A flight ban on services to Hong Kong from nine countries, including the US and the UK, will be lifted from April 1, while mandatory quarantine will be halved for travellers who test negative on arrival, announced Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam this morning.
Hong Kong will ease inbound restrictions from April 1
Hong Kong’s plans to begin easing out of her Covid travel restrictions – recognised as some of the most stringent in the world – will come with progressive relaxation on social distancing regulations. The latter is expected to begin from April 21, provided there is no rebound in infections.
According to a Bloomberg report, Lam shared plans to allow as many as four people to dine out at restaurants for dinner, and to reopen gyms, massage parlours and public entertainment centres.
Indonesia’s overly cautious approach to reopening is hampering tourism recovery and causing the destination to lose out to competitive tourist destinations in the region that have taken bolder steps to facilitate travel, lament inbound operators.
Operators who spoke to TTG Asia expressed their frustrations with the retention of two compulsory PCR tests for travellers coming to Indonesia, despite recent government efforts to remove mandatory quarantine and revive visa-on-arrival.
Ricky: free visas should be offered to all South-east Asians
Ricky Setiawanto, secretary general of the Indonesia Inbound Tour Operators Association, said: “While the new policies are a significant improvement on the previous one, we still cannot compete against other destinations that have scraped on-arrival PCR tests. Our neighbours, like Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, no longer require such tests while Indonesia stipulates not just one but two PCR tests.”
Adjie Wahjono, operations manager of Aneka Kartika Tours, called out the redundancy of two PCR tests for travellers from nearby Asian countries. He said: “Unlike longhaul travellers who need to spend many hours in flight, travellers from Asia, particularly South-east Asia, only take a few hours to reach Bali. Why do they need to take another test upon arrival when they have been tested negative before flight?”
He added that the two compulsory tests were also a financial burden for Asian travellers, especially when they have to pay for visa and Covid-19 travel insurance for short trips of just three to five days in Indonesia.
“Two PCR tests cost US$38 while the visa costs US$35. Each traveller therefore needs to add US$73 to make trip to Indonesia. This may be acceptable for longhaul travellers who spend two or three weeks here, but not for shorthaul vacationers.
“I have a group of 150 passengers from the Philippines planning to travel to Bali in May, but they are now considering Thailand instead because of higher costs,” Adjie said.
However, Hasiyanna Ashadi, managing director of Marintur Indonesia, argued that longhaul travellers will also feel the pinch from the cost of mandatory PCR tests and a higher Value Added Tax that will come into effect on April 1, as their buying power has been eroded by the economic pressures from the prolonged Covid crisis.
Tour operators also hope the government would waive travel visa for travellers from ASEAN member countries.
Adjie said Asian markets – especially South-east Asia – are the “low hanging fruits” for post-lockdown travel recovery, so Indonesia needs to “go all out” to facilitate travel from the region.
Agreeing, Ricky said free visas should be offered to all South-east Asians, and not just grant them visa-on-arrival.
He said: “I did not have to pay for a visa (during my recent trips) to Thailand and Cambodia, so South-east Asians should get the same facility when they come to Indonesia. Besides, ASEAN had an agreement to form a visa-free zone for intra-ASEAN travel (before the pandemic) – why don’t we enforce it now?”
Meanwhile, inbound players are also increasingly concerned about challenges in securing new bookings back to Indonesia.
Ricky observed that most of the holidaymakers who were coming to Indonesia over the next few months were people who had bought packages for 2020 travel but had to postpone them due to the pandemic.
“To entice new bookings, the government needs to lead a ‘recall’ programme by knocking on the doors of big tour operators who used to regularly send thousands of guests here in the past and regain their support,” opined Ricky, adding that new bookings were critical for the coming summer vacation season.
Buoyed by a growing population of health conscious people, the eco-luxury holistic medical wellness resort of The Farm at San Benito in Lipa, Batangas is branching out overseas while expanding its local offerings.
Binod K Chaudhary, chair of Nepal-based CG Hospitality which acquired the Philippine resort in 2018, said that properties in Thailand, Nepal and Jordan are being developed, while other destinations like India are being considered.
Binod K Chaudhary, chair of Nepal-based CG Hospitality, said that properties in Thailand, Nepal and Jordan are being developed, while other destinations like India are being considered
Each property will have its unique draw, from the beachfront 200-hectare property in Phuket to the smaller Nepal resort on a golf course which comes with an attached spiritual temple. The holistic medical wellness resort in Jordan is under construction now, and will target European and Middle Eastern travellers when open.
