Simon Manning has been promoted to senior vice president, chief sales and marketing officer of Langham Hospitality Group, from his previous position as vice president, sales and marketing.
Simon Manning
The promotion recognises his effort at rebuilding the sales and marketing functions when he first joined the group more than a decade ago.
To boost the group’s marketing capabilities further, Roberta Lee has been appointed in the newly-created role of vice president, marketing, reporting to Manning. She oversees and sets the strategies for the e-commerce, CRM, public relations and marketing communications functions.
Roberta Lee
Lee brings over 20 years in the luxury retail industry to her current role.
With technology still a painpoint especially for mom-and-pop agencies in India, Guiddoo, a B2B platform offering tours, dining and shopping options for Indian travellers, has rolled out two new solutions targeted at smaller players.
Despite the predominance of smartphones, many travel formalities such as reservation confirmations, directions, and itineraries are still a hassle and largely paper-based, Guiddoo said.
Guiddoo eyes smaller players
Its Trip Assistant allows agents to keep in touch with their customers during a trip with itinerary sharing, live updates (e.g. pickup details) and in-app communication through chat and call.
For tour operators and DMCs, Guiddoo’s CRM is introducing a customisable interface that integrates lead management, query handling, finance and post sales management into operations. This would allow tour operators to manage bookings from the point of sales until customers return from their trip, in addition to reducing dependence on emails and spreadsheets.
Biswajeet Karmakar, director of sales, Guiddoo, who leads the B2B technology distribution, commented: “With the correct use of technology we can automate the whole process resulting in minimal error and help (smaller players) compete effectively with the bigger technology-driven travel companies.”
Alipay and Changi Airport Group (CAG) have signed a five-year partnership agreement to roll out the Alipay mobile payment option in Changi Airport.
The Alipay mobile payment service has been progressively offered as a new payment mode by Changi Airport’s tenants since May 2017, and is now available at more than 78 shopping and dining outlets at Changi Airport. Alipay will also be made available as a mode of payment at Changi Airport Terminal 4 when it begins operations from October 31, 2017.
Alipay provides a brand new payment option to enhance Chinese travellers’ shopping experience at Changi
In addition, a joint marketing agreement was also inked, for both parties to offer customised and targeted shopping and dining offers to Chinese passengers using Alipay.
Under the joint marketing agreement, Alipay and CAG will collaborate to create passenger-centric content, providing information on ongoing promotions, as well as location-based information about shopping and dining options at the airport.
Alipay is also partnering CAG in the eighth season of the “Be a Changi Millionaire” anchor shopping promotion, providing publicity outreach for the event with their marketing network in China. Shoppers who use Alipay as a payment mode when making their purchases will double their chances of winning the S$1 million (US$742,942) cash prize or an all-new Volvo S90 luxury sedan.
Malindo Air has appointed APG offices in 22 countries as its General Sales & Services Agents (GSSA), who will be providing full sales and marketing services through their offices and call centres.
The countries are: the US, the UK, Canada, France, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and South Africa.
Malindo Air wants to tap into the markets of North America, Europe and Africa
Chandran Rama Muthy, CEO of Malindo Air, said: “We welcome the appointment of APG Network as our distribution partner and look forward to gain greater awareness in the markets globally, especially in North America, Europe and Africa with APG Network. As a full-service carrier, this is in line with our effort to expand our distribution channels and bring in more transit passengers globally to Malaysia, in support of making Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) a travel hub in the region.”
Malindo Air is a Malaysian airline with main hubs at KLIA and Subang Skypark in Selangor. The airline operates over 800 flights weekly across a continuously growing network of about 46 routes in the region.
Wharf Hotels has opened the second hotel in its luxury portfolio, the Niccolo Chongqing; also a member of Global Hotel Alliance’s Ultratravel Collection.
