COMPARED to travellers worldwide, those from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia and Russia arrange for their holidays furthest in advance, according to a study by Agoda.
The Travel Smart study, which analysed millions of bookings made on Agoda, revealed that Hong Kong-based travellers booked their accommodations the earliest, on average 42 days before a trip, or six weeks before check-in.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese, Australians and Russians are tied for second place, booking on average 40 days in advance before a trip.
On the other end of the spectrum are travellers from the UAE, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, who book on average 12, 15 and 17 days, respectively, in advance.
Holidaymakers from the UK book, on average, 34 days in advance. This is 10 days over the global average of 24 days. China-based travellers trail right behind their UK counterparts at 32 days.
“Those early birds may be onto something,” said Errol Cooke, vice president partner services at Agoda.
“Travellers who book early tend to have a better selection of properties, and a better selection of room types. There’s always a risk that plans could change but many properties have free cancellation now, so travellers likely won’t be out of pocket if they have to.”
THE Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) has revoked Rayani Air’s Air Operator Certificate (AOC) after conducting a safety audit of the airline.
DCA issued the notice yesterday and the airline is required to return the AOC to the director general of the ministry within 14 days.
But with immediate effect, Rayani Air can no longer operate as a commercial entity, according to a Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) statement issued yesterday. The commission also revoked Rayani Air’s Air Service Licence due to the airline’s lack of financial and management capacity to continue operating.
MAVCOM also assured affected customers that they will be reimbursed.
It said in a statement: “Rayani Air is still liable to refund its customers. Customers who have purchased tickets with Rayani Air but were not able go on their journey may lodge a complaint with the company and seek a refund. In the event consumers are not able to obtain their refunds, consumers can file a civil suit for those refunds.”
Rayani Air was earlier given a three-month suspension on April 11 due to failure to adhere to DCA regulations. It had also suspended operations on its own before that due to a pilot strike.
Rayani Air is Malaysia’s first Shariah-compliant carrier and first began operations in December 2015.
Selina Chavry, global managing director, Pacific World
MYANMAR’s emerging MICE sector and improving infrastructure have caught the attention of global DMC and event management company Pacific World, which has announced its expansion into the country through a partnership with Yangon-based inbound tour operator Myanmar Polestar.
Selina Chavry, global managing director for Pacific World, commented: “Myanmar has been working to position itself as a MICE destination for a number of years and we have seen an increased interest from our clients looking to host their events there.”
She added: “In forming Pacific World Myanmar, we have reached out to Myanmar Polestar to help us establish a professional MICE team on-site and put everything into place.”
Aung Lin Htin will head Pacific World Myanmar as country director, supported by destination manager K Zar Lin and senior account manager Tom Wood.
Commenting on Myanmar’s MICE potential, Aung Lin Htin said: “Myanmar is capable of mixing world-class five-star hotels with the warm hospitality and historical culture. Cities such as Yangon are capable of hosting multiple meetings and conferences, while further afield, Bagan and Inle Lake can offer incredible incentive trips with activities such as hot-air balloon rides and luxury cruises along the Irrawaddy River.”
Chavry also painted a positive outlook of Myanmar’s up-and-coming MICE sector, aided by its growing crop of MICE-friendly infrastructure such as Novotel Yangon Max’s 750-pax ballroom and the restored former Rowe & Co building in downtown Yangon, as well as increasing airlift from overseas – Yangon will boast direct links to 20 international cities worldwide when Emirates launches daily services from Dubai this August.
With its expansion in Myanmar, Pacific World now operates in 36 countries and over 100 destinations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
CHINESE agents say the blast which took place at Shanghai Pudong International Airport earlier on Sunday will have limited impact on tourism there.
The blast, set off by a man who threw a homemade explosive device at a ticketing counter at the airport’s Terminal Two, injured a total of four others. The perpetrator then subsequently slashed his own neck, sustaining serious injury.
Seeing no cause for worry, Oliver Ou, general manager of Century Holiday International Travel Group, said: “It’s just an isolated incident with few injured. Based on local news reports, it’s not related to terrorists and we haven’t had any enquiries from our overseas agent partners regarding this blast so its impact to us is minimal. Shanghai is a safe destination.”
According to a spokesperson at Pacific World China, while they have not seen any requests for trip cancellations, they are advising clients to arrive at the airport four hours before departure time for stringent checks as security is now very tight.
