Five foreigners have been reported missing and 66 declared safe following a deadly earthquake and tsunami that devastated Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi on Friday.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) told reporters yesterday that three French citizens and a Malaysian tourist remain missing, while a South Korean is believed to be trapped under the rubble of the Roa Roa hotel in Palu.
Death toll expected to keep rising
Dozens of people were believed to be trapped in the rubble of several hotels and a mall in the city of Palu, which was hit by waves as high as six metres following the 7.5-magnitude earthquake, CNBC reported.
As of Sunday, the death toll from the disaster was at 832, and is expected to rise into the thousands as rescuers reach outlying communities.
Questions now surround the failure of the tsunami warning system put in place after the 2004 tsunami catastrophe, triggered by a quake off Sumatra.
On Friday, Indonesia’s meteorological and geophysics agency BMKG had issued a tsunami warning, and withdrew it after 34 minutes later.
In some areas where there was no electricity to power sirens, no alerts were sounded to warn of the tsunami.
The confusion led up to hundreds gathering on a Palu beach to celebrate a festival, before the tsunami waves hit.
AP reported that a new system of sensors that could have warned residents had for years been stuck in testing phase, leaving them to rely on limited information from existing tidal gauge stations.
Meanwhile, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the BNPB, told reporters at a press conference that none of Indonesia’s tsunami buoys, an instrument used to detect the waves, had been operating since 2012 due to funding problems, according to the CNBC report.
Singaporeans are nearly as enthusiastic about staycations as they are about overseas trips, found a new Expedia study, which identified parents with kids as being the most avid staycationers.
The study revealed that six in 10 Singaporeans had gone on at least one staycation in the past 12 months.
Singaporean parents with kids are the most avid staycationers
It also showed that Singaporeans averaged 2.4 staycations over the past year, just under the three personal overseas flights they take in a year.
“Over the years, staycations have been growing in popularity among Singaporeans. Based on our historic data, we saw year-on-year increases of 25% in 2016, and 40% in 2017 for local hotel bookings by Singaporeans on Expedia.com.sg,” shared Simon Fiquet, managing director, global series markets, Brand Expedia.
“Not only does this underscore the growing appeal of Singaporeans being tourists in their own backyard, staycations have also become quick and easy alternatives for Singaporeans to take a short break without the need for detailed planning or extensive travelling.”
Comparing the staycation habits across various demographic groups – including single adults, adults who are married without kids, and parents with kids – Expedia found that Singaporeans who are married with kids emerged as the top staycationers in Singapore, with 68% of them having gone on a staycation in the past 12 months.
This was followed by those who are married with no kids (66%) and the singles (58%).
Corresponding to this trend, the months of June and December also came up tops as the most popular staycation periods.
Forty-one percent of staycationers go on a staycation in December, 32% in June, 18% in November and 17% in March.
In addition, 70% of staycationers who are married with kids typically go on a staycation in the school holiday months of June, November and December.
Besides being the most avid group of staycationers, the discretionary spending among those married with kids is also one of the highest among groups, with spending on staycations averaging S$238 (US$174) a night, second only to those who are married without kids.
Additionally, 45% of those who are married with kids stayed three to four nights on their last booked staycation and 68% of them went with three or more people on their last staycation.
With family-friendly facilities, proximity to tourist attractions, and easy access to complimentary Wi-Fi and breakfast, it came as no surprise that hotels are the preferred staycation option among Singaporeans.
Some 74% of staycationers booked a hotel for their staycation in the past 12 months. Among this group, 54% of staycationers who booked a hotel for their last staycation chose a four-star hotel, while 33% opted for a five-star hotel.
Notably, parents with kids stood out from the crowd with their preference for hotels, especially for five-star hotels. Nine in 10 (89%) staycationers who are married with kids booked a hotel for their last staycation. Out of that, 39% of chose a five-star hotel and 55% chose a four-star hotel.
In terms of activities that staycationers engage in, making use of hotel facilities (70%), visiting nearby attractions (62%), dining in (56%), going shopping and watching movies emerged as the five most popular activities among the respondents.
With seven in 10 (66%) of Singaporeans likely to book a staycation in the next 12 months, the study also uncovered insights into the key motivational factors for booking an upcoming staycation.
When asked about the consideration factors for selecting an accommodation for a staycation, 33% of Singaporeans indicated free breakfast as their top consideration, followed by 31% who indicated great deals and 29% who indicated convenience of locations.
However, among those who are married without kids, complimentary upgrades emerged as the top consideration factor. This reflects the tendency for this group of staycationers to prefer pampering experiences over convenience and cost savings, as compared to single staycationers, who displayed clear preferences for free breakfast and great deals.