Niccolo Chongqing is located on levels 54 through 62 of the mixed-use Chongqing IFS building in Jiangbeizui, and offers 252 guestrooms and suites. Facilities include a spa with five treatment rooms, gym, a 20m-long indoor pool, and three F&B venues. For meeting and events spaces, there is a 11m-high The Conservatory on level 61, The Courtyard on level 4, the Niccolo Ballroom which can accommodate up to 700 guests, and 10 function rooms.
Niccolo Chongqing’s N2 Grand Riverview Room
The hotel has released a special opening offer from RMB 818 (US$125) per room per night, including one night’s stay in an elegant N1 Deluxe Room overlooking the city, buffet breakfast for one at Niccolo Kitchen and RMB 100 cash credit to be enjoyed across the hotel’s dining concepts. Also included are a welcome fruit amenity and complimentary soft drinks from the mini bar.
Guests booking N3 Grand Deluxe Rooms and Suites may enjoy the additional benefit of five per cent off at selected retail stores at Chongqing IFS mall. Reservations may be made at (86) 23 6508 8888, via resv.ncq@niccolohotels.com or at niccolochongqing.com.
Private jet journey begins in Tokyo and covers destinations like Bhutan, Greece and Montenegro
Hospitality brand Aman has teamed up with luxury travel designer Remote Lands to launch a 22-day private jet expedition.
Taking place from April 15 to May 6, 2018, a refitted Airbus ACJ 319 – complete with bedrooms and bathrooms – will take 16 travellers across nine countries: Japan, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Bhutan, India, Greece, Montenegro, and Italy.
Private jet journey begins in Tokyo and covers destinations like Bhutan, Greece and Montenegro
Nights will be spent in an Aman hotel in each destination. For instance, the journey will begin in Tokyo, where guests will stay at Aman Tokyo, and end in Venice with a stay at Aman Venice. Moreover, every couple or solo traveller having access to their own private car, driver and guide for all transfers and excursions.
For more details on the expedition itinerary, the resorts and hotels, the Airbus ACJ 319 or the excursions and activities on offer in each destination, visit aman.com.
(From left) AirAsia X Group’s Kamarudin Meranun AirAsia BIG Loyalty’s Eddy Leong and AirAsia Group’s Tony Fernandes at the launch event held at AirAsia Red Q, Sepang, Malaysia
AirAsia has overhauled its loyalty programme, aimed at making it easier and faster for passengers to earn points.
Under the Freedom Flyer Programme, powered by AirAsia BIG Loyalty, the more guests fly with AirAsia, the faster they will earn points, regardless of how much they spend on fares.
(From left) AirAsia X Group’s Kamarudin Meranun AirAsia BIG Loyalty’s Eddy Leong and AirAsia Group’s Tony Fernandes at the launch event held at AirAsia Red Q, Sepang, Malaysia
It is based on a four-tier system, starting with Red for guests who fly 13 or fewer one-way shorhaul flights in the preceding 12 months, through to Gold and Platinum, and all the way up to Black for those who fly 50 or more times with AirAsia.
For every RM10 spent (other currencies are based on exchange rates), Red, Gold, Platinum and Black status members can earn up to 20, 40, 70 and 120 BIG Points respectively.
While Thailand is generally perceived as a safe destination, local tour operators believe that more could be done to improve the safety standards to prevent fatal incidents and injuries involving tourists in the country.
Chotechuang Soorangura, associate managing director of NS Travel & Tours, stated that the safety measures for foreign tourists in Thailand are not adequate due to lax rules and weak enforcement.
More needs to be done to ensure tourists safety; Phang Nga, Thailand pictured
“Tourist safety in Thailand is considered less than advanced countries such as Switzerland where the tourism authority takes safety regulations seriously. For example, they will examine their cable cars regularly to ensure the safety of tourists visiting the Alps,” said Chotechuang.
On the contrary, new laws to improve safety standards were only introduced by the Thai authorities following recent zipline injuries and accidents in Chiang Mai, he added.
