DP World and Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) marked the completion of the new Batangas Passenger Terminal on April 26, a modern facility that connects mainland Luzon to key island provinces and destinations in Visayas and Mindanao. The US$25 million modernisation project, which took two years to construct, is an upgrade of the former terminal to more than double its former capacity.
The new Batangas Passenger Terminal can accommodate up to eight million passengers annually.
The modernised terminal is part of a wider US$90 million investment in the Batangas Port
It boasts state-of-the-art facilities and amenities for the comfort and convenience of its passengers, and packs in restaurants, shops, clean restrooms, and prayer rooms. The terminal also provides infrastructure, shuttle van services, and electric vehicles to ensure accessibility and convenience for passengers of all abilities.
China Eastern Airlines’s subsidiary Shanghai Airlines will launch a new direct flight between Shanghai and Marseille, France on July 2, with three round-trip flights per week on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Shanghai Airlines will commence its direct Shanghai-Marseille flight on July 2
The flight numbers are FM871 from Shanghai to Marseille, and FM872 for the return leg. The estimated flight time is around 12 hours. The new route will offer gate-to-gate internet service for passengers aboard.
The new flight will establish the first direct air corridor between these cities.
Resorts World Sentosa’s S.E.A. Aquarium and the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) are embarking on a research collaboration that will see the collective efforts of the attraction and EOS in building climate resilience through research projects and educational activities.
The partnership was marked by an underwater MOU signing, the first of its kind in S.E.A. Aquarium’s history, which saw assistant professor Kyle Morgan from NTU Singapore, and Abel Yeo from S.E.A. Aquarium’s Education, Research & Conservation team dive into the Shipwreck Habitat for the occasion.
(From left) NTU’s Asian School of the Environment’s Kyle Morgan and S.E.A. Aquarium’s Education, Research and Conservation’s Abel Yeo; photo by Resorts World Sentosa
The collaboration aims to bring together the expertise and resources of both S.E.A. Aquarium and EOS, a research institute at NTU Singapore that focuses on natural hazards and climate research, to help address the urgent global crisis of climate change.
Both organisations will leverage this partnership to showcase EOS marine science research relating to coral reefs, mangroves, and climate change. This endeavour aims to captivate visitors, inviting them to learn and appreciate the diverse ecosystems of Singapore’s blue spaces and the broader South-east Asian region.
S.E.A. Aquarium’s Rainbow Reef will be used as a teaching facility for NTU students and to test field equipment, while S.E.A. Aquarium will provide a space to showcase research done by EOS and to deploy sensors measuring sea temperature and levels. Joint research projects undertaken by the partners will focus on super corals, and climate science.
Additionally, visitors can look forward to ocean webinars and short educational videos developed by EOS for use in S.E.A. Aquarium’s programmes, exhibitions, festivals, and more.
“Research on climate change aimed to foster sustainable societies is at the core of EOS’s research. It takes collective effort for effective change, and I am glad that Resorts World Sentosa recognises the impact of climate change and is opening an outlet for the sharing of knowledge and resources to contribute to climate research. With a shared passion for environmental stewardship, I hope the collaboration between RWS and EOS will catalyse meaningful change towards a more climate resilient future,” said Morgan.
Nicholas Derbyshire, who leads the Research & Conservation team at S.E.A. Aquarium, Resorts World Sentosa, added: “Sustainability has been embedded in the heart of RWS’s business since the integrated resort was first built over 10 years ago. We strongly believe that leveraging the expertise of EOS will be a key driver to tackling climate issues which is a pertinent problem today.”
OMO5 Tokyo Gotanda, Japan
Hoshino Resorts’s latest property is OMO5 Tokyo Gotanda, which sits at the top of the Gotanda JP building. It offers guests easy access to key destinations including Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Tokyo via the JR Yamanote which leaves from Gotanda Station. There are 188 rooms, and facilities include the Sky Garden, where guests can rest and socialise while taking in Tokyo’s skyline from 60m high; and OMO Dog Garden, a pet-friendly space.
Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands
Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands, Australia
The 273-room Vibe Hotel Melbourne Docklands – previously the Four Points by Sheraton – stands close to Marvel Stadium and boasts harbourside and CBD views. Guests are placed close to Melbourne’s dining, conferencing and events zone. On-site facilities include a heated rooftop lap pool, 24-hour fitness centre, pool, spa and steam room. For corporate groups, the hotel offers seven meeting rooms, two outdoor terraces and a private bar.
Cosi Vientiane Nam Phu
Cosi Vientiane Nam Phu, Laos
The new 95-key Cosi Vientiane Nam Phu boasts eco-friendly rooms, a serene rooftop pool, and a buzzing social hub for round-the-clock action. Guests can enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi and daily F&B credit, and easy access to the city’s dining, entertainment and tourist landmarks like Patuxay – Victory Monument, Pha That Luang Vientiane, and the Vientiane night market.
