Art Around The City spotlights heritage and culture of four precincts in Singapore
A series of visual art installations and programmes across key precincts in Singapore have been launched under a partnership between the Singapore Tourism Board and the National Arts Council.
Dubbed Art Around The City, the public art activations in four precincts – Gillman Barracks, Orchard Road, Little India and Chinatown – draw on the history, culture, and landscape of each precinct; while spotlighting Singapore-based artists and curators.
Running from January to April this year, Art Around The City brings the identities of the four precincts to life. Each site-specific installation sits at the intersection of art, culture and heritage, to resonate and connect with each precinct’s community.
At Gillman Barracks, The Forest Institute presents a large-scale architectural installation by artist Robert Zhao Ren Hui and architect-artist Randy Chan. A culmination of four years of research, it elaborates on how nature co-exists alongside urban life. Visitors will be able to sign up for special programmes that include morning nature walks with the artist.
Hyphen BB curates and showcases The Non Season in a takeover of Design Orchard in Orchard Road that features a diverse range of artists presenting mixed media artworks inspired by the ecological and commercial histories of the Orchard Road precinct.
The public can join various programmes by artists and retail collaborators featuring tours, exclusive merchandise, workshops, and performances.
In Little India and Chinatown, the public artworks will respond to the precincts’ unique culture and deep-rooted traditions. Singapore-based creative agency Texture Media invites the public to experience The Rangoli Movement, an installation incorporating the sounds and colours of Little India with master artist Vijaya Mohan.
At Kreta Ayer Square in Chinatown, The Gathering features Singapore artist Wong Lip Chin and curator John Tung recreating a teahouse set within a traditional Chinese garden that will serve as a gathering point for the public to take in tea and incense experiences.
Indonesia targets 1.8 to 3.6m tourist arrivals this year
Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) will focus on quality and sustainable tourism in the pandemic aftermath, with a target of attracting between 1.8 and 3.6 million international visitors this year.
Visitor arrivals to Indonesia last year totalled 1.5 million, a significant drop from the 4.05 million arrivals in 2020.
Tourism and creative economy minister Sandiaga Uno said that the “number of international arrivals used to be our target, but now, we are focusing on tourism with quality and sustainability”.
Kurleni Ukar, deputy minister of strategic policies at MoTCE, explained that the government has not set a high target number, but as Indonesia will play host to a number of international events this year, the ministry is expecting “a higher revenue from tourism” as compared to last year.
Rizki Handayani, deputy minister of tourism products and events at MoTCE, said that as the ongoing pandemic will impact inbound leisure travel into Indonesia, the government will conduct more business, sporting and cultural events this year in order to boost visitation.
This year, Indonesia is slated to host major events such as the G20 Summit, the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network Conference and MotoGP Mandalika 2022.
In the past, leisure travellers represented 63 to 65 per cent of total tourist arrivals in Indonesia, while business travellers accounted for only 23 per cent. However, this year, Rizki expects a notable increase in the number of business visitors.
The arrival target was determined by taking into consideration Indonesia’s current border policy and accessibility due to the pandemic, said Kurleni.
Nia Niscaya, deputy minister of tourism marketing, said: “(Our target market selection) will be very dynamic as (we) will need to coordinate with the Ministry of Health (based) on the number of Covid-19 cases in the source markets. On the other hand, travellers will also consider the returning home policies in their countries. They will refrain from leaving their countries if it is complicated.”
However, Nia added, the search volume on search engines showed that Indonesia is still on top of travellers’ minds.
Kurneli said potential markets to Indonesia, particularly Bali, include Australia which has shown high interest to travel; India; and with the availability of direct flights, Japan.
As for Batam and Bintan, which are expected to reopen this year, the main target markets are Singapore and Malaysia.
Omicron surge prompts Malaysia to suspend umrah travel
Malaysia’s health ministry will suspend umrah trips to Saudi Arabia for a month from Saturday (January 8), in light of the rising number of Omicron variant cases among returning Umrah pilgrims.
During this period, the health ministry and other relevant authorities will be carrying out a risk assessment and updating the SOPs for umrah travellers, including making booster vaccines mandatory for all pilgrims in the future as well as monitoring their health status while they are in Saudi Arabia.
