The onslaught of Covid-19 has kept travel operators in Singapore hanging by a thread – once frequented by a wealth of international tourists, the island nation now hinges on its population of less than six million to keep its tourism economy afloat.
Fighting for its share of the pie, Xperience Singapore Travel & Events has secured exclusive partnerships that open previously closed-door experiences to the mass market. These include gin tasting in a distillery with a touch of wartime exploration, and an aviation tour featuring a hangar with privately-owned jets.
In the debut episode of TTG Conversations: Innovator Chat, Jane Goh, director of Xperience Singapore Travel & Events, shares her process of transforming tourism content for the discerning domestic crowd.
While the easing of travel restrictions has allowed for inter-district travel in all Malaysian states except Sabah since March 5, the ongoing nationwide ban on interstate travel continues to take a toll on the tourism industry.
The impact is especially dire on tourism businesses which are dependent on domestic travellers from the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and densely populated states such as Selangor and Johor; as well as travel between east and west Malaysia.
Inter-district travel is now allowed across Malaysia except in Sabah; tourists visiting Batu Caves pictured
Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners vice president, Robert Chong, said that hotels and resorts are unlikely to benefit from inter-district travel, since the concept holds less appeal to domestic travellers. “Obviously, local people living in Langkawi or Port Dickson will not go for a vacation and stay at resorts in the district or state they are residing in,” he added.
He shared that while Tourism Malaysia and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture had initiated a programme to promote domestic tourism last year by giving discount vouchers for hotel stays, it is unfortunate that they cannot be utilised for now due to the ban on interstate travel.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Association of Hotels has proposed for the government to establish domestic travel bubbles, using Langkawi as a pilot test destination; ahead of the resumption of interstate travel.
Eugene Das, chairman of Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah and Perlis, opined that the travel bubbles could be formed between Langkawi and green zones.
“Langkawi has always been a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, and it has proven itself to be a safe destination when domestic tourism was allowed back in June and December of last year,” he said. He added that a travel bubble will also benefit airlines, retail outlets, restaurants and local car rentals on the island.
Stressing the need to reboot interstate travel, he said: “We need to reopen. The industry cannot be perpetually waiting and sustaining losses continuously. (A travel bubble) is safe, controlled and easily monitored.”
Tripadvisor has rolled out a subscription service that enables the direct participation of hotels in order to boost their visibility and help them reach more ready-to-book, high-spending travellers on the platform.
Tripadvisor Plus hotels receive special badging and increased visibility on the Tripadvisor platform, helping them to stand out from the competition and increase bookings at a lower cost than traditional channels. The programme is free for hotels to join, with no upfront costs and zero commission rates.
For travellers, Tripadvisor Plus offers the ability to up-level their travel by unlocking insider savings, personal service, benefits and perks (such as a free bottle of wine upon check-in, room upgrades when available, or spa credits), all available for an annual membership fee of US$99.
Tripadvisor Plus offers an innovative alternative to the traditional online model of room distribution for hotels. Rather than spend as much as 30 per cent per booking on commission fees, hotels can now significantly reduce their third-party costs and pass on some of those savings to their guests via discounts and perks, increasing room demand and enhancing the guest experience at the same time.
By offering these savings and perks to Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, hotels increase their visibility on the platform, among both subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Participating hotels receive special badging and enhanced placement within the Best Value sort order.
Discounted room rates available via Tripadvisor Plus can only be viewed by Tripadvisor members and can only be booked by Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, ensuring those rates are not widely available on the open internet, thereby preserving a hotel’s rate integrity.
Furthermore, by participating directly in the programme, Tripadvisor Plus hotels get full access to all of the customer information from each reservation. With no annual commitments and no last room availability requirements, participating hotels also enjoy flexibility, being able to opt in and out of discounting at any time as occupancy levels change.
Tripadvisor Plus launched in beta in December 2020 to a small slice of Tripadvisor’s traffic in the US, and will soon become available to all US travellers, with additional markets to follow later.
