TTG Asia
Asia/Singapore Thursday, 29th January 2026
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Page 386

Further East 2023 wins more hearts

By Mimi Hudoyo
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Further East 2023, an annual invited-only luxury travel trade event, has seen a 30 per cent growth in attendance as the Australasian travel market rebounds.

Now into its fourth year, the event in Bali’s Seminyak, Indonesia, welcomed 165 exhibitor stands, 75 per cent of which were repeat, and 185 international buyers, 40 per cent of which were new.

Further East 2023 in action

Serge Dive, founder and CEO of event owner This is Beyond, said: “It is a good demonstration of the resurgence of the Australasian market. In many ways 2023 (has been) the year the world finally opened and there is a huge desire to travel. There is also a huge desire among travel industry players to shape up.”

Dive noted that the industry has been “rebooting” themselves by evaluating the way they do business, and Further East has been able to provide a platform for them to elevate their brands and to see what the future holds for the luxury travel industry.

Participation interest in the exclusive event is up, but the organising team maintains high standards in the qualifying process, according to Dive.

Sophia Asghar, project manager of Further East, said she had received a lot more interest from industry members to join the event this year, thanks to the success of last year’s event, which was held just after borders started to reopen.

Dive said: “We need to make sure that Sophia and the team are finding only the very best buyers and sellers, and that we bring some new buyers and sellers to the show.”

Building on the success of last year’s edition, Further East 2023 birthed a new element – the Further East Leadership Summit together with NIHI Sumba. The three-day summit from November 10 to 13 brought together just 10 people, of which eight were Asia-Pacific’s most influential travel leaders. Behind closed doors, they discussed ideas to shape the future of travel in the region. Ideas generated will be shared with the wider Further Easy community early 2024.

Dive was confident that Further East will rise along with the uptrend in Asia-Pacific’s luxury travel, with participation likely to cross the 500 mark in the next five to six years.

Further East 2024 will return to Alila Seminyak on November 4 to 7.

Commenting on the Further East 2024 commitment, Christiane Ferger, general manager of Alila Seminyak, said: “(The hotel) has been home to Further East since its beginnings in 2018, and we are very grateful to be chosen. The show brings exhibitors, buyers and media together, and allows for open minds to exchange ideas.

“The event not only benefits our hotel and Seminyak as a global destination but also extends its impact by fostering exposure among exhibitors, buyers, media worldwide, beyond the event itself.”

Sabreena Jacob, general manager of Ta’aktana, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, which is set to open 1Q2024 in Labuan Bajo, said the event provided a timely platform for her to “start the conversation about our unique resort”.

First-timer Romy Strang, director of The Resort Villa, Rayong Thailand, added that the event helped her to connect with international buyers, allowing her to expand her sources beyond her dominant Scandinavian market.

Expedia’s Unpack ’24 casts light on 2024 travel trends

By TTG Asia
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Come next year, travellers are expected to make trip decisions based on screen inspirations, affordable duplicates, concert draws and AI assistance, say Expedia Group’s Unpack ’24 study that involved 20,000 respondents worldwide.

Tour tourism will continue to thrive in 2024, as consumers combine their favourite concerts with destination exploration 

Set-jetting
For 2023, Expedia predicted travellers would turn to television sets and movie screens for travel inspiration. They did, and the trend shows no signs of stopping in 2024. More than half of travellers say they have researched or booked a trip to a destination after seeing it on a TV show or movie, and one in four admit that TV shows and films are even more influential on their travel plans than they were before. In fact, travellers say TV shows influence their travel decisions more than Instagram, TikTok and podcasts.

Expedia search data indicates a similar trend. Following the release of Wednesday on Netflix, Expedia saw a 150% increase in travel searches for Romania. Searches to Paris increased 200% after Emily in Paris debuted its previous season.

Given the popularity of this travel trend, Expedia compiled its first-ever Set-jetting Forecast predicting what entertainment-inspired destinations travellers will head to in 2024, based on upcoming show and film releases and travel data from the Expedia Group platform.

  • Romania inspired by Wednesday season 2
  • Paris inspired by Emily in Paris season 4
  • South Korea inspired by Squid Game season 2
  • Thailand inspired by The White Lotus season 3
  • Malta inspired by the new Gladiator 2 film
  • Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of Outlander
  • London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of Bridgerton and The Crown season 6.

Destination dupes
Expedia’s 2024 destinations of the year are destination dupes — places that are a little unexpected, sometimes more affordable, and every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true destinations travellers love.