Also sanguine about the situation is JoJo Zhuang, director, China Travel Service Head Office (Shanghai) Outbound Tourism HQ Hong Kong & Macau department. She said: “There isn’t any impact to our inbound traffic at the moment. For sure, it’s hard to tell if it will re-occur in the future but I reckon the chance is low given such high levels of airport security.”
The eight-year-old G Hotel Gurney, an icon on Gurney Drive, recently spent a whopping 35 million ringgit (US$8.6 million) on renovations, completed in February this year. The end result is an ultra-chic and unmistakably stylish 18-floor property, discovers S Puvaneswary
Location
G Hotel Gurney, as well as its sister establishment G Hotel Kelawai, are both located on Gurney Drive, within walking distance from each other as well as the famed Gurney Drive Hawker Centre. The proximity has enabled the management to allow guests in one hotel to utilise the facilities at the other property.
Retail options also abound for guests with Gurney Plaza shopping centre and Gurney Paragon Mall, the latest mall to open in Penang, both located nearby.
Room
I stayed in an executive suite on the topmost floor, which boasts panoramic views of Gurney Drive and the Straits of Malacca. The room was unrecognisable from when I first saw it back in 2013. It has a more modern aesthetic now, with cream coloured wallpapers and wood panelling. The carpeting is also more plush.
A wall separates the living room from the bedroom, which I would definitely have appreciated the privacy it brings if I wasn’t staying alone. As this was a business trip and I had to do a lot of work in the living area, I also truly appreciated the Herman Miller work chair which provided great back support.
My three nights of sleep there were pleasant thanks to the comfortable bedding and pillows that felt just right.
Facilities
I enjoyed a speedy check-in at the executive reception on level 15. Being on the executive floor, I also enjoyed indulgences such as complimentary ice-cream, evening cocktails at the lounge, free shoe shine service and complimentary local city calls.
The infinity pool on level three is inviting and the gym, which opens 24/7, was much appreciated for when I want to use it after a full day of feasting on Penang’s well-known delicacies.
F&B
As for the in-house F&B options, Taste Café, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, has extensive options and which took me two days to fully appreciate all its offerings. Sitting near the open kitchen area allowed me to eat while feasting my eyes on the chefs at work. Guests can choose to be seated outdoors as well, bringing them closer to nature.
There is also Tree Bar, an alfresco bar which I discovered is a great place to chill out and people watch as Gurney Plaza shoppers walk by. The bar also probably got its name from the majestic 80-year-old tree, ringed by a customised table, standing tall in the middle of the joint.
Service
This is where G Hotel Gurney manages to stand out. Its staff are friendly, warm and ever so helpful, which made me feel right at home.
Verdict
It has both the hardware and the software to make for a truly unforgettable holiday.
MARCO Polo Hotels has appointmented Dany Lützel as general manager of Niccolo Chongqing, slated to open in 1Q2017.
Lützel was most recently the general manager of Kempinski Chongqing in China, and before that, was general manger of Radisson Blu, St. Gallen in Switzerland.
In his new role, he will be in charge of the hotel’s overall operations, including the running of the hotel’s MICE and F&B offerings.
Duty-free shopping area at Dubai International Airport
THE airport is a crucial part of a traveller’s journey that should be an attraction in itself, indicated frequent flyers in a study conducted by airport lounge access provider Priority Pass.
More than half of respondents (53 per cent) agreed that the airport should be enjoyed and a further 56 per cent said they would arrive in an airport earlier just to use its facilities, such as duty-free shopping.
Meanwhile, two-thirds indicate that accessing bargains is part of the allure while about 35 per cent say they are looking to purchase luxury products they can’t usually find at home.
Said Stephen Simpson, global marketing director at Priority Pass: “We are witnessing an important shift in mind-set when it comes to the airport experience and it is clear that today’s frequent flyers no longer view themselves as passengers merely transiting the airport but as consumers seeking more rewarding travel journeys.”
The attractiveness of airports go beyond retail opportunities however, with 59 per cent of corporate travellers indicating that the convenience of the airport lounge serves as a sanctuary away from home and is very important.
A further 40 per cent say they would head straight to the lounge and avoid the shops altogether.
“An increasing number of organisations are starting to recognise the value that can be gained if the experience of flying for business is not unduly stressful,” said Simpson.
“Our research found that 51 per cent of frequent business flyers actively enjoy the airport experience. This is a high percentage when you consider the fact that the business flyer is traveling for work purposes and does not have the relaxation of a typical leisure trip to look forward to on arrival.”
TRAVEL search engine Skyscanner is calling on developers around the world to build a game-changing travel tech product using Skyscanner APIs as part of its recently-launchedstart-up competition.
