Hong Kong Airlines will restart its direct service to Kumamoto from December 2, operating three flights a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday initially.
As Hong Kong Airlines’ second destination in Kyushu, Kumamoto will complement the airline’s existing daily flights between Hong Kong and Fukuoka.
It currently operates daily flights to Nagoya and Fukuoka, twice-daily flights to Okinawa, thrice-daily flights to Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka, and three weekly flights to Sapporo.
Janu Tokyo, Japan
Opening this autumn, Janu Tokyo will feature 122 guestrooms, including connecting rooms for those travelling with friends and family, and one of the largest wellness facilities in the city. All guestrooms will have floor-to-ceiling windows with the majority having private balconies with views of the Tokyo Tower or surrounding greenery.
The hotel is located in the B-2 District Tower of Azabudai Hills, and offers two Japanese restaurants, a Chinese restaurant, a wellness centre, heated pool and lounge pool.
Aloft Singapore Novena, Singapore
New to the Balestier neighbourhood in Singapore is Aloft Singapore Novena, where guests are greeted at the lobby by the 85-inch video wall, showcasing electronic art from renowned artists like Refik Anadol and Jonathan Monaghan.
The hotel takes up two towers with a total of 781 rooms and four suites, all equipped with modern amenities and complimentary Wi-Fi. Onsite are restaurants, bars, indoor and outdoor gyms, pool and meeting spaces.
Nearby landmarks include Singapore Botanic Gardens and shopping belt Orchard Road.
Cordis, Xuzhou, China
Cordis, Xuzhou is located in Xuzhou, the largest city of Jiangsu in China known as a national famous historical and cultural city. The property’s 269 guestrooms and suites boast sweeping 360-degree vista of Dalong Lake and the cityscape of Xuzhou.
Facilities include F&B, lounges and event venues, while the wellness centre comprises an indoor heated swimming pool, gym and spa.
Pullman Singapore Hill Street, Singapore
Pullman Singapore Hill Street has been designed around a railway junction theme that gives a nod to Pullman’s 19th-century origins of introducing luxury to railroad travelling with the first sleeping trains and premier services. Even the Pullman Porters at the Porter Lounge are decked in a full uniform.
All rooms and suites come equipped with in-room sensors and smart functions, while other offerings comprise multi-functional work or leisure rooms, gym, swimming pool with swim-up bar, restaurants, Grab & Go station, and more.
The hotel is a short walk to Clarke Quay, National Gallery Singapore and Fort Canning Park, and is a five-minute walk to the nearest train station.
Patrik Ilstam has been named general manager of Anantara Koh Yao Yai Resort and Villas.
An experienced pre-opening hotelier with a background in operations, Ilstam has held various senior management roles in international five-star hotels in South-east Asia over the last 20 years. He most recently served as the general manager at Burasari Phuket Resort.
A Swedish national, he is also fluent in Danish, Norwegian, English and Thai.
Brought to you by Global Tourism Economy Forum
The 10th Global Tourism Economy Forum Macao 2023 (GTEF) achieved fruitful results after a series of innovative and inspiring high-quality exchanges and discussions.
During the three-day forum, a diverse range of activities took place, including keynote speeches, panel sessions, special interviews, engaging fireside chats, insightful case sharing and productive business matching sessions.
These sessions enriched the event and infused new ideas and momentum into the robust development of the global tourism economy, with the goal to benefit all stakeholders by harnessing new opportunities and enhancing their quality of life.
Successful delivery & impressive turnout
The year 2023 commemorated the 10th anniversary of GTEF, and it concluded on a remarkable note.
With 2,300 participants on-site and an active engagement of over 2 million online participants across more than 38 countries/regions and 84 cities/provinces in China, this milestone edition has made a lasting impression.
Themed around Destination 2030: Unlocking the Power of Tourism for Business and Development, it gathered over 100 ministers of culture and tourism, industry leaders, decision-makers, scholars, and stakeholders from different tourism sectors.
In the context of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, participants were encouraged to think beyond tourism and explore opportunities for the recovery of the global tourism economy.
They also discussed about constructing a resilient, high-quality, and people-oriented environment for the tourism industry in the new normal through innovative and sustainable international cooperation.
The secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili, said in his opening speech: “The Global Tourism Economy Forum is set to be the premier platform for cooperation between governments and the private sector in the area of tourism for development. By creating the ‘Davos of Tourism’, we can shape the course of the sector’s future around the pillars of jobs, education, innovation and investments.”
