Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) will commence thrice-weekly non-stop services between Zurich and Seoul from May 7 this year.
The Zurich-Seoul service will operate every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, while the Seoul-Zurich route will fly every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
The airline will offer four cabins including First Class and Premium Economy Class and provide passengers from South Korea with more choices when travelling to Europe.
Amadeus has acquired Vision-Box, a leading provider of biometric solutions for airports, airlines, and border control customers.
The acquisition of Vision-Box will bring new capabilities around biometrics hardware and software, adding border control solutions to the Amadeus portfolio. Through this combined offering with Vision-Box, Amadeus will now be able to deliver a full end-to-end seamless passenger experience from booking to arrival at the airport, through border control and boarding.
This acquisition will contribute to Amadeus’ ambition to connect the travel industry through a seamless ecosystem approach. With this in mind, this deal will deliver outstanding biometrics interoperability between airports, airlines and border control authorities. Additionally, it will complement and improve Amadeus’ existing airline and airport value proposition, which focuses on providing a frictionless experience for all passengers, optimising operations, and driving effective disruption management.
Vision-Box is partially owned by Keensight Capital, a private equity fund dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyout investments. Amadeus will be fully acquiring privately-owned Vision-Box for an agreed price of approximately €320 million (US$344.1 million). As part of this acquisition, approximately 470 Vision-Box employees will transfer to Amadeus. The deal is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in 1H2024.
Decius Valmorbida, president, travel, Amadeus, commented: “Biometrics is a strategic and fast-growing industry, and Vision-Box’s capabilities will allow us to accelerate our growth in this area. With a portfolio which is deeply complementary to our existing offering for both airports and airlines, our combined best-in-class solutions will now deliver a seamless passenger journey from booking to boarding. This acceleration of our ecosystem approach will bring immediate and tangible benefits to our customers and travellers: it’s how travel works better.”
“Together, we can deliver the next big step in the travel experience – to unite all separate players and systems in a single, digitally-integrated, and orchestrated ecosystem. This compelling value proposition will drive user experience, on-time-performance, infrastructure usage, and other key indicators to new levels of efficiency,” added Miguel Leitmann, founder & CEO of Vision-Box.
South Korean hospitality technology start-up ONDA has formed two strategic partnerships with Josun Hotels and Resorts (Josun) as well as Dunqian International (Dunqian).
The former will see ONDA providing its booking management solutions to Josun, while the latter will help to boost tourism in Taiwan.
ONDA will support Josun in the development of the Central Reservation System (CRS) and Booking Engine, providing the South Korean hotel company with tailored operational solutions to automate and streamline reservation management. This system is set to be sequentially adopted across the hotel chain in the latter half of this year.
By leveraging ONDA’s CRS, Josun will be able to oversee room inventory, rates, and membership data in a unified system. ONDA will integrate with Josun’s existing operational ecosystem to streamline the processing for hoteliers and empower booking management through data-driven decisions.
In addition, ONDA will provide its Booking Engine solution to Josun, allowing guests to check real-time room availability and rates, and apply various membership benefits directly from the hotel’s website.
Hyun-seok Oh, CEO of ONDA, said: “We will put all our efforts into developing the best booking management solution that aligns with the esteemed standards of Josun Hotels & Resorts.”
Meanwhile, ONDA has also teamed up with Taiwanese hotel group Dunqian to promote tourism in Taiwan – the smart hotel group has nine brands and 53 hotels, totalling over 4,000 rooms.
According to the agreement, ONDA will distribute Dunqian Group’s hotels through various online sales channels in South Korea, which will give South Korean tourists access to convenient hospitality experiences at competitive prices, thereby stimulating increased tourism demand for Taiwan.
Wu Bing-ting, CEO of Dunqian International, commented: “Our vision revolves around providing a sustainable and innovative hospitality experience. We are excited to provide (South) Korean tourists with memorable experiences in Taiwan.”
Travel and tourism business across the Asia-Pacific region is improving following the pandemic disruption, with the region recording 497.5 million international arrivals in 2023 – 73 per cent of 2019’s performance, shares Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO at PATA, who anticipates an even higher number once all NTO data is published.
However, the pace of recovery differs across the diverse Asia-Pacific region, with growth rates varying across countries and even cities within the same country.
While it is normal for destinations to record different levels of traveller interest and footfalls, Noor said the uneven pace of recovery for the region leads to overcrowding in popular locations as well as challenges in attaining sustainable growth, human resource distribution, and maintenance of service standards.
Noor discusses these issues, solutions deployed so far to better manage tourist flows, and more in the first episode of TTG Conversations: Five Questions for 2024.