Among Singaporeans who are married with kids, 32% indicated free breakfast and convenient locations as their top two considerations.
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has announced that Jennifer Fox has stepped down as group CEO and director on September 27, just months after assuming the post.
The industry veteran was formerly president of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and COO for Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group.
Jennifer Fox
Tan Kian Seng, M&C’s group chief of staff, will serve as interim CEO from September 28, a company statement said on Friday.
M&C did not offer the reasons for Fox’s departure, but a separate statement on the company website stated that a contractual pay-off of £1m (US$1.3 million) would be given to her.
AccorHotels has announced two senior appointments to its development team.
Jeff Tisdall has been appointed senior vice president development residential and extended stay, while Andrew Langdon will take on the role of senior vice president development Asia, responsible for South-east Asia, Japan & Korea.
From left: Jeff Tisdall and Andrew Langdon
Both men come to these senior positions after joining AccorHotels through acquisitions. They will also be members of the Global Development Co-Dir.
Tisdall, whose current role is vice president residential development international, came from Fairmont Raffles Hotels International in 2016. In his new role, he will lead branded residential growth opportunities and oversee development in the extended stay segment.
Prior to joining Movenpick, Langdon was based in Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels & Hospitality Group Thailand office where he was executive vice president. He has over 27 years of diverse property experience in Australia and Asia, including CBRE and Savills and has spent over 21 years living in Asia.
In addition to his new responsibility, Langdon will continue to coordinate the development of the Movenpick brand for the coming months.
A lotus pond near Kampung Ampang Pecah in Kuala Kubu Bharu
The Selangor state government is working towards getting Kuala Kubu Bharu town listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the Garden City Heritage category.
It is understood that a consultant will be appointed in December to ensure the town fulfils the necessary requirements.
A lotus pond near Kampung Ampang Pecah in Kuala Kubu Bharu
If the application is successful, Kuala Kubu Bharu will be the first place in Selangor state to have the prestigious UNESCO branding.
Abdul Rashid Asari, Selangor state government’s chairman of standing committees for cultural and tourism, Malay Tradition and Heritage, said: “The UNESCO branding is important to further attract foreign and domestic tourists to Kuala Kubu Bharu as well as the state of Selangor.”
Kuala Kubu Bharu town, the principal of Hulu Selangor district, was built in 1928 after floods destroyed the old district capital of Hulu Selangor. It was designed by Charles Compton Reade, Malaya’s first town planner, based on the garden city movement of the early 20th century where self-contained communities are surrounded by greenbelts.
As a tourist destination, Kuala Kubu Bharu is rich in ecotourism activities such as hiking at Bukit Kutu and Lata Medang, trekking to Chiling waterfall, paragliding, white water rafting and mountain biking.
Annual sporting events held at Kuala Kubu Bharu includes Kuala Kubu Bharu paragliding Accuracy Championship, Selangor International Bird Race and Pertak Trail Run.
The bag measurement tool can be accessed by travellers when booking a flight on the Kayak app
Kayak has introduced a patent-pending tool that uses augmented reality (AR) technology to help travellers measure the size of their carry-on bag before arriving at the airport.
“A pain point in the travel experience is that moment you begin to worry if your bag will fit in the overhead bin and now we’ve got a tool that can help,” said Kayak chief technology officer Giorgos Zacharia. “There are a lot of AR applications that are fun – but this one was designed to be truly useful for travellers.”
The bag measurement tool can be accessed when booking a flight via the Kayak app
To measure your carry-on luggage, travellers open a flight search in the Kayak app and click “new bag measurement tool”. They will then be prompted to scan the floor (this helps calibrate measurements) and then move their camera around the bag to capture its size.
The tool will alert them with the bag’s exact measurements (length, width and height), so they know whether it can be carried on on a flight as a carry-on, or if it needs to be checked. The tool compares baggage fee policies for all Kayak-tracked airlines in one place.
The tool is currently available in the Kayak app for all iOS devices running iOS 11.3 and up.
The Swiss Travel Pass has been updated and expanded, and Indian tourists who purchase this all-in-one ticket will be able to use it for all rail, road and water travel in Switzerland.
This India-only offer also gives travellers an extra travel day on a four-day Swiss Travel Pass, and two extra travel days on the eight-day Swiss Travel Pass.
All travel by rail, road and waterways are covered, including panoramic trains such as the Glacier Express, Bernina Express, and Golden Pass Line. The pass also allows Indian travellers to travel free on public transportation in more than 90 Swiss cities, and allows free admission to more than 500 museums.
In addition, travellers can also travel free to Mt Schilthorn, Mt Rigi and Mt Schilthorn, and get a up to a 50 per cent discount on additional mountain railways. The pass also allows children under the age of 16 to travel free.
