This Easter, Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Singapore has a celebration planned for guests with the Easter Fun Getaway stay package.
The resort offers an array of family-friendly facilities, including pool with water slides, fun activities by the pool, access to private beach with sea sports, and the opportunity to meet Toots, the resort’s mascot.
Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa celebrates Easter with a fun stay package for families
The package is for two adults and two children under 12, and includes daily breakfast buffet, an Easter Picnic set, a take-home bag and mat, Easter cocktails and mocktails, tie-dye workshop for kids, and access to the resort’s private beach with unlimited use of sea sports activities.
Available from SG$570 (US$423) per room per night, bookings must be made by March 25 for stays from April 1 to 10.
With an aim to double the number of leisure travellers and pilgrims to Saudi Arabia from Singapore this year, the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) was in Singapore on Wednesday to put forth a number of initiatives to raise awareness of the Middle Eastern nation.
The first initiative is the launch of Nusuk, a platform that provides pilgrims and leisure visitors an easy-to-use planning tool that will help with planning and booking their trips to Makkah, Madinah and beyond.
From left: Saudi Tourism Authority Alhasan Aldabbagh’s and Association of Muslim Travel Agents Singapore’s Ustaz TM Fouzy Jumat
When asked how the Nusuk platform benefits travel agents, Alhasan Aldabbagh, STA’s president Asia-Pacific, told TTG Asia: “We are here to enable them and help them realise bigger opportunities in Saudi Arabia. Through Nusuk, travel agents will have access to the Saudi supplier space – DMCs, hotels, and ground handling and operations as they build new travel packages for their clients.”
This is a major change from its previous legacy system that was only restricted to a few operators, which resulted in a monopoly and inflation of prices, he elaborated.
Alhasan pointed out that one of the largest challenges now for the market in Singapore and Asia-Pacific, is the need to “raise awareness about the different destinations in Saudi Arabia”, and the “diversity of its offerings” that can meet different travel needs.
This is why STA’s other initiative, the roll out of Umrah+ packages, have been designed to portray Saudi Arabia as a great holiday destination beyond pilgrimages. It highlights attractions such as Saudi Arabia’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites, and its more than 10,000 archaeological areas such as Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah.
Singapore is one of the 49 countries that is eligible for an e-visa, which lasts for a year and allows for multiple entries for stays up to 30 days. In 2022, 30,000 Singaporean travellers visited Saudi Arabia, and STA aims to double that this year.
“Singapore is an important market, as it is able to influence other markets in the region,” Alhasan opined.
In the same vein, five Memoranda of Understanding to promote travel to Saudi Arabia were also signed at the event, with the Association of Muslim Travel Agents Singapore, and four Singaporean travel companies Azza Travel & Tours, Shahidah Travel & Tours, TM Fouzy Travel & Tours, and TravelConnect.sg.
Aside from Singapore, STA is also focused on attracting visitors from Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, India, as well as China – China will be the next stop for STA, where it will be visiting four cities there, shared Alhasan.
The last initiative revealed during the media session was the 96-hour Stopover Visa, which is open to all flying through the country on Saudia or Flynas. Travellers will be able to stopover for up to 96 hours to explore the country, as well as enjoy a complimentary one-night hotel stay.
When asked how much investment was being pumped into tourism, Alhasan shared with TTG Asia: “We are investing hundreds of billions of dollars into the tourism ecosystem. This includes the development of infrastructure projects like Neom, and the Murabba in Riyadh, (as well as) in investments in marketing, working with celebrities and influencers in each market, hosting fam trips, and other trade events.”
IHG Hotels & Resorts expects to introduce 7,000 new jobs this year in over 100 of its open hotels, and 90-strong pipeline, across South-east Asia and South Korea.
IHG is committed to creating a strong and inclusive culture, as well as providing flexible working conditions, and has evolved its recruitment and retention strategy by elevating the focus on people development to attract the market’s best talent from inside and outside the industry.
