airasia Super App has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Archipelago International to expand the airasia Super App hotel booking platform’s portfolio by more than 40,000 rooms and residences in over 200 locations across South-east Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Oceania.
The partnership also stands as one of airasia Super App’s efforts as an OTA and hotel booking platform to support Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s target of 7.4 million foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in 2023.
From left: AirAsia Super App’s Lim Ben-Jie and Archipelago International’s John M Flood
Lim Ben-Jie, head of emerging markets, airasia Super App, said: “By uniting both our strong brand presence and extensive network, we believe this partnership will be a symbiosis of mutualism that benefits all stakeholders, as well as being our real contribution to supporting the growth of the Indonesian tourism industry.
“Our unique end-to-end travel booking experience for users allows the airasia Super App to present more cross-sell marketing opportunities and increase visibility for direct hotel partners in reaching the right target market.”
John M Flood, president & CEO, Archipelago International, added: “The travel industry is steadily recovering after the pandemic, and Archipelago is gearing up to welcome the greater influx of travellers this year as the confidence to travel grows.”
airasia Super App users can now access a number of leading properties under Archipelago International. Currently, the airasia Super App has inventories of more than 700,000 hotels worldwide.
Wyndham Vuon Vua Thanh Thuy, Vietnam
Wyndham Vuon Vua Thanh Thuy is located in Viet Tri, the capital city of Phu Thọ province. Surrounded by vegetation, fresh air, and picturesque views of Lotus Lake, the hotel provides a tranquil retreat for guests, away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi.
Fusing European country architecture with modern amenities, guests can relax by soaking in the hot mineral pools located in the middle of the resort, or explore nearby attractions such as Lang Suong Temple, K9 Da Chong Monument and Green Pearl Island Tourist Area.
Facilities in the hotel include a spa, pool, golf course, and meeting venues.
The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas
The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas, India
Offering a haven of wellness and renewal is The Westin Resort & Spa, Himalayas, situated in Rishikesh, and just 45 minutes from Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun.
The 141-room resort offers guests a place to rejuvenate their mind, body, and soul. Housed within the resort are restaurants and bars, heated pool, infinity pool, pool car, spa, fitness centre, and event spaces.
Activities available include jogging routes, trekking to the Kunjapuri Temple or even visiting a wildlife safari at the Rajaji National Park.
Wyndham Danang Golden Bay
Wyndham Danang Golden Bay, Vietnam
Standing at 29-stories tall, Wyndham Danang Golden Bay offers 949 rooms comprising of presidential suites, two-bedroom suites and guestrooms.
Located within a 5km range of the historic Han River and the iconic My Khe Beach, guests can explore the wonders of Danang, or take a dip in the 24k gold-plated infinity-edged swimming pool while admiring the sunrise and sunset over the coast.
A 20-minute drive from Danang International Airport, the property is ideal for both leisure and business, with a 408m² ballroom available for events.
Wyndham La Vita Phuket
Wyndham La Vita Phuket, Thailand
Wyndham La Vita Phuket provides guests and their families a futuristic hideaway with 516 rooms and suites built around a water world of lagoon pools.
Families can have fun at Splash Station, a water playground featuring water slides and rides. There is also a kids’ club to keep the little ones while adults work out at the fitness centre, or hang out at the chill-out room that offers pool tables, darts and more.
For fresh seafood, head to the nearby Rawai seafood market. Or hop on the complimentary shuttle to Nai Harn Beach to relax on a lounger, order a fresh coconut, or rush into the emerald surf.
While Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon do not lack in historic and cultural sites, the challenge is making travellers appreciate them beyond mere cursory interest and obligatory social media photos and selfies.
The most basic route is by having well-trained and knowledgeable tour guides lead good tour itineraries.
Fort Santiago in Intramuros, Manila
Department of Tourism-accredited tour guide, Marianito Malacaman, did just that by lapping up history books, researching and consulting with historians, including Anthony Feredo who specialises in military history, including the Second World War (WWII).
He then cobbled creative tours of the metro’s key tourist attraction, the centuries-old Walled City of Intramuros, that go well with both locals and foreigners.
Malacaman’s daytime walking tour, Intramuros Past and Present, appends interesting but forgotten areas of history, with a glimpse of the here and now thrown in. His Intramuros night walking tour, on the other hand, highlights the darkest moments of the city during the Battle of Manila, hewing as close as possible to the atrocities of WWII, packed with oft-neglected yet interesting itineraries and vignettes.
Metro Manila is awakening to the necessity of protecting, conserving, and restoring its historic and cultural heritage, as proven by the restoration of, among many others, the art deco Metropolitan Theater, a neo-classical building that is now the Museum of Natural History, and Ayuntamiento Building in Intramuros.
