A new Aura takes over M Social Singapore

August 23, 2017

Meet Aura, South-east Asia’s first front-of-house autonomous service delivery robot which is now making its rounds at M Social Singapore to send items like bottled water, towels and toiletries to guestrooms.

The robotic solution was introduced by Millennium Hotels and Resorts to optimise operations, boost productivity and lift guest experiences to a new level.

Aura delivers newspapers to Lee Richards, vice president of operations Singapore, Millennium Hotels and Resorts

Developed by robot builders Savioke and the first of her kind to be deployed outside the US, Aura can operate and ride in elevators, navigate her way to a guest’s door, let them know that a delivery has arrived (guest phone rings), and then open her lid for guests when they answer the door. Once the item is delivered, she will return to the docking station by herself.

More Auras are set to be launched in the near future in Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties in Singapore, namely the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, M Hotel Singapore, Orchard Hotel Singapore and Studio M Hotel.

Aura also has a brother, who is yet to be named, with the ability to cook different types of eggs. He is likely to be introduced to the hotel industry in 2018.

Khong heads Singapore’s first Courtyard by Marriott as GM

By TTG Asia

August 23, 2017

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Peter Khong has joined Courtyard by Marriott Singapore Novena’s pre-opening team as general manager.

In this role, Khong will be responsible for launching the first Courtyard by Marriott in Singapore, as well as overseeing all aspects of the hotel’s operations. The hotel is slated to open in 4Q2017.

The hospitality veteran has nearly three decades of industry experience, having first started his career in operations with Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 1989, before joining other brands such as Hyatt and Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

Prior to his return to Singapore, Khong spent 20 years in China, where he was general manager of Sheraton Shanghai Hongqiao and Four Points by Sheraton Shanghai, Daning.

Malaysia bookings lunge ahead during SEA Games

By S Puvaneswary

August 22, 2017

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kuala-lumpur-day — Kuala Lumpur enjoying greater visitor traffic as host city of the 29th SEA Games

The 29^th SEA Games, which is taking place in Kuala Lumpur from August 19 to 31, has boosted regional traffic into the capital city and its surrounding destinations, said inbound agents in Malaysia.

S Jayakumar, operations manager at Dayangti Transport & Tours, observed an increase of 15 to 20 per cent in regional inbound demand during the SEA Games period, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.

Kuala Lumpur enjoying greater visitor traffic as host city of the 29th SEA Games

He said: “We are getting bookings from family members and supporters of foreign athletes. There are also requests for sightseeing tours around the city, Resorts World Genting and visits to Sunway Lagoon theme park in Selangor.”

Syed Mohd Razif Al Yahya, group managing director of Sutra Group of Companies, added: “We have seen a 20 per cent spike in bookings made from ASEAN nations through our online booking engine, Sutra.my, during the SEA Games. Bookings are for hotel rooms within the city and surrounding areas, as well as for tours in Langkawi.”

Another inbound operator, Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, said inbound business from Indonesia this month climbed 12 per cent. He said the uptick in business started a few days before the games until the first week of September. Besides transport services to the competition venues, the company is also seeing demand for city tours, as well as trips to Melaka, Genting and Sunway Lagoon.

The Ministry of Tourism and Culture expects a 50 per cent spike in tourist arrivals from ASEAN countries this month over the 1.7 million visitors in the corresponding 2016 period due to the SEA Games, reported Bernama.

APAC a bright spot as global tourism sustains growth: UNWTO

By TTG Asia

August 22, 2017

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In 2016, tourism accounted for seven per cent of the world’s exports, or US$1.4 trillion, after increasing one percentage point and outpacing the growth of world trade for the fifth year running, according to the latest UNWTO Tourism Highlights report.

International tourist arrivals increased 3.9 per cent to hit nearly 1.2 billion worldwide in 2016. The growth is led by Asia-Pacific, which recorded a nine per cent increase in international arrivals, followed by Africa (+eight per cent) and the Americas (+three per cent).

International tourist arrivals grew 3.9 per cent in 2016

The world’s most visited region, Europe (+two per cent) showed mixed results, while available data for the Middle East (-four per cent) points to a decline in arrivals.

France, the US, Spain and China continued to top the international arrivals ranking in 2016. In receipts, the US and Spain remain at the top, followed by Thailand and China in third and fourth place.

Meanwhile, international tourism receipts grew 2.6 per cent in real terms with total earnings in the destinations estimated at US$1.2 trillion worldwide in 2016.

