Four Seasons has launched Four Seasons Yachts in partnership with luxury entrepreneurs Nadim Ashi and Philip Levine, and shipbuilder Fincantieri.
Planned as the first of a fleet of Four Seasons Yachts over the next five years, the first vessel is currently being designed in Trieste, Italy by Fincantieri, and will launch by the end of 2025.
Four Seasons Yachts will launch in 2025
Introduced at the Monaco Yacht Show on September 28, the Four Seasons Yachts order was announced last July and includes the option for two additional vessels, amounting to approximately 1.2 billion euros (US$1.1 billion).
“Four Seasons Yachts represents the next chapter of our long history of industry leading innovation, and a milestone moment for our company as we continue to capitalise on new opportunities to extend the world of Four Seasons,” said Christian Clerc, president, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
With its inaugural journey anticipated for late 2025, the first Four Seasons vessel will be 207m long and 27m wide with 14 decks. Costing US$4.2 million per suite to build, the first Four Seasons Yacht will offer nearly 50 per cent more living space per guest than currently available, offering privacy, flexibility and spaciousness in an all-suite nautical residential setting.
Veteran luxury travel industry expert Larry Pimentel is responsible for leading the new enterprise. He said: “In partnership with Four Seasons, we are creating a new category of luxury lifestyle travel that appeals to discerning guests. We are bringing together the very best across industries to create the pinnacle yachting offering through world-class design, curated experiences, and truly exceptional service,” says Pimentel.
“When we launch in 2025, there will be nothing else like it on the open seas.”
The vessel’s 95 villa-like residences start at an average of 54m², with the Funnel Suite offering more than 892m² over its four levels, including a private wading pool and spa area.
There will also be restaurants, lounges, bars, spa, salon, wellness facilities, pool, and event spaces available onboard.
StayWell Holdings has announced a series of global development plans – with a key focus on the Australian market – as part of the overarching goal of the company to expand its current 84 locations to 250 over the next decade.
The company will introduce two new brands, Park Proxi and Park Regis by Prince, within the next 24 months. In addition, StayWell will manage the expansion of global hotel brand The Prince Akatoki into the Australian market, slated to open in Sydney by 2025 and Melbourne by 2026.
StayWell Holdings will introduce two new brands to Australia – Park Proxi (pictured) and Park Regis by Prince
Park Proxi hotels feature a new concept in hotel management, where hotel owners co-create and customise the hotel they desire, creating a truly local hotel experience.
Park Regis by Prince will provide an evolution of the existing Park Regis brand – a fusion of the Australian and Japanese heritage of the Park Regis and Prince brands – to offer an upscale and premium hotel experience by positioning itself as “the world’s most thoughtful hotels”.
In addition to introducing three new brands to the Australian market, StayWell will commence upgrades on existing properties in Sydney, Melbourne, Launceston, and Pokolbin, with future refurbishments planned for their Blue Mountains and Townsville hotels in 2023.
The company’s expansion projects in Australia will see the management company overseeing five hotel brands and chains in the destination.
The number of Integrated resorts with gaming facilities is growing in the Philippines
The country’s gaming business enjoys an increasingly strong domestic support, especially precious in the absence of the Chinese market
Cities developing IRs need strong supportive infrastructure to see tourism success
As integrated resorts (IR) continue to sprout in the Philippines, questions about their integration into the country’s destination management and tourism products have surfaced.
At the Philippine Congress hearing in August on the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) 2023 budget, representative Paul Daza asked whether there should be “some sort of convergence” and “a common ground” between DOT and IR regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
Gaming is still not part of the DOT’s tourism product portfolio; City of Dreams Manila pictured
Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco explained that “gaming was not part of DOT’s tourism product portfolio” hence the absence of statistics on their contributions to foreign arrivals and foreign exchange receipts. However, she acknowledged that “we cannot be opposed to collaborate with Pagcor for public-private sector partnership on the accommodation aspect of gaming”.
The Philippines is second only to Macau in having the most number of IRs in Asia. Even Macau operators and suppliers are looking into the Philippines.