The Farm’s director of sales and marketing, Jennifer Sanvictores, said health and wellness “now takes centre stage when it used to be a niche market”. She has observed an expanded demographic of customers, with demand streaming in from younger holidaymakers who have health on their mind, joining the usual crowd of mature travellers and expatriates.
In response, The Farm recently launched its wellness lifestyle residence for longer staying guests, customising programmes for families travelling with children, parents and seniors. Pets are welcomed too, with an upcoming pet wellness treatment supervised by vets.
The government’s decision to raise the minimum wage from RM1,200 (US$286) to RM1,500 nationwide, starting with big companies and government linked companies effective May 1, has not been well received by the travel trade who are calling for a deferment.
To facilitate the travel industry’s recovery, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is urging the government not to impose the minimum wage policy for at least two years in order for small and medium-sized tourism businesses to recall tourism workers in stages, thus creating more employment opportunities.
Malaysian Association of Hotels CEO, Yap Lip Seng, opined that increasing minimum wage blindly without addressing the needs of different sectors and industries is not a good policy
MATTA’s president, KL Tan said: “The tourism industry has been badly battered by the pandemic and we are slowly beginning the journey of recovery with low volume of business. Imposing the new minimum wage will be an extra burden for the tourism industry which has incurred millions of dollars in losses.”
Representing three-star hotels and below, Sri Ganesh Michiel, national deputy president, Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA), said the minimum wage decision was “not fair to the hotel industry players” – it would mean an increase in operating costs, resulting in an increase in hotel rates which consumers will have to bear.
As most MyBHA members are facing cash flow problems and do not have the ability to pay increased wages, Michiel called for a postponement of implementation for the hotel industry until a mechanism has been established.
Local broadsheet, New Straits Times, published a report on March 21 that a detailed mechanism for the implementation of the minimum wage will soon be announced. Human resources minister, M Saravanan, said the new minimum wage would stimulate the country’s economy through increased purchasing power of workers.
Rebutting this, Malaysian Association of Hotels CEO, Yap Lip Seng, said the bulk of foreign workers’ salary would only be sent back to their own country.
“This is why Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of countries such as Nepal is highly dependent on remittances, which contributes over 30 per cent of the country’s GDP,” Yap argued.
He also pointed out that most hotels are already paying salaries higher than the current minimum wage, and if it includes other non-statutory benefits employers are providing, it further exceeds even the proposed new minimum wage.
Yap shared: “The problem lies in the definition of wages. At the moment with the minimum wage order, this is restricted to “basic wage” only. It does not promote productivity or efficiency, and it does not encourage employers to provide better motivational benefits to employees.”
He also stated that the continuous increase in basic wages does not increase national productivity and may cause more damage to the economy by forcing inflation with the same, or even less, production.
“Productivity is key to growth and it differs from different industries. This is the main reason why the same mandatory minimum wage for all industries and sectors will not work.”
Yap opined that increasing minimum wage blindly without addressing the needs of different sectors and industries is not a good policy. “Contrary to popular belief, salary is not to be blamed for unemployment; the government needs to address various economic and social factors impacting unemployment as well as underemployment.”
Set to open on April 8 on Charoen Prathet Road in the heart of Chiang Mai, the 260-key Meliá Chiang Mai will offer a 360° Cuisine concept that embraces sustainability and promotes healthy eating.
Executive chef Suksant Chutinthratip will craft dishes that use produce from the hotel’s organic farm, allowing the hotel to shrink its carbon footprint from F&B consumption.
Meliá Chiang Mai will offer a 360° Cuisine concept that embraces sustainability and promotes healthy eating
Suksant’s emphasis on “thoughtful cooking”, which minimises food waste by using as much of each and every ingredient as possible, is encapsulated in signature 360° Cuisine dishes.
He explained: “For khao khaab hor goong, for example, we use prawn shells, prawn heads and garden herb stems for our stock base to poach the prawns, and lemon zest as part of the sauce to give a disarming citrus fragrance and flavour, before the leftover cooking oil is sent to be recycled into biodiesel.”
“Our farm-to-plate efforts, sourcing organic produce that travels only a short distance to our hotel and using every part of each ingredient we can – roots, leaves, stems, stalks and more – come full circle with plate-to-farm, whereby we return food waste back to the farm as fertiliser in a truly 360° concept,” Suksant detailed.
In a bid to make communities and the overall food system more resilient, the hotel’s kitchen has partnered with with ORI9IN The Gourmet Farm, a 350-acre gourmet organic farm located in nearby San Sai District, and is working closely with local farmers to help them improve sustainability and encourage ethical production. This includes import substitution, growing of produce and specialised ingredients, like padrón pepper, that would otherwise need to be imported from Spain for Meliá’s Mediterranean cuisine.