Minister of Tourism of Italy, Daniela Garnero Santanchè, also delivered a speech on behalf of Italy as the partner country of GTEF, where she emphasised that tourism is crucial to spread the values of peace and friendship among people worldwide, as well as achieve sustainable development goals.
During the opening ceremony, vice chairman and secretary-general of GTEF, Pansy Ho, also delivered a setting-the-scene keynote speech on “Charting a Visionary Path: Unlocking Tourism’s Potential at the Global Tourism Economy Forum”.
Besides, former vice minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of China, former secretary-general of the Boao Forum for Asia and honorary chairman of GTEF, Long Yongtu, made a keynote speech on “China & the World Towards a New Vision”, followed by a keynote speech on “Collaboration for Prosperity and Development” by president and chief executive officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council and honorary chairman of GTEF, Julia Simpson.
Injecting new ideas & momentum
The GTEF is hosted by the Secretariat for Economy and Finance of the Macao SAR Government, in collaboration with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), co-organised by the China Chamber of Tourism and Macao Government Tourism Office, and coordinated by the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre (GTERC).
The GTEF’s supporting units include the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC), the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR, the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), the European Travel Commission (ETC), The Association of Chinese Enterprises in Macao (MCEA), The World Tourism Alliance (WTA), and the International Mountain Tourism Alliance (IMTA).
Since its inception in 2012, the GTEF has successfully established itself as an influential high-level cooperation platform to promote sustainable development in the global tourism industry with a focus on China.
Pansy Ho, vice chairman and secretary-general of GTEF, concluded: “In the past decade, we have attracted tourism industry practitioners across the globe to this international forum originating in China. We will take it to the international stage in the next decade, bringing GTEF to other parts of the world, raising both the voice and influence of China’s tourism industry internationally. We will continue to provide an equal and inclusive platform for stakeholders worldwide and inspire the global tourism industry with innovative ideas.”
Escalating diplomatic tensions between India and Canada have raised serious concerns among India’s inbound tourism stakeholders, especially since October marks the beginning of the industry’s peak season.
Historically, Canada has been a vital source market for inbound tourism in India. While domestic tourism is gradually recovering, international tourism revival in India has been sluggish. A segment of tour operators fear that the strained relationship between both countries will severely impact this year’s inbound tourism prospects.
“Canada holds immense significance in our inbound tourism market. We have confirmed groups scheduled to travel in November, (but) the current strain in India-Canada relations is likely to lead to cancellations. However, we remain hopeful for a swift resolution to this issue,” said Debjit Dutta, director and CEO of Impression Tourism Services.
The deterioration in diplomatic ties began when Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a fervent supporter of a separatist movement advocating for the creation of ‘Khalistan’ in India. Subsequently, both nations expelled respective diplomats, and India suspended the issuance of visas to Canadians.
“At present, what we are seeing is a combination of cancellations plus Canadians postponing their travel plans by another two to three months. We are hoping that visa suspension for Canadians will be rolled back by that time because the inbound season ends in March. Also, the situation is grim for cancellations as we won’t get refunds from any suppliers in such a scenario,” said Homa Mistry, CEO, Trail Blazer Tours India.
Speaking anonymously, a hotelier mentioned that inbound tourism has been already slow to recover, partly due to limited marketing efforts internationally, and the current strained relations make it increasingly unlikely for Canadians to travel to India during the ongoing inbound season.
Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is intensifying its marketing efforts in India, a market that has been slow to rebound despite strong tourism pick up in other key Asian markets.
“This year we have opened up for tourism and our key focus is to create visibility for our tourism products. We have started seeing recovery from Asian markets including South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Compared to other Asian destinations, demand from India has been slow, hence we are keen to re-engage with our trade partners in India whom we haven’t met for three years,” said Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of MGTO.
As part of its travel trade outreach in Indian, MGTO participated in the PATA Travel Mart 2023 that concluded last week in New Delhi. Besides inviting Indian travel agents for a familiarisation trip later this year, MGTO will also host some Indian buyers for a tradeshow scheduled for July 2024.
“It is very important for us to educate our Indian partners about the new developments that have taken place in Macau. Indian travel agents are keen to promote Macau and we are expecting that by next year demand from the Indian market will grow strongly,” added Fernandes.
In terms of segments, the focus is on luxury, incentive travel, and weddings. According to Fernandes, Macau is popular with Indian companies for hosting awards ceremonies.