Trip.com Group has revealed significant growth in international and inbound travel this Lunar New Year, with international travel increased by 10 times, fuelled by more relaxed visa policies, particularly to Asian destinations.
Inbound travel to China, which is experiencing one of its busiest travel seasons of the year, has also increased tenfold compared to the previous year, with a growing number of global tourists joining in the celebrations across China. The festive month there is set to witness a record nine billion inter-regional movements, with February 8 – the eve of Reunion Day – the busiest travel day of the season.
More families travelling to Asia in international travel spike
International travel rose by more than 10 times compared to the same period last year, accompanied by an increase in expenditure, particularly on flights. Travellers are favouring shorthaul routes, with South-east Asia, Japan, and South Korea emerging as their preferred choices. On the whole, popular destinations include Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, and Vietnam.
The international travel trend is gaining momentum, fuelled by increasingly relaxed visa requirements, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. Since July last year, China has announced visa-free arrangements for more than 10 countries. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have seen a spike in search volume following the announcement of mutual visa exemptions.
Amid the global travel surge, travel to the Middle East is also on the rise, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emerging as focal points due to favourable visa policies and convenient arrival procedures. Dubai and Qatar are among popular destinations, with the UAE recording one of the highest volumes of guided tours.
Furthermore, family-centric travel has taken centre stage during the Spring Festival, constituting 47% of all travellers this year – a 5% increase from the previous year. This shift underscores the growing significance of family-focused journeys during the holiday season. Families are also embracing various travel preferences by renting cars for flexibility, opting for customised tours to cater to their unique needs, and hiring local guides to curate personalised and memorable experiences.
Varying attractions in Asia and Europe
The top Spring Festival attractions differ between Asia and Europe, with theme parks taking the spotlight in Asia. Meanwhile, Europe beckons travellers with its rich cultural heritage and history, predominantly showcasing museums, historical landmarks, and city sites. For tourists exploring Asia, iconic names like Universal Studios Singapore, Warner Bros Studio Tour Tokyo – The Making of Harry Potter, Tokyo DisneySea, and South Korea’s Everland are the star attractions, are particularly popular among tourists from Malaysia, Thailand, China, South Korea, and Japan. In contrast, European destinations favoured by Asian tourists are museums and enchanting cityscapes, where landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Palace of Versailles, and Musee d’Orsay are preferred.
Cruise tourism too, emerged as a major draw during the Spring Festival, with sold-out schedules for cruise ships sailing from Shanghai, and strong demand in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Italian cruise ship Costa Serena and RWS’ Genting Dream, which depart from Hong Kong and Singapore respectively, are nearly at full capacity with limited availability remaining. Moreover, this year, the average window for bookings are 35 days earlier than in 2019, indicating a substantial increase in early cruise reservations and growing demand.
Massive influx of global travellers in China
The Spring Festival continues to attract an increasing number of travellers to China, with inbound travel bookings surging more than 10 times. Visitors come mainly from Japan, the US, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, the UK, Canada, Vietnam, Germany, and Thailand, reflecting a growing international interest in celebrating the Lunar New Year there.
Travellers are showing an increased preference for staying at four-star hotels compared to the previous year, whereas demand for five-star accommodations has remained similar to last year. They are also extending their stay in China, with an average duration of just over two days during this year’s Spring Festival, compared to under two days in the previous year. The booking window for travel to China has expanded significantly, from six days in 2023 to 39 days in 2024, possibly indicating an increased awareness of travel opportunities.
Record travel season in China driven by road trip trend
There will be approximately nine billion inter-regional movements in China, setting a new historical record and nearly tripling the numbers from the 2019 season. Travellers are embarking on journeys that span the spectrum of snowy northern regions to relaxing southern hot springs, leading to a seven-times increase in domestic travel bookings.
This regional travel experience, which has evolved into a trend dubbed the “North-South Exchange”, continues to attract travellers seeking unique and immersive journeys.
Furthermore, there is a growing trend of embarking on road trips for such journeys, up by approximately 60 per cent compared to the same period last year. This trend is not limited to just bookings; car rental periods have also extended, with orders for five- to eight-day rentals increasing by more than 20%, and three- to five-day rental orders increasing by 10% in the same period.
Anticipating strong growth in experience-based tourism, various destinations such as Hangzhou and Kunming are offering half-priced or free admission to scenic spots. A plethora of activities such as ice skating, skiing, hot springs, culinary experiences, lantern exhibitions, temple fairs, and cultural events have been organised to attract tourists.
The Hong Kong Government is intensifying efforts to boost its mega event economy by establishing an inter-departmental coordination group chaired by deputy financial secretary, Michael Wong.
Working alongside the secretary for culture, sports, and tourism, this initiative aims to actively attract world-class mega events to Hong Kong, with key players such as the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and the Economic and Trade Offices (ETOs) collaborating in the scouting process.
