From June 16, Vietjet will launch the first non-stop flights connecting Vietnam to Queensland, Australia.
The service will operate two flights per week (every Monday and Friday) between Ho Chi Minh City and Brisbane Airport.
Passengers arriving in Brisbane from Vietnam will be able to connect to 53 destinations across the country, with 30 of them in Queensland.
Westin Hotels & Resorts is encouraging travellers to prioritise having a good night’s rest with the brand’s collection of Sleep Well products and programmes across Asia-Pacific.
The Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort offers a seven-day well-being programme which comprises one workout session per day, a sauna and steam room experience, sports activities such as snorkelling, yoga, volleyball, and a wide variety of spa treatments for complete relaxation.
Yoga classes led by certified instructors are now offered at The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, and travellers can pamper themselves with a Wish Heavenly Package at the spa.
The Sleep Well Ritual at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali includes a 90-minute massage and a tea ritual.
The Westin Tokyo features a Sleep Well Spa Retreat Stay package that comprises accommodation, a 15-minute head massage therapy, a 60-minute body or facial spa treatment, and complimentary access to Aqua Area for its steam bath facilities.
The Westin Singapore offers a variety of fitness activities like a group exercise classes at the hotel lobby, and a five-km running route through iconic landmarks such as the Merlion statue, Gardens by the Bay, and Marina Bay.
The Westin Nanjing Resort & Spa’s Sleep Well experience package provides amenities like rain showers, extra-large bath sheets and plush bathrobes to help guests feel rejuvenated.
Available at all Westin Hotels and Resorts around the world are the Westin Heavenly Bed, the sleep-enhancing Sleep Well Menu, and refreshing amenities including the Sleep Well Lavender Balm.
For more information, visit Westin Hotels & Resorts.
Goco Hospitality has named Nicholas Clayton as its president. In this newly created role, Clayton will support and guide the expansion of Goco projects.
He has decades of experience in leadership roles at luxury global hotel groups, and previously managed the operations of multiple hotel properties within the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Ayu in the Wild, Sri Lanka
Founded by avid travellers and husband-and-wife team, Chamintha and Rajindra Jayasinghe, destination curator Ayu in the Wild sets out with a single aim: to showcase the beauty of life in biodiverse Sri Lanka while ensuring that tourism dollars are filtered down to where they matter most – the local people.
“Ayu means life in Sanskrit,” explained co-founder Chamintha Jayasinghe. “There are so many layers to life in Sri Lanka. When a traveller understands what life is really like in a country, he will appreciate it a lot more.”
With Ayu in the Wild carrying its commitment in its name, its travel designers curate trips across the country that deliver authentic experiences led by community-based guides and local topical experts who know the destination like the back of their hand.
“They are village heads, teachers, farmers, housewives, poets, architects and wildlife photographers – everyone we knew through our travels or are our friends for many years. They convey their experience growing up and living in Sri Lanka,” she said.
While travellers benefit from local tales and insights, these experience hosts earn supplementary income without being solely dependent on tourism.
Ayu in the Wild also takes pride in offering naturalists as destination guides. “Because Sri Lanka is a biodiversity hotspot, we found it necessary to also have a naturalist lead our trips. Naturalists have a wider knowledge of culture, heritage, ecology, wildlife and way of life of our people,” remarked Jayasinghe.
The company’s focus on introducing the road less travelled to its customers also helps to spread tourism earnings deeper into the country.
Ayu in the Wild crafts local journeys for every client, and is able to deliver on niché requests, such as an architecture tour of Sri Lanka to see Geoffrey Bawa’s legacies, or to learn about Sri Lanka’s archaeology, nature and conservation, or culture and heritage.
