Finnair codeshares with Turkish Airlines
Finnair and Turkish Airlines have signed a codeshare agreement that will give the airlines’ customers access to more destinations.
Starting September 29, the Finnair code will be added to Turkish Airlines’ route between Helsinki and Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Athens, Sofia, Thessaloniki, Amman, Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Antalya and Gazipasa.
Respectively, the Turkish Airlines code will be added to the following routes from Finnair’s Helsinki hub: Kuopio, Vaasa, Oulu, Rovaniemi, Reykjavik, Tallinn, Tartu, Riga, Vilnius, Antalya and Gazipasa.
“We are happy to be able to offer more options to our customers, as travel now starts to recover and our customers are again able to fulfil their travel dreams,” said Ole Orvér, CCO, Finnair. “We also welcome Turkish Airlines’ customers to explore the beautiful Nordics through our extensive network of connections from Helsinki.”
“We are glad to expand our current interline cooperation in terms of this codeshare agreement with Finnair. With the introduction of joint flights on several destinations in Finland, Turkey and Baltics, Iceland, South Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, passengers would enjoy more travel alternatives through the combined flights,” said Ahmet Bolat, Turkish Airlines’ chief investment & technology officer.
Turkish Airlines currently operates to more than 300 international passenger and cargo destinations across 127 countries.
Accor joins global sustainability network
Accor has joined the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, a global organisation that unites hospitality companies to address and tackle key challenges affecting the planet and its people.
The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance drives collaborative action and develops free practical resources and programmes to enable the wider industry with leading hospitality companies and strategic partners to operate responsibly and grow sustainably.
Also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they commit to pilot continued actions on a range of social and environmental issues including human rights, youth employment, climate action and water stewardship.
The Alliance’s members make up 25 per cent of the global hotel industry by rooms and include 14 world-leading hotel companies including Hilton, Hyatt, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Radisson Hotel Group. Member companies work together on issues like improving supply chain standards and mitigating climate change.
Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO, Accor, said: “Sustainability and social responsibility are essential to our business. As a global hospitality group, we have a responsibility that goes far beyond our own impacts and it’s our role to shape the future of travel and take care of our planet and the communities in which we operate.
“We believe working together as an industry on sustainability makes us stronger and is the most effective way in finding new ways to contributing positively to the environment and the local communities globally.”
Philippines eyes Phuket’s Sandbox model for tourism reopening
As it gears up for the reopening of international borders, the Philippines is looking at the possibility of replicating Phuket’s Sandbox model, while at the same time working to ease travel protocols.
Tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said at the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2021 in Subic that as early as May this year, the government has already been working on setting up green lanes, similar to Phuket’s Sandbox scheme that allows fully vaccinated travellers from low-risk countries to enter the Thai resort island without quarantine.
Romulo-Puyat pointed out that as authorities wish to ease travel restrictions, especially for fully vaccinated tourists, more Filipinos are getting inoculated while all tourism workers nationwide are expected to be vaccinated before year-end.
It is “imperative” for the Philippines to return to the international stage and the sandbox model “seems to be the most viable”, given its direct air access, opined C9 Hotelworks managing director, Bill Barnett.
“Cebu is the logical choice given it’s an island and has direct international routes,” said Barnett.
Meantime, in a webinar by the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and Santos Knight Frank, tourism undersecretary Verna Buensuceso said travel corridors within Asia is possible as they are looking at green lanes with say, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan going directly to specific destinations in the Philippines.
It can include specialised charters to destinations that are prepared to accept foreign visitors with specialised protocols for groups coming in, Buensuceso said.
And as the country prepares for foreign arrivals, especially for fully vaccinated individuals, Buensuceso said that authorities are “looking at offering protocols that will be a bit more relaxed compared with what we have today”.
She said the country is also looking at the “interoperability within our own system” of the EU Covid certificate and IATA travel pass, even as it is also “in the process of putting together a vaccination passport for our own needs”.
“We are exploring these avenues now to make travel a bit more convenient across destinations and markets,” Buensuceso shared.
She estimated a recovery period of two-and-a-half to four years for Philippine tourism because that is also the outlook for the international landscape as per projections by UNWTO, PATA and WTTC.
Langkawi’s reopening draws nature, upmarket travellers
Langkawi tourism and hospitality operators are observing good demand for five-star and boutique hotels as well as more high-end tours and activities, since the reopening of the Malaysian island last week to fully vaccinated domestic tourists under the pioneer travel bubble project.
Mega Water Sports & Holidays director of sales and marketing, Sharmini Violet, said: “Our clients come for weekend getaways and they are willing to spend on upmarket activities such as chartering a whole yacht and going on private tours, or enjoying our jet ski tours or sunset cruises.”
She added that the majority of her clients come from the Klang Valley and have chosen the convenience of flights over road trips to Langkawi.
Sharmini further shared that many five-star hotels on the island destination are seeing high occupancy rates, driven by attractive promotional offers.
