits throughout his career, has led him to this choice candidacy, the company said in a statement.

Dorsett unveils new rewards programme

By TTG Asia
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Programme members can enjoy room upgrades at Dorsett hotels, in addition to offers by programme partners across industries

Dorsett Hospitality International will pilot its new loyalty programme in 15 hotels across Asia, Europe and Oceania under its Dorsett and d.Collection brands.

Members of the Dorsett – Your Rewards programme will be able to enjoy tailored rewards, including through the hotel group’s partnerships across industries such as transport, beauty and more.

Programme members will be able to enjoy rewards at Dorsett hotels, in addition to offers by programme partners across industries

In addition to birthday offers, other Dorsett – Your Rewards benefits include free room upgrades to suites, complimentary breakfast, and guaranteed late check-out times of up to four hours.

A defining feature of the programme is its ‘part-cash, part-points’ model which allows members to redeem rewards any time they wish, no matter how many points they’ve amassed.

There are four tiers of membership – Classic, Silver, Gold and Platinum – and members will be automatically upgraded as they accrue more room nights stayed per year.

To celebrate the programme’s debut during the Christmas season, guests who sign up between now and December 31 will receive a free automatic membership upgrade to Silver and be able to access all the benefits exclusive to the tier on their next stay with Dorsett throughout the world.

Dorsett is also offering a platinum membership for two influencers per region.

The Peninsula Hong Kong now offers yacht experiences

By TTG Asia
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The Peninsula Yacht

The Peninsula Hong Kong is bringing its hospitality to the seas with the introduction of a new Sunseeker Manhattan 60 yacht.

With the introduction of The Peninsula Yacht, the hotel says it has become the first luxury property in Hong Kong to offer a trinity of deluxe transportation options, including its fleet of Rolls-Royce Phantoms and a customised helicopter.

The Peninsula Yacht

The Sunseeker Manhattan 60 is a 19m cruiser for up to 15 passengers. On the two-hour Harbour Sunset Cruise, guests depart in the evening to witness the Symphony of Lights show on the Victoria Harbour.

The package includes canapés and unlimited consumption of house Champagne, wine and other beverages, available from 18.30 to 20.30 nightly, priced at HK$1,400 nett (US$179) for adults and HK$600 nett for children.

The Peninsula Yacht will also serve as a new venue for events, managed by the hotel. Guests will enjoy the added option of a charter for their private functions, family celebrations, cocktail receptions, elegant pre-wedding photoshoots or an onboard massage therapy session by The Peninsula Spa.

For a fully personalised experience, the entire yacht can be chartered for HK$15,000 nett per hour with a minimum engagement of four hours.

The events team can customise any event by adding the guest’s choice of signature Peninsula experiences, each priced separately.

Skål Hua Hin & Cha Am relaunches

By TTG Asia
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Richard Mehr (far right) and supporters of the relaunch, including president of Skål Thailand, Wolfgang Grimm (centre in hat), Skål International's Phuket/Thailand secretary Heike Garcon (next to Mehr) and Thailand vice president Kevin Rautenbach (front row, third from left)

Skål International Hua Hin & Cha Am was relaunched last week, with association members and guests gathered in celebration of the event at the Oceanside Restaurant at Putahracsa Resort, Hua Hin.

The relaunch was the vision of Richard Mehr, general manager at Putahracsa Resort, who will be acting president of the club. He will work alongside Stacey Walton, general manager of Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin, and acting vice president of the newly relaunched club.

Richard Mehr (far right) with supporters of the relaunch, including president of Skål Thailand, Wolfgang Grimm (centre in hat), Skål International’s Phuket/Thailand secretary Heike Garcon (next to Mehr) and Thailand vice president Kevin Rautenbach (front row, third from left)

The reinstatement of the club, first inaugurated 11 years go, is “long overdue” for the hotel, golf and tourism industry, according to a Skål statement.