The 2024 destination dupes all experienced a notable uptick in searches over the past year. In fact, global searches for the Top 5 destinations on the list more than doubled YoY.

  • Taipei (dupe for Seoul) – 2,785%
  • Pattaya (dupe for Bangkok) – 250%
  • Paros (dupe for Santorini) -195%
  • Curaçao (dupe for St. Martin) – 185%
  • Perth (dupe for Sydney) – 110%
  • Liverpool (dupe for London) – 95%
  • Palermo (dupe for Lisbon) – 90%
  • Quebec City (dupe for Geneva) – 60%
  • Sapporo (dupe for Zermatt) – 40%
  • Memphis (dupe for Nashville) – 15%

Tour tourism
In 2023, the cultural impact of the Eras and Renaissance tours was undeniable, driving ticket sales as well as travel and tourism. Expedia predicts that tour tourism will continue to thrive in 2024. Nearly 70% of survey respondents say they are more likely to travel to a concert outside their own town, with over 40% saying they’d travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place. In a new twist to tour tourism, perhaps driven by ticket prices, 30% of travellers say they would travel outside of their home city for a concert because tickets were cheaper elsewhere. Unexpected places on Expedia’s list of top tour tourism destinations are Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, Canada, and Mexico City.

‌Gen gen AI
While generative AI tools like ChatGPT took centre stage in 2023, only 6% of travellers used it to plan their trip. In 2024, Expedia predicts the generation of generative AI travellers will come of age and fully embrace this tech throughout their travel journey. In fact, survey data reveals that half of travellers are interested in using generative AI to plan their next trip, and the percentage is even higher among Singaporeans (68%).

What drives this trend is generative AI’s ability to simplify planning and shopping through a conversation. Nearly 40% of travellers say they would use this tech to find the perfect stay, 35% would plan activities and things to do, 33% would compare flight options, and 20% of travellers would change or cancel their travel plans.

Saudi intensifies investments in tourism talents

By Kathryn Wortley
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Saudi Arabia is expanding its efforts to develop talents for its growing travel as well as business events sectors, with a specialist school and new training programmes for professionals and businesses in the events ecosystem all in the works.

The Riyadh School of Tourism and Hospitality, set to open in 4Q2024, is co-founded by the tourism ministry and Riyadh-based entertainment mega project Qiddiya in collaboration with the UNWTO. The institute will offer a range of educational programmes, from diplomas to Master’s degrees, and intends to welcome 25,000 students annually by 2030.

Saudi Arabia’s travel and business events sectors are getting top level support in talent management

Training sufficient human resources to work in tourism and hospitality roles is an important part of the country’s Vision 2030, an ambitious programme that aims to diversify the economy and open up Saudi Arabia, including through tourism, by the end of this decade. The Kingdom aims to create one million new jobs in tourism across the country by 2030.

The Ministry of Tourism had earlier allocated US$100 million to the Tourism Pioneers programme, which enabled 100,000 young people from its second-largest city, Jeddah to study at top institutions in France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the UK and Australia in 2022. On completion, participants will be equipped to “secure employment opportunities in leading hospitality companies in the Kingdom,” to help “create a skilled and ambitious workforce to support the tourism sector,” said the ministry in a statement.

Most graduates are likely to return to Jeddah due to employment opportunities in its historic Al Barad district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for its unique architecture and historic role as a major port for Indian Ocean trade and gateway for pilgrims to Mecca who arrived by the Red Sea.

An estimated 1,800 hotel units, as well as recreational and commercial spaces, are earmarked to be built in the 2.5 million square-metre district by 2030, alongside the restoration of historic buildings.

On the business events front, Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority is investing in brand equity promotions for the local meetings and events industry, relevant education to build a pool of events professionals, and training packages for business in the events ecosystem.

These efforts are meant to make Saudi Arabia an even more attractive destination for meetings, according to Amjad Shacker, CEO, Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority.

Amjad said: “(A destination needs) human capital because without it, none of the infrastructure for meetings – the venues, the regulations, the bylaws and the standards – will be possible.”

He shared that work to “educate the masses on this industry” is ongoing, and it has resulted in many “young female and male Saudis eager to participate” as well as the emergence of start-ups in the events ecosystem.