To ensure that tourism is truly beneficial to the local people, Ayu in the Wild channels earnings to a number of community projects it founded, such as Classroom in the Wild, which funds English classes for the children in a farming village in a remote part of Sigiriya; a dance therapy initiative for special needs children in Galle and a nearby orphanage; Ayu Blue Carbon Initiative, a seagrass restoration project; and the Ayu Scholarship Fund which finances further studies for needy children. – Karen Yue
Going Places Tours, Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur-based Going Places Tours is backed by guiding veterans – Stevie Chan, who is also the managing director, Jane Rai, his business partner, and two tour guides Raja Shaharil and Marie Gerardine Teo. Each of them have 15 years of guiding experience, and are well versed in the art of storytelling.
Going Places Tours offers two tip-supported heritage walks every Saturday and Sunday under its Free Walk Kuala Lumpur Unscripted brand.
The East-West Connection walk conveys tales of the early settlements, trade and structural developments that took place close to the confluence of the Klang River and the Gombak River that ran through the city.
The Chinatown Cultural Walk takes participants on a walking tour to the early Chinese settlements in and around Petaling Street.
The four experienced guides handling these tours make their narratives interactive by interjecting it with thought-provoking questions, riddles and clues and humour.
Jane said: “The art of storytelling lies in the delivery. We engage participants through the five senses and we arouse their curiosity by asking some pointed questions and throwing in a little bit of suspense here and there, and we also show them things that they would otherwise, not expect.
“We have also developed personal relations with the traders and they are tourist-friendly. They are more than willing to interact with our guests, often revealing details of their trade and sharing stories of their families, past and present.”
As some of these local traders and artisans are third and fourth generations working in the trade, interactions are especially precious. – S Puvaneswary
Indie Singapore Tours
First established in 2015 to provide free and immersive walking tours around Singapore to backpackers, Indie Singapore Tours was eventually led down the bespoke walking tour route at the insistence of fans.
Numerous positive reviews left on social media sites gave Indie Singapore Tours the opportunity to expand beyond backpackers, the initial target as Thiam Wei Toh, founder and chief storyteller, hoped to encourage these budget-conscious travellers to fall in love with his country.
When the pandemic rolled in, Indie Singapore Tours hit a turning point that proved to be a positive milestone. In the absence of foreign visitors, Indie Singapore Tours had to conduct tours differently to reel in the locals. So, it created the Whimsical Walk through the Blair Plain Conservation Area tour, a 2.5-hour exploration of a hidden gem in modern Singapore. It pointed out conserved architecture, old school eats, gorgeous contemporary art, and beautiful hole-in-the-wall cafés.
“There was nothing like that when we started, so the tour gained a lot of attention from both customers and the media,” Toh recalled fondly.
Unusual spins on city tours continue to be a central focus, and Toh told TTG Asia that he often finds his sparks at kopitiams – local coffee houses in the neighbourhoods.
“I’d drink with the old folks and they will share their growing up stories. These tales inspire tour ideas and give us unique content,” he said.
Toh also makes it a habit to visit local businesses and talk to the owners about potential collaboration.
“Tours have to evolve to be more immersive and experiential. Collaboration with varied businesses will help to add depth to the tour experience, and this is something that has become so important during Covid,” he stated.
Conversations with business owners have led to the creation of even more fancy tours. One of them is the Whis-Kueh tour, which takes guests through some of the oldest traditional pastry shops in Chinatown, and concludes with a craft whisky-pairing experience at Furama City Centre hotel. – Karen Yue
Kouprey Adventures, Cambodia
Kouprey Adventures scours all corners of Cambodia to craft innovative itineraries that scratch way beneath the surface. The boutique tour operator does not deliver standard packages. Instead, it personalises each itinerary based on customers’ individual preferences. Managing director Richard Casswell said the company prides itself on being “Cambodia specialists that are guest-centric”.
In 2022, the product and operations team visited more than 100 destinations in Cambodia, in addition to hotels, activities and experiences. The team has travelled across the entire country using all modes of transport – car, train, motorcycle, bicycle and helicopter.