This offer can be bought from now until December 31, 2018, but travel must be completed by March 31, 2019.
For more information, or to book, visit www.Myswitzerland.com/specialoffers.
TTG Asia Media publisher Michael Chow has stepped into an advisory role as publisher emeritus following 30 years of service with the company.
His announcement on July 31 garnered much attention from industry leaders, many of whom wrote in to recognise the positive contributions, valuable friendship and wonderful memories made during Michael’s decades-long contribution to TTG:
Micahel Chow, Publisher Emeritus
Kent Zhu President, Genting Cruise Lines
Many congratulations to you on the fantastic achievements of TTG under your 30 years’ leadership. I have been fortunate enough to have your personal support in my various assignments and established our friendship since we got to know each other in the early 90’s.
Melissa Ow Acting chief, Singapore Tourism Board
Congratulations to you on a long and successful career in travel media. You have played a significant role in bearing witness to so many momentous milestones in the evolution of this sector. I thank you for the support that TTG has rendered to the growth of tourism in Singapore and to the work of the Singapore Tourism Board over the past 30 years.
Supatra Chirathivat Senior vice president, development, Centara Hotels & Resorts
Time really flies! Just realised that we have known each other for 30 years already! Wishing you all the best in your retirement, and soon I will follow. Please do keep in touch, as always. Our friendship will, of course, remain forever. All the best to you and your family.
Patrick Fiat General manager, Royal Plaza on Scotts
You are so much part of TTG, Michael, Darren, Raini, the three mousqueteers! TTG will never be the same. As well, I am very happy to for you. A new journey is starting.Wishing you all the best. Friendship as always!
Aloysius Lee Former CEO, South Beach Hotel Development
You should be proud of your achievements and I am also proud to have a friend like you. Your publication enlightens us and you warm us with your friendship.
Chan Kar Heng CEO, Chan Brothers
Well done, Michael! You are the envy of many. Not only did you have a successful and distinguished career, you are also a popular character that everyone likes to befriend. Congratulations! All the best going forward!
Attracting more European tourists is now a top agenda for Tourism Malaysia
After national flag carrier Malaysia Airlines axed most of its routes to Europe, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture and Tourism Malaysia is eager to rebuild its European feeder markets by working with overseas partners.
European arrivals to Malaysia took a hit when Malaysia Airlines pulled the plug of its Frankfurt route in April 2015, followed by Amsterdam and Paris in January 2016. European carriers Air France and Lufthansa had also cancelled services to Kuala Lumpur in October 2015 and February 2016 respectively.
Attracting more European tourists is now a top agenda for Tourism Malaysia
With hubs that service both Europe and Malaysia, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines are coming onto Tourism Malaysia’s radar as choice partners to grow arrivals from Europe in the long term, noted Tourism Malaysia’s director-general, Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.
Mirza shared that Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airports Holdings have set up a joint fund to attract more European airlines to fly to Malaysia.
Currently, airlines offering connections from Europe to Malaysia are KLM and Turkish Airlines. Condor, the leisure airline of Thomas Cook, will commence new flights between Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur from November 5.
While Tourism Malaysia works towards rebuilding connectivity as a long-term solution, in the shorter term it is focused on building awareness about the country’s offerings among European travel agents.
This year, Tourism Malaysia is targeting 1.5 million tourists from Europe, up from 1.1 million arrivals in 2017.
It recently signed an MoU with the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association (ECTAA) to become the association’s preferred destination partner for the year.
The partnership led to ECTAA organising its semi-annual meeting in Kuala Lumpur, the first to be held outside of Europe, which hosted 46 delegates from 25 tourism associations in Europe.
The European delegates, some visiting Malaysia for the first time, were given the option of attending four-day post tours covering Selangor, Langkawi and Sabah.
At the meeting, delegates were also given an overview on what the country has to offer for leisure and business visitors by Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau.
Through the MoU, ECTAA would highlight diverse travel and tourism products in Malaysia to its members across European countries, shared Mirza.
In another strategic partnership to step up promotions in Europe, Malaysia has been named the official partner country of ITB Berlin 2019.
Mirza said: “Malaysia’s official partner country title at ITB 2019 will entail publicity opportunities globally as well as the potential to reach out to key decision makers and top industry players.”
Travel suppliers in Malaysia welcome the NTO’s intensified efforts in Europe, while also rolling out marketing activities of their own to attract outbound travellers from the continent.
Fiona Hagan, general manager at Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa in Kota Kinabalu, said: “Exposure at ITB Berlin will get the country in front of many key decision makers in Europe and keep the destination top of mind. We support all initiatives that knock on doors of agents in Europe.”