Saudi Conventions and Exhibitions General Authority is collaborating with educational institutions to make “courses at various levels” available to anyone keen on a meetings and events profession, and providing educational packages to help SMEs and start-ups in the business events sector grow to a bigger scale. – Additional reporting by Karen Yue

Tourism Tropical North Queensland launches global campaigns to boost visitation

By TTG Asia
0

Tourism Tropical North Queensland (TTNQ) has launched its first global trade campaigns for the Cairns & Great Barrier Reef brand with partners Expedia and Trip.com, targetting seven key international markets.

TTNQ chair John O’Sullivan said the new campaigns are part of some 20 that are being supported by federal government’s A$15 million (US$9.8 million) International Tourism Recovery Program funding.

Atherton Tablelands is Tropical North Queensland’s highland plateau

O’Sullivan noted that the funding has seen good initial yield.

“This level of investment will drive the region’s recovery with the International Tourism Recovery Program funding already delivering more than A$3 million in gross sales after just three trade campaigns in Japan, which ran from June to July,” he said.

TTNQ CEO Mark Olsen said the campaign activity was closely aligned with Tourism and Events Queensland’s international initiatives, such as its campaign, A Beautiful Way to Be, in China.

“Partnering with influential brands like Expedia and Trip.com will ensure our region is penetrating a highly competitive travel marketplace and leveraging Tourism and Events Queensland’s activity,” he said.

The Trip.com partnership will be live in the UK, China, Singapore and Japan at various times until May 2024, and will include activities such as live streaming promotion via WeChat in China through online travel agent Ctrip.

The Expedia partnership will target the UK, Japan, the US, Canada and New Zealand, and will see tactical activations such as discount coupons in the US market and engagement of some 40,000 travel agencies in Japan and New Zealand through the Travel Agent Affiliate Program.

Travel deals sustain Indonesian outbound demand

By Tiara Maharani
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Despite the devaluation of the rupiah against the US dollar, appetite for outbound travel among Indonesians remains high, thanks to attractive offers presented at numerous travel fairs that have surfaced this year.

At the recent Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair 2023, hosted in multiple cities across the country – Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Palembang, Denpasar, Makassar and Jayapura, consumers were able to enjoy discounts of up to 80 per cent along with cash-back worth up to 4.3 million rupiah (US$272).

Dignitaries open the Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair 2023, where heavily discounted travel packages and cash back are offered

The fair has a target of 105 billion rupiah in transaction, with 30,000 flight tickets sold. The final transaction is not yet available at press time.

Indonesian outbound specialists told TTG Asia that consumers may be unperturbed because they are now used to the fluctuating conditions of the rupiah.

Furthermore, Indonesians now perceive travelling as a necessity.

Edhi Sutadarma, director at Golden Rama Tours and Travel, added that the ability to travel abroad is “like a status symbol”.

Even with rising costs of travel, affordable destinations remain, opined Davy Batubara, Group COO Smailing Tour. He pointed to Malaysia and Thailand as being good options.

“Even with the current rupiah value, hotel prices in Malaysia and Thailand are still cheaper than in Bali while air ticket prices are not much different,” Davy said.

Both Davy and Edhi noted that the affordability of South-east Asian destinations is a strong pull factor for Indonesians, while Japan and South Korea have risen steadily to become leading destinations among their customers.

Daissy, acting vice president of outbound tour at Wita Tour, is optimistic that outbound travel demand will continue to grow due to back-to-back festive seasons. “The timing is right – the end of year holidays is followed by the Chinese New Year and Eid al-Fitr holidays,” she said.

Golden Rama Tours and Travel as well as Smailing Tour have committed to keeping prices in the face of rising costs and depreciating rupiah, as they would rather reduce profits than lose clients.

However, Edhi admitted that holding out cannot be a long-term solution. “If the rupiah doesn’t strengthen next year, there will have to be a little adjustment,” he said.

Philippine company takes Hotel101 brand to the US

By TTG Asia
0

Filipino company DoubleDragon Corporation has secured a site in Los Angeles, the US for its first Hotel101-branded property in the country.

The site is in the Westlake North District, five minutes to downtown, 10 minutes to Hollywood, and 20 minutes to Beverly Hills and the Los Angeles International Airport.

The first Hotel101 property in the US will rise in Los Angeles

The hotel is expected to offer 622 rooms, subject to entitlement and zoning approval, as well as an all-day restaurant, a business centre, pool, gym, 24-hour convenience store, and event venues.

Hannah Yulo-Luccini, CEO of Hotel101 Global, a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Corporation, said: “This step completes the first three strategic overseas sites of Hotel101 located in Japan, Spain and the US, and is set to enable Hotel101 to transcend as a truly global brand.”

