Andrew Lloyd Webber’s much-beloved The Phantom of the Opera is coming back to Singapore next year.
The renowned musical will make a long-awaited return to the Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands (MBS), Singapore for a limited season from April 24, 2019. It last played to the Singapore audience in 2013.
Cast of the world renowned musical (photo credit: Johan Persson)
Tickets are now on sale through www.MarinaBaySands.com/ticketing or www.sistic.com.sg, or telephone +65 6688 8826.
Base Entertainment Asia, the resident producer, programmer and manager of live entertainment at MBS’ Sands Theatre, also offers an exclusive concierge service for all partnerships, sponsorships, corporate and group bookings.
Travel agents and corporate planners seeking to curate unique experiences at the theatre for their clients can contact BasXclusive, the client services and group sales division of Base Entertainment Asia.
For more information, contact: BaseXclusive@baseentertainment.com.sg
Guam is an island in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean
South-east Asia is emerging as the new darling of Guam, as the US island territory steps up promotion efforts in the region in hopes of attracting travellers from key markets like Singapore and Malaysia.
Guam Visitors Bureau’s (GVB) marketing manager – North America & Pacific, Mark Manglona, told TTG Asia at the recently-concluded PATA Travel Mart: “Our main tourist markets are Japan, South Korea, the US and Taiwan, so we’re trying to diversify our visitor market profile. We hope to meet agents from Malaysia, Singapore and other parts of South-east Asia.”
Guam, an island in Micronesia in the Pacific Ocean, is looking to diversify its markets and attract more visitors from South-east Asian nations
Travellers from Singapore have been on the rise, and the bureau has begun monitoring Malaysia’s arrivals since January, he said.
Earlier this month, its delegation held a presentation in Kuala Lumpur with Philippine Airlines and Korean Airlines to 15 local travel agents. In Singapore, the bureau has brought a product showcase to key travel agents, accompanied by Philippine Airlines (PAL), United Airlines and other US commercial travel services.
“Guam is still a relatively new destination to this part of the world. Ninety per cent of the people we met did not know that Guam is a US territory or that there is a visa waiver for Malaysian passport holders. It’s going to take a lot of education and marketing efforts,” said Manglona.
He added that GVB has been working closely with travel agents and airlines. For example, Kuala Lumpur-based Apple Vacation has been selling travel packages to Guam, and PAL is pushing out promotional prices for flights to Guam.
Agents will soon be invited on a fam tour via Philippine Airlines, shared Manglona.
Concurrently, GVB is escalating its marketing efforts in traditional markets like South Korea and Japan, despite dipping arrival numbers from the latter.
“We get a lot of repeat visitors from Japan and a healthy number of arrivals year after year,” Manglona remarked. “We have aggressive plans to revive the Japan market, and we also have airlines adding additional seats to Guam.”
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has formed a strategic partnership with Alibaba’s online travel subsidiary Fliggy.com, following last week’s conference between TAT and Fliggy Holiday at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China.
The development followed the meeting between Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Alibaba Group founder and executive chairman Jack Ma in Thailand earlier this year in April, which concluded with a possibility for TAT to team up with Alibaba to establish an online Thailand tourism platform.
TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn (third from right), the TAT delegation and Fliggy team after the meeting at at Alibaba’s headquarters in Hangzhou, China
Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said the meeting in Hangzhou confirmed the partnership between the TAT and Fliggy Holiday, with discussion covering various dimensions aimed at improving Chinese tourists’ quality travel experience in Thailand and promoting emerging secondary Thai tourist destinations.
The partnership will allow TAT to enhance the awareness of major Thai destinations including Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, and also to promote emerging secondary cities such as, Chiang Rai, Satun, Hat Yai, Ratchaburi, Buri Ram and Chanthaburi.
Besides taking the lead in promoting new itineraries to Thailand, Fliggy also plans to launch its first title-sponsored event in Thailand, the New-year Electronic Music Festival in Pattaya, which will target young millennial Chinese tourists.
TAT will also assist Fliggy in ensuring a seamless travel experience for Alibaba members including fast-track immigration services and dedicated shuttle bus routes between the airport and accommodation.
For Phuket in particular, a masterplan for marine safety has been formalised. This includes a Marine Surveillance and Assistance Centre for disaster prevention and mitigation, while an emergency weather alert system has also been ramped up. In addition, authorities have stepped up security measures at Phuket International Airport.
TAT and Fliggy also discussed cooperation to enhance tourist safety. TAT will provide support for a bilingual real-time notification system to be operated by Fliggy. The system will not only communicate with Chinese travellers on immediate safety concerns, but also educate them on potential problems throughout the year to avoid unnecessary risks when travelling in Thailand. This will help ensure tourists’ safety at any destination across the kingdom.
CHIJMES, a heritage building in Singapore that was first built as a Catholic convent in 1852, is one of the filming locations in the movie
Travel search volume for Singapore and Malaysia have seen massive spikes in recent weeks, which Expedia said was the “knock-on effect” of recently released Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians.