C9 Hotelworks managing director, Bill Barnett, told TTG Asia: “The pandemic is just an accelerator of what was going to happen anyway, and Macau operators were already looking afield to new markets. Asia has been fragmented on gaming – Cambodia, Vietnam, and now Thailand are looking to possibly allow casinos. The growth denominator for gaming is new markets and Macau has been looking abroad for some time.”
The Philippines has six IRs. In metro Manila alone, there are Newport World Resorts (NWR), which was recently rebranded from Resorts World Manila, as well as the City of Dreams Manila, Okada Manila and Solaire Resorts and Casino in the Manila Bay Entertainment City. The fourth IR planned for the Manila Bay Entertainment City is uncertain.
The owner of Solaire is also building a five-star hotel with gaming operations in Quezon City, and there are plans to build an IR in Cavite.
Hann Resorts and Casino is expanding in Clark while the first IR outside Luzon – NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Kawit Island in Cebu – has soft opened.
An IR approved for Mactan, Cebu has delayed construction while an IR in Boracay is said to push through despite huge protests from various quarters when it was broached several years ago.
Integrating IRs into destination development and management should come in handy for Boracay. However, Barnett spoke against gaming “on one of the world’s greatest beaches and destinations”.
“It’s a shame and longer term, the destination will lose much of its DNA to Palawan, Bohol and elsewhere,” he remarked.
As well, Barnett frowned on IRs building more hotel rooms as a pre-requisite to get more gaming tables. “It won’t end well as there has to be other demand generators,” he opined.
While IRs in metro Manila have helped improve infrastructure and produced jobs, taking them into tertiary markets outside of the metro is not fundamentally sound, he added.
Meanwhile, it is undeniable that the country’s IRs boom has created an advantage for the local business events industry, as event venues within these massive developments are a solution to the Philippines’ shortage of quality facilities.
The Marriott Grand Ballroom at NWR, with capacity for almost 4,000 guests in theatre-seating, is one example. One of NUSTAR’s bigger vision is to make Cebu a business events destination by having one of the province’s biggest convention centres together with the performing arts theatre.
Local support
Philippine gaming’s edge is a large domestic base – and that will continue. Filipinos are allowed to play in casinos except those below 21 years old; government officials and employees; and members of the Philippine police and military forces.
NWR chief marketing officer, David Jorden, said its visitors profile has become “overwhelmingly local” as a consequence of the pandemic.
In the absence of the Chinese source market, Jorden said South-east Asia has stepped in as an alternative, including South Korea and Singapore, where gaming among locals are restrictive.
NWR launched yesterday an attractive Epic Rewards programme to attract more domestic consumers into their facilities to make up for the slow foreign market and keep ahead of competition.
Elizabeth Gokauchi-Chiong, senior manager – resort branding, PR and publicity of newly opened NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu, shared that before the IR came into operation, the plan was for an equal domestic and international source market split.
Acknowledging the challenges wrought by the pandemic, Gokauchi-Chiong said that the local market now dominates the pie while the property continues to target the international market from North and South Asia.
Potential for growth
Among the new IRs, Barnett opined that Hann Resorts and Casino in Clark is poised for success as the area is on its way to develop critical mass, and has airlift and service capacity.
So is Nustar in Cebu, although it is still a work-in-progress.
“Infrastructure often is a key demand generator for tourism, as in the case of the Bangkok Skytrain that changed the entire tourism profile of Bangkok away from the Chaopraya River and Silom and pushed (tourism traffic) into Sukhumvit,” said Barnett.
“The Cebu Cordova Expressway is potentially a game changer as the bridge in growing in popularity to access Cebu. The bridge is a bigger story as other projects will follow Nustar to the area. It’s a longer term proposition but there are also is a plan to connect the Mactan airport to the expressway and this will be a huge boost.”
Editor’s note: The original post stated a capacity of 960 guests at the Marriott Grand Ballroom; that was a mistake. NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu has also withdrawn its domestic market percentage definition, choosing to state that the segment is a dominant one.
Silversea Cruises has revealed a new collection of 25 voyages for Silver Endeavour from May 2023 through March 2024.
The new voyage collection features 25 new voyages, 116 destinations, 24 maiden calls across Northern Europe, the Arctic, and Antarctica.