The Hotel101 brand adopts a hybrid condotel business model where rooms are intended to be typical or similar in size and look, so as to cater to the mid-end market.

Christmas is coming to Universal Studios Singapore

By TTG Asia
0

Christmas is coming to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) at Resorts World Sentosa from December 2 to January 1, 2024. A Universal Christmas will present all-new live shows, festive encounters with popular characters, including Illumination’s Minions and DreamWorks’ Trolls, and snowfall.

DreamWorks’ Trolls will bring holiday cheer to the Hollywood zone, along with the Trolls Tree Trimming Party show that comes with a meet-and-greet with Poppy and Branch.

The New York zone will be transformed into Santa’s North Pole Headquarters. Expect to encounter snowfall here multiple times a day.

Every evening, Santa’s North Pole Headquarters plays host to a night-time performance – the W.I.S.H show, which packs in live singing, dancing and an enchanting snowfall at the end.

Christmas vibes will continue throughout the theme park – spot Santa’s Present Party delivery route, join regular characters like Bumblebee from Transformers and DreamWorks’ Shrek and Fiona in spreading festive cheer, and enjoy Christmas hits at Mel’s Stage.

A Universal Christmas is included with regular admission to USS.

More information is available here.

Bringing home a legend

By Karen Yue
0

The Regent Hong Kong is considered quite the landmark in the destination, in entertainment, events and tourism circles. Is that why the brand and property’s return has attracted so much fanfare?
When the Regent Hong Kong first opened in 1980, it set a new benchmark for luxury hospitality in Asia, from its groundbreaking design to its highly personalised level of service.

The hotel’s legacy in Hong Kong is indelible in the collective memories of Hong Kong people who have celebrated life’s milestones here – from their wedding photos on the iconic white marble staircase leading to the Regent Ballroom to special family occasions at our restaurants or fireworks celebrations with the hotel’s front-row views of Victoria Harbour.

Over the decades, the Regent Hong Kong was the hotel of choice for many of the most prestigious events, hosting international dignitaries, celebrities and CEOs. It was renowned as one of the world’s top hotels. It is acclaimed for its exceptional restaurants and personalised service.

When it comes to location, it is world renowned for having the best and most spectacular views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island.

For those familiar with the former Regent Hong Kong, what would be surprising for them now?
The hotel has undergone a total transformation from top to bottom – encompassing all guestrooms, public areas and even the façade. Our visionary designer Chi Wing Lo had reimagined the hotel as a serene and majestic haven on the harbour, removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

For guests who remember the original Regent Hong Kong, they will still feel a sense of familiarity – the feng shui fountain at the entrance, the original white Carrara marble staircase leading to the Regent Ballroom, their favourite restaurants – including Harbourside, The Steak House, Lai Ching Heen and The Lobby Lounge – are still here.

What will be most surprising for them will be the reimagining of the guestrooms by Chi Wing Lo – with each room envisioned as a personal haven of tranquillity. The serene room design is filled with thoughtful details and touches such as the mirrored sliding doors, with a subtle woven pattern that reflects the view. A daybed becomes a personal haven overlooking a unique framed view of the harbour, with a handcrafted bronze bonsai creating a bespoke foreground. The chair swivels, allowing you to enjoy the view from every angle; and the furniture seems to float – making the room seem more spacious. In the Oasis Bathroom, the deep-soaking tub has views of the harbour (only in selected harbourview rooms). Even the toilet is calming, with a backlit wall with greenery.

And for those new to the hotel, especially the young generation of travellers, how would it impress?
The hotel has a contemporary feel that will appeal to the new generation of luxury travellers. It is a haven for discreet luxury with a timeless design.

We boast a Dining Destination that offers immersive culinary experiences that appeal to all ages. Building on decades of culinary and service excellence, each venue – The Steak House, Harbourside, The Lobby Lounge and our two-Michelin star Lai Ching Heen – has been reimagined with a stunning new decor and elevated dining experiences.

Nobu Hong Kong has reopened at our hotel with its internationally acclaimed Japanese cuisine.

In December, we will launch Qura, a stunning destination bar with incredible framed views of the harbour, bespoke drink selections, and a humidor room for cigar enthusiasts. This is positioned as a sophisticated playground to celebrate life’s great pleasures. It will definitely appeal to the young generation of well-heeled local and international guests.

Our service philosophy also appeals to the younger generation. It’s about doing things on your terms. We make our guests feel comfortable in the environment. We enable uplifting experiences – through our service philosophy.

