Sentosa is welcoming the Year of the Snake with a refresh of Sentosa Presents: A Big, Big World, complete with fresh activations across three zones at Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa Sensoryscape, and Palawan Beach.
Sensoryscape’s Fortune floral display features Gomphrena/Globe Amaranth blooms, which symbolise immortality, resilience and enduring love in the Chinese culture
Guests arriving through the Sentosa Gateway will be greeted by an impressive installation of a peach orange Wood Snake with golden yellow motifs, created by local artist Jooheng Tan, diving among blossoms.
Sentosa Sensoryscape, the outdoor audio-visual and augmented reality experience on the island, will also sport some amazing festive blooms that are a visual treat.
These interactive day-to-night offerings are available from January 19 to February 16.
Indonesia and Malaysia cooperating on expanding access between Indonesia’s Riau Islands and Malaysia’s Johor state as well as enhancing tourism promotion.
The Indonesian consulate general in Johor and the Johor government are developing an agreement to enhance the connection between Johor and Batam Island, which is part of the Riau Islands. The plan is to have roll-on-roll-out (RoRo) ferry services between Johor and Batam, which will serve travellers, vehicles and goods.
An MoU has been inked to enhance travel between Johor and Batam Island
Sigit Widiyanto, Indonesia consul general for Johor Bahru, said: “Both parties see the potential for access between Johor and Indonesia through Batam and Riau Islands to boost tourism traffic. A (scheduled) RoRo operation is a way to go. Travellers from Johor can use their cars to travel in Batam and vice versa – (just as how) Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand travellers (are) visiting each other over land.”
Both parties are also eager to promote cross-border trips to boost tourism, with plans to offer special discounts and rates for accommodation and other facilities to attract interest.
Sigit shared that “technical discussions with the local authority” are underway, so are discussions with industry players on promotions.
“We hope that this will materialise this year,” he said.
In line with this commitment, the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) signed an MoU with Dewan Teraju Usahawan & Peniaga Bumiputra Negeri Johor Bumiputera Enterprenurs and Merchant Council of Johor (DTUPB) on the sidelines of ASEAN Tourism Forum 2025 with the intention of boosting traffic between Indonesia and Johor.
Ismail Karim, president of the council, said at the signing ceremony: “To effectively introduce Johor’s tourism stakeholders and packages to the Indonesian market, it is important for us to collaborate with ASITA, which has a network of 7,000 members spanning all 36 Indonesian provinces.
“I hope that this signing is the first step towards a strong Johor-Indonesia partnership, particularly in the vital tourism sector, which will benefit both regions.”
Nunung Rusmiati, president of the national board of ASITA, said both organisations have a “longstanding relationship”, and the agreement will “take collaboration to the next level”.
She added: “While Johor seeks to attract more Indonesian visitors, ASITA is also committed to promoting Indonesia to travellers from Johor and Malaysia. We look forward to mutual benefits from this enhanced partnership.”
Budijanto Ardiansjah, secretary general of the national board of ASITA told TTG Asia that cooperation with Johor’s travel industry has so far been primarily focused on Batam and Riau Islands. However, DTUPB wants to expand coverage across Malaysia, as the country prepares for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Budijanto expects to see increasing demand among travellers from Johor to explore beyond Riau Islands, which will result in demand for more direct flights. Currently, only AirAsia operates two daily direct flights between Jakarta and Johor Bahru.
“Although connecting to and from Johor through Singapore is very convenient, more direct flights and RoRo ferry services will open up more options for travellers,” he said.
Budijanto also expects Johor’s travel players to come up with more creative and attractive packages to entice Indonesian travellers.
Lodging firm Ascott has accelerated the expansion of its Oakwood brand, signing 16 new properties in 2024 – a 30 per cent increase over the previous year – to benefit from the growing demand for bleisure travel.
Oakwood had completed a brand refresh in early 2024 to appeal to guests who are blending business and leisure – hence bleisure – in their travels by offering the comforts of home and beyond.
Oakwood Suites Chongli opened in 2024 in the winter sports hub of Chongli in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province
The Oakwood portfolio now comprises nearly 100 properties – both operational and in the pipeline – across 14 countries and 50 cities, with a strong presence in key gateway cities such as Tokyo, Jakarta, Beijing and Manila, as well as popular resort locations.
New openings in 2024 include Oakwood Suites Chongli, a ski resort in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, China; the all-villa Oakwood Ha Long, which grants guests easy access of Vietnam’s UNESCO World Heritage site, Ha Long Bay; and Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Grand Batam in Indonesia. They mark the brand’s debut in prime resort destinations.
Serena Lim, chief growth officer, Ascott, said: “Oakwood remains one of the fastest-growing brands in Ascott’s portfolio, driven by its strong positioning to capitalise on the increasing popularity of bleisure travel. With a 30 per cent increase in signings in 2024 compared to 2023, Oakwood is well-placed to meet the needs of guests seeking a seamless balance between work and leisure.
