Taiwan aims to end its mandatory Covid-19 quarantine for arrivals from October 13 and raise the arrival cap to 150,000 a week.
Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng told reporters that from next Thursday, visa-free entry will resume for citizens of all countries that previously had that status. He added that the weekly arrival limits for international travellers will increase to 60,000 with no more PCR tests for arrivals.
Taiwan aims to end its Covid-19 quarantine for arrivals from October 13
Inbound travellers who test positive, however, still need to quarantine at home or in designated hotels.
Mastercard and TripLink have joined forces to introduce a seamless and reliable cross-border payment experience for businesses to enhance travel recovery, extending their partnership from Hong Kong to across the entire Asia-Pacific region.
By providing highly customised services that offer both portal and API integration options for a seamless card management experience, the TripLink Mastercard solution addresses challenges such as lengthy and slow processing as well as high administrative fees. With the payment option provided by TripLink, merchants and suppliers are assured of having a smooth and user-friendly process from registration to application.
Mastercard and TripLink have partnered to introduce a seamless and reliable cross-border payment experience for businesses
Both companies prioritise data security and compliance, so merchants and suppliers can enjoy dependable and secure payments through Mastercard’s global payments network with its multi-layered security protection.
Wang Zhe, CEO, TripLink International, said: “With an increasing number of consumers shifting to digital-first lifestyle and payment means, it is crucial for our corporate customers to cater to these emerging trends, and to improve their cross-border payment capability.
“To catch up with the evolving needs for a more seamless and secure payment experience, we will speed up the relevant development and try to gain mutual growth with our customers.”
Dennis Chang, executive vice president and division president of Greater China, Mastercard, said: “Amid continued growth in the business-to-business payment market, Mastercard is collaborating with more enterprises to capture opportunities via its multi-rail strategy. This expanded partnership with TripLink reinforces this approach, and will further support the development of a more digital, sustainable and connected economy.”
TripLink’s virtual card has been used in more than 100 countries and regions around the world, and fully supports the overseas payment needs of its parent company – Trip.com Group’s partners, as well as China’s overseas suppliers.
Accor Live Limitless (ALL), the lifestyle loyalty programme for Accor, has launched a special Members’ Rate in the Pacific region.
Members of ALL will now enjoy a five per cent discount at more than 380 hotels, resorts and apartments participating in the ALL loyalty programme in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and French Polynesia throughout the year for up to two rooms per booking. They will earn Status points and Reward points on all eligible stays. Accor Plus members will receive an additional 10 per cent off.
Accor Live Limitless members can enjoy special rates for Accor hotels in the Pacific region; Peppers Beach Club Port Douglas pictured
Members can also access a Members’ Rate at 5,000 Accor hotels worldwide, and can use their points to purchase exclusive travel packages around the world with upgraded accommodation and inclusions like dinner, spa treatment and local experiences.
In addition, members will receive exclusive invitations to redeem points to experience the ALL hospitality suites at Accor Stadium and Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, as well as to sporting events including the State of Origin and NRL Grand Final.
Members of both Accor and Qantas will also be able to earn points when flying with Qantas or staying in one of Accor’s hotels, resorts and apartments across Asia-Pacific.
British Airways’ first passenger flight from London to Tokyo since November 2021 will resume services on November 13, 2022. This follows the news of Japan further relaxing its travel restrictions.
The first flight back to Tokyo is scheduled to touch down in Tokyo Haneda Airport on November 14 at 07.35, and the Tokyo-London service will depart at 09.45 on the same day.
British Airways will resume London-Tokyo services from November 13
The route will operate daily on aircraft Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Indonesia’s Likupang has seen a boom in visitorship following the acquisition of its status as one of Indonesia’s five Super Priority Destinations.
Located in the North Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi province, Likupang welcomed nearly 70 per cent of the arrivals to the larger regency. The regency recorded 20,317 arrivals in the first seven months of 2022, of which 2,815 were foreigners.
Likupang has seen an increase in visitorship since named as one of Indonesia’s five Super Priority Destinations
In 2021, total arrivals to the regency was 15,338, of which 1,443 were international travellers.
Speaking at a webinar promoting the destination to members of the Association of Travel Agents in Indonesia (ASTINDO), Henry Kaitjily, head of the North Sulawesi Tourism Office, said that Likupang was developed with the aim of attracting more domestic and international travellers to North Sulawesi.
He shared: “The development of Likupang is integrated with the neighbouring areas of North Minahasa city, Bitung, Manado, Tomohon and Tindano. We hope that this will give reason for travellers to stay on longer in North Sulawesi.”
Development plays up Likupang’s natural draws and maximises its marine potential as ‘blue gold’ and the mainland as ‘green gold’. Glamping sites, resorts and tourism villages are all in the plans, while eco-friendly transportation will be offered.
To support the development of tourism in Likupang, travel companies in North Sulawesi have started creating packages.
Kristian Repi, general manager of Manggis Travel Manado, shared that his company has been offering packages to Likupang since 2019. He noted that there has been growing interest in the destination, with a 30 per cent increase in bookings for 2020/2021; interest is up a further 70 per cent for 2021/2022.
