The National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) has secured a record high of 12 NTOs for its second travel fair for the year over this coming weekend – the biggest destination showcase since the resumption of its public fairs post-lockdown.
NATAS Holidays 2023, taking place at Singapore Expo Halls 4 and 5 from August 11 to 13, will gather more than 60 exhibitors, featuring airlines, cruise operators, NTOs, travel agents and travel-related exhibitors, such as Etiqa Insurance for travel insurance plans.
NATAS Holidays 2023 will feature its biggest destination showcase since the resumption of its public fairs post-lockdown
As Destination Partner for NATAS Holidays 2023, Uzbekistan will bring together various craftsmen, national dancers and singers to engage with public visitors at booth 4H09/4H11.
This will be NATAS’s 58th edition of the travel fair.
Wild Life Sydney Zoo is bringing back its iconic Koala Breakfast after a three-year hiatus.
From August 18, guests will enjoy a guided tour of the zoo – where they will see iconic Australian animals including Princess the cassowary, Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, wallabies, a range of snakes, lizards and three freshwater crocodiles. The fun and interactive tour is followed by a hot buffet-style breakfast on the revamped Koala Rooftop.
Visitors can learn about koalas and take a photo with the cuddly marsupials
Animal lovers will be treated to an informative koala keeper talk before being able to get up close and personal with the koalas for a take-home photographic moment.
Breakfast with the koalas runs Friday, Saturday and Sundays, from 07.15 to 09.00.
Marriott International has made several new appointments to its Asia Pacific (excluding China) leadership team – Christina Chan as its chief financial officer, and John Toomey as its chief sales and marketing officer.
Chan, a 23-year veteran of the company, will oversee finance operations, asset management, compliance and owner relations; while providing counsel for the administrative finance, business analysis, and feasibility teams in the region.
Having been with the company for 27 years, Toomey will oversee the consumer strategy for Marriott International in the region in his new role, which includes brand management, marketing, sales, distribution, revenue management, loyalty, customer experience, digital and communications.
Andrew Newmark has also been appointed chief human resources officer, Asia Pacific (excluding China). With more than 30 years with Marriott, Newmark has been tasked with strengthening Marriott’s ‘People first’ culture and ensuring the business attracts, engages, and develops best-in-class talent and leaders at all levels.
Lastly, with over 25 years of experience in the industry, Oriol Montal has been appointed managing director, luxury, Asia Pacific (excluding China). This newly-created role underscores the company’s commitment to the growth and leadership of its luxury brand portfolio which include The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott and W Hotels Worldwide.
Raffles Hotels & Resorts has appointed Andrew Hartley as its new cluster director of sales and marketing, overseeing Raffles Hotel Le Royal and Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in South-east Asia.
Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Hartley brings more than 20 years of experience in luxury hotels around the world. He was most recently assistant vice president of strategic sales and marketing for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts in the Asia-Pacific based in Singapore.
South Korea will open a Korea Visa Application Center (KVAC) in Taguig, the Philippines on August 14, a move expected to reinvigorate outbound travel to what was once the top destination for Filipinos.
Philippine outbound to South Korea slowed down drastically when the latter implemented early this year the Online Visa Appointment System, with limited slots for accepting applications, and abolished the accreditation of 36 travel agencies authorised to submit applications on behalf of individual clients.
The Korea Visa Application Center is expected to reinvigorate travel from the Philippines to South Korea
The Korean Embassy in Manila announced that with the opening of KVAC at Brittany Hotel in BGC, Taguig, only applications with online reservations will be accepted during its pilot operation period between August 14 and 25.
From August 29, however, online reservations will no longer be required and walk-in visa applications will be accepted on any working day with no limit to the number of visa applications accepted per day.
Also from August 29, visa applications will be accepted at KVAC only if filed in person or through one of the 36 designated travel agencies for 2022, which remains valid. An updated list will be announced later as well as more details on the new visa policy and related information.
Prior to the announcement about the opening of KVAC, the embassy implemented on June 27 the accreditation of eight travel agencies for applying e-group visas for a minimum of three pax, with certain strictures.
Maria Paz Alberto, president of Ark Travel Express which is one of South Korea’s accredited agencies, said the opening of KVAC with the new visa application process “is a great move to increase tourism in their country”.
“This would mean that there will be an increase in the number of people flying to Seoul,” Alberto added.
The head of another accredited travel agency withheld comments pending the actual implementation of the new process, but said KVAC will simplify visa processing and, hopefully, it will be a better process.
Trip.com Group and Penang Global Tourism have signed a memorandum of understanding that extends their existing partnership to a global level.
Over the next three years, Trip.com Group’s platforms – including Trip.com and Ctrip – will promote Penang to travellers from global markets including China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Australia.
The partnership will see Penang being promoted to travellers from global markets on Trip.com Group’s platforms
Bo Sun, chief marketing officer, Trip.com Group, said: “Trip.com Group and Penang Global Tourism remain committed to developing a diverse range of products and expanding the market for Penang. With new travel consumption behaviours and trends that have emerged after the pandemic, we hope to leverage our strengthened collaboration to guide the destination’s tourism industry towards a rapid recovery, as well as achieve sustainable growth through innovation.”
“As we forge this historic bond with Trip.com Group, the first global partnership after pandemic and first in Malaysia, spanning up to 10 markets, we fortify our commitment to embracing the world with open arms,” added Chow Kon Yeow, caretaker Penang Chief Minister.
Onyx Hospitality Group’s latest opening, the Amari Raaya Maldives, is expected to align well with the Maldives tourism ministry’s ambition to position the destination as one that welcomes a wide range of travellers, not just the rich and romantic.