Guests are also encouraged to visit the ORI9IN farm to meet local farmers and learn more about sustainable farming.
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic took the global travel industry from all-time highs to a low of only five per cent of expected volumes overnight. Over the last two years, the industry has seen that the road to recovery is not linear. Border closures, vaccine shortages, new variants (Delta, Omicron) and now, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine all have immediate effects on travel. By the end of 2021, the global travel industry recovered more than 50 per cent of its gross activity, and if recovery continues along the same trajectory, 85 per cent of the travel industry’s gross activity could be regained by the end of 2022.
Recently, Travelport commissioned a study of thousands of people across seven countries, and the results were overwhelming. Perhaps not surprising given the last two years, but what we heard, loud and clear, is that that travel is back.
People are so excited to travel, they’re willing to give up some of their favourite things for six months or longer in order to do so:
71 per cent of respondents would forgo concerts
64 per cent would stop buying new clothes
63 per cent would give up spa treatments
60 per cent would skip the cinema
53 per cent would give up playing sports
36 per cent would stop dining at restaurants
However, not every aspect of the travel experience is all sunshine and umbrella drinks. There is a notable experience gap between the high degree of enjoyment respondents felt from going on holiday and the frustration they experienced when booking that very same trip. For example, in the US (the largest travel region) 43 per cent of respondents said they don’t find booking travel enjoyable. However, 95 per cent of that same group enjoy actually being on holiday.
Globally, travel was ranked as the number one most enjoyable activity, which again, is hardly a surprise, but it dropped to the number four spot when it came to shopping for travel. And this is not just a generational issue. A quarter of Gen Z respondents agreed that searching and booking travel is a necessary evil for a change of scenery.
On average, travellers visit a whopping 38 different websites before booking their trip. Put this in the context of the old adage that a consumer visits a website an average of five times before making a purchase. Other industries have steamed ahead in terms of digital retailing simplicity and innovation, evolving with their consumers’ sophisticated expectations, and shifting perceptions over time. Study respondents found the travel industry to be an outlier, perceiving it to be even less innovative than the finance industry. Ouch.
Shopping for travel is complicated, which is why Travelport has made simplifying the complex travel ecosystem its mission. In order to be successful at this, we believe:
Convenience is crucial: People want a travel shopping experience where they can search and book everything in one place.
45 per cent of respondents would prefer to book an entire trip through one website, one that offers choice of airlines, hotels, car hire companies, and extras.
Choice beats price: Customers do not necessarily want the cheapest option. They want the best option for their needs. And, in order to select the best option, they want to see everything on offer.
Only 13 per cent would book the cheapest option if it meant limiting their choice.
With demand for travel rebounding at its strongest pace since the pandemic began, it is imperative that the industry listens to its customers. Now is the time for us to fix travel retail, putting consumer convenience and breadth of choice above all. By restoring clarity, confidence, and fun to travel shopping, we can grow trust, generate repeat business, and inspire true loyalty – the benchmark of successful modern retailing.
International arrivals to Thailand under the TEST & GO, Sandbox, and Alternative Quarantine schemes will be able to enter without a pre-travel PCR test from April 1.
This move is part of the Thai government’s four-phase plan to downgrade the Covid-19 pandemic to an endemic disease.
Thailand has further simplified her entry requirements by removing the need for a pre-travel PCR test 72 hours ahead of arrival; Bangkok pictured
Travellers entering on the TEST & GO and Sandbox schemes will still have to take a PCR test on arrival and an antigen self-test on their fifth day in Thailand.
As part of the relaxed entry requirements, Sandbox travellers will only need to remain in Sandbox destinations for five days instead of seven before they are allowed to travel domestically within Thailand.
For travellers entering on the Alternative Quarantine scheme, quarantine duration is reduced to five days plus a PCR test on the fourth or fifth day of stay.
Joylive BSD City, South Tangerang, Indonesia
Joylive BSD City, a communal-living hotel just off Jakarta has opened in the Bumi Serpong Damai City, South Tangerang on March 10.
A midscale property combining a hotel and residence concept, the 136-room hotel features the Soul Kitchen Restaurant, a laundromat, co-working spaces, a mini gym, meeting rooms, as well as a communal kitchenette and communal spaces.
Hotel JAL City Toyama
Hotel JAL City Toyama, Japan
Okura Nikko Hotel Management, a subsidiary of Hotel Okura, has opened its first property in Toyama prefecture – the Hotel JAL City Toyama.
Situated on the Sea of Japan coast in the Chubu region of Japan, Hotel JAL City will offer 252 guestrooms. The Japanese-style bathrooms come with a separate toilet; most are equipped with rain showers and separate bathtubs and showers. Not to mention, the large 4K TVs with mirroring functionality, allowing smartphones and other smart devices to connect to them.