“These new signings continue to drive Oakwood’s expansion into the resort sector, including the introduction of Oakwood Jimbaran Villas & Residences in Bali, one of the region’s most sought-after resort destinations.”
Tan also noted a spike in interest from property owners in the higher-tier Oakwood Premier brand, with one in every four Oakwood signings in 2024 being an Oakwood Premier property.
“Notably, the signings will mark the entry of Oakwood Premier into new cities such as Adelaide, Bali and Shenzhen,” she said.
Leadership from both Minor Hotels and Fliggy mark the partnership at a signing ceremony
Minor Hotels has become the first major international hotel company to partner with Fliggy’s brand-new booking platform, Global Discovery, allowing the former to feature over 80,000 rooms across its eight brands on the online travel platform.
Rates on Fliggy’s Global Discovery will match those listed on Minor Hotels’ websites.
Leadership from both Minor Hotels and Fliggy mark the partnership at a signing ceremony
The agreement will also tap into Fliggy’s digital ecosystem in China by leveraging its vast digital marketing capabilities, innovative products, and extensive member base to enhance the reach of Minor Hotels’ brands in the market.
Ian Di Tullio, chief commercial pfficer of Minor Hotels, said: “Our enhanced relationship with Fliggy allows Minor Hotels to more efficiently reach our target audience by getting in front of millions of Chinese consumers. This partnership will also help us drive bookings to our properties across the globe and increase brand awareness in the market, and support the future development needs of our hotel brands.”
Minor Hotels currently operates four hotels in China in partnership with Funyard Hotels & Resorts, with another 12 in the pipeline.
Commenting on the partnership, Zhuoran Zhuang, CEO of Fliggy, said: “As a leading platform for outbound independent travel in China, Fliggy is committed to supporting Minor’s distinctive hotel brands connect with customers in a more efficient and engaging manner through our platform and technical capacities, providing them with personalised and high-quality experiences for their global travel journeys.”
The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) now counts Qantas Airways as a member.
Qantas Airways is now a member of AAPA
Subhas Menon, director general of AAPA, said in a statement: “Qantas, a leading Australian airline with a long heritage, would not only strengthen the association’s voice in international aviation policy discussions, but also reinforce effective regional collaboration on key aviation tenets, namely safety, sustainability, and seamless air travel.”
Cam Wallace, chief executive officer of international and freight, Qantas, expressed hopes of working with fellow AAPA members to “meet the evolving needs of customers in a dynamic market” and confront “challenges such as climate change and supply chain disruptions”.
TTG Asia e-Daily will be taking a break from January 28, 2025, for the Lunar New Year holidays. The regular news bulletin will return to your inbox on Monday, February 3, 2025.
From all of us at TTG Asia Media, we wish all of our readers a happy and prosperous Year of the Snake!
British Airways has unveiled its newly refreshed lounge at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1, which now features a new Concorde Dining area exclusively for eligible customers, and office spaces with ample work areas and power outlets.
The lounge can seat up to 226 guests, and is available to customers travelling in First and Club World (business class), as well eligible loyalty programme members.
British Airways’ refreshed lounge at Changi Airport’s Terminal 1 comes with a new and improved F&B selection
The lounge seamlessly blends British Airways’ rich heritage with the dynamic culture of Singapore.
The revamped lounge boasts bespoke British-made furniture and curated artwork, and offers individual pods for added privacy, improved seating arrangements, and upgraded ambient lighting.
Concorde Dining, formerly The Bar, has been transformed with luxurious fabrics and ambient lighting, and now offers attentive table service for an elevated dining experience. The reimagined menu includes British favourites such as herb-crusted beef tenderloin and sticky toffee pudding, alongside locally inspired dishes such as cashew satay chicken and Lion Mane mushroom curry. The drinks selection has also expanded, including the addition of three premium Champagnes from Joesph Perrier and Bollinger.
The refreshed Singapore lounge is part of British Airways’ wider seven billion pound (US$8.7 billion) transformation programme, which includes the introduction of brand-new cabin interiors, recently refreshed lounges in London, Washington and Lagos, and a new website and app. Further lounge refreshes, such as Seattle will take place later this year.
Cunard’s newest ship in the fleet, Queen Anne will debut in Asia in March 2025 during her 107-night maiden world cruise that calls at over 30 destinations across more than 20 countries.
Queen Anne entered service in May 2024 and is Cunard’s first new ship in 14 years. It spans 14 decks and features 15 dining venues and accommodation for up to 3,000 guests as well as over 1,200 crew.
Queen Anne will be anchored overnight in Singapore and Hong Kong; ship pictured in New York earlier this month
She set off on her first sailing on January 9 at Southampton, England, and called at New York on January 18.