While the domestic market currently dominates sales by 90 per cent, he has received more bookings for overnight package tours, proving that travellers have come from other parts of Sulawesi and beyond.
“Travellers from around the area such as from Manado (the provincial capital) usually take a day-trip,” he explained, adding that Likupang’s development concept would be suitable for special interest travellers “who are ready for island terrain, homestays, and adventurous destination”.
Pauline Suharno, president of ASTINDO, believes that more development is needed to attract both domestic and international travellers.
“The problem is that the majority of accommodation are homestays. Even though they were (newly) built by the Indonesia Ministry of Public Work and Public Housing with good facilities, not all markets (like) homestays,” she opined.
Despite having good facilities, existing hotels need to upgrade their service standards, she added.
Pauline also stated that more location-based promotions are needed to attract foreign tourists, and should emphasise accessibility, such as having direct access to Sam Ratulangi International Airport.
She also hopes for more F&B establishments that can accommodate large groups.
Japanese travel agency HIS Co. is to sell its entire stake in Huis Ten Bosch, one of the country’s largest theme parks, to a Hong Kong investment fund.
The Tokyo-based firm will transfer its 66.7 per cent stake in the theme park to Pacific Alliance Group for about 66.7 billion yen (US$482 million). The park’s five other stakeholders, including Kyushu Railway Co. and Kyushu Electric Power Co., are also expected to sell their shares to the fund.
HIS will sell its 66.7 per cent stake in Huis Ten Bosch to Pacific Alliance Group
Located in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Huis Ten Bosch is named after the Netherlands’ royal palace in The Hague in recognition of the deep ties between Nagasaki and the European nation, which began in 1609. It recreates the landscape of a traditional Dutch town, with many Dutch-style historic buildings such as hotels, museums, theatres, shops and restaurants.
The theme park features iconic aspects of the Netherlands such as windmills, canals and a park featuring tulips and other seasonal flowers, all interspersed with amusements and attractions. It is also home to Henn na Hotel, which holds a Guinness World Record for being the world’s first hotel to be staffed by working robots.
The loss of inbound and domestic tourism revenue as a result of the pandemic is thought to have been a factor in HIS’s move to sell the park, which attracted 3.1 million visitors in the fiscal year ending September 2015.
The travel agency reported a record nett loss of 26.9 billion yen from November 2021 to April 2022, and announced it would reduce its capital from 24.8 billion yen to 100 million yen to improve its financial situation.
New owner Pacific Alliance Group is expected to continue operations of Huis Ten Bosch, which has “high growth potential”, according to a company representative.
The fund also has investments in the operator of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka.
A consortium of leading reservation and ticketing system providers, distributors, experience operators and other tours, activities and attractions companies has led the formation of Open Connectivity for Tours, Activities & Attractions (OCTO), a non-profit association that aims to advance technical connectivity standards for this travel sector.
OCTO provides an open source specification – the OCTO Spec – to enable reservation and ticketing system providers and tour, activity and attraction ticket resellers to connect their systems for more efficient distribution.
OCTO provides members with opportunities to participate in the development of OCTO Spec; Alaska X’s Glacier Point Wilderness Safari excursion pictured
“The technology and distribution landscape in tours and attractions is incredibly fragmented, with hundreds of technology providers, in-house technologies and many hundreds of resellers,” said Carrie Keplinger, EVP of Go City and vice president, OCTO.
“This has required each company to invest in new API development every time they want to connect to a new partner. A standard specification would significantly reduce the cost for many companies in our industry to connect to more partners and grow the industry.”
OCTO does not provide an API, channel manager or connectivity infrastructure or services, nor does it charge for any services. The specification and documentation are freely available on the OCTO website.
The association’s founding members include Arival, Go City, Tiqets and TUI Musement, and comprises specialists in technology such as CityPASS, Goblick and Headout as well as operators and attractions such as Alaska X, Merlin Entertainments and Universal Orlando.
OCTO wants to grow its membership to support the advancement of the specification, and provides members with opportunities to participate in the development of OCTO Spec through the Specification Committee and various working groups. It also provides members with implementation support through an online community platform, as well as through online and in-person meetings.
The association welcomes representatives from tour and activity operators and visitor attractions to join and participate on the Operator Advisory Committee and working groups, to ensure that operators have direct input on the direction of the specification.
Different levels of membership for technology providers, distributors and tour and attraction operators are available.
Douglas Quinby, CEO of Arival, and president of OCTO, tours, told TTG Asia that the association is relevant to tours, activities and attractions players in Asia-Pacific.
“OCTO already has several members who are active in Asia, and the intent is that the specification would have global applicability,” he noted, adding that the association will also welcome attraction and operator associations into its membership.
The first OCTO members meeting will be held on October 19 at the Arival Las Vegas conference.
Marriott International is set to expand its luxury hotel portfolio in the Asia-Pacific with the addition of 14 properties by the end of 2023. The brand currently operates 156 luxury properties in the region.
