Thor lands at Madame Tussauds Singapore to mark new Marvel 4D experience
Madame Tussauds Singapore has introduced Thor to the Marvel Super Heroes line-up, joining Captain America, Spider-Man and Iron Man in its immersive zone decked with highly interactive and innovative sets.
The exhibit of the God of Thunder with his all-powerful hammer, Mjolnir, will be showcased for a limited period only. The 182cm by 15cm superhero is clad in his modernised uniform of black body armour, a replica of his costume in the first Avengers film and an update from the brown and gold Gladiator-style ensemble in the first Thor film.
Thor’s arrival marks the launch of the wax museum’s latest thrilling 4D Marvel movie experience. Guests will get to experience wind-chilling, water-soaking and face-flinching special effects as they get closer than ever before to Captain Marvel, Thor, Black Panther, Rocket, Spider-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp as they battle Loki in a bid to save the world.
Genting Dream ups passenger capacity for Hong Kong sailings
Dream Cruises will increase the passenger capacity of Genting Dream from 50 per cent to 75 per cent from December 1, allowing for over 2,500 guests on board every Super Seacation voyage from Hong Kong. The move is based on the latest guidelines by the local authorities.
In a statement, Kent Zhu, president of Genting Cruise Lines, thanked the Hong Kong authorities “for providing us with this stamp of approval on the effectiveness of our health and hygiene protocols”.
He added that since the company resumed cruises in Hong Kong on July 30, it has hosted more than 70,000 passengers on board Genting Dream without any Covid-19-related incidents.
Dream Cruises said that overall demand for cruises is at “a consistently high level” since operations resumed, with the Christmas and New Year sailings already sold out based on the previous 50 per cent capacity. Hence, it added, this increase will provide a boost to the holiday season for guests who have been unable to book their Super Seacation during this peak period.
Guests can set sail on A Nordic Christmas Adventure from now until January 1 to explore the age-old traditions of Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. The set-up for these sailings mimics a Nordic village where guests can browse the Nordic market for Christmas goodies or take in the magical Santa Express running through a tasty Gingerbread Town.
Holiday fare will be available at restaurants on board Genting Dream, and a seasonal stage production dubbed Verry Christmas will also be staged.
Dream Cruises is also offering a special Thanksgiving flash sale from now until December 7, with fares starting from HK$888 (US$113) per person.
Accor debuts luxury brand with inaugural flagship hotel in China
Accor has introduced the Emblems Collection, a global portfolio of boutique hotels and luxurious resorts, with the brand’s first hotel and flagship property to debut in China’s Guizhou province.
Guiyang Art Centre Hotel, Emblems Collection, residing in the city’s famous Guiyang Art Centre, is slated to open in December 2022. Originally built as an opulent private residence, this crown jewel of the capital city attracts visitors with its lush landscaping, sprawling grounds, and serene wellness ambience. The property will feature 64 suites, two ballrooms, a swimming pool, spa and fitness area, as well as bars, lounges and restaurants.
“The hotels we will feature in Emblems Collection are those sought out by travellers who appreciate high-end, boutique-style experiences, as well as by hoteliers who cherish the independent brands they’ve built while desiring the benefits that come with a global partner, ”said Sébastien Bazin, chairman & CEO, Accor.
Hotels and resorts joining the Emblems Collection will fall into three categories. The first, Emblems Collection Heritage, will feature hotels that are landmarks of a destination or properties that celebrate the hallmarks of history and classic cultural traditions.
Meanwhile, Emblems Collection Retreat will focus on resort properties along beaches, countrysides or nestled in the mountains, offering holistic spa and wellness experiences; while Emblems Collection Signature will showcase design-led hotels.
The Emblems Collection brand is designed for independent and boutique hotel owners who are seeking to upgrade their property’s luxury status and give their global profile a boost. The hotel brand is also the only Accor luxury brand to offer franchise opportunities for independent hoteliers.
The new brand will encourage its hotels to retain their unique identities, while providing direct ROI and the opportunity to maximise revenue with access to Accor’s sales, distribution and loyalty platform.
With an aim to grow the collection to 60 properties by 2030, Accor is actively seeking new properties to be part of Emblems Collection in targeted destinations across the globe. Paris and Prague are two key cities where luxury heritage hotels might be candidates for Emblems Collection Heritage or Emblems Collection Signature.
