Ojo Mexican-inspired rooftop restaurant has opened at The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, offering views of the city.
The restaurant is a collaboration between the hotel and Mexican chef Francisco Ruano. On the menu are traditional and contemporary Mexican dishes prepared with a mix of imported and locally-sourced ingredients.
Ojo is open daily for lunch and dinner from 11.30 to 14.30 and 17.30 to midnight.
For more information, visit The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon.
Working holidaymakers were one of the first international visitor markets to return to Australia earlier this year, contributing to tourism recovery and providing a critical solution to the country’s labour crunch.
At the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE) 2022 in May, Tourism Australia’s managing director Phillipa Harrison indicated that working holidaymakers are “incredibly important” to Australia.
“We opened to working holidaymakers in November last year and they started coming back straightaway. This is a crucial sector for us because these individuals come here to work and support our tourism industries, and spend the money they earn here.”
According to Tourism Australia, 308,400 working holidaymakers arrived in 2019, filling about 250,000 jobs in the agriculture, tourism, and hospitality sectors, and generated about A$3.2 billion (US$2.3 billion) for the economy. Visas are available for those aged 18 to 30 (35 for some countries) and are valid for a year, although there are opportunities to extend it.
Working holidaymakers also spend more, disperse more widely and stay longer than any other international visitor. On average, they spend A$10,400 per trip and stay 149 nights.
Luring them back
The Australian government has pushed out several initiatives to help address critical workforce shortages caused by the pandemic.
On January 31, 2022, Tourism Australia rolled out the Work and Play the Aussie Way campaign to incentivise fully-vaccinated young people – based in the UK, Europe, Japan, and South Korea – to work and holiday in Australia.
Other rules have also been loosened, noted Nicole Downs, group director of people and performance at Ovolo Group.
She elaborated: “The government has relaxed some visa requirements, such as allowing working holidaymakers to work for one employer for up to 12 months, up from six months. This is aimed at encouraging holidaymakers to take jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry.”
Welcome To Travel, co-founder Adam Ogle, told TTG Asia that the government has also removed the A$495 visa application charge for working holidaymakers who were previously granted a visa but were unable to travel to Australia during the pandemic. This was effective January to April.
Melbourne-based Welcome To Travel helps to bring in working holidaymakers from countries such as the UK, Ireland, Canada, the US, Germany and the Netherlands. At last count, the company has welcomed over 38 nationalities.
“Eighty per cent of the people on our tours are here for a working holiday. Our main tour is an eight-day package where we cover their accommodation for a week. At the end of the week, we help these 20 individuals to set up their tax file number, phone, and bank account, before helping them find a job in our database of employers,” detailed Ogle.
Business has been good, he added, and tours have been “full” for the last six weeks.
This positive sentiment is echoed by Wendi Aylward, managing director of the American Institute for Foreign Study (Australia) (AIFS). Similarly, AIFS conducts orientations and helps working holidaymakers find work, primarily in the hospitality sector due to their partnership with hotel groups.
When asked where her clients hail from, Aylward shared they are “mostly from Western Europe”, although the company recruits “through partners around the globe”. Within Asia-Pacific, Japan stands out as a “strong growing market”, with AIFS recently handling its first arrivals from Japan.
“We only restarted in January, so our numbers are relatively small, with around a dozen to 20 working holidaymakers entering Australia every week,” she said.
Hospitality help
Hospitality companies interviewed by TTG Asia all indicate that working holidaymakers are an important part of their workforce, and are a great source of talent. Hence, aside from government initiatives, companies are doing their part to entice working holidaymakers to walk through their doors.
For example, Leanne Harwood, senior managing director – JAPAC of IHG Hotels & Resorts, shared that the company introduced initiatives such as myBenefits, which boasts paid parental and birthday leave; and myFlex, a system where an individual can self-schedule their working hours to balance work-life commitments, as long as they complete a minimum number of hours.
Illustrating the importance of having working holidaymakers in hotel operations, Harwood said there are cases where the company has to cap hotel occupancies, due to a shortage of this workforce segment, to ensure the guest experience is not impacted.
“IHG currently has around 900 advertised roles,” she shared.
Earlier in November 2021, Accor rolled out a talent attraction programme, Work Your Way, in an attempt to bolster its workforce in Australia and New Zealand.
Sarah Derry, CEO of Accor Pacific, told TTG Asia: “We also have introduced initiatives such as Same Day Hire where a candidate can be interviewed, hired and start working all on the very same day.”
She noted: “Working holidaymakers help us to bolster our workforce over peak periods such as during the school holidays and ski seasons. This group of individuals also bring varying skills and diversity, providing Accor with different thought perspectives and complementing our existing workforce.”
