Murray Aitken has been appointed general manager of Six Senses Duxton and Six Senses Maxwell.
Prior to joining Six Senses, Aitken was running his own hospitality company based in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The South African has spent the last two decades working in a number of countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Puerto Rico, for hospitality brands including Rosewood, Swissotel, Regent Hotels and Resorts, Raffles Hotels and Resorts and Onyx Hospitality.
The opening of Six Senses’ two Singapore properties marks the group’s entry into city locations. Six Senses Duxton will open on April 15 with 49 guest rooms and suites, followed by Six Senses Maxwell with 120 rooms and suites three months later.
Livery based on 1991 painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Qantas has unveiled a special livery honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians on its latest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the second time in the airline’s history that the iconic flying kangaroo on the aircraft has been changed to form part of the design.
The new livery is based on the 1991 painting, Yam Dreaming, of the late Northern Territory artist and senior Anmatyerre woman, Emily Kame Kngwarreye. The artwork depicts the culturally significant yam plant, an important symbol in Emily’s Dreaming stories and a staple food source in her home region of Utopia, 230km north-east of Alice Springs. The aircraft itself will be named Emily Kame Kngwarreye in tribute to the artist.
Livery based on 1991 painting by Emily Kame Kngwarreye
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the striking artwork is intended to encourage more people to explore the indigenous elements that form part of ‘the Spirit of Australia’.
The fourth Dreamliner to enter the Qantas fleet, following the arrival of Great Southern Land, Waltzing Matilda and Quokka, the aircraft will enter service on international routes from late March.
Yangon International Airport (YIA) has appointed José Angeja as COO.
In his new role, Angeja has been tasked to look at organisational and management efficiencies to ensure YIA sets the standard as a high-performance airport. He will oversee all aerodrome operations, safety management, terminal services, engineering and construction, long-term master planning and overall business development.
A veteran in airport operations, he brings with him extensive international and regional experience in civil aviation operations, management and aircraft accident investigation from other airports such as Airport of Brazil, São Paulo – Campinas and the Macau International Airport.
He has held a number of key senior roles in similar capacities spanning more than three decades, with extensive experience dealing with ICAO and IATA regulations.
Reed Travel Exhibitions is launching what it says is the largest international B2B event dedicated to LGBTQ+, called PROUD Experiences.
The inaugural will take place in London June 6-8 this year.
The sector is now valued over US$211 billion, according to Reed. “As the world’s biggest creator of travel industry events and exhibitions, we were not surprised when research confirmed that it’s time to pay attention to LGBTQ+ markets as they grow exponentially every year. Developing this first event which will take place in London, PROUD Experiences will bring out the issues, opportunities, solutions and debates that surrounds this demanding sector,” said show director Gareth Baguley.
LGBTQ+ travel a US$211 billion industry
Exhibitors that have signed up include AVRA Tours, Belmond, Conrad and Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts, Corinthia London, The Curtain, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, ME by Melia, The Muse Collection, Nobu Shoreditch, One Fine Stay, Peninsula Hotels, Principal Hotels, SET Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Soneva, Visit Malta and the region of Valencia.
International buyers focused on booking travel for their LGBTQ+ clients will be attending from all over the world with agencies such as Zoom Vacations, Out of Office, Frosch, PHD Travel, Bon Vivant and Superviagem confirmed to attend.
Dealing with the attitudes, challenges, and opinions that face same sex couples and bisexual/transgender travellers will be at the heart of a Masterclass series of workshops, presentations and debates open to buyers and suppliers.
Some of themes being addressed this year include: a look at the contradiction that is the Asian LGBTQ+ market asking the question: how open for business is it – particularly now the Gay Games has been announced to be taking place in Hong Kong in 2020; the business case for Pride and the growing number of Circuit parties asking the question are they driving up the numbers LGTBQ travellers; servicing the LGTBQ customer with insights from some of the best travel brands who have excelled in this area; lessons on marketing to LGTBQ customers from brands outside of the travel industry; transgender travel and a look at the emerging markets and new travel products aimed at the sector.
London’s top venues, hotels and clubs will all contribute to the welcome for PROUD Experiences, while the area around the Saatchi Gallery known as Duke of York Square, will also join in.
Baguley added: “We hope this show will break down the barriers that sometimes make it difficult to ask those all important questions about LGBTQ+ travel. By bringing the world’s biggest tourism brands, destinations, products and services together with highly qualified buyers from the biggest source markets around the world – not only do we plan to provide an environment to do great business but to help this burgeoning industry mature even future.”