The contest winner will be awarded 1,000 pounds (US$1,445) to kick-start their new business and receive coaching from Skyscanner co-founder Gareth Williams and a team of engineers, product managers and growth strategists at the company’s headquarters in Edinburgh.
The competition started on June 1 and will run until October 1.
Entrants are tasked to power their technology using Skyscanner’s travel APIs, where they can choose from flights, hotels, and car hire stand-alone API options.
Skyscanner had partnered with a number of start-ups before, such as Travel Door, an Asia-focused app that provides travellers with city guides and content across 55 cities, which has been using Skyscanner’s API to power flights, hotels and car hire for the app.
JAPAN is developing a new high-tech system that will enable tourists to check in at hotels and make purchases on a special reader via fingerprint recognition.
It is being introduced to make transactions faster and doing away with the need for a traveller to present a passport during check-in. The system also enhances security by making it harder to execute credit card theft.
Japan’s Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry, in partnership with private firms KDDI and Liquid Inc. are developing the technology, and ministry officials have confirmed with TTG Asia that the system should roll out in early-2017.
The system works by having tourists register two fingerprints and their credit card details when arriving at one of Tokyo’s airports. More registration locations will be added in the near future.
Once a person is registered, a visitor can check-in at their hotel or make a purchase simply by pressing their fingers on a reader at any one of the venues taking part in the programme.
A demonstration of the system is set to take place at the Prince Hotel in Tokyo later this month. A further 300 souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels in popular tourist destinations, including Hakone, Kamakura and Atami have also been invited to take part in the early trial launch.
By 2020, when Tokyo will host the Olympic Games and Paralympics, tourism authorities here hope the system will be widely available and accepted by travellers.
Soon-Hwa Wong, chairman of PATA Singapore Chapter; Daniel Yeow, director of TP School of Business; Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media; and TP event helpers
EXCITING prospects await Singapore’s future tourism workforce, but more needs to be done to push past lingering misconceptions that are dulling the industry’s shine for millennials, leading industry stakeholders expressed.
“The tourism sector is competing for talents, in some ways unfairly, with other attractive industries such as banking,” Soon-Hwa Wong, chairman of PATA Singapore Chapter told TTG Asia, alluding to the longheld public misconception that customer-facing roles are the be-all and end-all of hospitality and tourism careers.
Young Singaporeans may also shy away from tourism pathways because of assumptions held by parents and peers that “low pay, long hours and limited prospects” typify tourism careers, Wong said.
Agreeing, Joan Henderson, associate professor at Nanyang Technological University’s Nanyang Business School, said “salary considerations” have quelled interest.
Perhaps more striking is the low retention rate of hospitality professionals, with “large numbers” of students deciding to pursue other pathways after their tourism industry internships, according to a spokesperson from Temasek Polytechnic’s (TP) hospitality faculty.
In practice, however, tourism holds coveted prospects, be it up the hotel rungs or in destination planning roles, assured Wong. The emergence of non-traditional business models in recent years has also emphatically broadened this scope.
“The industry now includes mobility players, tech platforms, analytics and big data systems. Even major tech players such as Google and Facebook have now got tourism components,” he said. “Now is a good time to redefine the boundaries of travel and tourism careers.”
Change is already underway to assist young Singaporeans in discovering the multifaceted nature of tourism and how diverse skillsets are valued within the trade.
Earlier this month, the Tourism Innovation Competition (TIC) 2016 concluded after students took a week to develop ideas for the Singapore Zoological Gardens with the guidance of mentors from TP’s Hospitality and Tourism Management course.
Benjamin Cassim from the organising team at TP told TTG Asia: “The organisers had over the years worked with various industry partners including Banyan Tree Global Foundation, where (students proposed ideas) on how hotels can be more sustainable in their operations.”
“We view the competition as a very relevant platform because it offers students the opportunity to learn, be exposed to, and participate in a tourism-building effort in an enjoyable way,” Cassim shared.
While lauding the TIC for generating awareness of the trade in young talents, Wong stressed that sustaining their interest is the larger challenge.
One way to go about this, he suggested, is to highlight industry role models so as to raise the profile of the industry.
“Also, we could identify cross-sectoral ambassadors who would then talk up the industry – this is a role that associations (such as PATA and hotel associations) can fill.”
He further added that invigorating industry news could be disseminated online to better engage a larger audience. “Everyone loves feel-good news, which can lead them to thinking it’s an exciting and dynamic industry and not a tired one (as some might think),” he said.
