Tourists at Kuang Si waterfall in Luang Prabang, Laos
Travel operators across Laos are racing to certify tour guides and drivers to cope with the surge in demand for organised tours since Laos reopened its borders to international tourists on May 9.
LaoSafe has witnessed an increase in requests for training and certification with the anticipated influx of tourists for the coming season. To date, over 710 tour guides and 270 drivers have achieved LaoSafe certification.
Travel operators across Laos are racing to certify tour guides and drivers to cope with the surge in demand for organised tours; Kuang Si waterfall pictured
LaoSafe is a nationwide initiative designed to create a world-class health and hygiene system within the tourism and hospitality industry, developing sector-specific standards for accommodation, F&B, tour guides and drivers to raise the benchmark of hygiene provision throughout the country and build international confidence in Laos as a safe tourist destination.
Encouraging tour operators in Laos to apply for LaoSafe, Duangmala Phommavong, managing director, EXO Travel Laos, said: “The LaoSafe training that our guides have received has helped them prioritise safety and cleanliness. As a tour operator, I want travellers to know that Laos has safety standards in place for them to travel with peace of mind and confidence.”
A spokesperson of Asian Trails Laos commented that LaoSafe empowered DMCs like them to offer customers a “safe and quality experience” and access a “harmonisation of services and the creation of standards on a national scale”.
While visitor numbers have not returned to 2019 levels, the removal of entry restrictions has given the tourism and hospitality industry a welcome boost after two years of tightly controlled borders.
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) strengthens its regional management with the reorganisation of its operational leadership team as the Group expands across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America.
Reporting directly to Choe Peng Sum, CEO of PPHG, the newly-appointed leaders are organised into five regional clusters.
From left: Margaret Paul, Richard Tan and Jeremy Aniere
Margaret Paul will steer the Group’s global launches as the vice president of pre-opening, overseeing a growing pipeline of hotels, resorts and serviced suites. She also takes on the role of vice president of operations for Oceania, where she will oversee six properties in Australia.
Prior to her new dual role, Paul was the general manager of Pan Pacific Singapore.
Richard Tan takes on the role of vice president of operations for Dhaka, Indo-China, Malaysia and Nairobi in addition to his current purview over PPHG’s properties in Malaysia and Indo-China (Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia).
Tan will drive the operational performance of the Group’s properties in Dhaka and Nairobi, and oversee 17 hotels, resorts and serviced suites. He has more than 25 years of experience managing serviced suites and hotels in Asia.
Jeremy Aniere assumes the role of vice president of operations for Singapore, excluding Pan Pacific Orchard. Aniere will also drive the operational processes, standards and performance of eight Singapore properties under PPHG.
Amassing over 25 years of international hotel experience, Aniere joined PPHG in December 2021 and helmed Pan Pacific Perth as general manager until June 2022. He was previously the vice president of operations for Accor Greater China (South China).
From left: Anne Golden and Marcel Holman
Anne Golden is the vice president of operations for the UK & North America where she will oversee the operational performance for a total of six properties in these regions. She is also general manager of Pan Pacific London.
With more than 25 years of experience in hospitality, Golden was previously the regional vice president, operations and development with SBE Hospitality Group, London.
Marcel Holman joins as vice president of operations where he will oversee the operational performance of 13 properties across Indonesia, China and Japan. He takes on the role of general manager for Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, where he will helm the opening in 1H2023.
With over 35 years of experience in hospitality, Holman was regional vice president of operations – Greater China and managing director of The Langham Hong Kong prior to joining PPHG.
Qantas’ trade partners will benefit from lower pricing when booking Australian domestic fares through the carrier’s next-generation distribution platform from November 29.
The lower fares will be made available to all travel agents, travel management companies and online booking tools accessing content via the Qantas Distribution Platform.
Qantas’ Distribution Platform will offer lower domestic fares to trade partners from November 29
Built using IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) standards, Qantas Distribution Platform was designed to modernise the service that trade partners provide to customers with a wider range of products, features and capabilities.