According to health minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, Omicron variant cases among Umrah pilgrims made up 64.08 per cent or 157 cases of the 245 cumulative positive Omicron cases detected in Malaysia as of January 6.
In a statement, Selangor Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies president, Fathir Badri, expressed disapproval of the umrah travel ban. He said a better solution would be to allow the Umrah pilgrimages to continue, but to tighten the SOPs for returning Umrah pilgrims at the airport.
He said about 10,000 pilgrims will be affected by the government’s latest decision as they have already obtained the umrah visa which includes hotel and transportation in Saudi Arabia, valued at RM3,500 (US$833).
He said refunds are not possible as payments have already been made to suppliers in Saudi Arabia, and also because the decision to postpone was made by the government of Malaysia and not Saudi Arabia.
Maldives taps Kuoni France to woo French tourists
Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) has initiated a month-long marketing campaign with OTA Kuoni France, with the aim of promoting the destination as a safe haven to French travellers.
The campaign kick-started on January 6 and will conclude on February 6. Under the campaign, advertisements, articles, photos, and newsletters of the Maldives will be posted on the digital and social media platforms of Kuoni France, and will be placed at strategic outdoor locations.
The content of the campaign will focus on promoting the ‘naturally social-distanced’ geography of the Maldivian islands, and the stringent Covid-19 safety measures in place at various accommodations in the country.
The campaign will also highlight to the travel trade and travellers from the French market the unique and diverse range of experiences available in the Maldives.
France is an important market for the Maldives, ending the year 2021 with strong arrival numbers. As of December 29, 2021, the Maldives had welcomed 1,312,706 tourists to the country. During this period, France stood as the top ninth source market to the Maldives, with arrivals totalling 29,877.
Best Western continues expansion in Vietnam with dual signing
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has signed two new projects in Ho Tram, the beachfront resort area just 110km from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Premier Collection by Best Western and Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Signature Collection by Best Western will be unveiled in 1Q2024, comprising more than 1,000 rooms, suites and villas across two properties.
Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Premier Collection by Best Western will offer 458 upscale rooms and suites plus 90 luxurious villas. Meanwhile, Charm Resort Ho Tram, BW Signature Collection by Best Western will feature 470 rooms and suites.
This signing marks the latest phase of Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ expansion strategy in Vietnam. With four hotels and resorts now operating, 16 new properties signed and ongoing discussions for more, the group is targeting over 20 hotels and resorts to be operational by the end of 2024.
Vistara names new CEO
Indian full-service carrier Vistara has appointed Vinod Kannan as CEO, effective since January 1, 2022.
He replaced Leslie Thng who led the airline for more than four years, and is moving on to take up a senior appointment with Singapore Airlines.
With this change, Deepak Rajawat has been promoted to fill Kannan’s previous role as CCO.
Kannan started his stint with Vistara as the chief strategy officer in June 2019 and took over as CCO in January 2020 with the responsibility of developing, executing, and sustaining Vistara’s corporate strategy and ensuring the airline’s commercial success.
He played a pivotal role in launching Vistara’s international operations, expanding its domestic network and fleet size, and driving the airline’s steady growth during the pandemic.
Kannan spent over two decades working with Singapore Airlines and has held several senior positions in the airline’s head office in Singapore as well as overseas.
RWS sets up laboratory with NUS to advance sustainable tourism
The recent launch of the RWS-NUS Living Laboratory positions Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and National University of Singapore (NUS) at the forefront to deliver on Singapore’s goals of achieving long-term success in sustainable tourism.
Jointly set up for biodiversity conservation and decarbonisation, the collaboration was launched on Wednesday (January 5) at Equarius Hotel, in the presence of guest of honour Alvin Tan, minister of state for trade and industry, and culture, community and youth.
The initiative aims to further the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Sentosa Development Corporation’s plan to transform the island into a carbon-neutral destination by 2030.
RWS has committed S$10 million (US$7.3 million) in funding to support the five-year partnership – the single largest academic-industry partnership focused on biodiversity and energy conservation that will contribute directly to the tourism economy, environmental education and sustainability efforts in Singapore’s ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) development.