There is a harmonious flow where things happen naturally. There is thoughtful kindness delivered through small touches. There is a bit of decadence, especially through little touches in the food and beverage offerings in our restaurants and our amenities. Each experience is a journey.

With our Regent Experience Agents, each guest has a single point of contact.

The guest can also communicate 24/7 with our Experience team via our Regent Chat app which the young generation of travellers will appreciate.

How did early bookings as well as interest from travel agent partners look in the months leading up to your November 8 opening? And how well will your hotel do in its initial months of opening, which coincide with the year-end and new year peak?
In alignment with the travel trends in Hong Kong, business from China and Asia has been picking up rapidly over the past several months. Luxury leisure travel has been on the rise, while corporate travel, especially from long-haul markets, is also rebounding.

We anticipate a busy year-end and new year holiday season with guests who are excited to experience the reimagined Regent Hong Kong and the personalised and immersive experience at our haven on the harbour as well as our Dining Destination with all of our restaurants and bars fully open.

How will your distribution strategy look, and where does the travel agent community fit in?
In the history of our hotel, we have always worked very closely with the travel advisor community.

We participate in several luxury travel industry alliances including Virtuoso and Signature Travel Network. In fact, we are currently taking part in Virtuoso road trips to reconnect with the travel advisor community.

I will be attending ILTM in Cannes in early December along with our director of luxury. We are actively reintroducing Regent Hong Kong to the luxury travel industry community and are excited to share the reimagined Regent Hong Kong and welcome travel advisors and their clients to experience the new Regent Hong Kong.

Friends in the travel and tourism industry often tell me that Hong Kong will shine again soon enough post-lockdown. There is great optimism that Hong Kong can attain 30 million arrivals by the end of 2023 – more than the 26 million forecasted. What is your outlook for the destination, and what opportunities are there to catalyse Hong Kong’s travel and tourism rebound?
Hong Kong is a vibrant and dynamic city. It has so much to offer to both the leisure and business traveller. Exciting developments in Kowloon, especially on the art and cultural front, including M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, are world-class attractions, just a short taxi ride from our hotel.

Meanwhile, the TST (Tsim Sha Tsui) neighbourhood where we are located has been totally redeveloped and revitalised, with Victoria Dockside, K11 Musea, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Avenue of Stars. Regent Hong Kong is uniquely positioned at the harbour’s edge as the epicentre in a dynamic neighbourhood that is a destination in itself.

With the recent launch of several major infrastructure projects like the high-speed train at the West Kowloon Station and the road/rail bridge linking Hong Kong, Macau and beyond, Hong Kong now has easy connectivity to so many cities within the GBA (Greater Bay Area) and Pearl River Delta. Ease of travel in the area has greatly been improved.

I look forward to seeing Regent Hong Kong contribute to the success of this incredible city as a global travel destination.

How Regent Hong Kong brings meaning back to brands

By Raini Hamdi
0

I stayed multiple times at the former Hotel InterContinental Hong Kong, which is now Regent Hong Kong, as it was from 1980 to 2001 before it became InterContinental.

Brands may change, but great hotels don’t. This hotel has always been special because of its location on the edge of Victoria Harbour, which makes guests feel as if they are on a cruise absorbing the most splendid views of the harbour and Hong Kong skyline.

The Regent brand returned to Hong Kong on November 8 with a big celebration

It’s also special because it’s a dining destination before the catchphrase was even invented. Then there’s that grand marble staircase leading to the ballroom that has witnessed many life moments. Service is courteous, caring and always consistent.

It is special because of its history. The hotel isn’t the first Regent hotel in the world, but it’s the one that made Regent famous. Robert Burns, who founded Regent, along with Adrian Zecha and Georg Rafael, reinvented luxury in the 80s with this hotel. Their vision was to create an innovative product that blends the best of Asian and Western hospitality. Put together three hotel supremos – an American, Asian and European – innovate they did, and the hotel captured the imagination of world travellers at a time fascination with the exotic Far East was rising.

Regent gave us what we take as a given in luxury hotels today, i.e., the five-fixture bathroom – bathtub, walk-in shower, separate toilet and two sinks. It eschewed the opulence of traditional grand hotels for something “simple yet elegant, modern yet timeless, global yet local”, in the words of Steven Pan, chairman of Regent Hotels & Resorts and owner of Regent Taipei, in a chat with me at the grand opening event on November 8.