Singapore’s launch of the Hotel Sustainability Impact Challenge and a S$30,000 (US$22,000) award will see a start-up with the most impactful solution piloting it with a hotel in Singapore.
The award, given by Enterprise Singapore, a government agency championing enterprise development, was announced at the recent Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace (HSCM) 2023, organised by the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA).
Margaret Heng, SHA executive director, said the Hotel Sustainability Impact Challenge winner – N&E Innovations – was judged on its management team, proposed solution for the hotel industry, impact of their value proposition, business model as well as go-to-market plans.
According to Heng, the winner of the challenge is free to engage and work with any interested hotel in Singapore.
She continued: “The aim of the challenge is to encourage hotels to be a living lab to testbed new sustainable solutions to push boundaries while working towards the hotel sustainability roadmap targets.
“Additionally, we hope to recognise promising high-impact start-ups and spur innovation in the hospitality industry.”
In transforming the hospitality sector for a green future, SHA revamped the Hotel Sustainability Awards and launched the new Hotel Sustainability Playbook at the second HSCM.
Previously, SHA organised the Singapore Green Hotel Award and the SHA-NEA 3R Awards for Hotels.
The two award schemes have been combined into the Singapore Hotel Sustainability Award and is supported by the Building and Construction Authority, National Environment Agency, Public Utilities Board and Singapore Tourism Board.
Heng noted: “Additionally, the criteria have been updated to be in line with internationally-recognised standards.
“All SHA hotel members were invited to participate in the award scheme via a self-nomination process and submissions were vetted by a panel of judges comprising SHA and the relevant agencies to ensure that the criteria are met.”
Meanwhile, the Hotel Sustainability Playbook interactive playbook will feature local and international best practices, case studies and the latest sustainability trends and solutions.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has revealed the name of the next Icon Class ship, Star of the Seas, which will debut in the summer of 2025.
Star of the Seas will feature a line-up of new experiences as well as favourites. Currently under construction in Turku, Finland, the new ship and more of its features will soon be revealed.
“The idea of combining the best of every type of vacation into one ultimate adventure has created more excitement than ever anticipated, and Star of the Seas will be the next bold answer to the record-breaking consumer demand we’ve seen for nearly a year and counting with Icon of the Seas,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, RCI.
The unprecedented consumer demand on Icon of the Seas sparked Royal Caribbean to release 2025-2026 vacations on the ship three months ahead of schedule, as well as revealing Star of the Seas’ name and debut season.
Star of the Seas will also mark another step in this new era as RCI’s third ship powered by liquefied natural gas, and applications such as waste heat recovery systems and shore power connection.
More details about Star of the Seas will be revealed at a later date.
Centara Hotels & Resorts has not only signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SCG Cleanergy Company to transform sustainable hospitality with solar energy solutions, but also launched a new charity campaign for sustainability and conservation.
This partnership with SCG Cleanergy aligns with Centara’s long-term goals for a greener future by reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent within the next decade.
Both Centara and SCG Cleanergy will embark on a transformative journey to research and plan solar energy usage through the integration of Smart Grid, a smart electrical network operated by the SCG Cleanergy Platform.
This pioneering initiative will commence with Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at Central World serving as the inaugural pilot property to utilise renewable energy from SCG Cleanergy as its primary electricity source. The installation of rooftop solar panels capable of generating 861.35 kilowatts of electricity, is expected to reduce over 540 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually.
This clean energy venture is an integral component of Centara’s comprehensive 10-year sustainability plan spanning from 2020 to 2029. This multifaceted strategy seeks to lower the brand’s impact across four key areas by reducing energy consumption, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and the amount of waste sent to landfills by 20 per cent compared to the baseline year of 2022.
Meanwhile, Centara’s new charity campaign will see the company pledge 40 baht (US$1.10) for every booking made through its website for stays between now and December 31.
The proceeds support the efforts of The Chaipattana Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to championing sustainable rural development, environmental conservation, and improving the lives of communities throughout Thailand.
Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts, said: “The Chaipattana Foundation represents these same ideals and Centara is delighted to pledge our support to the incredible efforts of this organisation.”
Jetstar Asia has announced a new direct service between Singapore and Wuxi, China starting from December 28.
As the only airline to operate this direct service, Jetstar Asia will initially operate two weekly return services (every Monday and Thursday) on the Airbus A320, increasing to four weekly services from January 15, 2024.