However for 2022, with working holiday visas down 86 per cent compared to 2019, the labour shortage will not be solved anytime soon, she lamented.
To deal with the labour crunch at its properties, Ovolo Group is tapping onto the domestic market to fill positions, Downs said, which includes hiring high school students and undergrads.
Jarrah Morgan, deputy general manager at Bannisters Port Stephens, is also exploring domestic options.
“We have looked more broadly within Australia, with a particular focus on Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne. But with the borders open, we have refocused our efforts on attracting working holidaymakers,” said Morgan.
To help with relocation, the Australian boutique hotel group offers staff accommodation.
Recovery roadblocks
These days, with more savings in the bank and a thirst for revenge travel, as well as competition from other countries, an uphill battle to entice working holidaymakers Down Under looms on the horizon.
Pre-pandemic there were usually around 300,000 people in Australia at all times on working holiday visas, but as of December 2021, there were only 40,000, Ogle said.
A working holidaymaker visa waiver spanning a longer duration – beyond just January to April – would have made Australia more attractive, opined Ogle.
“The visa waiver should have been made available for perhaps one year or more because this allows those who made the trip to Australia to tell their friends about the experience. These youths will (indirectly be) ambassadors for Australia,” he added.
“With borders now open, the government needs to rethink its working holiday programme. We believe access to visas need to be easier, with flexibility around how they spend their time in Australia,” said Downs, adding that the visa should encourage longer stays.
She proposed a working holiday duration of two years, with “some conditions surrounding the goals and outcomes”.
“For example, they can choose two different hotel groups within the two years, which will encourage them to stay longer while still gaining the most out of their time in Australia,” she said.
Working holidaymakers are “imperative” to Ovolo’s business, and the company is trying to source for necessary visas. However, Downs said it has been difficult, as “processing times are out of our control”, while “some countries still have quarantine restrictions” in place.
But with travel resuming and the world returning to normality, Downs is positive about being able to entice working holidaymakers to work with the company.
Aylward enthused: “I am optimistic about the year ahead because there are amazing opportunities for young people – the most resilient to the pandemic’s challenges – to travel and work in Australia.”
A revitalised Sunway Resort at Sunway City will reopen in phases from this month to unveil new accommodation categories and fresh guest experiences.
The US$60 million transformation of Sunway Resort, which began in early 2020, will deliver 12 new room and suite categories, a new lobby with 24k gold leaf ceilings, landscaped pools with underwater speakers, and the world’s first Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill to be located outside London.
Technology is utilised throughout the property to enhance the guest experience, starting with contactless check-in and keyless room entry, and carrying through to a custom-built app with multiple functions that guests will find useful.
Sunway Resort also deploys specialist iButlers that will set up devices, offer demonstrations, and deliver nifty gadgets such as Harman Kardon headphones and sound bars.
Guests can expect spa-inspired bathrooms, which feature a walk-in chromotherapy shower that uses colour and light as a restorative therapy, as well as a free-standing bathtub.
With sustainability being a driving philosophy at Sunway, the transformation has brought in advanced air-conditioning systems, smart curtains, solar panels and motion-sensor LED lighting to further improve energy efficiency. The use of plastic bags has been discontinued, and an urban hydroponic farm by Sunway XFarms supplies healthy, farm-fresh produce to the resort’s restaurants.
Alex Castaldi, senior general manager of Sunway City Kuala Lumpur Hotels, said in a press statement that one of the “truly unique” aspects of Sunway Resort’s transformation is the introduction of bespoke room categories for corporate travellers, families and wellness seekers.
The Corporate Suites feature a fully-connected office space with essential amenities such as a printer, scanner and wireless chargers, while the Wellness Suite is equipped with in-room fitness equipment and an ambient sound and light machine to support deep sleep.
The Family Fun Suite showcases the latest in virtual entertainment, including a multi-player game console and a karaoke machine.
Malaysian outbound agents are eyeing Japan as a new destination to sell from June 10 when borders are finally eased open for foreign, non-essential travellers.
Forward bookings is strong for Malaysia based Apple Vacations & Conventions, which is planning group departures from next month.
Koh Yock Heng, the agency’s group managing director, shared that itineraries would include more outdoor and nature-based activities, and group sizes would be limited to 25 people to cater to travellers’ preference post-lockdown.
In conjunction with year-end school holidays, Apple Vacations is organising six charter flights to Hokkaido as well as selling tours to other parts of Japan on scheduled airlines. Of the 5,000 seats available, including the charters, some 45 per cent has been sold, shared Koh.
Rosli Seth, managing director of Feel Japan with K, also has departures to Kanazawa and Tokyo in July and August. Programmes will avoid crowded places during peak hours as a health precaution.
