IHG rolls out new loyalty programme
IHG Hotels & Resorts has debuted a new global loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards, promising richer benefits, more ways to earn, and easier access on a new mobile app.
IHG One Rewards comes with enhanced member benefits, such as free breakfast for Diamond Elite members and exclusive access to Reward Night Discount promotions for Platinum Elite and Diamond Elite members.
Elite members can expect early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades, where available.
Recognising that not all members want to use their points in the same way, IHG One Rewards introduces Milestone Rewards, – a technology-enabled platform that allows members to choose their preferred perks. A selection of rewards will be offered at every 10th night of stay, through to 100 nights stayed.
Coming up soon, IHG Hotels & Resorts will launch the IHG One Rewards mobile app, which promises a more personalised and streamlined booking experience and communications with the hotel. The app is a key element to IHG One Rewards and sets a foundation for future growth.
Claire Bennett, global chief customer officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said IHG One Rewards is “one of the largest and most comprehensive investments that IHG Hotels & Resorts has made in recent years”.
“It’s also the biggest development we’ve made in the loyalty space since introducing the industry’s first loyalty programme,” Bennett added.
HK Express creates air, ferry passes for Greater Bay Area passage
HK Express has started retailing its new HK Express Air + Ferry Pass that facilitates seamless travel between Shekou Cruise Homeport in Shenzhen and Hong Kong International Airport.
In collaboration with Chu Kong Passenger Transport Company (CKS), the new transit service makes it easier for customers in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to access HK Express destinations, across the region, starting with Singapore, Kaohsiung and Tokyo.
HK Express Air + Ferry Pass holders will be exempted from Hong Kong Air Passenger Departure Tax, and can check their baggage through to their final destination with HK Express.
The flight and ferry bundle is available for booking with a single payment on the official HK Express website and WeChat MiniApp.
“This new Air + Ferry Pass bundle provides a convenient, efficient and affordable way for our GBA customers to fly with us,” said Mandy Ng, CEO of HK Express. “With the GBA market growing rapidly, we plan to expand our collaboration with CKS to include more departure points in the region so more travellers can enjoy our unique destinations.”
South Korea drops most Covid curbs from today
Waning cases of Omicron has allowed South Korea to ease off most Covid restrictions from today, including a midnight curfew on eateries and a capacity cap on private gatherings that was previously set at 10.
Rallies and other events with 300 or more people are also permitted now, while a 70 per cent limit on capacity at religious facilities has been removed.
Social distancing rules no longer stand, although mandatory mask-wearing remains in place.
The decision on April 15 follows on the footsteps of eased travel requirements, including the exemption of mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated inbound travellers.
However, the authorities have yet to reinstate visa-free travel, due to continued concerns with Omicron sub-variant presence in other countries.
Berjaya Air connects Singapore, Redang with new service
Holidaymakers from Singapore can now easily access Redang Island in just 80 minutes, thanks to a new service offered by Berjaya Air.
The flight connects Singapore’s Seletar Airport with Malaysia’s Redang Airport, and is the only direct air link between the two destinations.
Travellers can purchase the Enchanting Redang Escapade package for a complete holiday experience, which includes a Berjaya Air flight from Singapore to Redang Island, a four-day/three-night accommodation at The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort, daily meals, welcome evening cocktail, recreational activities, and more. Priced from S$2,096 (RM 6,288) nett per person, the package also includes access to the Seletar Business Aviation Centre, a 15kg check-in luggage allowance per person, express boarding and refreshments on board.
Berjaya Air welcomes private charters to Redang Island.
Longhaul markets lead tourism recovery for the Philippines
Having reopened to international tourists over two months ago, the Philippines is discovering that fewer travel restrictions in the west are helping to bring in the first wave of tourists.
Rajah Tour president Jojo Clemente has seen arrivals coming from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and other longhaul markets.
“It’s easier for them to leave (for overseas trips) and return home,” he told TTG Asia.
In comparison, Asian markets “have been more conservative in terms of health and safety protocols compared to the west”, hence the reluctance to travel, he added.
While the Philippines used to benefit from top tourism source markets South Korea and Japan, both countries are still battling Covid surges, causing residents to be hesitant about travelling. China, the Philippines’ fastest growing and biggest source market, also has a tough zero Covid-19 policy that requires long quarantine period when citizens return from abroad, pointed out Arfel Travel and Tours’ president Fe Abling-Yu.
Abling-Yu and Clemente predicted that arrivals from South-east Asia and the rest of Asia will follow as travel requirements in their respective countries loosen up.
In better times, arrivals from Asia used to comprise at least 60 per cent of total foreign arrivals in the Philippines. That has declined to just 55.67 per cent in 2020.
Abling-Yu said that while the US is coming up, many of them are balikbayans or returning Filipinos while tourists from the UK, France and other parts of EU are trickling in.
The Philippines can look to other source markets like India, Israel, the Middle East, and Taiwan where travel freedom has returned.
Clemente revealed that there has been a “steady stream” of enquiries from India ever since the Philippines permitted visa-required nationalities to enter April 1.
“So, I see some pick up from that sooner than later.”
“Israel has also started to send enquiries, along with GCC countries like the UAE and Qatar,” Clemente added.