France and Italy moved up in receipts to fifth and sixth position respectively, while the UK, Mexico and Thailand moved up to sixth, eighth and ninth place in arrivals.

According to projections in UNWTO’s Tourism Towards 2030 report, between 2010 and 2030, arrivals in emerging destinations (+4.4 per cent a year) are expected to increase at twice the rate of those in advanced economies (+2.2 per cent a year).

The market share of emerging economies increased from 30 per cent in 1980 to 45 per cent in 2016, and is expected to reach 57 per cent by 2030, equivalent to over one billion international tourist arrivals.

Pan Pacific creates new management roles

By TTG Asia

August 22, 2017

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pphg-kevin-croley-cinn-tan — Croley (left) named senior vice president, business development; and Tan chief sales and marketing officer

Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) has appointed Kevin Croley and Cinn Tan to the newly-created roles of senior vice president, business development, and chief sales and marketing officer respectively, both based out of the group’s corporate headquarters in Singapore.

In his new role, Croley will focus on developing relationships with third-party owners and sourcing new management agreement opportunities for PPHG in key markets across Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe.

Croley (left) named senior vice president, business development; and Tan chief sales and marketing officer

Croley was previously senior vice president, marketing with the group, where he led the development of its brand strategies as well as its loyalty, distribution and digital platforms.

With a 30-year career in hospitality – of which 25 years were spent in the Asia-Pacific region – Croley has held senior positions with Hilton Worldwide, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, and InterContinental Hotels Group.

Meanwhile, Tan will be responsible for driving the marketing and sales strategy and synergising efforts across the PPHG’s portfolio of Pan Pacific and Parkroyal hotels, resorts and serviced suites.

The Singaporean hospitality veteran brings more than 20 years of Asia-focused sales and marketing management experience. She was most recently chief operating and marketing officer at Yearth Alliance, a start-up she co-founded to provide online sales and marketing capabilities as well as a loyalty programme to individual hotels and boutique chains in the region.

Prior to this, Tan was senior vice president of marketing & sales for Jin Jiang International Hotels. Her hospitality career started with the Ascott Group, where she spent more than 10 years in Singapore and China leading sales, revenue and distribution, as well as branding and marketing functions.

Vespa sidecar tours scoot into Singapore

By TTG Asia

August 22, 2017

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sideways-vespa-sidecar-tour — Many a photo opportunity on Sideways' tours

Sideways.sg was launched in Singapore earlier this year to offer Vespa sidecar tour service in the city.

Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and co-created with tour agency and hostel Betel Box, the sidecar tours include 30-minute Selfie Spins as well as the half-day Chinatown & Rooftops programme.

Many a photo opportunity on Sideways’ tours

Selfie Spin itineraries offer a choice of districts to explore, including Chinatown, Joo Chiat and Katong, as well as Kampong Glam and Haji Lane.

Sideways is planning to add more half-day rides, namely the Little India Sunset Ride & Dine and the F1 Route Sunset Ride & Dine.

Thailand, Vietnam among top gap year destinations for Brits

By TTG Asia

August 22, 2017

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thailand-tourists — Thailand new favourite pick for British students taking a gap year

Thailand has pulled ahead of Australia to become the top destination for British students taking a gap year, according to a ranking by Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

Australasia, South-east Asia, the US and South America have emerged as the most popular choices as ABTA members specialising in gap year travel report more than 30 per cent increases in bookings over the last 12 months.

Thailand new favourite pick for British students taking a gap year

After Thailand, the top picks are respectively Australia, Vietnam, Peru, New Zealand, the US, Laos and Cambodia, South Africa, Argentina and India.

Volunteering, work experience, adventure and cultural tours are starting to edge out partying as the foremost gap year priorities, according to ABTA.

Examples of volunteer stints include conservation projects in South America beaches and Madagascar forests, in addition to medical internships in South Africa.

ABTA members report partying as the least important factor for students booking gap year trips, as many students want to use the year to gain experience either on internships or in paid employment to “boost their CV in a competitive job market”.

Activities including trekking, white water rafting and biking, plus cultural tours to historic cities are also proving popular this year.

The difference between night and day at Oakwood Studios Singapore

By TTG Asia

August 22, 2017

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oakwood-uniform — Day and evening uniforms

Oakwood Studios Singapore has introduced the Day & Night Curation initiative, which highlights different presentations of hotel spaces and staff uniform for day and night.

This is Oakwood’s latest effort to redefine the serviced apartment experience. Observing the “rise in bleisure, new age entrepreneurs and wander-lusters”, Oakwood Studios Singapore seeks to cater to the millennial minded with fresh and quirky elements.

