Malaysia trade urges cautious approach to reopening of Genting, Melaka, Tioman Island
The Malaysian government’s planned October 1 reopening of Melaka, Genting Highlands and Tioman Island to fully vaccinated domestic tourists has been met with cautious optimism by the travel trade who says precautions need to be ramped up ahead of reopening to avoid a further rise in Covid-19 cases.
Despite having undergone three lockdowns during this pandemic, the number of Covid-19 cases in the country remain high, with 15,759 new infections reported on Tuesday (September 21). Meanwhile, the ICU bed usage due to Covid stands at 100 per cent in Perlis and more than 90 per cent in Penang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Johor and Sarawak.
On Tuesday, minister of tourism, arts and culture, Nancy Shukri, announced that the ministry’s proposal to reopen the three destinations from October 1 is still pending approval from the Special Committee on Covid-19 Pandemic Management. She added that the ministry is fine-tuning the SOPs on reopening tourist destinations on the mainland.
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association deputy president, Mint Leong, said it is necessary for the authorities to conduct training on the SOPs for all business stakeholders in the three destinations prior to reopening.
She elaborated: “They should know how to manage the (tourist) flows without causing bottlenecks and what to do in the event a person tests positive for Covid-19.
“The big players in Genting have the manpower and experience in handling big groups of people. They would know how to manage domestic tourists with very tight SOPs in place. But what about the many SMEs in Tioman Island and Melaka – are they ready to reopen?”
She further questioned as to how the government plans to enforce the SOPs in public spaces such as beaches, including checking of body temperature and vaccination status, as well as the handling of positive Covid-19 cases.
Leong suggested instead of opening up the three destinations as a whole, the government should adopt a more cautious approach by pilot test reopening selected areas and first restricting inbound flow to residents in the Klang Valley before expanding to other states.
Yap Sook Ling, managing director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, also stressed on the importance of implementing and enforcing clearly-defined SOPs and training all stakeholders on them before reopening.
She said: “The industry cannot afford the uncertainty of suddenly shutting down again and entering into another lockdown. We have to do it correctly this time.”
Yap also emphasised the need for capacity enforcement, as well as reminders for the public to adhere to Covid protocols, which could be done by having visual boards at places of attractions and restaurants.
Stakeholders laud Cambodia’s ASQ hotel scheme
The launch of Cambodia’s alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotel scheme is a welcome move following a raft of complaints over varying standards of quarantine options, said tour and hotel operators.
In April 2020, Cambodia introduced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arrivals. This was only available at registered hotels randomly allocated upon landing at Phnom Penh International Airport, with standards vastly varying.
Nick Ray, Hanuman Travel product director, said: “For more than a year, it was a lottery and a lot of people don’t like to gamble. It really was a lucky dip, where for some people it went well, and for others, really badly.”
In July, the government introduced an ASQ hotel scheme, with four properties registered to date: Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel & Residence, and Courtyard by Marriott Phnom Penh.
Under the scheme, travellers on a business visa and Cambodians can choose where they stay for the 14-day quarantine period. Prices start from US$1,806 (Sokha) and include a choice of meals from the hotel menu and two PCR tests.
Ray said: “There were a lot of complaints previously about room size and quality, but what was really picked up on and shared across social media was the food standards. With the ASQ scheme, you have guaranteed quality.”
The introduction of the scheme has also proved a welcome boost for hotels that have been left virtually empty since the start of the pandemic.
Garth Simmons, CEO, Accor Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea, said Raffles and Sofitel have seen a “positive trend” since the hotels signed up to the scheme in August. He noted it is mainly dignitaries and high-level business executives who check in.
Added Simmons: “We are optimistic that business will improve in Q4 and we would expect loosened arrival restrictions early next year with the reopening of the country.”
Marriott also noted a large number of quarantine bookings from existing and new clients.
While the scheme has been a welcome addition, Sinan Thourn, chairman of B2B Cambodia and PATA Cambodia, said there needs to be more choice added to the luxury hotels currently on the scheme.
He remarked: “You can’t limit the choice. The government should open more options, such as three- and four-star properties, and get the private sector involved, especially DMCs and travel companies, who are qualified to provide these services and recommendations.”
PPHG furthers global expansion with 13 properties planned by 2024
Pan Pacific Hotels Group (PPHG) plans to launch 13 new properties across 10 key gateway cities including London, Hanoi and Phnom Penh by 2024.
The expansion will see the addition of more than 3,300 rooms to the group’s inventory, bringing its portfolio to 48 properties across 29 cities.
PPHG is a member of Singapore-listed UOL Group Limited. The move will see the group establish its presence in key gateway cities, including London, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Dalian, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap.
Among the 13 properties to open is the Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, which will mark the sustainability brand’s first opening beyond Singapore when it debuts in June 2022.
Located in the heart of Bukit Bintang, the Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur will be a beacon of green design, sporting a lush green facade made up of 78 sky planters and roof terraces showcasing 1,207m² of plants and trees. The hotel will also feature a wellness floor, comprising a spa, a gym and fitness studio, as well as a pool.