The 110-year old Manila Hotel, the country’s oldest, awes with MacArthur Suite, replicating the original design of the penthouse where American general Douglas MacArthur stayed. The hotel also has a museum of artefacts and memorabilia of centuries bygone.
Another historic gem, Luneta Hotel, the only building in the country with French Renaissance architecture that was left to rot for decades, is now a fully restored, functioning hotel.
Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bagac, Bataan
Pairing two historic destinations make them more appealing, and with a variety of activities thrown in travellers will be motivated to stretch out their time in the destination, according to Angel Ramos Bognot, president of Afro Asian Travel and Tours.
Bognot referred to the twinning of Subic Bay in Zambales, once the biggest American naval base in the world, with Las Casa Filipinas de Acuzar, a unique 400-hectare living museum of 63 original heritage houses plucked and rebuilt from various parts of the Philippines and 34 replicas of vintage structures in Bagac, Bataan.
Apart from an engaging tour of the former naval base, Subic Bay also offers sand and sea, interaction with the indigenous Aeta people in the jungle, theme park visits and bits of duty-free shopping.
Accessible from Subic via yacht or overland which takes about two hours, Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar is a class of its own, a step back in time that includes living in the vintage houses, riding the balsa or local boat to visit various structures in man-made islands, taking the tranvía, kalesa or jeepney going around this vast living museum, and partaking of the meals of that era by the beach.
Added to the Subic Bay-Las Casas Filipinas tour are various WWII landmarks in Bataan, including the Zero Kilometer Death March Marker, the beginning of the 97km walk taken by almost 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war; 92m cross at the Shrine of Valor atop Mount Samat in homage to war heroes; Bataan WWII Museum; and the Japanese Friendship Bell Tower, a symbol of lasting peace and reconciliation.
In this land where fiestas, rituals and traditions are frequent celebrations, more and more destinations showcase their culture and heritage in songs and dances, gastronomy, legends and folklore, sports, handicrafts, and festivals religious, harvest, flower, summer, rites of passage – just name it, the Philippines has them.
Southeast Travel Corp general manager, Marlene Insigne, said tourists need not just see, but also feel, taste, smell and hear to better appreciate history and culture. This leads to the presentation of immersive and experiential tours, and in certain cases, the use of technology such as virtual augmented reality and light and sound.
“Let tourists mingle with the locals, especially with the elders who knew best the history and culture of the place not by the books but by experience,” Insigne said, pointing to the Subic Bay tour with a learning component from an Aeta elder who taught jungle survival skills to Americans who fought in the Vietnam War.
Another idea, Insigne said, is staying in a community for a night or a full day, sampling local food after watching a cooking demo, and witnessing festivities or rituals during their stay.
An example is a heritage trail of Malolos in Bulacan that included a culinary demo and a meal featuring the food served when the First Philippine Republic was proclaimed in Malolos in 1899; or a tour of the heritage town of Taal in Batangas, tailored to include a stay in an ancestral home, food and walking tour of old churches and vintage houses, and local flavours.
Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia minister of tourism and creative economy, has installed Vinsensius Jemadu as his new deputy minister for tourism products and events on January 30.
Vincensius, who was deputy of destination development and infrastructure, takes over from Rizki Handayani, who now leads as deputy for industry and investment.
Four other officials were also installed yesterday.
ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023, held from February 2 to 5, is expected to trigger the acceleration of the region’s tourism recovery post-lockdown.
Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia minister of tourism and creative economy (MoTCE) said in a media briefing: “(South-east Asia’s) recovery is the slowest compared to Europe and the US. Although (tourism) in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are growing, the growth is not equivalent to that of the rest of the world.
ATF 2023 will be held from February 2 to 5 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
“As the biggest event in South-east Asia, ATF can trigger the acceleration of the region’s recovery. Therefore, let’s make this event more than merely ceremonial but one that will forge collaborations. We are ready for competitions (among members) but there are many opportunities to collaborate.”
This is in line with ATF’s theme of ASEAN: A Journey to Wonderful Destinations which represents the hope of the tourism sector in the development of regional and international primary markets, as well as strengthen the position of South-east Asia as an accelerator of economic growth and creator of jobs, according to Sandiaga.
Apart from the main events of government meetings and Travex, ATF 2023 in Yogyakarta will also feature the Ministers’ Breakfast Meeting by US-ABC, Ministers’ Lunch by CNN, ASEAN Tourism Awards Ceremony, Global Modest Fashion Week, and a B2C exhibition featuring Indonesian creative economic products.
To date, ATF Travex has attracted 207 seller companies to occupy 159 booths, ready to conduct businesses with 136 buyers from 29 countries.
South Korea is one of the top destinations for Filipinos, yet many travellers who already have flight or hotel bookings are unable to secure their visas on time, due to the drastic changes in the application process.
