Cebu Pacific (CEB) will double its daily frequency between Singapore and Manila, as well as restart flights from Singapore to Cebu on July 16, with three services a week.
The additional morning service to Manila will depart Changi Airport at 10.15 and arrive at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 at 14.00; while the Singapore-bound flight will depart from Manila at 5.35 and arrive at 9.20.
Cebu Pacific resumes flights between Singapore and Cebu, and increases services between Singapore and Manila
Flights between Singapore and Cebu will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, departing from Changi Airport at 4.00 and arriving at Mactan Cebu International Airport Terminal 2 at 8.05. Flights from Cebu to Singapore will operate every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, departing at 23.05 and arriving at 3.00 the following day.
Travellers at the baggage claim at Christchurch International Airport
New Zealand has announced that it will no longer require inbound travellers to conduct a Covid-19 pre-departure test effective June 20, 23.59.
The move brings forward the initial date planned for the change by six weeks, or July 31.
Travellers at the baggage claim at Christchurch International Airport
“We’ve taken a careful and staged approach to reopening our borders to ensure we aren’t overwhelmed with an influx of Covid-19 cases. Our strategy has worked and as a result it’s safe to lift pre-departure test requirements much sooner than planned,” said Covid-19 response minister Ayesha Verrall in a press statement.
“Around 90 per cent of international arrivals undertake their required testing once they are in the country, with only a two to three per cent positivity rate. So we don’t anticipate a significant increase in border cases once the requirement is lifted.”
“Factors such as the availability of and cost of getting a test are increasingly becoming a barrier for people intending to travel here, especially as other countries wind back testing availability or the requirement for a test on entry themselves,” she added.
However, New Zealand will still have a set of border surveillance measures for detecting any possible new variants of Covid-19, including requiring travellers to self-test on Day 0/1 and again on Day 5/6. A positive result would then require a PCR test.
Separately, travellers transiting through New Zealand will no longer need to be vaccinated, nor be required to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration.
Albert Lafuente is the new resident manager of Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh City.
Lafuente has extensive experience in sales and marketing and joins Sedona Suites Ho Chi Minh from Swissotel Clark where he was the director of sales and marketing.
From left, Mastercard’s Lim Kok Kee, PATA’s Paul Pruangkarn (standing), Ben Montgomery and Liz Ortiguera, PATA life member and Asian Trails' Luzi Matzig, TTG Asia’s Raini Hamdi and PATA’s Peter Simone
That joyful cry was heard everywhere at an evening hosted by PATA Thailand Chapter and Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre recently that saw members and partners meeting in person again in support of Thailand’s tourism opening.
From left, Mastercard’s Lim Kok Kee, PATA’s Paul Pruangkarn (standing), Ben Montgomery and Liz Ortiguera, PATA life member and Asian Trails’ Luzi Matzig, TTG Asia’s Raini Hamdi and PATA’s Peter Simone
Philippines is transforming the Clark Freeport Zone into a preferred business and tourism destination
The Department of Tourism (DoT) is banking on the development of the Clark Freeport Zone (CFZ) and the New Clark City in order to further boost the recovery of the country’s tourism industry.
The DoT, in collaboration with the Tourism Promotions Board, and the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development, showcased how CFZ and the New Clark City could be positioned as premier tourism hubs during the first Central Luzon Tourism Investment Summit and Business Exchange (CLTISBEX) Hybrid Edition held recently at Hilton Clark Sun Valley Resort.
Philippines is transforming the Clark Freeport Zone into a preferred business and tourism destination
They proposed CFZ as a modern sustainable aerotropolis and a preferred business events destination, while the New Clark City could stand for an ideal destination for sports tourism in the Asia-Pacific region.
DoT 3 regional director, Caroline Uy, said: “Through the help of the private sector, the goal is to transform the CFZ into a preferred business and tourism destination in the Asia-Pacific region and enable investors to find long-term economic returns.”
CFZ is located in Pampanga, and can be easily accessed by the country’s major foreign tourist markets like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
A total of 35 foreign and local investors from the Philippines, China, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, and the UAE participated in the summit.
The event concluded with a total of 127 million pesos (US$2.4 million) investment leads which were mostly generated during the B2B meetings among 77 buyers and sellers.
As of December 31, 2021, CFZ is already home to some 1,153 companies that are also referred to as locators. These business ventures provided opportunities to a total of 121,341 professionals and workers inside the freeport zone which originally employed only 20,000 workers at the time of its opening.
For corporate groups, CFZ offers 80 convention halls, 3,648 hotel rooms, 126 dining facilities, and 45 tourism attractions such as Clark Safari, Clark Bike Path, Clark Museum and Theater, Aqua Planet, Clark International Speedway, and Dinosaurs Island.
