South Korea plans travel bubbles, “flights to nowhere” for inbound travellers to boost aviation industry
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.
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.
Conrad Bangkok makes a new GM hire
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 launches vaccine passport, inoculation drive for hotel staff
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.
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.
New B2B portal to promote niche tourism products in Malaysia
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.
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.”
Accor plants Raffles flag in Macau
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.
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.
New TTG video series spotlights innovation amid pandemic
Launching on March 9, a new video series under the TTG Conversations banner will cast the limelight on tourism businesses that have found creative solutions to navigate disruptions caused by the pandemic.
TTG Conversations: Innovator Chat peeks behind the curtain to explore how industry players – both big and small – have turned to innovative or even unorthodox means to ensure business continuity amid travel standstill.
From gamifying virtual tours to ‘adopting’ wildlife, these unique programmes have proved a critical lifeline that could eventually influence the way travel products are consumed when leisure tourism revives.
Catch weekly rollout of new episodes of TTG Conversations: Innovator Chat on ttgasia.com, and on TTG Asia Media’s YouTube channel.
Air traffic activity for 2021 gets off to sluggish start: IATA
Demand for air travel has continued to fall, due to increased travel restrictions by governments to combat new Covid variants.
According to the IATA, passenger traffic fell in January 2021, both in comparison to pre-Covid levels (January 2019) and the immediate month prior (December 2020).
Total demand in January 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) was down 72% compared to January 2019 (2020 statistics are distorted due to the impact of Covid-19). That was worse than the 69.7% year-over-year decline recorded in December 2020.
Total domestic demand was down 47.4% versus pre-crisis (January 2019) levels. In December, it was down 42.9% on the previous year. This weakening is largely driven by stricter domestic travel controls in China over the Lunar New Year holiday period.
International passenger demand in January was 85.6% below January 2019, a further drop compared to the 85.3% year-to-year decline recorded in December.
“2021 is starting off worse than 2020 ended and that is saying a lot. Even as vaccination programmes gather pace, new Covid variants are leading governments to increase travel restrictions,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
“The uncertainty around how long these restrictions will last also has an impact on future travel. Forward bookings in February this year for the Northern Hemisphere summer travel season were 78% below levels in February 2019.”
Asia-Pacific airlines’ January traffic plummeted 94.6% compared to the 2019 period, virtually unchanged from the 94.4% decline registered for December 2020 compared to a year ago. The region continued to suffer from the steepest traffic declines for a seventh consecutive month. Capacity dropped 86.5%, by far the lowest among regions.
Middle Eastern airlines saw demand plunge 82.3% in January compared to January 2019, which was broadly unchanged from an 82.6% demand drop in December versus a year ago. Capacity fell 67.6%.
China’s domestic traffic was down 33.9% in January compared to January 2019, dramatically worsened compared to the 8.5% year-over-year decline in December. The fall was owing to stricter traffic controls ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday period amid several localised Covid-19 outbreaks.
Australia’s international borders to remain shut until June
Australia’s federal government has extended by another three months the emergency travel ban through to mid-June, amid concerns that the pandemic continues to pose a public health threat to the country.
The emergency directive, initially slated to end on March 17, 2021, has been pushed back to June 17, with federal health minister Greg Hunt saying that the move was due to the “unacceptable risk” of Covid-19 outbreaks in other countries.
The international travel ban first kicked in on March 17, 2020 under the Biosecurity Act 2015, with the initial outbreak of Covid-19. The ban was due to expire in December, but was extended for three months, and now once again.
Hunt said: “The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has advised the Australian government (that) the Covid-19 situation overseas continues to pose an unacceptable public health risk to Australia, including the emergence of more highly transmissible variants.
“The extension of the emergency period for a further three months is about mitigating that risk for everyone’s health and safety.”
During the emergency period, precaution measures that will prevail include pre-departure testing and mandatory mask-wearing on international flights, and restrictions on international travel for Australians leaving the country. Trading restrictions on retail stores at international airports will also continue, while cruise ships are banned from operating within Australian territory.
However, Hunt said, the Australian government continues to work closely with relevant authorities and the cruise industry “to develop a framework for the staged resumption of cruise ships in a manner that is proportionate to the public health risk”.
Meanwhile, Qantas has pushed back by four months its plans for the restart of international flights to end of October, when the country’s vaccination programme is expected to conclude.
Wave of veganism sweeps travel industry
Veganism’s influence in the tourism space is growing, with vegan-friendly tours, excursions and digital travel apps emerging as another tool for travel companies to attract eco-focused travellers, according to GlobalData.
As tourism companies look to recover from Covid-19, they see greater personalisation as key in helping to ensure customer satisfaction. Consequently, accommodating every traveller type – vegan included – will be critical in the future of travel.
Johanna Bonhill-Smith, travel and tourism analyst, commented: “A common objective across the entire travel and tourism sector is to deliver a ‘seamless’ traveller experience for each customer along every touchpoint, on an individualised, trip-by-trip basis.
“Vegan travellers can often encounter problems ranging from where to stay to a lack of suitable meal choices. Language barriers and cultural differences can often exacerbate these problems. This creates an opportunity where personalised recommendations are lacking and catering for a growing vegan consumer base could soon be a key differentiator.”
Unique apps have emerged, with Veg Visits and Air Vegan identified as key innovators. Veg Visits, for example, is a vegan home-sharing platform providing individuals with ‘vegan hosts’ across 80 countries. Air Vegan rates how vegan-friendly an airport is, giving users insights into the best vegan food spots within it.
Some lodging providers also commonly provide for the vegan tourist – for example, Hilton opened its first vegan hotel suite in 2019. Tour operators are also capitalising on this market with smaller companies such as Responsible Travel promoting 34 vegan holidays across destinations worldwide including Greece, Ethiopia, India and Costa Rica.
Bonhill-Smith said: “The view that a vegan diet reflects a more sustainable form of lifestyle is gaining increased traction and is no longer considered a market niche.”
In a GlobalData survey conducted in December 2020, 76 per cent of over 5,700 global respondents say they were influenced by how ethical/environmentally friendly/socially responsible the product/service is. Prior to Covid-19, only 46 per cent of global respondents say they actively buy products that are ‘better for the environment or animal friendly’ in GlobalData’s 3Q2019 consumer survey, which polled more than 29,000 respondents.
“This suggests travellers’ perceptions are changing during Covid-19 and many may decide to make more environmentally-friendly decisions – including going vegan,” Bonhill-Smith said.
“Servicing a traveller’s every need is going to be critical in post-pandemic recovery to both restore confidence and ensure satisfaction. With a greater level of satisfaction, there is, in turn, a higher chance to attract loyal customers – a promising prospect in light of Covid-19 and the detrimental losses it has inflicted on company revenues,” he added.
“As travel companies aspire to personalise each individual’s experience, ‘veganism’ should be an area to be acknowledged and acted upon, not ignored across the tourism sector.”
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.
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.”