Singapore tourism has hit jackpot with this blockbuster movie, which has already sparked a boost in tourism promotions and new tours to sell the island-state.
CHIJMES, a heritage building in Singapore that was first built as a Catholic convent in 1852, is one of the filming locations in the movie
When comparing the search volume for travel to Singapore across Brand Expedia sites in the two weeks before and after the movie was released, Brand Expedia’s Malaysia site (Expedia.com.my) saw the biggest increase, with search volume doubling over the comparison period. Brand Expedia’s Hong Kong site (Expedia.com.hk) also saw an increase of more than 90%, while its Taiwan (Expedia.com.tw) and US (Expedia.com) sites saw increases of nearly 50% over the same period.
When comparing the search volume for travel to Malaysia across Brand Expedia sites in the two weeks before and after the movie was released, Brand Expedia’s Hong Kong site (Expedia.com.hk) saw the biggest increase, with search volume increasing by almost 85% over the comparison period. Brand Expedia’s Singapore site (Expedia.com.sg) also saw a nearly 75% increase, while its Taiwan (Expedia.com.tw) and US (Expedia.com) sites saw increases of almost 45% and over 40% respectively over the same period.
“There are a few things in life that are certain to inspire you to travel, no matter who you are, and a good movie is most definitely one of them. Crazy Rich Asians has been an amazing hit for Singapore and Malaysia, both on the awareness and tourism standpoint,” Lavinia Rajaram, regional head of communications, Brand Expedia in Asia, said in a statement.
Diethelm Travel Group has launched an exclusive agent section of its website to provide agents comprehensive information, resources and updates available 24/7.
The online hub offers insider access to sourced content from all of Diethelm Travel’s 13 country offices to allow agents to easily stay up-to-date on new products and promotions, many of which are only available through Diethelm Travel.
The online hub offers in-depth Asia travel information and business insights
The rich resource is expected to help agents more fully explore and understand destinations from the convenience of their computer to then better guide and serve their clients.
Available only to registered agents, key features of My Diethelm include:
a streamlined dashboard summarising newly added information;
product updates from all 13 Asian countries Diethelm Travel operates in;
special promotions on hotels and travel packages;
downloadable files sharing useful business intelligence, such as marketing materials, inspection reports, travel tips, hotel development and construction reports, etc;
destination guides highlighting local recommendations from Diethelm Travel’s on-the-ground experts of the best places to dine, shop and more;
access to Diethelm Travel’s webinar series including past webinar archives available to replay with downloadable presentation files;
an image gallery where agents can download exclusive Diethelm Travel images to use in marketing materials;
archived newsletter content;
and an event calendar highlighting unique holidays, festivals and events to help plan ahead for special trips;
A downloadable tariff function will soon be added to allow agents to log in and easily retrieve all pricing of Diethelm Travel’s various products including hotel rates, packages, excursions and transfer services.
Tourists at Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Malaysia is working on improving tourist arrivals from its core markets, with air connectivity a major factor in Asia and marketing key to keeping its hold of visitors from the region.
Abdul Khani Daud, deputy director-general (promotion), Tourism Malaysia, said the organisation is working with Malaysia Airports to attract airlines from Thailand, the Philippines, India and Hong Kong, among others, to fly to secondary destinations in Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak.
Tourists at Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Quezon City’s Thousand Miles Travel general manager, Cassey Antoinette Ruiz, opined that air connectivity from the Philippines to secondary cities in Malaysia such as Langkawi, Sabah and Sarawak will make it easier to push the destinations, which are limited to Kuala Lumpur combination packages as there are no direct flights.
Abdul Khani shared that the government was also trying to attract India-based airlines as this was key to arrest year-on-year decline in arrivals from India since 2012. Currently, the India-Malaysia route is served by Malaysia-based carriers, namely Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo Air.
DoView Holidays India director, Srinivas Vemuri, said: “Indian airlines would improve air connectivity with B Class Cities such as Pune, Gujerat, Lucknow, places where there are currently no flights to Malaysia.
“Most Malaysia-based airline routes between Kuala Lumpur and India are to the main metro cities in India, making it inconvenient for Indians living outside these cities to travel to Malaysia. Also, there is a lack of awareness about the e-visa facility offered to Indians.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia is sensing a greater urgency to intensify promotions in the Middle East, as arrivals from traditional top performer Saudi Arabia fell nine per cent in the first four months of 2018.
Abdul Khani said: “The promotional budget for the (region) has been reduced while our competitors, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and others are working to (gain) market share. We need to increase our promotional campaigns in the Middle East or risk losing share.”
Ghaleb Hayek, branch manager at Sazat, based in Lebanon, said there is a general lack of awareness about the destination and that the capital, with its Pretronas Twin Towers, is too similar with more accessible Dubai. He commented: “Malaysia has to promote its unique cultures and heritage outside the city areas.”
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?
