PAL implements Amadeus’ self-service tool for flight disruptions
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has implemented Amadeus’ new Self Re-accommodation solution, allowing passengers to seamlessly choose and rebook their itineraries in the event of flight disruptions amid the pandemic.
The solution not only improves customer experience, but also reduces the load on PAL’s call centre and airport agents managing re-bookings, ultimately reducing the cost of operations for the airline.
Oscar Enrico Reyes Jr., senior vice president for marketing and sales, PAL, said: “During the first seven months of the solution going live, more than 160,000 passengers with disrupted flights have benefited from this self-service tool.
“The Self Re-accommodation tool is an integral part of our omnichannel strategy and provides critical information and control for our passengers when they need it the most. Our next step is to give more control to passengers by empowering them with a self-service refund tool, without any penalties, if they are not happy with the alternative flights provided.”
The Amadeus Self Re-accommodation solution comprises a booking engine and user interface. Part of the Amadeus Digital Experience Suite, the solution supports travellers in the event of flight cancellations or delays.
When a disruption occurs, PAL’s passengers will receive an alert, redirecting them to the airline’s Self Re-accommodation page. There, they can accept the default flight offered by the airline or choose a replacement flight free of charge according to the airline’s disruption policy.
The implementation is part of a digital deal Amadeus signed with PAL and comes close on the heels of the carrier’s passenger service system migration to Amadeus.
MITA works to connect Malaysian tourism players with SE Asian agents
In anticipation of stiffer regional competition for the tourism pie following the pandemic, the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) is giving inbound players in the country a head start by organising virtual B2B sessions to connect local tourism players with overseas travel agencies ahead of the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF).
This year’s ATF, hosted by Cambodia, will take place from January 16 to 22 in Preah Sihanoukville.
MITA president, Uzaidi Udanis, shared that the association has planned seven B2B meetings with agents from Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines between January 4 and 14.
Unlike the traditional format of travel trade shows where pre-appointments are made and business appointments are prescribed a time limit, Uzaidi shared that MITA has done away with these formalities.
He said that the aim of organising these B2B events is to provide regional exposure for SMEs in Malaysia’s tourism sector, while showcasing new products and services that the country has to offer.
At the same time, Uzaidi hopes that it will encourage outbound players who had to pivot to attract the domestic market during this pandemic to now expand their services into the inbound sector, in preparation for the return of leisure tourists, which is expected sometime later this year.
He explained the focus is on South-east Asia as the region represented the majority of Malaysia’s inbound tourist arrivals pre-pandemic. China, which used to be the country’s top medium-haul source market, was excluded as “our outbound counterparts from China were not confident that China would allow its citizens to travel overseas for leisure purposes before 3Q2022,” shared Uzaidi.
To encourage participation, the fee is capped at RM100 (US$24) per session for sellers. It is free for buyers to attend.
Uzaidi stressed: “At ATF, we are competing with our counterparts for regional and international travel business. It is also easy for small and niche sellers, such as adventure tourism players, to get ‘drowned’. Here, we keep the fee affordable and encourage new sellers in the market to participate, and we are not competing with other nations for business.”
South-east Asian travel agents who wish to participate as buyers can register at https://virtualaseanb2b.eventbrite.com. Registration for Malaysian sellers has closed.
New report highlights importance of big data in tourism recovery
UNWTO and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have launched a joint report on the use of big data for better tourism planning and management.
The report features examples from across the Asia and the Pacific region, while also showcasing the main trends in the use of big data in tourism at the forefront of technology and innovation. It also makes clear the role that big data can play in recovery and the measurement of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of tourism.
UNWTO notes that international arrivals plunged by 73 per cent in 2020 due to the pandemic, and predicts a 70 per cent and 75 per cent fall on 2019 levels for 2021.
As the sector looks to recover, data and market intelligence are critical to empower destinations, businesses, and tourism workers to be better prepared in a rapidly changing landscape. The Covid-19 pandemic has also accelerated the shift toward digitalisation and so further highlighted the need for relevant and reliable data and intelligence to manage tourism.
The joint UNWTO and ADB report will assist both governments and the private sector as they look to complement official statistics with big data so as to better understand changes in consumer behaviour and to enhance recovery with targeted products, segments, and source markets.
Big data will also be key to supporting seamless travel through the implementation of safety protocols, biosecurity technologies, and digital health certificates to enable the safe reopening of borders.
