Travellers will be allowed to enter Japan on non-guided package tours from September 7, as the country further eases border restrictions. The daily entry cap will also expand from the current 20,000 to 50,000 people.
Travellers to Japan can enter without a guided tour restriction from September 7
In June, the government began to allow limited numbers to return, subject to strict rules such as being part of a package tour with a guide.
Japan had only 353,119 foreign visitors last year compared to the record 31.9 million in 2019.
Last week, Kishida said Japan would scrap the pre-arrival Covid-19 testing requirement for travellers who have received three vaccine doses.
However, travellers to Japan still require entry visas. Japan’s border is currently open to Japanese nationals and those with long-term and pre-issued tourism visas. It ceased visa waivers for applicable passports during the pandemic.
Hokkaido’s tourism industry is preparing for somewhat of a rebound this winter with bookings picking up at resorts and snow sports companies preparing for Japan’s new requirements for inbound travellers.
At the northern prefecture’s most popular ski and snow resorts, Niseko and Kutchan, 89 per cent of reservations are from abroad, predominantly Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the US, according to a survey by the Kutchan Tourism Association.
Bookings at Hokkaido’s resorts and snow sports companies are picking up with Japan’s new requirements for inbound travellers
Hokkaido Ski Club has teamed up with a Tokyo-based travel agency to offer private ski holiday guided tour packages for the 2022–23 season, which runs from December to April. These packages meet the government guidelines introduced on June 10, which require inbound tourists to have a sightseeing visa and be part of a tour group.
Hokkaido-based Japan Ski Experience, meanwhile, is optimistic that Japan’s scrapping of pre-arrival Covid tests for vaccinated tourists from September 7 indicates further loosening of rules will occur soon.
The snow sports market is important to Japan, with average spend of a winter sports tourist totalling 225,000 yen (US$1,636) in 2018, compared to 153,000 yen for an inbound tourist not doing winter sports, according to the Japan Tourism Agency. It is also a growing market. Japan attracted 80,000 inbound skiers in 2018, up from 300,000 in 2013.
And, with swathes of Japan competing for skiers and snowboarders, efforts are underway to boost Hokkaido’s gastro-tourism to add to the prefecture’s international appeal.
The Japan National Tourism Organization is promoting Hokkaido’s iconic foods, including king crab; soup curry, sea urchin and jingisukan (lamb and vegetables).
In Sapporo, Kamikawa Taisetsu Sake Brewery offers a tasting room geared to international visitors following research of gastro-tourism experiences in the US and France. Staff introduce various kinds of sake made from Hokkaido-grown rice and provide information on the history of the prefecture and its sake-brewing roots.
And, in April, the southwestern city of Hakodate set up a green tea tourism council, to promote the drink as well as food items made using green tea.
From 2023, more than 100 Singaporean students pursuing hospitality or tourism-related courses can tap a new US$1 million bond-free scholarship programme launched by Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and parent company Las Vegas Sands.
The Sands Hospitality Scholarship programme will run for at least three years, and is open to second-year students studying related courses at the six higher institutes of learning – Nanyang Polytechnic; Ngee Ann Polytechnic; Republic Polytechnic; Singapore Polytechnic; Temasek Polytechnic; and the Singapore Institute of Technology.
The Sands Hospitality Scholarship programme is open to students studying related courses at the six higher institutes of learning in Singapore
Over the three years of the programme, approximately 19 students per polytechnic and 14 students from SIT can apply for the scholarship. Recipients can use the funds for expenses such as tuition fees, course materials and overseas immersion programmes.
They can also apply for internship and full-time roles in the hospitality and tourism sectors such as housekeeping, food and beverage as well as events management.
With a currently employment of close to 10,000 people, of which two-thirds are local, MBS said the scholarship programme is part of its efforts to support the hospitality industry’s workforce development.
MBS’ chief operating officer Paul Town explained that making the programme bond-free will “stimulate interest” in the hospitality industry, rather than specifically to MBS, and will help bring out more emerging talent after the pandemic.
Ron Reese, Las Vegas Sands’ senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs, noted that Singapore’s “resilient tourism industry” is expected to grow robustly with international travel resuming.
“By investing in education to help youth establish careers in hospitality, we are supporting the future of our industry and Singapore’s continued leadership as a top global travel destination,” he said.
