Acceleration in eSIM adoption opens new doors for the travel trade
Aside from helping travellers stay connected while on the move, eSIMs – which provide travellers with data connectivity without exorbitant roaming charges – can also be a new revenue stream for the travel trade.
UK-based eSIM Go, vice president of business development, Bill McKimm, told TTG Asia: “Younger travellers want to be connected, and the need for connectivity is much greater. We’re also finding that airlines, airports, and OTAs are looking for a way to stay connected with customers. With connectivity, companies can also upsell and cross sell other ancillary services in destination.”
For example, their partnership with Wizz Air – a Hungarian low-cost carrier group with 60 million passengers yearly – offers eSIM Go as an add-on service on their app, which customers can purchase during the checkout process. Other partners currently include travel booking and payment platform WeTravel, Swiss International Airlines, and Sydney Airport.
“In Asia-Pacific, we have a big partner in Sydney Airport. They have their own data product, Tripsim, which is powered by us. Strategic partnerships like this will help us grow in the different regions,” he explained.
McKimm pointed out that eSIM Go will have “some very big OTAs coming onboard soon”, and the tech firm is currently in the process of developing a platform for them.
There are three ways that eSIM Go works with their travel partners – one where the API (Application Programming Interface) is integrated, another that is a white-label solution built according to brand guidelines, like Wizz Air, and a third that operates as an affiliate model.
The B2B tech company is also in talks with “large airports, and big airlines in North America”. North America is next on the cards for expansion, as eSIM Go’s footprint is currently strongest in Europe. Asia-Pacific will come soon after, with McKimm sharing he was recently in Singapore to meet with interested parties.
When asked if eSIM Go currently works with TMCs (travel management companies) to capture corporate travellers, McKimm stated that it is on their to-do list. His future plan for eSIM Go is to work with travel insurance companies, hotels, as well as car rentals, or basically “any company which has an end consumer who is travelling”.
For now, although McKimm states that the process to install an eSIM is relatively easy, there is still “apprehension” among travellers, and “a lot of customer education is needed”. As eSIM Go relies heavily on distribution from its partners, the company also provides educational content which talks about the ease of usage, and the benefits of using eSIMs.
Solaire unveils second IR in Quezon City
Solaire Resort North is set to open in late May this year in Quezon City, and will be the second integrated resort (IR) in the Philippines by Bloomberry Resorts Corporation (BRC), owner and operator of Solaire Resort Entertainment City.
The US$1 billion investment stands at 38 floors, offering a panoramic view of the urban landscape and bustling metropolis. Solaire Resort North will boast 526 guestrooms and suites, 2,669 electronic gaming machines; and 163 tables across four casino levels. It also offers an Italian restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, and a venue serving Chinese fare, along with casual dining options featuring regional Filipino, Asian and international flavours. Other facilities will include lounge and bars, spa, gym, kids’ pool, kids’ club, plunge pools and event venues.
In addition, the IR has a curated art programme and display comprised of celebrated names in the local and international art scenes, providing highlights to the resort’s spaces.
Solaire established the country as a contender in the international IR arena being the only fully Filipino-owned and operated IR that has received multiple distinctions from global award-giving bodies.
Enrique K. Razon Jr., chairman and CEO of BRC, remarked: “From a decade ago when we opened Solaire Resort Entertainment City, it has always been our mission to provide a fresh yet indulgent brand of luxury that has not been experienced in the Philippines before.
“With Solaire Resort North, we uphold the same mission in the hope that the property’ presence and operation will support Quezon City’s endeavours to enhance and promote tourism, generate employment for Filipinos (4,200 direct employment opportunities), and further attract opportunities for economic and social investments.”
“Quezon City is a highly urbanised city with a population largely comprised of locals with a wide range of demographic interests. We saw an opportunity to provide more exclusive experiences not just to our existing Northern clientele but to a larger untapped market,” said Thomas Arasi, president and COO of BRC, Solaire Resort Entertainment City, and Solaire Resort North.