Since its launch, Qantas has continued to invest in the platform’s capabilities, releasing special offers and new revenue opportunities, growing its network of Technology Partners and expanding the program internationally.
For partners still in the process of connecting to the platform, Qantas will provide extra support in the three months leading up to the launch of lower pricing.
Travel agents who have registered in the Qantas Channel can access Qantas Distribution Platform content via either an Approved Technology Partner, or by developing a direct connection to Qantas’ NDC XML Application Program Interface (API).
Malaysia-based investment holding company Tiong Nam Group has unveiled plans for the first aviation-themed lifestyle hub in Malaysia, slated for completion in 4Q2023.
Located in Kempas, Johor Bahru, the hub will occupy over 19,000m² of the integrated township and feature the 1975 Avenue & Hotel.
The first aviation-themed lifestyle hub in Malaysia will feature a man-made beach and lagoon pool
Offering 38 keys, the all-suite cockpits and cabins will feature a 70s vintage, aviation-themed interior. Surrounding the hotel is a six-hectare project incorporating two redesigned Boeing 747s, as well as a man-made beach and the lagoon pool that weaves through the entire development.
F&B options will range from casual dining like cafés, bistros, buffet and family-friendly restaurants to pop-ups, international gourmet dining and themed dining. Other entertainment and activities will be revealed at a later date.
The hotel also features indoor and outdoor event spaces that are ideal for corporate travellers and event planners, as well as for social events.
Kenneth Perreau, general manager of 1975 Avenue & Hotel, is confident that the hotel will be able to “operate at a healthy occupancy in the first year of the hotel’s opening taking into consideration the integration, the connectivity, the market size and the authenticity of the extravagance experience we are offering”.
Banyan Tree Bangkok is offering guests a special package to commemorate its 25th birthday.
Guests can choose to enjoy a four-course set dinner at Saffron Cruise
The 25th Anniversary Celebration Package includes a one-night stay at a Horizon Room for two persons, with daily breakfast, and a choice of one of these benefits:
Three-course set dinner at Vertigo
Four-course set dinner at Saffron Cruise (available Friday to Sunday)
Sunday brunch at Romsai
Dim Sum buffet at Bai Yun
Dining credit valued at 3,000 baht (US$81) for use at any of the hotel’s dining establishments and in-room dining
Upgrade to a One Bedroom Suite with club access
60-minute body massage at Banyan Tree Spa
Complimentary additional night at a Horizon Room with breakfast
The package starts from 7,999 baht and is valid till October 31, 2022. Terms and conditions apply.
On August 29, the Sri Lankan government approved five-year multiple-entry tourist visas – with a maximum of six months stay at one stretch – for 35 countries.
While the modalities of the scheme are yet to be finalised, such as the fees, the 35 countries are expected to include Western, Northern and Central Europe and much of Asia including India, Sri Lanka’s largest source market.
With the new five-year multiple entry tourist visa scheme, Sri Lanka’s tourism stakeholders are hoping for a pick-up in travel this winter season; Sri Lanka’s Sigiriya (Lion Rock) pictured
Sri Lanka’s tourism stakeholders are hoping for a pick up in travel this winter season, as several European countries such as France, Switzerland, and the UK – one of Sri Lanka’s biggest inbound markets – have relaxed their travel advisories against visiting Sri Lanka.
The restrictive travel advisories came into play a few months ago when Sri Lanka was facing a huge economic crisis marred by political unrest, and shortages of fuel and food. The situation has much improved now.
Trevor Rajaratnam, past president of the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka, opined that this will help elderly travellers look towards destinations like Sri Lanka to escape a harsh winter, as most of Europe is struggling with a natural gas crisis that could affect the heating of homes this winter.
Long-term visas would also help spur-of-the-moment travellers, Rajaratnam pointed out.
Shiromal Cooray, chairperson of Jetwing Hotels, said the purpose of the five-year visas could be directed at digital nomads who want to spend long periods in the country and come and go freely.
