SIA launches seasonal flights to Seattle and Vancouver
BWH Hotel Group announces new president and CEO
Lawrence (Larry) M. Cuculic has been appointed president and CEO by
BWH Hotel Group’s Board of Directors, taking over from outgoing president and CEO, David Kong.
Cuculic has been serving as senior vice president and general counsel for the company for 12 years and will assume his new role as president and CEO on December 1, 2021.
Prior to joining BWH Hotel Group, Cuculic was senior vice president general counsel and corporate secretary for Wabash National Corporation. Previously, Cuculic served as vice president legal and corporate secretary for American Commercial Lines, and was a partner in the law firm Gambs, Mucker & Bauman.
Tourism WA welcomes new managing director
Former Perth Airport executive Carolyn Turnbull has been appointed as Tourism Western Australia’s new managing director, for a five-year term that will commence October 18, 2021.
Turnbull brings 20 years of international leadership experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, and joined Tourism WA in 2020 as the executive director – industry, aviation and markets.
The industry leader’s experience includes senior executive roles with global hospitality brands including Aman Resorts.
Before joining Tourism WA, Turnbull was spearheading the development of the western gateway as chief aviation development officer at Perth Airport.
Kathy Fong leads Sabre’s HK travel agency business
Kathy Fong has been appointed as country manager of Sabre’s travel agency business in Hong Kong.
In this role, Fong will be responsible for leading sales, tracking performance, business development and agency engagement in Hong Kong, including customers in mainland China and Macau. She will also pursue key business opportunities in line with Sabre’s long-term strategic plan in these North Asia markets.
A veteran in the travel industry, Fong has spent more than 25 years with Sabre, with the past 20 years in various sales roles. Most recently, Fong served as leader of Sabre’s premier accounts team in Hong Kong.
Fresh new look for Ramada Resort by Wyndham Phillip Island
Ramada Resort by Wyndham Phillip Island has completed a A$7.5 million (US$5.5 million) major renovation, adding features like brand new accommodation offerings, and a redesigned restaurant and bar; while also introducing a host of onsite activities.
Nestled on 26.3ha of Victorian bushland, Ramada Resort by Wyndham Phillip Island features studio, two and three-bedroom villa accommodation and is accessed by resort guests and members of Club Wyndham South Pacific vacation club. The resort is home to a range of facilities along with conference and events spaces.
The refurbishment project, which commenced in 2019, included the renovation of 137 villas and the addition of new Deluxe and Grand villas. The onsite restaurant has also been redesigned with a sleek fit out and an upgrade to its culinary offerings. Renamed Flametrees, the restaurant offers an extensive menu, wine list, cocktail bar, and fireside dining.
Family-friendly activities introduced at the resort include an outdoor cinema, jumping castles (during school holidays), trivia and bingo nights, scavenger hunts and kite-flying competitions. The resort has acquired pedal karts and has converted a walking trail into a mini grand prix track as a nod to Phillip Island’s own world-famous circuit.
Onsite facilities also include a gym, sauna, indoor and outdoor spa, two outdoor swimming pools, a children’s wading pool, electric bikes, games room, three tennis courts and a children’s playground.
IHG signs Holiday Inn property in Dandenong
IHG Hotels & Resorts will continue its expansion in Victoria with the signing of the Holiday Inn Dandenong with hotel owners, the Pelligra Group.
This will be IHG’s fifth hotel with the Pelligra Group, joining Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport, the newly opened Holiday Inn Werribee, and upcoming Holiday Inn Melbourne Richmond and Crowne Plaza Melbourne Carlton.
Formerly the Ramada Encore by Wyndham Dandenong, the hotel will undergo a A$10 million (US$7.3 million) refurbishment, and open as a Holiday Inn in April 2022. This will include all 108 guestrooms receiving a major refurbishment plus an additional 18 new rooms added. The lobby will also be transformed to incorporate Holiday Inn’s Open Lobby concept.
Holiday Inn Dandenong will join the 42 open or pipeline Holiday Inn brand family hotels in Australasia and the Pacific.
Robert Cousins joins Niccolo Suzhou as GM
Wharf Hotels has appointed Robert Cousins as general manager of Niccolo Suzhou.
A 22-year hospitality veteran, Cousins has extensive hotel operations experience in China. Prior to Niccolo Suzhou, he was general manager of Waldorf Astoria Xiamen – which he successfully opened – and previously held leadership positions at Raffles in Hainan, and Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai.