Other target cities for potential growth include London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Madrid, Marrakech, Cairo, Amman, Doha, Moscow, Bangkok, Seoul, Sydney, Montréal, New York, Havana, Cartagena, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Santiago, among others.
For the Emblems Collection Retreat, short-listed destinations include Tuscany, Mykonos, Bodrum, Algarve, Bali, Australia’s Gold Coast and Mexico’s Riviera Maya.
S Hotels & Resorts breaks ground on SO/ Maldives
S Hotels and Resorts, the flagship hospitality arm of Thailand’s Singha Estate, has marked the official launch of SO/ Maldives with a ground-breaking ceremony for the beachfront resort on the third island of Crossroads Maldives, the country’s first fully-integrated leisure and resort destination.
Set to be opened in 2023, the 80-villa project is being created by S Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Myanmar-based Wai Eco World Developer and Accor. The property will represent the debut of the SO/ Hotels & Resorts brand in the Maldives.
Nestled on its own island overlooking the Emboodhoo Lagoon, SO/ Maldives will offer a collection of beachfront and over-water villas, as well as an array of dining and entertainment offerings.
SO/ Maldives’ speciality restaurant will serve up Levantine cuisine, with panoramic views across the ocean from its location above the arrival pavilion. Over at the poolside, guests will discover an art deco-inspired beach club with Miami South Beach vibes and a plant-based menu.
The resort has ousted the traditional all-day buffet concept and will introduce a central cooking suite with various culinary theatre concepts. A chef’s table will be discreetly tucked away for those seeking an exclusive dining experience. Meanwhile, events can be brought to life at the oceanfront wedding venue and meeting spaces.
Guests at SO/ Maldives will also be able to take advantage of the facilities at Crossroads Maldives. The Marina @ Crossroads is an 800m beach walk lined with cafés, restaurants, a beach club, boutiques, spa, the Marine Discovery Centre and a 30-berth yacht marina. The integrated resort is located just 15 minutes by speedboat from the international airport.
SO/ Maldives will become the third accommodation option at Crossroads Maldives, joining SAii Lagoon Maldives and Hard Rock Hotel Maldives.
Destination Gold Coast welcomes new chair
Destination Gold Coast’s Board of Directors has appointed Adrienne Readings as chair of the tourism body, following the step-down announcement of Paul Donovan, who held the position for 17 years.
Readings will be working closely with the Board and the team at Destination Gold Coast to represent the interests of Gold Coast’s 4,400 tourism businesses and the 35,000 people employed by the sector. She has served on the Board of Destination Gold Coast for 17 years and formerly acted as vice chair.
In total, she possesses more than 30 years’ experience in business events, tourism management and hospitality.
Readings is also the general manager of Australia’s largest regional convention centre, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC), the first woman to be appointed general manager of an Australian convention centre.
In her role at GCCEC, Readings successfully identified and developed commercial opportunities for the Gold Coast and oversaw the delivery of billions of dollars of economic impact to the region.
Readings said in a press statement: “The next two years is all about our city’s recovery and creating a blueprint for future success to attract more visitors, more often and to grow expenditure for the Gold Coast.
“It has been a heartbreaking 18 months for our industry, but I see so much opportunity ahead of us with the return of interstate visitors in a matter of weeks and eventually international markets, a future pipeline of A$179 million (US$129 million) in business events opportunity for the city as well as working with peers to strengthen the future of the region through new infrastructure, development and city connectivity.”
Sri Lanka gears up to launch global tourism campaign
The Sri Lankan government is preparing to launch a tourism promotion campaign in key source markets in coming weeks ahead of the forthcoming winter season.
The campaign costing 270 million rupees (US$1.3 million) was recently approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
According to industry officials, the campaign involves three initiatives: television commercials globally; public relations and digital marketing initiatives in France and a social media campaign in the Middle East; and tourism and trade promotion campaigns in the UK, Germany and India.
India is Sri Lanka’s main source market, while the UK, Germany, Kazakhstan, Ukraine and Russia have emerged as other key markets this year.