The report further addresses some of the key challenges standing in the way of fully realising the potential of big data and digitalisation for better tourism policy. These include ongoing concerns over privacy, skills gaps, data reliability, inadequate governance and infrastructure, the digital divide, and accessibility barriers.
These challenges make clear the need for comprehensive agenda to pave the way for the effective use of big data to assist tourism recovery and its transformation toward a greener, more resilient sector.
Together, UNWTO and ADB will work to ensure tourism policies across the region are aimed at establishing measurement, monitoring, and management systems and frameworks, thereby ensuring harmonised, comparable, and reliable data and indicators.
HK Express to start Hong Kong-Singapore service
HK Express will be operating a new direct service between Hong Kong and Singapore, starting February 1, 2022.
Mandy Ng, CEO of HK Express, said: “Whether our customers are visiting Singapore for business or to visit family, HK Express will provide a safe and seamless experience every step of the journey. We anticipate a steady stream of demand for travel on this route once travel restrictions ease.”
HK Express said it continuously strives to enhance connectivity across the region, while making travel more accessible for the Hong Kong community.
Customers with plans to visit Singapore must comply with local entry requirements, which may include pre- and post-travel testing, quarantine and declaration forms.
Macau to get first W hotel
Marriott International has signed an agreement with Melco Resorts & Entertainment to bring the W Hotels brand to Macau.
Scheduled to open in December 2022, W Macau – Studio City will form part of the Studio City Phase 2, a multi-complex development that includes indoor and outdoor water parks, cineplexes and meeting facilities.
Situated in the heart of Cotai, W Macau – Studio City expects to feature 557 guestrooms, including 127 suites; alongside wellness facilities, a spa, fitness centre, an indoor swimming pool, as well as two dining venues – one featuring international cuisine with an Asian twist and another showcasing Chinese and Portuguese dishes.
The property will also feature a W Sound Suite, the brand’s signature, on-site recording studio; an in-house bar, Woobar; as well as 1,100m² of event and meeting space.
Marriott International currently operates nine properties and residences under the W Hotels brand across Greater China, with W Macau – Studio City to mark the brand’s tenth property in the region.
SIH partners with Swiss group to train hospitality professionals in Singapore
Singapore Institute of Hospitality (SIH) has become the first education and training organisation in Singapore to offer Vocational Education and Training (VET by EHL), a learning programme by Switzerland’s Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL).
VET by EHL is one of Switzerland’s most popular forms of education that uses proven methods to ensure a high quality of training and employability for hospitality graduates. Due to its tiered structure and flexible schedule, VET by EHL is well suited for early and mid-career hospitality professionals looking to enhance and widen their skillsets, embark on career development or looking to switch to hospitality-related careers.
SIH will offer the foundation and intermediate levels for both disciplines in F&B Service and Rooms, starting mid-February 2022. The institution will also offer Hotel Administration and Culinary programmes in 3Q2022.
Under VET by EHL, trainees can obtain professional diploma certificates in each discipline at their own pace. Three qualification levels – foundation, intermediate and advanced – are available, with each level lasting six months. Classes will be conducted two days a week with a class intake of not more than 20 trainees.
The F&B Service programme gives trainees a comprehensive understanding of how the management of a F&B establishment is conducted and provides them the tools to be successful. Topics covered will include serving techniques, event management and culinary basics, food and beverage knowledge, as well as dining etiquette and protocols.
Trainees from the Rooms programme will be schooled in different functions of the rooms division including housekeeping, front office, laundry, and stewarding departments, as well as rooms administration principles and skills.
Hong Kong players call for more details to plan for Chinese return
China’s resumption of travel is lifting spirits across Hong Kong’s tourism sector, but player are urging China for more details to help them better plan their operations.
Fanny Yeung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council (TIC), told TTG Asia that the announcement this week took the industry by surprise.
“It’s vital that we are able to cope with inbound traffic (from China). With more details from the Central Government, such as daily arrival quota, we can better plan ahead,” she said, adding that Hong Kong has a severe manpower obstacle to overcome due to a talent bleed-out over the past three disrupted years.
She said businesses would need to “offer competitive salaries” to lure people back.
“I reckon it may take us three to four months to ramp up manpower to meet the needs (of returning Chinese travellers),” said Yeung.
However, if all goes well, Yeung expects Hong Kong tourism business to return to pre-pandemic levels in 3Q2023.
