Luxury Escapes has appointed Rajah Chaudhry head of Asia, a newly created position, after recently establishing presence in Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
Rajah will oversee the Australian travel website’s expanding Asian operations, focusing on overall growth and key sales strategies for the region.
He brings over 16 years of experience in business development and finance and has been based in Asia for over 11 years. He recently co-founded Paycelerate, touted as Asia-Pacific’s first accelerated payments marketplace, and ChinaScope Financial, an integrated provider of China-focused financial analytics business intelligence.
Prior to that, Rajah held senior investment banking roles with Deutsche Bank and Renaissance Capital, focused on corporate finance advisory in Asia-Pacific across a range of sectors.
The nightlife brand will be one of the first internationally known ones to arrive in Colombo
Singaporean dining and nightlife brand Cé La Vi has partnered The Kingsbury, a five-star luxury hotel in Colombo, to launch its newest restaurant and lounge concept on July 28, 2018.
Known for its rooftop locations, Cé La Vi has built a presence in some of the greatest nightlife capitals of the world, including Singapore, Hong Kong and St Tropez.
The nightlife brand will be one of the first internationally known ones to arrive in Colombo
When open on the rooftop of The Kingsbury, Cé La Vi Colombo will feature a restaurant serving Japanese cuisine with modern Asian flair, as well as an indoor/outdoor lounge.
“With the exciting developments in the city, Colombo has positioned itself to be the next city to look out for among the emerging markets,” said COO of Cé La Vi, David Sarner, adding that this will be “one of the first international brands to launch in Colombo”.
Dhammika Perera, chairman and managing director of Vallibel One and co-chairman of Hayleys, expects the brand’s arrival to transform Colombo’s nightlife landscape and reshape its cocktail culture.
“The growth of the tourism sector and the rapid expansion of the city’s high end infrastructure will see growing numbers of discerning leisure and business travellers to Colombo. Cé La Vi Colombo is well set to become their number one choice,” he said.
Responsible Travel turns the lens on locals and tells the story of overtourism from their perspective
At the start of another tense summer between local people and holidaymakers, and weeks after The Wall Street Journal described tourism as “generating a global backlash”, Responsible Travel launched a documentary to drive home the message that tourism has reached a critical point.
Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism was written and produced by activist travel company Responsible Travel. According to the company, this is the first film of its kind to document the issue of overtourism from the perspective of local people in hotspots such as Venice and Barcelona as well as further afield in places such as the Gili Islands.
Responsible Travel turns the lens on locals and tells the story of overtourism from their perspective
Justin Francis, CEO and founder of Responsible Travel who presents and narrates the film, commented: “We’re witnessing, for the first time on such scale, direct conflict between governments and local people as residents take action and make their voices heard.
“Change is on the horizon: the travel industry will now be asked to justify itself by locals and governments alike. Growth at all costs is no longer sustainable. It’s a momentous realisation.”
Francis added that locals have been “voiceless” for decades, but now is time governments must start listening to them.
Venetian resident, Alessandro Bressanello – who has been campaigning locally for change – explains in the film: “It’s a fight. Every day it’s a fight”.
Harold Goodwin of The Responsible Tourism Partnership also stated in the film: “We need rebellious tourists and rebellious locals to achieve change. It won’t just happen without some degree of rebellion by tourists being turned off destinations and locals saying ‘enough is enough’.”
Potato Head Beach Club has been a choice venue for arts, cultural and music events – and now also the Awaken conference
At the inaugural Further East event, the conference component typically expected of similar travel tradeshows will be ditched in favour of intimate learning sessions and workshops at the Potato Head Beach Club, one of Bali’s most popular hot spots located along Seminyak Beach.
Further East organiser Beyond Luxury Media says the Awaken “un-conference”, taking place on November 12, will offer fresh perspectives on topics to challenge preconceptions and generate ideas to redefine the future of luxury travel in Asia.
Potato Head Beach Club has been a choice venue for arts, cultural and music events – and now also the Awaken conference (photo credit: Facebook/Potato Head Beach Club Bali)
Potato Head Beach Club is expected to provide a laidback setting for the “enlightening day of talks and discussions from industry innovators and thought leaders”.
Awaken will also feature Potato Head-curated sessions focusing on themes such as conservation and authenticity.
“As well as being a sanctuary of expression for international musicians and artists, Potato Head Family is also an authentic Indonesian lifestyle brand that works with emerging local talent and supports a range of sustainability initiatives. Their endeavours are driven by a deep passion for conservation and authenticity,” according to a statement from Beyond Luxury Media.
To round off a day of insights and networking, the Beach Club will keep the vibes flowing with evening drinks for the Further East community.
Ronald Akili, serial entrepreneur and founder of Potato Head Family, commented: “As official hosts, we look forward to showcasing Potato Head Family’s dedication to challenging the status quo by providing good times for our guests while also doing good in our local communities and the world.”