Housekeeping and F&B jobs are in high demand, he noted, simply because “they really are the engine room of a property”.
“If you don’t have capacity and housekeeping, you literally are potentially closing sections of your hotel and then limiting the tourism visitation into Singapore,” he added.
Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh has signed a two-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cambodia’s National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (NIEI) on August 30 to provide resources, workshops, training, technical and curriculum consultation to NIEI in order to develop the next generation of Khmer hospitality personnel.
The hotel will also offer internships to NIEI students to help build their skills in key areas of hospitality.
From left: NIEI’s Tan Kosal and Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh’s Juan Mercadante at the MoU signing event
Juan Mercadante, general manager, Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh, said: “By refining skills through internships at our hotel, we can really maximise this human capital and offer these students invaluable experience and opportunities to grow their careers.”
The new arrangement between Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh and the NIEI is in line with the Hyatt RiseHY initiative, a new global programme designed to pair hospitality career opportunities with young people who need them. As part of the initiative, Hyatt hotels around the world will commit to hiring 10,000 Opportunity Youth – those aged 16 to 24 who are neither in school nor working – by 2025.
“We understand the challenges young people face, and Hyatt hotels are uniquely positioned to be part of the solution. Hospitality is one of the few industries where entry-level opportunities often lead to fulfilling, life-long careers that can change the trajectory of someone’s life,” said Malaika Myers, chief human resources officer, Hyatt.
“With the launch of RiseHY, Hyatt hotels will harness the power of technology in ways our industry has never done before, to scale career opportunities, bringing awareness to hospitality careers and setting up candidates for success from the start as it expands training programmes as a path for employment.”
Princess Cruises has expanded its EZair flight booking programme for guests from South-east Asia, mainly Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brunei.
This easy-to-use tool provides customised suggestions based on when and where passengers are sailing, low prices with flexible air fares. Guests who have to travel longhaul to board their cruise will benefit from using EZair as a one-stop vacation planner.
Princess Cruises has expanded its EZair flight booking programme for guests from South-east Asia
The programme was previously only available to guests in North America and Europe.
Farriek Tawfik, director, South-east Asia, Princess Cruises, said: “Princess Cruises’ EZair elevates the pre-cruising experience by making it easy and convenient to book the flight component for guests in South-east Asia who will be travelling overseas to cruise.
“The EZair programme will better serve guests in this region with access to competitive airfares compatible with their cruise.”
Available flights can be reviewed in real-time, and the desired air schedule and carrier can be chosen at the time of booking. Flights can only be booked with a confirmed cruise reservation (including deposit), however, flights can be searched when checking cruise availability.
Flights are available to book from four days before the cruise to 300 days before the end of the vacation. Guests can customise their flights at the time of booking, without paying any additional customisation fee. Flights can be booked through the cruise line’s website or with travel advisors, who can easily access EZair to check flights for guests.
Guests who book air travel through Princess Cruises will also be automatically enrolled in the Princess Late Arrival Protection programme.
If there is an airline delay or service disruption causing guests to miss their embarkation, or a missed return flight due to a delay by the cruise, Princess will work with the airlines to find a reasonable alternative to provide flights for guests at no additional air cost.
Royal Caribbean Group will be the first in the cruise industry to adopt SpaceX’s Starlink, an innovative broadband Internet service providing high-speed, low-latency connectivity for a better onboard experience for guests and crew fleetwide.
Starlink will be installed on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of the brands.
The Starlink technology will be deployed across the fleet and is expected to be completed by 1Q2023
After receiving positive feedback from guests and crew for its trial onboard Freedom of the Seas, deployment of the Starlink technology across the fleet will begin immediately and is slated to be completed by 1Q2023.
Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, said: “This technology will provide game-changing Internet connectivity onboard our ships, enhancing the cruise experience for guests and crew alike.
“It will improve and enable more high-bandwidth activities like video streaming as well as activities like video calls.”
Faster and more reliable Internet will also make it easier for guests and crew to remain connected to work, family and friends – no matter where they are in the world.
“Our work with SpaceX is another example of how Royal Caribbean Group continues to lead the cruise industry in innovation and adoption of cutting-edge technology,” he added.
Jurong Bird Park, long an iconic attraction in Singapore, will shut its doors after 52 years in operations on January 3, 2023.
The avian wildlife park will then begin a new journey as Bird Paradise at Mandai Wildlife Reserve in the northern section of Singapore.
Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park on final lap to closure
On its final lap of operations, Jurong Bird Park is inviting visitors to embark on A Flight to Remember from September 3, with a line-up of activities celebrating the park’s heritage. Visitors can join a self-guided Heritage Trail of Jurong Bird Park and make pit-stops at a series of heritage displays that illustrate key milestones.
Operating from 1992 to 2012, the park’s old Panorail was a monorail system which offered guests panoramic views as it traversed the park. To mark this iconic piece of the park’s history, the old Panorail Station has reopened to the public, complete with a recreation of the Panorail for nostalgic photo opportunities.
Visitors can also contribute their favourite memories of Jurong Bird Park to a ‘living’ Memory Wall at the Penguin Coast and watch their memories pop up on screen in real-time.
Limited-edition merchandise, such as Jurong Bird Park-themed terrariums and medallions, will be on sale.
Daisy Ling, the park’s vice president, who started working with the attraction in 1982 as an education officer, said: “I have seen Jurong Bird Park through many transformations in my 40-year-history here, from new amphitheatres to aviaries, but this will be the most significant yet. There are still many of us who joined the organisation in its early days and have been here over the decades.
“While we commemorate our fondest memories here in Jurong, we also look forward to new beginnings with the Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve and to be a part of another transformative phase of Singapore’s bird park. We hope the local community can join us in the coming months to make this a worthy closing chapter for the park before we turn the page.”
Jurong Bird Park will release new programming over the next few months, including the launch of a Nostalgic Signature Tour in November. Bookings for the tour will open on October 19.
Also launching in November is a nostalgic dining experience with traditional pushcarts selling local hawker fare and carnival activities to raise the festive spirit.
Blue Tree Phuket will launch the inaugural Blue Tree Aquathlon on September 24 – a multi-sport race comprising run and swim elements.
Athletes are expected to come from all over Thailand to join races between 07.00 and 11.00.
The Blue Tree Aquathlon is a multi-sport race comprising run and swim elements
The event marks the start of Phuket’s “high season of destination sporting events”, said deputy managing director of Blue Tree Phuket, Paolo Randone.
Other international sports events, such as Pho3nix Kids Triathlons and Spartan APAC Championship 2022, are set for November this year.
The host venue is perfect for such multi-sport events, opined Randone.
“We have not only our huge crystal lagoon but also running tracks, fitness trails, a forest park, a pump track, beach area, a skate park, and amazing food and beverage options in a variety of restaurants and food trucks, all within 140 rai (224,000m²) of beautiful tropical landscaped land,” he said in a press statement.
Registration for the Blue Tree Aquathlon closes on September 22.
Rural accommodations that the chefs will head to include ryokan inns
Tokyo will resume a travel subsidy campaign in September to support the capital’s tourism industry, which is still feeling the strain amid Japan’s slow tourism rebound.
Named Motto Tokyo (More Tokyo), the campaign was launched in October 2020 to fanfare by the public, prompting the subsidy allocation to run out in days, but has been suspended several times due to spikes in Covid-19 cases. The most recent suspension was at the end of July, but with new coronavirus outbreaks on the decline since August 3, Tokyo residents are being encouraged to travel again.
Many companies have registered to take part in the Motto Tokyo campaign, including hotels and ryokan inns
Motto Tokyo’s two goals are “to get society moving again and to keep Covid-19 under control”, as stated by governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, during a news conference.
From September 1, the joint initiative by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau (TCVB) will provide financial support to Tokyo residents for daytrips and overnight stays within the capital provided they have proof of three Covid-19 vaccination shots or a negative PCR test result.
Individuals will receive 5,000 yen (US$36) per night for an accommodation that costs 6,000 yen or more per night, for up to five nights. A day tripper, meanwhile, will receive 2,500 yen per day for an excursion costing 3,000 yen or more.
A website run by TCVB has been set up to advise individuals and groups on booking with the companies registered to take part in the campaign, which include nationwide travel agents H.I.S. Co. and JTB Corporation, as well as major hotels and ryokan inns.
Sales will start at noon on September 1 for travel from September 1–30 and cease when the budget allocated to each operator reaches its limit.
The resumption of Motto Tokyo follows improvement to another domestic travel subsidy campaign called Kenminwari, which was expanded to cover the whole country and extended until the end of August to maximise travel during the summer holiday period.
