IHG Hotels & Resorts signs new voco in Seoul
IHG Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Gravity Asset Management’s Seoul South Gate Hotel Operations Company and Hotel HDC Co. to sign the new voco Seoul Myeongdong in South Korea.
The 576-room property will be rebranded as voco and will be IHG’s second voco property in South Korea, following the successful brand debut of voco Seoul Gangnam in 2022.
Situated at the heart of Seoul’s vibrant district of Myeongdong, voco Seoul Myeongdong is in close proximity to the business district and provides convenient access to attractions such as Deoksugung Palace, City Hall, Myeongdong shopping street and Namdaemun Market.
Less than an hour’s drive from Incheon International Airport, the hotel will feature an all-day dining restaurant, lounge, indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, business centre, and meeting spaces.
“With the increasing demand for upscale hotels in the country, we look forward to bringing voco’s distinctive lifestyle experience to a growing number of domestic and international travellers, and introducing more IHG brands, including Kimpton and Hotel Indigo, to the market,” shared James Oh, Korea representative, IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Il Moon, managing director, Hotel HDC, said: “We’re looking forward to leveraging IHG’s global scale, expertise, and stellar reputation in the industry to bring success to voco Seoul Myeongdong, and are excited to embark on this journey together, which we hope will be the first of many collaborations.”
Philippine Airlines to launch Manila-Seattle route in October
Philippine Airlines (PAL) will launch non-stop flights between Manila and Seattle starting October 2.
The Manila-Seattle-Manila services will initially operate three times weekly, every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with departures at 22.40 (local time) from Manila’s Terminal 1, and at 23.40 (local time) from Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
The Philippine carrier will deploy Boeing 777-300ER aircraft to perform the Seattle services, with full-flat seats in Business Class.
The flights from Philippines will provide convenient connectivity to various US mainland cities, including Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas and Washington DC via PAL’s airline partners. Likewise, travellers from the US will be able to get connecting flights via Manila to PAL’s domestic and regional international network, including cities such as Cebu, Davao, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur.
Jetstar launches Clark-Singapore service
Starting on June 16, Jetstar Asia will resume direct flights from Singapore to Clark, the Philippines, offering four weekly return services.
This frequency will increase to five weekly services starting on October 18.
The route will be operated on Jetstar Asia’s growing fleet of Airbus A320s.
World of Sanrio arrives at Macau’s Studio City
From now to June 30, Studio City in Macau presents the Sanrio Characters Studio City Carnival where guests can embark on a Sanrio journey with their favourite characters including Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Gudetama, Pompompurin, Bad Badtz-Maru, Kerokerokeroppi, and Little Twin Stars.
Featuring life-sized installations of Sanrio characters with camera-ready spots throughout the resort, guests can explore Sanrio-themed interior designs, savour gourmet delights at selected outlets, and enjoy a Sanrio-themed Golden Reel cabin experience complete with a limited-time Sanrio Characters afternoon tea set offer.
There will also be interactive activities such as meet-and-greets with Sanrio Characters, complimentary popcorn, and opportunities to receive special gifts.
For more information, visit Sanrio Characters Studio City Carnival.
The Calile Hotel welcomes new GM
Chris Kemlo has been appointed as general manager of The Calile Hotel in Brisbane.
In his new role, Kemlo will be taking a guest approach, people approach and a business approach to further enhance the guest experience at The Calile.
With more than 18 years’ experience in the industry, he previously held leadership positions with Crown Resorts in Melbourne and, more recently, with Crown Towers Sydney.
David Roberts joins Fusion Hotel Group as COO
Fusion Hotel Group has named David Roberts as its new chief operating officer.
With 20 years’ experience in the Asian hospitality sector, Roberts joins the Vietnam-based team at Fusion from his previous base in Thailand where he worked as vice-president at Onyx Hospitality Group for nine years.
Audra Arul helms as cluster DOS for Kandima, Nova Maldives
Kandima Maldives has appointed Audra Arul as cluster director of sales for its Dhaalu Atoll property, and Nova Maldives.
With over a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, she will leverage her strategic vision and market knowledge to elevate the sales performance and strengthen the position of the resorts.
Air Canada’s longest flight by distance takes off
Air Canada’s newest international service – and the only non-stop flight between Singapore and Canada – has commenced, with an arrival in Singapore this morning.
Stretching 12,818km, the route is the airline’s longest flight measured by distance even though the flying time from Singapore is scheduled to be only 14 hours and 40 minutes.
The Singapore-Vancouver route is operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners offering a choice of three cabins: Air Canada Signature Class featuring lie-flat individual pods; Premium Economy featuring larger seats with additional leg room and premium services; and Economy featuring complimentary chef-inspired and designed meals, wines, and beverages.
The service is operated four times a week, with flights departing from Vancouver International Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; and from Singapore Changi Airport every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Mark Galardo, executive vice president, revenue and network planning at Air Canada, said: “These new Singapore flights are part of our strategic expansion at (Vancouver International Airport) which, together with an efficient and seamless in-transit connection process, further position the airport as the preferred North American gateway to Asia.