Japan’s strict requirements for inbound travellers, which include group travel only, present business opportunities for travel agents, said Adam Kamal, general manager, Suka Travel, who noted that pre-pandemic, Malaysian travellers typically made their own bookings and arrangements instead of relying on agents.
The central Asian nation of Kyrgyz Republic, commonly known as Kyrgyzstan, looks to double its tourist arrivals from India and has stepped up its trade engagements to meet the target.
The Kyrgyz Republic hosted two roadshows in India, covering New Delhi on June 7 and Mumbai on June 8, and has recently appointed Salvia Promoters as its representative office in India for the promotion of tourism.
The Kyrgyz Republic also formed a Tourism Development Support Fund two months back with an initial corpus of around US$13 million, aimed at backing tourism infrastructure development and to pitch the country as an investment destination for tourism and hospitality projects. The fund will also be used for tourism marketing activities.
“Our prime objective at present is to create awareness in the Indian market about various tourism products and experiences available in the Kyrgyz Republic. We are looking to promote our untouched nature, nomadic heritage and silk route sites in the Indian market. We also want Indian companies to invest in our country’s tourism and hospitality projects,” said Elena Kalashnikova, president, Tourism Development Support Fund, Kyrgyz Republic.
There is now a visa processing centre in New Delhi to enable hassle-free application for Indian tourists.
“We are planning familiarisation trips for travel agents and wedding planners (and to) promote Kyrgyzstan through social media. We will also organise roadshows in South Indian cities in the near future,” said Prashant Chaudhary, managing director, Salvia Promoters.
Direct scheduled flights between the two countries are on the anvil.
“Carriers including Air Manas and Aero Nomad will soon begin direct flights between India and Kyrgyz Republic, which we expect will boost the tourist flow,” said Asein Isaev, ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic in India.
Wellington has been named as one of the top 10 eco-cities in the world in Lonely Planet’s new Sustainable Travel Handbook.
Having committed to the Paris Agreement in law in 2019, New Zealand is aiming for zero net carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, and Wellington is leading the way by having the lowest emissions per capita of any Australasian city.
The capital was recently named one of 15 cities worldwide to win the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge for its video-game-like climate change tool. It was also recognised as the most beautiful large city in New Zealand.
Wellington offers a fully electric high-performance passenger ferry; sustainable electric e-motorbike, Streetdog; and the world’s first fully-fenced urban sanctuary, Zealandia.
There are also four entertainment venues in Wellington that are the first in New Zealand to be awarded EarthCheck’s Bronze Benchmark accreditation.
The city’s new conference and exhibition centre, Tākina, opening mid-2023, has already bagged a 5-Star Green Star certification representing New Zealand excellence for environmental sustainability. The centre will result in a 60 per cent reduction in energy use and a 66 per cent reduction in operational carbon emissions, when benchmarked against a comparable new-build.
Silversea Cruises celebrates its return to Australia with Silver Explorer’s 10-day exploration of the Kimberley coast – the first of eight voyages for the 2022 season.
The ship departed Darwin on June 4.
“We are so pleased to welcome the rest of the world back to Australian shores. The Kimberley region is among the most treasured in the world and we are thrilled to offer Silversea’s ultra-luxury expedition experience to our valued guests,” said Adam Radwanski, managing director for Asia-Pacific, Silversea, adding that Australia is regarded as a key growth market.
Silversea recommenced global operations in June 2021, and will have all 10 ships in its fleet back in the waters by today.
Beyond the 2022 season, Silver Explorer will offer 10 sailings for the 2023 season, commencing in May 2023. Voyages on Silver Explorer in the Kimberley region are nearly sold out for 2022, with suites available for 2023.
Silver Muse will also return to Australia this early December. In early January 2023, Silver Whisper will arrive in Auckland, while Silver Shadow will depart Sydney for the 2023 World Cruise.
Other itineraries for Silver Explorer in 2023 include the Darwin-to-Darwin 10-day exploration of the spectacular Kimberley region; and the Darwin-to-Perth 17-day voyage sailing along the coastline of Western Australia.
Trip.com has partnered with climate-tech company CHOOOSE to launch an integrated carbon solution that enable its users worldwide to calculate and offset their flight’s carbon dioxide emissions by supporting impactful climate solutions around the world.
The CHOOOSE solution is integrated directly into the Trip.com platform, allowing customers to seamlessly address their carbon dioxide emissions during the booking journey. For a small cost, travellers’ offsets will support projects that either reduce, capture, or avoid carbon dioxide emissions in an amount equivalent to the flight’s calculated emissions.
Jane Sun, CEO, Trip.com Group, said: “As part of our mission to lead the global transformation to modern and more environmentally-responsible travel, we have partnered with CHOOOSE to contribute towards highly effective carbon dioxide-mitigating projects around the world. This makes it easier and simpler for Trip.com users to offset their flight’s carbon dioxide emissions during checkout on our platform and travel more responsibly.”
