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Fuelling one’s cravings and one’s car doesn’t have to be expensive. Budget offers a wide range of models, with a choice of sizes and styles to suit various requirements. With affordable car rental in approximately 3,500 locations in more than 120 countries, Budget can take us on whatever culinary adventures desired. |
| With so many mouth-watering destinations to choose from, Budget has complied its top 3 European foodie road trips to help get us and your client started. |
| 1. Cornish Pasties in Cornwall (England)
Cornwall, is picture-perfect with its hidden coves, cobbled lanes and charming farm shops. Repeatedly named as one of the most scenic driving areas in the world, it will be a feast for the senses! Cornucopia opened recently and is home to the UK’s first Cornish Pasty Heritage Centre, and where Budget road trip goers can indulge in the regional treat themselves! |
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2. Prosciutto and Parmesan in Emilia-Romagna (Italy)
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| 3. Custard Tarts in Porto (Portugal) |
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| Hungry and yearning to get yourself and your clients on the next road voyage? Visit www.budgetinternational.com/ttgasia now! |
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Bon Voyage! |
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(Photo Sources – Avis, Getty, Pixabay) |
[SPONSORED POST] Delicious Budget drives in Europe
Every good road trip, needs good food. But an unforgettable road trip, needs the best food! Imagine winding our way through lush Italian vineyards in our own Budget hire car; stopping in picturesque French villages to sample ripe grapes and cheese, or pulling in for a traditional seafood lunch on Spain’s Basque coast, or having a pit-stop at a quaint English café to feast on homemade scones with jam and cream.
If the thought of Prosciutto di Parma, Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar turn you weak at the knees, then Italy is the place for a Budget self-guided drive! The Emilia-Romagna region is famous for some of the richest, most delicious foods in the cities of Parma, Modena and Bologna. 
And besides these delectable fares, the diversity of the region between the mountains and the sea offers visitors breath-taking views of the region. And on top of all this, Emilia Romagna is also a hotbed for music, cinema and art appreciated nationally and internationally.
With car windows rolled down, we’ll be able to experience some of Portugal’s stunning neo-classical architecture and natural vistas, stopping to immerse ourselves in the region’s food and wine of Portugal. Porto is an obvious starting point, famed for its fortified wine, custard tarts and fresh produce.
What better way to start the road trip in Portugal than with a picnic basket of appetising food and beverage to accompany us along the way! Just take it easy on the wine, but it also gives us a reason to sojourn and spend the night in a Pousada or a Manor or in other unique luxury Portuguese lodging!Singapore, Armenia ink open skies agreement
Singapore has entered into an open skies agreement (OSA) with Armenia, allowing airlines of both countries to operate any number of services between each other as well as beyond to any third country, with no restrictions on capacity, frequency, aircraft type and route schedule.
Avetisyan (left) and Shum
The pact was signed in Singapore last week by the director-generals of Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and Civil Aviation of Armenia, Kevin Shum and Sergey Avetisyan, respectively.
With the signing, Singapore has concluded air services agreements with more than 130 states and territories, of which over 60 are OSAs.
Mekong Tourism Forum bound for Thailand’s Nakhon Phanom in 2018
Thailand’s north-eastern province of Nakhon Phanom, which borders Laos and the Mekong River, has been chosen as the host venue for the Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) 2018.
Organised by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, MTF was last held in Thailand in 2012 when Chiang Rai was host city. This year, the forum was organised in Luang Prabang.
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge in Nakhon Phanom
In Nakhon Phanom, more visitors are arriving for meetings and conferences, and the Nakhon Phanom University participates in the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau’s MICE Curriculum Programme to help equip the region with professional meeting and events expertise to support the growing sector.
The annual MTF aims to give industry stakeholders a platform to discuss the promotion and marketing of travel and tourism to and within GMS countries – Cambodia, China’s Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. It also promotes sustainable growth in the industry and invites keynote speakers to talk on tourism issues.
Shangri-La to open third hotel in Fujian province
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts last week broke ground for Shangri-La Hotel, Putian, an urban resort scheduled to open in 4Q2020 as the brand’s third address in China’s Fujian province after Fuzhou and Xiamen.
Shangri-La Hotel, Putian will have 247 guestrooms offering panoramic views of the city and Yanshou river. On-site facilities include a lobby lounge, restaurants, spa, fitness centre, swimming pool and a 1,200m2 ballroom.
Adjacent to the hotel, a 3,500m2 village-style plaza developed by the government for culture and tourism will offer a mix of restaurants, bars and retail shops.
Shangri-La Asia CEO Lim Beng Chee said: “Putian has remarkable economic potential for both business and tourism, which presents a great opportunity for the group.”
Absolute Hotel Services brings U to Hua Hin
Absolute Hotel Services is ramping up its portfolio in Thailand with the signing of a U hotel in Hua Hin, scheduled to open in early 2020.
