SentoSights tours
Why
In celebration of its Golden Jubilee this year, Sentosa Development Corporation will be rolling out a host of commemorative offerings. The first of these is a collection of 10 sustainability- and heritage-themed guided tours on Sentosa dubbed SentoSights, with two routes including the Southern Islands.
These tour initiatives are part of the Sustainable Sentosa strategic roadmap, which focuses on six key areas to realising the island’s dual goals of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and becoming a globally-recognised, certified sustainable tourism destination.
What
We were treated to a condensed version of both the Sentosa Intertidal Exploration and Sentosa Naturalist Night Adventure tours, led by local wildlife tour company The Untamed Paths.
The city slicker in us was thrilled to discover Singapore’s flourishing biodiversity during the Intertidal Exploration tour. The receding tide exposed a fascinating range of resident marine life – from frogs and fish, to coastal crustaceans and otherworldly-looking echinoderms – teeming in tide pools along the shoreline.
Other sea creatures we spotted during our leisurely evening walk included elbow crabs, teddy bear crabs, hermit crabs, and acorn worms.
Our guide Christina also called to our attention other animals such as a white-bellied sea eagle soaring above our heads, as well as a translucent sea anemone hidden among the stones. She also pointed out the remnants of a horseshoe crab shell, a jellyfish carcass, and other tiny critters.
Christina shared that some of the more exciting sightings on her other walks included octopuses, squids, stingrays and starfish. We learnt that exploring intertidal flats at different times of the day during low tide, or at other locations like Pulau Ubin and Pasir Ris, would yield different animal sightings.
After dark, I was treated to the soothing sounds of a rainforest symphony and several sightings of nocturnal animals during the Naturalist Night Adventure tour. Armed with an ultraviolet (UV) torch, Christina scoped out several Asian toads, red-tent spiders resting on their intricate webs, and scorpions which glowed under the UV flashlight.
Verdict
These tours are not just for wildlife lovers and nature enthusiasts, but anyone who desires a natural respite from urban life or residents who yearn to explore the lesser-trekked sights of the city-state. We learnt a lot about the intertidal ecosystem, as well as how to be more observant of our natural surroundings, as we’ll never know what we’ll be able to spot.
Rate: S$90.95 (US$67.70) per pax for each tour. Corporate tours can also be arranged upon request.
Dates: Various dates and times are available for the Sentosa Intertidal Exploration tour, with details to be released progressively; while the Sentosa Naturalist Night Adventure tour runs every Saturday, from 19.30 to 21.00.
Website: www.sentosa.com.sg/en/deals/promos/sentosights
Bangkok to get first Andaz hotel
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is set to debut the Andaz brand in the capital city of Thailand with the signing of Andaz One Bangkok, a 244-room luxury lifestyle hotel that is expected to open in 2023.
The result of a management agreement between a Hyatt affiliate and One Bangkok Co., Andaz One Bangkok will form part of the One Bangkok integrated development, jointly developed by TCC Assets (Thailand) Company and Frasers Property Holdings (Thailand) Company.
Located in the CBD at the corner of Wireless Road and Rama IV Road, One Bangkok will feature hospitality offerings, workspaces, retail experiences and dedicated art and cultural spaces, alongside residences.
Directly overlooking Lumphini Park, Andaz One Bangkok is slated to open in 4Q2023 and will be among the first components of the One Bangkok development to be unveiled.
Catering to both business and leisure guests, the hotel will offer unique experiences that draw on Thailand’s cultural heritage. The Andaz Tavern and Lounge, together with the rooftop restaurant and bar, will showcase Thai flavours and international cuisine.
IHG to plant fourth hotel in Parramatta
IHG Hotels & Resorts has signed an agreement with Pro-invest Group to open Holiday Inn Express & Suites Paramatta, the fourth IHG-branded hotel in the Greater Western Sydney hub.
The new property will be located in the centre of the CBD with a prime Smith Street frontage, and will boast 239 guestrooms, car parking, meeting facilities and a gym. Similar to other Holiday Inn Express hotels, it will feature express breakfast facilities, and express check-in and check-out.
Scheduled to open in 2024, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Paramatta will complement the group’s existing Parramatta hotels – Holiday Inn & Suites Parramatta Marsden Street and Holiday Inn Parramatta – as well as the upcoming InterContinental Parramatta, due to be completed in 2025.