Gardens first in Singapore to join EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations
Horticultural attraction Gardens by the Bay will become the first in Singapore to embark on the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations programme accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), joining others such as Nuuk in Greenland, Rottnest Island in Australia, and Sierra Gorda in Mexico in committing to sustainable destination stewardship and place management.
The EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations programme works with tourism destinations and precincts to facilitate and foster responsible environmental and social planning and management practices. A leading scientific programme for responsible tourism, it provides operators with a holistic framework to benchmark and certify their environmental and social performance, in an effort to address some of the challenges facing the planet such as climate change and biodiversity loss.
Sustainability has remained at the core of Gardens by the Bay’s operations since it opened in 2012, and its participation in the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations programme is in line with its sustainability roadmap.
Felix Loh, CEO of Gardens by the Bay, said in a statement: “We aim to achieve best practices in sustainable tourism, by benchmarking against GSTC-recognised international standards through the EarthCheck Sustainable Destinations programme. This also demonstrates our support for the Singapore Green Plan 2030, as we further our efforts to embed sustainability in our DNA – through our business, day to day operations, and corporate culture.”
Norwegian Cruise Line gets into NFT action for a good cause
Fans of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) and global travellers will now have a chance to own a piece of the cruise liner’s newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva – a piece of six unique NFTs that showcase the art and inspiration behind the hull art of the two ships, that is.
The collection, created by Manuel Di Rita, the Italian artist who designed the hull art on Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, can be found at the NCL NFT marketplace.
The NCL NFT marketplace is said to be the first in the cruise industry.
One of the art pieces will be auctioned at a starting rate of US$2,500, with the remaining NFTs to be sold for prices beginning at US$250. The winner of the auction will also be awarded a balcony stateroom on one of Norwegian Prima’s inaugural voyages in the US, setting sail from Miami.
All proceeds from the NFT auction and sales will be donated to Teach For America, an organisation that finds, develops, and supports a network of leaders who expand opportunity for children.
Emirates ramps up global operations
In a bid to rebuild its global network to meet growing travel demand, Emirates will restart operations to Bali, London Stansted, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires progressively from May 1, as well as boost the frequency of flights to Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore.
Starting from May 1, Emirates will operate five weekly flights to Bali, utilising a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, and further scale that up to a weekly service.
From August 1, the airline will resume operations to London Stansted with five weekly flights, utilising a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft that will come with First Class cabins. The route will be served daily from September 1.
Emirates will serve the UK with 110 weekly flights by October this year, to hubs such as London Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow.
Come November 2, Emirates will operate four weekly flights to Buenos Aires via Rio de Janeiro on the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and scale that up to a daily service.
Meanwhile, to cater to rising demand, services to Nigeria’s Lagos will be ramped up to 11 weekly flights from July 1 and double daily from September 1. Services to Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, will be operated five times weekly from May 1 and then daily from September 1.
Services to Mauritius will go from daily to nine weekly flights between April 9 and end-June, and then scaled up further to double daily from July.
The airline will also increase passenger services to Singapore from seven weekly flights, to 14 weekly flights, starting from June 23.
Jaipur Literature Festival heads to the Maldives
An arts and literary festival will debut at the luxury Soneva Fushi resort in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve from May 13 to 22, 2022.
The event is a collaboration between Teamwork Arts, producer of the annual India-based Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), and resorts operator Soneva.
JLF Soneva Fushi will feature a line-up of world-renowned authors, workshops, and music and art activities. At press time, 30 speakers and authors are confirmed, such as British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak and diplomat and author Vikas Swarup.
A spectrum of topics will be tackled, from nation-building and scientific discovery to poetry and filmmaking.
The Maldives edition is one of many international extensions of the iconic festival, which has yearly events in London, Belfast, New York, Colorado, Houston, Adelaide, Toronto and Doha.
Soneva is offering an exclusive package to guests attending JLF Soneva Fushi. Priced from US$2,310 nett per night, per villa, it includes full access to festival activities, daily full board at selected restaurants, return shared seaplane transfers between Malé and Soneva Fushi, and complimentary full board stays for up to two children under seven when staying with two paying adults.
Singapore-based co-living company Hmlet has merged with European flexible living provider Habyt following an equity share swap.
The move follows Habyt’s acquisition of two other co-living players, Milan-based Roomie in March 2022, and Frankfurt-based Homefully in June 2021.
The Singapore start-up will bring its inventory of 1,200 units in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan under Habyt, which has a portfolio of over 8,000 units worldwide in 10 countries and 20 cities.
As part of Habyt, Hmlet will continue to operate under its own brand name with Hmlet CEO Giselle Markarachvili acting as head of APAC for Habyt. Chief real estate officer Joshua Li will become Habyt’s head of expansion, APAC, and both will report to Luca Bovone, founder and CEO of Habyt.
Makarachvili commented in a statement on April 12 that the company has plans to “deepen our footprint in our existing markets and (is) aiming to expand into new markets as well”.
Hmlet is actively expanding its offerings with the recent launch of Hamilton in Singapore, comprising 68 rooms across a row of eight conservation shophouses that have been refurbished to accommodate the brand’s standards. It also signed three new buildings in Hong Kong that are slated to open this quarter.
Noting the rising in competition in the co-living sector, especially in Singapore where there are 10 players, such as The Assembly Place and lyf, Makarachvili said the consolidation of Hmlet and Habyt is “key for expansion”.