Silver Endeavour will spend summer 2023 exploring the British Isles, Iceland, and the Arctic – including Greenland, Svalbard, and the Canadian Arctic. For winter, the ship will return to the White Continent in winter 2023/2024 to offer guests more opportunities to discover the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands.
Highlights include two voyages to the British Isles and Iceland, nine voyages to the Arctic and Greenland, as well as 14 voyages to Antarctica.
With effect from October 1, inbound travellers to South Korea will no longer be required to take an on-arrival PCR test.
Currently, incoming visitors need to perform the PCR test within the first 24 hours of their entry into the country.
Travellers arriving in South Korea from October 1 will no longer need to take a PCR test; Gangwon pictured
This decision by the government was made due to the recent gradual decline in infections.
This follows the removal of the pre-departure testing requirement for travellers bound for South Korea earlier this month.
However, South Korea could reinforce restrictions regarding foreign entrants if it sees the emergence of risky virus variants and the global virus situation changes.
Second vice health minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting: “We are at the final stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. We expect another wave in winter, but we will finally overcome the virus through thorough preparations.”
Global flight and hotel searches for Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have surged over the recent weekend on the back of renewed travel interest fuelled by announcements of easing entry restrictions. These three East Asian countries are among the last in the region to reopen for travellers.
According to Expedia flight and hotel data for September 23 to 25, compared against the average taken over the previous seven days from September 16 to 22, flight searches to Taipei rose by 400 per cent while the same activity for Osaka leapt 350 per cent. Tokyo and Sapporo saw a 235 per cent and 35 per cent surge in inbound flight searches respectively.
Taiwan will end mandatory Covid-19 quarantine for arrivals from October 13
Search data for hotels in these destinations also showed improvements – Taipei by 55 per cent; and Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo by 40 per cent.
Lavinia Rajaram, Asia head of public relations, Expedia Group, told TTG Asia that it was “unsurprising” to see the recent announcements of border restrictions easing in Japan and Taiwan spurring greater “excitement among travellers who were looking to return to these well-loved destinations”.
“Across Expedia’s search data, we saw an upward trend of people now exploring and planning their next trip to these destinations,” said Rajaram.
When asked why hotel search increments are more subdued compared to that of flight searches, Rajaram said travellers tend to prioritise flight options to determine their travel dates, before further plans are made for accommodation.
While searches for Hong Kong hotels recorded a 55 per cent increase over the tracked period, flight searches remained stable.
Rajaram expects “some way still to go before the full return of international inbound traffic” to Hong Kong, but expressed optimism that the city’s line-up of large-scale sporting events, such as the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and financial conferences later in the year, as well as gradual simplification of entry testing requirements, would aid recovery.
Casting her eyes on the upcoming year-end peak holiday season, Rajaram projects a more spirited travel scene for East Asia, especially as Taipei, Tokyo and Osaka are loved for winter experiences.
Bikes and booze
The annual Gears and Beers Festival in Australia’s Wagga Wagga city promotes health, fitness and fun for all ages, comprising a community cycle challenge (for all levels) and beer event where handcrafted beers and ciders from around the region take centre stage. Teetotallers can opt for locally roasted coffee instead.
Participants can also indulge in great food fare while enjoying musical entertainment, making this a fun day out with family and friends. Registration is required.
When: October 1 & 2, 2022 Where: Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia gearsandbeers.org.au
Photo: Japan Travel
Age-old festival
For over 800 years, the Tsurugi Horai Festival has been celebrated during the mid-autumn season, where local men carry the mikoshi (a portable shrine) around town and bless important households in exchange for offerings. The most exciting part of the festival is the parade of floats carried on the shoulders of the townspeople that follow behind the mikoshi.
Lion dances called shishimai are performed, with the lion defeated by the bakumen monster at the end. This stunning act is usually accompanied by a flute and shamisen (three-stringed instrument) performance. After which, everyone can patronise the many food stalls lining the streets.
When: October 8-10, 2022 Where: Tsurugi, Hakusan, Japan en.japantravel.com/ishikawa/tsurugi-hourai-festival/60064
Mask up!
The mask-making industry in Bacolod City is home to the famous MassKara Festival, a well-loved event filled with concerts, fashion shows, fun runs, talent nights, pageant, garden shows, drum competitions, and more.