The Canadian began his hospitality career in rooms and expanded his experience in F&B, while working in Canada and the US.
Western Australian adventures await onboard Dream Cruises
Passengers aboard the Dream Cruises can now soak in the tastes, sights and sounds of Western Australia, from the world famous Margaret River wine region to the spectacular Pinnacles desert.
In the first-of-its-kind collaboration with a cruise company that is ongoing till November 6, Tourism Western Australia has curated a gamut of fun-filled adventures ranging from Swan Valley gourmet produce sampling to Amazing Race games.
Passengers can also choose to book a Western Australian thematic cabin package which includes a plush toy, dry bag, mobile ring grid and a wine pairing menu for two at the Prime Steakhouse & Seafood Grill Restaurant by Mark Best.
Interiors of the 10 themed cabins feature decorations and imagery showcasing the iconic features of each Western Australian region. These familiar landmarks include the Blue Boat House, Busselton Jetty, Roebuck Bay, Pinnacles and Wildflowers at Canna Reserve.
Ava Ang, country head for Tourism Western Australia, Singapore & Malaysia, said: “With the anticipation of borders reopening in the next few months, this partnership is our way of stimulating visitor interest to Western Australia. By bringing a sampling of the experiences onboard, we seek to inspire travellers to fly to Perth and enjoy all that the State has to offer.”
Passengers get to savour the culinary taste of the Swan Valley produce in the Markets of the World, an array of food stalls representing international delights. Sampling of House of Honey products, Moorish nuts, Whistler chocolates and Mondo nougat is available.
Orders can be placed for these products as well as wine from Upper Reach, Riverbank Estate, Sittella, Oakover, Faber Vineyard, Sandalford, Pinelli Estate and Mandoon Estate onboard the cruise.
Passengers can also dine on the popular Western Australia rock lobster at specialty restaurants on the ship. The produce, worth A$20,000 (US$14,686), is flown in specially by Destination Perth and the City of Swan.
Quinton the Quokka from the world’s cutest marsupial family, found only in Western Australia, will also make an appearance onboard. There are plenty of selfie moments at various recognisable backdrops of Western Australia spread around the cruise ship. The winner of the best selfie will walk away with an all-expense paid trip for two to Western Australia worth A$9,999.
Quokka soft toys and other prizes including a Western Australian hamper are in store for winners of the Western Australia Amazing Race stops and the Trivial Wall.
Malaysian stakeholders form alliance to prepare for tourism reopening
Four major tourism players in Malaysia have joined forces to ramp up destination readiness and facilitate Malaysia’s reopening to leisure and business travellers as interstate travel resumes from today (October 11).
The four players are the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS), Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) and airlines under the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) comprising of Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings.
The signing of a MoU on Sunday at The Danna, Langkawi, focuses on combined efforts to be led by the three association giants in the industry and the national airline company to establish a Travel Safe Alliance (TSA) Malaysia and to position Malaysia as a safe destination for leisure and business travellers.
Certified by Bureau Veritas Certification Malaysia, it is a complete ecosystem of safe travel solutions made up of the “Travel Safe” label for travel and tour arrangements, “Clean & Safe Malaysia” label for hotels, and “SafeBE” for Business Events and convention venues.
Signatories to the MoU were MATTA president Tan Kok Liang; MAH president N. Subramaniam; MACEOS president Francis Teo; and Group CEO of Malaysia Aviation Group, Izham Ismail.
At a virtual press conference on Sunday, Nancy Shukri, minister of tourism, arts and culture, stated that her ministry recognises and supports the three certification programmes.
She said: “We need extraordinary strategies such as these to revive not only the tourism and business events industries, but also the socio-economy of the country. More vital collaborations between the public and private sectors is the key to accelerate the recovery of our industry and economy.”
She said the ministry is also getting feedback from Tourism Malaysia’s overseas directors on the expectations of foreign travellers in the new normal, so that Malaysia can meet their expectations once borders reopen.
In his opening remarks, Tan shared that the TSA Malaysia is working very closely with Singapore Safe Alliance on proposals based on safety standards on “how we can quickly work with our respective governments to reopen reciprocal travel arrangements between our two countries beginning with travel bubbles like Langkawi and business events in Singapore”. He added that details of the partnership will be announced later this month.
The Alliance has also made a number of proposals to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture on ways to speed up recovery through the Travel Safe programme.
In a live telecast on Sunday, prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that interstate travel will resume nationwide from Monday as 90 per cent of the country’s adult population has been fully vaccinated. Interstate travel has been banned since January to curb a surge in Covid-19 cases.