Luxury Escapes introduces agent hub for Australian travel agents
Luxury Escapes’ Luxury Escapes Agent Hub is now live and available for use – the hub was launched after an overwhelming response from more than two thousand travel agents expressing their interest.
The Luxury Escapes Agent Hub offers travel agents across Australia a comprehensive platform to access exclusive travel deals and streamline booking processes. As part of the launch, Luxury Escapes has onboarded a number of Australia’s largest and most respected agency groups, including Savenio, itravel and Australian Travel Agents Co-operative, among others.
The Luxury Escapes Agent hub enables travel agents to have access to: a wide range of exclusive travel deals and add-ons available only through Agent Hub, allowing them to provide their clients with exceptional value and unique experiences; a personalised dashboard to manage bookings efficiently; a range of commission levels available on most product verticals; and Luxury Escapes’ extensive network of connections and industry expertise.
In addition to the launch of Agent Hub, Luxury Escapes has announced a number of upcoming incentive programmes designed to reward participating agents including bonus commissions, Luxury Escapes bonus credits and famils – more details will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Co-founder and CEO of Luxury Escapes, Adam Schwab said: “We are super pumped to have Agent Hub live and our agent partners now able to use powerful tool to enhance their offerings and streamline their operations. The response we received during the EOI phase is a testament to the demand for a platform that facilitates collaboration between Luxury Escapes and the trade.”
AirAsia readies for new Taiwan-Japan services
AirAsia will soon commence services connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung in Taiwan to Japan.
From May 31, AirAsia X will fly daily from Taipei to Tokyo (Narita) in Japan on the Airbus A330 family wide-body aircraft (including the A330 or A330-300) with a maximum of 377 seats, including 12 Premium Flatbed seats.
Thai AirAsia will connect Taipei to Okinawa daily starting June 15, and Kaohsiung to Tokyo (Narita) from June 16, flying on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Both Taipei-Okinawa and Kaohsiung-Tokyo services will be operated on an A320 aircraft with 180 seats, including 42 Hot Seats.
With the launch of these three new routes, AirAsia will offer 12 direct flights from Taiwan.
Naruto exhibition makes global debut at Universal Studios Singapore
Anime fans can look forward to the international debut of Naruto: The Gallery at Universal Studios Singapore (USS) in Resorts World Sentosa from March 28 to June 30.
Naruto is celebrated worldwide for its characters, world-building, and the theme of perseverance, friendship, and self-discovery, and is one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
The exhibition in Singapore will bring to life the iconic world of shinobi (ninja) created by Masashi Kishimoto. From character profiles to iconic scenes, visitors will experience up close the evolution of the beloved anime series.
Located at Soundstage 28 in USS, Naruto: The Gallery will showcase the narrative and history of Naruto through a series of six areas with storyboards, character art and video displays. Highlights will include a diorama of Naruto’s hometown as well as a seven-minute screening of the final battle in a 4D theatre. Additionally, the exhibition also features exclusive video works of iconic scenes from Naruto by five Japanese animation artists, and guests can take photos with Naruto characters at the end of the exhibition.
There will also be a special pop-up Naruto: The Gallery Café located at KT’s Grill, which will feature dishes inspired by the series. Official exhibition merchandise will also be available.
Naruto: The Gallery is included with regular admission to USS, which is priced at S$83 (US$61) per adult and S$62 per child.
For more information, visit Resorts World Sentosa.
Gold Coast Airport sets out to build an airport village
Gold Coast Airport has unveiled plans to reinvent itself as a destination, with the addition of a retail village, health and wellness hub, as well as a conference and tech centre that will serve the communities of the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales.