As part of its long-term sustainability plan, Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) will transform the resort island into a carbon-neutral destination by 2030.
To do so, SDC will identify and work with technology partners to testbed sustainable technologies and concepts on Sentosa, while also bringing on board some 200 businesses within Sentosa to work towards the aspiration of island carbon neutrality.
SDC to engage some 200 businesses on whole-of-Sentosa carbon profiling initiative to guide carbon mitigation and abatement efforts
Key priorities include working with businesses in Sentosa to establish an islandwide baseline carbon profile; decarbonising energy systems in Sentosa; closing the waste loop, such as reducing food waste; greening travel options in Sentosa; enhancing Sentosa’s digital architecture to optimise and control resources; as well as increasing awareness on sustainability and sustainable practices among Sentosa’s visitors.
As part of SDC’s collaboration with various partners, SDC and Temasek have signed an MoU to harness Temasek’s expertise and network of companies in studying and test-bedding sustainability solutions.
SDC and Temasek will identify opportunities for sustainability testbeds in Sentosa to lower the resort island’s carbon footprint. These solutions will leverage smart infrastructure to first detect and analyse energy usage, before using the data to engage users and influence consumption patterns, with the goal of reducing wastage.
The partnership will also explore new ways to deploy cooling solutions on Sentosa island and minimise waste going into Singapore’s incineration plants. To achieve these outcomes, SDC and Temasek will jointly engage various island stakeholders, including businesses in Sentosa and guests to seek participation and support to achieve these outcomes.
SDC CEO Thien Kwee Eng said: “Sustainability is a key priority and integral design principle in SDC’s journey to create great guest experiences and safeguard Sentosa’s value proposition for generations to come. Thus, even as we refresh our offerings amid changing guest preferences and needs, we will remain firmly committed to environmental sustainability and protecting our island charm, and ensure that our offerings are sensitive to our rich biodiversity and heritage.”
As part of the initial steps towards Sentosa’s carbon-neutrality goal, SDC is also engaging the island’s businesses, including hotels, dining establishments, attractions, and other offerings such as its marina club and golf club, on a whole-of-Sentosa carbon profiling initiative. The insights on carbon emissions will set the islandwide carbon profile baseline and guide future carbon mitigation and abatement efforts by various stakeholders on Sentosa.
Accor and Expedia Group have joined forces to expand the UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge into 96 countries.
The agreement, in collaboration with the UNESCO, sees 3,358 global Accor hotels sign on to the initiative to champion sustainable practices.
A total of 3,358 Accor hotels, including Pullman London St Pancras (above), join the drive to champion sustainable practices as environmental consciousness among travellers increases
The UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge promotes responsible practices, community resilience and heritage conservation, with the ultimate goal of changing the nature and impact of global tourism. Under The Pledge, parties commit to supporting the reduction and elimination of single-use plastics and promoting local economy and culture.
The Pledge was launched in October 2019 with the Tourism Authority of Thailand, UNESCO and Expedia Group. Accor’s hotels join over 500 hotels in Thailand that have signed The Pledge since the Thai microsite was established in 2020.
The expansion of The Pledge comes amid rising demand for tourism sustainability practices among travellers, led by millennials and Gen-Zers, Expedia said in a press statement.
Markus Keller, senior vice president, sales & distribution, Accor, said that joining the initiative is “a continuation of our group’s sustainable development programme Planet 21 – Acting Here which sets concrete and quantitative objectives relating to local sourcing, diversity and water, energy and waste management”.
“The UNESCO Sustainable Tourism Pledge aims to turn words into action and is a testimony of our growing commitment to collaborating closely with the hospitality sector in order to enhance environmental and sustainable tourism consciousness and practices across the world,” said Zuhairah Washington, senior vice president, strategic accounts, Expedia Group.
“Everyone needs to play their part in promoting sustainable tourism and helping preserve travel destinations. This partnership with Accor is about taking needed steps at a global scale to minimise waste in the tourism sector.”
