Thai Airways International (THAI) has adjusted its flight schedule between Thailand’s Bangkok and Germany’s Frankfurt to accommodate passengers stuck at the airport due to the strikes by ground staff and airport security workers at Frankfurt Airport on March 6 and 7.
The flights will be operated with Boeing 777-300ER which has a capacity for 348 seats.
THAI has made adjustments to its flight schedules to accommodate passengers stranded in Germany
Flights to Frankfurt will depart Bangkok at 12.40 and 23.40 on March 7; at 12.40 on March 8; and at 07.30 on March 9.
Flights to Bangkok will leave Frankfurt on March 8 at four timings: 15.45, 13.45, 14.45 and 20.55; and at 15.45 on March 9.
All timings stated are in local time.
Passengers scheduled to fly on those days can visit THAI’s website for updates.
Jazeera Airways has appointed Barathan Pasupathi as its new chief executive officer. He takes over the role from Rohit Ramachandran, who will be stepping down after over seven years with the company.
He was formerly the chief financial officer of Jazeera Airways, and brings to his role over 30 years of experience in aviation, oil and gas, and supply chain management.
Before joining Jazeera Airways, Barathan was CEO of Jetstar Asia.
Sarawak has launched its Gateway to Borneo campaign alongside the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 5 with longhaul travel specialist Tischler Reisen to lure more visitors from the European market.
In 2023, Sarawak attracted a total of 3.9 million visitors, an increase of 93.8 per cent compared to the previous year. Of those, a total of 57,496 arrivals hailed from Europe, marking a 121 per cent year-on-year surge.
Sarawak hopes the MoU will help draw more visitors from the European market
This represents an 81.5 per cent recovery in the European market compared with 2019. The UK was the top source market, with Germany snagging second place with 7,738 visitors.
Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s minister of tourism, creative industry and performing arts, is optimistic that 2024 will see Sarawak surpassing 2019’s European arrivals.
His confidence is bolstered by the MoU signing between Sarawak Tourism Board and Tischler Reisen.
“Building on the foundation laid in 2023, this partnership is a natural progression, aimed at enhancing Sarawak’s appeal as a premier destination in the eyes of European travellers,” Hamzah said.
“Tischler Reisen is set to leverage its extensive network of 600 agencies in Germany, promoting Sarawak through diverse tour packages, both offline and online. Through this collaborative effort, we’re confident Sarawak will ascend to greater heights as a preferred destination among Germany and neighbouring European markets.”
Strong arrivals from Gulf states are driving recovery in China’s Guangzhou, with one hotel reporting rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Franco Io, general manager of LN Garden Hotel, reported 100 per cent recovery in 2023 compared to 2019. “We’ve been surprised at how fast the foreign market has recovered,” he said.
Travel rebound in Guangzhou has been predominantly led by Gulf states due to air connectivity; Pearl River in Guangzhou, China, pictured
He noted that the rebound has been predominantly led by Gulf states, mainly due to Emirates and Turkish Airlines being two of the first airlines to resume routes there.
“When China opened, they started flying immediately and this helped drive business from the Gulf,” Io added.
“In the Gulf states, everything is sparkling and new, and there is a lot of that going on in Guangzhou and China, so that has helped.”
Io said the surge in arrivals from Gulf states has been followed by strong South-east Asian arrivals. There was also a pick-up in arrivals from the European and North American markets at the end of 2023.
He added that arrivals are a healthy mix of business and leisure travellers keen to explore a destination that “flies under the shadow of Shanghai and Beijing”, but offers better value for money.
In addition, he noted an uptick in business travellers extending their stay for two to three days.
European travellers have turned out to be Southern Thailand’s strongest tourism drivers, pushing up hotel performance to record-breaking levels while staying for weeks at a time.
According to a Bangkok Post report, tourists from Russia, Scandinavia and Germany, drawn to the region’s natural beauty, are the main contributors to an occupancy rate of 90 per cent or higher.
Southern Thailand has seen an influx of tourists from Europe; James Bond island in Phang Nga Bay, pictured
Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn, former president of Phang Nga Tourism Council, said: “Many hotels in the province, especially in Khao Lak, can charge higher room rates of between 6,000 baht (US$168.50) and 10,000 baht per night, exceeding the average of 5,000 baht in 2019.”
Ketprakorn explained that despite the surge in Chinese arrivals – nearly a fifth of all arrivals in 2023 – Phang Nga has no real access to a consumer base attracted to beach holidays and urban entertainment. The tourism sector contributes only between five and 10 per cent to the province’s economy.
Hotels in Krabi have also benefitted from long-term European visitors.