As a result, tour packages from the Philippines to South Korea are being pulled out and cancelled. Instead, outbound travellers are now switching to other destinations for their holidays.
Filipino travellers are now switching to other destinations instead of South Korea because of visa application issues
Since January 3, the Republic of Korea embassy in the Philippines has abolished the accreditation of 36 travel agencies, which were exclusively authorised to submit visa applications on behalf of individual applicants.
South Korea’s embassy in Manila is inundated with complaints from travellers. It did not explain why it resorted to visa application measures and did not heed dialogues requested by certain travel agencies.
While all travel agencies can now submit visa applications, all applications (including individual) must be channelled solely to the Online Visa Appointment System.
Even then, there is only one day available – the last Thursday of the month – to get a slot for the following month, and with tens of thousands racing to get a slot for that one day, this resulted in the online system either crashing, hanging or timing out.
Some agencies, like Luxury Vacation Holidays and Tours, were forced to pull out their South Korea tour packages. Its general manager, Kane Malvin Hui, said airlines like Cebu Pacific are not providing refunds, but allow rebooking of flights.
Hui said those who wish to travel to South Korea can opt for Jeju and Yang Yang, which do not require a visa, unlike Seoul.
He added that outbound travellers are now heading to Japan instead, which has simpler visa requirements. Other choice destinations include Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Europe and Turkey.
Asiareps Travel Services, general manager, Ritchie Tuano also said that travel agents are diverting traffic to destinations that do not require a visa or where the visa can be easily obtained.
“Even travellers who DIY are having second thoughts (about) considering South Korea as a destination due to the difficulty in getting (an) appointment slot,” he added.
The Ascott Limited (Ascott) is set to debut The Crest Collection in Singapore, China and Vietnam, with more properties in the pipeline in destinations such as Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka and London.
An exclusive curation of hotels and serviced residences, The Crest Collection provides guests with a unique storied and luxurious experience drawn from the distinct heritage of each property and its location.
Yuexiu Hotel Guangzhou by The Crest Collection will open in 4Q2023
Slated for launch by end 2023, the current Riverside Hotel Robertson Quay in Singapore will be rebranded to The Robertson House by The Crest Collection. Featuring 336 refurbished guest rooms and suites, the property is situated along the Singapore River, and will include the signature restaurant and destination bar.
In China, Yuexiu Hotel Guangzhou by The Crest Collection is expected to operate by 4Q2023. Located in the heart of Yuexiu district, the 196-key hotel will offer a living cultural expression through its furnishings and artwork displays. It is easily accessible via the train stations and is surrounded by offices and shopping malls.
Opening in 2024 is The Crest Collection in Tay Ho, Hanoi. The property overlooks the West Lake, and will be part of the largest serviced residence integrated development in Vietnam. Its 28 suites will be designed to bring guests back in time to appreciate the history and operatic arts of yesteryear Hanoi.
Tan Bee Leng, managing director for brand & marketing, Ascott, said: “No two properties or stay experiences will be the same. The Crest Collection brand meets the growing demand for one-of-a-kind experiential stays and allows our guests to immerse themselves in the history and culture of the destination.”
She added that The Crest Collection “serves the growing demand from independent and boutique hotel owners seeking the flexibility of a distinctive high-end positioning with the power of a global chain”.
With the recent opening of Fairfield by Marriott Hyogo Tajima Yabu on January 24, Fairfield by Marriott has six more anticipated openings in Japan lined up for 2023.
The new hotels will be located along national roadside rest areas in the prefectures of Hyogo, Kagoshima, Okayama, Saga, Kumamoto, and Fukuoka in the southern region of Japan.
Fairfield by Marriott Hyogo Tajima Yabu recently opened in January
The Fairfield by Marriott “Michi-no-Eki” project aims to facilitate access to many of Japan’s off-the-beaten-path attractions, offering a comforting hotel experience along the country’s expressways.
The six new Fairfield by Marriott hotels to open this year include Fairfield by Marriott Kagoshima Tarumizu and Fairfield by Marriott Okayama Tsuyama opening in spring; Fairfield by Marriott Hyogo Awaji Higashiura, Fairfield by Marriott Saga Ureshino Onsen and Fairfield by Marriott Fukuoka Ukiha, opening in summer; and Fairfield by Marriott Kumamoto Aso, opening later in autumn.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has appointed Patrick Finn as vice president, development for South-east Asia and Korea.
Based in Singapore, Finn will join the South-east Asia and Korea Leadership Team to spearhead strategic growth initiatives and oversee the expansion of the group’s brands in the region.
He brings more than 20 years’ hotel development experience to his new role. Most recently, Finn worked for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and was responsible for leading the company’s development function across Asia-Pacific.
He brings more than 20 years’ hotel development experience to his new role. Most recently, Finn worked for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and was responsible for leading the company’s development function across Asia-Pacific.
