SITA is collaborating with Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to create new off-site passenger processing solutions, allowing airline passengers to check themselves and their luggage in from almost any location – even before they arrive at the airport.
The SUTD-SITA off-airport processing project kicked off in March this year and will run for a year. SITA will provide SUTD access to its SITA Flex solution, giving the SUTD researchers the necessary technology to turn their current physical, digital, and experiential off-airport designs into workable prototypes.
When fully integrated and completed, passenger processing procedures – passport scanning, luggage weighing, and printing of luggage tags and boarding passes – which are usually done at airports, will be available off-site using these prototypes.
Tourists could even have their luggage sent to the airport in advance right from their hotel, eliminating the need for them to leave their luggage with the hotel concierge should their flight depart hours after checking out of the hotel. They can simply carry on with their activities and head straight to the airport just an hour, instead of the usual two hours, before their flight departs.
As the hardware and service design requirements are ironed out and the solution takes shape, the off-airport concept will be tested for seamless integration and optimal performance with various SITA partners, including airlines, airports and ground handlers.
Sumesh Patel, SITA’s president for the Asia-Pacific region, commented: “SUTD’s designs break away from a traditional approach to off-airport touchpoints, and powering it will facilitate innovation and our ability to continually transform the passenger experience. It will also demonstrate the existing versatility of our solutions, which can be deployed both in- and off- airport and on non-SITA platforms.”
“We are designing the first fully integrated offsite solution to be powered by the SITA Flex solution – this will reshape and elevate global air travel with greater convenience and efficiency. We look forward to validating our designs in trials with airport and airline operators, cruise centres as well as hoteliers in the months to come,” shared Chong Tow Chong, president of SUTD.
Tented accommodation Natra Bintan, a Tribute Portfolio Resort has rolled out glamping experiences with activities for couples on honeymoon, friends, families as well as corporates groups on incentive and team-building programmes – all in a bid to grow bookings from the domestic Indonesian market.
Natra Bintan, Marriott International’s first tented accommodation concept on Bintan island, comprises 100 safari-themed tents, each 45m² in size, which come with outdoor patios and lush gardens where guests can have a private barbecue party.
The resort is home to South-east Asia’s first and largest man-made seawater lagoon, the Crystal Lagoon. A variety of land and water activities, such as ATV rides, archery and cable ski, are available to guests. These are operated by Treasure Bay Bintan.
For the adventurous, the resort can arrange a guided kayak tour through the private mangroves, golfing at Bintan Golf Club, and hiking in the rainforest of Gunung Bintan. A Mangrove Discovery Tour and dinner at Kelong floating restaurant are also recommended activities.
Young guests are entertained with painting, martial arts, dance and picnics.
While the resort’s hardware and software offerings are attractive, Ratna Wahyuni, general manager of Natra Bintan, said her team face the challenge of raising the awareness of Bintan as a destination among domestic travellers.
“Bintan is not so popular among Indonesians yet. We still hear people asking where Bintan is, and even those who know Bintan will ask what can they do here,” Ratna added.
Natra Bintan made moves to court the domestic market during the pandemic. “We started building awareness among Indonesian travellers through promotional videos with Traveloka.”
More efforts are needed, especially in educating Indonesians about Bintan’s accessibility.
Ratna said not many are aware that there are daily flights from Jakarta to Raja Haji Fisabilillah Airport in Tanjung Pinang, just about an hour’s drive from the resort. Local travellers are not limited to the ferry service via Singapore – something that many perceive.
Calvine Vorry, Natra Bintan’s director of sales and marketing, said the resort is ideal for bringing people together. Families and friends staying together within a compound can arrange for a joint barbecue dinner.
Many corporate groups recognise the resort’s social bonding potential, making it a popular choice for team-building programmes. This year alone, Natra Bintan has hosted events from Indonesian financial institutions and oil companies. It will welcome a large event this September, organised by a tobacco manufacturer from Batam for more than 200 guests from Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. This event will buyout 100 rooms.
Currently, the domestic market is 20 per cent of the total business at the resort. Its biggest market is Singapore, at 70 per cent, while China, India, and South Korea make up the rest.
Ratna wants to grow the domestic share by 10 to 15 per cent, and hopes that airfares between Jakarta and Bintan – often higher than that to Bali and other destinations with similar flight duration – would come down to facilitate travel.