“For the adventurous, we have first-hand knowledge of emerging destinations where we promote community-based tourism and bring travellers to have authentic experiences,” Casswell said. “From helicopter visits to waterfalls deep in the jungle to champagne breakfasts at remote temples, a private show by Cambodia’s top performance artists and high tea with royalty, we pride ourselves on creating unique thematic experiences.” – Marissa Carruthers
Maika Tours, Vietnam
Maika Tours’ team of Vietnamese tour guides come with heaps of on-the-ground knowledge about the destinations it taps into. Founder and owner Giang Vu believes it is this deep knowledge of the guides that enable the company to deliver immersive tours that steer way off the well-trodden path.
For example, its Ho Chi Minh City walking tour may only take in 2.4 kilometres, but Maika’s guides have scoured the city’s back streets to hand-pick some of the tastiest and most authentic vendors and eateries that would usually remain off tourists’ radar.
In addition, Maika Tours has designed itineraries that are tailored towards the LGBTQ community. It also has tour guides who are trained in sign language and know how to run accessible tours that cater for the needs of people with disabilities. All of its spacious transport vehicles are able to carry electric wheelchairs. – Marissa Carruthers
Rajah Travel Corp, the Philippines
Rajah Travel Corp goes to great lengths in curating 24 itineraries each year “to convey the importance of Philippine culture, not only in history and heritage, but also in the food served and other geographical uniqueness”, said chairman and president Aileen Clemente.
At the 2015 launch of the Liberation of Palawan under its Salute to Valor Programme, for instance, the company coordinated with the Philippine Historical Commission to renovate and put markers on historical sites and formed a government and private sector task force to ensure maintenance. It commissioned an original Filipino music score for the programme and awarded the World War II veterans.
For its mango-themed Kulinarya of Zambales and Guimaras, highlights included in-depth learning of the mango industry from local experts and how this tropical fruit is intertwined in the Filipino culture; learning to pick and cut the right fruit directly from trees; tales of the provinces and legends of this heart-shaped fruit from historians; and a visit to the National Mango Research and Development Center. – Rosa Ocampo
The Hidden Japan
For Derek Yamashita, co-founder of Tohoku-based travel agency The Hidden Japan, tours are about offering travellers deep, culturally immersive Japan experiences alongside local masters with a passion for preserving these traditions.
One of the company’s experiences involves guests getting special access into the workshops of master blacksmiths to make their own Japanese knives and learn how to sharpen and maintain them. They then use their new knives to fillet fish at culinary workshops, after buying fresh fish in the local market or catching it themselves. Similarly, guests make a sake cup under the guidance of an artisan and then go bar hopping around local inns that will serve them drinks in their new vessels.
“The appeal of this programme is with the people they meet and experiences they have with their own hands,” said Yamashita, adding that this tour is extra special because even after returning home, “every time they pick up the knife or cup they will remember their journey in hidden Japan”. – Kathryn Wortley
Indonesian outbound travel agents are anticipating a busy year, with some companies reporting double the bookings in February for travel up to January 2024, as compared to the same time last year.
Travel companies that participated at the Association of Travel Agents in Indonesia (ASTINDO) Travel Fair 2023 in February, revealed that Japan and Western Europe were in high demand, as well as popular destinations such as Australia, Thailand and Singapore.
Hatta Pradhana, head of marketing, digital, communication & partnership at Dwidaya Tour, shared that the company has seen a surge in bookings since September 2022.
“The increase in orders (between January and February 2023) was around 60 per cent, (but in) September 2022 to February 2023, (the growth) was more than 110 per cent,” said Hatta.
Meanwhile, Golden Rama Tours & Travel reported that in January and February 2023 alone, the company sent 140 groups of around 20 tourists each on trips that last between six and 14 days, according to its head of marketing, Ricky Hilton.
In addition to the ASTINDO Fair, Golden Rama participated in several other fairs, including its own.
Hilton commented: “From our three-day solo exhibition in January (alone), we already received about 1,000 customers, not to mention the online booking and daily sales.”