Hanley Chew, CEO of Berjaya Hotels & Resorts, said: “We are confident that with promotions by Tourism Malaysia, there will be an increase in European arrivals to Malaysia.
“In 2017, guests from Europe only (made up) seven per cent of room nights at our property, a three per cent decrease compared with 2016. For this year, we are targeting a 10 per cent increase over 2017 for total room nights contributed by European guests.”
The hotel is also participating in tradeshows, performing sales calls and continuing direct contracting with travel agents in Europe through its London sales office.
Jai Kishan, general manager, New World Petaling Jaya, suggested that further destination awareness of Malaysia in Europe could be created by directly reaching out to travel consumers on the ground through social media campaigns and by inviting media and film crew on fam trips to Malaysia.
“Malaysia is not lacking in (business and leisure) offerings when compared to our neighbouring countries,” said Kishan.
“What’s lacking is awareness of our offerings in the European markets and with Tourism Malaysia’s efforts, it is just a matter of time before this changes.”
No longer content with being a gaming haven, the ‘Las Vegas of Asia’ is now working towards transforming itself into a foodie destination after clinching recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy last October.
A traditional shop on the streets of Macau
At the annual marketing meeting held in June 2018, Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) revealed that gastronomy and festivals will be a key focus of its marketing plan going forward.
An MGTO spokesperson said: “Following Macau’s designation, the government unfolded a four-year action plan (2018-2021) which includes various initiatives in six categories, and (identified) the 2018 Macao Year of Gastronomy as one of the key highlights of the four-year action plan.
MGTO plans to promote Macau’s “cultural image”, as well as organise or support international events in line with the gastronomy theme.
The tourism body will work towards integrating gastronomy in existing events including the Parade for Celebration of Chinese New Year in February and the Macau Light Festival in December, the spokesperson shared.
In 2019, MGTO will organise the International Gastronomy Forum for the third year, while also pushing for the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards Ceremony to be hosted in Macau again in 2019.
Moreover, MGTO intends to continue to support local associations and private sector organisations, as well as work with other government departments on gastronomy-related festivals and events. Some recently concluded examples include the Malaysian Food Festival 2018 (August 16-31) and the Southeast Asia Food Carnival (mid-August).
On the ground, MGTO is rolling out different promotional activities through its representatives in various source markets, working with travel agencies to promote the destination’s travel products.
Pamela Chan, associate director – head of marketing, Taipa Village Destination, remarked: “With the territory’s growing recognition (among foodies), Taipa Village continues to receive an increasing number of visitors.”
Taipa Village has been hosting regular tours for media, industry partners and teambuilding clients who are keen to explore the destination’s mix of art, cultural and dining experiences.
“Gastronomy is the main highlight. We once hosted a teambuilding company for a treasure hunt activity in Taipa Village, with eight spots assigned as check points. The treasure hunt concluded with a Macanese cha gordo (fat tea) at Macanese restaurant La Famiglia,” Chan continued.
While lauding MGTO’s new direction, Manuel Wu, managing director of Macau Explorer Cultural Travel, which runs gourmet/food tours, sees room in developing food tourism offerings in Macau beyond large-scale events.
Wu said: “I haven’t seen any surge of similar tours from other operators in the market; what they offer mostly echo MGTO’s promotions promotions such as those focusing on food festivals.
“This is really due to the limitation of the local infrastructure. Many family-run outlets, for instance, are small and simply can’t manage big groups,” he added.
To develop Macau’s food tourism, Wu wants more to be done to help small food businesses survive. He said: “In the long run, it’d be helpful if the government could lend support to these small outlets because escalating rentals are driving the successors of ageing restaurant owners’ to close business and rent out the premises.”
Another issue Wu pinpointed, is the difficulty of experienced chefs in finding successors to pass on their skills due to a lack of interest among the younger generation.
“It’s vital for the government to incentivise the younger generation to pick up the cooking profession and preserve this traditional local neighbourhood food culture.”
On top of cooking classes, Wu’s company offers tours that visit traditional family-run food outlets, some with over 50 years of history in old districts like the Inner Harbour of Macau Peninsula.
“So far, enquiries are mostly from South-east Asia agents asking if I can organise street food tours for groups to venture into local market areas,” Wu said.
MGTO says it is taking steps to give visibility to food businesses on the ground. It has been collecting information from local associations about eateries and restaurants along its eight recommended walking routes (Step Out, Experience Macao’s Communities – Walking Tour Routes), and plotting these food haunts along the routes.
“Currently, MGTO is compiling additional information including opening hours, type of cuisines and locations by district in order to fully promote the dining scene and attract visitors and residents to different districts,” the MGTO spokesperson shared.