In terms of exports, CFZ has since generated a total export of US$5.4 billion with a total investment of 265 billion pesos.
This announcement follows the recent opening of Clark International Airport’s new passenger terminal, which Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said will generate more gains to the industry, especially now that the DoT is also positioning CFZ as a business events destination.
Universal Studios Singapore’s (USS) Halloween Horror Nights returns for its 10th edition and fans can expect never-before-seen haunted houses, scare zones, laser tag, a dining experience and behind-the-scenes tour.
To mark its 10th edition, the iconic event will, for the first time ever, run across selected 19 nights from September 30 to November 5, 2022.
Universal Studios Singapore’s Halloween Horror Nights returns for its 10th edition
USS’ daytime family-friendly Halloween event will also make its highly-anticipated return from September 7 to November 6, featuring a park-wide procession with all-new original characters and meet-and-greet opportunities.
To minimise the acute manpower shortage in the travel and hospitality industry, Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) has devised a plan to share with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, in the hope that the ministry will take it up with the relevant government agencies.
MTC president, Uzaidi Udanis, shared with TTG Asia that the council had a meeting with travel and tourism players two weeks ago and several strategies were devised for short- and mid-term solutions to cover the transport, hospitality, F&B and retail industry.
Uzaidi: hospitality and tourism institutions in Malaysia were having difficulties with recruitment
Short-term solutions included attracting foreign interns to gain industry exposure in Malaysia and encouraging students to pursue tourism and hospitality courses upon completing their secondary education. He pointed out that hospitality and tourism institutions in Malaysia were having difficulties with recruitment.
On the manpower shortage, Zahira Tahir, founder and CEO, Universal Holidays, also shared that the problem was acute in the hospitality industry across all hotels – regardless of star ratings – throughout the country.
Due to the labour crunch, many had not been operating at full capacity, she said. Currently, it is the peak season for tourists from India and Middle East markets, domestic demand is high and many Singaporeans visit on the weekends too.
Universal Holidays had to rearrange itineraries according to room availability. She explained: “When we can’t get rooms in Genting, we do Genting as a day trip. When there are no rooms in Kuala Lumpur, we develop the itinerary with another destination first.”
Zahira also highlighted on the shortage of private vehicles to ferry tourists around as suppliers were short of drivers while some had reduced their inventory.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Association of Hotels had reached out to the Human Resources Ministry to expedite the work permits of foreign workers, but had not received a response, reported The Star recently.
Rosewood Hotel Group has partnered with the Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC) to launch Rosewood Empowers, a corporate social impact initiative featuring a series of collaborative programmes focused on promoting youth development, caring for the under-served and disadvantaged, and creating value for all communities.
The group’s first global internship programme offers opportunities for local youth to gain first-hand experience at various hotels managed by Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong, China and overseas, and aims to nurture a new generation of industry talents and broaden their global vision – to enhance the overall competitiveness of Hong Kong’s hospitality and tourism industries.
Rosewood Hotel Group and Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC) launch Rosewood Empowers, a corporate social impact initiative
“Through our long-term partnership with VTC, Hong Kong youth who wish to join the hospitality and tourism industries will have the opportunity to gain early insight into the industry through our dedicated internship programme,” said Sonia Cheng, CEO of Rosewood Hotel Group.
She added: “These internships will offer valuable, international, hands-on experience and help cultivate a better understanding of market differences as well as Hong Kong’s unique edge on the world stage. It encourages the business sector to work closely with the government for the upward mobility of young people.”
The group will offer one-month overseas internships for students from VTC’s Department of Tourism and Hospitality, along with the support and guidance of a mentor at the hosting Rosewood Hotel Group property.
Rosewood Hong Kong will provide 90 to 450 internship hours for the department’s second-year students, which will be credited as part of their curriculum.
Moreover, the Rosewood Uncovered Series, a platform to discover culinary talent, will offer students the opportunity to sharpen their culinary skills at Rosewood Hong Kong.
Training will also be given to the group’s staff by VTC to explore innovative solutions to support the sustainable development of the industry.
In addition to the collaboration with VTC, Rosewood Hotel Group will also establish the Rosewood Scholarship for the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, which will launch in the 2022/23 academic year.
Scoot has commenced the sales of tickets for non-stop flights from Singapore to Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, marking the airline’s first non-stop service to Tokyo and the resumption of flights to Osaka since the pandemic.
Pre-pandemic, Scoot operated flight services to Tokyo via Taipei and Bangkok.
Scoot now flies direct to Tokyo from Singapore
Lead-in fares for Singapore-Tokyo (Narita) and Singapore-Osaka start from S$263 (US$188) and S$296, respectively (taxes inclusive, one way). The flight services will be operated by Scoot’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Prior to his new position at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, he was president and CEO of Canada’s Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region.
