More flights between Indonesia and Singapore are materialising through Garuda and Scoot.
On March 26, Garuda Indonesia commenced a five-weekly service between Surabaya and Singapore.
Scoot will increase its weekly flight frequency between Singapore and destinations in Indonesia from May
Irfan Setiaputra, president and CEO, Garuda Indonesia, said: “The opening of this service is not only meant to provide more direct flights to various destinations in Indonesia, but can also contribute to the economic recovery of Surabaya and its surrounding areas.”
With this new service, Garuda now operates 37 flights a week, connecting Singapore with the major cities in Indonesia – Jakarta (27 times), Denpasar (five times) and Surabaya (five times).
At the same time, Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, will increase its weekly flight frequency between Singapore and Lombok, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Pekanbaru, from May this year.
Flight frequencies to Lombok will increase from two to four times weekly as of May 1, while from May 2, the service to Yogyakarta will increase from thrice weekly to daily.
Flights to Makassar will be up from twice to thrice weekly, and Pekanbaru services will have three additional frequencies starting on May 4, flying five times a week.
This brings Scoot’s flight frequencies to Indonesia to 74 times weekly.
Johanes Ong, general manager, Scoot Indonesia, said: “The increase in frequencies will provide our customers with more flexibility when planning their travels to various destinations in Indonesia including Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Pekanbaru, Manado, Lombok, Balikpapan and Makassar. It will also provide our Indonesian customers with more opportunities for travels to connect with loved ones or create new experience.”
Ascott is giving out bonus points as part of a new campaign to celebrate the fourth anniversary of its loyalty programme, Ascott Star Rewards (ASR).
Members can earn 25 per cent bonus points when they book and stay at any of Ascott’s ASR participating properties from April 15 to May 31.
Members can earn extra bonus points when they book and stay at any of Ascott’s ASR participating properties; Somerset Rama 9 Bangkok, pictured
This also includes Oakwood and The Unlimited Collection brands, which were acquired by Ascott in July last year. All bookings made for stays at participating properties across the Oakwood and The Unlimited Collection brands will further entitle members to added double points for the same period. These include properties in Australia, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
ASR points earned can be fully redeemed for stays at participating properties spanning 14 brands globally. Alternatively, points can also be exchanged for rewards with Ascott partners or channelled towards a good cause.
Guests holding elite memberships from other hospitality loyalty programmes will also benefit from an equivalent status-match when they sign up for an ASR membership.
With the next phase of growth, the ASR programme will progressively be elevated with value-add experiences for all members, including a complimentary one-year Wall Street Journal subscription for eligible Platinum members who have booked and completed a stay during the campaign period.
Tan Bee Leng, Ascott’s managing director for brand & marketing, said: “We launched the ASR programme back in 2019 with a commitment to develop it as one of the strongest hospitality rewards programmes. Four years on and in spite of the challenges as a result of the pandemic, we are proud to continue upholding this ambition.
“Flexibility, convenience and stay benefits are just some of the offerings to empower our guests to make the most out of their stay with us. As consumer travel demand evolves, we strive to continue building customer loyalty by ensuring that our offerings remain relevant and compelling enough to meet the increasing expectations of an attractive loyalty programme.”
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Shekhar Resorts will launch a new property in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal.
Scheduled to open by 2025, the hotel will offer 205 rooms, including 44 suites.
Fairmont Agra will be Fairmont’s second hotel in India
Fairmont Agra will sit on the banks of the Yamuna River and in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, just a two-hour drive from the capital city of New Delhi. The hotel will be about two kilometres from the Taj Mahal, offering guests easy access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“We believe that the property will stand out and elevate the luxury hospitality experience in Agra and northern India. We are excited to start our first partnership with Fairmont and Accor, and to bring the most unique and memorable experiences to our guests,” said Anuj Jain, director of Shekhar Resorts, Agra.
Fairmont currently operates the Fairmont Jaipur in India, with plans to open additional hotels in Udaipur, Mumbai and Shimla Fagu over the next two years.
ILTM Asia Pacific has confirmed Sumana Rajarethnam, South-east Asia director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network, as keynote presenter at the Opening Forum on June 19.
He will present a macroeconomic global and regional outlook, as well as reveal current economic trends and future expectations, and provide actionable global business insights for attendees.
The Economist’s Sumana Rajarethnam will be the keynote presenter at the ILTM Asia Pacific Opening Forum
“I welcome and am looking forward to the opportunity to encourage ILTM Asia Pacific delegates to think differently, discover new possibilities and change their mindsets,” said Rajarethnam.