Travelodge Myeongdong Namsan
Travelodge Myeongdong Namsan, South Korea
Travelodge Myeongdong Namsan, located in the heart of Seoul, features diverse room types, including accessible rooms; modern amenities, from gym to self-service laundromat; and convenient access to attractions such as N Seoul Tower and Myeongdong Shopping Street. The hotel is also surrounded by diverse dining options.
The Peninsula Excelsior Singapore, a Wyndham Hotel, has named Juliana Yeo as the new director of sales and marketing.
Leading the sales and marketing team, she has also been tasked to rebrand and reposition the four-star Peninsula Excelsior Singapore to an international upscale Wyndham Singapore.
She has over 19 years of experience as a director of sales and marketing, and was part of the team to relaunch and rebrand the renovated Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) is stepping up efforts to expand gastronomy tourism in a bid to combat overtourism, cater to the high-end market and boost inbound tourism consumption in rural areas.
JTA will provide financial subsidies in fiscal 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025) for the development and promotion of programmes focusing on regional culinary cultures.
One region in highlight is Nara Prefecture, with local cuisine such as sake, matcha, persimmon leaves and sushi
The Japanese government considers food and drink an industry with high potential for growth given that inbound visitors spent 1.2 trillion yen (US$7.8 billion), on food and drink in 2023, equating to almost one quarter of their total consumption, according to JTA.
Support includes up to 50 million yen per successful applicant to cover the establishment of bases for collecting ingredients, such as wild plants, and for carrying out local cultural experiences. Advertising, meanwhile, can be carried out overseas, such as on travel websites.
As part of the plan, luxury packages that combine culinary and cultural experiences will also be developed to expand options for “high-value travellers,” categorised by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) as those who spend one million yen or more per visit to Japan.
Among the regions that could benefit from the subsidies is Nara Prefecture, which trialled six gastronomy tours from October 2023 to January 2024 with support from JTA as part of a project designed to attract 51 million tourists annually by 2025. The tours introduce Nara as the heartland of sake and matcha, as well as the prefecture that produces the most persimmons.
“The bounty of the nation’s mountains, valleys, rivers and seas differs from region to region, giving tourists myriad opportunities to get to the heart of Japan through their stomachs,” said a JNTO representative. “That’s the essence of gastronomy tourism, a form of travel focused on food nurtured by local ingredients, customs and traditions.”
Tourism facilities in earthquake-hit Ishikawa Prefecture are gearing up for more visitors following the success of government subsidies to attract tourists to the region.
Since March 8, the Japan Tourism Agency has offered discounted rates to domestic and international travellers in Ishikawa and neighbouring Toyama, Fukui and Niigata prefectures, whose tourism industries suffered due to the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula on January 1.
Attractions like Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, pictured, saw an increase of visitors during the popular cherry blossom period in April
The campaign offers 50 per cent discount per person on accommodation or a travel package, ranging from 20,000 yen (US$129) for accommodation only to 30,000 yen for a three-day-two-night package, as well as 35,000 yen for packages covering at least two of the four prefectures. It ended on April 26 due to Golden Week, a series of national holidays running from April 29 to May 5, but will restart on May 7 and run until July 31.
So far, the campaign has produced mixed results.
In Kanazawa, Kenrokuen, a nationally important garden and one of Ishikawa’s top attractions, welcomed 486,600 people during the cherry blossom period (April 5-14), an 8.6 per cent increase on the same period in 2023, according to the prefectural government’s tourism planning division.
The number of tourists visiting Yamanaka-za Theatre in Kaga, southern Ishikawa Prefecture, since the earthquake, however, is about 20 per cent fewer than over the same period in 2023, according to staff.
Still, tourism businesses are encouraged by progress and some plan to open during Golden Week for the first time since the earthquake. These include Aerial Observatory Sky Bird in Suzu City, and sightseeing boats in Shika, both on the Noto Peninsula.
“While many tourist areas remain significantly affected and still in the initial stages of reconstruction, those with less or no damage are keen to help support the region’s economic recovery,” said a Japanese government representative.
Cebu Pacific (CEB) has made a strategic push to enhance its market presence and appeal to Australian residents eager to discover new and exciting destinations.
Launched to capitalise on the surge in international travel, the airline’s latest campaign, Fly to Happy, Fly to the Philippines with Cebu Pacific, promotes limited-time bargain airfares to encourage bookings, plus a catchy tune promoting the country as a happy destination.
CEB held events for influencers to help promote the campaign in Melbourne
The airline recently ran a promotion till April 30 offering some of its lowest fares ever from A$289 (US$188) on its Melbourne or Sydney routes for travel between May 1 and September 30 this year.
CEB already has a healthy customer base among Filipinos, who ranked number five for the most common overseas country of birth at the last Australian census in 2021, but it is believed there is an untapped market among leisure-seeking Australian travellers.
“(The campaign) is targeted to entice non-Filipino travellers to visit the Philippines and make Cebu Pacific their airline of choice,” said CEB spokesperson Carmina Romero.