“Given the delay in rolling out the global communication campaign as the appointment of the firms via competitive bidding process is time-consuming, the strategic programme will be initiated as a short-term plan to revive the Covid-hit tourism industry,” reported the Daily FT newspaper. “In this context, the Cabinet has also approved a reduction in the number of days for the usual bidding process, from 42 days to 14 days.”
The industry has been pushing for a global promotion campaign across all media to boost tourism, but this has been delayed for a number of reasons over the years, including the Easter Sunday bomb attacks on hotels and churches in 2019 which decimated tourist arrivals. The plan hit another setback with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
In addition, a change in the government in late 2019 further exacerbated the proposed global promotion campaign which has been in the works for the past five years.
The announcement on the upcoming launch of the global campaign has been welcomed by the industry. “I hope and pray every day that the marketing campaign and the communication campaign will be launched soon. If that does not happen, we will continue to get low-spending tourists into the country,” Hiran Cooray, a veteran hotelier and president of the state-run Sri Lanka Tourism Advisory Committee, told a recent public forum.
Sri Lanka shut its borders in March 2020 when Covid-19 hit. Since reopening to tourism in January, the country has recorded 60,695 tourist arrivals in the 10 months through October – a sharp drop compared to the 507,311 arrivals in the three months (January-March) of 2020.
New Zealand sets border reopening date
New Zealand has unveiled a plan to reopen its borders to international visitors from April 30, in a gradual easing of pandemic border restrictions that have been in place since March 2020.
The South Pacific country has imposed some of the world’s tightest Covid-19 restrictions, which has helped to limit the spread of the virus.
Outlining the country’s staged reopening plan on Wednesday (November 24), Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said: “A phased approach to reconnecting with the world is the safest approach to ensure risk is carefully managed. This reduces any potential impacts on vulnerable communities and the New Zealand health system.”
Fully vaccinated foreign travellers will be allowed to enter the country from April 30, and will have to self-isolate for seven days on arrival, said Hipkins.
Vaccinated New Zealanders and residence visa holders in neighbouring Australia can travel to New Zealand from January 16, while New Zealanders and residence visa holders in all other countries will be allowed to enter from February 13.
All travellers must show proof of being fully vaccinated as well as a negative pre-departure Covid-19 test result. They will have to self-isolate for seven days, and will be tested for Covid-19 upon arrival.
New Zealand has recorded just over 10,000 Covid-19 cases and 40 deaths since the start of the pandemic – far fewer than most comparable countries.
SIA unveils new flight pass offering for customers
Singapore Airlines (SIA) has rolled out Flight Pass, a new product that will allow customers to make advance purchases of discounted bundles of flight tickets that can be used against future bookings.
Launched in collaboration with US-based Optiontown, Flight Pass will initially be offered on SIA services between Singapore and France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK.
This includes the quarantine-free vaccinated travel lane flights from these destinations to Singapore, if their trip starts from Singapore. Flight Pass will be progressively expanded to other points in the SIA network.
In a statement, SIA said the key feature of Flight Pass is its “flexibility”. Customers may lock in discounted air fares for multiple flights, and decide on their travel dates at their convenience, subject to seat availability. The travel can be customised based on parameters such as destinations, the number of flights, the travel period, and fare type.
Buyers can also share the tickets in each Flight Pass bundle with anyone, allowing travellers to enjoy cost savings by pooling together their travel.
Customers may purchase and manage their passes via SIA’s Flight Pass website at singaporeair.optiontown.com.
Anantara appoints several new GMs across multiple locations
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas has made four new general manager appointments at resorts in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Qatar and the UAE.
Erik Billgren is now the general manager at Anantara Mui Ne Resort in Vietnam. The Swedish national brings with him over a decade of hospitality experience and property management of luxury hotels, resorts and residences in Vietnam.
He began his career in 2005 as International management trainee – assistant F&B manager for Life Heritage Resort, and Swiss-Belhotel Golden Sands Resort in Hoi An, Vietnam. Between 2006 and 2010, he was promoted to F&B manager, then assistant resort manager, and ultimately general manager for Life Heritage Resort, Hoi An, which is now known as Anantara Hoi An Resort.
Staying in Vietnam, in 2012 he joined The Ocean Resort, VinaCapital, Da Nang, as general manager/property manager. Between 2010 and 2020, he was also the owner/director of Waterfront Restaurant & Bar in Da Nang. Prior to joining Anantara, Billgren worked as hotel manager, New World Hoiana Hotel & Residences, Hoi An.