The 2024 Preliminary Draft Master Plan outlines the strategic vision and sustainable growth objectives of the airport and surrounding precinct over the next twenty years, with a more detailed focus on the initial eight years leading up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
It is the largest of four airports owned by Queensland Airports and, as the country’s sixth busiest airport, Gold Coast Airport currently welcomes more than 6.2 million passengers a year contributing A$514 million (US$339.5 million) to the local economy – that number is set to soar to around 13 million passengers annually by 2044, creating more than A$965 million in economic contribution.
Queensland Airports CEO Amelia Evans said the airport precinct would be “seamlessly connected with the rest of the city with the delivery of a public front-of-terminal plaza servicing both light and heavy rail”.
Smart aviation technologies being considered as part of the plan include biometrics enabled check-in and a fully digital passenger experience that could anticipate customer behaviour and provide personalised travel suggestions based on travel history.
The Master Plan also reflects Gold Coast Airport’s commitment to sustainability including reaching Net Zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030, which will drive initiatives such as the installation of solar panels, electric vehicle usage on the precinct, and transitioning to lower carbon aviation practices such as sustainable aviation fuel.
Lufthansa Group’s green fares continue to rise in demand
The Lufthansa Group’s Green Fares has been well received since it was launched a year ago – with more than one million passengers opting for the new fare – and demand continues to rise steadily in all booking classes, underlining the success of this sustainable option.
Available with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, SWISS, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti on more than 730,000 flights per year within Europe and to Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, the Lufthansa Group has also been testing Green Fares on selected longhaul routes since November 2023.
In the first year, an average of three per cent of passengers have used the offer, making an important contribution to more sustainable travel. In Business Class, Green Fares tickets are already selected for eleven per cent of bookings via the Lufthansa Group portals.
Green Fares are particularly popular on routes such as Hamburg-Munich, Zurich-London and Frankfurt-Berlin. In total, travellers have offset more than 77,000 tonnes of CO2 since the launch of Green Fares by offsetting their flight-related CO2 emissions.
Green Fares includes the full offsetting of individual, flight-related CO2 emissions by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as well as a contribution to high-quality climate protection projects. With SAF, a reduction of 20 per cent of CO2 emissions is achieved, while the remaining 80 per cent is compensated by climate protection projects. The Lufthansa Group ensures that the amount of SAF required for offsetting is fed into the airport infrastructure within six months of purchase.
The Lufthansa Group’s CO2 compensation portfolio currently comprises 15 projects, including two technology-based projects.
Currently, around four per cent of Lufthansa Group passengers use one of the various offers for more sustainable flying. Passengers can either select a special fare such as the Green Fares, or individually tailored offers with a higher proportion of SAF during the booking process. They can also offset flight-related CO2 emissions during or after the flight.
In addition to private customers, more corporate customers are also using one of the Lufthansa Group’s offers for more sustainable flying – in 2023, more than 1,500 companies worldwide invested in SAF with the Lufthansa Group.
The Lufthansa Group has set itself ambitious climate protection goals and aims to achieve a neutral CO2 balance by 2050, halving its net CO2 emissions by 2030. As the first airline group in Europe with a science-based CO2 reduction target in line with the goals of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the group is focusing on accelerated fleet modernisation, the continuous optimisation of flight operations, the use of SAF and offers for its private travellers and corporate customers to make air travel more sustainable.
Air New Zealand seeks innovators for SAF
Air New Zealand has launched a global open invitation to innovators and start-ups in the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sector to become a supply partner to the airline.
It is the first time an airline has made a global call to potential suppliers in the burgeoning SAF industry to work together on supply opportunities.
This invitation is the latest step in Air New Zealand’s journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – it is looking to enter short, medium, and long-term SAF offtake agreements.
The airline’s Opportunity Statement provides an overview of Air New Zealand’s SAF requirements based on its network, fleet, sustainability targets and criteria. It is intended to kickstart discussion for ongoing collaboration as well as identify new opportunities.
As the second airline globally to announce an interim science-based target, which was validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, Air New Zealand requires a 28.9 per cent reduction in carbon intensity by 2030, from a 2019 baseline. In addition, the airline anticipates it will need SAF to make up around 20 per cent of its total fuel uptake by 2030, alongside a long term and strategic regulatory package, which it is actively advocating for.