With a private beach location on 1.4ha of land between Hua Hin Soi 1-3, the U Hua Hin resort will feature 132 rooms and villas across superior, deluxe and pool villa types.
Facilities will include a beachfront pool bar and lounge, a large swimming pool, a specialty restaurant, meeting rooms for seminars and events, a fitness centre and a library/business centre.
Dorsett Hospitality names Chan GM of three hotels, SVP of brand marketing
Dorsett Hospitality International has appointed Anita Chan as general manager of Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong, Cosmo Hotel Hong Kong and Dorsett Mongkok, Hong Kong.
Chan will also take on the additional role as senior vice president of brand marketing, responsible for leading and developing customer loyalties strategies, and setting up brand marketing and channel distribution infrastructure.
She first joined Dorsett Hospitality International in March 2005 as general manager of Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong and Cosmo Hotel Hong Kong, and was involved in the rebranding project of Cosmopolitan Hotel Hong Kong to Dorsett Wanchai in October 2016.
Ascott CEO gets business award for contributions to Singapore-China relations
(From left to right) Business China’s Sun Xueling and Lee Yi Shyan, Ascott’s Lee Chee Koon and Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong
For The Ascott’s contributions to Singapore-China relations, CEO Lee Chee Koon was accorded the Business China Young Achiever Award by Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Business China Awards Dinner 2017 last Friday. Organised by Business China, the awards aim to honour outstanding individuals and enterprises for their contributions to Singapore-China relations as well as promoting bilingualism and biculturalism in Singapore.
New GM for One World Hotel Petaling Jaya
One World Hotel Petaling Jaya has appointed Chris Niuh Ban Hock as general manager.
Niuh brings with him 20 years of experience within the hospitality industry. For the past four years, he was the area general manager for Berjaya Langkawi Resort, Langkawi and Georgetown City Hotel, Penang.
The veteran hotelier began his career at Kedah’s Sheraton Perdana Resort in 1995 as a recreation manager. He ten went on to hold key management positions in properties such as Sunway Lagoon Resort & Pyramid Tower Hotel, Holiday Villa Hotel, and Nirwana Gardens Resort.
Asian millennials turn the tide towards budget travel for Maldives
Asian millennials are driving the boom in budget travel to the Maldives, observed inbound players in the atoll nation traditionally perceived as an upmarket resort destination.
This rising segment typically spends between US$80 to US$200 per night on accommodation and prefers staying in guesthouses on the local islands, although a handful of travellers will also combine a night in a resort island for the experience, Mohamed Reza, director business development at Sunset Maldives, told TTG Asia at the inaugural Travel Trade Maldives show in Malé.
Thinadhoo island; Photo credit: Plumeria Maldives Hotel
Millennial travellers from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand have driven business up for the inbound tour agency by 35 per cent year-on-year. “They tend to look for good deals online but use the services of a travel agent for sightseeing,” Reza added.
He also noted that the biggest beneficiary of the budget segment boom are the islands located within three hours by speed boat from Malé. He added: “The challenge for guesthouses located on faraway islands outside this three-hour radius is the high airfares. It is cheaper to get to Sri Lanka from Male, compared to taking a domestic flight to these islands.”
On Thinadhoo Island, Plumeria Maldives Hotel has seen a 10 per cent year-on-year increase from budget travellers, mainly made up of young adults and undergraduates from China, Malaysia and India, said sales executive, Rial Hossain. He commented: “They tend to make use of last-minute online deals and take advantage of the low season from May to July.”
Meanwhile, daily AirAsia flights to Malé as well as discounts and room upgrades offered to credit card holders are also fuelling a spike in bookings from Malaysia to the four-star Bandos Maldives, according to sales and marketing executive Anna Nasyim. The resort is 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé International Airport.
Koh Tao grapples with battered image following tourist deaths
Koh Tao’s destination image has taken a beating after a string of foreign tourist fatalities in recent years raised concerns about safety and security on an island popular for diving and snorkelling.
The Thai destination came under international spotlight in 2014 when two British backpackers were found brutally murdered on one of its beaches. The latest case of the mysterious death of a Belgian woman in April, which was ruled a suicide, further fuelled press coverage about the island’s ‘dark side’.
Koh Tao
Turtle Welcome Tours’ owner Saijai Intarak said: “(The media) reported some fake news and exaggerated information, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the number of tourists. Some tourists who already booked a tour with us cancelled immediately after receiving the negative news.”
To woo tourists back to Koh Tao, the tour operator has cooperated with local authorities to rebuild the destination’s image, reduce tour prices and worked with a partner hotel to attract tourists.
Paweena Rakkandee, assistant general manager of Siamcatamaran Tours, which handles mostly domestic tourists, likewise saw a significant decrease in customers since the April incident.
The tour operator has tried to cushion the impact by selling tours in nearby Chumphon province instead.
On the other hand, a senior officer of NS Travel and Tours said sales performance for its Koh Tao tour is unaffected, as the company assesses the safety of destinations it promotes and answers the concerns of customers.