Different barangays of Bacolod take part in street dance competitions where participants put on colourful masks. MassKara means ‘multiple faces’ in Spanish, and the festival originated in the 1980s to raise the spirits of people who were hit with hardship and tragedy.
The celebrations last the whole month, with the main highlight held on October 23.
When: October 23, 2022 Where: Bacolod City, the Philippines philippines.travel/events/masskara-festival
Sizzle and sparkle
This year marks the 17th year for the iconic Busan Fireworks Festival, an event that has been attracting more international visitors over the past years. The Gwangan Bridge provides the backdrop while colourful fireworks fill up the night sky and can be seen from the famous Gwangalli Beach, Hwangnyeong Mountain and Dongbaek Island.
Programmes include multimedia shows combined with fireworks, lighting, music and storytelling to make it a night to remember.
When: November 5, 2022 Where: Busan, South Korea www.bfo.or.kr/festival_Eng/
Looking to the sky
The sky is the limit with the Hot Air Balloons & Fireworks Festival in Taunggyi this November. Marking the end of the rainy season, the Burmese launch thousands of balloons into the sky to ward off evil spirits.
Attracting more than 20,000 spectators each year with its delicate paper balloons that come in a variety of designs like animals, birds, and mythological characters, participants can enjoy the colourful spectacle and immerse in the culture of Myanmar. It is a sight to behold when all the balloons are released at once in the night, followed by a fireworks display.
Rhythm of the river
The Ghe Ngo Boat Race is the highlight of the moon festival, Ok om Bok, which signifies the end of the Khmer year. During the event, groups of men and women race traditional Khmer boats called ghe ngo – a boat that is 30m in length and 1.5m wide – to the sounds of drums, trumpets, cheers and applause from the audience along both sides of Maspero River.
Free as a bird
Bird lovers will rejoice at the return of the Putrajaya Bird Race 2022 after a two-year hiatus due to Covid.
Held at the Putrajaya Wetlands, the area is home to over 2,000 water birds from a total of 203 bird species.
The event is open to both children and adults, with exciting activities such as the main bird race, photography sessions, bird exhibitions, mimicry contest, craft products and even a bird colouring contest for kids!
When: November 19 & 20, 2022 Where: Putrajaya, Malaysia birdwatching.asia/putrajaya-bird-race-2022/
For the love of art
ART SG, set to be the leading art fair in South-east Asia, will be housed in Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre early next year. It will feature over 150 visionary and exciting contemporary art from around the world, including installations, experimental film, talks and performances.
ART SG will showcase three gallery sectors: Galleries, Focus and Futures.
The event aims to create an immersive place of exploration for all art collectors.
When: January 12-15, 2023 Where: Singapore artsg.com/about/the-fair/
Photo: WOMAD NZ
Turn up the music
WOMAD NZ returns in 2023 after two years. Held in the TSB Bowl of Brooklands and Brooklands Park, this is one of the world’s longest-running and best-established cultural festivals.
Get ready for three days of music, arts, and dance, and experience the world through music, multiculturalism, art, workshops and food.
Participants can camp out in their own tents or motorhomes – there are also glamping options, VIP packages as well as a stay in the Tepee Life Village for a tribal experience. Registration is required.
When: March 17-19, 2023 Where: New Plymouth, New Zealand www.womad.co.nz
Wild and wet
Drawing many international visitors to Thailand is the Songkran Festival Phuket. Celebrating the new year with water as a symbol of renewal, home rituals include sprinkling family members with water, to adding a few drops on Buddha for good luck. The fun starts once people gather on the streets for fun and celebratory mutual splashing.
Starting gently in the morning, the Songkran wet street parties can turn to water battles in the afternoon or a total wet war zone by night. Other less aggressive activities are folk performances, games, and building sand pagodas.
A sweeter side to the festival is the releasing of birds and fish back to their natural habitats, a symbol of giving freedom and hopes of good fortune.
When: April 13-15, 2023 Where: Phuket, Thailand www.phuket101.net/songkran-phuket/
British Airways will restart its additional daily flight from Singapore to London from November 7 in response to growing demand.