Singapore to host Formula 1 Grand Prix until 2028
Singapore has signed a contract to continue hosting the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix for another seven years, from 2022 to 2028, announced the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and race promoter Singapore GP (SGP) on Thursday (January 27).
This is the fourth contract renewal for Singapore, and the seven-year extension is the longest for the race to date.
“This will give Singapore a longer runway to capture pent-up demand as international travel recovers. It also allows STB, SGP and industry partners to develop new experiences to meet the evolving interests of locals and visitors,” said STB and SGP in a joint statement.
The event is set to return to the Marina Bay Street Circuit this September, after two consecutive years of cancellations due to the pandemic.
S Iswaran, minister for transport & minister-in-charge of trade relations, said: “Even as we deal with the immediate challenges of the pandemic, it is important that we focus on our recovery and long-term growth. The Singapore F1 race continues to be a strong focal point for tourists, global events and business meetings.
“We have decided to continue hosting the F1 race for another seven years, after thoroughly evaluating the long-term benefits that a term extension could bring to Singapore. The renewal will help sustain Singapore’s reputation as a global city with a vibrant lifestyle, attracting international visitors as travel rebounds, and generating business revenue and jobs for Singaporeans.”
Starting this year, STB and SGP will work together to reduce the carbon footprint of the Singapore race and foster the transition to more sustainable business models.
Initiatives include switching to renewable energy sources, increasing recycling efforts and switching to sustainable materials. Formula 1 is also exploring maximising logistics and travel efficiency through process and volume optimisation and by using the least carbon intensive transport available.
A full sustainability audit will be undertaken, which will guide the development of other green initiatives that will be implemented for the rest of the new term.
STB ramps up focus on manpower skills, sustainability and wellness
To facilitate the path to recovery by capturing pent-up travel demand, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will ramp up its focus on sustainability, urban wellness and manpower capabilities to future-proof the sector.
This year, to preserve good jobs and build up manpower capabilities to ensure a pipeline of quality tourism personnel, STB – together with the National Trades Union Congress, Hospitality and Consumer Business Cluster unions, Workforce Singapore and e2i, and the support of key trade associations – will launch the Tourism Careers Hub (TCH).
TCH will provide training and skills upgrading for tourism workers and businesses, as well as support for individuals interested in pursuing tourism careers.
Zishan Amir, exco member & chairman of safety council, Association of Singapore Attractions (ASA), said: “ASA hopes to mobilise our members to contribute and participate in the various programmes and services provided by the TCH. As part of this tripartite effort, ASA will also provide input on the types of training courses required to upskill our workers to meet the changing demands of the industry as we navigate a slow recovery.”
SHATEC (Singapore Hotel and Tourism Education Centre), established by the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), will also play an active role in developing the capabilities of career seekers at the TCH, according to Kwee Wei-Lin, president, SHA.
As well, SHA is working closely with STB to develop a hotel sustainability roadmap with strategies and targets for the industry, set to be launched later this year. The initiative is in line with Singapore’s aspiration to be a top sustainable and innovative urban destination, with STB becoming a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) last year.
Kwee explained: “In our effort towards responsible hospitality, SHA set up the Hotel Sustainability Committee (HSC) in 2020 to drive industry-wide adoption of environmental sustainability practices by hotels so as to support the nation’s aspiration to promote Singapore as a green destination.” The HSC is chaired by Jeanne Ng, SHA board member and director of The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts.
Meanwhile, industry players are also stepping up their sustainability game.
Resorts World Sentosa became the first tourism business in South-east Asia to secure the GSTC Destination Criteria and Industry Criteria for Hotels certification last year.
Mandai Wildlife Group has also rolled out green initiatives such as the Mandai Environmental Sustainability Strategy and green procurement roadmap, while Sentosa Development Corporation and its island partners have set the ambitious target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.
To support Singapore’s push towards becoming a leading urban wellness haven, STB established the Wellness Tourism Roadmap which identified key strategies and initiatives to develop Singapore’s wellness offerings.
As part of its efforts, STB has formed a partnership with global fitness and wellness aggregator ClassPass to promote Singapore’s wellness offerings on the platform, with more than 80 businesses having signed up to date.