The collaboration will capitalise on the strengths and expertise of RWS as Asia’s leading leisure and tourism destination and host to the upcoming Singapore Oceanarium (SGO) – a rebranding of the S.E.A. aquarium after it is expanded by more than three times – and NUS as a leading academic and research institution with rich and interdisciplinary capabilities in areas such as marine science, conservation and sustainability.
Some of the projects include enhancing the quality of the experience, marine education and research offered by SGO; as well as developing innovations to cool urban spaces to achieve a low carbon and healthy living environment and have them test-bedded at RWS properties and adapted for scalability.
RWS CEO Tan Hee Teck believes “the partnership will set the foundation for RWS to meet emerging trends where consumers are prioritising sustainability and unique engaging experiences when they travel”.
NUS president Tan Eng Chye is confident that both companies “will co-create many innovative and transformative research outcomes that will enhance biodiversity conservation, environmental sustainability, and decarbonisation” which “in turn, strengthens Singapore’s standing in eco-tourism”.
Millennium raises nearly US$50,000 to help needy students
Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has raised S$65,000 (US$47,800) in a year-long charity initiative with The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF), a charity devoted to helping needy kids and youth which supports more than 10,000 students a year.
For the year 2021, S$10 is donated for every Otter Adventure Staycation at the six MHR properties in Singapore – Orchard Hotel, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, M Hotel, Studio M Hotel, Copthorne King’s Hotel and M Social Singapore.
“The impact of the pandemic amidst the launch of the funding project resulted in a shortfall of the amount collected. However, the MHR management feels it’s important to help the children, especially during (this) trying time. Thus, Millennium Hotels and Resorts topped up to meet the monthly target donation for this meaningful cause,” said Paul Er, vice president, sales (Asia) of MHR.
Tan Bee Heong, general manager of the STSPMF, said: “We are thankful to Millennium Hotels and Resorts for its continued support and remembering the less fortunate even when their business is hit by the pandemic. (In 2021), STSPMF (saw) a spike in the number of applications for school pocket money. MHR’s donation will go a long way in helping us provide the necessary financial assistance to our beneficiaries.”
The children beneficiaries and their families were treated to a theatrical dining experience at The Orchard Cafe, where Orchard Hotel’s general manager Paul Hugentobler also presented the children with festive cakes and goodies.
Asia’s first Vignette Collection hotel to open in Bangkok
Sindhorn Midtown Hotel Bangkok will become the first hotel in Asia to open under IHG Hotels & Resorts’ conversion brand Vignette Collection come March 2022.
The property will mark the second luxury and lifestyle brand that IHG and Siam Sindhorn Co. will debut in South-east Asia and Thailand, following their inaugural partnership on last year’s opening of Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok.
Both hotels are situated within Sindhorn Village, a development project that spans 67,200m² in the area of Langsuan Road and Soi Tonson.
Designed by Eight Inc, the 393-key Sindhorn Midtown opened in March 2020. Forty minutes from Suvarnabhumi Airport, the property sits in the neighbourhood of Langsuan, with easy access to both Sukhumvit and Silom. All rooms and suites contain signature artworks from local artists and offer modern amenities, including Fritz Hansen’s iconic Drop chairs.
In addition to a rooftop pool, facilities also include three restaurants and bars, a swimming pool, fitness centre and over 170m² of meeting space.
IHG currently operates 29 hotels across eight brands in Thailand, with another 34 properties in the pipeline.
The Courtyard by Marriott brand is expanding its footprint in Australia with the opening of its first Melbourne hotel set for March 2022.
Located in Batman Street and adjacent to Flagstaff Gardens, the 150-key new-build hotel will be the third Courtyard by Marriott in the country, joining sister properties in Brisbane and Sydney.
Owned by Ousia Properties and architecturally designed by Skematics with interiors by DKO Architecture, Courtyard by Marriott Melbourne Flagstaff Gardens will cater to both business and leisure travellers.
The hotel will house an all-day dining restaurant, street-facing café/bar and fitness centre offering round-the-clock access. Flexible event spaces for corporate meetings and social gatherings will offer audio-visual equipment and unique settings, such as a rooftop area overlooking city views.