The Curation will include day and night versions of front desk staff uniforms as well as signature scents and music in the common areas. Oakwood hopes this would simultaneously give guests a sense of familiarity and difference, in line with its tagline “kiss goodbye to the expected” and signature lip motif, according to a statement.

For example, the hotel’s common areas will be scented with notes of peach, jasmine and cedar in the day, before being replaced with a wild lavender fragrance at night.

Trade not giving up on Mindanao tourism

By Rosa Ocampo

August 21, 2017

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The Philippine trade is taking steps to rev up tourism in Mindanao, which has stalled due to the declaration of martial law and the three-month-long Marawi war.

On the airlines front, Cebu Pacific will connect Zamboanga to Sandakan, Malaysia in October while Philippine AirAsia will fly from Davao to Kuala Lumpur starting December. New inter-island connections will be launched including Cagayan de Oro to Boracay and Dumaguete for Cebgo and AirAsia’s Davao-Cebu service.

Mindanao still on the radar for airlines and the NTO

Tourism secretary Wanda Teo said the government will continue promoting Mindanao abroad, emphasising the need to build and restore roads especially in Davao.

Davao, Mindanao’s gateway and most popular destination, has suffered a decline in tourist arrivals of at least 10 per cent in recent months, a situation not unlike other destinations including Cagayan de Oro City.

Blue Horizons Travel and Tours still keeps Davao and Siargao in its brochures, although operations manager Gigi Jamiro advises clients to first check travel warnings issued by their embassies to ensure travel insurance coverage.

“We always tell clients what to expect… and explain that martial law in Mindanao will only be until December this year,” said Jamiro.

But even with the government stressing that governance in Mindanao is not in the style of Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship, foreigners are fazed by the sheer suggestion of martial law, said a tour operator requesting anonymity.

He is instead developing new and safer destinations, as Mindanao is a hard sell at the moment and its recovery is still uncertain.

Genting Hong Kong bites losses for expected future gain

By TTG Asia

August 21, 2017

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Genting Hong Kong has reported a loss of US$203.2 million in 1H2017, which it attributes mainly to the startup of new cruise brands and the MV Werften Shipyard readying for steel cutting two large ships in March 2018.

For the same period, it posted a total comprehensive income of US$165.1 million.

The group says the market has responded well to the Genting Dream (pictured)

“We are pleased with the market reception of the Genting Dream, (the company’s) first new-build ship in nearly 20 years. After a six-month startup period… Genting Dream achieved profitability standards comparable to global industry standards in the first seven weeks of 3Q2017,”said Lim Kok Thay, chairman and chief executive of Genting Hong Kong.

The World Dream arriving this November will replace the Genting Dream in the Pearl Delta. Genting expects the latter will homeport in Singapore with “much faster market acceptance” as travel agents and passengers have experienced Dream Cruises at the Pearl Delta homeport.

Cruise ship demand and supply growth of about six to seven per cent a year were generally in balance for the last 25 years. For China this decade, the demand for cruise ships has exceeded supply, with a historic high order book with deliveries announced as far as 2026.

“With the unavailability of slots for large cruise ships for nearly the next decade, we have taken the strategic step of buying MV Werften shipyards in order to build ships for our three cruise brands,” said Colin Au, group president of Genting Hong Kong.

“After delivering our first of four Rhine Class river ship this month, we are now focused on building the first 20,000 gross tonne Endeavor Class cruise ship by late 2019 and the first 204,000 gross tonne Global Class ship by late 2020 with steel cutting of the two planned for March next year”, he added.

Meanwhile, with the arrival of the Genting Dream in Singapore, SuperStar Gemini will move from Singapore to her new homeport in Bangkok. The SuperStar Libra will be repositioned to the homeport in Port Klang, while Star Cruise and Dream Cruise brands will have homeports and destinations across entire East Asia, including China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.

A new Aura takes over M Social Singapore

Khong heads Singapore’s first Courtyard by Marriott as GM

Malaysia bookings lunge ahead during SEA Games

APAC a bright spot as global tourism sustains growth: UNWTO

Pan Pacific creates new management roles

Vespa sidecar tours scoot into Singapore

Thailand, Vietnam among top gap year destinations for Brits

The difference between night and day at Oakwood Studios Singapore

Trade not giving up on Mindanao tourism

Genting Hong Kong bites losses for expected future gain

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Knai Bang Chatt by Kep West

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