South Korea will seek to establish quarantine-free travel bubble agreements with other countries as well as expand its sightseeing “flights to nowhere” services to inbound travellers, as part of measures to support the country’s pandemic-battered aviation industry.
The announcement was made by the finance minister Hong Nam-ki during an emergency economic meeting on Wednesday, reported The Korea Herald.
International arrivals to South Korea dived nearly 98 per cent in 2Q2020 year-on-year; a near-empty Incheon Airport in April 2020 pictured
While talks are underway, the Transport Ministry declined to reveal which countries they are in discussions with, it added.
The move comes as the government is looking for ways to boost the tourism sector, amid the global vaccine rollout, and the country’s new Covid-19 cases dropping below 500 daily.
“The aviation industry desperately needs support to maintain its competitiveness as it is a core sector in charge of export logistics and is where as many as 200,000 people work for, including related industries such as tourism,” Kim Sang-do, deputy minister for civil aviation at the Transport Ministry, was quoted by the report as saying during a press briefing. He also revealed that the government plans to launch an app-based travel pass, a digital solution for Covid-19 test certificates.
In addition, the government also intends to allow international travellers to board its “flights to nowhere”, allowing them to tour the country without entering, according to the report. Currently, only domestic airlines are allowed to offer these sightseeing flights, limited to local residents.
Gearoid Lyons has been appointed general manager of Conrad Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand.
Lyons brings with him more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to this, Lyons most recent role was hotel manager at Waldorf Astoria Bangkok.
Joining Hilton in 2010, he has previously held various management roles in full service and luxury hotels across multiple markets including London, Sydney, Perth, Tokyo and Bangkok.
Thailand inches one step closer to reopening its international borders with the launch of a coronavirus vaccine passport on Thursday, and the continued rollout of the national vaccination drive, with plans to inoculate staff at 58 alternative local quarantine (ALQ) hotels within Q3.
Of the vaccination plan, the tourism sector will receive 50,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines, out of a total 200,000 doses that had been shipped to the country in February. The sector expects to receive a second batch of five million doses, out of 26 million doses scheduled to arrive by end-June.
Hospitality workers in five tourist hotspots across Thailand included in first round of national vaccine drive
These vaccines will be administered to 13,000 employees at 58 ALQ hotels in five major tourist cities – Phuket, Surat Thani, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai and Krabi (the first batch excludes Krabi).
These ALQ hotels have a combined 6,716 rooms; comprising Phuket with 24 hotels (2,752 rooms), Chonburi with 16 hotels (2,522 rooms), Surat Thani with 10 hotels (288 rooms), Krabi with seven hotels (1,024 rooms), and Chiang Mai with one hotel (130 rooms).
Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, minister of tourism and sports, said the vaccine quota has been submitted to the Ministry of Public Health. “The immunisation drive in the five provinces will be done within Q3. And I hope they would be ready to accommodate foreign tourists after that,” he said.
Phiphat also urged the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to approve other types of accommodation besides hotels for quarantine purposes, such as villas and resorts.
In a move to reopen the country, the Thai government yesterday officially unveiled the vaccine passport titled International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis. Every Thai who has been vaccinated will obtain one.
The vaccine passport was created by the Ministry of Public Health, and unveiled by minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Bangkok.
Meanwhile, the government has green-lit the Songkran festival, the country’s biggest annual event, to go ahead next month in order to boost tourism and the economy. In Bangkok, Songkran will proceed at Khao San Road, and is expected to draw a large number of domestic visitors.
Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) will launch a B2B platform next month specialising in niche products, and targeted at both international and domestic travel trade players.
MTC president, Uzaidi Udanis, said he is targeting at least 500 activities and attractions from all across Malaysia when the platform goes live.
White water rafting among products to be featured on Malaysia Tourism Council’s new B2B platform
The platform, dubbed Universal Pass (UPass), will focus on Malaysian niche products that are not easily available to overseas wholesalers and not sold by OTAs. What sets it apart is its reservation system which allows bookings with instant confirmation and dynamic pricing.