Wong emphasises a proactive approach will be taken to engage potential event organisers globally. This means that HKTB, HKTDC, and ETOs will play a vital role in discussions with organisers, assessing an event’s feasibility, and ensuring necessary support arrangements. The trio will also serve as the primary point of contact, facilitating discussions, and submitting recommendations to the government.
Pang Yiu-kai, chairman of HKTB, emphasised the importance of coordination and response speed, stating that efficient collaboration and a friendly approach could influence mega events to choose Hong Kong over other cities.
Currently, over 80 mega events are anticipated to happen in 1H2024, spanning cultural and arts, sports, finance and economy, innovation and technology, and conferences and exhibitions. Notable events include Inter Miami CF’s visit on February 4; Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade on the first day of the Lunar New Year; the inaugural LIV Golf; Art March; Hong Kong Sevens Pop Culture Festival; and the UIM E1 World Championship Grand Prix.
In response to this government’s initiative, the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee – established by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau last year – will host several upcoming events. Supported by the Mega Events Committee Fund, upcoming events include Chubby Hearts Hong Kong created by renowned British designer Anya Hindmarch (February 14 to 24); A Path To Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial, a large-scale sculpture showcase at Edinburgh Place (March 15 to July 2); and ComplexCon Hong Kong 2024 at AsiaWorld-Expo, the first time the international pop culture event will be held outside the US (March 22 to 24).
Nina Hospitality’s managing director, Simon Manning, believes that the government’s strategy to lure and host more major international events will stimulate economic growth and showcase Hong Kong’s vibrant cultural scene, creating a “win-win situation” for visitors and the economy.
The recently-concluded TRAVEX B2B exhibition, an integral component of the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), attracted what attendees felt was a small turnout this year, gathering just 34 booths with 208 sellers from 105 companies along with 70 hosted buyers from regional and longhaul markets, 130 trade visitors, and 26 international media.
This compares against 350 delegates and more than 50 media representatives at ATF 2022, and 463 delegates and 50 media representatives at ATF 2023 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
TRAVEX, along with ATF 2024 and ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC), was held in Vientiane, Laos from January 22 to 26. It was co-organised by the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and Lao PDR Ministry of Information, Communication and Tourism (MICT).
Despite ASEANTA positioning ATF as a “premier tourism event”, and ASEANTA president Eddy Krismeidi Soemawilaga speaking of “a more robust and rejuvenated ATF”, Singapore and Brunei skipped the exhibition.
Soemawilaga acknowledged: “We are fully aware that change takes time, and this year’s scale may not match the peak of ATF’s history.”
In response to TTG Asia’s queries on Singapore’s absence, Kwan Su Min, director, communications, Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said that Singapore regularly reviews participation in all tradeshows to ensure that “we are maximising our impact and achieving our strategic objectives”.
“While we may not have physical presence at TRAVEX this year, our industry stakeholders and regional offices continue to maintain regular and close contact with many ASEAN travel trade partners in the course of their daily operations,” she added.
Although TRAVEX 2024 was deemed small, the overall event was well aligned with the theme, Quality and Responsible Tourism – Sustaining ASEAN Future, delivering content that avoided mass tourism and series tours.
So, while hosted buyers from big markets were scant – only a few from China and one from India – it was opportune for those keen on ecotourism, special interest travel, and new places and activities.
Sidney Chua, operations manager of Neway Travel Service, Singapore, said: “TRAVEX organisers have been doing what they can to help put destinations on the map and ATF 2024, though small, did just that. Laos can expect an influx of enquiries and travellers soon, and perhaps small incentive groups if combined with Thailand.”
American tour wholesaler Michal Barszap, president/CEO of I.T.S. Tours & Travel, said: “You can’t package and promote destinations well without visiting. I gave up FITUR to attend ATF because I have never been to Laos.”
Barszap’s only complaints were the long flight – “40 hours flying SFO-LAX-MUC-TPE-BKK-VTE” and his failed attempt to enter a post-tour despite applying early.
This year’s ATC was extended to 1.5 days and packed in insightful presentations and panel discussions centred on the ATF theme. Social events hosted by Laos, Malaysia and the Philippines were also lavish and provided many networking opportunities.
Delegates commended the Laotians for their hospitality and effort, although getting to Vientiane was not easy due to few direct flights and frequencies, and processes that were not always well-oiled.
They recognise this was the challenge for ASEANTA and ATF: rotational hosting pits slick business cities against emerging destinations that do not have the wherewithal to manage huge events. Parallel government and association meetings across town also strain lean resources.
