Following on from its removal of outdoor masking requirements in May this year, Malaysia has now also ended its indoor masking mandate.
With effect September 7, mask wearing indoors will only be required on public transport and healthcare facilities.
However, health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said masks are “highly encouraged” for crowded indoor settings.
Meanwhile, premise owners are free to decide on masking requirements for their premises.
Awareness on sustainable issues is high among travellers but the willingness to invest in sustainable efforts is still lagging, according to a Traveloka survey.
The survey revealed that 40 per cent of Traveloka users care about sustainability issues but are not willing to spend money on them, while 28 per cent of users care about sustainability issues as long as they benefit directly from it.
Speaking at the 2nd Tourism Working Group National Seminar, G20 Indonesia 2022 on the topic of innovation, digitalisation, and the creative economy, Albert, co-founder of Traveloka, said: “This finding (indicates that) it requires educational and awareness-raising programmes for the community to increase public interest and contribution in sustainability issues, especially in the tourism sector.”
Arfan Arlanda, CEO of Jejak.in, concurred: “There is a necessity for massive education to the Indonesian people because their awareness is still low on environmental and sustainability issues compared to other (communities).”
Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s minister of tourism and creative economy, commented that there were several other issues in the G20 spotlight to address, such as food waste, of which the ministry has initiated food watch management activities in tourism.
He explained that by calculating the total food waste in Indonesia in a year and dividing it by the population numbers, a person on average contributes waste of twice his weight. And in the tourism industry, buffet services contribute the biggest in terms of food wastage.
Other speakers at the seminar also shared examples of initiatives their companies have taken.
Traveloka will plant 10,000 mangroves in Mandalika, Lombok and 40,000 in Buleleng, Bali, in collaboration with the Indonesia Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE). This programme is targeted at the young generation to get them involved in sustainability activities, Albert said.
Jejak.in will work with MoTCE in a carbon offset programme by implementing a carbon footprint calculator in various travel-related activities and businesses. The app will tabulate the estimated carbon footprint produced by the traveller during the journey, which is then converted into a matrix to determine the number of trees to be planted.
Users can plant the trees themselves or use the Jejak.in app to plant in several other locations that have been used as pilot projects. The locations are in Bali, Malang, and several other designated areas.
Sandiaga is hopeful that travellers will cultivate this habit of tree-planting. As of now, implementing the carbon offset programme via the app is still voluntary, but “with more millennials and Gen Z adopting the carbon footprint calculator, I expect we get to achieve net zero before 2050, or by 2035 to be precise”, he opined.
A new booking platform for travel agents, wholesalers and retailers in Asia-Pacific has been launched, promising to take the pain out of coordinating multiple suppliers and quotes while delivering more competitive prices.
Billed as a next-generation DMC, Vio Travel has gone live to offer a virtual one-stop shop with a highly curated collection of travel experiences, accommodation, private villas and packages through a single drag-and-drop dashboard.
Co-founded by Michael Lynden-Bell and Dominik Schaufler, who are based in Sydney and Bangkok respectively and have about 40 years’ industry experience combined, the service prioritises local suppliers, family-run operators, and flexible or customisable arrangements.
“Many traditional model DMCs use a lot of resources to combine and build products. We wanted to integrate that into technology to make quotations faster, sometimes in a matter of minutes. But we also recognised that people still like to access advice on the ground and have that human touch,” Lynden-Bell told TTG Asia.
“(Also) everything is transparent. We provide a full breakdown of our costs and by working directly with our suppliers, there’s no multiple layers of mark-ups, so the agents can benefit from that,” he added.
Vio Travel has about 2,000 suppliers directly contracted with products in its system. It currently covers 12 countries in the region and has ten team members with offices in Bangkok, Sydney and Hong Kong – there are also plans to expand after the company gains more traction in Asia-Pacific.
“The opportunity to move into Japan and South Korea is quite big for us and with our model, we can scale up relatively quickly. We’re also looking at the Middle East and potentially parts of Africa in future. But we’ll take it step by step,” said Lynden-Bell.
Vio Travel has been about two-and-a-half years in the making, with the pandemic hindering its launch plans. However, with travellers emerging from this side of Covid, Lynden-Bell noted that tourists are looking for reliable partners, bespoke experiences and customisable arrangements.
Advance planning, slower holidays, experiential travel, wellness breaks and eco-friendly experiences are some of the considerations that luxury travellers in Asia-Pacific (APAC) have, according to the latest survey ILTM conducted in collaboration with affluent research specialist Altiant.
The research surveyed some 500 validated wealthy APAC travellers from six countries – Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Here are eight key findings:
1. Travel agents will continue to play a critical role in holiday bookings as 92% of affluent APAC individuals plan to use them over the next year. 86% plan to use them the same or more than they did since the start of the pandemic, reflecting the importance of having some expertise to help plan stress-free trips. The fact that two-thirds (65%) say that an agent will be influential when booking holidays over the next 12 months underlines their enduring importance.
2. Many affluent individuals are looking to resume travelling in style. Almost half (48%) plan to spend more on holidays than pre-Covid trips, while only 16% expect to cut back.