At the event, Mehr thanked club representatives and the 18 founding members from Hua Hin and Cha Am – which included general managers of Hyatt, Marriott, InterContinental, Avani, Anantara, G Resort and Marrakesh – for supporting the relaunch.

Walton, a founding member of Skål International Hua Hin & Cha Am back in 2007, said: “It was unfortunate that the group dissolved a few years ago. I shared the same vision as Richard that there has been a need for an international association where like-minded professionals in hotels, golf courses, travel and tourism can gather and exchange information, share ideas and keep up to date on events and activities in Hua Hin & Cha Am in a sociable environment.”

The next club event will take place at the award-winning Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin on November 20, 2018 offering a green fee of 2,200 baht (US$67) on the day for Skål members and their guests. To make a tee time, contact reservations@banyanthailand.com.

And for 1,000 baht (members) and 1,200 baht (guests), a welcome drink will be served at Mulligan’s Pub at 18.30 followed by dinner at The Terrace Restaurant. To RSVP, contact gm@putahracsa.com.

Webjet acquires Dubai-based Destinations of the World

By TTG Asia
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Destinations of the World, based in Dubai (pictured), will give WebBeds 5,600 unique direct hotel contracts

Webjet has entered into an agreement to acquire Destinations of the World (DOTW), bringing the Dubai-based B2B platform into the WebBeds portfolio comprising JacTravel, TotalStay, Sunhotels, Lots of Hotels and FIT Ruums.

The company is buying DOTW from Gulf Capital, the largest private equity firm in the Middle East, its founder and its management team, who will retain a shareholding in the enlarged Webjet Group.

Destinations of the World, based in Dubai (pictured), will give WebBeds 5,600 unique direct hotel contracts

In a statement, Webjet said the DOTW acquisition will significantly enhance WebBeds’ Asia-Pacific and Americas businesses, while further expanding its presence in the key European and MEA regions to solidify its position as the “B2B player globally”.

While WebBeds’ main focus is on the long-term benefits of the acquisition, the acquisition is also expected to deliver considerable cost and revenue synergies over the short to medium term.

The acquisition is expected to significantly expand WebBeds’ portfolio with a 24 per cent increase in direct contracts. Of DOTW’s portfolio of 12,300 directly contracted hotels, 5,600 are unique to WebBeds, thereby increasing WebBeds directly contracted inventory pool to over 28,500 hotels. Additionally, the 6,700 overlapping hotel contracts will deepen WebBeds’ room allocation and availability at key hotels around the world.

As well, adding DOTW to the WebBeds family will boost annual total transacted volume to over A$2 billion (US$1.4 billion, proforma for FY2018), representing an increase of 54 per cent and will increase the global footprint with offices in 36 locations.

Following the acquisition, WebBeds will have more than 2,100 employees. It will feature a portfolio of more than 250,000 hotels in all regions of the globe, of which 28,500 are directly contracted.

Webjet’s managing director, John Guscic said Webjet and DOTW will be working to integrate our businesses “over the coming weeks and months”.

Premium economy gains ground among Asian carriers

By Rosa Ocampo
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Comfort is especially valued on ultra-longhaul flights; pictured, premium economy seats on SIA's A350-900ULR deployed on the Singapore-New York route

A recent development in the airline industry, premium economy is expected to find greater uptake as a product category as more Asian carriers introduce this in-between option to fill the wide gap in comfort and service between business and coach class.

Notably, the launch of Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) 19-hour nonstop route between the Lion City and New York on the Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft without an economy class cabin has brought attention to the value of premium economy.

Comfort is especially valued on ultra-longhaul flights; pictured, premium economy seats on SIA’s A350-900ULR deployed on the Singapore-New York route

For its Singapore-Seattle service set for launch in September next year, SIA will offer an economy-premium economy-business class configuration.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines’ new 18-hour nonstop Manila-New York service has 240 economy, 24 premium economy and 30 business class seats.