The hotel team at Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok Vignette Collection
Rajit Sukumaran, managing director, South East Asia and Korea, IHG, said: “We know how highly candidates value working for a company with a strong culture and values, job stability as well as a true sense of purpose – and we agree with them. That’s why we’re providing people with the chance to build a career with us while enjoying a work-life balance and increasing learning and development opportunities. It’s all part of our people-orientated strategy that’s ensuring our colleagues love being part of the IHG team.”
IHG has developed a series of programmes to support talent entering the industry including creating career pathways fort aspiring hoteliers – in-class training and access to global standards throughout its operations, along with doing purposeful work for its communities and the planet, will also be provided for all staff.
The company also recently launched IHG Skills Academy, a virtual training programme that offers free online education and courses in multiple languages for young people to become ‘employment ready’ and explore a career in hospitality. In addition, staff can benefit from IHG University that helps them find their path to building skills, knowledge and capabilities.
In addition, IHG has rolled out revolving hotel roles enabling staff to be seconded to conversions and new openings as a way to advocate a culture of mobility for staff to ensure the right talent are in the right roles.
Sukumaran added: “We are first and foremost a people business and are always on the lookout for great talent with a passion for the work that we do. This includes people from a great variety of backgrounds, and we’re very keen to attract talent from outside of the hospitality industry as well as from within it.
“There are wonderful career pathways that people can choose to embark on based on their skillsets, preferences and personality, with opportunities to work across borders and provinces, across different brands and different functions, and every single one of our colleagues get on-the-job training from day one.
Accor has teamed up with Ecotourism Australia to certify all Accor hotels, apartments and resorts across Australia and the Pacific as Sustainable Tourism certified businesses.
Introduced in 2022, Ecotourism Australia’s Sustainable Tourism Certification programme is recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). The certification is designed for all tourism operators and businesses in the tourism supply chain to meet and gain recognition for best practice sustainability initiatives.
Derry: sustainability is redefining our business model
Assessing businesses across the four pillars of sustainability – sustainable management, environmental impacts, cultural impacts, and socio-economic impacts – the Sustainable Tourism Certification is an extension to the existing ECO Certification programme that has been in Australia for more than two decades.
Ecotourism Australia CEO, Elissa Keenan, said: “Accor’s significant presence across regions, including Ecotourism Australia certified ECO Destinations Port Douglas Daintree, Bundaberg and the Coffs Coast, and seventeen other regions currently undertaking certification, and throughout regional areas and capital cities, demonstrates their commitment to sustainability in Australia and the Pacific’s unique environments.”
Sarah Derry, CEO of Accor Pacific, shared: “Sustainability is redefining our business model and we are proud to lead the industry forward by investing in our sustainability actions and activities in the region.
In 2022, Accor Pacific removed single-use plastic items from guest areas in over 80 per cent of hotels. Further action will be taken to remove single-use plastics from back of house operations, micro plastics in laundries and sourcing for long-term solutions to replace plastic water bottles this year.
“We know there is a lot more to do and our teams will continue to focus on driving sustainability actions. There are no limits to our ambition,” Derry said.
GlobalTix and Go City have come together to provide convenience and integrated experiences for Go City customers, agents and operators in South-east Asia destinations including Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and Sydney.
The collaboration will include a GlobalTix-powered customised solution offering direct connectivity to Go City’s platform, allowing Go City customers to reserve an attraction for their preferred date and time, modify and redeem experiences through a single portal.
The partnership will offer convenience and integrated experiences for travellers to the Asia-Pacific region
Using GlobalTix’s proprietary scanners and kiosks, Go City customers will no longer need to queue at the ticketing booths and instead enter attractions seamlessly.
In addition, Go City Explorer and All-Inclusive Passes are now available on GlobalTix’s platform, featuring over 2,500 agents and resellers, which allows agents to purchase passes in real-time.
“This collaboration marks a significant step towards solving the challenges faced by agents, operators in the tourism industry by connecting everyone in one unified ecosystem. We are thrilled to be partnering with Go City to open up new opportunities for agents and operators looking to boost their visibility and sales across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Chan Chee Chong, CEO of GlobalTix.