After New York, Queen Anne will sail around the Americas and South Pacific, followed by New Zealand and Australia before reaching her first destination in Asia, which is Manila, the Philippines on the 67th day of the world cruise. From there on, she will sail to Hong Kong and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City before arriving in Singapore on March 24 where she will anchor overnight.
On March 26, she will set sail to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, followed by Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Tenerife (Spain) before completing her journey back in Southampton on April 27.
Singapore and Hong Kong are the only destinations in Asia where the ship will stay overnight.
Greater Bay Airlines will cancel 128 flights in February and March 2025 due to delays in new aircraft delivery and the need for regular inspection of some existing aircraft. It will also suspend its Hong Kong-Seoul service due to “unsatisfactory business performance”.
The decision has caused grave concern to the government, according to local news reports, and attracted the attention of Hong Kong’s Consumer Council, which has urged the airline to expedite refunds to customers affected by the large-scale flight cancellations.
Greater Bay Airlines will pull out services in February and March due to operational issues
However, travel trade players in Hong Kong told TTG Asia that they and their customers are not impacted.
Bao Shinn International Express, managing director, Johnny So, said: “Greater Bay Airlines seldom works with travel agents; it sells directly to consumers. We are not affected.”
With regards to the suspended Kong-Seoul service, So said the airline had done the same on other routes like Singapore, China’s Haikou and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City.
He is unperturbed, saying that these routes “only generated outbound traffic (from Hong Kong) without bringing inbound tourist traffic from those (markets)”.
Travel Industry Council, executive director, Fanny Yeung, shared that trade feedback has indicated about 20 impacted tour groups with some 300 travellers.
Yeung opined that impact on groups was minimal, as the airline catered more to FITs.
“Fortunately, the cancellation will not affect services during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays,” she commented.
In a press statement issued on 22 January, Greater Bay Airlines admitted “an internal review in this matter has been carried out immediately and negligence was found in our flight scheduling process”.
The JLL team presenting to a booked out Thailand Tourism Forum 2025 at Intercontinental Bangkok on January 13, 2025 highlighting transactional records broken in 2024 for Thailand; photo by Anne Somanas
In a recent presentation at the Thailand Tourism Forum 2025, JLL executives highlighted pivotal shifts in hotel management agreements (HMAs) in the Asia-Pacific region, with decreasing base fees and adoption of tiered incentive fees being the most significant change.
Sharing findings from JLL’s annual survey covering 145 HMAs in Asia Pacific based on signings between 2018 and 2023, conducted in collaboration with Baker McKenzie, Rathawat Kuvijitrsuwan, senior vice president, advisory & asset management – Asia at JLL, said: “One of the most significant observations was the decreasing base fees across the market, with the incentive fee structure moving toward a tiered model rather than being fixed.”
The JLL team presenting to a booked out Thailand Tourism Forum 2025 at Intercontinental Bangkok on January 13, 2025 highlighting transactional records broken in 2024 for Thailand; photo by Anne Somanas
Furthermore, Rathawat emphasised the growing importance of sales and marketing fees. In a notable shift, the proportion of sales and marketing fees calculated based on total revenue above three per cent rose sharply – from no charge a decade ago to 22 per cent.
Other key trends include “key money” being included in contracts for upscale segments and above, as well as the rise of alternative operating models.
“We’re seeing growing traction for white label operators, and growth in direct franchise and potential ‘manchise.’ (We’re) watching how the larger operators address this shift,” he stated.
Sustainability has also become a dominant theme, with Rathawat pointing out that “as sustainability becomes increasingly legislated and embedded, owners and operators may look to align further in HMAs on sustainability.”
Orn Yomchinda, senior vice president of investment sales – Asia, focused on Thailand’s hotel investment landscape, noting a record-breaking 21.4 billion baht (US$618.5 million) in transactions in 2024 averaging 1.4 billion baht per deal across 19 properties, 15 transactions, and over 4300 hotel keys. This translates into 263 per cent year-on-year growth compared to 2023.
“We have broken many records. Key transactions included the sale of major assets like the Ascott portfolio at around 1,800 rooms, and (Thailand’s) largest standalone asset ever sold, valued at five billion baht,” she stated, referring to the sale of the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit in November 2024, which was the equivalent of US$155 million at the time.
She pointed to the increasing popularity of leasehold transactions, particularly in Bangkok, as the market matures.
Yomchinda said that despite a narrowing yield spread, Thailand overall remains an attractive destination for investors due to the country’s strategic location.
Looking forward, she predicted continued but slightly less active investment in 2025, where the evolving HMA landscape is expected to prioritise opportunistic and value-added deals, with Bangkok, Phuket and Samui remaining the top destinations for Thailand.
“This year, we’re probably looking at 13 billion Thai baht in transactions, which is 10 to 15 per cent above the 10-year average,” she concluded.
