Ovolo Hotel Group rolls out Plant’d initiative
Ovolo Hotels has adopted a plant-based philosophy by making a commitment to vegetarian-lead offering, Plant’d, across its hotel restaurants globally.
Billed as the first hotel brand globally to do so, this move towards ethical eating and conscious cuisine follows the success of its Year of the Veg campaign which launched in October 2020, where venues transitioned to a vegetarian and plant-based cuisine offering for an initial 365 days.
“Meat is being removed for a second year in a row at Ovolo Hotels. With a number of our Ovolo venues already serving plant-based cuisine, we have decided to go the full 100 per cent… we want to ensure we are doing our bit to help preserve our environment, promote healthy eating and enhance the image of amazing vegetarian and plant-based dining,” said Ovolo Group’s founder and CEO, Girish Jhunjhnuwala.
Ovolo’s Group creative culinary partner, Ian Curley has worked with the hotel’s restaurants across the group including Hong Kong, Australia and Bali to take the Plant’d veg pledge.
On transitioning to a vegetarian-lead offering, Curley, stated: “A key focus for us has been ensuring we are creating something that still appeals to everyone – from vegans to flexitarians, and those who are simply keen on expanding their palette.”
The Ovolo team has also developed a Plant’d Playbook whitepaper which includes information on the reasons Ovolo has made the switch with their F&B offering; what to know before you go veg; tips on defining F&B menus; and learnings along the way. The whitepaper is publicly available via Ovolo’s Plant’d webpage on ovolohotels.com.
SIA, Scoot to use sustainable aviation fuel from 3Q2022
As part of Singapore’s decarbonisation efforts, all Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flights out of Changi Airport will be powered by blended sustainable aviation fuel in a one-year trial starting in 3Q2022.
Supplied by ExxonMobil, the product will comprise nearly 1.3 million litres of neat SAF (sustainable fuels that are unmixed or undiluted), which will be supplied by Neste and produced from used cooking oil and waste animal fats, and blended with refined jet fuel at ExxonMobil’s facilities in Singapore. This blended fuel will be delivered to Changi Airport via the airport’s existing fuel hydrant system by end-July 2022.
ExxonMobil was selected as the vendor for the trial after a request for proposals was put out in November last year. It is a follow-up to a study conducted by the Singapore government and industry players earlier that year on the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at Changi Airport.
The use of the SAF over the one-year pilot is expected to reduce about 2,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
Han Kok Juan, director-general of CAAS, said: “Sustainability will be a key CAAS priority in the coming years as we revive air travel and rebuild the Singapore air hub. The CAAS-SIA-Temasek SAF pilot is an important building block in our effort to develop a sustainable air hub. It will operationally validate SAF integration options in Singapore and provide insights on end-to-end cost components, potential pricing structures for cost recovery and support future policy considerations for SAF deployment.”
Lee Wen Fen, senior vice president, corporate planning, Singapore Airlines, pointed out that SAFs are “a critical pathway for the success of the SIA Group’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050”.
Changi Airport Group executive vice-president of airport management Tan Lye Teck added that the airport is committed to becoming a sustainable air hub, and will work with all stakeholders to drive the adoption of SAFs.
Taiwan plans shorter quarantine for travellers by March
Taiwan aims to ease her blanket on-arrival quarantine requirement for people entering the island from March, in recognition of the need to resume normal life and reopen to the world, the government said yesterday.
While Taiwan has never implemented a full border closure during the pandemic, arrivals have generally been limited to citizens and foreign residence permit holders and with a compulsory two-week quarantine on arrival.
The government now intends to cut on-arrival quarantine to 10 days before the middle of March. Health minister Chen Shih-chung told reporters that infections could be detected within that period with testing.
In an interview with Taipei Times, Chen said the new measures would also permit the entry of foreign business travellers and that the Central Epidemic Command Center might establish business travel bubbles to facilitate shorter quarantine periods for such travellers.
However, a complete removal of on-arrival quarantine before the summer holidays was unlikely, according to Chen.
Standing alongside reopening plans is an acknowledgment that Taiwan will need to reopen safely. Conditions for Taiwan’s reopening include sufficient medical supplies and preparations, as well as a continued expansion of Taiwan’s vaccinated population. Some 30 per cent of Taiwan’s 23.5 million residents have obtained a booster shot. The government wants the figure to hit 50 per cent before easing entry requirements.
News media reported that premier Su Tseng-chang expressed confidence in the government’s ability to cope with rising local infections that might come with the reopening.
“The government must also take into account livelihoods and economic development, gradually return to normal life, and step out to the world,” stated the office of premier Su Tseng-chang.
TTG Conversations: Five Questions with Jenny Ang, EHL Campus (Singapore)
A continued rise in demand for wellness and holistic travel experiences, blend of work and leisure during travels, contactless interaction and many other trends will shape the hospitality industry in 2022 and impact the hospitality profession, opines Jenny Ang, managing director of
EHL Campus (Singapore).
In this episode of TTG Conversations: Five Questions, Ang also shares her observations on the types of human expertise the travel and hospitality industry will increasingly need to respond better to new travel trends and traveller expectations, and how EHL is evolving its professional and executive curriculum to deliver on talent needs.
Asia-Pacific will need over 17,600 new aircraft by 2040: Airbus
Airbus International has projected a need for 17,620 new aircraft across Asia-Pacific as passenger traffic continues its growth of 5.3 per cent per annum over the next 20 years and retirement of older, less fuel efficient aircraft sets in.
In a press statement, Airbus said 30 per cent of these new aircraft will replace older, less fuel efficient models. Of the total expected demand, 13,660 will be in the Small category, such as the A220 and A320 family, while 2,470 will be Medium and 1,490 Large.