Baidi Li, senior vice president, commercial APAC, Go City added: “This new alliance will streamline the booking process for agents and operators to work more easily with us, while also helping travellers access the best attractions, tours and experiences across the region with greater flexibility, certainty and convenience.”
Reservation capabilities will be available by the end of March across all of Go City’s destinations in Asia.
Robinsons Hotels and Resorts (RHR) has unveiled new, convenient booking packages that break away from tradition.
The GO24/7 package lets guests check in any time of the day and stay within a 24-hour period, breaking the boundaries of the traditional hotel stay period of checking in from 14.00 to 16.00, said RHR group director of sales and marketing, Joy de Mesa.
GO24/7 will soon be available at all 24 Go Hotels, Go Plus Hotels and Summit and Grand Summit hotels and resorts across the country; Grand Summit Hotel General Santos pictured
This package can be booked via direct emails and calls, as well as the booking engine, starting from today in seven essential service value Go Hotels across the country.
By summer, GO24/7 can be booked at all 24 Go Hotels, Go Plus Hotels and mid-market boutique and city Summit and Grand Summit hotels and resorts across the country.
Also available in all the 24 homegrown brands of RHR is GO365 which lets guests book in advance from at least 15 days prior to their chosen dates up to a maximum of 365 days on the website. This allows travellers to secure the rate from the day of booking plus a 10 per cent discount off the best available rate.
Nonito Cuizon, RHR marketing director, said GO365 can be paired with RHR sister company Cebu Pacific’s “periodic seat sale flights, paid leaves and planned events, ensuring peace of mind knowing that your comfortable and safe stay is secured in advance”.
Coming soon is GO Buy Online which, with the ease of mobile messaging apps, will allow guests to book and purchase vouchers via a unique chat box and online boutique.
All three RHR offerings complement Cebu Pacific’s seat sale, flight arrivals, and domestic destinations where the homegrown hotels and resorts are also located.
RHR has also announced the opening of The Westin Manila Sonata Place, a hotel and serviced residences in Ortigas, on March 16, its fourth internationally-managed property, in addition to Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria, and Holiday Inn Manila Galleria.
Current president of Sabre Corporation, Kurt Ekert, Sabre, will take on the role of CEO from April 27.
He will replace Sean Menke, currently chair of the board and CEO, who will transition to be solely Sabre’s executive chair of the board. Menke joined Sabre in 2015 serving as president of its largest business division, before being promoted to CEO in late 2016.
Ekert joined Sabre in January 2022 as president and oversees all aspects of the company’s business and technology operations.
Momentus Hotel Alexandra, Singapore
Momentus Hotel Alexandra is a 442-key property situated near Singapore’s city area and in proximity to the comforts of the heartlands.
The hotel features reflect its commitment to sustainability, such as in-room smart digital thermostats, recycling bins in every guest room, the elimination of single-use plastics, and a rooftop hydroponic corner for cultivating ingredients for use at the restaurant and bar.
On-site facilities include F&B outlets, an infinity pool, lounge, and event venues.
Radisson Resort & Spa Hua Hin
Radisson Resort & Spa Hua Hin, Thailand
Radisson Resort & Spa Hua Hin is a beachside retreat situated in the town which was once the summer retreat of the Thai royal family.
Nestled directly along Cha-am Beach, the resort offers 243 rooms and suites as well as dining options, outdoor pool with water slide, water sports activity hub, fitness centre, spa, skate park, kids club, and direct beachfront access. Function spaces are also available.
The property is close to Hua Hin’s top cultural attractions, including historic royal palaces, golden temples, colonial-style architecture and lively night markets.
Vinpearl Landmark 81 – Autograph Collection
Vinpearl Landmark 81 – Autograph Collection, Vietnam
Vinpearl Landmark 81 – Autograph Collection is located from the 47th to 71st floors of the Landmark 81 tower on the west bank of the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City’s Binh Thanh district.
