Centara Hotels & Resorts’ new Paradise Found: Maldives Exclusive offer allows travellers to save up to 30 per cent when booking stays at Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives and Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives, while enjoying an array of exclusive privileges.
At Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, guests will receive breakfast set-ups, a 15 per cent discount on seaplane transfers, spa treatments and dining, as well as a sunset cruise in the Indian Ocean, and access to snorkelling, diving, the lively Kids’ Club and much more.
Save on overwater villa stays at Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives, pictured
Couples and honeymooners can opt for an adults-only experience at Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives and enjoy complimentary hotel speedboat transfers, 15 per cent off dining and spa treatments, and a sunset fishing trip.
Booking is now open till July 31 for stays through December 20. CentaraThe1 members are eligible for an additional 15% discount.
Attractions in Hong Kong have embarked on new experiences to rebuild and court inbound travellers this year.
At Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL), the World of Frozen will be launched in 2H2023, alongside a host of other activities and projects. These include the iconic Castle of Magical Dreams, the outdoor music party Follow Your Dreams, the magical show Momentous, and newly-launched themed activities like Duffy and Friends Play Days and Marvel Season of Super Heroes.
Ocean Park has introduced new multimedia shows, pet-friendly programmes and a technology experience hub
HKDL’s director of sales for Hong Kong and international, Eva Lau, commented: “Overseas and mainland guests can enjoy unique Disney entertainment and services that they have not experienced in the past few years due to the pandemic.
“We are stepping up efforts to promote our offerings to international markets. For instance, our management team has recently been visiting the South-east Asia region, including Thailand and the Philippines, to promote our resort. We will continue to work with the tourism board, industry and corporate partners to promote world-class entertainment in Hong Kong.”
Numerous operational adjustments have also been made at Ocean Park to accommodate the rising attendance. Examples include two multimedia shows – Soul of the Ocean and Visions of Hong Kong – that seamlessly merges its entertainment expertise with conservation and education roots.
Pet-friendly programmes and the opening of a technology experience hub for kids, Explorer R, at Ocean Park will also bring fresh experiences to visitors from diverse backgrounds.
Rosalind Siu, executive director, sales, marketing and entertainment, Ocean Park, said: “As the tourism market gradually returns to normal, we plan to reintroduce the highly popular festive event Summer Splash in July, and stage the park’s signature Halloween Fest and Christmas celebrations in the last quarter. We will also relaunch Chill All Night in the four Saturdays of June as part of the Happy Hong Kong campaign, offering the public free access to two stunning multimedia lagoon shows.”
Siu added that Ocean Park has rolled out digital campaigns in target markets and offering promotional packages to tourists on top of organising fam tours for travel industry leaders from mainland China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and more.
Elsewhere in Hong Kong, the Peak Tram launched a vastly improved passenger experience with a redesigned terminal, upgraded facilities, and a larger capacity to serve international visitors in August last year.
Ongoing promotions include a special offer during its 135th anniversary which allows visitors to purchase a special combo of return Peak Tram tickets and Sky Terrace 428 admission tickets. There are also social media initiatives that reward visitors with a free limited edition Peak Tram souvenir. Visitors also enjoy a complimentary coupon booklet with special offers and discounts from over 20 merchants and partners at The Peak.
A spokesperson from The Peak said that these promotions have proven successful so far in achieving a large number of visitor engagement which has resulted in online ticket sales.
With low cost carrier (LCC) Go First joining the list of airlines becoming insolvent, Indian travel agents are becoming increasingly concerned at yet another airline abruptly ceasing operations.
Earlier this month, Go First declared bankruptcy and cancelled all flights for the peak summer travel season, leaving many travellers stranded and worrying about refunds.
Go First has declared bankruptcy and cancelled all flights for the upcoming summer season
On May 2, the Wadia Group-backed airline voluntarily filed for bankruptcy at the Delhi bench of the National Company Law Tribunal, citing issues with aircraft engines made by Pratt & Whitney.