Pauline Suharno, president of ASTINDO, expects a good year for outbound travel from the country, considering the results of the ASTINDO Travel Fair.
She said: “Visitors’ interest in the show and our sales were great despite the fact that our show was the last after (the) Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Japan National Tourism Organization travel fairs.”
According to a Google Trends report, the demand for overseas travel began increasing exponentially last year, with searches for “international travel” increasing by 280 per cent compared to 2021, and this trend is expected to continue this year.
Pauline pointed out that Indonesians seem to prefer travelling in smaller groups with families or communities, and fellow travel agents now list smaller-sized groups compared to the previous 40 passengers per group, which could be due to health and safety reasons.
She also noted that travellers are now booking their holidays in advance as opposed to last minute, partly due to the longer visa application processes post-lockdown. Additionally, with prices soaring, booking promotional airfares and tour packages at travel fairs early in the year for trips in June and December are ways to get a good deal.
Hilton, meanwhile, advised that travellers should book between three and six months in advance so they can have peace of mind. However, he stated that there will still be those who “chase last-minute bookings for school holidays and Eid holiday period”.
Marriott International is making more in-roads in the Philippines with the re-entry of The Westin, two soon-to-open Four Points by Sheraton and Fairfield by Marriott properties in 3Q2023, as well as plans for the first Autograph Collection.
The Westin Manila in Ortigas is Marriott’s seventh hotel in the country. The 303-key hotel soft-opened last weekend and will be fully operational by July.
Currently undergoing an extensive renovation, Sheridan Beach Resort and Spa in Sabang near Puerto Princesa, Palawan, will be rebranded as Four Points by Sheraton when it opens around July or August.
Marriott International’s multi-property vice president Philippines, Bruce Winton, shared that the company is increasing the room keys at the former Sheridan resort from 168 to 250 and adding a ballroom and other facilities such as a speciality restaurant.
Around the same July period, Winton added that a Fairfield by Marriott in the business area of Mandaue in Cebu will open with 146 rooms.
About Marriott’s rapid expansion in the Philippines, Winton explained: “It’s been a long time coming – these things don’t happen overnight. Marriott has always had a very strong brand presence even though we don’t have a lot of hotels.
“Everybody is familiar with our brands so that makes things easier. When you don’t have a lot of distribution, it is easier to expand. It’s exciting, it will be busy, and there’s a lot more to come.”
Last September, Marriott opened its first Sheraton resort in Mactan, Cebu and in late 2019, the former Pan Pacific Hotel in Malate was rebranded to Sheraton Manila Bay Hotel. Another project in Palawan, still in infancy, is also pegged to be another Sheraton hotel, said Winton.
In Clark where there is already a Marriott hotel, another Westin is being negotiated.
Softer brands, particularly the Autograph Collection for independently-owned and operated upmarket hotels, are also on the radar for Marriott’s expansion in the Philippines.
Winton added that new projects in Boracay are being explored, as well as in Davao and General Santos in Mindanao.
Minor Hotels has named Paul Stocker as the new vice president of operations in South-east Asia.
With over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Stocker will help take Minor Hotels to the next phase of growth by driving operational excellence, and overseeing commercial processes across the group’s portfolio in South-east Asia.
He joins Minor Hotels from Oakwood Worldwide Asia, where he held a vice president role from 2019.
You are soon to launch your second property in the Maldives, and I’ve heard it will be a hefty one. What other openings do you have in the near term?
The opening of Amari Raaya Maldives is a big event for us in 2023. It is our second property in the Maldives. With 187 villas, seven F&B outlets and more, it will be one of the biggest openings for us this year.
Over in Malaysia, we will have three Onyx brands in operation by the end of this year, making it the first country outside of home base Thailand to carry all our brands.
Through our partnership with SP Setia in Malaysia, we have soft-opened Amari SPICE Penang and Amari Kuala Lumpur. Three more are coming up – a Shama property in Johor Bahru, another Shama (Shama Medini Iskandar) in 2024, and OZO Medini Iskandar in 3Q2023.
