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.
Meliá Phuket Mai Khao welcomes new GM
Magdalena Martorell, a seasoned professional with two decades of hospitality experience in Europe and Asia has taken charge of Meliá Phuket Mai Khao.
The Spanish-born general manager comes to Meliá Phuket Mai Khao after successfully opening Meliá Shanghai Parkside in China, and SOL by Meliá Phu Quoc in Vietnam.
Martorell has worked with Meliá Hotels International for the entirety of her hospitality career, beginning 20 years ago when she was selected to join the leading Spanish hotel group’s internal development programme.
She steadily rose through the ranks, working as the operations manager at Tryp Rey Pelayo at Gijón in the north of Spain before becoming the resident manager at Meliá Barcelona. She then became the general manager at Tryp Barcelona Aeropuerto before moving to Asia in 2012 to assume the hotel manager post at Meliá Bali & The Garden Villas.
Opening soon, Meliá Phuket Mai Khao offers 30 suites and 70 villas, and facilities such as four dining outlets, a five-treatment-room spa, three swimming pools, a fully-equipped fitness centre, kids’ club, ballroom and two multifunctional rooms.
Dream Cruises to resume sailings in Taiwan
Dream Cruises will restart domestic cruises in Taiwan aboard its Explorer Dream ship from December 31, following a suspension of operations due to the Covid-19 outbreak in May of this year.
Upon resumption, Explorer Dream will once again offer two- and three-night Super Seacations from Keelung to domestic destinations including Hualien, Anping and Kaoshiung.
Kent Zhu, president, Genting Cruise Lines, said: “Since we suspended operations in May, Dream Cruises has been working with the Taiwan authorities to plan on the safe restart of cruises and to revisit our health and hygiene guidelines and protocols to ensure the safest environment for both guests and crew.
“We are proud to have been the first cruise company to resume cruises in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong and of our stellar record of no Covid-19-related incidents in Taiwan since Explorer Dream first began operations in July 2020.”
From July 2020 to May 2021, Dream Cruises has welcomed over 90,000 guests on board Explorer Dream for Super Seacations.
THAI unveils marketing plan to spur tourism recovery
Thai Airways International expressed readiness to move forward to regain confidence and trust with local and overseas travel agencies and partners, especially those from Europe, which is a key source market for the airline.
The announcement was made by CCO, Nond Kalinta, during a recent networking conference organised by the airline in The Peninsula Bangkok, under the theme THAI Networking: Discover Brand New Sky.
The event, which was sponsored by Mastercard, was attended by key local and overseas travel agencies along with international media. During the conference, THAI highlighted its sales, marketing and revenue strategies to coincide with the government’s plan to reopen the country.
Participants were introduced to THAI’s new products and services, as well as updated on the proactive progress of the airline’s rehabilitation plan.
THAI’s key pillar marketing strategies were highlighted as follows:
Sales and revenue optimisation
THAI will focus on potential revenue-generating destinations that will enable the airline to maximise sales and profit. THAI is also working in close cooperation with Star Alliance, partner airlines and THAI Smile Airways to expand its route network with new destinations.
Feasible products & improved services
New products and services will be introduced such as exclusive privileges for Royal Orchid Plus members, pre-selected meals service for Royal Silk Class passengers, and enhanced inflight entertainment. THAI is also collaborating with Doi Tung, The Mae Fah Luang Foundation, to create an exclusive coffee dubbed Black Silk Blend, which will be served on board to Royal Silk Class passengers.
Pricing and distribution channels
Sales distribution will be further enhanced through collaboration with travel agencies and online channels. The pricing will be more simplified and dynamic to market demand.
Marketing communication
Digital marketing will be extensively utilised based on customer network core behaviours to ensure better experience to access, engage, personalise, connect, and collaborate. This will be implemented with improved always-on content, social media harmonisation and modern CRM platform with AI capabilities.
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.