Homestays, white water rafting, glamping by the river and adventure tours are among products to be featured on the platform, which will be run by a dedicated team from MTC and financed by industry players themselves. Uzaidi, however, declined to reveal the amount of investment.
On setting up the portal, Uzaidi said: “We are preparing for the reopening of international borders. When inbound travel restarts, we expect to see more travellers looking for unique, outdoor experiences and activities.
“This portal will be able to provide them with plenty of choices, and with dynamic pricing, trade buyers will be able to get some good deals, especially during low season.”
Once the platform goes live, MTC will start promoting the site to the international travel trade as well as keep them in the loop on the latest products and offerings in Malaysia.
Uzaidi said: “Overseas wholesalers will be able to make direct bookings with local product owners and suppliers, and get instant confirmation.”
Galaxy Entertainment Group has signed a deal with Accor to open an exclusive all-suite tower, Raffles at Galaxy Macau, within the integrated resort in 2H2021.
Located on the resort’s east promenade, Raffles at Galaxy Macau will feature approximately 450 suites, with a glass airbridge connecting the two towers on every floor. A selection of suites will boast their own private pools and gardens, while a small number of unique loft suites will be fitted with double-storey windows.
Raffles at Galaxy Macau is set to open in the second half of 2021
Guests may enjoy Raffles’ legendary signature afternoon tea experience or unwind in a secretive twist on the Raffles’ hallmark Long Bar – provenance of the iconic Singapore Sling – where they can sip a new iconic Sling tailored for Macau, or escape to The Glass House for breakfast or an elegant snack to enjoy the outdoors, in an indoor environment.
The Glass House, set amidst a Mediterranean-inspired garden, is within a few steps of the Raffles’ private infinity edge pool. Details on a luxury spa, and a specialty restaurant whispered to be helmed by a multi-Michelin-starred Japanese chef, are still under wraps. Guests will also enjoy easy access to entertainment, shopping, dining and leisure attractions at Galaxy Macau, directly connected to the resort’s lobby podium.
Tripadvisor has rolled out a subscription service that enables the direct participation of hotels in order to boost their visibility and help them reach more ready-to-book, high-spending travellers on the platform.
Tripadvisor Plus hotels receive special badging and increased visibility on the Tripadvisor platform, helping them to stand out from the competition and increase bookings at a lower cost than traditional channels. The programme is free for hotels to join, with no upfront costs and zero commission rates.
For travellers, Tripadvisor Plus offers the ability to up-level their travel by unlocking insider savings, personal service, benefits and perks (such as a free bottle of wine upon check-in, room upgrades when available, or spa credits), all available for an annual membership fee of US$99.
Tripadvisor Plus offers an innovative alternative to the traditional online model of room distribution for hotels. Rather than spend as much as 30 per cent per booking on commission fees, hotels can now significantly reduce their third-party costs and pass on some of those savings to their guests via discounts and perks, increasing room demand and enhancing the guest experience at the same time.
By offering these savings and perks to Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, hotels increase their visibility on the platform, among both subscribers and non-subscribers alike. Participating hotels receive special badging and enhanced placement within the Best Value sort order.
Discounted room rates available via Tripadvisor Plus can only be viewed by Tripadvisor members and can only be booked by Tripadvisor Plus subscribers, ensuring those rates are not widely available on the open internet, thereby preserving a hotel’s rate integrity.
Furthermore, by participating directly in the programme, Tripadvisor Plus hotels get full access to all of the customer information from each reservation. With no annual commitments and no last room availability requirements, participating hotels also enjoy flexibility, being able to opt in and out of discounting at any time as occupancy levels change.
Tripadvisor Plus launched in beta in December 2020 to a small slice of Tripadvisor’s traffic in the US, and will soon become available to all US travellers, with additional markets to follow later.