The 223-room hotel within Vietnam’s tallest skyscraper featurs restaurants, spa, salon, fitness centre, infinity pool and event spaces.
Landmark 81 also houses an upmarket lifestyle mall, ice skating rink, cinema, kids’ play centre and multiple dining venues.
NH Collection Dubai The Palm
NH Collection Dubai The Palm, the UAE
NH Collection Dubai The Palm is positioned in a new development on the Palm Jumeirah with direct access to West Palm Beach. Just 30 minutes away from Dubai International Airport, the hotel also provides easy access to Dubai’s many attractions and fine cuisine.
The hotel features 226 rooms and suites in addition to 306 studios and apartments across 11 room categories – it also houses five restaurants, two bars, an infinity pool, beach club, kids club, and event venues.
Designed to minimise environmental impact, the hotel has its own water plant and solar panels, as well as other initiatives such as an onsite apiary, a hydroponic farm and a community market.
Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) will commence sustainable tourism activations on Singapore’s Southern Islands, with a collection of five low-impact accommodation units on Lazarus Island being the first of a series of initiatives to come.
Tiny Away Escape @ Lazarus Island – the first short-term stay accommodation available on the island – will be operated by Big Tiny, said to be the first Singaporean company to integrate the concept of “tiny houses” with ecotourism.
Artist’s impression of a Tiny Away Escape @ Lazarus Island unit that will launch this April
Measuring between 14m2 and 15.8m2, these units are both compact and functional, and designed to reduce holidaymakers’ carbon footprint through reliance on solar energy as the main source of power and the use of energy-efficient electrical appliances; deployment of high-tech food waste recycling systems in partnership with local start-up Westcom Solutions; and the use of sustainable composite building materials produced from recycled plastic and wood fibre, which can be repurposed into composite cladding for the construction of new “tiny houses” at the end of their lifespan.
Biodegradable shampoo and body wash will be provided complimentary to guests.
Guests of Tiny Away Escape @ Lazarus Island will have access to almost 128 hectares of natural landscape to explore on the connected islands of Seringat, Lazarus, St John’s and Kias.
The accommodation unit will launch in April this year, and will be joined by other infrastructure and activities in phases around June. Upcoming developments include a convenience store, overnight glamping experiences, and non-motorised water activities.
Existing amenities on the islands include bicycle rentals and the Glasshouse, an air-conditioned multipurpose space.
Thien Kwee Eng, CEO of SDC, said: “For the first time, we are extending the Sentosa getaway for guests through short-term stays on Lazarus Island where they can discover a new experience in the idyllic Southern Islands. Aligned with SDC’s sustainability goals, these unique accommodation units have utilised innovative, sustainable solutions and technologies to allow guests to lower their carbon footprint.”
The Southern Islands is accessible from the Sentosa Jetty@Cove via a 15-minute boat ride.
Travellers from several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and New Zealand, will no longer need to take a PCR test prior to entry to China from today.
Eligible travellers flying directly to China will only need to take an ART 48 hours before boarding.
Travellers from select countries flying directly to China will no longer need to take a PCR test ahead of their flight
A positive test result would still hinder entry to China, and travellers are required to declare their negative test results on the China Customs website or through its app.
With the updated procedure, airlines will no longer check a passenger’s negative PCR or ART results.
PCR test results are still required for travellers from other countries like the US, South Korea and Japan.
Ekert joined Sabre in January 2022 as president and oversees all aspects of the company’s business and technology operations.
Travellers from several countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and New Zealand, will no longer need to take a PCR test prior to entry to China from today.
Eligible travellers flying directly to China will only need to take an ART 48 hours before boarding.
A positive test result would still hinder entry to China, and travellers are required to declare their negative test results on the China Customs website or through its app.
With the updated procedure, airlines will no longer check a passenger’s negative PCR or ART results.
PCR test results are still required for travellers from other countries like the US, South Korea and Japan.