Charintip Tiyaphorn, owner of Pimalai Resort and Spa at Koh Lanta of Krabi, told the media that Chinese tourists were unable to secure any rooms during the Lunar New Year holidays, because it was 90 per cent booked by Europeans who had made their reservations up to 180 days in advance, beating out Chinese guests who tend to book closer to their travel time.
The strong advance demand allowed Pimalai Resort and Spa to punch up rates to in excess of 900 baht across all accommodation types.
Despite the Thai government’s enthusiastic embrace of China as key source markets with high-profile schemes to bolster the kingdom’s tourism industry, local tourism players believe that flight shortages and the destination profile of Southern Thailand may have dampened the potential for Chinese arrivals growth.
A Krabi Tourism Association spokesperson pointed to a shortage in direct flights from China to Krabi. Prior to Covid-19, the region had traffic from five cities in China.
Freelance travel agent, Lek Nawat, told TTG Asia that Chinese travellers were still more drawn to “established tourist centres, like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket, where some of them feel more secure and confident” about moving around.
She explained: “Chinese tourists are still quite cautious when it comes to travel. Less well-known destinations raise lots of questions regarding activities, food, health and safety, and whether they can use digital payments. Never underestimate the importance of WeChat. There is also a lack of demand to visit (places) perceived to be off the beaten path.”
Seoul Tourism Organization is gearing up for Seoul International Travel Mart (SITM) 2024, slated to be held at Seoul Dragon City from June 17 to 19, 2024.
In 2023, the annual B2B trade show – the largest in South Korea – was a success, where it welcomed 501 buyers and sellers, and 3,027 business meetings were held.
Kim: we are targeting to attract more leisure visitors from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and China
Yunyeong Kim, STO’s assistant manager, told TTG Asia: “(Other tourism agencies of municipal governments) will also be participating at the show. Our target is to attract around 600 buyers and sellers this year, and organise over 3,300 meetings. Both buyers and sellers are invited to register via our website.”
For SITM 2023, Kim shared that 60 per cent of buyers were from Asia-Pacific, with the other 40 per cent from the rest of the world, but this year’s focus will be more on potential growth markets in Asia-Pacific.
“We are targeting to attract more leisure visitors from Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and China, for 2024; especially China, as visa processes have been eased.”
Up to 80 per cent of Lufthansa Airline flight programme will be affected between March 6 evening and March 9 morning (Central European Time) as German ground staff at Deutsche Lufthansa , Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo and other companies go on strike.
A notification from the airline states that flights operating from Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Hamburg airports will not be possible during this period.
Lufthansa Group stand at ITB Berlin 2024
Frankfurt airport, Germany’s busiest, will also be closed to passengers with planned departures today (March 7) due to a security staff strike organised by Germany’s Verdi union.
With the strikes coinciding with ITB Berlin 2024, a travel tradeshow attended by the world’s travel and tourism professionals, some overseas exhibitors and participants have chosen to cut short their attendance and leave the city on March 6 or by the morning of March 7, especially those with urgent commitments in the coming days and could ill afford being stuck in Berlin.
Furthermore, the country’s train drivers with Deutsche Bahn have also walked out of their duties starting today, impacting rail services at varying extent from region to region. The Berlin S-Bahn will deploy an emergency schedule during this period, and commuters have been warned that vehicles would be packed and waiting times would be extended.
This has caused delays in ITB Berlin attendees reporting to the venue on March 7. Within the Asia-Pacific halls, for instance, many booths were still missing representatives and buyers at half an hour past the 10.00 opening of business appointments.
A Middle Eastern exhibitor, who declined to be named, expressed concerns yesterday of a possible poor buyer turnout on March 7, the last day of the event.
However, several Asian sellers remain upbeat on March 7 morning, saying potential business loss would be minimal since it was common for most buyers to pack their meetings and appointments into the first two days of the tradeshow; the bulk of their appointments have been fulfilled.
Anxious show attendees have earlier flocked the massive Lufthansa Group stand, which also houses representatives of Eurowings, Brussels Airlines, and Edelwiess, to enquire about their flights and rebooking procedures, prompting the aviation company to put up notices at its reception to inform guests that rebooking services are not possible onsite.
According to local news reports, disgruntled staff are demanding higher pay and better work conditions.
Centara Hotels & Resorts is working towards being the top 100 hotels in the world, in terms of the number of operating rooms, and it plans to do so by securing more management contracts over the next five years.