The second BA service between London (pictured) and Singapore will grant travellers efficient use of their time in both cities
BA11 will depart at 23.15 London time/6.15am Singapore time from Singapore, allowing travellers to spend a whole day in Singapore on business or leisure and to arrive early in London to maximise their working day.
The flight will depart London Heathrow at 18.50 London time, also allowing travellers to spend the entire day in the city before flying to Singapore.
Trip.com Group’s inaugural Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022 sheds light on the increased acceptance of sustainable travel and its implications for the travel industry and the wider world.
Across the globe, sustainable travel as a concept and practice has moved from the back of travellers’ minds to claim a dominant position in the decision-making process, with close to eight in 10 travellers (78.7%) acknowledging its importance.
Respondents believe the responsibility of sustainable travel is to be shared
Sustainable travel an increasingly accepted idea
Based on a survey of 7,705 respondents across 11 markets in Asia and Europe, the report finds that the impact of travel has topped the list of reasons why travellers are increasingly drawn to sustainable travel.
Some 50.5% of respondents said they care about the impact of travel on future generations; a third (26.8%) cited its role in improving the travel experience; another 13.2% perceived it as trendy; and 8.4% admitted people opted for sustainable travel due to societal pressure.
Perception of sustainable travel also varies among the respondents. The report indicates a growing proportion of travellers now approach the term more holistically, emphasising the economic, cultural and biodiversity aspects in addition to the usual environmental considerations.
The more diversified understanding of sustainable travel manifests itself through several ways that travellers consider conducive to tourist destinations.
About 30% of respondents recognise the benefit of supporting local businesses and livelihoods, and a striking 43% believe respecting the culture and heritage of local destinations is also part and parcel of sustainable travel.
The rising awareness of sustainable travel
The pandemic is a key driver of a stronger desire to travel sustainably because of the shift in consumer mindset and behaviour.
The report points out that over two-thirds (67.8%) of respondents named Covid-19 as a catalyst for their increased appetite to choose sustainable options. About 38.3% said travel restrictions enhanced their appreciation for nature, and another 30.4% yearned to travel closer to home. The pandemic has led many travellers to discover shorthaul journeys and realises how it can help reduce their carbon footprint.
One of the report’s highlights is that it allows a glimpse into how Asian and European travellers understand and practise sustainable travel differently.
Notably, 21.3% of Europe-based respondents stated that people opt for sustainable travel because “it is trendy”, while the portion of Asian travellers who took this view is much smaller, at 7.1%.
They also differed in their attitudes towards paying a higher price for sustainable options, with 39.1% of European travellers reluctant to pay extra for them, compared to 29.5% among their Asian counterparts.
Despite the regional disparities, it is clear from the report that more and more people have practised sustainable travel in multiple forms.
Amid heightened sustainability awareness, more than half (59.2%) of respondents demonstrate a tendency to pay for carbon offsetting to reduce the impact of their travel.
Five per cent of respondents believe that travelling sustainably would be burdensome
A significant opportunity for OTAs
Notwithstanding a spike in the popularity of sustainable travel, only 20% of respondents didn’t report any barrier to sustainable travel, while the rest encountered various obstacles.
Inadequate visibility of sustainable options poses a significant barrier to their wider adoption. Travellers blame this on the difficulty of accessing information about sustainable travel products, with 32.9% stating there is a lack of sustainable options and 25.4% saying these are not clearly marked.
Accordingly, a little over half of them (50.7%) believed Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) should clearly label sustainable options, followed by 41.5% who called upon OTAs to make it easier to find these options, and 39.4% who suggested OTAs offer incentives.
While 67.7% of travellers are open to paying more to include sustainable options in their trips, they display varying levels of price sensitivity to the higher costs it usually entails, with only around 10% of them would be willing to pay over 10% of the total price for a sustainable option.
Against this backdrop, online travel agencies and booking platforms have a significant opportunity to tap into this by showcasing their sustainable travel credentials and endearing themselves to like-minded users. The report shows that an overwhelming 93.0% of respondents would consider booking via OTAs that provide sustainable options.
Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com Group, said: “The results reaffirm our vision to educate travellers better and provide a greater volume and variety of reliable, sustainable travel options. Our findings are a clarion call to ourselves as to our allies in the travel sector.