An inaugural wellness festival will also be launched in June 2022 to promote and increase the accessibility of Singapore’s wellness repertoire. To cater to the growing demand, the sector also witnessed new wellness-centric hotels, holistic wellness retreats and urban fitness experiences.
DidaTravel enters distribution deal with Tokyu Hotels
Global hotel wholesaler DidaTravel has signed a partnership agreement with Tokyu Hotels, one of the largest hotel chains in Japan.
With this agreement, DidaTravel’s B2B buyers gain access to real-time inventory with special rates and exclusive offers across Tokyu Hotels’ three brands and 46 properties in Japan.
At the same time, this deal will give Tokyu Hotels access to DidaTravel’s 23,000 B2B buyers across more than 50 source markets worldwide.
Such B2B buyers typically offer hotels incremental bookings from longhaul guests who often stay for longer, book further in advance, cancel less and spend more at the property.
Rikin Wu, DidaTravel founder & CEO, said: “Japan is a popular destination with our buyers and as such is a strategic market for DidaTravel. We are confident that DidaTravel’s technology, experience and extensive global B2B network will help Tokyu Hotels attract incremental high-value, international travellers once safe travel resumes.”
Hiroyuki Mizuno, senior vice president of sales & marketing at Tokyu Hotels, believed the partnership is “an innovative way to stimulate high-value reservations once the travel boom comes”.
New hotels: Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley, Avani+ Koh Lanta Krabi Resort, and more
Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley, Australia
Hotel X Brisbane Fortitude Valley has opened as the world’s first hotel in IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Vignette Collection. Located in the heart of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Hotel X boasts 146 rooms and suites, a rooftop swimming pool, and three meeting spaces, including an open terrace overlooking Brunswick Street. F&B venues include Iris, a Mediterranean rooftop bar and restaurant; and Bisou Bisou, a bistro dishing up French delicacies.
Avani+ Koh Lanta Krabi Resort, Thailand
Avani+ Koh Lanta Resort debuts 92 guestrooms, suites and private pool villas nestled on a private peninsula overlooking the Andaman Sea. The resort redesign is led by a Thai-based PIA design studio that drew inspiration from the heritage of Sriraya or the Lanta Old Town. The all-new Avani Room offers three categories of a pool view, pool access or sea view that has been redesigned with an in-room pantry; while the private pool villas offer a blend of reimagined Thai style living spaces with modern amenities. Elsewhere, the Grand Ocean Residence features a private garden area, living room, as well as dining and kitchen facilities.
The resort presents three dining and drinking spots. Pantry by Avani serves freshly brewed coffee and pastries within café-style indoor settings that open up into an outdoor garden. The main poolside restaurant, The Cliff, provides a range of fresh catch sourced from the local fishing villages, while the Reggae Bar showcases views of the Andaman Ocean. Other amenities include a spa, and gym offering a boot-camp programme.
Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu Tokyo, Japan
The opening of Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Azabu Tokyo represents the brand’s 13th property in Japan. Each of the 171 apartments, ranging from studio to three-bedroom configurations, features a private balcony and fully-equipped kitchen. Anchored in Tokyo’s Azabu-Juban embassy district, the hotel is situated near to cafes, restaurants and bars, boutiques, as well as a famous traditional shopping street lined with ancient architecture and shops. A 15-minute stroll or two-minute train ride will also bring guests to Roppongi, Japan’s epicentre for nightlife and the arts.
Japanese tech start-up offers multilingual solutions for hotels
With the pandemic heightening demand for tech-driven guest experiences, the hospitality industry has been forced to accelerate digital adoption to drive recovery. From smart room keys to AI-powered chatbot services, investments made by hoteliers into building an automated ecosystem will go a long way to future-proofing businesses.
Hotels in Japan, for instance, have been leveraging local start-up Kotozna’s tech solutions to boost their operational efficiency and enhance customer experience.
The company’s SaaS solutions, Kotozna Live Chat and Kotozna In-room, are live chat and digital in-room services equipped with high-level multilingual translation features, enabling hotels to deliver high-touch customer service to their guests.
The former is a live chat widget that can be embedded in the hotel’s website, allowing visitors to start a live chat with customer assistance ahead of their trip or before making a purchasing decision.