“Singapore is also an important gateway from beyond destinations. Customers have a multitude of connection options travelling from South-east Asia, Southern India and Western Australia with our longstanding codeshare and Star Alliance partner, Singapore Airlines.”
Lim Ching Kiat, executive vice president for air hub & cargo development at Changi Airport Group, said the new service was “especially timely, as travel volume between Singapore and Canada last year has seen a healthy rebound, exceeding 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels”.
Vancouver Airport Authority president and CEO, Tamara Vrooman, noted that the new service from Vancouver International Airport would generate US$18 million in economic output and support jobs across the sector.
Saudi Arabia gains more interest among Indonesians
Traditionally regarded as Umrah and Hajj destination, Saudi Arabia is picking up in popularity as a leisure destination among Indonesian travellers who are seeking experiential travel, observed Indonesia’s outbound players.
Yento Chen, CEO, Destination Tour Indonesia, has seen demand for Saudi Arabia rising over the past year, including from non-Muslim travellers, who are keen to explore new destinations. He shared that most clients are “curious and excited to see things” that they have heard about Saudi Arabia, such as tales like living in the desert and 1,001 Nights.
Destination Tour Indonesia has sent its first Indonesian group of 15 pax to the kingdom last February, with group bookings up to the end of the year.
The six-day itinerary includes attractions such as Shubra Palace, Arrudaf Park, Old Town Jeddah, Harrat Viewpoint, Elephant Rock, and Al Masmak Fort – there are also plans to expand the programme to include the Red Sea and more off-the-beaten-path destinations for 2025.
Seeing the positive trend, Yento is confident that Saudi Arabia will be a hot destination for 2025, especially when “the development of tourism products, most of which are premium, are completed”, he added.
Likewise, Ricky Hilton, spokesperson at Golden Rama Tours & Travel, perceives Saudi Arabia as a new destination with huge tourism potential, having received several queries from priority customers who favoured experiential travel.
He shared: “Travellers in these markets are drawn by the exotic allure of Saudi Arabia as well as the luxury hotel chains that have flagged their brands there.”
This growing trend has prompted Golden Rama Tours & Travel to create new packages for sporting holidays, such as golf, and soft adventure activities like trekking, paragliding and horse riding.
The development of Soudah Peaks, a luxury mountain destination, and Sheybarah Islands are some attractions that can fulfil his clients’ preference for luxury and hidden gems, stated Ricky, adding that the four-day free visa facility for transit in Saudi will also help agents to develop more business.
“We can create a Europe plus Saudi package – this could be a favourite tour because it gives clients more choices of attractions and experiences,” he noted.
Aviatour’s director Jeffry Darjanto, however, opined that although Saudi Arabia is becoming a hot topic among the premium market, more information about the country as a tourist destination was still needed. Many queries persist on what attractions were available beyond Mecca and Madinah.
Jeffry also called for a closer collaboration between the NTO office in Jakarta and Indonesian outbound travel companies.
In the meantime, Pauline Suharno, managing director of Elok Tour, hopes that Saudi Tourism Authority will promote the destination through roadshows, travel marts or travel fairs to raise awareness on tourist spots.
She also pointed out the need for the Saudi Arabian government and tourism business stakeholders to train Indonesian travel agents to better understand the country’s tourism sector, including its attractions and offerings, so that they would be well-equipped to push Saudi Arabia’s tourism products to prospective travellers, especially to non-Muslim travellers.
Amadeus has teamed up with Expedia Group to deploy New Distribution Capability (NDC) technology for the global online travel agency.
Having worked with Expedia Group for nearly two decades, this multi-year agreement reinforces Amadeus’ commitment to accelerate the industry evolution towards modern, enhanced retailing, and to help the travel ecosystem to deliver value that supports both industry growth and an improved traveller experience.
NDC allows airlines to easily build, and tailor offers using the latest merchandising techniques, and to efficiently present and distribute them in a way that enriches and enhances the shopping experience for travel sellers such as Expedia Group and its customers.
Expedia’s vice president, global connectivity & partner solutions Chris Hodges commented: “Renewing our partnership with Amadeus and integrating its aggregated NDC content to our connectivity portfolio marks a significant step forward in our collaboration. This move further emphasises our commitment to offering travellers the widest range of choices and personalised experiences, in line with the industry’s ongoing embrace of NDC technology.”
“Amadeus is determined to enable all stakeholders to make the most of the potential that NDC can deliver, and bringing one of our largest online travel agency partners onboard is a great illustration of this. Building on our relationships with both airlines and travel sellers, we are in a strong position to foster cross-industry collaboration on NDC to the benefit of travellers everywhere,” said Sam Abdou, executive vice president global sales airline IT, distribution and global online travel agencies, Amadeus.