The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance has named Glenn Mandziuk as CEO, replacing Madhu Rajesh who left the organisation in September 2021.
Mandziuk has amassed over 25 years of leadership experience in advancing sustainable practices in tourism, hospitality and economic development.
Prior to his new position at Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, he was president and CEO of Canada’s Thompson Okanagan Tourism Region.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For more information, visit Halloween Horror Nights.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
What is the status of international arrivals into Australia right now?
Based on the reopening experience of other destinations, we expect the number of visitors into Australia to bounce back to around 40 per cent of pre-pandemic levels relatively quickly.
According to recent data from ForwardKeys’ forward flight booking volumes, our key international markets are back to 53 per cent when compared to the same week in 2019.
That is what we have seen so far, which means we are on the right track to getting back to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible, though it will take some time for the international market to ramp up.
How is Australia planning to stand out in this ultra-competitive world all clamouring for tourist dollars?
When it was announced Australia was reopening its international borders, we moved quickly to get campaigns into our target markets to remind international travellers what Australia has to offer.
For example, our Don’t Go Small, Go Australia campaign launched with live site activations in the UK and the US. The campaign has also been rolled out into Germany, France, Italy and New Zealand.
At the same time, we also pushed out the Yours to Explore campaign, which first launched in Singapore last year, and has now been rolled out into India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Greater China.
We also have more campaigns in the pipeline to help Australia stand out from the crowd. Coming up in 2H2022, we will launch another brand campaign which has been timed for when the pent-up demand of the past two years starts to wear off.
It is worth mentioning that the tourism industry is very important to the Australian economy. It is our number one service export, and number four overall export, and is responsible for one in 13 jobs in Australia. Not only has the industry been missing international visitors, the communities that rely so heavily on tourism have as well.
What trends do you see in the post-lockdown world and how is Tourism Australia tapping into this knowledge?
Our latest research has found several emerging trends, which I believe, make Australia an even more desirable destination. For example, one trend we have noticed is that more travellers are craving more authentic wildlife experiences – something we have an abundance of in Australia.
We also find that sustainability is now a growing consumer consideration. What this means is that people are moving beyond calculating carbon footprints, and instead, are looking for sustainability to grace every part of their travel experience.
We are also aware that working remotely is a growing trend, which provides new opportunity for Australia to attract such travellers to live and work here.
At this point, do you think Australia’s travel industry is poised for even greater growth?
What we do know is that there is significant pent-up demand for travel as we emerge from the pandemic. Savings are up and after spending plenty of time at home over the past two years, people are ready to get out and spend on travel.
Through consumer sentiment research, we found that we do not have any problem with demand. The challenge is moving that intention to visit Australia – which we know is high around the world – to actually booking the trip. We are going to focus on converting that demand right now.
So, we are optimistic about the future of travel and hope that more people will choose Australia to explore all we have to offer.
How about China’s outbound travellers, do you think they will remain the global force they had become?
Pre-Covid, China was Australia’s largest and most valuable tourism market. In 2019, Australia welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors from China who spent a combined total of A$12.4 billion (US$8.9 billion). The market is important to us and we look forward to welcoming Chinese visitors back again sometime in the future.
For the purposes of business planning, Tourism Australia continues to prepare for various scenarios for when travel does resume for the China market. In the meantime, we continue to invest, engage and inspire consumers in China with Australia content.
As Tourism Australia chief, I am sure you have seen a lot of Australia. What is one place you have yet to visit and what draws you there?
In my role, I have been incredibly fortunate to be able to explore a lot of Australia, but I think I still have so much more of the country to explore.
One area I’m really keen to visit is the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is a place of extreme natural beauty and offers amazing experiences like swimming with dolphins and sea lions, as well as cage diving with great white sharks.
Brought to you by Switzerland Tourism
Packed with many interactive and playful museums, fun playgrounds with an unbeatable view and adventures set against the beautiful backdrop of Swiss landscapes, Switzerland is a perfect destination for family vacations. Thanks to its safety and high-quality of service, family excursions in Switzerland offer a hassle-free holiday where children can be happily occupied and adults can relax and have a blast too. Here are what not to be missed for family-friendly holidays in Switzerland:
Swiss Travel System
Swiss Family Card
Highly reliable and comfortable, the Swiss public transportation is the fastest and most convenient way to get around Switzerland. With the Swiss Travel Pass, you simply hop on and off any means of public transport worry-free. Take advantage of the Swiss Family Card which allows children from 6 to 15 years old to travel free of charge on nationwide public transport when accompanied by at least one parent holding a Swiss Travel System pass or ticket.