The latter, which functions as a digital in-room concierge in the form of a QR code found in the guest’s hotel room, helps gather in-room requests in a timely and systematic fashion.
Language barriers are removed as chats are automatically translated at an accuracy rate of 80-90 per cent, higher than those of mainstream translation engines, according to Genri Goto, founder and CEO of Kotozna, Inc.
Such real-time multilingual solutions will play a more vital role in supporting hotels in the recovery phase as there will be a rise in the number of travellers from non-English speaking countries, projected Goto.
“After Covid-19, we are optimistic that international travel will come back, and travel figures may potentially transcend pre-pandemic levels. More non-English speakers will travel the world. Language barriers should be eliminated in the hospitality sector to increase revenues from overseas travellers,” he said.
Goto also highlighted how the solutions will help hotels cope with the manpower crunch. “During the pandemic, hotels were forced to cut a sizeable proportion of their staff, and rehiring will not be an easy task,” he said. “Hence, there is a need for hotels to adopt solutions such as ours, which enables hotels to have smooth and mostly automated operations despite having fewer staff on the ground.”
More than 200 hotels in Japan are currently using Kotozna In-room, which helps hotels to save costs as “they no longer need to hire multilingual staff” and also to shorten queues in their lobbies, thus reducing waiting times for guests, said Goto.
After establishing a foothold in Japan, the Tokyo-headquartered company is making advances this year into the South-east Asian market using Singapore as a gateway. Next, it is targeting hotels in Hawaii and Los Angeles.
As part of its regional expansion plan, Kotozna recently joined the fourth cohort of the Singapore Tourism Accelerator (STA) programme, an initiative by the Singapore Tourism Board to support tech companies to develop industry solutions that drive innovation in the tourism sector.
Under the programme, Kotozna partnered with Marina Bay Sands (MBS) to pilot a multilingual live chat product.
The companies are currently in the pilot phase of that initiative, due to complete by the end of March. Presently, Kotozna’s multilingual live chat widget is on the Japanese site pages of MBS, ready to receive enquiries from Japanese guests.
“MBS was impressed with our translation accuracy, and this was the main reason that they decided to do a pilot with us,” shared Goto.
Speaking of his company’s involvement in the STA programme, Goto said: “As a start-up that aspires to expand our business beyond Japan, Singapore is a strategic and conducive place for it.
“Conducting a pilot in Singapore with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board allows us to design and test our solution based on actual market needs and conditions. The programme has also given us valuable connections in Singapore’s tourism and business landscape.”
New travel bubble changes business mood in Bintan Lagoi
The new Singapore-Riau Safe Travel Bubble has brought relief to hoteliers in resort island Bintan, who has seen business devastated by the pandemic and resultant travel restrictions, with many reporting a wave of enquiries from eager travellers since the announcement on Monday.
Banyan Tree Group, which operates Banyan Tree Bintan, Angsana Bintan and Cassia Bintan within the Laguna Bintan integrated resort, is fielding enquiries from a mix of leisure travellers, travel agents and corporate groups.
Alpha Eldiansyah, general manager of the trio of properties, told TTG Asia: “The announcement has stirred up much interest and anticipation from our Singapore guests, who are keen to know as much as possible about the travel requirements… Some of them have even said that they will be on the first ferry to Laguna Bintan once the bubble begins!”
Greg Williams, general manager of The Sanchaya, Bintan, said the travel bubble has allowed the luxury property to take “another step closer to where we would like to be with commencement of Singapore tourism returning to Bintan”.
The reopening of the Riau islands, for now limited to Bintan and Batam, has been highly anticipated by tourism operators in the Lagoi area – the approved area for travellers entering via the Singapore-Riau Safe Travel Bubble. Preparation for reopening has been underway long before the official announcement, hoteliers told TTG Asia.
Yanuwar Dedy Setyawan, regional general manager for Kamuela Lagoi Bay Villas, said work started last year, under the guidance of Archipelago International (hotel operator), Bintan Resort Council, and both national and local government bodies. Staff training and exchange of know-how in fulfilling new traveller and guest requirements were among the preparation activities.
Over at Laguna Bintan, the resorts implemented Banyan Tree Group’s proprietary global SafeSanctuary health and well-being protocols as soon as border closures set in. The resorts, along with Laguna Golf Bintan, have obtained a number of key international and local health and safety certifications during this period, such as CovSafeSG which is in compliance with Singapore’s own SG Clean standards.