Delegates also pondered over the timing of ATF: held typically in January or February, dates are affected by the Lunar New Year holidays and ministerial schedules. The event also clashes with FITUR in Madrid, leading potential buyers and sellers to weigh the cost benefits, given the number of trade shows and rising costs.
Meanwhile, ASEANTA has announced ATF 2025 will be held in Johor, Malaysia.
Luxury wellness resort The Farm at San Benito in Lipa, Batangas is fast gaining inroads in capitalising on the Muslim market while diversifying into multi-generational families.
“We are known in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries) and we want to develop new markets in Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei,” said Jennifer Sanvictores, The Farm’s global head of sales, marketing and communications.
The resort has also added facilities and services targeted at multi-generation families. “Previously, wellness was just for adults but now, even kids, teens, seniors need us,” she explained.
To raise the number not just of individual travellers but also of families, the wellness resort has added more facilities for families including Muslim-friendly family pool villas, holistic healing, as well as wellness and activities for multi-generations, and a kids menu in its Alive Vegan restaurant.
The Farm at San Benito recently received a globally-accepted halal certification from the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines and is the Department of Tourism’s Muslim-friendly accommodation destination after attending workshops and fitting at least five per cent of its facilities for Muslim travellers’ requirements.
“We saw the need for it…. wellness should be for everyone. We should be more diverse and inclusive,” Sanvictores shared.
She noted an increase in the number of Muslim tourists from Malaysia and Dubai, particularly those looking for new wellness destinations, a niche clientele who travel for a purpose, solely for healing.
The increase in Muslim travellers was noteworthy last year when The Farm at San Benito tapped the Miss Universe beauty pageant contestants from Pakistan, Bahrain and Egypt to promote wellness tourism in the Philippines.
Sanvictores shared that the wellness resort has “an affluent market” where guests stay 21 days on average and spend US$800 to US$1,000 a night. It has natural and holistic wellness programmes, the shortest at seven days and the longest 21 days, although resort guests can stay for a shorter period.
Capella Hotels and Resorts will launch Capella Taipei in the winter of 2024 in the heart of Taipei’s Dunhua North Road.
The 86-key hotel is mere minutes from the 101 area, and will offer guests immersive Capella Curates journeys, organised by Capella Culturists.
Dining options available will be a main restaurant offering sustainably sourced, farm-to-table produce with a French-inspired seasonal menu, a bakery, a Cantonese restaurant, and a Japanese omakase restaurant, as well as bars.
Facilities will comprise a spa, outdoor heated pool, fitness studio, and meeting spaces. The property also features a private event hall and salon with its own discreet private entry.
Capella Taipei is close to Songshan International Airport and situated near Xingtian Temple, with close proximity to art districts like Taze-Neihu, Songshan Culture Park, and Huashan 1914 Park, and Taipei Arena, a hub of pop music and performances.
Cristiano Rinaldi, president of Capella Hotel Group, said: “Capella Taipei is not just a hotel; it’s an invitation to immerse in a culture rich in heritage and to create memories that resonate beyond a stay.”
Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide (Seibu) has teamed up with Sabre to deploy the Sabre SynXis Central Reservation System (CRS) to support the hotel chain’s global expansion as it aims to double the size of their property portfolio.
Under the agreement, Seibu will be using the SynXis platform to expand its reach across global distribution channels, and deploying SynXis Booking Engine to drive direct bookings and SynXis Channel Connect to connect to hundreds of OTA channels globally.
The addition of Seibu hotels to Sabre’s SynXis platform means its properties can be booked through Sabre’s own global GDS as well as others, corporates, travel management companies, and almost 900,000 travel agents and tour operators globally, significantly increasing distribution channels and revenue opportunities.
Seibu brands comprise The Prince, Grand Prince Hotel, Prince Hotel, Prince Smart Inn, The Prince Akatoki, Policy, Park Regis by Prince, Park Regis Park Proxi, and Leisure Inn overseas. These include hotels in major Japanese cities and resort areas as well as popular destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, the US, and Europe.
“We have aggressive plans to double our hotel numbers to 250, so it’s essential that we are working with the right technology partner with the advanced, scalable solutions, and the future-focused mindset we need to support those ambitions,” said Eiichi Akamatsu, director, executive managing officer, Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide. “Given our rapidly expanding scale, Sabre SynXis will enable us to consolidate operations into one intuitive ecosystem so we can improve the guest experience while increasing our geographic footprint and driving efficiencies for our international growth.”
Frank Trampert, senior vice president, global managing director of community sales for Sabre Hospitality Solutions, shared: “Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide will now be able to gain an intuitive chain-wide performance overview and valuable insights to enable improved distribution, increased bookings, and optimised offerings for guests at its existing, and future, hotels.”
