Scott Schaefer has been appointed as general manager of Holiday Inn Dandenong and will lead the team for the launch of the hotel.
He has 15 years of experience in management roles within IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Australasian properties, and most recently supported three Holiday Inn hotels and the InterContinental Hayman Island Resort.
In its efforts to regulate short-term rental accommodation (STRA), Penang in Malaysia has banned all forms of short-term rental at residential units on the island effective May 26, with the exception of mainland Penang.
Penang Island City Council’s mayor, Rajendran Anthony, said the ban covered all private residential properties, online news portal FMT reported on Thursday.
However, the ruling excludes six types of commercial categories – serviced apartments, small office home offices, small office flexible offices, small office virtual offices, office suites and duplex offices.
Those intending to offer STRA in these commercial categories must get the approval from at least 75 per cent of the residents at an annual general meeting, in addition to obtaining the approval of their respective joint management bodies, or management corporations.
STRAs will have to pay an annual fee ranging from 250 ringgit (US$54) to 500 ringgit per unit to joint management bodies or management corporations, and must be registered with the Penang City Council and the Companies Commission of Malaysia.
Each STRA unit is only allowed to be rented out for a maximum of 180 days a year with a limit of three times a week.
Sri Ganesh Michiel, national president, Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association, said he was fully supportive of the efforts of the Penang State Government to introduce a regulation to regulate STRA and that the move would directly help to restore the hospitality and tourism industry in Penang, as well as increase the government’s taxable income.
He said: “The Penang State Government has become the first state Government to take a firm initiative in ensuring that the STRA business is regulated and this action has given a positive impression to the operators of the hospitality industry.”
He also urged all state governments to take the same initiative in regulating STRA in their respective states.
Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines will enter into a joint venture to deepen their cooperation in increasing passenger capacity between Singapore and Indonesia.
Expanding on the Memorandum of Understanding that the two airlines signed in November 2021, and subject to regulatory approvals, the proposed joint venture will cover routes between Singapore and Denpasar, Jakarta, and Surabaya.
In addition, both carriers will explore the implementation of new initiatives, including joint fare products and an alignment of corporate programmes to enhance the value proposition to customers.
Irfan Setiaputra, president and CEO, Garuda Indonesia, commented: “This joint venture agreement, as a further milestone of the partnership expansion initiative, will certainly strengthen the commitment between the two carriers simultaneously, delivering a seamless and valuable flying experience to both our customers across the globe.”
He added that the collaboration will also help strengthen tourist flows between Indonesia and Singapore, making it easier for international tourists to explore South-east Asia.
Singapore Airlines’ CEO, Goh Choon Phong, said: “(This joint venture) reflects our firm commitment to grow the aviation markets in Indonesia and Singapore, facilitating a greater level of business and people connections and promoting both countries as regional tourism destinations. Our customers will also enjoy even more benefits, including an improved level of network connectivity, enhanced travel convenience, and additional fare options.”
Data from Trip.com reveals that global travel bookings for the summer (June 1 to August 31) have already surpassed 2019 levels, with intra-regional travel leading the way.
Overall, bookings on the Trip.com platform this summer have increased by 170% compared to the same period in 2022 – with the relaxation of travel restrictions in Asia-Pacific, summer bookings have skyrocketed by 356% year-on-year (YoY) in Asia, with European markets recording a 72% YoY increase this summer.
Travellers “wait-and-see” for longhaul tours
Shorthaul regional tours are the preferred trip this summer, with short-distance flight bookings accounting for 44% of all bookings in Asia and more than half in Europe (67%). On the other hand, the percentage of longhaul summer travel in Europe dropped significantly from 48% in 2019 to 13% this year, while the percentage is up slightly from 22% in 2019 to 27% in Asia.
Asian travellers are focusing on travel closer to home, with the top 10 most-booked cities in Asia being Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Taipei.
Likewise, in Europe, nine out of 10 destinations booked this summer are European cities, such as London, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris; Bangkok is the only destination on the list outside Europe.