Laguna Bintan employees are fully vaccinated, and a booster exercise is being rolled out now.
“The team has undergone rigorous trainings for necessary health and safety protocols as part of certification processes. These new standards are being reinforced for our domestic guests on a daily basis, even as we anticipate Singapore’s return,” Alpha said.
The Sanchaya, Bintan was able to demonstrate its readiness for international guests when it hosted the 5th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat earlier this week. The high-profile meeting was attended by Indonesia president Joko Widodo and Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In response to renewed interest in Bintan as a tourist destination, Bintan Beach International Resorts is planning a seminar for Singapore travel trade partners to provide updates on travel bubble protocol, revealed representative Abdul Wahab.
While Yanuwar said the Singapore-Riau Safe Travel Bubble would not spur immediate bookings, the development could instil traveller confidence in Bintan as a safe tourist destination.
He expects Bintan’s tourism recovery to progress in stages, and his usual markets – couples and families for leisure as well as corporate retreats – will eventually return.
On the other hand, Alpha is confident that Bintan’s pre-pandemic appeal to the Singapore market will lead the way to a strong rebound over the next three months.
“With Bintan being less than an hour away by ferry, it has always been an attractive getaway destination for our guests from Singapore,” he said.
Alpha also hopes that international visitors from countries such as China, Germany and the US would benefit from Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lanes and take a Singapore-Bintan getaway as they used to do.
Pre-pandemic, guests at Laguna Bintan were mostly Singapore residents and international travellers who paired their Singapore city holiday with a beach retreat in Bintan. The integrated resort also welcomed many business events, including teambuilding retreats, incentive dinners and golf tournaments.
“I am confident we will begin to see signs of more international recovery as countries emerge from the current Omicron wave and resume travelling,” said Alpha.
Williams is cautious with his outlook, stating that the seven-day home quarantine in Singapore for returning residents could put a damper on booking potential. For a proper recovery, he said the quarantine must be reconsidered or have the duration reduced. – Additional reporting by Karen Yue
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has joined forces with five tourism industry associations to launch the Safe Itinerary Guide and “Experience Singapore!” Compendium, which provides safe travel guidelines and itineraries for the tourism sector as Singapore prepares to welcome more international travellers.
These two resources aim to help the industry design and deliver innovative experiences that are in line with new traveller demands, and are the result of private-public partnerships between STB and the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore, Association of Singapore Attractions, Singapore Association of Conventions & Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers, Singapore Hotel Association and Society of Tourist Guides Singapore.
The Safe Itinerary Guide provides strategies to help tourism businesses better understand their consumers, so that they can personalise travel itineraries based on traveller profiles.
It also outlines how businesses can design safe and engaging visitor journeys, while highlighting key capabilities such as data analytics and design thinking, which are needed to respond to future challenges. For example, tourism businesses are encouraged to explore cross-sector partnerships with healthcare providers to give travellers added assurance during their travels, or gamify their offerings to keep travellers engaged.
Key information from the guide will also be shared with overseas travel businesses and partners.
Meanwhile, the “Experience Singapore!” Compendium consists of tourism and lifestyle offerings for leisure and business travellers across various price points and interests.
This was also developed in partnership with the five tourism associations, who engaged their members to design and curate experiences for various customer segments. Examples include aviation experiential workshops, virtual reality flight simulator experiences, augmented reality art experiences, and back-of-house tours.
Some of these experiences have already been incorporated by the providers into itineraries for visitors coming to Singapore on the Vaccinated Travel Lanes. The Compendium even provides travel intermediaries with helpful information on healthcare services, such as polymerase chain reaction tests and telemedicine consultation services.
Kenneth Lim, director, travel agents and tourist guides, STB, said: “As international tourism gradually resumes, consumers will have to navigate various health and safety requirements when planning their travels. STB has worked closely with our tourism partners to put these resources together, so that they can design travel itineraries that add value and reduce friction for their customers. We hope that these resources will be useful as Singapore progressively reopens our borders.”
The Safe Itinerary Guide and “Experience Singapore!” Compendium can be downloaded from the Travel Related Users’ System (TRUST) website.