Emirates inks MoUs with Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong
New hotels: Shangri-La Nanshan, Shenzhen, JEN Kunming by Shangri-La, and more
Shangri-La Nanshan, Shenzhen, China
Perched atop the Shenwan Huiyun Center, Shangri-La Nanshan, Shenzhen occupies its top 13 floors. Its 272 rooms offer spectacular views, while the 77th floor Wellness Club, and all-day dining restaurant and Chinese restaurant will keep guests satiated.
It is easily accessible by three metro lines and a 35-minute drive from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. Nearby attractions include Shenzhen Bay Park, Window of the World, and He Xiang Ning Art Museum.
JEN Kunming by Shangri-La, China
Nestled in the bustling heart of Yunnan Province’s capital, JEN Kunming by Shangri-La offers 274 smartly designed rooms, a 2,200m2 Wellness Club, and the OpenHouse Café Bar.
Its location in Kunming’s First Ring CBD, is ideal for exploring the city’s popular attractions including Kunming Museum, the bustling Nanqiang Night Market and the historic Qianwang Street.
The hotel is part of a dual-brand project, located in the same building as Shangri-La Kunming, which will debut in 2025.
Six Senses Kyoto, Japan
The Six Senses brand has launched in Japan with the opening of Six Senses Kyoto. Inspired by the golden Heian age, the hotel’s design infuses elements of traditional arts and folklore to create a refined, modern atmosphere.
It offers 81 guestrooms and suites, including specialty suites with a private Japanese courtyard and a 238m2 three-bedroom Penthouse Suite.
The Six Senses Spa offers a wellness screening and programmes that focus on sleep, detox, yoga, and fitness.
Katra Marriott Resort & Spa, India
Set among the serene landscapes of Katra, Jammu and Kashmir, the Katra Marriott Resort & Spa features 100 modern rooms, suites and cottages that offer panoramic views of the surrounding mountainous landscape.
Cottage suites come with a private swimming pool, while some rooms open to private balconies.
For relaxation, guests can indulge in the Quan Spa or recharge at the fitness centre.
The resort is close to several attractions, including Patnitop Hill Station, Mansar Lake and Krimchi Temple, all of which are within an hour’s drive, while Katra’s local market is just five minutes away.
Cambodia Angkor Air’s maiden direct flights to India set off market development
Cambodia Angkor Air, the national flag carrier of Cambodia, will commence four-times-a-week direct flights between Phnom Penh and New Delhi beginning June 16. When operational, the service will mark the first direct air connection between the two countries.
“The Indian outbound tourism market is growing rapidly. Since a lot of Indians are looking to explore new destinations like Cambodia, we remain positive about the demand for our flights. Our future plans include increasing frequency to daily flights on the Phnom Penh-New Delhi route besides connecting the Indian capital to Siem Reap. We also see potential in expanding direct service to other Indian cities like Mumbai,” said Eng Molina, the airline’s chief commercial officer.
Speaking to TTG Asia at a trade event in New Delhi on May 14 to announce the new flights, Molina also shared that talks will soon begin with Indian carriers for a codeshare agreement, as Cambodia Angkor Air looks to tap feeder markets across the country.
“This year we are planning to launch a promotional campaign in India. Our focus will be to promote not just Siem Reap but also other experiences like beautiful beaches, islands, eco-tourism, vibrant cities, and shopping options,” said Seila Hul, undersecretary of state, Cambodia’s ministry of tourism.
As per official tourism statistics, 34,016 Indians visited Cambodia in 2022. Cambodian travel agents are optimistic that the new flights will help to boost demand from the Indian outbound market.
“We are already working on tour packages ranging from three nights, targeting weekend travel, to 15 nights. Presently, Angkor Wat (in Siem Reap) is very popular among Indians visiting Cambodia. However, we see potential in promoting our other cultural heritage sites like Temple of Preah Vihear, mangrove forest, river cruises, and bird-watching sites like Prek Toal. Our focus is on both leisure and MICE segments,” said Chhay Sivlin, president, Cambodia Tourism Association.
Anil Kalsi, vice president of the Travel Agents Federation of India, noted that direct flights would reduce the cost of tour packages. Indian travellers currently struggle with high airfares due to the need for connecting flights from locations such as Bangkok to reach Cambodia.
“Cambodia Angkor Air should further offer convenient connections to Siem Reap from their Phnom Penh flights. Indian travellers can then (combine) Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Also, if the Cambodian government can consider visa waivers for Indian tourists, it will have a very positive impact on demand,” added Kalsi.
Cambodia Angkor Air is planning to start direct thrice-a-week direct flights to Singapore by the end of this year.
Vietnam outbound power grows for Japan
Record numbers of Vietnamese travellers are holidaying in Japan, demonstrating the potential of the South-east Asian country as one of Japan’s key source markets.
Tourist arrivals from Vietnam have been rising continuously since the 1990s, except during the Covid-19 period, and bounced back quickly in 2023 to reach 173,672 arrivals, almost touching 2019’s volume of 173,936.