“Many travellers book complete packages from travel agents that include air tickets. When a carrier decides to suddenly cancel their flights, we face many difficulties from changing the itinerary to securing refunds. While an airline takes a very long time to process the refund, consumers expect an agent to process the same immediately,” said Varun Gupta, partner, Travelz Factorry.
According to Gupta, many agents have lost “big money” due to the closures of Kingfisher and Jet Airways in the past, and now with Go First.
“There are travel agencies who have pre-blocked a large number of seats on Go First and are now wondering how much time it will take to receive refunds,” added Gupta.
Jyoti Mayal, president of Travel Agents Association of India recently met with Indian minister of civil aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, to apprise him about the various challenges emerging from the sudden cancellation of all flights by Go First.
“There is a need for a regulation to be adopted by all the airlines to implement insurance coverage on the tickets so that consumers, as well as travel agents, are protected when an airline suddenly decides to cancel its flights,” said Mayal.
The Outbound Tour Operators of India (OTOAI) has also written to Scindia seeking his intervention to safeguard the interests of travel agents and consumers.
“Providing refunds are not a solution. Most of the time, multiple bookings are involved in one trip which are all severely hampered if a flight is cancelled. Airlines should be made responsible to help make alternate travel arrangements for customers and not just give a credit note or refund,” said Riaz Munshi, president, OTOAI.
Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific has recognised 12 airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East for demonstrating outstanding accomplishments in their sustainability projects, as part of the Green Airports Recognition (GAR) Programme 2023.
The theme for the Green Airports Recognition 2023 is Single-Use Plastic Elimination as air transport continues to grow, a substantial volume of waste is expected to be generated at airports, with one increasing worldwide concern being the impact of single-use plastic, especially within the aviation industry.
Baronci: these are critical steps as part of our industry’s efforts towards protecting our environment as well as decarbonisation
The awards comprise three categories: Platinum, Gold, or Silver.
The recognised airports for over 35 million passengers per annum include Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Platinum); Hong Kong International Airport (Gold); and Indira Gandhi International Airport (Silver).
For airports with 15 to 35 million passengers per annum, Kempegowda International Airport was awarded Platinum, followed by Rajiv Gandhi International Airport for Gold, while Jeju International Airport received Silver.
Between eight to 15 million passengers per annum, airports awarded were Central Japan International Airport (Platinum); Adelaide Airport (Gold); and Bahrain International Airport (Silver).
Those with less than eight million passengers per annum include Mangaluru International Airport (Platinum), Christchurch International Airport (Gold), and Kaohsiung International Airport (Silver).
Stefano Baronci, director general, ACI Asia-Pacific, said: “Congratulations to all the recognised airports for demonstrating their leadership and commitment in implementing innovative sustainability projects at airports.
“These are critical steps as part of our industry’s efforts towards protecting our environment as well as decarbonisation. We are impressed with the innovative practices deployed by airport operators to mitigate the plastic contamination. We hope these unique concepts will inspire other airports to implement such practices as we all work towards the common vision of achieving net zero carbon emission by 2050.”
airasia Superapp has partnered with Swiss-Belhotel International to providing access to over 125 Swiss-Belhotel International properties spread across 19 countries on its platform.
The establishment of this partnership is an effort by airasia Superapp to strengthen the long-term potential of its travel business vertical.
airasia Superapp aims to strengthen the long-term potential of its travel business vertical through its partnership with Swiss-Belhotel International
Commenting on the partnership, airasia Superapp’s chief commercial officer, Tan Mai Yin, said: “In addition to providing users with a robust, convenient and affordable travel experience, this partnership will also be a sustainable strategic effort for us and our partners as fellow players in the travel industry.”
