The Indian tourism ministry will continue to have offices in the US, Germany, the UK, Dubai, Russia, China and Singapore
India has rolled out free e-visas for Indonesians since June 18, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta says on its website.
This announcement follows Indian prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia last month to commemorate 70 years of bilateral relations between both countries, with tourism expected to be a beneficiary resulting from the event.
60-day e-visas now available to Indonesians visiting India
Indonesians may now apply for tourist, business or medical e-visas through the evisaindia.org website. Valid for 60 days from the arrival date, the e-tourist and e-business visas offer double entry, while the e-Medical allow for triple entry.
Visitors are required to have passports valid for at least six months from the date of arrival in India, and have either return or onward tickets to another destination.
Among the 25 airports and seaports that Indonesians can enter using e-visas are Jaipur, Kolkata, Delhi, Goa and Mumbai.
In view of the growing demand for talent in the fast-expanding global cruise and yacht industry, Hong Kong Cruise & Yacht Industry Association (HKCYIA) and the Vocational Training Council (VTC) signed an MoU to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills for the industry.
Kara Yeung, HKCYIA executive director, said: “The Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge are expected to help boost cruise and yacht travel as well as economic development.
Back row: (From left) VTC’s Shiu Chi-yung, and Eric Liu; Undersecretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan; China Cruise & Yacht Industry Association’s Zheng Wei-hang; Shanghai Maritime University Asia Cruise Academy’s Gary Cheng; and Worldwide Cruise Terminals’ Jeff Bend. Front row: (From left) VTC’s Mak Chiu-ki; and HKCYIA’s Kara Yeung
“The collaboration between HKCYIA and VTC is aimed at advancing the long-term development of the Hong Kong cruise and yacht industry through promoting youth training for careers in the industry.”
Eric Liu, VTC deputy executive director, commented that VTC is keen to provide “flexible study pathways” and promote lifelong learning so as to encourage career development and advancement, grooming a new generation of industry professionals.
Ctrip has entered a partnership with iClick Interactive Asia Group, an online marketing technology platform in China.
With a view to create data-driven and personalised marketing solutions, the partnership will combine Ctrip’s 300 million user membership base with iClick’s data analysis and marketing capabilities.
Through the partnership, iClick will be able to reach more tourists by leveraging Ctrip’s Chinese consumer database
By leveraging the largest Chinese consumer database in the travel industry to create more detailed user profiles, iClick hopes to be able to offer international travel brands a more effective way of reaching high-value outbound travellers in China.
Sammy Hsieh, CEO and co-founder of iClick, said: “As opportunities due to the increasing numbers of outbound travellers from China continue to rise, we are seeing a growing demand from travel and hospitality brands to use data in a more holistic marketing system to meet their needs.”
Samson Chai, overseas marketing director of Ctrip, said: “Our collaboration with iClick will allow us to leverage these advantages to bring value to both our customers and international travel brands who partner with us to run marketing programmes.”
AccorHotels has signed an agreement with Thailand-based real estate developer Khaolak Inter for a Pullman-branded property in the coastal town of Khao Lak.
Slated to open in 2021, the Pullman Khao Lak Resort will feature 50 family suites and a large kids club, specifically for family getaways. For couples and business travellers, the resort also offers seven private villas and an adult-only infinity pool.
From left: Khaolak Inter’s Michael Choo, Kamontip Phunratanamala, and Chan Chanyapoolsin; AccorHotels’ Patrick Basset, Gilles Cretallaz, and Joyce Ong. Photo credit: Pramook Tipvimalmas
Other amenities include an all-day dining eatery, a speciality restaurant, a lobby bar, and two meeting rooms with two breakout rooms. Wellness facilities include three pools, a health and fitness centre, beach club and spa.
The property is located an hour’s drive north of Phuket, and 80km south of Phuket International Airport. Should ongoing plans of Phang Nga Airport come to fruition, it will provide the first commercial aviation gateway to Khao Lak, bringing travellers closer to Khao Lak and the Phang Nga Province.
A rendering of the upcoming Pullman Khao Lak Resort
There are currently over 120 Pullman hotels in 33 countries worldwide, with Asia-Pacific accounting for more than 70 hotels and resorts and over 21,000 rooms. Upcoming properties in the region include Pullman Mandalay Mingalar in Myanmar, Pullman Luang Prabang in Laos and Pullman Tokyo Tamachi in Japan.
Dream Cruises is updating its two-night Weekend Getaway itinerary, which departs from Singapore on the Genting Dream, with the addition of optional Bintan Island shore excursions beginning July 6, 2018.