TIC’s chairman Gianna Hsu is less worried about the immediate future, as China’s travel resumption will coincide with the Chinese New Year holidays starting January 22, 2023. This is typically a low travel season for group tours from China, and that buys Hong Kong some time to prepare for the market’s return.
Luc Bollen, general manager of The Park Lane Hong Kong – A Pullman Hotel, is upbeat. “According to recent studies (by Trip.com), Hong Kong remains the top-three most popular destination for all Chinese tourists,” he said.
Bollen said his team is well prepared to welcome guests from China. Together with Accor’s regional office, the hotel launched in late-December several room packages aimed at the Chinese.
He expects Chinese guests to combine business and leisure when they return to Hong Kong for their first trip in three years.
Industry players have expressed concerns about the return of sufficient air capacity to support China’s reopening.
Yeung hopes that China’s latest announcement will motivate airlines to accelerate their plans to return to service.
A spokesman with homegrown Greater Bay Airlines said the company would “keep monitoring the market situation and work closely with respective stakeholders to get prepared as appropriate”.
Greater Bay Airlines is current serving only Bangkok and Taipei.
Cathay Pacific has also shed little details on service plans following the December 27 announcement, only saying it would “continue to communicate with relevant authorities and to increase our passenger capacity to and from the Chinese Mainland as much as possible”.
Cathay Pacific is operating at about 30 per cent of its pre-pandemic capacity and has some weekly services between Hong Kong and select Chinese cities, like Beijing and Chengdu, scheduled for January.
In order to keep pace with China’s reopening, Hong Kong will also remove all mandatory PCR test requirements for inbound travellers, quarantine orders and the use of the Vaccine Pass from December 29.
Phuket Hotels Association welcomes new leadership
Bjorn Courage has been named president of The Phuket Hotels Association, taking over from founding president Anthony Lark, who will continue to serve as a senior advisor.
Courage is the general manager of the InterContinental Phuket Resort, and has more than 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. During the course his career, Courage has worked with many of the industry’s most iconic brands, including IHG, Hilton, Waldorf Astoria, Six Senses, and Mandarin Oriental. He also successfully completed Cornell University’s Executive Leadership programme.
Courage moves into the role of president at a time of optimism for Phuket’s tourism and hospitality industry. The island was one of the first South-east Asian destinations to safely reopen to international visitors when it launched the “Phuket Sandbox” programme in July 2021.
Since it was founded in January 2016, the Phuket Hotels Association has grown to represent 72 of the island’s top internationally-branded and independent luxury and midscale hotels and resorts, comprising just over 12,000 rooms. Each of these members has made a commitment to the destination and, through the Phuket Hotels Association, are actively investing in a sustainable future through long-term environmental and educational initiatives.
Lark, currently the executive director at HMD, Shinta Mani and Bensley Collection hotels, will continue to serve as senior advisor. Other members include Bill Barnett, a founder of the Phuket Hotels Association and managing director of C9 Hotelworks; David Keen, CEO of QUO; David Johnson, CEO of Delivering Asia Communications; Boon Yongsakul, chairman of Boat Pattana; and Saharat Jivavisitnont, executive director at Jee Teng Hospitality Group.
Mandarin Oriental, Shenzhen welcomes new GM
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Mark S. Bradford as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Shenzhen.
In this new role, Bradford will establish a new luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel in Shenzhen. The project is scheduled to open in early 2022 and encompasses 178 spacious guestrooms and suites, eight restaurants and bars, several event spaces and a spa.
The seasoned hotelier has two decades of experience with Mandarin Oriental, initially joining as hotel manager at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, and then taking on senior leadership positions in Chiang Mai, Marrakech, Manila and Jakarta.
Prior to this move, he was opening general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Wangfujing, Beijing.
IHG Hotels & Resorts has inked a partnership with China Duty Free Group to develop two new luxury and lifestyle hotels in Hainan – the Regent Sanya Haitang Bay and Hotel Indigo Sanya Haitang Bay.
Situated along the Haitang Bay coastline, and within close reach of Sanya International Duty-Free Shopping Complex, the two hotels are expected to open in 2026.
The Regent Sanya Haitang Bay will boast 317 rooms and five room types, including 10 private villas; while the Hotel Indigo Sanya Haitang Bay will house 175 rooms and four room types.
At present, IHG has 12 hotels in operation in Hainan and 17 under development, spanning a range of distinctive brands.