Malaysia presents great opportunities for us, as we have strong investors in UMLand and SP Setia. We want to grow our portfolio with them.
We know how to do resorts very well, but our approach in Malaysia so far has been more urban hotels. As such, we are eyeing Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi, both resort destinations, for our next openings.
We are also opening Amari Colombo Sri Lanka in 2024.
How do you expect the pace of new signings and portfolio expansion to be this year, as confidence in travel and the industry intensifies?
We are under a very strict financial threshold now, after three, four years of Covid-19. We had to restructure our business and take a closer look at the partners we were working with.
So, now, we will take a careful, tailored approach to development. We are looking at four or five contracts a year for the next three years or so. This compares with 10 or more contracts a year pre-pandemic.
We want to grow sustainably. We are not looking to go to a buffet and grab everything that’s on the table; we like to be able to pick and choose what we prefer.
At this moment, I see us growing our foothold in Thailand, Malaysia and Laos. Laos is such a different destination, and so beautiful with great tourism potential. We now have a solid property in Amari Vang Vieng, north of Vientiane. Amari Vientiane is now under construction and will open 2Q2024. It will be a business events hotel with about 250 keys, ballrooms and meeting rooms.
Of these targeted four or five contracts, some of them will be conversions. We are leaning towards conversions, with the Shama brand being our focus. It is very easy to convert white label service apartments to branded ones.
We are very proud of Shama, which originated in Hong Kong. It is proven that the brand can bring in both premium long-stay guests and short-stay guests. Shama used to target long-stays only, so we competed with brands like Ascott and Somerset. Now, we make sure this is an adaptable brand.
Shama has three tiers – Shama Hub, all studios, is more geared towards couples and young families with small children; Shama is generic, with units ranging from one- to four-bedrooms and keys ranging from 50 to 400 per property; and Shama Luxe is the next higher level.
Shama is also a practical product, as it does not carry many people on its payroll and can quickly justify return on investments for our owners.
We now have a person each in Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Thailand taking care of Shama’s development.
In Bangkok alone, we have six Shama properties. We recently converted and upgraded Shama Sukhumvit 39 to Shama Luxe Sukhumvit Bangkok. It is our first Shama Luxe in the city, and it is located in the upscale Thonglor neighbourhood.
Next, we are looking to launch Shama Hub in Hong Kong come 4Q2023.
We want to expand the Shama network, not just in Asia but also in Europe.
Why do you think Shama is getting more short-stay guests? Is the rise of multi-gen family travel a reason?
Travelling families used to look for hotels, but as they get bigger they tend to want full-serviced accommodation with two or three bedrooms.
I’m one of these families. I was recently in Japan for a ski trip with my family of five. We went with 10 suitcases. We needed space. Increasingly, when we travel, we look for full-serviced apartments with three bedrooms so everyone gets a proper bed to sleep on, not an extra bed.
Shama is simply a practical brand that resolves the pain points of travelling families today.
What other changing traveller habits or expectations are impacting your operations or the design of your products?
ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) is very much talked about and looked at these days by consumers and companies. We are a strong believer of responsible operations, and have systems in place for managing food waste, generating solar energy, and supporting local procurement.
Almost all our in-room amenities are procured locally, from coffee to soap. This not only supports local businesses, but also cuts import expenses and carbon footprint. We are looking to do more with a wider range of local suppliers.
As part of our ESG commitment, we also work with Pimali, a small hotel school in the north-eastern part of Thailand, to take in about 10 students every year as interns. These students then have an opportunity to stay on with us full-time.
The school teaches various aspects of the hotel business, from culinary to restaurant service.
We would love to take in more students from Pimali, perhaps 20 a year if that is possible. The school is a small outfit. We intend to also partner another vocational school in Chiang Mai.
My bigger hope is to set up a scholarship to support more young ones and bring them into our industry.