“Our internal (research) has indicated that Australia would be a promising market. In 2023 alone, Cebu Pacific carried more than 100,000 inbound passengers from Melbourne and Sydney to Manila. This significant volume of passengers reflects a growing interest in air travel between Australia and the Philippines.
“We see great potential for further growth and development in serving the Australian market and are confident that these travellers can discover a variety of unique attractions and thrilling adventures here in the Philippines,” she told TTG Asia.
Romero continued to say there’s been significant positive feedback to the campaign so far, following events with stakeholders and influencers in Melbourne.
Although the campaign signals a new chapter, remnants of frustration from flight cancellations could temper some customers’ responses.
The airline’s last campaign ended with the cancellation of all Melbourne to Manila flights between October 30, 2022 and March 25, 2023, leaving many frustrated customers scrambling to rebook with other airlines or deal with the company’s help bots to try and claim refunds. The cancellations were blamed on network-related schedule changes.
“I had booked my tickets in March that year for Christmas and was looking forward to being able to fly directly from Melbourne with my young family. So to have my tickets cancelled two months before without any explanation was upsetting, and I eventually got my refund from my bank rather than the airline,” confided an impacted customer, who chose to remain anonymous for this article.
“I do find the current promotion attractive because it’s a really good price – but I would love some assurance that the previous cancellations won’t happen again and that they will improve customer relations because we have high expectations here in Melbourne,” the customer added.
Invited to respond, Romero said CEB has since achieved stronger resiliency in the face of global supply challenges.
“Ahead of the fourth quarter 2023 peak, we had already (arranged) precautionary allocation of spare aircraft on standby to be utilised for disruptions. Taking delivery of new aircraft is also one of the proactive steps we’ve made to boost our operational resiliency,” she said.
“We have also made significant improvements in our customer policies to adapt our services to our customers’ evolving needs,” she added.
This includes extending the validity of CEB’s travel vouchers to 18 months, previously six months. An “elevated digital experience” has also been introduced with a “new and improved” 24/7 virtual assistant that is better connected with CEB’s help centre and its live agents.
CEB’s Fly to Happy, Fly to the Philippines with Cebu Pacific campaign will involve other activities this year to strengthen brand awareness and is run across other markets within the airline’s international network.
Travellers in Clark, the Philippines, can now enjoy the convenience of checking in their luggage in the city before heading to Clark International Airport (CRK) for their flight.
The City Check-In Facility at the SM City Clark mall was a recent move by the Philippine Department of Transportation as part of the government’s efforts to make air travel as safe and comfortable as possible for the flying public.
Travellers can now check in their luggage at SM City Clark mall before going to the airport (Photo: Ulysses Nemeno)
“With the added convenience of checking in prior to reaching the airport, this will truly enhance CRK’s appeal as an airport of choice while showcasing Clark’s vibrant location,” said Noel Manankil, president and CEO, Luzon International Premier Airport Development Corp., which is the manager and operator of CRK.
Commenting that the establishment of the City Check-In Facility is an additional assistance to passengers departing through the CRK, Clark International Airport Corporation president and CEO, Arrey Perez, shared: “The check-in facility inside a popular mall will definitely have a positive impact because, more than just an additional service, it will add to the convenience of CRK passengers.”
The online news bulletin will resume on May 2, 2024.
She has over 19 years of experience as a director of sales and marketing, and was part of the team to relaunch and rebrand the renovated Mandarin Oriental Singapore.
The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) is stepping up efforts to expand gastronomy tourism in a bid to combat overtourism, cater to the high-end market and boost inbound tourism consumption in rural areas.
JTA will provide financial subsidies in fiscal 2024 (April 2024 to March 2025) for the development and promotion of programmes focusing on regional culinary cultures.
The Japanese government considers food and drink an industry with high potential for growth given that inbound visitors spent 1.2 trillion yen (US$7.8 billion), on food and drink in 2023, equating to almost one quarter of their total consumption, according to JTA.
Support includes up to 50 million yen per successful applicant to cover the establishment of bases for collecting ingredients, such as wild plants, and for carrying out local cultural experiences. Advertising, meanwhile, can be carried out overseas, such as on travel websites.
As part of the plan, luxury packages that combine culinary and cultural experiences will also be developed to expand options for “high-value travellers,” categorised by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) as those who spend one million yen or more per visit to Japan.
Among the regions that could benefit from the subsidies is Nara Prefecture, which trialled six gastronomy tours from October 2023 to January 2024 with support from JTA as part of a project designed to attract 51 million tourists annually by 2025. The tours introduce Nara as the heartland of sake and matcha, as well as the prefecture that produces the most persimmons.
“The bounty of the nation’s mountains, valleys, rivers and seas differs from region to region, giving tourists myriad opportunities to get to the heart of Japan through their stomachs,” said a JNTO representative. “That’s the essence of gastronomy tourism, a form of travel focused on food nurtured by local ingredients, customs and traditions.”