PAL president and CEO Jaime Bautista explained that for the airline, premium economy is 20 to 30 per cent more expensive than economy and has a longer pitch of 38 inches pitch between seats and a 12-inch recliner. It is a separate cabin with different meal and service.

As premium economy features vary from one airline to another and in some cases it is just economy seats with bigger legroom, the question persists whether it is a downgrade from business class or, more likely, an upgrade from economy class.

Andrew Herdman, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), said there’s “still no definite description of what it is”, adding that there is a “big gap between business class and economy” that premium economy fits into.

However Herdman foresaw “a convergence in terms of expectations and what gets delivered” as more carriers introduce premium economy.

So far, nine Asian carriers offer premium economy in some of their routes, and sources said Thai Airways is likely to be included in this list, without giving details.

Korean Air president Walter Cho said that the airline is looking into having premium economy but that their economy class are nearly at par with the premium economy seating of other carriers.

Juan Samso appointed GM of St Regis Zhuhai

By TTG Asia
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Marriott International has named Juan Samso general manager of The St Regis Zhuhai.

The Spaniard was most recently general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Macau, and prior to this held the position of hotel manager for The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.

Samso’s hospitality career with Marriott started in 1999 as the manager of pool & beach restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Subsequently, he rose through the ranks in various positions in Ritz-Carlton properties in Key Biscayne, Miami, Barcelona, Hong Kong and Macau, through where he gained his expertise in luxury hotel management.

Booking.com hires Silicon Valley tech exec as CTO

By TTG Asia
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Travel e-commerce giant Booking.com has appointed technology veteran Matt Swann as chief technology officer (CTO).

In this role, Swann will lead Booking.com’s full stack technology strategy to support the company’s continued growth as a global technology leader in travel and experiences.

Swann joins Booking.com from Silicon Valley-based event and ticketing marketplace StubHub, where he served as CTO.

Prior to Stubhub, his past positions and companies include chief information officer at Citibank, and vice president and global payments chief at Amazon.

As Koh Samet clamps down on plastic, Palau bans sunscreen to save coral

By TTG Asia
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Visitors to Koh Samet are not allowed to bring plastic bags or styrofoam containers onto the island, reports say

Island destinations in Asia-Pacific are taking action to curtail the environmental toll that tourism brings.

On Thailand’s popular tourist island of Koh Samet, a campaign to discourage the use of plastic bags and styrofoam has been rolled out to reduce the amount of plastic waste.

Visitors to Koh Samet are not allowed to bring plastic bags or styrofoam containers onto the island, reports say

According to local reports, residents and shop owners found to be using plastic bags and styrofoam containers will face a fine of 1,500 baht (US$46), although reports speculate that it is unlikely that tourists will be penalised at this point.

The chief of the Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park announced that members at the pier will check visitors for plastic bags. As of now, tourists will not be fined if found with plastic bags, but will be offered tote bags. There is doubt surrounding the enforceability of this new ruling.

According to a campaign video released on the park’s website last week, the estimated 1,500 tourists who visit the island each use about eight plastic bags, bringing the amount of plastic dumped on the island to 12,000 bags.

Meanwhile, the tiny Pacific island nation of Palau is set to impose a widespread ban on sunscreen from 2020 to protect its coral reefs.

The government has signed a law that restricts the sale and use of sunscreen and skincare products that contain a list of ten different chemicals. These ingredients are believed to be highly toxic to marine life, and can make coral more susceptible to bleaching.

The ban on “reef-toxic” sunscreen is expected to take effect from January 1, 2020. Retailers violating the law from that date will be fined US$1,000, while tourists who bring banned sunscreens from that date will have them confiscated.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Thailand pushes year-round tourism in new cabinet policy statement
TTG Asia | Macao travel expo opens with strong international turnout
TTG Asia | Macao’s safety record strengthens appeal to cautious travellers