He added that international travel will also be allowed from Monday for those who are fully vaccinated. However, travellers must do a swab test three days before returning to Malaysia, and another swab test upon arriving in Malaysia.
Industry welcomes govt’s proposal of setting up culture, sports and tourism bureau
Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam laid out her vision for the city in her last policy address delivered last Wednesday (October 6), including to work out a detailed re-organisation proposal for consideration and implementation by the next-term government.
Her vision included the establishment of a Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to consolidate the culture portfolio and the creative industries and tourism portfolio currently under the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau respectively.
Industry stakeholders have welcomed the proposal, saying that this may facilitate the development of Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, especially upon the completion of new infrastructure projects.
These include the commissioning of the Third Runway of Hong Kong International Airport targeted for 2022, M+ Museum set to open next month, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the Lyric Theatre Complex, the East Kowloon Cultural Centre, as well as the Kai Tak Sports Park, which can also stage cultural performances in the coming years.
Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman, Pang Yiu-kai, welcomed the proposal which may co-ordinate related works and consolidate Hong Kong’s position as the MICE and tourism capital of the Greater Bay Area, as well as an international travel destination through the hosting of major international MICE events.
A recent survey conducted by Hong Kong Travel Agents’ Relief Alliance showed that 70 per cent of respondents supported the idea of a dedicated Bureau for culture.
Convenor Perry Yiu opined: “The proposal reflected the government’s willingness to take the industry’s advice and prepare for the restructure to spur synergy among sports, tourism and culture.”
She said that the central government’s introduction of the National 14th Five-Year Plan shows its support to position Hong Kong as an East‑meets‑West centre for international cultural exchange. The plan “favours long-term tourism development and reinforce our position as tourism hub,” she added.
The government continues to support the tourism sector with initiatives such as deepening co‑operation with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities, establishing the GBA tourism brand, as well as attracting more events and C&E activities to Hong Kong through various funding and promotion programmes.
Come 2025, Hong Kong is set to host the 15th National Games together with Macao and Guangdong – a move which fosters more diversified development in sports.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be launching seasonal flights to Seattle and Vancouver, offering customers more travel options to North America during the year-end holiday season.
From December 2 to February 15, the airline will operate four-times-weekly services to Vancouver, Canada and Seattle. Two of the weekly flights from Seattle and Vancouver to Singapore will operate as vaccinated travel lane (VTL) services, providing eligible customers quarantine-free entry into Singapore.
SIA is also converting its daily direct San Francisco-Singapore services to designated VTL services from next Wednesday (October 20). These provide additional quarantine-free travel options for customers to travel to and from North America, on top of the earlier announced VTL services from Los Angeles and New York.
SIA will deploy the 253-seater Airbus A350-900, with 42 business class seats, 24 premium economy class seats and 187 economy class seats, on the Singapore-Vancouver-Seattle service.
Flight SQ28 will depart from Singapore at 09.15 and arrive at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) at 07.30, and depart Vancouver at 08.40 to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) at 09.30.
Flight SQ29, SIA’s twice-weekly designated VTL service, will depart from Seattle at 11.00 and arrive at Vancouver at 11.45 on the same day. It will then depart from Vancouver at 13.15 and arrive in Singapore at 22.05 the following day.
SIA will also operate SQ27, a twice-weekly Seattle-Vancouver-Singapore service that is not a designated VTL flight in order to cater to customers who are ineligible to enter Singapore under the VTL arrangement.
On the San Francisco service, flight SQ34 departs Singapore at 18.40 and arrives at 19.05. The return flight SQ33 departs San Francisco at 22.05 and arrives in Singapore at 05.45 two days later. The flight timings will change with effect from October 31.
For this service, SIA operates the 161-seat Airbus A350-900 ULR with 67 business class seats and 94 premium economy class seats.
The addition of San Francisco, Seattle, and Vancouver expands the SIA Group’s VTL network to 17 cities. SIA will operate VTL services from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, and Rome from October 19, and Seoul from November 16.
These are on top of the existing VTL services from Bandar Seri Begawan, Frankfurt, and Munich. Scoot, SIA’s sister airline, will begin VTL flights from Berlin from October 20.
Multi-city itineraries within VTL countries are allowed if customers meet the eligibility criteria. Customers travelling on the VTL flights also enjoy transfers via Singapore Changi Airport to 59 destinations within the SIA Group network.