“To do this, we probably need another 5,000 to 6,000 rooms. A quarter of this anticipated growth is going to be owned, while the rest are managed. With our own real estate, we also want to double the revenue within the next five years,” Michael Henssler, chief operations officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts, told TTG Asia at ITB Berlin 2024.
Henssler: we have an awful lot to offer, but property owners don’t know about it
As Centara owns about one-third of its portfolio, Henssler said the company has empathy for fellow owners, and this is an advantage when it bids for management contracts.
At the moment, out of Centara’s 52 properties, around 20 are owned, while the rest are management contracts.
Henssler noted that resources for expansion are not a problem for the hospitality group, as it is backed by Thai multinational conglomerate Central Group.
“While Centara is renowned in Thailand, the perception of the brand outside of the country is not where it deserves to be, and this is our largest challenge. As a management company, we have an awful lot to offer, but property owners don’t know about it,” Henssler opined.
As to where future properties might be, Henssler pointed to home turf opportunities with Centara’s other hotel brands, such as COSI Hotels by Centara in a fourth-tier Thai city.
Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as China, the Middle East, and North Africa are also destinations the groups wants to thrive in.
Henssler is also exploring popular resort destinations like Indonesia’s Bali, and Lombok, and Malaysia’s Kota Kinabalu, stating that Centara has “a lot of credibility in resorts”.
Overall, Henssler is optimistic about Asia’s travel sector, stating that it has rebounded strongly, and that the region is still value for money and safe.
However, he posited: “At the moment, growth rates in Asia are phenomenal, but I’m unsure of how long it can be sustained in this global climate. The only certain thing is uncertainty, so let’s stay vigilant, let’s stay creative, and let’s be humble.”
Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) will introduce its first Radisson Red property to Auckland, New Zealand, set to launch in 2025.
Owned by developer Stonewood Group, the purpose-built 322-key Radisson Red Auckland is located in the heart of Queen Street and will offer accommodation ranging from Standard Rooms to two-bedroom suites. Guests will be able to enjoy access to an all-day dining restaurant, a wellness facility as well as four function rooms.
The 322-key Radisson Red Auckland will open in 2025
The hotel forms an integral component of a mixed-use commercial development, incorporating dining establishments including a rooftop specialty restaurant, and retail outlets.
With close access to Auckland’s key attractions, guests can take a 10-minute walk to the Auckland waterfront or visit popular tourist attractions, casinos, art galleries, parks, and museums.
“Auckland is fast becoming one of New Zealand’s top tourist destinations renowned for its multiculturalism and culinary influences, making it an ideal and thriving market to launch the Radisson Red brand.” said Lachlan Hoswell, managing director, Australasia, RHG.
“The Radisson Red brand is an ideal brand that diversifies our real estate portfolio, with a strong commercial and operational value proposition with a distinct design concept that helps guests immerse themselves into Queen Street’s thriving arts district,” added Michael Chow, co-founder and director, Stonewood Group.
Vietjet is expanding its international flight network by introducing brand new routes from Hanoi to Hiroshima in Japan and Melbourne in Australia.
The Hanoi-Melbourne route will commence operation on June 3, operating twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays from Hanoi, arriving Melbourne later that day. Return flights depart Melbourne on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Vietjet will launch direct flights from Hanoi to Melbourne and Hiroshima
Vietjet will debut direct flights between Hanoi and Hiroshima starting May 12, which will operate twice weekly return flights on Thursdays and Sundays.
Before joining Jazeera Airways, Barathan was CEO of Jetstar Asia.
Sarawak has launched its Gateway to Borneo campaign alongside the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on March 5 with longhaul travel specialist Tischler Reisen to lure more visitors from the European market.
In 2023, Sarawak attracted a total of 3.9 million visitors, an increase of 93.8 per cent compared to the previous year. Of those, a total of 57,496 arrivals hailed from Europe, marking a 121 per cent year-on-year surge.
This represents an 81.5 per cent recovery in the European market compared with 2019. The UK was the top source market, with Germany snagging second place with 7,738 visitors.
Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s minister of tourism, creative industry and performing arts, is optimistic that 2024 will see Sarawak surpassing 2019’s European arrivals.
His confidence is bolstered by the MoU signing between Sarawak Tourism Board and Tischler Reisen.
“Building on the foundation laid in 2023, this partnership is a natural progression, aimed at enhancing Sarawak’s appeal as a premier destination in the eyes of European travellers,” Hamzah said.
“Tischler Reisen is set to leverage its extensive network of 600 agencies in Germany, promoting Sarawak through diverse tour packages, both offline and online. Through this collaborative effort, we’re confident Sarawak will ascend to greater heights as a preferred destination among Germany and neighbouring European markets.”