Growth in 2024 has been even more rapid, with 122,633 Vietnamese travellers arriving in Japan from January to March, up from 172,100 over the same period in 2019, equating to a growth rate of 40.3 per cent.
Data from Booking.com during February 8 to 14 shows that Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto were the most popular overseas destinations for Vietnamese tourists for this Lunar New Year holidays.
March was busy, too, with a record-high number of travellers from Vietnam and record-high sales for a single month in Vietnam, according to data from the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
“Vietnam was affected by a recovery in the number of direct flights (above the 2019 level), including between Ho Chi Minh and Narita, and the organisation of incentive tours,” said a report by JNTO.
A March 2024 survey by global data and business intelligence platform Statista shows eating Japanese food was the most popular motivator for travel, at 37.1 per cent, followed by nature/scenery sightseeing (18.1 per cent), shopping (10.8 per cent) and seasonal activities (4.9 per cent).
Travel agents expect such high demand to continue among tourism and business events sectors.
Companies Hoang Kim Japan and Aikai Group are developing eight-day itineraries incorporating Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Nara and Kobe as Customized Abroad Study Tours, following the successful launch of similar tours in March.
Norwegian Sun opens 2025 Asia-Pacific season for sale
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has released itineraries for the Norwegian Sun’s debut in Asia-Pacific for the 2025 season.
The ship will first make her Australian debut in Brisbane and Melbourne on December 18 and 21 respectively, and offer three new sailings to the Great Barrier Reef and South Pacific, three island-hopping French Polynesia cruises between Fiji and Tahiti, and two in Asia.
This deployment marks NCL’s most extensive South Pacific offering with first-time visits to Port Douglas and Townsville in Australia, Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, and Suva, Fiji.
It will also be the first time that Norwegian Sun visits several other ports including Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu; Dravuni, Fiji; Noumea, New Caledonia; and the popular port of Kushiro, which is known for some of the most unspoiled scenery and wildlife habitats in Japan.
“This new collection of voyages provides even more choice for those who prefer to explore close to home with more South Pacific destinations than ever before, including Far North Queensland, where we will be returning for the first time since 2019,” said Ben Angell, vice president and managing director, NCL APAC.
Altogether, Norwegian Sun will sail 35 voyages in this region from October 2024 through March 2026.
Four-party partnership to drive marketing efforts for Singapore’s Sentosa
Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), DBS Bank (DBS), and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) signed an MoU last week to enhance Sentosa’s guest experiences through the development of a Sentosa Precinct Partnership.
To promote it as Asia’s premier island resort getaway and leading lifestyle destination, marketing efforts include SDC’s event line-up and new offering launches; STB’s Made in Singapore global brand campaign; and RWS’ and DBS’ strengths in offering shopping, dining, travel, and family experiences for customers across Singapore and key inbound markets like China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
The partnership will encourage discovery of Sentosa offerings across accommodation, attractions, entertainment, dining, and retail, enabling a longer stay on the island.
Visitors to Sentosa can expect an enlivened precinct, with enhanced unique and personal experiences.
This partnership comes as RWS sharpens its product offerings, with S.E.A. Aquarium set to triple in size and be rebranded as the Singapore Oceanarium with new oceanic zones. RWS will also host the Asian premier of Harry Potter: Visions of Magic, a multimedia spectacle showcasing mysterious places of the Wizarding World in 4Q2024, while Illumination’s Minion Land will open at Universal Studios Singapore this year.
The Forum at RWS is also undergoing a makeover into a 20,000m2 lifestyle space of upscale restaurants, specialty retail, entertainment, and new-to-market concept stores. These will open progressively in 2025.
Middle East identifies cruise tourism as new growth vertical
As destinations in the Middle East look to grow tourist arrivals and promote intra-regional tourism, cruise tourism has been identified as one of the critical avenues to their goal. Destinations in the region are investing in infrastructure as well as collaboration to boost cruise demand.
“I think more people in the region need to be aware of cruising…that they can cruise in their own backyard and don’t need to fly six hours to the Mediterranean or 15 hours to Miami to be able to take a Caribbean cruise,” remarked Saud Hareb Almheiri, cruise tourism & yachting lead – Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) at a session during the Arabian Travel Market 2024 last week.
“We have also created the Cruise Arabia Alliance recently as we want to maintain quality and service level in the region. We are looking to expand the alliance by bringing more partners on board,” he added.
The Cruise Arabia Alliance comprises Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman.
Aroya Cruises – operated by state-backed Cruise Saudi – is all set to embark on its maiden three-night/four-day voyage from Jeddah in December 2024. The company currently owns one ship and is looking to launch three ships in the next decade.
Turky Kari, executive director – marketing and corporate communications, Aroya Cruises, said: “At present we have three ports that can handle cruise liners (Jeddah Islamic Port, Yanbu Commercial Port, and King Abdulaziz Port Dammam). All ports have very easy access to different destinations in Saudi, including UNESCO heritage sites and amazing beaches. We are targeting to have 10 cruise ports in Saudi by 2030. Today, we are handling around 170,000 cruise tourists and are aiming to reach 1.3 million passengers per year.”