The Opening Forum will also highlight ILTM’s latest Buzz v Reality research, Decoding the Luxury Traveller’s Mindset; Spotlight China, which will provide valuable insights into the travel behaviours of today’s high-net worth Chinese traveller.
The other three days will see the industry come together in a programme of one-to-one pre-scheduled meetings, networking events and media meetings, providing the platform for building business relationships with suppliers of luxury travel brands.
The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia and Haichang Ocean Park have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the first large-scale ocean park in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
According to the MOU, Haichang plans to leverage its diverse expertise and experience to develop various forms of location-based entertainment venues among KSA’s cities – family entertainment centre, water park, IP themed park, zoo and safari park – to attract global and local visitors and drive the long term, sustainable growth of the tourism sector.
Both parties will work together to develop the first large-scale ocean park in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
In addition, the development of the new ocean parks and resorts is expected to create numerous job opportunities, stimulate local businesses, and contribute to the overall economic development of the region.
Haichang’s executive director, Qu Cheng, said: “The first world-class ocean park… will also serve as an educational platform to promote awareness and importance of ocean conservation. We believe the families of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East will appreciate our unique offering, and we look forward to bringing this world-class experience to the KSA.”
To achieve its growth strategies, Haichang is working closely with local partners and stakeholders, including the Ministry of Investment and General Entertainment Authority, to identify the right sites for its intended huge projects.
The Westin Manila has named Alexander Dietzsch as its general manager, who was also the pre-opening consultant of the hotel.
Before joining The Westin Manila, Dietzsch oversaw F&B operations at NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu. He has also worked in various capacities at The Westin properties in Bangkok and Bali.
From left: Alexander Dietzsch and Meegee Yap
Meanwhile, Meegee Yap is the new director of sales and marketing at The Westin Manila. She was previously at Park Inn by Radisson North Edsa with the same title.
The newly announced S$10 million (US$7.5 million) Singapore On-screen fund, while not a big budget, is betting on the initiative creating and repeating the international impact of the 2018 Hollywood hit Crazy Rich Asians.
Co-funded by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to encourage the use of Singapore as the backdrop to create content and deep story, the initiative is also expected to boost the local film industry.
STB hopes the fund will provide more opportunities for local media enterprises and talent to collaborate with international counterparts (Photo: STB)
The announcement was made at the Travel Industry Conference on April 5.
IMDA noted that the fund was not aimed at catering to a specific genre of film/TV projects or skillset.
Justin Ang, assistant chief executive, IMDA noted: “A big part of the fund is targeted at companies willing to set productions in Singapore and willing to commit to hire a certain amount of local media talent to be involved in such productions. So that, one, it will help boost the direct involvement experience transfer, but also the ability to boost the credentials of our media talent.”
The fund, IMDA added, would “provide more opportunities for our home-grown media enterprises and talent to collaborate with their international counterparts to hone their skills and gain experience on projects that target the global audience”.
“Having our local media talent involved in such projects will boost the credentials of our local media industry and also showcase Singapore’s capabilities to take on large-scale productions on the global stage,” the agency said.
In response to TTG Asia‘s query, STB’s spokesperson pointed out the board was “not limiting to any aspects in particular” – which is why the Branded Entertainment sizzle reel that was shown during the plenary session – showed diverse possibilities from modern and sci-fi to drama and high-speed chase scenes.
“What’s key is to tap the deep storytelling expertise of global media and entertainment players in a more purposeful way, showcasing Singapore through a fresh lens as travel demand recovers,” commented the spokesperson.
Editor’s note: Quotes in paragraph five to seven were wrongly attributed to an STB spokesperson. This has been corrected.
Klook and Mandai Wildlife Group (MWG) have signed a three-year strategic partnership to boost international visitors to the Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
The collaboration will leverage on Klook’s digital marketing and social content capabilities and strength in Asia-Pacific, to target the growing millennial and Gen-Z segment in six key markets, namely Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea.
Both companies will collaborate on marketing activities to attract more visitors to Singapore’s wildlife parks (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group)
Together, MWG and Klook will co-develop regional marketing campaigns as well as curate bundles and activities for international visitors and position the precinct of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve as a top-of-mind destination in Singapore.
Eric Gnock Fah, COO & co-founder, Klook said: “Our collaboration reflects our shared values and commitment to responsible tourism and protecting the planet and its wildlife. With social content being the perfect medium to showcase the amazing experiences at Mandai, we aim to attract a younger demographic of travellers to explore new adventures and create meaningful memories.”