All registered Further East delegates will have access to Awaken at Potato Head Beach Club as part of the four-day festival agenda. There will be a limited number of Awaken-only passes available for 599 pounds (US$791.20) via application.
Since entering into a partnership with France’s Vatel Hotel and Tourism Business School in 2011, the School D’Hospitality (SDH) Institute in Singapore has recently clinched accreditation by the American Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA).
Under this accreditation, SDH Institute was found to have met or exceeded the stated standards of the US’ educational quality. Its curriculum is also recognised by Vatel France and the Institute of Hospitality in the UK.
TTG Asia Media’s Jonathan Yap (left) with SDH Institute’s Issac Joshua
Vatel contributes regular updates to SDH Institute’s curriculum, compulsory regular industrial attachments at critical junctures of the programme, as well as introduced an emphasis on professional applications of hospitality skills.
Since offering Vatel curriculum, the institute has seen a more diverse pool of students from around Asia, shared Isaac Joshua, head (academics) at SDH Institute.
He observed: “At the moment, some of the challenges within Singapore’s hospitality industry are maintaining a consistent service offering, the lack of manpower, difficulty in attracting employees and high staff turnover, high operating costs and embracing technology.
“There’s unlikely an immediate solution to these but (it) calls for a relook at a sustainable business model and change-oriented leadership to manage employees, guests and all other stakeholders.”
He explained: “Lots brainstorming takes place together with the opportunity to be exposed to other countries’ educational and industry styles and challenges. Overall, I would say, we have adopted a rather global curriculum thanks to the French.
“Learners are regularly exposed to our industry partners to identify and solve real issues and problems. We believe such active learning approaches have the ability to improve learners’ critical and creative thinking skills, beneficial for future managers.”
AirAsia launches Penang-Phuket route
AirAsia has inaugurated daily flights between Penang and Phuket. Flight AK1911 leaves Phuket at 21.00, arriving in Penang at 23.05. AK1910 then leaves Penang at 20.25, arriving in Phuket at 20.30.
United adds second daily flight between Singapore and San Francisco
United Airlines will introduce a second daily flight between Singapore and San Francisco effective October 27, 2018, citing “overwhelming response” since the service was launched in June 2016.
The additional flight will leave San Francisco at 10.55, arriving in Singapore at 20.15 (+1). From Singapore, flights depart at 22.20 for arrival in San Francisco at 20.55.
The existing flight UA1 departs San Francisco at 22.40 and arrives in Singapore at 08.00 (+2). From Singapore, UA2 leaves at 10.00 for arrival in San Francisco at 09.50.
Qantas announces temporary schedule changes
Qantas is making temporary schedule changes over the coming months to support its pilot training requirements.
From July 22, the Perth-Singapore service will operate daily using a larger A330-200 aircraft to feature the new Business Suite and refurbished cabin interiors. This will replace the twice-daily service operated by the smaller Boeing 737.
Domestically, some flights between Sydney and Perth will be operated by our 747 aircraft replacing the current A330 service.
Affected customers will be contacted by Qantas and rebooked onto an alternative service.
Striking wooden arches in the new terminal, made of glulam wood imported from Austria
The newly opened Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is expected to attract more airlines as it nearly triples the airport’s annual capacity from 4.5 million to 12.5 million passengers.
Terminal 2, which handles all international flights leaving domestic flights to Terminal 1, makes MCIA the most modern and efficient airport in the Philippines.
Striking wooden arches in the new terminal, made of glulam wood imported from Austria
Apart from having a resort theme reflecting the tropical destination, the terminal also boasts several technology firsts such as high-speed inline baggage handling system, durable roof cladding that reduces UV, and washrooms with real moss walls to stabilise humidity and improve air quality.
Andrew Acquaah-Harrison, chief executive advisor of MCIA and manager at GMR Megawide Cebu Airport, said that in addition to Emirates’ successful Dubai-Clark-Cebu services and Qatar Airways’ Doha-Davao-Cebu flights commencing in the next three months, talks are ongoing with Turkish Airlines and Finnair to fly to Cebu and with Chinese carriers to launch more chartered and commercial flights.
Harrison said MCIA will step up efforts to market the airport, as well as the destination of Cebu, in collaboration with the tourism task force comprising airlines, hotels and resorts under the Department of Tourism through regular roadshows and talks with airlines.
Harrison: MCIA will hold regular roadshows and have talks with airlines to market both the airport and destination
MCIA is targeting Asian (India, Japan, China) and longhaul markets (Europe, the US, the Middle East, Australia). Still, foreign passengers are expected to comprise just 40 per cent of passenger capacity, and domestic travellers 60 per cent.
Colliers International research manager Joey Bondoc said the opening of MCIA’s Terminal 2 “comes at an opportune time” for Philippine inbound tourism, given the closure of Boracay island for six months since April 26 to pave the way for its rehabilitation.
Cebu Pacific (CEB), which has the largest number of flights in MCIA with 385 domestic and international services weekly, will add aircraft to serve the expected growth in passenger traffic.