Across 13 countries and regions in Asia-Pacific, Marriott International will also bring bespoke experiences to emerging destinations such as Jeju and Jiuzhaigou.
W Sydney is the brand’s third hotel in Australia
“Today’s luxury traveller is looking for authentic experiences that are personalised, thoughtful and uniquely meaningful,” said Bart Buiring, chief sales and marketing officer Asia Pacific, Marriott International. “Our current portfolio of highly distinctive brands is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of travellers, and these expected additions reflect our optimism for the future of luxury travel.”
Opening in 2023 is The Ritz-Carlton, Fukuoka in Japan, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne in Australia, and Ritz-Carlton Reserve in the historic Chinese valley of Jiuzhaigou.
Upcoming openings in major cities across the region include The St Regis Jakarta in Indonesia later this year, and St Regis’ debut in Goa, India.
W Hotels is slated to expand to Macau in 2023, while launching its third hotel in Australia with W Sydney.
Four new JW Marriott hotels across the region are also set to open – JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort Suites and JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa by the end of 2022; as well as JW Marriott Goa Vagator and JW Marriott Hotel Xi’an in 2023.
Edition will expand its footprint in 2023 with a second location in Japan, The Tokyo Edition, Ginza, and the brand’s first in South-east Asia, The Singapore Edition.
Also opening in 2023 is the Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, located in a new ultra-skyscraper near Tokyo Station.
For the Luxury Collection, the recent opening of ITC Narmada, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Ahmedabad, is the latest addition to the brand’s growing ensemble.
Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) has announced expansion plans in the Middle East as it sets to add over 5,000 keys over the next five years, further cementing its presence in the region with a growing portfolio of 77 hotels in operation and under development.
Currently operating 52 properties in the Middle East with more than 11,000 keys, RHG continues to focus on the region, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) remaining its core markets, and plans to sign at least five hotels and open more than 1,000 keys within the next 12 months.
Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport is the first Radisson-branded property in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The recent opening of Radisson Hotel Riyadh Airport marked RHG’s first Radisson-branded property in Riyadh, KSA, while Mansard Riyadh, A Radisson Collection Hotel is the brand’s second hotel in the city.
Radisson Beach Resort Palm Jumeirah will open later this year in the UAE.
RHG has over 25 hotels and serviced apartments in operation and under development in the Kingdom, including the upcoming openings of Radisson Blu Hotel, Riyadh Convention and Exhibition Center, and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Makkah’s Thakher City Development.
Elie Milky, vice president development for the Middle East, Pakistan, Cyprus and Greece, RHG said: “We will be announcing more hotels with plans to open another 400 keys before the end of the year, closing the year with almost 1,000 keys signed and almost 1,500 keys opened across the GCC and Levant sub-regions.
“We also look forward to capitalising on our expanding development team across the Middle East and to the opening of our office in Riyadh, reaffirming our strategic shift on the Kingdom.”
Other signings include Radisson Blu Hotel, Amman Galleria Mall in Jordan and Park Inn by Radisson Kuwait Hotel & Apartments in Kuwait, scheduled to open in 2023, as well as Park Inn by Radisson Muscat Airport in Oman.
“We remain committed to unlocking (Middle East) potential with a solid and immediate pipeline to double our hotels in this area by 2026,” adds Elie Younes, executive vice president and global chief development officer, RHG.
Fireworks are set to illuminate the sky against Singapore’s Marina Bay city skyline on New Year’s Eve this year. After a two-year hiatus, STAR ISLAND Singapore Countdown 2022-2023 is back with artisanal Japanese fireworks that have never been featured anywhere in South-east Asia.
With a 22,000-seating capacity, this 70-minute fireworks musical extravaganza features larger-than-life pyrotechnics and dazzling lights, immersive sound and world-class entertainment, and is refreshed with a brand-new storyline this year.
STAR ISLAND Singapore Countdown 2022-2023 is a fireworks musical extravaganza not to be missed
Expect Live DJ performances, family-friendly entertainment zones and gastronomic offerings at the food village as part of the STAR ISLAND experience.
This year’s show includes artisanal “Ghost Effect Shell” fireworks which have been designed to bloom in Singapore’s stunning colours, a red-to-white gradation across the sky. Ten bursts of fireworks bestowed with the “Prime Minister Award” earlier this year at Japan’s Omagari Fireworks Competition will also paint the night skies of Marina Bay for the very first time. Come nightfall, ticket holders will experience a futuristic twist on the traditional Japanese hanabi entertainment show.
There will also be a free admission event preview, “Prequel to STAR ISLAND”, at the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza from Decemeber 25 to 30, where visitors will be able to get a sneak peek of the show.
Tickets will go on sale on October 20 and start from S$88 (US$62), and S$318 for VIP experience with exclusive entitlements. Each ticket permits entry to the seated gallery at The Float at Marina Bay and access to the food village.
Limited SUITES packages for parties looking to celebrate in luxury start from S$10,888, and comes with a bird’s eye view of the show, sofa seats, table service, and exclusive lounge access.