3. Spontaneity is becoming less common, with advance planning preferred by many. Holidays booked in advance (62%) and relaxing/slow holidays (61%) are now strongly preferred over last-minute bookings and more active trips.
4. Wealthy APAC travellers are also increasingly looking to fly less often/stay longer (50%) and take holidays that last longer than a week (45%). In terms of deterrents, health and safety concerns (59%) lead the way, showing that for many travellers, Covid-19 remains an ongoing preoccupation.
5. Despite domestic and regional trips being the most popular options for many wealthy travellers over the past year, there is a cohort that is already travelling further afield, with trips to see family members being one of the main motivations. However, ongoing concerns about Covid-19 and sudden changes such as outbreaks mean that some will remain anxious about venturing too far. Health and safety (59%) remains the leading factor influencing both the last and next booking choices.
6. Beach holidays (48%) are the most popular planned holiday type over the next year. This is followed closely by city breaks (43%), signalling a returning willingness to mix. Extended family trips (38%) are still popular, while 61% say that health and wellness is also now a big factor when planning a trip.
7. Around half of wealthy APAC travellers prefer luxury experiences over goods, with a similar share having bucket lists of places and experiences that they are trying to complete. Overall, around half say they would prefer more free time rather than a little extra money, but this rises to 86% in China.
8. Close family, partners and friends have the most influence over holiday bookings, while two-thirds (65%) say that a travel agent will be influential over the next 12 months.
The full report can be downloaded here.
Travellers flying to and from Singapore on Emirates can look forward to the newly retrofitted A380s, featuring its latest Premium Economy cabins, from March 1 next year.
On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a two-four-two configuration and offers spacious seating, in-seat charging points and a side table. It also includes curated in-flight amenities, menu, and beverage options.
Rashid Al Ardha, country manager, Singapore & Brunei, Emirates, said: “The premium travel experience that these cabins offer have received a hugely positive response since they were introduced in other markets. Customers loved the quality and comfort and the thoughtful touches we have made to enhance their in-flight experience.
“We are committed to offering our passengers the distinct Emirates experience whenever they fly with us, and will continue innovating to provide customer-centric, future-forward inflight experiences.”
Besides Singapore, Emirates will also be introducing Premium Economy from December to New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, and Auckland.
Sydney will become the first city in the Emirates network to offer Premium Economy seats on all flights from December 15, and London Heathrow will receive its third daily service with Premium Economy from January 1, 2023.
Emirates will ramp up A380 services to 42 destinations by the end of March 2023.
Starting from November, the airline will begin upgrading and retrofitting works for the interior cabins of 67 Airbus A380 and 53 Boeing 777 aircraft – by 2025, nearly 4,000 new Premium Economy seats will be installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design
Crank up the fun quotient this school holiday with An Otterly Adventurous Staycation with Otah & Friends at participating Pan Pacific hotels from September 1 to December 31.
Inspired by Singapore’s wildlife, the package is themed around the adventures of Otah and his little brother, Chaotah, in an engaging stay where parents can bond with their kids through fun and games.
Priced from S$489 (US$347), this kids-friendly staycation includes a one-night stay with breakfast for two adults and one child, a pair of Otah and Chaotah plushies, snacks, clue kit, and many more!
The four participating hotels are Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Parkroyal Collection Pickering, Parkroyal on Beach Road, and Parkroyal on Kitchener Road.
Bookings can be made here.
From just 26 hotels at the launch of Small Luxury Hotels of the World’s (SLH) Considerate Collection a year ago, there are now 38 in the network of properties that are committed to the critical trio of environment, community and culture conservation.
Five more members will soon be announced.
Mark Wong, senior vice president, Asia Pacific of SLH, told TTG Asia that the creation of the Considerate Collection has allowed the company to identify many attractive and responsible hotels that “were not on our radar”.
The Considerate Collection is set for continued growth, shared Wong, evident in the number of keen properties approaching SLH at the early stage of development.
“They want to be included in the Considerate Collection and are taking our suggestions very early on about incorporating sustainable features and materials into their architecture. They know that it is easier and cheaper to incorporate such features at the design stage than to retrofit them later,” said Wong.
Wong recalled that SLH decided to launch the Considerate Collection after realising that more and more people have used the pandemic downtime to reflect on their buying choices, and have decided to be more conscious when they return to travel.
“That desire is recognised by many names – conscious travel, purposeful travel and responsible travel. Travel itself leaves an environmental impact because people fly, but travellers can be conscious about how they travel in the destination, use the hotel, and interact with the people and environment. There is greater social consciousness about the act of travel,” he added.
He noted that there are many responsible hotels around the world – particularly in Thailand, Indonesia and the Maldives in Asia – and SLH can use its global reach to bring such properties to the attention of many travellers and travel buyers worldwide.
These are properties that do more than just end their reliance on single-use plastics, which Wong said “is so basic and expected now”.
He said: “We partner with recognised organisations like Greenview and Global Sustainable Tourism Council as well as topic experts and travel agents specialising in this field to provide us with guidance and ensure we are not just greenwashing our approach.