The Parkroyal Collection Kuala Lumpur complex will also house Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Kuala Lumpur, catering to long-stay guests. Other new openings in Malaysia in 2022 include the expansion of its Parkroyal resorts portfolio in Langkawi and Malacca. The 301-room Parkroyal Langkawi Resort has a direct beach front, with meeting facilities and a beach club. The 418-room Parkroyal A’Famosa Melaka Resort will see a upgrade as well as new builds offering relaxed accommodation choices.
The group will also plant its flag in Indonesia with a cluster of properties in its capital city, Jakarta. Over the next three years, Parkroyal Jakarta, Parkroyal Serviced Suites Jakarta, and Pan Pacific Jakarta will open within the Thamrin Nine, combining commercial spaces, entertainment, and retail offerings within an integrated environment.
Come 4Q2022, PPHG will open Pan Pacific Orchard, touted as “Singapore’s first zero-waste hotel”. The property will feature foliage covering more than 300 per cent of the hotel’s land area, alongside four thematic sky gardens: Forest Terrace, Beach Club, Secret Garden and Cloud Terrace. The 350-room hotel will employ a rainwater harvesting system, a recyclable water system, and a compactor that transforms food waste into nutrient water for the hotel’s sky gardens.
Marking its next move into China for 2022, PPHG will introduce the country’s first Parkroyal hotel in Dalian, a major sub-provincial city in Liaoning Province. Towering at 52 levels, Parkroyal Dalian will be located on Youting Road, which offers connectivity to Xinghai Square, Dalian World Expo Centre and Dalian Xinghai Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The group will also increase its strength in Indochina to a total of nine properties in the region by 2023. It will make an entry into Cambodia’s capital city with Pan Pacific Phnom Penh, and into the famous city of UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat with Parkroyal Siem Reap.
The 212-room Pan Pacific Phnom Penh will be situated in the Norodom Boulevard, while the 130-room Parkroyal Siem Reap will be a 10-minute drive from the gates of Angkor Wat.
In 2022, the group will further expand its serviced suites portfolio within the region. Parkroyal Serviced Suites Hanoi will open in the Westlake area, featuring 126 suites with lake views; while Parkroyal Suites Bangkok will occupy a prime location on Sukhumvit Soi 6, within walking distance of Nana BTS sky train station.
Princess Cruises extends cruise pause in Australia
Princess Cruises has extended its pause in operations for cruises departing from Australia and New Zealand until January 27, 2022.
Resultantly, the company has cancelled Coral Princess voyages through January 17, as well as Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess seasons through March 2022.
“It became apparent we would not be able to deliver planned deployment of Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess in Australia before they were due to start their published northern hemisphere voyages,” said Deanna Austin, Princess Cruises CCO.
“We recognise that guests planning cruises over the popular summer and new year holiday period will be particularly disappointed with the changes, however, we wanted to give guests as much notice as possible so they could plan their holidays with certainty.”
Princess said that it will protect travel agent commission on bookings that were paid in full “in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success”.
Dusit expands China footprint with new Chuxiong signing
Dusit International has signed an agreement to operate an upscale hotel in the heart of Chuxiong City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
The agreement for dusitD2 Chuxiong, Yunnan was signed with Chuxiong Rongda Real Estate Development Company through Dusit’s representative in China, Dusit Fudu Hotels and Resorts.
Slated to open in 2Q2023, the new property will comprise 275 rooms, suites and villas in a prime location next to Guanyin Temple, just a 10-minute drive from the Chuxiong high-speed train station.
Hotel facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, a spa offering wellness therapies, and a range of meeting rooms. There will also be various activities conducted to promote physical and mental wellbeing.
Dusit International’s portfolio now includes more than 300 properties operating under six brands across 17 countries. In China, the company currently operates 10 hotels and has more than 20 properties in the pipeline.
Bali’s backpacker ban proposal draws tour operators’ ire
Travel operators in Indonesia have hit out at the government’s controversial plan to ban budget travellers or backpackers from entering Bali, as it looks to pivot to quality tourism to speed up economic recovery post-Covid.
Luhut Panjaitan, coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment, who leads the implementation of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali, said that the government would ban backpackers from entering Bali once the island reopens its borders, as it seeks to attract quality tourists.
“We will filter (international) visitors. We don’t want backpackers. (We want) quality tourists,” he said.
On September 13, the government eased Covid-19 curbs in Bali, lowering the PPKM status from the strictest level 4 to level 3. Previously, the government said that it may reopen Bali to international tourists when the PPKM status is dropped to level 2.
Lamenting the plan, Norberto Rodriguez Sanchez, tour advisor at Come2Indonesia, explained that backpackers’ visits brought direct economic benefits to society at the grassroots level because they had direct interactions with the community, such as staying in homestays.
“Backpackers do not want to spend money on big hotels, but they spend a lot of money on many other things, such as food and entrance tickets (to attractions),” said Norberto.
As guest houses were typically backpackers’ accommodation of choice, banning them from visiting Bali would be a blow not just to the locals who ran guest houses, but also SMEs in the tourism sector, he added.