Meanwhile, TTG Asia wishes readers a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Aligning brand portfolio to leading Radisson brand
China’s HNA Tourism Group is renaming Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group as Radisson Hotel Group effective March 5. This follows several new leadership appointments and restructuring it has made since completing the purchase of Carlson Hotels in late 2016, and the change in its legal name from Carlson Hotels Inc to Radisson Hospitality Inc last November.
The company alluded to the name change during its 2018 Investors Day in Frankfurt on January 17, saying it aims “to align its global brand portfolio around its leading brand, Radisson, to drive the expansion plans, and marketing, commercial and operational initiatives”.
Aligning brand portfolio to leading Radisson brand
The plan was built on 25 business initiatives focused on portfolio management; brand & product; marketing, sales & revenue management; organisation, talent & reputation; best systems; cost advantage and scale, according to the Investor Day outline.
As part of the new global brand architecture launch, it will reposition 30-35 of its hotels with a total capex of 140 million euros (US$172 million) to 150 million euros. The company will also invest 75-80 million euros in fixtures, furniture and equipment and key money in new hotels,
The business development strategy will focus on net opening of 13,000 new rooms. As part of a renewed asset-right growth strategy, the group will also focus on entering new lease agreements in mature markets.
A Radisson Hotel Group launch presentation is slated at the International Hotel Investment Conference in Berlin this March. It will be followed by an ITB launch night on March 7 at the Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin, where the invitation is for partners and media to witness “something BIG – “a memorable celebration of a new era of the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group”.
In addition to cash incentives announced last year, the Indonesian government is extending sales and marketing support to airlines to bring seat capacity up to a level that can handle its targeted 17 million international arrivals for the year.
To meet the desired capacity, the destination needs to add 1.1 million seats (over the year) to its existing four million. Speaking to airlines at a roadshow in Jakarta, Arief Yahya, Indonesia minister of tourism, said he was hoping for 600,000 seats to be added to Bali, 350 to Jakarta and the rest to other international gateways in Indonesia.
Lion Air is one airline that will be helping to increase Indonesia’s seat capacity by launching new routes
Arief said: “The government is providing incentives to the airlines in the forms of marketing communications, sales missions and travel marts and fairs.”
In response to the call, Angkasa Pura II airport authority said it was ready to add 790,000 seats, by increasing slot availability, seat capacity and service quality, such as through optimising digital services in various airports.
Meanwhile, Edward Sirait, president director of Lion Air Group, said the airline was in the process of finalising six new flights from China to Indonesia, including to Lombok and Batam. The airline is also planning to fly to South Korea from Bali and Jakarta.
He said: “Flights between Bali to Busan and Seoul Incheon will start in June, while the existing charter services between Batam and Busan, as well as Batam and Incheon, will soon become regular services.”
Similarly, Garuda Indonesia is adding services to China and Australia. The airline on January 30 launched twice-weekly Denpasar-Xi’an and thrice-weekly Denpasar-Zhengzhou flights, operated with Airbus 330-300.
Beginning May 4, Garuda will up frequency on its Jakarta-Perth route from four to five times a week, according to its president and CEO Pajala Mansury.
PTAA estimates sales from the fair were up 30 per cent
The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) has a happy problem: an oversubscription of its Travel and Tour Expo (TTE), which this year saw the largest number of organisations in attendance over its 25- year history.
The three-day fair, which took place last week, saw 400 organisations in attendance, a 21 per cent increase from last year. In the 2011-2017, the number of exhibitors grew 30 per cent.
PTAA estimates sales from the fair were up 30 per cent
Marlene Dado Jante, PTAA president and TTE organising committee chair, told TTG Asia that the over 16,000m2 SMX Convention Center Manila had become small for the growing number of local and foreign exhibitors and travellers lured by heavily discounted airfares, hotels, tours, and new destinations.
The organisers are looking into ways to circumvent this, such as by holding TTE in two different locations and making the annual event twice a year.
“In November last year, when we held our exhibitors briefing, we had at least 60 companies and organisations waitlisted. It was a significant number that we had to address because we want the TTE to host as many industry players as we can,” Jante said.
There is also a surge in the number of participating countries this year, including, amazingly, first-timer Kingdom of Lesotho.