“All our Considerate Collection hotels have to undergo strict assessment across three levels – Environmentally Conscious, Cultural Custodians, and Community Minded. Our members have to take these pillars into their operational consideration to qualify and ensure that these are achieved both behind the scenes and in guest-facing experiences.”
Wong noted that travellers often question how luxury travel could be sustainable, but clarified that “it is possible” since the delivery of a luxurious experience requires authenticity and a uniqueness that cannot easily be bought.
“For example, instead of gifting guests an imported turn-down gift, we rope in the locals to craft something using native or upcycled materials. That is unique, very local, and very authentic. Another example, at Amilla Maldives Resort, guests are taught how to be sustainable so that they can bring those practices home.”
Wong added that responsible travel is now more than just a trend.
“It won’t go away any time soon and will become a requirement among conscious travellers. In fact, our corporate RFPs now come with a request for our hotels to submit details on their sustainability policy and programmes,” he said.
“SLH launching the Considerate Collection last year puts the company ahead of the game, and this will continue to be expanded in time to come,” he concluded.
Editor’s note: Fifty-one Considerate Collection properties were listed in the earlier report by mistake.
Recognising that the Maldives is usually physically out of bounds for differently-abled travellers, no thanks to its sandy island paths, water jetties and layout of villas and restaurants, one private island resort has made it its mission to make its space welcoming for everyone, including those with additional mobility, sensory and cognitive requirements.
Taking guidance from Inclucare, a UK-based organisation that works to remove barriers to travel for disabled people across the globe, Amilla Maldives Resort has ordered staff training to ensure its team is able to deliver inclusion excellence and has had its facilities audited by Inclucare officials.
The property is now waiting for the certification process to be completed.
General manager Jason Kruse, who was in Singapore recently to meet with luxury travel news media, said Amilla Maldives Resort is equipped to meet inclusive travel needs. It already boasts many universally accessible villas on the ground level, all designed with wide doorways and accessible showers. These units also come with beach wheelchair, floating wheelchair for swimming, and in-villa phones that light up when they ring, for the benefit of hearing-impaired guests.
Differently-abled guests can soon expect deaf-alert systems, induction hearing loops, magnifying glasses, adaptive yoga, aroma and sound experiences through the jungle for vision-impaired holidaymakers, and more.
Kruse shared that facilities that regulate sensory input for guests on the Autism spectrum will soon be made available at the resort.
He believes that making the resort universally accessible is “a sensible decision” because eight per cent of people with a disability are wheelchair bound, and that these individuals should be able to enjoy a good vacation with their family and caregivers.
Victoria Kruse, director of sustainability & wellness, shared that the resort’s achievement in universal accessibility has earned it plenty of government attention and interest, and there are discussions now for it to possibly host an inclusive conference in 2023.
Roel Constantino is the new general manager of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.
He joins Marco Polo Plaza Cebu from Park Inn by Radisson in Davao where he was also general manager.
Constantino’s other posts include director of sales and manager, and resident manager, of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila; and director of sales and manager in Shangri-La properties in the Philippines, Bangkok, Fiji and Jakarta.
SiteMinder’s World Hotel Index, the indicator of hotel reservation and guest arrival trends globally, showed that by July 2022, 45 per cent of forward bookings to its Indonesian hotels have been from international travellers — a trend that has been accelerating since February 2022 when restrictions on incoming travellers were relaxed.
Bali leads as the top destination receiving international bookings, followed by Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta.
Booking volumes for SiteMinder’s Indonesian hotels are currently at 94 per cent of the pre-pandemic level, compared to August 2020’s booking volumes which were less than 40 per cent of the same period in 2019 when international bookings were below 10 per cent. This showed a big drop from that of January 2020, when international bookings shed nearly 60 per cent of total bookings.
Thanks to the country’s large population, hotels have been kept afloat by the domestic market.
Justin Williams, regional manager (Asia), SiteMinder, told TTG Asia that the domestic market “remains important to the local accommodation industry” but as international travel rebuilds, it will be relied upon “less heavily by Indonesian accommodation providers”.
He said: “This August, for example, roughly half of all bookings to Indonesian hotels were from local guests; however, international travellers are taking up a greater share with each month.”
SiteMinder’s market vice president – Asia Pacific, Bradley Haines, commented: “With a strong reliance on international travel, Indonesia’s accommodation sector has certainly felt the repercussions of restricted global movement more than most in recent years. However, a trait of this period that’s represented in this data is the speed at which things can change.
“With thousands of both large and small hotel operators in Indonesia that contribute significantly to the country’s economy, but haven’t always had access to the technology that we can provide, there is a tremendous opportunity awaiting every Indonesian accommodation business currently, as international travel rebounds.”
SiteMinder helps to educate the growing Indonesian team through regular events where local businesses are provided with the latest information on how to run a successful accommodation operation.
To celebrate the return of international travel to Indonesia, and to discuss its implications for local accommodation businesses, SiteMinder hosted a roundtable event in Bali last July, featuring a panel of general managers from the local hotel industry.