Last year Sri Lanka was recognised as one of the top destinations for digital nomads, emerging second in Club Med’s index of the best places and countries around the world to become a digital nomad.
Sri Lanka is hoping to attract a million tourists this year. Arrivals from January to July 2022 totalled 458,670 compared to 19,335 in the same 2021 period.
However, another travel trade veteran, who declined to be named, viewed the visa modification negatively, as this may open the floodgates for unauthorised businesses by foreigners.
“In many of the tourist hotspots in Sri Lanka, foreigners on tourist visas have opened restaurants, bars, offered the hiring of motorcycles and surfing facilities, and are acting as travel agents – taking away the jobs and livelihoods of locals,” he lamented.
Thailand’s Asset World Corporation (AWC) has set up a new joint venture company with an unnamed investor believed to be Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.
On July 27, AWC notified the Stock Exchange of Thailand of the joint venture, AWC Hospitality Development, which is 51 per cent owned by AWC and 49 per cent by the investor. Both parties have agreed to jointly conduct its management as the joint venture is not classified as a “subsidiary” of AWC.
AWC’s Melia Chiang Mai officially opened in April
GIC is a shareholder of AWC – the hospitality, retail and commercial real estate group of Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi.
“The joint venture will invest in high-potential hospitality projects in Thailand’s key tourist destinations. The company (AWC) will leverage its strength as the leading lifestyle real estate developer, together with its network of world-class hotel brands and ability to strategically manage real estate effectively, to drive this joint venture,” AWC said in the filing.
“This collaboration marks the first of its kind that the company (has) partnered with (a) global institutional investor with expertise and experience in investment management. The collaboration is the new business model that will help the company to create the foundation for new sources of income, which are derived from management fees, including incentive fees based on project performance,” AWC added.
The types of hospitality projects are undisclosed but TTG Asia understands that the acquisitions, all in Thailand, are in progress and the first ones will be announced soon. As of press time, AWC and GIC have not responded to queries.
In its 2Q2022 analyst meeting presentation on August 11, AWC revealed that the joint venture would invest up to around US$300 million in those projects, and derive fee-based revenue from managing the assets.
Meanwhile, AWC reported a net profit of US$39 million in 1H2022, a 100 per cent increase from the same period last year. This was “driven mainly by strong growth in our net operating profit of more than 100 per cent from the Hospitality Business,” said AWC’s CEO and president, Wallapa Traisorat.
AWC’s luxury hotels, in particular, have benefited from Thailand’s reopening. The rise in the number of international visitors, along with the Thai government’s campaign to boost domestic tourism, pushed AWC’s RevPAR in 2Q2022 up by 302 per cent year-on-year, the company said. The Average Daily Rate rose 48 per cent year-on-year to almost reach pre-pandemic levels. The company’s business events segment grew considerably by 407 per cent year-on-year, contributing to the solid performance of the Hospitality Business.
The Retail and Commercial businesses also saw growth as people returned to malls and consumer spending increased. For example, visitor traffic to Asiatique The Riverfront Destination in Bangkok in 2Q2022 rose 220 per cent year-on-year.
Currently, AWC, which owns the largest hotel portfolio in Thailand, has 19 hotels with a total of 5,201 rooms in popular Thai destinations Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Samui, Krabi, Phuket and Chiang Mai. The hotels are managed by international operators including Marriott International, Hilton, IHG, Banyan Tree Holdings, Okura, and Melia Hotels International.
AWC also recently announced the exclusivity to develop Nobu Hotels & Restaurants in Thailand in partnership with Nobu Hospitality, starting with a Nobu restaurant on the rooftop of its Empire Tower Bangkok, and a Nobu hotel in a yet-to-be-disclosed location in the capital.
AWC’s target is to double the number of rooms to 8,500 and increase retail space to 415,000m² from 165,000m² by 2024.
Its oft-repeated goal is to support the Thai tourism industry and economy by offering quality projects through working with strong global partners, with the aim to expand its customer base to middle- to high-income groups which are likely to grow in the near future.