“In the future, we will join hands with partners, travellers and other stakeholders to venture towards a more sustainable world.”
The full Sustainable Travel Consumer Report 2022 can be found here.
A strong wellness angle is showing up in new hotels and resorts as well as revamped projects, as hotel companies continue to respond to the growing appetite among travellers for physical and mental care.
Capella Hotels & Resorts, for instance, is working on its first wellness dedicated resort in South Korea, scheduled to open in 2024. Located near Songjeon Beach in Yangyang, Gangwon province, Capella Yangyang will be the brand’s first luxury wellness resort, and the country’s only luxury resort with direct access to the beach.
RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat is Bangkok’s first fully integrative wellness and medical retreat
Commenting on the location choice, Monica Barter, corporate director of wellness, Capella Hotels & Resorts, told TTG Asia: “South Korea is highly regarded as a wellness destination. They are at the forefront of wellness and beauty programmes, producing trailblazing products, and are constantly innovating.”
She added: “Choosing Yangyang was a strategic decision for the group and offers us a first-mover advantage to create a superb beachside destination just two hours from the nation’s capital city, Seoul.”
Over in Thailand, the RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat opened its doors in December 2020 as Bangkok’s first fully integrative wellness and medical retreat. It operates as a standalone luxury property that offers Bumrungrad International Hospital’s doctor-supervised programmes and treatments.
On the inspiration behind this property, Dusadee Tancharoen, managing director of RAKxa, shared: “During my travels, I found that wellness retreats were either very holistic or very medical, and wanted to create one that could blend the two together. (I believe that) it is best to balance both the holistic and medical to obtain the optimum results for one’s body and mind.”
Both Capella and Rakxa indicated plans for more wellness-focused properties in the future.
Dusadee shared: “In 4Q2022, we plan to open another property under the brand RXV, targeting families and the younger generation. The property will be located near Bangkok, and offer an inclusive and accessible wellness experience for everyone. We also have several new wellness models in the pipeline to enhance our reputation as a Thai wellness brand globally.”
Meanwhile, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas is currently rebranding Vana, a wellness retreat in Uttarakhand, India, into the Six Senses Vana. Opening soon, stays range from a minimum of three nights up to a month, and guests will be able to detox their body and mind through ayurveda, yoga, and Tibetan medicine practices, all of which have been integrated with the latest complementary therapies.
Its CEO, Neil Jacobs, is confident that the wellness luxury market will “continue to grow”, as “more people take more responsibility for their own well-being” in this current climate.
“Post-pandemic, our guests are telling our wellness experts more about their loneliness, sleep, stress, weight gain, and their wish to detox both mentally, physically, and digitally. There is greater consciousness and willingness to dive deep into oneself, reconnect, regenerate, contribute more, and enjoy greater wellness in life. So, our vision of reconnecting has never been more important,” he elaborated.
Capella has also similarly seen an “uplift in spa and wellness demand”, and is currently working to evolve its existing Auriga Spa offering.
“Guests can look forward to an integrative wellness approach with our signature treatments complemented by customised nutritional plans, functional movement, mindfulness therapies, and life-coaching sessions,” Barter shared.
For Dusadee, luxury wellness and personalisation will be redefined in the near future, and it will be a “game of innovation”.
She said: “Everything will be hyper-personalised to your DNA. We will see the adoption of more gadgets and devices to expand the wellness experience. We can also expect to see the revival of old healing techniques (that will) evolve to keep up in this fast-changing world.”
Silversea Cruises has revealed a new collection of 25 voyages for Silver Endeavour from May 2023 through March 2024.
With effect from October 1, inbound travellers to South Korea will no longer be required to take an on-arrival PCR test.
Currently, incoming visitors need to perform the PCR test within the first 24 hours of their entry into the country.
This decision by the government was made due to the recent gradual decline in infections.
This follows the removal of the pre-departure testing requirement for travellers bound for South Korea earlier this month.
However, South Korea could reinforce restrictions regarding foreign entrants if it sees the emergence of risky virus variants and the global virus situation changes.
Second vice health minister Lee Ki-il said in a virus response meeting: “We are at the final stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. We expect another wave in winter, but we will finally overcome the virus through thorough preparations.”