“The Ministry of Tourism and Sports needs to seriously put regulations into effect and inspect tourism activities regularly in order to solve the tourist safety problem in the long term,” Chotechuang urged.
Accidents involving tourists in Thailand also stem from miscommunication, he noted. It is not uncommon for Chinese tourists to misunderstand warning signs – for example, a red flag at the beach may not be interpreted as a sign against swimming in the sea.
Tour operators also err on the safe side by deploying their own safety standards to select reliable suppliers in the country.
“As a tour operator, Diethelm Travel always takes our responsibilities very seriously in selecting products and suppliers that not only have all necessary operating licences and insurance policies, but also meet our own strict health and safety guidelines,” Oscar Lopera, group product and contracting director of Diethelm Travel Group told TTG Asia.
Royal Caribbean International's Quantum of the Seas in Hong Kong
In 2017, Asia’s booming cruise industry saw 10,196 operating days scheduled, a 137 per cent increase from 2013, effectively tripling the total passengers carried from 1.5 million in 2013 to 4.2 million, according to newly released figures from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
Sixty-six cruise ships are being deployed in Asian waters for the year, including five mega ships (more than 3,500 passenger capacity), 13 large (2,000-3,500 passengers), 26 mid-size, 17 seasonal small ships and five seasonal expedition ships. This marks a 53 per cent growth from the 43 ships cruising Asia in 2013.
Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas in Hong Kong
The report found that Asian travellers predominantly take cruises within the region. Out of the 2,086 sailings scheduled for Asian waters in 2017, 1,992 cruises (95.4 per cent) will remain within Asia, while an additional 94 voyages are scheduled to pass through the region. Total sailings in and through Asia has increased 142 per cent, from 861 cruises and voyages in 2013 to 2,086 in 2017.
In 2016, a total of 3.1 million Asians took cruises, 55 per cent more than in 2015. Of these, 68 per cent or 2.1 million were from China, a market which grew by 99 per cent last year and at a four-year CAGR of 76 per cent, making the country the world’s fastest-growing major source of passengers.
Meanwhile, the direct economic contribution of cruise tourism across North Asia last year consisted of US$3.2 billion in direct expenditures, US$1.5 billion in value-added goods and services, and 23,697 full- and part-time jobs paying US$754.5 million in employee compensation.
Combining the direct, indirect and induced contributions, the total economic contribution of cruise tourism in the three North Asia economies of China, Japan and South Korea amounted to US$7.2 billion in output, US$3.2 billion in value-added goods and services, and 51,631 full- and part-time jobs paying US$1.5 billion in employee compensation.
Commented Joel Katz, executive director, CLIA: “While the Asian cruise market has grown tremendously within the past four years – it has the potential to capture a much larger percentage of the Asian population, which could catapult Asia’s capacity share ahead of competing markets.”
Hotels are now able to offer accommodation and flight packages on their websites with the integration of Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ SynXis Central Reservations’ and Time Design’s booking engine, a move that is expected to shift the distribution balance towards hotels.
Travellers visiting a hotel’s official website with Time Design’s Global Dynamic Package Solution will be able to choose airline tickets from a variety of airline carriers by specifying the airline name, alliance, prices, departure and arrival times, flights routes and other inputs.
SynXis Central Reservations tool
This will provide another option for travellers, previously only able to book hotels and flights at the same time through a travel agent or OTA.
“This also (allows) hotels to improve their service offering and reduce channel cost against OTAs,” added Yuzo Takamatsu, president and CEO of Time Design. “We believe hotels’ official websites offer the best deals nowadays and want to shift the existing distribution to hotels’ official websites by letting the hotels to have travel packages as their sales option.”
Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ SynXis Central Reservations provides rate and inventory distribution through online and offline distribution channels; connects more than 450 OTAs, website and mobile booking engines; and integrates property, revenue management, loyalty and content systems.