Over in Sri Lanka, João Corte-Real joins as cluster general manager overseeing Anantara Kalutara Resort and its neighbouring and sister property Avani Kalutara Resort.
The seasoned hotelier started his career in hospitality in 1996 with ENATUR – Pousadas de Portugal, a government enterprise for small luxury, traditional or historical hotels, and has since held senior management positions with Lisboa Regency Chiado Hotel and Tróia Resort in Portugal, as well as Hotel Timor in Dili, the capital of East Timor.
Corte-Real then joined Anantara in 2015 as general manager at Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort in Thailand. Prior to that, he was based in his native Portugal working with sister brand Tivoli Hotels & Resorts, where he was cluster general manager at Tivoli Palácio de Seteais and Tivoli Sintra Hotel. In May 2018, he moved to Brazil as general manager, Tivoli Mofarrej São Paulo Hotel.
Over in the Middle East, Gauderic Harang rejoins Anantara – from Six Senses Zighy Bay Oman – to oversee the three Anantara Sir Bani Yas Resorts in the UAE as the new general manager.
Harang’s career began in France at Plaza Athénée Paris, followed by several other positions in his native France. In 2013 he relocated to Thailand to join Swissôtel Resort Phuket, before moving to Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Canada, both positions as director of operations.
In 2016, he joined Anantara taking the position of resident manager for Anantara Dhigu, Anantara Veli and Naladhu Private Island in the Maldives, stepping up as acting general manager before moving back to Thailand as resort manager at Anantara Golden Triangle.
Lastly, Mohammed Wazir has been appointed as General Manager at Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara. Bringing over 17 years of hospitality experience to the role, Mohammed moves to Qatar from his most recent position as general manager at Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara in Oman.
His hospitality experience began in the UK with Millennium Hotels before he moved to Malta with Corinthia Hotels. With Corinthia Hotels, Wazir spent time working in properties in Russia, North Africa, the UK and Eastern Europe.
Wazir’s journey with Anantara began in 2015 at this same island property in Doha where he held the position of hotel manager. He then moved to Thailand as Hotel Manager at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel.
Agoda has rolled out a multitude of products across the customer booking funnel to improve the accessibility and efficiency of travel in a post-Covid landscape, as countries across Asia-Pacific start to reopen.
Launched earlier this year in Thailand, Agoda has expanded its alternative state quarantine packages for travellers looking to book accommodation for their mandatory quarantine needs across Asia.
Repatriates and inbound travellers can now search availability, room type, and pricing in real-time and pick from a total of over 600 government-approved hotels worldwide, including new locations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines. More market options are expected to join the programme in the coming months.
By simplifying the search and booking process on its platform, participating hotels will also benefit from Agoda’s international reach and marketing strategies to drive higher exposure and conversion among travellers looking for a greater selection of quarantine hotels as more markets reopen.
In addition, Agoda has partnered with Sherpa, a digital solutions provider, to build a travel restrictions world map explorer. Available at agoda.com/travelmapadvisor, the interactive map housed on Agoda’s platform will detail entry restrictions and Covid-19 documentation, testing requirements, quarantine protocols, and more, for destinations around the world. The web-based widget pulls together the latest data and information in real-time via an interactive map for easy navigation.
This secure solution connects across Agoda’s customer journey via homepage banners, property listings and hotel pages, across web, mobile and app, to further reinforce booking decisions and drive conversions, across the funnel. Travellers can choose a country or territory on the map to identify what restrictions are in place, before inputting their passport issuing country, origin and destination country, and vaccination status.
“As international travel remains complex, it is not enough to just have good supply and price. We want to give our customers further autonomy and flexibility over quarantine stays, clarity on which type of rates they need to book, and what requirements and restrictions exist for their travel route,” said Enric Casals, regional vice president, partner services, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Furthermore, Agoda has built a curated selection of country and city guides housing in-depth information of top travel destinations. The content is aimed at capturing granular details of differing interstate and interzonal requirements, highlighting things to do, places to visit safely, and travel tips in a post-pandemic environment.
The first guide for Thailand will be launched later this week followed by other popular destinations such as the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, France, the US, UAE, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore by the end of the year.