Gavin M. Faull, chairman and president of Swiss-Belhotel International, added: “Our focus on merging Swiss Hospitality Standards with the Asian passion for service is the key to our success in creating happy guests. With this collaboration, we can ensure that more people experience the exceptional service and facilities that Swiss-Belhotel International is known for.”
airasia Superapp has also launched a special campaign called #AyoKemBALI offering users discounts for hotel bookings in Bali. Additionally, users will earn airasia points on every transaction which can be redeemed later for all services and products, such as flight bookings (airasia flights), duty-free and lifestyle products (airasia shop), online food delivery (airasia food), digital gifts (airasia gifts), and more.
Vietjet has launched a new route connecting Japan’s Hiroshima with Vietnam’s Hanoi, as well as Ho Chi Minh City and Kochi in India.
Commencing on July 19, the Hanoi-Hiroshima service will be the first-ever direct service linking Vietnam with Japan’s water city and the airline’s eighth route between the two countries.
Vietjet will launch new services to Hiroshima in July, and to Kochi in August
The twice weekly return service will operate on Wednesdays and Sundays between Noi Bai International Airport and Hiroshima International Airport.
The direct service from Ho Chi Minh City to India’s west coast city Kochi will start from August 12, with a frequency of four return flights per week on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
From July 1, Vietjet will resume its thrice weekly Phu Quoc-Hong Kong services, its four times a week Danang-Hong Kong route, and daily return flights from Danang to Daegu.
Vietjet will increase services between Danang and Singapore to twice daily from July 1, while the Nha Trang-Seoul (Incheon) service will increase to thrice daily flights from July 13.
The Children’s Biennale by National Gallery Singapore is returning for its fourth edition from May 27, 2023 to March 31, 2024.
With free admission, the Children’s Biennale aims to provide children with opportunities to discover and express their own ideas and perspectives. Through its exhibits, workshops, and activities, children are encouraged to explore their own identities and develop a sense of self-awareness, as well as an appreciation for the diversity of human experience.
Families can explore exhibits, workshops, and activities for interactive fun; artist’s impression of The Magic Forest, pictured
This year’s Gallery will showcase talents from South-east Asia, and features artists from Thailand and Malaysia for the first time. There will be 11 new artworks by these international artists that spotlight four core values: Care, Collaborate, Imagine and Respect.
Highlights of 2023’s edition includes the My Biennale Buddy booklet which provides in-depth details about the artwork and the artists, sonic exploratory sessions by LittleCr3atures, roving theatre performances by Five Stones Theatre, on-site children’s programmes by artists and partners, and more.
Visitors can also pop by the two artworks – The Magic Forest and Can you see the forest for the trees? to enjoy art and craft activities or attend fun and interactive experiences.
In addition, the Children’s Biennale microsite will also feature four online games for more interactive fun.
A new edition of the Biennale Art Pack, which includes self-guided activities, will be available for purchase at the vending machines located around the Gallery.
Minor Hotels has appointed Jose Luis Duran Sanles as the new general manager of Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel, and Frederic Kolde as the hotel manager of Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.
This will be Sanles’ first general manager posting. He was previously the hotel manager at Anantara Siam Bangkok, and has also held management roles at luxury resorts in Khon Kaen, Koh Lanta and Phuket over the years.
From left: Jose Luis Duran Sanles and Frederic Kolde
Taking over from Sanles as hotel manager at Anantara Siam Bangkok is Frederic Kolde who joins the property from Anantara Riverside where he was hotel manager since September 2022.
Indonesia president Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has launched the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Visit Years 2023-2025 to strengthen tourism cooperation among the three countries.
Witnessed by the dignitaries of the IMT-GT member countries, the launch of the campaign took place during the ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara on May 11.
Indonesia president Joko Widodo launched the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle during the ASEAN Summit on May 11 (Photo: MoTCE)
The campaign is expected to increase connectivity and growth in the tourism sector for the three countries.
In his speech, Jokowi shared that the IMT-GT area managed to reach a value of US$618 billion during the global pandemic in 2021. He said: “Going forward, the IMT-GT area must be able to further encourage the acceleration of inclusive and sustainable economic growth to face the various challenges ahead.”
Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia minister of tourism and creative economy, added: “(The campaign) is expected to involve 10 provinces in Sumatra, as well as Southern Thailand and Malaysia. One of the main issues is to downstream the industries, including the tourism industry, as well as strengthening connectivity with a target to increase tourist arrivals.”
The campaign aims to attract 60 million tourists and achieve foreign exchange earnings of US$75 billion within the period, according to Sandiaga.
In Indonesia, the campaign will start with Bangka Belitung and South Sumatra, followed by the rest of the provinces in Sumatra.
Commenting on the campaign, Pauline Suharno, president of the Association of Travel Agents in Indonesia (ASTINDO) told TTG Asia: “For IMT-GT collaboration to work, there should be commitment from each country to actually take part. So, it’s not just a pledge, paperwork or FGD output, but concrete steps (need to be taken) to make it happen.”
As part of the campaign, the minister said the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) would hold a world entrepreneur summit event in Padang, West Sumatra.
In order for the campaign to be a success, Pauline opined that member countries should create a co-brand, as well as set short- and long-term joint promotions and budgets.
Christine Kowandi, tour manager of Horas Tours in Medan stressed that there was a need to intensify promotions by having more sales missions to encourage regional traffic.
Quizzed on the types of products that would be a good fit for the campaign, Pauline, who is also president of the Federation of ASEAN Travel Agents, noted: “Travel companies have collaborated long before these growth triangles were formed.”
She elaborated that agents “are used to selling to the three countries”, which includes travelling from Indonesia and transiting in Singapore, before heading to Malaysia and Thailand.
In addition, there are cruises from Singapore-Port Klang and Penang-Phuket available as well.
Portugal has seen strong post-lockdown growth in tourist arrivals, including from Australia and Asia in 2022 through February this year, and expects to match 2019 numbers.
Sharing insights on travel trends and Turismo de Portugal’s tourism strategy with TTG Asia, its president Luis Araujo said: “We are striving to achieve growth in value through longer stays and higher receipts per capita. We also want to reduce seasonality and spread tourism to all areas of the country, promote sustainable development, diversify source markets and target new segments.”
Portugal hopes to attract more visitors from Asia-Pacific to its cities, such as the medieval city Coimbra, pictured
In general, after the pandemic there has been a higher demand from FITs. Many smaller groups of families and friends are returning to Portugal, as well as solo travellers and digital nomads.
Araujo added: “Portugal offers a perfect blend of luxury, history, nature with a refined taste, which is very appealing to tourists, as travel patterns have changed post-Covid. Visitors prefer longer stays and more meaningful experiences.”
Australia, China, India, South Korea and Japan formed the top five inbound Asia-Pacific sources in 2022. They are the main target markets this year. South-east Asia also looks promising – namely Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
While group travel is still the norm from China, Indian visitors comprise leisure-tour groups and independent travellers, with a trend towards family holidays, special celebrations and destination weddings.
Previously, tourists from Japan and South Korea were mainly seniors travelling in groups. This trend has changed – groups are smaller and there is an increase in FITs and groups of families and friends.
Travellers from Japan and South Korea appreciate heritage and villages, with interest in wine tourism and gastronomy on the rise. An added attraction for South Korean tourists is religion, especially for Catholics visiting Fátima.
“Visas are a relevant issue in Asian markets, and we are doing our best to return to normality, despite some limited resources,” said Araujo. “Also, the performance would benefit if there were more direct flights and lower ticket prices to Portugal.”
The only direct flights to Lisbon are from China, but India has good air connectivity via the Middle East. Travel intermediaries commented that other constraints are language – unless visitors speak English – and Portugal not being top-of-mind among Asian travel agents and consumers.
Recognising the low destination awareness, the tourism board is hosting fam trips from Asia in partnership with airlines, and participating in trade shows, road shows, workshops, webinars, training sessions and joint marketing campaigns with airlines, tour operators and OTAs.