Even though European users are in the “wait-and-see” mode for long-distance travel, search demand is still prominent – Trip.com search data shows that European users are looking for hotels in Asian and Middle East destinations, with Bali, Dubai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, and Marrakech listed on the top 10 most searched hotel destinations.
Ray Chen, CEO, hotel business unit, Trip.com Group, said: “As flights and hotel capacity continue to increase, and the global industry is better prepared for welcoming back international travellers, we can expect a faster return of long-distance travel in the near future.”
Tours to coastal cities and islands are trending in Europe
This summer, Trip.com users are booking more coastal or island destinations, such as the Fuerteventura Island, Lanzarote and Santander in Spain, and Kefalonia in Greece.
More travellers are also going to remote or rural areas for unusual travel experiences, and destinations with unique cultures and landscapes are gaining popularity, like Lijiang in China and Shimukappu Mura in Japan.
The new engine of Asian summer travel
After three years of waiting, music fans in Asia finally welcome back their favourite bands and musicians to the region. Significant music events, such as concerts and music festivals, are in full swing across major cities in Asia, becoming a new engine to attract more visitors to the area.
According to data from Trip.com’s UGC platform Trip Moments, discussions on “going to music events” while travelling are trending in Hong Kong and South Korean sites, especially music fans from the Chinese mainland looking to flock to Hong Kong for concerts and performances in 2023.
Theme parks and water parks are also drawing traveller’s attention this summer – an upcoming new opening is the Making of Harry Potter in Tokyo, which will be the first Warner Bros. Studio Tour to open in Asia.
Vietjet will launch its third direct service to Indonesia, linking Ho Chi Minh City with Jakarta from August 5.
The new service will operate return flights daily.
The airline currently serves two routes from Vietnam to Indonesia – the thrice daily Ho Chi Minh City-Bali service and the daily Hanoi-Bali service.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition will premiere at The Londoner Macao this December and will take visitors of all ages on a magical journey through the entire Wizarding World when it opens.
Celebrating some of the most iconic moments from the books and films of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, visitors can practice their Quidditch skills, brew a potion, pot a Mandrake, earn points for their Hogwarts house and more, all while learning behind-the-scenes filmmaking magic.
Upon entry, everyone is given an exhibition RFID wristband to enhance their personalised experience, capturing their interactions as they explore each gallery, then delivering their experiences to their visitor profile.
Exhibition Gallery will comprise the Page to Screen Gallery, Hogwarts Castle Gallery, The Great Hall Gallery, Hogwarts Houses Gallery, Hogwarts Classrooms, Hagrid’s Hut, and The Forbidden Forest.
Harry Potter: The Exhibition merchandise will also be available onsite, featuring a range of products such as apparel, jewellery, and edible treats, as well as merchandise not available at any other Wizarding World experience.
For more information, visit Harry Potter: The Exhibition.
Bintan Resort has launched Fly Bintan, a new tourist attraction for visitors featuring helicopter rides around Lagoi and other areas of Bintan.
Flying on the five-seater Robinson 66, the helicopter offers passengers air-conditioned comfort on its three tours.
The Crystal Beach Tour is a 12-minute flight that costs 7,600,000 rupiah (US$507) per flight and flies over the Lagoi area of Bintan. The 30-minute Bintan Historical Tour soars over five historical sights and costs 17,500,000 rupiah, while the Paradise Island Tour brings visitors on a 60-minute tour to sights like Fish Head Island, Nikoi Island and Berakit Island, for 35,000,000 rupiah.
Fly Bintan operates daily during daylight hours only, and only eligible for passengers six years old and up.
For more information, visit Helicopter Tour in Bintan.
Concerned about the poor maintenance and service standards of the hospitality industry, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia called on hotels to upgrade their assets, raise the assessment level of environmental cleanliness and sanitation, as well as to improve their service quality.
Its minister, Tiong King Siong, shared that from January to April, the ministry had received many more hotel-related complaints from tourists, as compared to only three complaints last year, all related to hotel service standards.