The 12-hour shore excursion, lasting from 08.00 (07.00 Bintan time) to 20.00, would give guests an alternative to overnight stays in Bintan on weekends, when hotel room rates tend to be at their peak.
Genting Dream
From now until August 31, Genting Dream and World Dream will also host sailings themed around Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation, the latest instalment of the animated movie franchise, in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation. Monsters will accompany guests in fun activities including meet-and-greet, bedtime storytelling and costume parties.
In this period, the two ships are sailing to destinations in Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand.
We see a Yaturu sign, but a cinematic world is unfolding before this tour participant through the AR headset
We see a Yaturu sign, but a cinematic world is unfolding before this tour participant through the AR headset
The world-first augmented reality (AR) theatrical tour in Israel offered by TAcentre.com and its B2C arm Asiatravel.com is seeing good reception among Israel’s tourism stakeholders, who laud the innovative new format for enhancing customer experience and offering content suitable for a broader range of visitors.
The AR technology by content provider Yaturu has a headset and cellphone application allowing tourists to view Hollywood-quality, 360-degree images superimposed on the sites, giving a better sense of the destination by making the traditional tour format more immersive, experiential and interactive.
Mariel Cuevas, wholesale manager B2B, TAcentre.com, said plans are to send at least two groups a month to Israel, one English-speaking and the other Chinese-speaking, beginning September. The AR theatrical tour will also be introduced to Asia, starting with Singapore next year, she added.
The first group to experience AR-theatrical tours
Uri Taub, director, Asia and Pacific marketing desk, marketing administration at Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, said that while he has yet to experience the AR theatrical tour, the new product “helps to bridge a very large gap” in destination experiences.
Taub commented that tourists can simply download an application now to bring the destination and its stories to life “instead of (having to) imagine everything”.
Since the tour content is focused on Israel’s history from biblical times to periods in modern history, the new AR theatrical tour is a “good solution” that offers greater variety to repeat visitors as well as those not connected to religious pilgrimages, opined Sharona Itzhakim, CEO of Genesis Boutique Travel, which is one of TAcentre.com’s partners in Israel.
Another TAcentre.com partner, Dana Mamlock, Vered Hasharon Travel and Tours’ Chinese division manager, said offering the new concept tour enables travellers not just from China but the world over to discover and see the reality in Israel aided by technology.
Time Out Singapore Balik Kampong Heritage Dinner happening on July 25 and 26 as a part of the Singapore Food Festival
A number of tourism players have hopped onto the bandwagon to be involved in this year’s edition of the Singapore Food Festival (SFF).
The 25th anniversary of the event, which is organised by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) from July 13-29, is back with a line-up of more than 20 culinary programmes throughout the island.
Time Out Singapore Balik Kampong Heritage Dinner (above) happening on July 25 and 26 is also a part of the Singapore Food Festival
These include experiences and offers rolled out by prime tourist destinations. For example, Sentosa’s Siloso Beach will return with Feast at Sentosa – Sentosa Grillfest; Celebrating Singapore Food Festival at AccorHotels will see the group’s properties roll out limited-edition menu items at its in-house restaurants; and Changi Airport will introduce local-inspired offerings at its F&B merchants such as Krispy Kreme, Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao and Duty-Free Singapore.
“We want to raise awareness among the public that we have restaurants, not just hotels. We have over 40 restaurants across our hotels, of which eight are participating (in SFF),” shared Sng Ju Stephanie, cluster director of digital marketing, loyalty & partnership, Singapore, AccorHotels.
The trade players’ participation in SFF will also help market the event to the international guests, especially those staying at AccorHotels’ properties, STB’s director, retail & dining, experience development group Ranita Sundra remarked.
She explained that SFF’s success has benefitted its partners so much that they have repeatedly returned to collaborate, and this has drawn even more applicants during the event’s open call.
Sundra added: “We’ve seen the number of tourists coming to this event increase in certain markets. This year, we’re focusing on three markets – Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines – who are willing to spend on F&B (in Singapore). We work closely with our regional offices to try and draw these people to SFF.
“In the past, SFF was very much a local event. We believe we’ve grown the branding locally and now, we’re going to start trying to bring in more visitors during this period.”
The former New Law Courts building was approved for restoration
Rosewood Hotels has edged out Kempinski as the hotel chain appointed to operate within a landmark restoration of Yangon’s former New Law Courts, Yangon news platform Myanmore reported.
While it was previously reported that Heritage Hotel Kempinski Yangon would occupy the building – constructed in 1927 as the New Law Courts by architect Thomas Oliphant and Doorman Long UK, the engineers behind the Sydney Harbor Bridge – Rosewood Hotels has just announced in a media release that it was appointed by Prime Residence to manage the property.