Another operator, Sri Sari, director at Junglewalla Langkawi, shared that the agency’s nature-based kayaking and Geopark tour packages are doing well with the locals, whereas the expatriate market tend to go for birdwatching tours, nature walks and tours to spot nocturnal wildlife.
She also shared that locals tend to book on weekends, whereas the expatriate market are willing to stay for longer and work remotely.
Amran Ahmed, co-founder of Ambong-Ambong Rainforest Retreat and Ambong Pool Villas, shared that the pool villa accommodations in both of his properties are recording an average occupancy of 70 per cent, mainly comprising couples from the Klang Valley.
He said: “People are choosing to stay with us because of the boutique and personalised experiences we offer. Many choose to stay in, order room service and enjoy the villas. We are also seeing a number of people working remotely from their villas.”
YouTrip sets up innovation lab in Singapore, looks to double local workforce by 2022
YouTrip, Singapore’s first multi-currency mobile wallet, will be establishing an innovation lab in the country to fast-track its technology capabilities and product development to capture the rise of the multi-currency payments landscape.
In this next phase of its business growth, YouTrip will be doubling its local workforce with over 50 new hires in Singapore across engineering and product development by 2022. The new positions will add on to YouTrip’s current headcount of close to 100 across all its locations.
YouTrip’s expanded workforce in the innovation lab will be crucial in driving the development of a new suite of multi-currency products and features to serve the changing needs of its users.
This includes YouTrip Business, a new multi-currency corporate credit card aimed at helping companies save money and time on cross-border payments. Compared to the consumer product, this new business card promises higher spending limits while transacting at the best exchange rates in more than 150 currencies, with credit terms offered to selected business account users.
YouTrip Business also enables companies to issue multi-currency cards to employees, and streamlines all expenses in one platform.
YouTrip will also be investing in a brand refresh to elevate consumers’ multi-currency spending. This brand rehaul will reflect the fintech startup’s transformation from a travel wallet to a broader digital payments app that drives its mission of simplifying multi-currency spending.
Beyond debuting a new brand identity, the YouTrip app will also be redesigned with new features such as a virtual card, an interactive exchange rates dashboard, YouTrip exclusive deals, and the ability to hold more popular currencies in their wallet – all aimed at delivering seamless payments in foreign currency.
Both products are in its development stage and scheduled to be launched in early 2022.
Caecilia Chu, co-founder and CEO, YouTrip, said: “Despite the travel standstill, we’ve continued to register a significant growth in overseas online spending, further underscoring the importance of cross-border payments for consumers and businesses. With this shift in spending, our advancement in innovation to offer a wider suite of multi-currency is timely, and drives our goal of elevating the cross-border payment experience for our users in Singapore and the region.”
Aligned with Singapore’s efforts to nurture future cohorts of fintech talents, YouTrip is also launching a Software Engineering Graduate Programme. This two-year training initiative will provide entry-level engineers with the core knowledge, mentorship and job rotations to master domain and technical expertise valuable for today’s fintech landscape.
IHG embraces flexible working to tackle hospitality labour shortage
IHG Hotels & Resorts has introduced a suite of new benefits including flexible work arrangements to its employees in Australia, as it looks to attract and retain skilled workers amid the talent shortage impacting the hospitality industry due to Covid-19.
Branded as IHG myBenefits, the platform includes hallmarks such as flexible work arrangements, as well as paid parental and partner leave, birthday leave, and the ability to use personal leave for proactive wellness. IHG is also moving domestic violence leave entitlements from an unpaid to paid leave arrangement, and making available sabbatical leave for its employees to pursue personal or passion projects.
Additionally, IHG employees will have access to the IHG myPerks platform which carries discounts and cashbacks at more than 400 retailers and service providers. The online platform also contains a Wellbeing Hub, which is designed to support staff physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Leanne Harwood, IHG’s managing director Japan, Australasia and Pacific, said: “People who work in hospitality know that it’s a fantastic place to grow a rewarding career, but we recognise that, now more than ever, we have to do everything we can to make the most compelling proposition for people to join or stay in our industry.
“Part of that is making sure we are offering our employees the most attractive benefits and working conditions. Offering our colleagues flexible working agreements is something we are truly passionate about and it’s a policy that we are proud to be rolling out. Each colleague’s situation will be different, based on their role and personal circumstances, so we’re committed to working with them to find the best way to bring some more flexibility into their lives.“
Harwood added that as IHG gears up for another record year of hotel openings in the region, “we need to get people back to being excited about working in hospitality and we need to do more to attract people to a career in the accommodation sector“.
“By providing a compelling suite of benefits, perks and flexible working arrangements, we hope it will attract jobseekers to our industries and most importantly, retain the wonderful talent we already have in our business.”
Staycation demand in Singapore going strong: Tripadvisor survey
With international travel largely on hold, staycation demand in Singapore remains unwavering, with 86 per cent of Singaporeans planning to book at least one local trip in the next two months, found a new Tripadvisor study.
According to Tripadvisor’s Seasonal Travel Index for Fall, the vast majority (87 per cent) of travel intent in the Asia-Pacific region remains domestic.