Zermatt
Wolli Adventure Park
The Wolli Adventure Park Sunnegga above Zermatt is a sunny haven for all the family. At the Leisee lake there is a playground with a bathing beach, convenient barbecue sites and a legendary panorama.
Jungfrau – Interlaken
Open Air Museum
Ballenberg
Since the 1970s old farmhouses, stables, bakehouses or barns are no longer demolished when they are due to be replaced by modern buildings. Instead, the buildings are dismantled stone by stone, and rebuilt in the Ballenberg Open Air Museum.
Bernina Express
Adventure rides aboard the Bernina Express
The city of Chur and the Rhaetian Railway simply go hand in hand. The RhB provides public rail transport from Chur for the SBB and its red trains take you along stunning routes to your destination.
▸ Adventure rides aboard the Rhaetian Railway / Bernina Express |
Switzerland Tourism
Zurich
Lindt Home of Chocolate
The interactive world of chocolate for young and old. A tour of the Lindt Home of Chocolate covers every aspect of this Swiss cultural asset chocolate, including a chocolate fountain over 9m tall and the biggest Lindt Chocolate Shop in the world, spread over 500m2.
Vaud – Lake Geneva Region
The Olympic Museum
To experience the Olympics at close quarters and feel the Olympic spirit the way the athletes felt it, to study the history of the Games from antiquity to today – thanks to the latest computer technology and audiovisual media, all of this can be accomplished in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
Schilthorn
Thrill Walk
From the terrace at Birg the Thrill Walk leads down to the vertical drops of the breath-taking rock massif. A steel structure, about 200 meters in length and closely hugging the mountain, passes underneath the observation deck and the cable car and ends below the station.
Lake Lucerne Region
Swiss Museum of Transportation
Switzerland’s most visited museum showcases the past, present and future of mobility with interactive and varied exhibits. In addition to the museum, unique attractions found nowhere else in Switzerland, such as the film theatre, planetarium, Swiss Chocolate Adventure and Media World, are just waiting to be discovered.
Matterhorn Region
Barryland
The living museum, located in the former armory next to the Roman amphitheater and the community center, brings visitors together as they share in the world of the legendary Saint Bernard dogs from the Great St. Bernard.
Although the move to reopen borders in Japan is largely seen as a positive step, the restrictions on air travel and tourist entry imposed by the government is hindering its recovery in the tourism industry, stated ACI (Airports Council International) Asia-Pacific.
In a recent ACI Asia-Pacific study that analysed the effectiveness of travel restrictions, the study revealed that travel restrictions like quarantine and testing are ineffective in mitigating the spread of Covid-19.
The research further showed that the inevitable delay in identifying new variants means that transmission already occurs by the time travel restrictions are imposed. Imposing ongoing air travel restrictions will therefore have minimal benefits in preventing the spread of any potential new variants.
Stefano Baronci, director general, ACI Asia-Pacific, said: “Curbs on international travel does little to prevent the spread of Covid-19 but leads to significant impact on the economy, causing the loss of jobs and businesses. Analysis shows that travel restrictions have, to a large degree, failed to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and have turned out to be a deterrent for the recovery of aviation.”
To help Japan’s tourism industry fully recover, Baronci is proposing that Japan to “consider removing all remaining travel restrictions and allow people to travel freely”.
According to the latest circular from Japan, around 200 countries were divided into three risk categories – red, yellow and blue. These categories determine whether visitors can bypass quarantine and be subject to more simplified Covid-19 testing measures, according to Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Baronci added: “A total relaxation of travel protocols will provide greater impetus to the economy of the country as well of the other countries in the region.”
In the last few months, countries such as Cambodia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia have withdrawn the restrictions on international air travel, without negatively impacting the health care system at national level. Preliminary statistics from Phnom Penh, Singapore, New Delhi, Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), Kuala Lumpur and Brisbane show that, in aggregate, passenger traffic have increased substantially between the end of February and May 2022.