But Regent went into wrong hands several times in its history. Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts bought it, only to reflag Regent hotels in the choicest locations such as Bali as Four Seasons. Radisson put the brand on its cruise line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Were it to go into wrong hands again, Regent might be history. Fortunately, there’s a new ‘trio’ to reignite Regent, namely the brand’s new ownership under a joint venture between IHG and Steven Pan, and Gaw Capital Partners, which led the acquisition of the InterContinental in 2015 and its rebranding as Regent Hong Kong today.

A royally expensive renovation of Regent Hong Kong, believed to cost US$300 million, reflects the hotel owners’ commitment to reproduce the original top quality Regent hotel, yet one that will appeal to new travellers.

As Tom Rowntree, IHG’s vice president global luxury & lifestyle brands, told me, many of the great brands that exist today were built on the traditional cues of luxury, which no longer resonate with today’s clientele. Moreover, majority of wealth previously was inherited; today, it is earned, he said. That changes the way today’s new rich consume luxury – less formality, for instance, and more tailor-made to the individual rather than rigid conventions as in the past.

The new Regent Hong Kong is sleek, stylish and sensuous in elegant and quiet ways. There’s a distinct air of sophisticated modern Asia about it, a nod to its location. It also shows us how functionality and beauty can work well together. I’ve been to luxury hotels which are beautiful but utterly impractical, and others that are functional but sadly plain.

The overriding design of Regent Hong Kong is more ‘zen‘ than I expected. That was the plan; it’s listening to people’s desire for more moments of calm and well-being.

“Our property defines itself as ‘quiet luxury’, ‘serene environment’, ‘urban sanctuary’ and the designers (led by Chi Wing Lo) have achieved this. Then we bring in decadence through sumptuous dining, among many other ways,” said Michel Chertouh, Regent Hong Kong’s managing director.

Regent is back on an even keel because there’s a lot of love for the brand, a kind of fervour rarely seen in a hotel world overflowing with brands.

It reminds us that the industry is a better place if brands are meaningful and treasured, not a means for quick conversions or expansion.

NTUC LearningHub increases involvement in tourism sector

By Gerardine Donough-Tan
0

NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) is partnering the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) to launch a series of six new courses for the tourism sector to tap the growing trend of discerning travellers seeking new offerings, and also improve technological skills.

This was announced at the Reskilling for the New Tourism Economy event at Sentosa Golf Club on November 16.

From left: NTUC LearningHub’s Tay Ee Learn, Tourism Management Institute of Singapore’s Steven Chua, National Trades Union Congress’ Desmond Tan, NTUC LearningHub’s Jeremy Ong, and Tourism Management Institute of Singapore’s Mark Chua

“NTUC LearningHub is proud to be at the forefront of training for in-demand and emerging skills in various sectors, including tourism,” said Jeremy Ong, CEO of NTUC LearningHub, explaining the National Trades Union Congress’s collaboration with TMIS.

He added: “We hope to help Singapore establish itself as a top tourism destination of choice through a skilled workforce that seeks to constantly reinvent and rejuvenate the sector.”

Steven Chua, CEO of TMIS, said: “We aim to empower our tourism professionals to keep themselves abreast of the latest developments in the global tourism industry and contribute to the rejuvenation of Singapore’s tourism sector.”

The exclusive partnership leverages NTUC LHUB’s vast network and administrative resources while TMIS will conduct the training.

The four professional certificate and two specialised courses cover wellness tourism, sustainable products and services, as well as key digital and technological skills.

Eligible course participants may use government subsidies under the SkillsFuture framework and stack completed modules towards advanced qualification for diploma courses offered by TMIS.

NTUC LHUB also launched a Curated Training Series for in-demand and emerging skills under the Tourism Careers Hub (TCH) initiated in January 2022 by the Singapore Tourism Board with partners from NTUC and five tourism trade associations and chambers.

The scheme supports business transformation and caters to mature and displaced workers, and places training courses under three pillars: technological enablers, sustainability and service experience excellence, the aim being to upskill and build a resilient, future-ready workforce.

To underline NTUC LHUB’s commitment to the tourism sector, it unveiled its brand identity NTUC LearningHub for Tourism at the event, which also included insightful presentations by TMIS and Sentosa Development Corporation and a panel discussion on Digitalisation & Technology for Tourism.

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TTG Asia | Philippines steps up tourism marketing in Asia
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TTG Asia | Thailand hotel owners pivot to flexible costs as supply growth slows