A third of Singaporeans (33 per cent) are planning at least two domestic trips this fall and more than one in ten (12 per cent) are planning on taking three or more domestic trips.
This revenge travel mindset is also evident in the spending habits of Singaporeans this fall as around one in three (35 per cent) plan to spend more on their biggest trip than they did on their biggest trip during the same period pre-pandemic in 2019. Gen Z Singaporeans are most likely to spend more, with nearly half (46 per cent) saying that they will do so.
The study also found that while single-night staycations were all the rage at the start of the pandemic, with prolonged lockdowns and work-from-home, a growing number of Singaporeans are seeking longer getaways.
Around one in seven (13 per cent) of Singaporean travellers indicated their plans for a one-night stay, compared with the 59 per cent that are looking for a longer two- to five-day stay.
In the age of Covid-19, cleanliness remains a top priority for travellers. When it comes to hotels, Singaporean travellers are searching most for clean and modern hotels, with family and mid-range hotels proving the most popular hotel types in Singapore.
The study also revealed that Singaporeans are spending S$487 (US$360) on average on their fall trip. When it comes to planning international travel, city trips are top of the list for Singaporeans, with the most popular destinations being New York City, London, Hong Kong and Dubai.
Hyatt brings Park Hyatt brand to Changsha
Hyatt has collaborated with The Wharf (Holdings) to open a new Park Hyatt hotel in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, marking the luxury brand’s entry into Central China.
Slated to open in 2023, Park Hyatt Changsha will be situated in the heart of the city within the Changsha IFS, a mixed-use development housing a shopping mall, two towers with office space and two luxury hotels.
Expected to occupy levels 54-63 of Changsha IFS Tower 2, Park Hyatt Changsha will feature 230 guestrooms, culinary and wellness experiences, as well as meeting and event spaces.
The hotel will be located within a 30-minute drive from the high-speed railway and a 40-minute drive from the Changsha International Airport.
Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing welcomes new GM
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Richard Langonne as general manager of Mandarin Oriental Wangfujing, Beijing.
In his new role, Langonne oversees all operations at the 73-room luxury boutique hotel in the very centre of China’s capital.
He has nearly two decades of experience in the luxury hotel industry, most recently as hotel manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, since 2017. In that position, he supervised daily operations and played a leading role in strengthening the positioning of the group’s flagship property.
The Frenchman began his career with Hotel de Crillon in Paris before moving to South-east Asia where he has held a variety of positions in launching and managing hotels across the region, including in Krabi, Bangkok, Macau and Hanoi. Langonne is no stranger to the China market, where he previously held posts in hotels in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
B2B bedbank WebBeds has been powering up for travel recovery, undertaking a transformation project to simplify the way it does business and provide enhanced support for partners.
As countries swiftly implemented travel restrictions to contain Covid-19, WebBeds focused on initiatives to ensure it could deliver immediate support and value to its partners globally, amid rapidly changing environments.
WebBeds CEO Daryl Lee said: “Recognising domestic markets would be the first to open, we took the strategic decision to pivot our contracting and sales efforts to focus on domestic travel, diversifying our business model, which in turn has strengthened our supplier relationships and further developed our global footprint.
“Another immediate change has been the reorganisation of our geographical management structure, moving to four regions from three (separating MEA and the Americas) and introducing regional leadership reporting into one WebBeds CEO. This reaffirms our commitment to strong local market representation within our global footprint.”
Lee added that WebBeds will be opening new offices in Saudi Arabia to capture emerging opportunities within that region and further develop its specialist brand Umrah Holidays International.
After performing a holistic review of the business, looking at overall strategy and areas where longer-term plans could be fast-tracked while demand was low, WebBeds commenced a series of transformational initiatives to prep for the reopening of global travel markets.
Lee said: “We challenged ourselves to test all assumptions about the way we worked, and pretty quickly established we could do things better for everyone concerned – suppliers, clients and our people too. The key driver has been simplification that drives efficiencies and makes it easier to do business with us.”
The simplification initiatives cover a number of key business functions and services provided within WebBeds Global Marketplace, including delivery of a new WebBeds ERP and enhancements to WebBeds contracting module and connectivity technology.
WebBeds also created a new Global Product Group that will sit within the commercial side of the business, ensuring a greater focus on stakeholder engagement to ensure it delivers products and services that best suit its supply and distribution partners’ needs.
WebBeds is also unifying its stable of trade-facing brands under a single, cohesive, global brand – WebBeds.
Lee explained: “Working with one brand simplifies our commercial proposition and streamlines our process for both our supply and distribution partners, enabling both to leverage the benefits of WebBeds Global Marketplace.”
For WebBeds clients, change in this area begins with WebBeds trade booking websites, where the DOTW, Fit Ruums, Lots of Hotels and Sunhotels booking sites will be rebadged WebBeds.
In the near future, the simplification ethos will extend to WebBeds booking sites, with the release of Single Sign-On access, enabling any client currently accessing more than one of WebBeds’ booking sites to do so from a single login page, using one set of new WebBeds user account credentials.