This expansion will also deliver experiences that will attract tourists from across the globe to Thailand, AWC stated.
With the set-up of the Korea Tourism Startup Center (KTSC) in Singapore, tourism stakeholders in South-east Asia can look forward to innovative travel tech solutions for their businesses.
The Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) officially launched the travel tech accelerator yesterday with an opening ceremony and demo day where 13 Korean startups from the pilot batch presented their novel ideas in five-minute pitches.
Singapore welcomes Korean startup accelerator to its travel tech space
They were selected from KTO HQ’s Tourism Startup Global Challenge Programme for startups to venture into overseas markets.
Demo day for pitches
On its value proposition, John Lee, CEO of H2O Hospitality, pitched that his startup is able to “triple the direct booking volumes, lower 50 per cent of operating costs and increase 30 per cent of weekday sales on average” for customers.
With 160 employees in South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, Lee’s startup provides digital management solutions and services tailored to the customer’s situation for the digital transformation of accommodation facilities.
“We are in a growth stage. We closed our (Series) C round (of funding) last May and hopefully, we can hit the unicorn level real soon,” he added.
Apart from offering a fully-integrated suite of AI-driven travel solutions, one of Globaleur’s unique selling points is having dynamic travel content which CEO, David Lee, believes is crucial for tech companies to stay competitive.
He said: “What I mean by content is destination pictures, descriptions and even general information like geolocation and address. We never borrow so we create our own proprietary content – we currently cover 200 cities and over 125,000 destinations around the world.”
Global airlines, hotel chains, OTAs and tourism boards leverage Globaleur’s customisable end-to-end travel solutions, which are powered by AI, for planning, booking, and itinerary management.
Catalyst to develop innovative solutions
KTSC strives to be the catalyst for these growing businesses to develop innovative solutions that drive the tourism capabilities of South Korea and Singapore.
It also connects startups with officials of the local industry, regional industry players, and reputable VC firms, by offering various programmes for upstarts keen to expand in South-east Asia.
Following the MOU signed between Singapore Tourism Board and KTO in November 2021, KTSC’s formation is also a major timely step forward post-lockdown.
Boot camp for startups
Spanning four days from August 30 to September 2, KTSC Tourism Boot Camp provides the 13 travel startups with masterclasses to help them grow their businesses; introductions to the different public and private organisations integral to the region’s ecosystem; as well as meetings with selected VC firms to discuss their next steps.
Kim Young Hee, director of KTO Singapore, said: “The boot camp and the opening ceremony in Singapore will mark KTSC’s first foray into the travel industry in the new normal. The partnership will put Korea and Singapore in good stead to be gateways for the travel industry in our region.”
After the camp, the startups will proceed to attend industry events, Travel Tech Asia and SWITCH 2022.
Currently, five startups have already set up their entities in Singapore, with more to follow. Discussions between KTSC and local experts are also underway to expand their teams and services in the city-state.
Jang Min Jun, deputy director of KTO Singapore, who is in charge of KTSC, said: “KTSC is excited to be supporting Korean travel tech startups throughout the accelerator programme. We believe that the first batch of 13 travel startups can make an impact on the travel industry in South-east Asia in time to come.”
The exclusive Pikachu Jet TR is the first South-east Asian airline outside of Japan to launch a Pokémon-themed inflight experience
Singapore-headquartered low cost-carrier (LCC) Scoot has partnered with Japan-based The Pokémon Company (TPC) for an exclusive Pikachu Jet TR, the first South-east Asian airline outside of Japan to launch a Pokémon-themed inflight experience.
Earlier on Tuesday, the two parties unveiled the livery for the Pikachu Jet TR at a press conference at Jewel Changi Airport. The inaugural flight for the Pikachu Jet TR – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with a capacity of 375 seats – has been scheduled for September 9 to Tokyo, Japan, after which it will fly to Seoul, South Korea on September 27. Routes will be reviewed periodically, and will rotate every two to three months.