“We are seeing a global recovery in air traffic and as travel restrictions are further eased, the Asia-Pacific region will become one of its main drivers again. We are confident of a strong rebound in the region’s traffic and expect it to reach 2019 levels between 2023 and 2025,” said Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer and head of Airbus International.
Airbus said the region’s middle class, who are the likeliest to travel, will increase by 1.1 billion to 3.2 billion by 2040, and the propensity for people to travel is set to almost triple by 2040.
Scherer said the Airbus portfolio is well-positioned to enable sustainable aviation. “Our modern portfolio offers a 20 to 25 per cent fuel burn and therewith CO2 (carbon dioxide) advantage over older generation aircraft. We pride ourselves that all our aircraft products are already certified to fly with a blend of 50 per cent SAF (sustainable aviation fuel), set to rise to 100 per cent by 2030.
“In addition, our newly launched A350F offers efficiency gains of 10 to 40 per cent compared to any other large freighter, existing or expected, both in terms of fuel consumption as in CO2 emissions.”
In view of further ongoing innovations, product developments, operational improvements as well as market based options, Airbus aims to achieve the air transport sector’s target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Sri Lanka brings back visa-on-arrival facility
Ease of entry into Sri Lanka is returning, with visa-on-arrival service being reinstated on February 8 following a long suspension since early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
State-owned Sri Lanka Tourism said the move would help tourists who “experience difficulties when obtaining the online ETA (electronic travel authorisation) due to the time constraints of arranging their journey to Sri Lanka”.
Inbound players in the destination expects the return of visa-on-arrival to boost arrivals, as it eases entry procedures.
Dilip Mudadeniya, head of branding at John Keells Holdings, which has a string of resorts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, said travellers would choose destinations that offer easy access.
The move would improve arrivals from India in particular, Sri Lanka Tourism chairperson Kimarli Fernando told a weekend newspaper.
India was Sri Lanka’s top source market for arrivals in 2021, contributing 56,268 visitors. The destination’s total for the year was 194,495.
Tomotsugu Ichikawa strengthens CBRE’s hotel brokerage services in Japan
CBRE Hotels Japan has appointed Tomotsugu Ichikawa as senior director to head the investment side of the business, strengthening the company’s brokerage services for hotel-related assets.
Ichikawa brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that are complementary to that of CBRE’s existing team, said a statement from the company.
Prior to this appointment, Ichikawa led the hotel brokerage team at Savills Japan Co.
TTG Conversations: Five Questions with Andrew Chan, ACI HR Solutions
The recently published 2022 ACI Report on Salary & Employment Trends highlighted an improving hiring confidence with 45 per cent of HR and hiring managers expecting new headcount this year. However, that positivity is met by the worrying reality of talent shortages across roles and resulting higher salary expectations, states Andrew Chan, founder and CEO of ACI HR Solutions.
In this episode of TTG Conversations: Five Questions, Chan dives deep into recruitment and retention challenges for travel, tourism and hospitality organisations in the coming years.
Malaysia tour operators ramp up operations in view of possible border reopening
Tour operators in Malaysia are getting ready for the possible reopening of the country’s international borders, with efforts being ploughed into staff training, itinerary revisions and reconnection with business networks.
This follows the National Recovery Council’s (NRC) recommendation last week to the Malaysian government to reopen borders as early as March 1, 2022 to spur economic recovery. However, the final decision remains with the Cabinet, and on February 11, prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Cabinet had yet to discuss the NRC’s recommendation. The Health Ministry too had yet to provide its feedback on the recommendation to the Cabinet for evaluation.
While policymakers decide on their stand, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel is preparing to renew permits for its coaches and vans, which have been out of service for the past two years. Managing director Yap Sook Ling said there are also plans to increase operations manpower as well as begin staff training.
Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours is revising its itineraries to feature more open-air dining venues, accommodation in small island resorts, as well as off-the-beaten-track destinations in Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu. CEO Alex Lee believes that travellers will favour less crowded destinations when they return.
Expecting the FIT segment to expand, Lee intends to lease more vans to supplement his own fleet of five when demand picks up.
Over at Universal Holidays Travel and Tourism, founder and CEO Zahira Tahir has been reconnecting with agents and partners overseas, and is now contracting with hotels and suppliers in Malaysia.
She told TTG Asia that agents in India and Pakistan wish to bring incentive groups to Malaysia in 1H2022, but materialisation would depend on the government’s decision on when borders will reopen as well as standard operating procedures (SOPs) for travellers.
Zahira opined that the government should give at least a month’s advance notice on the reopening date as well as instructions on what is needed from travellers in terms of Covid-19 tests.
Yap added that it was important for arrival SOPs to not be too restrictive, as that would turn potential travellers away. Citing an example, she said daily Covid testing requirements was a hassle to travellers.
Tour operators also view the coordinated return of scheduled flights with the reopening will determine the success for Malaysia’s tourism recovery.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president KL Tan has called for the government to develop a recovery roadmap for the industry as well as implement travel bubbles with more countries.
Crystal Cruises has officially announced its closure after laying off all 238 employees at its Miami headquarters.
This follows the seizure of Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity in the Bahamas over US$4.6 million in unpaid fuel bills.
A Florida court has appointed Michael Moecker & Associates to handle creditors’ claims, which includes those made by passengers, travel agents, suppliers and employees.
The closure of Crystal Cruises’ US office comes after its parent company, Genting Hong Kong, filed for liquidation.
In an interview with Seatrade Cruise News, former Crystal president Jack Anderson said it was uncertain if the company could be reformed.
He shared that following Genting Hong Kong’s move to liquidate, the Crystal management team received interest from “many” parties for specific assets and from “some” for the company as a whole. All those parties were referred to the joint provisional liquidators.