CEB’s overall in charge for marketing, Michelle de Guzman, quoted CEO Lance Gokongwei as saying that the carrier’s services will probably increase by at least 20 per cent next year, without specifying the destinations covered.
De Guzman said they will stimulate the market in Cebu by offering year-round round-trip fares that are on average 44 per cent lower than the offerings from other airlines.
Adara derives travel patterns, trends and behaviour from more than 750 million monthly unique traveller profiles across more than 190 travel brands
PATA has partnered Adara, a data solution for travel brands, to empower its members with destination visitor data which can be used to better drive marketing campaigns.
As part of the agreement, Adara will work with PATA to encourage its members to contribute data to the Adara travel data co-op. Adara will use the data to develop co-branded country and regional market intelligence reports, which will be made available exclusively to PATA members.
Adara derives travel patterns, trends and behaviour from more than 750 million monthly unique traveller profiles across more than 190 travel brands
“As many organisations focus their marketing efforts on digital marketing strategies, the access to quality data and proper analysis is fundamental to making smart business decisions,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy.
“Our partnership with Adara will provide a more holistic view of the patterns, trends and behaviour of travellers for our members, helping them better plan their marketing strategies to achieve maximum return on their marketing investments.”
Built on the world’s richest travel data co-op, Adara offers people-based insights for travel companies and destinations as it derives travel patterns, trends and behaviour from more than 750 million monthly unique traveller profiles across more than 190 travel brands.
Layton Han, CEO of Adara, commented: “The partnership with PATA is an example of how sharing data safely and securely between disparate but linked data-sets helps to unlock actionable insights that would otherwise remain hidden in silos in individual companies and destinations. Adara is thrilled to be partnering with PATA and is dedicated to the Asia-Pacific region as we continue to grow and scale internationally.”
Robert Sohn has announced his resignation as Skål Asia Area (AA) president, citing business pressures for the surprise decision.
In an email to the board of officers, Sohn, who is also CEO of marketing and communications company Promac Partnership, said: “As the businesses of my company significantly increased and expanded, I as CEO have to devote myself to them. It is regrettable but I cannot but resign my position as president for Skål AA after the 47th Skål Asia Congress.”
Robert Sohn has announced his resignation to the board of officers
Sohn was appointed Skål AA president following the demise of the former president Marco Battistotti in a traffic accident in 2015.
“I am expecting the AA Committee to elect a new president as early as possible in accordance with the statutes. Any remaining duties will be discussed and transferred with the relevant directors,” Sohn commented.
Responding to Sohn’s sudden resignation, Andrew Wood, president of Skål International Bangkok, said: “We are all saddened at Robert’s resignation, he was the glue and the workhorse – no-one worked harder at keeping Skål Asia engaged and relevant in the region. The SAA board was cohesive and effective under his leadership. Membership grew and Robert captained a tight ship. We will need to discuss as a board our next step.”
First ship planned to sail in the Arctic in late summer 2021, with a full winter season in Antarctica to follow
Luxury cruise operator Seabourn is looking to grow the expedition cruise market with two new expedition ships, scheduled to arrive in June 2021 and May 2022 respectively to increase capacity for the company in Antarctica, the Artic and other exotic destinations round the world.
Seabourn has signed a letter of intent for the construction of two new ultra-luxury expedition ships with a new partnership between Italian shipbuilders T.Mariotti and Damen, which will collaborate on the building of the two ships under the common name Mariotti Damen Cruise.
First ship planned to sail in the Arctic in late summer 2021, with a full winter season in Antarctica to follow
Designed specifically for the ultra-luxury expedition travel, the 170m, 23,000 gross ton vessels will each offer 132 oceanfront veranda suites and accommodate up to 264 passengers each. Both vessels will also carry their own two submarines, as well as kayaks and 24 motorised Zodiac boats for exploring.
“It’s been amazing to watch the growth of our expedition-style experiences since our first sailing to Antarctica in 2013 through today, where we now offer the Ventures by Seabourn programme in a number of desirable destinations around the world,” said Robin West, vice president of expedition operations and planning for Seabourn, commented in a press statement.
“A year ago we started developing the concept for this next chapter of our expedition story with dedicated ships built to take luxury travelers to the most coveted places on the planet and they will be thrilled to see these remote destinations in Seabourn style.”
Seabourn will announce design and service details for the new ships later this year. Specific details about itineraries and booking availability will be released in early 2019. The first ship is currently planned to sail in the Arctic in late summer 2021, with a full winter season in Antarctica to follow.
Onboard crew will include outstanding and well-travelled expedition teams comprising of experienced wilderness experts, scientists, historians and Zodiac operators. These experts are also part of the Seabourn Conversations programme, providing in-depth insights into the history, ecology and culture of the places they visit. Their insights are offered both in complimentary formal presentations on a variety of topics and in more casual conversations over meals or at leisure.