The former New Law Courts building was approved for restoration
The property is the first building to receive approval from Yangon Heritage Trust, founded in 2012, for a Conservation Management Plan that permitted the restoration. Of particular note is the Heritage Room on the hotel’s fourth floor, which for many years had laid hidden beneath modern interventions.
Rosewood Yangon will feature 209 guestrooms, suites, one- and two-bedroom apartment units. Boasting high ceilings and natural light, most guestrooms also feature patios and balconies where guests can take in views of the Yangon River or the hotel’s landscaped courtyards.
The hotel will also offer five dining venues including a residential-style tea lounge and patisserie, a modern Cantonese restaurant, a brasserie, a bar and cigar lounge, and a rooftop bar boasting sweeping views of the city and the Yangon River.
Other facilities include event venues, a spa, a gym, a yoga/pilates studio, a rooftop pool, a men’s grooming salon, a beauty bar and an artisanal leather workshop.
Located on The Strand in the city’s historic district, Rosewood Yangon will sit amid colonial landmarks in the cultural heart and central business district, within walking distance to attractions such as Bogyoke Aung San Market (formerly known as Scott’s Market), a cruise down the winding Yangon river, or Shwedagon Pagoda.
Rosewood Yangon will join Rosewood’s Asian properties in Beijing, Phuket and Sanya, capping a year of growth for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts which saw the opening of its luxury properties in Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh and Baha Mar in the Bahamas.
Additional properties set to open this winter include Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, Rosewood Bangkok, Rosewood Guangzhou and Rosewood Hong Kong.
Maserati Levante, the first SUV by the Italian car manufacturer
Hertz Italy has added three new models of Maserati vehicles to its Selezione Italia (Italian Collection).
The Maserati Quattroporte, Maserati Ghibli and Maserati Levante have been made available for one year at selected Hertz locations in Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence and Olbia.
Maserati Levante, the first SUV by the Italian car manufacturer
Hertz also has an agreement with Maserati to be the only car rental company to offer these models for the month of June.
The very first luxury sport sedan, the Maserati Quattroporte has been in the Italian market since 1963. Sports cars enthusiasts renting with Hertz can experience Maserati’s performance and class behind the wheel of the Ghibli, a sedan with a strong sport imprint.
The Maserati Levante, the first SUV created by the Italian vehicle manufacturer, boasts efficiency, a comfortable interior and a muscular exterior – ideal for family trips to Italy’s coastlines.
The collection’s vehicles are backed by Hertz’s “make and model guarantee”, which ensures that customers can reserve and drive away in the specific model they choose.
Online budget hotels booking platform RedDoorz has expanded into the Philippines – its third market in South-east Asia – after Singapore and Indonesia.
The company will invest US$5 million to tap into the dynamic growth of the budget hospitality and travel sector in the Philippines, where its intends to grow its footprint to 100 properties across the country over the next 12 months.
RedDoorz Premium near UST Hospital, Metro Manila
Amit Saberwal, founder and CEO, RedDoorz, said in a statement: “Our expansion into the Philippines came as a natural progression for RedDoorz, where like our first market in Indonesia showed many similarities and thus the potential for a vibrant domestic travel and hospitality industry.
“Following our fresh funding earlier this year, we realised that the Philippines held a strong demand for hotel rooms not only for tourists but also for business travellers. We felt that it was timely for us to make the conclusive move to start expanding here – especially seeing how boisterous the budget hospitality sector has been in recent years,” he added.
Along with its entry into the Philippines, RedDoorz has also introduced a new category of properties, RedDoorz Premium, a selection of properties targeting budget business travellers with their strategic locations close to business districts and wider amenity offerings than the existing RedDoorz and RedDoorz Plus categories on the platform.
RedDoorz Plus @ Boni Ave Mandaluyong, Metro Manila
The addition of the Premium properties was driven by the “remarkable growth” observed of the Filipino ‘condotel’ concept over the past decade, said Rishabh Singhi, COO of RedDoorz.
“The aim of this new category is to target the business traveller who looks for certain amenities like good Wi-Fi connection, location closer to business districts and other amenities. We see this as a strong category as we expand into other South-east Asian cities where there is an influx of business travellers.” he added.
Headquartered in Singapore, RedDoorz recently raised its Pre-Series B round of US$11 million as an additional investment from Asia Investment Fund of Susquehanna International Group, International Finance Corporation (private investment arm of World Bank Group), InnoVen Capital (venture lending firm owned by Temasek Holdings and United Overseas Bank), and Jungle Ventures – all of which had invested in past funding rounds. This fundraise also saw new investors DeepSky Capital, FengHe Group and Hendale Capital, among others.