Simultaneous with TTE was the third edition of the International Travel Trade Expo (iTTE), the B2B component which allows PTAA members to have pre-appointed meetings with international tourism companies and NTOs.
Destinations like the state of Penang are beginning to tap opportunities in the Vietnam outbound market
Malaysian inbound agents are observing strong forward bookings from Iran for the Iranian new year known as Nowruz, which runs from March 20 to April 2.
Muhammad Anns, executive of Palmbeach Holidays, said: “We expect to see at least a 10 per cent increase this year compared with last year, when we received between 6,000 and 7,000 guests for this period. The most popular tour is our seven-night itinerary combining Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi.”
Penang is one of the more popular stops for Iranian visitors; its capital, George Town is pictured
He added that Tourism Malaysia participates annually at the Tehran International Tourism Exhibition (TITEX), which has helped create awareness of Malaysia. Also favourable for Malaysia is visa-on-arrival for Iranian tourists, unlike to some of the destination’s neighbours such as Singapore.
George Wong, director, business development at Berjaya Langkawi Resort, also expects to see more guests this year compared with 2017, when the Nowruz season clashed with the biennial Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, which resulted in a shortage of rooms and rack rates.
The destination registered almost 50,000 arrivals from Iran in the first 10 months of 2017, showing a 27.1 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2016. Iranians spend an average of 8.5 nights in Malaysia and the average per day expenditure is RM788 (US$199.15).
For the coming Nowruz period alone, the NTO aims to welcome 12,000 Iranian tourists.
Miki Travel, a DMC majority owned by Japan’s H.I.S. Group, is undergoing transformation with three strategic pillars – technology, expansion and management – since former Kuoni stalwart Olivier Moeschler joined as CEO of its Asia division last year.
The three-pronged transformation has helped Miki Travel expand its business in Asia by 160 per cent last year, according to Moeschler, better known in the industry as Omo. He served Kuoni for 25 years, most recently as its senior vice president global sales and marketing.
There are plans afoot to further advance Miki Travel’s destination footprint; their booth at ITB Asia pictured. Photo credit: ITB Asia
On the technological front, Miki Travel last August became the first major B2B operator to adopt a hotel booking engine for groups to Europe, receiving good response from hotels, even the smaller ones that are not accustomed to dealing directly with Asia, he said.
There are 10,000 European hotels in its database and so far, five travel agencies each in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia are benefiting from the booking engine, Moeschler claimed during Miki Travel’s appreciation party for Philippine travel agencies last week.
He is also planning a similar booking engine for restaurants and other food-related establishments over the next 18 months.
“I want to eliminate the middleman. I want to deal more directly with clients. We need to have faster response time to customers and remove the duplication (of transactions),” he explained.
On the company’s expansion strategy, Moeschler said there are plans to grow Miki Travel’s destination footprint, currently 90 per cent to Europe and 10 per cent to Japan, and include the Middle East, the US and Australia over the next three years.
Moeschler further shared that Miki Travel wants to give opportunities to local talents to rise up the corporate ladder since “there are many talents in Asia”.
Moeschler said his former company Kuoni was more of an “old-style player”, while Miki Travel is more open to such transformation.
Kuoni officers who also moved to Miki Travel’s Asia division in Hong Kong include James Timms, regional manager Thailand, Philippines and MICE – the latter a new product of the DMC – and Davidson Wong, country manager Philippines.
Expedia has added Event Tickets to its activities and attractions offering, a new service that brings tickets for more than 95,000 concerts and theatre and sporting events to ensure travellers book their next trip all in one place.
The service appears open to US travellers at the moment, with Expedia citing research from Phocuswright that one in five US travellers purchase tickets to a concert, sporting event or theatre performance while on vacation.
The new service makes it easier for travelers to find everything they need to plan and book their next trip all in one place
“We know travellers are looking for unique and authentic experiences while in-destination,” said Expedia local expert vice president, Jen O’Twomney.
“They want to catch a baseball game at a stadium they’ve never been to, or see a show that isn’t playing in their hometown. There’s also a growing trend to build entire trips around events, to attend a music festival, follow a specific artiste on tour, or root for your team at an away game. Adding event tickets to our product offering makes all the sense in the world and gives us another way to help travellers get the most out of their vacation.”
Travellers can now find tickets to events including concerts, festivals, major and minor league sports, tournaments, theatre & shows and comedies.
They can search by event type, destination, venue, team or specific performer, or just browse events nearby and popular events nationwide.