Kari shared that the focused markets will not be restricted to domestic and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, but also the larger Arabian region.
“The Middle East is still not a hub for cruise liners, so one of our objectives is to attract more international cruise liners to the region,” said Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development authority.
According to DET’s Almheiri, cruise tourism is going to play a big part in Dubai’s economic agenda, as the city in the United Arab Emirates looks to double its GDP by 2033.
“Activating our own regional market is very important to us, which we are looking to do in the near future, as well as looking eastwards towards Asia and trying to attract more Asian cruise liners,” added Almheiri.
Taiwan’s new tourism brand conveys waves of seasonal highlights
The Taiwan Tourism Administration has unveiled Taiwan Tourism Brand Version 3.0, titled Taiwan – Waves of Wonder, which utilises wave-like designs to illustrate the seasonal highlights the destination and its year-round welcome.
The new identity is supported by innovative brand elements, including an animated short film and a promotional song composed by award-winning musician Chris Hou.
The new logo of the Taiwan tourism brand integrates imagery such as Taiwan’s mountains, oceans, winding roads, and railways, presenting a design with wave-like contours. It adopts the orange tones of sunrise to not only align with the “warmth and vitality of the previous brand”, but also to symbolise the future development of Taiwan’s tourism industry.
The new branding is aimed at bolstering Taiwan’s efforts to attract a greater number of international tourists.
Taiwan – Waves of Wonder replaces the Taiwan – The Heart of Asia branding, which was promoted globally for 13 years.
Collinson, WithU joint venture crafts new traveller wellness proposition
The Collinson Group’s venture capital arm, Collinson Investments, and fitness-tech specialist, WithU Global, have embarked on a joint venture to create an industry-first end-to-end digital travel wellness proposition, set to launch later in 2024.
The product, which can be integrated into any existing platform, will offer intelligent health and well-being recommendations specifically tailored to travel. It is designed to enhance customer wellness at every stage of any journey.
This marks The Collinson Group’s entry into the wellness space. The company already has an extensive travel offering, including airport and travel enhancement products, Priority Pass and LoungeKey, as well as loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance and protection arms.
David Evans, CEO of Collinson Investments, said: “At Collinson, we’re extremely passionate about driving innovation that leads to the evolution of the travel industry. Investing in traveller wellness with this partnership allows us to break new ground when it comes to creating exceptional experiences for travellers, as we equip partners and consumers alike with the tools they need to travel more healthily and confidently.”
Steve Clarke, WithU Global’s co-founder and CEO, said: “Overhauling wellness within the travel sector is no mean feat, but working in partnership with the team at Collinson, it’s one we’re hitting the ground running with. With our advanced FitTech capabilities and their decades of knowledge in the sector, we’re confident that the launch of our first travel proposition later this year will be the first step that ultimately leads to a significantly healthier travel experience for all.”
Minor, dnata strengthen partnership to offer greater savings and flexibility
Minor Hotels has forged a strategic partnership with dnata Travel Group that will enhance the travel experience for both leisure and corporate customers through flexible booking options, exclusive packages, and savings, while supporting the global growth plans of both companies.
Minor Hotels plans to expand its portfolio by over 200 hotels by the end of 2026 and dnata will assist in the launch of new hotels and resorts.
The partnership will cover dynamic distribution for leisure and corporate travellers, wholesale distribution for the travel trade, DMC integration to elevate the travel and in-resort experience, and an aligned sustainability programme and initiatives.
For leisure travel, Minor Hotels will offer dynamic rates to dnata brands in all Emirates Group markets. This includes access to rates from all Minor Hotels brands.
Travel agencies under dnata will create preferred travel packages featuring Minor Hotels for select destinations.
For corporate travel, a dedicated agreement will give dnata’s corporate clients access to direct rates across Minor Hotels’ brands, offering flexibility and savings.
In the travel trade sector, Minor Hotels is collaborating with dnata’s brand Yalago on a sustainable distribution agreement, providing significant savings for trade partners and travellers.
Emirates has reaffirmed its strategic cooperation with Tourism Seychelles and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, and has forged a new partnership with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to boost tourism to these destinations.
The airline signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tourism Seychelles to support travel agents and tour operators in their efforts to promote Seychelles as a leisure destination. This includes the development of special holiday packages among other incentives, marketing support and familiarisation trips.
Emirates also reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to promoting tourism to Sri Lanka. Now in its 38th year of operating in Sri Lanka, Emirates will continue efforts to support the island nation’s tourism by developing special packages and familiarisation trips from key feeder markets.
As part of its wider efforts to support the Indian Ocean nation, Emirates will also engage closely with travel agents and tour operators in key strategic markets to help showcase the destination’s offerings to customers across its global network.
With the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Emirates aims to boost inbound tourism into Hong Kong from key target markets in the Middle East and Europe. The MoU with HKTB will see various joint activities including familiarisation trips, a comprehensive promotional plan, and targeted advertising campaigns.