Guests can dine at all-day restaurant Café Contrail, which also includes a bar featuring a variety of Western liquors and wines, as well as Toyoma’s local sake.
Avani+ Khao Lak Resort
Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, Thailand
Avani+ Khao Lak Resort, a 327-key oceanfront property located on Bangsak Beach in Thailand’s Phang Nga, has opened. The property serves as a launch pad for AvaniFit — the brand’s new lifestyle concept aiming to put fun and variety into hotel fitness.
The resort’s AvaniFit is a 24-hour facility that aims to challenge fitness enthusiasts with a combination of endurance and resistance training, aerobics and high-intensity interval training. Guests can also sign up for boxing or tennis classes, or try their hand at hanging yoga and wall-climbing. Out-in-the-sun activities like a beach assault course, pool workouts, surfing and kayaking are also available.
Guests can relax with pampering treatments at AvaniSpa, where kids get to enjoy spa treatments too when they are not occupied with fun activities at the two-storey AvaniKids club, Khao Lak’s largest children’s clubhouse. Featuring age-appropriate playgrounds, board games and a PlayStation corner, AvaniKids also encourages outdoor time with a splash park, beach activities and a private skate-park complete with a pump track, ramps and fun boxes for older kids.
Other facilities include swimming pools, and four F&B options, including the all-day dining restaurant Elements.
Grand Papua Hotel
Grand Papua Hotel, Papua New Guinea
Radisson Hotel Group has launched its inaugural hotel in Papua New Guinea, the 16-storey Grand Papua Hotel which overlooks Port Moresby harbour and the Coral Sea.
The hotel features 161 rooms and suites, where one floor is dedicated to female travellers only. Guests staying on the Executive or Grand floors also have access to the 15th floor Executive Lounge, which provides complimentary refreshments, personalised services, and panoramic vistas.
Amenities include a swimming pool, fitness centre, spa, hair salon, and nine function rooms for all types of events. For dining options, guests can check out the poolside terrace, the Grand Bar, or the Grand Brasserie.
Meliá Hotels International is expanding its footprint in Vietnam with Meliá Quy Nhon Beach Resort, set to open on the country’s central coast in 2025.
The 12-hectare resort in Quy Nhon will consist of 140 hotel rooms, and 93 villas with infinity plunge pools with ocean views. Other facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant, a ballroom, a beach club and restaurant, spa, and a kid’s club and clubhouse.
Meliá Quy Nhon Beach Resort will be Vietnam’s fourth beachfront resort by Melia Hotels & Resorts
Meliá Quy Nhon Beach Resort will be the group’s fourth beachfront resort in Vietnam under Melia Hotels & Resorts brand, and is located a short drive from Queens Beach and the twin Cham towers.
Aside from menus featuring Mediterranean flavours offering an array of tapas and Spanish drinks, Meliá Quy Nhon Beach Resort will organise activities such as yoga and meditation.
Meliá Hotels International first entered Vietnam more than two decades ago, with the opening of its flagship hotel Meliá Hanoi. The group has a total of 24 hotels and resorts, where eight are in operation and 16 in the pipeline.
From May 27 to June 18, Vivid Sydney 2022 will transform the Harbour City into an illuminating fusion of creativity, innovation and technology, with over 200 events to commemorate the festival’s 12th anniversary.
The 2022 festival has been two years in the making, not only for Sydneysiders but also visitors from Australia and the world, to come and experience Sydney at her creative best after dark. Highlights include the longest-ever continuous Light Walk leading from the Sydney Opera House to Central Station, the Vivid Sydney Dinner, Vivid Sydney Supper Club, innovative light-art installations, projections, and eclectic music performances.
Vivid Sydney 2022 returns this year
Staged over 23 nights, 11 Sydney CBD locations – Circular Quay, Sydney CBD, The Rocks, Barangaroo, Darling Harbour, Darling Square, Darling Quarter, The Goods Line, Central Station, Luna Park and Taronga Zoo – will all come to life with a mesmerising kaleidoscope of light artworks to wow visitors and locals alike.
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic took the global travel industry from all-time highs to a low of only five per cent of expected volumes overnight. Over the last two years, the industry has seen that the road to recovery is not linear. Border closures, vaccine shortages, new variants (Delta, Omicron) and now, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine all have immediate effects on travel. By the end of 2021, the global travel industry recovered more than 50 per cent of its gross activity, and if recovery continues along the same trajectory, 85 per cent of the travel industry’s gross activity could be regained by the end of 2022.