Onyx is ready to invest in such projects, and can be a leader in building talents. We can do more to demonstrate the abundant career opportunities in the hospitality industry and the attractiveness of the job. Doing this will also help resolve one of the common pain points of our industry, which is the lack of manpower.
Let’s talk a little more about your work with Pimali. How successful have you been in converting the interns to full-time staff?
We’ve converted 100 per cent of the interns we brought in since 2008.
These students are mostly orphans. Without exposure to the hotel business, many of them would have left school to work in factories or farms.
They all begin with work at our properties in Thailand, and some are eventually given opportunities for attachments abroad.
How do you expect travel demand to look for your properties this year?
Europe is still one of our strongest source markets, even though we had to focus on regional and domestic markets the past three years (due to travel disruptions).
In Thailand alone, arrivals from Europe have picked up so well. German bookings are up 33 per cent in 1Q2023 compared to the same period in 2019. Overall, European bookings are up 44 per cent.
So, our return to ITB Berlin 2023 was our chance to rebuild our visibility. We will be a lot more vocal about our brand and products elsewhere too.
German-speaking markets tend to favour Phuket and Samui, and it is interesting to see a growing movement in golf tourism among Europeans for other parts of Thailand, like Hua Hin and Pattaya.
We have seen a lot of Russian and CIS travellers flocking into Thailand over the last four months. I’m talking plane-loads of them, especially to the south. As such, our properties in Phuket and Samui have performed very well.
Besides Europe, we are balancing our mix of source markets. India is big for us too, and we continue to work Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia markets for corporate bookings.
As air capacity returns and airfares come down, travel demand will go up. Overall, Onyx Hospitality Group’s properties, both owned and managed, are expected to generate US$260 million in revenue this year, signifying a 60 per cent increase from the previous year.
I don’t see airfares coming down by a lot yet, even though global capacity is inching closer to 2019 levels.
It will, just not this year. A lot of discounted airlines are ramping up operations across Asia, and that will result in competition among airlines. Improved air accessibility in the region, even through discounted airlines, is most critical for us as a hotel company with a strong Asian footprint.
Thai AirAsia is now offering daily flights to six international destinations from its Chiang Mai hub.
Starting from March 26, the airline will fly daily to Hanoi and Danang in Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
AirAsia’s Chiang Mai hub currently operates four aircraft which services both domestic and international routes.
Kappa Senses Ubud, Indonesia
Kappa Senses Ubud houses 76 suites and villas with integrated outdoor and indoor living, and is situated amid emerald rice fields which surrounds the resort.
Just 10 minutes away from Ubud town, the resort features three restaurants, two swimming pools, floating library and boutique, and spa.
Just Sleep Osaka Shinsaibashi, Japan
Just Sleep Osaka Shinsaibashi boasts 100 rooms, ranging from 12m² to 16m². There is also a café/restaurant on the first floor which serves up Kansai-style Osaka specialties and Taiwanese delicacies.
The hotel is located at the intersection of four subway stations and is only a five-minute walk from Shinsaibashi, Osaka’s most popular shopping area.
TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington, New Zealand
TRYP by Wyndham Tory Street Wellington is located within a 1920s deco-themed building reminiscent of old Chicago.
Facilities at the 77-room hotel include a lounge, which serves daily breakfast, snacks and drinks, and an executive boardroom.
Guests have a plethora of nearby attractions on their doorstep, such as dining, shopping, and entertainment, Te Papa Museum, and the soon-to-be-opened Takina Convention Centre.
Homm Saranam Baturiti, Indonesia
Located in Bali’s central highlands, Homm Saranam Baturiti features 81 rooms and villas amid natural landscapes and a backdrop of the picturesque Bedugul mountains.
The resort’s various programmes have been designed with wellbeing and reconnection in mind. It features an all-day dining restaurant, meeting venues, spa, and cooking classes.
There are also experiences and entertainment options nearby the property.