Rainer Steinhilber, general manager of Amari Raaya Maldives, who led his team towards the official launch on August 1, said the 187-key resort will show visitors that they will get more than just azure seas and blue skies.
Welcoming the first guests to Amari Raaya Maldives
He told TTG Asia: “Many people who come to the Maldives often wonder what they could do on an island so small that it could be covered in 20 minutes, and there would be nothing else new to see by the second day.
“However, Amari Raaya Maldives is a rather big property in the Maldives, where resorts typically offer 100 to 120 rooms. Here, we have 187 beach villas and overwater villas. The island we stand on is rather big as well – three kilometres all around and 37 hectares – which is nice because it allows us to create a variety of experiences and facilities.”
Describing his property as “an island of discovery”, Steinhilber said the resort retained a lot of wild vegetation during construction, so as to preserve the natural vibe and environment, but also brought in “all the quality facilities you would expect from a leading, five-star resort”.
The hardware line-up consists of eight restaurants and bars; a spa with 10 treatment villas that deliver Thai wellness treatments; a water sports and dive centre; a sprawling kids’ zone with an outdoor play area housing a shipwreck structure, zip-line and obstacle course; an artist’s village where craft workshops are conducted; a natural mangrove forest where ecology walk-throughs with a local flora and fauna expert can be hosted, and more.
On top of these offerings, the resort has built a backstory based on a fictitious character, Seb, who was shipwrecked and started life anew on the island. He built his own hut, set up a little farm to feed himself, erected three watch towers to look out for ships, and entertained himself with arts and craft.
“Our guests will discover things Seb built and left behind as they explore the island,” he said, adding that such an approach is unique to the Maldives.
“Seb can be as real as guests want him to be, and we will be happy to tell them Seb’s stories and where traces of him can be found. This will appeal very much to the kids, as the castaway vibe is built into the design of our kids club and outdoor playground.”
In the lead up to the coming high season, even more hardware and activities will come online – a herb garden with an open kitchen and dining area, a skate park, themed parties that rotate through the calendar, day trips to nearby islands where guests can experience Maldivian traditions, and various sustainability-focused guest engagement programmes.
With only 11 per cent of the island utilised for resort infrastructure, Onyx’s CEO Yuthachai Charanachitta said there is room for expansion. At present, work is underway to add two-bedroom beach villas for multigenerational family groups. These villas will come with separate pools, a living room pavilion, and dining room.
“This is at the design stage now, with a vision to complete the mock-up next year. Construction can begin immediately, once all approvals are in,” revealed Yuthachai.
Steinhilber is confident that the scale of resort offerings as well as beautifully-designed beachfront dining venues will also attract the attention of corporate event planners, who can easily develop team-building and incentive programmes on the island. He welcomes resort buyouts during the low season.
Keeping the resort’s massive scale in mind, Steinhilber will boost manpower in the coming months, as occupancy hits a “healthy level, sometime in January 2024”. The resort is presently supported by 250 staff, and his target is 350. Along with the commencement of more activities at the resort, some of which are provided by partners, there could be more than 400 employees on the island eventually.
Thai Vietjet now offers a new lounge service for its passengers at The Coral Executive Lounge, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
This service is available to its passengers who are travelling on Thai Vietjet’s domestic flights from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, Krabi, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, and Ubon Ratchathani.
Thai Vietjet passengers can enjoy the lounge services at The Coral Executive Lounge in Suvarnabhumi Airport
The Coral Executive Lounge is located at Gate A1 on the second level of the Domestic Departure Terminal, Suvarnabhumi Airport.
With prices starting from 890 baht (US$25), the premium lounge service includes food and refreshments, beverages, Wi-Fi, flight information service, newspapers and magazines, television entertainment, and disabled access.
In addition, Thai Vietjet passengers on the international flight network from Bangkok to Singapore, Fukuoka, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Phu Quoc, and Phnom Penh, can enjoy the lounge service at Coral Executive Lounge, Concourse D, Departure Terminal, Suvarnabhumi Airport, from 960 baht.
Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, SAUDIA, has launched its first direct flight to Beijing, China, in collaboration with the Air Connectivity Program (ACP).
SAUDIA will operate four weekly flights between Saudi Arabia and Beijing, with the aim of attracting more Chinese vacationers to visit the Kingdom.
SAUDIA hopes to draw more Chinese travellers to the Kingdom with the new service
The inaugural SAUDIA flight from Jeddah to Beijing took off on the morning of August 4 from King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to Beijing Daxing International Airport after a ribbon-cutting ceremony and gifting of chocolates and special boarding passes to the departing passengers.
Mirihi Island Resort in the Maldives has launched a limited-time four-night package designed for families to enjoy the resort’s collection of multi-bedroom beachside and over-the-water suites this season.
The package includes accommodation at the Beach and Water Suites for four guests, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner, a private beachside BBQ, a private cinema experience arranged on the beach, return seaplane transfers from Male, access to the VIP lounge at the seaplane terminal, spa treatment discounts, and F&B discounts.
Mirihi Island Resort’s package is designed especially for families
Guests also enjoy complimentary soft drinks, snacks, Wi-Fi, as well as water sports activities, use of snorkelling equipment, yoga sessions, and more.
Rates start at US$11,622 for bookings through October 15 for stays till October 31.
Having been with the company for 27 years, Toomey will oversee the consumer strategy for Marriott International in the region in his new role, which includes brand management, marketing, sales, distribution, revenue management, loyalty, customer experience, digital and communications.
Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Hartley brings more than 20 years of experience in luxury hotels around the world. He was most recently assistant vice president of strategic sales and marketing for Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts in the Asia-Pacific based in Singapore.