Trip.com and CHOOOSE calculate carbon dioxide emissions based on factors such as a flight’s distance, capacity and flight time, in accordance with the latest industry guidelines. This calculation helps to inform the cost to offset the journey, as well as guide which itineraries may be producing the least amount of carbon dioxide per passenger.
Andreas Slettvoll, CEO, CHOOOSE, said: “We see an increasing demand from individuals and companies around the world wanting to understand the carbon dioxide emissions from their travel and to address these emissions through solutions like carbon removals, offsets and sustainable aviation fuel. That’s why we are thrilled to team up with Trip.com to offer integrated climate options as a seamless part of their booking process, making climate action more accessible for people worldwide.”
Both companies have selected a range of high-impact carbon dioxide mitigation projects around the world that either reduce, remove, or avoid carbon dioxide emissions. The projects are carefully vetted by carbon professionals and certified to the most comprehensive standards such as the Gold Standard, a leading international carbon protocol. This ensures that the projects create the highest possible carbon impact and a real benefit to local communities, so travellers know their contributions make a difference.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA), and Temasek will launch in July the sale of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credits as part of a pilot announced in November 2021 to advance the use of SAF in Singapore.
A total of 1,000 SAF credits will be available for sale, generated from the 1,000 tonnes of neat SAF which are blended, delivered and uplifted from Singapore Changi Airport. These are expected to cut carbon dioxide emission by 2,500 tonnes. Every credit purchased will help to reduce 2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
The launch of the SAF credits provides customers, including corporate and individual travellers, an avenue to do their part for the environment. By purchasing these credits, they can also help to stimulate demand for SAF, support the development of the nascent SAF industry, and advance the adoption of SAF for aviation sustainability.
The SAF credits will be registered as part of a pilot project within the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Book & Claim System to ensure that the SAF credit transactions are conducted in a trusted and transparent manner, with no double counting of credits. The Book & Claim System is enabled by the RSB, a global membership organisation that drives the sustainable transition to a bio-based and circular economy.
The SAF credits can be purchased directly from SIA.
From 4Q2022, all SIA customers will be able to purchase a mix of SAF credits and carbon offsets, as part of the SIA Group Voluntary Carbon Offset Programme. SIA will also partner Climate Impact X (CIX), a global exchange for quality carbon credits, to introduce a bundled portfolio consisting of SAF credits and carbon credits. The product will be designed to meet corporate demand for SAF while balancing affordability.
Lee Wen Fen, senior vice president corporate planning, Singapore Airlines, said: “As we progress with the SAF pilot in Singapore, we can now offer more opportunities for our corporate customers and travellers to mitigate their carbon emissions using SAF credits, which are registered and accounted for within the RSB Book & Claim System. This will help to accelerate and scale up the collective adoption of SAF, reinforcing our commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”
The inaugural ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (Jakarta e-Prix 2022) may have blazed a trail in the world of motorsports when it was held in the Indonesian capital city last week, but local travel players are not amused that the organisers have left travel agents out in sports tourism opportunities.
According to race organiser Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), the event at the new Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit attracted 22,000 spectators within the circuit, half of which were international visitors.
Anies Baswedan, Jakarta governor, said the race was symbolic of the city’s future as it served as a test of Jakarta’s ability to hold an international sporting events of a higher level, such as the Formula One races.
To this end, Jakpro’s president director, Widi Amanasto, said Jakarta e-Prix 2022 has succeeded, as Jakarta is now seen as a desirable hub for sport events in the country.
“There are already racing events (of local and international scale) that will be held until the end of 2022 in Jakarta,” he said.
However, travel trade players argued that the event had little impact on Jakarta’s tourism industry.
Pauline Suharno, president of the Association of the Indonesian Travel Agents (ASTINDO), said travel agents were not relied for ticket distribution.
“Compared to the Mandalika MotoGP, where ASTINDO members were involved in ticket sales and the preparation of tour packages, the organisers of the Jakarta e-Prix 2022 have forgotten about travel operators. ASTINDO was not invited to collaborate on creating tour packages or to be ticket distribution channels,” she told TTG Asia.
Aditya A Wirakusuma, general manager of Grand Dafam Ancol, said Jakpro should look beyond the event’s sporting roots and position it for sports tourism in future. Collaborating with hospitality businesses would boost guest profiles beyond race entourage and organisers.
A dialogue with the travel operators was what Hasiyanna Ashadi, managing director of Marintur Indonesia, hoped to see in the future. There could be collaboration to “create more experiences for international visitors”, and for Marintur Indonesia to help promote event packages to overseas tour operators, which would ultimately raise “Jakarta’s popularity as sport tourism destination”.