Air New Zealand chief sustainability officer, Kiri Hannifin, says SAF is integral to the aviation industry’s future, and that the airline is known for pushing boundaries and thinking differently, and is committed to meeting its decarbonisation goals.
“Air New Zealand plays an essential role in connecting New Zealand’s people, tourism, and trade to the world, but we must find a way to do this more sustainably and as quickly as we can. A stable supply of SAF is critical to our ability to reduce carbon emissions and continue to play this role for the long term,” noted Hannifin.
“That’s why (we are) asking emerging SAF producers from around the world to connect with us and respond to the Opportunity Statement.”
AI hospitality solution Myma.ai reaches deeper into Asia-Pacific
Myma.ai, which supports hotel operations with AI-driven solutions, has embarked on a campaign to build up adoption across Asia-Pacific, with one of its first initiatives being an in-person trade engagement in Singapore.
Hong Kong-based Hospitality Host (HH) has been signed on to distribute Myma.ai’s range of solutions in the region.
According to managing director Winnie Chui, Myma.ai currently serves clients across 30 countries around the world and is recognised as the leading AI chatbot in Generative AI technology for hotels.
Its solutions include AI chatbots, digital vouchers and e-gifts, digital compendium, and venue booking systems, which are designed to “enhance operational efficiency, guest experiences, and revenue generation for hotels and resorts worldwide”.
Chui said Myma.ai’s unique selling point is its ability to offer highly customised solutions that rely on AI algorithms that are constantly learning and adapting to industry trends and individual hotel requirements, ensuring optimal performance and tangible results.
Myma.ai solutions are now used by renowned companies such as Millennium Hotel & Resorts, Lanson Hotels Group and Accor while there is also adoption at the property level, such as by Pan Pacific Orchard and The Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei.
Chui said the recent trade engagement in Singapore, which was attended by 20 hotel executives, provided a platform for Myma.ai to announce its partnership with Amadeus at a global CRS level, present its solutions, share insights on AI applications for business performance, and understand hotel executives’ expectations and experiences with AI-driven solutions.
When asked which other geographical markets HH and Myma.ai are targeting for higher levels of adoption, Chui pointed to Japan, Australia, Thailand and South Korea.
She told TTG Asia that these markets were selected “due to their strong tourism industries, technological advancements, and the opportunity to meet the evolving needs of hotels and resorts in these regions”.
“Each market offers unique challenges and opportunities that align with Myma.ai’s mission to revolutionise the hospitality industry through AI-driven innovation,” she added.
Korean Air is discussing with Airbus to procure 33 A350 family aircraft, which includes 27 A350-1000s and six A350-900s, valued at US$13.7 billion.
The order will supplement the airline’s long-term fleet operations as it gradually retires its older aircraft. The procurement of the next-generation, eco-friendly A350 is not only aligned with the airlines’ sustainability efforts, but is seen also as preparation for the integration of Asiana Airlines.
The A350-1000 is the largest in the A350 family, and can accommodate from 350 to 410 passengers in a standard three-class configuration. The aircraft makes use of advanced composite materials, resulting in reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 25 per cent, in comparison to similarly sized previous generation aircraft models.
With the longest flight range among existing passenger aircraft, the A350-1000 can operate up to 16,000km with full payload.
The A350-900 variant is about seven metres shorter than the A350-1000 with a range of 15,370km and typically seats 300-350 passengers in a three class layout. The airline can deploy the aircraft on its longhaul routes such as Seoul Incheon-New York, where the airline currently operates two daily flights.
Korean Air continues to prioritise fleet modernisation and reduction of carbon emissions through the operation of new aircraft and other sustainability activities. It has plans to introduce 50 Airbus A321neos, 10 Boeing 787-9s, 20 Boeing 787-10s, and 30 Boeing 737-8s.