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The exclusive Pikachu Jet TR is the first South-east Asian airline outside of Japan to launch a Pokémon-themed inflight experience
Inside the Pikachu Jet TR
Japanese-themed inflight meals
Pikachu Jet TR is adorned with Pikachu decals
The official unveiling of the Pikachu Jet TR
From left: Scoot’s Leslie Thng and The Pokémon Company’s Susumu Fukunaga at the ribbon-cutting ceremony
From left: Scoot’s Leslie Thng and The Pokémon Company’s Susumu Fukunaga with the Pikachu pilot mascot
Pokémon Air Adventures aims to encourage international tourists to travel to Singapore
Passengers can look forward to inflight amenities bearing Pokémon designs, including original merchandise such as tote bags, lanyards, bucket hats and a collector’s edition of the aircraft model donned with the special livery. These will be available for purchase during flight bookings, along with Japanese-themed inflight meals.
The Pikachu Jet TR also commences the first phase of TPC’s Pokémon Air Adventures with the aim of encouraging international tourists to travel to Singapore. As part of the rollout, a special Pikachu Weekend is scheduled for November 18-20, including a night show and Pokémon GO event which will be held at Gardens by the Bay.
On why the LCC chose TPC to partner with, Leslie Thng, CEO, Scoot, said: “Scoot is celebrating our 10-year anniversary, and we wanted to do something different. We wanted to have a partner that will create memorable experiences for our customers, and TPC was a like-minded partner who can provide fun, innovative, and unforgettable experiences to our customers.”
Currently, the agreement lasts for two years, during which Scoot will conduct more campaigns to drive awareness of both the airplane and its route network.
When asked about the opportunities for LCCs as the world emerges post-lockdown, Thng is confident that there is “definitely a market for LCCs” as there are customers who prefer this type of business model where they are empowered by what they want to pay for, be it for food or extra seat space.
“We have seen a strong surge in travel demand, and this has been consistently increasing month-on-month. We were about two-thirds of our pre-Covid capacity as of August, and are aiming to reach about 80 per cent by December. By 2Q2023, I think we will be above pre-Covid capacity,” Thng shared.
Aside from TPC’s agreement and other airline partnerships, Thng also pointed out that Scoot “works very closely with NTOs” in countries within their network to “stimulate travel demand”.
“South-east Asia is a very important market for us, and we will be deploying quite a bit of capacity in the region because we believe that travel within South-east Asian countries will grow for both the leisure and business markets. We will continue to look for opportunities to deploy our resources,” he said.
Mikazuki Hotel, Vietnam
Mikazuki Hotel is located on the road to Danang Bay, a 15-minute drive from Da Nang International Airport. Featuring 22 floors with 294 rooms and suites, all rooms boast ocean views and a private balcony with bathtub, offering guests a unique experience of the Japanese lifestyle.
F&B options include several Japanese restaurants, cafés and bars, alongside recreational facilities such as a Japanese garden on the fourth level, an infinity pool, gym, spa and 1,452m² of flexible conference space.
Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort
Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, the Philippines
Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort features 261 rooms and suites with views of the Hilutungan Channel and Olango Island. The property is located on Mactan Island in Cebu, and is a 30-minute drive to Mactan International Airport.
Available for guests are the gym, spa, event spaces, and a variety of F&B choices ranging from all-day dining restaurant 5 Cien to Buhi Bar, a cave bar serving contemporary drinks paired with Mediterranean dishes.
There is also 1,400m² of event space, comprising five meeting rooms and a ballroom that can accommodate up to 500.
Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai
Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai, India
Located near Juhu beach, Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai offers 60 rooms with views of the Arabian Sea or the Pavan Hans Helipad runway. Facilities comprise a fitness centre, rooftop pool and function spaces. There are also restaurants and bars, including a soon-to-open rooftop bar.
Guests can explore Mumbai’s restaurants and nightlife, and visit tourist destinations including Juhu beach, ISKCON temple and Prithvi Theater.