Sebastian Ng, managing director of Incito Vacations, said that a backpacker ban would put a damper on the government’s plan to tap tourist villages located in rural areas to drive tourism recovery, as backpackers were one of their key target markets.
Rather than focusing on attracting quality or high-end travellers, the government should shift its focus to creating quality tourism experiences such as eco-friendly attractions that cater to the masses, he said.
Sebastian pointed out that foreign backpackers have made a tremendous contribution to the country’s tourism development by promoting many hidden gems, such as Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in the province of North Sulawesi. He added that the popularity of Tangkoko among backpackers prompted the government several years ago to develop the conservation area, including the building of electricity infrastructure.
Cyber risk poised to increase amid evolving travel landscape
Digital expansion has left no segment of the travel ecosystem untouched by cyber risk, with companies like Bangkok Air, Marriott Hotels, SITA and Ticketmaster having fallen victim to attacks or been fined for data breach.
According to Chng Tien San, vice president, cybersecurity, C&I, APJ, Mastercard, cyber risk exposure will increase as the travel industry evolves and every organisation regardless of size is vulnerable to cyber threats.
Chng noted the pandemic had further escalated cyber risk with an explosion of digital third-party relationships.
Speaking during the Travel in the New Normal: Rethinking Technology and Cyber Risk webinar, organised by PATA last week, Chng warned that many companies view cybersecurity as an “afterthought”, despite cybercrime being a consistent threat.
Data he shared showed cybercrime was a US$350 billion worldwide problem and growing; and that 70 per cent of attacks targeted small businesses, with 63 per cent of small businesses having experienced a cyberattack in the last 12 months.
When asked how much companies should be investing to beef up protection, Chng said it was common to invest 10 per cent of turnover on IT expenditure and that between seven and 15 per cent of that sum is set aside for cybersecurity depending on the industry.
“But it is not one size fits all,” he stressed, adding that it would be higher for businesses in finance, manufacturing and retail.
Chng commented that SMEs not equipped with cybersecurity skill sets, not knowing how to start and what to protect in an expanding online ecosystem and cloud-based environment could raise their level of awareness and knowledge by accessing the Mastercard Trust Center.
The centre includes links to curated education, resources and tools from trusted external sources.
Businesses, he advised, needed “visibility of their assets and (know) how to protect customer data, IP, pricing, etc”. They should also work with trusted third-party suppliers, as well as train staff and establish organisation house rules on processes when there is a breach and the crisis response.
Shangri-La serves up Singapore’s first ice cream-themed staycation
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Singapore and Häagen-Dazs have collaborated to create Singapore’s first ice cream-themed staycation.
The Häagen-Dazs Staycation package is available at two of the group’s properties in Singapore – Shangri-La Singapore near Orchard and Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa, Singapore.
The package includes exclusive Häagen-Dazs collectible cushion, teddy bear, bath bomb, face mask, coaster set, picnic mat and cooler bag.
Each room also comes with a mini-freezer stocked with Häagen-Dazs pints, stickbars and mini-cups that can be enjoyed during the stay or as take-home treats. Also included in the package is a specially curated dessert featuring classic Häagen-Dazs flavours, and a S$20 (US$14) Häagen-Dazs voucher.
The two-day, one-night package at Shangri-La Singapore is priced from S$499 nett, and comes with complimentary breakfast for two at The Line and complimentary car parking.
For Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa, Singapore, the package is priced from S$599 nett for a two-day, one-night stay and from S$1,088 nett for a three-day, two-night stay. Each package comes with complimentary daily breakfast for two.
The packages are exclusively available on Klook’s booking platform, for stays from October 1 to November 18.
Rosewood to open first stand-alone residential project in Lido Key
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has signed a deal to launch the brand’s inaugural stand-alone residential project in Lido Key, which will take the form of a 65-unit condominium slated for completion in 2025.
Rosewood Residences Lido Key – spearheaded by developer The Ronto Group and real estate investment firm Wheelock Street Capital – will be situated off the coast of Sarasota, Florida, a short walk from St. Armands circle.
Set to occupy 1.41ha of beachfront real estate, the residences will boast Gulf of Mexico views and average approximately 390m² in size.
On-site amenities will include a private restaurant and chef services for in-residence dining and catering, fitness centre with options for private training and yoga sessions, outdoor pools, massage rooms, private guest suites with housekeeping service, lounge featuring library and game room, and a 24-hour concierge.
Rosewood Residences Lido Key are for purchase only, no rentals will be available. Sales reservations for the condominium will launch in December 2021, with pricing yet to be announced.
Australia’s tourism minister said that the federal government plans to reopen its international border by Christmas “at the latest”.
Under the national reopening plan, Australians will be allowed to travel overseas again once 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 16 and over have been fully vaccinated.
Local media reported Tehan as having said at a National Press Club of Australia event on Wednesday (September 22) that Australians will be able to “freely travel outside Australia”, with no restrictions on the destination, once that vaccination target in their respective home state is reached. They will also not need to go through hotel quarantine upon their return.
Australia’s border has been closed to all non-citizens and non-residents since March last year.
Tehan also said the government is still in talks with several countries to set up travel bubbles to reduce quarantine time.