The partnership will kick off with an integrated pan-region digital campaign, a series of online-to-offline (O2O) activations, original social content as well as new offerings sold exclusively on Klook’s platform. There will be a new Mandai Klook Pass and other customised bundles that pair admission tickets with food, wildlife experiences, transportation and SIM cards for connectivity, creating convenient and seamless experiences for different travellers.
Jean Choi, chief sales and marketing officer, Mandai Wildlife Group, shared: “We want to be culturally relevant and in the minds of the young working adults and youth segments who are always on the lookout for new experiences. With this group being the key demographic users of Klook, there is a lot of synergy to fuel our partnership.
“Our jointly developed campaigns will showcase a different side to our upcoming destination, the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, and in line with Klook’s purpose, inspire and enable more moments of joy. Overall, Mandai Wildlife Group remains committed to providing meaningful experiences as we progressively launch new wildlife parks and nature-based offerings in the next three years.”
One core focus of the partnership will be on raising awareness of wildlife conservation efforts and taking actions towards living sustainably – users can also opt for “Choose Good, Do Good” bundles where a portion of the proceeds will go towards MWG’s conservation efforts across South-east Asia.
A detailed line-up of events will be updated on Klook’s platform, including the soft opening of Singapore’s new bird park on May 8, Singapore Zoo’s 50th anniversary or Golden ZOObilee, and a series of specially curated mini-events like memorable dates for couples.
Travelport’s newest research What Consumers Want showed that consumers want the travel industry to get modern. It revealed multiple gaps that explain the lacking trust customers have in travel retailers, namely the lack of simplified and intuitive experiences, easy support and transparency.
For the travel industry, this insight offers valuable considerations and opportunities to generate more sales and customer loyalty.
59% of respondents said that getting exactly what they want is more important than how much they pay for it
“The travel industry is poised to build on the goodwill it earned during the pandemic by getting modern and giving consumers the simple, easy and supportive experience they expect,” said Jen Catto, chief marketing officer at Travelport.
“Now that the industry is recovering, there is an enormous opportunity for travel brands to reinvest in their customer experiences, earning them customer loyalty while increasing their revenue simultaneously. It’s a win-win.”
Time and transparency prioritised over price
Supporting the belief that “time is money”, Travelport’s study confirmed consumers spend more time online searching rather than buying – consulting reviews, seeking recommendations, and looking into other factors of what an offer includes.
The study revealed that the majority (69%) of consumers research a purchase online daily or weekly, with very few (only 2%) stating that they never research a purchase online.
Travelport also found that nearly all consumers (93%) believe that the best modern retailers make it easy for them to find exactly what they want. With various options available for every aspect of a trip, this is particularly crucial for travel retailers.
Full transparency is what most consumers (90%) desire most, meaning modern retailers must share full product information upfront in order to help consumers save time and gain confidence in their purchases. Doing so will pay off for retailers. In fact, most respondents (59%) said that getting exactly what they want is more important than how much they pay for it.
Even Gen Z wants convenient, human-led customer support
Most study respondents (77%), regardless of age, have interacted with a chatbot. However, just a quarter of theoretical “digital natives” – those aged 18 to 41 – use them frequently. Three quarters of all respondents prefer to speak with a human (via chat or phone) when something goes wrong, but what was unexpected is that more (83%) of younger consumers aged 18-41 actually want more human support than their elders, age 42 and above.
Furthermore, consumers in this study shared that importance of easy returns and exchanges (43%), filtered options (40%) and personalised offers (29%). These factors clearly indicate more personal support is valued at every stage of the retail journey, from research to purchase and post-purchase experiences.
Consumers will travel longer, spend more for sustainability
Climate change and sustainability are top of mind for consumers, especially those with a passion for travel. Travelport’s study revealed that nearly half of consumers (49%) would choose to spend more and even more (60%) would take longer, indirect transport routes to their destination to save on carbon emissions when travelling. This varies by age group, as the study results show (33%) of consumers aged 18-41 would travel two to three hours longer to save on carbon emissions, compared to only (19%) of consumers aged 42 and older.
Zipair Tokyo will have its inaugural flight from Tokyo to San Francisco on June 2.
The airline will initially offer five flights per week between Tokyo’s Narita Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
Zipair will fly from Tokyo to San Francisco from June 2
The service to San Francisco will become the carrier’s third route across the Pacific, following Los Angeles and San José Mineta International Airport.