Complaints received included guests being disillusioned by advertising which do not reflect the reality of the premises, poor maintenance of the hotel properties, and poor services rendered by hotel staff.
Tiong said this in his speech to hoteliers prior to launching the inaugural Hospitality Leadership Conference organised by Malaysian Association of Hotels on May 25.
He shared that he will propose to prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the finance minister, to inject funds into commercial banks so that hoteliers can get low interest loans to carry out their hotel upgrades.
To address the issue of hoteliers being unable to secure loans, he has also urged commercial banks to relax their loan terms.
Tiong stressed that the ministry was taking all complaints related to the hospitality industry seriously and stated that the ministry will even go as far as to downgrade the hotel rating for hotels that fail to meet expectations.
Editor’s note: In the original post, the headline stated the upgrading was mandatory. This is not the case – hotels in Malaysia are highly recommended by the government to undergo upgrading. The headline has been corrected.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched the Amazing Thailand Culinary City project to further develop and promote Thailand as a world-class gastronomy tourism destination.
Held alongside the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2023 from May 31 to June 2 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, the project aims to offer innovations and experiences to spur development under a creative economy in line with the Thai government ’s BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) Economy Model.
Conceptualised under the BCG Economy Model, the project will encompass the AGFEC components – Agriculture, Gastronomy, Food Safety, Experience, and Creative Entrepreneur.
“Activities are designed to stimulate a circular economy and underline the country’s vision for national development to achieve prosperity in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability,” said Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, deputy governor, marketing communications, TAT.
Bringing together entrepreneurs in the food tourism sector to create business matching opportunities, the project will see the participation of 30 Gastronomy Tourism sellers, under the categories of City Dining Experience, Farm To Table, and Culinary Cooking Activity.
In addition, visitors will be able to try food from the various participating restaurants, and even try their hand at making Thai desserts and get a traditional Thai massage. There will also be an exhibition on Thai dishes such as Tom Yam Kung, Phat Thai and Green Curry, and lesser known ‘hidden dishes’ from across Thailand.
During the event, international food blogger Mark Wiens and Thitid ‘Ton’ Tassanakajohn, chef of Bangkok restaurant Le Du, will lead a panel discussion on the topic of food to stimulate the tourism economy, readiness for gastronomy tourism expansion, and relating trends.
Under the project’s B2C strategy 4 Locations: 4 Styles, culinary events are scheduled to be held across Thailand’s four regions in May and June, including Chiang Mai (North) from May 19 to 21; Khon Kaen (North-east) from June 9 to 11; Phuket (South) from June 16 to 18; and Chanthaburi (East) from June 23 to 25.
Each of these four events will feature food entrepreneurs, other entrepreneurs and local operators from across the respective region, and will include workshops on preparing local snacks from the respective region, cooking shows, an exhibition on the potential and distinctiveness of Thai cuisine, and local food to enjoy.
Trip.com Group and Cambodia Angkor Air have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 24 to collaborate on the construction of a smart airport, develop tourism talent training programmes, and further promote Cambodia as a key global destination.
Cambodia Angkor Air will leverage on Trip.com Group’s global user network and leading product capacity to increase its global market reach, while Trip.com Group will improve Angkor International Airport’s digital and intelligent services, and help the airport become an essential smart airport in the region.
Both parties will further embark on marketing campaigns and cooperation in hotel development, travel visa services, and tourism talent training programmes in both countries.
Tekreth Samrach, minister attached to the prime minister, and chairman of Cambodia Angkor Air, said: “We hope to grasp the opportunity of global tourism revival, and closely work with Trip.com Group to carry out comprehensive cooperation, from constructing smart airports to enhancing our services for more travellers”.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Cambodia Angkor Air to support Cambodia in achieving its full global market potential and linking it with the international tourism industry,” shared Xing Xiong, COO of Trip.com Group.
The new Angkor International Airport in Cambodia will be put into operation later in October, with projected passenger numbers of seven million people per year, and expected to increase to 10 million people per year by 2030.
