YouTrip strikes deal with Visa in SE Asia expansion push
Multi-currency mobile wallet YouTrip has inked a six-year partnership with Visa to accelerate its expansion in South-east Asia, starting with Malaysia and the Philippines.
First launched in Singapore in 2018 and Thailand the subsequent year – the latter in partnership with Kasikornbank – YouTrip has amassed over one million downloads to date.
Despite the pandemic, YouTrip said it continues to establish “a strong foothold” in the multi-currency space online. With its recent pivot to overseas e-commerce payment, the company recorded a three-fold increase in quarterly transactions, compared to the same period last year.
With the Visa tie-up, YouTrip hopes to tap into the growing preference for digital payments among consumers in South-east Asia. According to a Visa survey conducted last August among 5,102 consumers across South-east Asia, close to 70 per cent expect their usage of cashless payment methods to increase over the next 12 months.
With regional travel poised to be the first step towards international travel recovery, YouTrip said this presents it with an opportunity to solve a unique pain point for South-east Asian travellers. Unlike regional travel in other parts of the world such as Europe or the US, travelling within South-east Asia requires multi-currency spending.
Leveraging on Visa’s global network of 70 million merchant locations worldwide, YouTrip aims to give South-east Asia travellers access to cross-border payment solutions such as wholesale exchange rates and no foreign currency transaction fees in over 150 currencies.
Myanmar extends international flight ban till end-January
Myanmar has extended the ban on international flights until the end of January, as the country seeks to prevent the importation of Covid-19.
The extension was announced via the country’s Ministry of Transport and Communications via a statement issued on December 31, the day the ban was supposed to end.
According to the statement, the extension was made in light of the continued rise in cases across many countries and regions. Discussions among relevant ministries are underway for the phased resumption of international commercial flights, dependent on the rapidly evolving situation, it added.
As of Monday, Myanmar has reported 126,935 Covid-19 cases with 2,744 deaths, according to a release from the Ministry of Health and Sports.
Spotlight on zoos in Tourism Malaysia’s new campaign
Tourism Malaysia has launched a new campaign to promote the country’s zoos by offering more than 70,000 discounted entrance fees from now until March 31, as part of efforts to revitalise the country’s economy.
The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia “Relax at the Zoo” Stimulus Campaign is a collaboration between the agency and three zoos: Zoo Negara, Zoo Melaka, and Taiping Zoo and Night Safari (ZTNS).
Under the campaign, Zoo Negara is offering a 40 per cent discount off its entrance fees for both adults and children, with more than 16,000 tickets up for sale via e-commerce platform Shopee.
Meanwhile, more than 20,000 visitors to Zoo Melaka can now enjoy a 30 per cent discount when purchasing entrance fees for both adults and children via its website www.zoomelaka.gov.my.
As well, over 30,000 entrance tickets to ZTNS at a 30 per cent discount for both adults and children has been made available. Purchases can be made through the ticket counter at ZTNS and are valid for use only on weekdays.
New certification programme aims to equip M’sia tourism players to navigate new norms
Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC), an agency under the Ministry of International Trade & Industry, plans to work with all tourism associations nationwide to get their members to undergo its tourism certification programme designed to ensure compliance to SOPs and hygiene practices in the new normal.
The certification programme covers seven areas, namely, compliance to standard operating procedures, restarting operations, ensuring staff readiness, managing operational readiness, promoting safety and cleanliness, building trust and confidence, and integrating technology such as e-payments into the business.
To date, 88 companies have been certified under the A+A Covid-19 Tourism Certification Programme. The “A+A” stands for Adopt and Adhere, with regards to post-Covid guidelines for tourism companies. The scheme was soft launched last October, ahead of a full rollout later this month.
Speaking to TTG Asia, Tourism Productivity Nexus (TPN) chairman, Uzaidi Udanis, stressed on the importance of the A+A Covid-19 Tourism Certification Programme in getting the industry ready for the reopening of the country’s border. TPN is an industry-led establishment under the purview of MPC, as part of the Malaysia Productivity Blueprint.
Uzaidi said: “My concern is not so much the big tourism players like the five-star hotels who are complying with the SOPs set by the government, but the micro, small and medium-sized companies such as the souvenir shops, restaurants, as well as boat, jetty and ferry operators.
“They think as long as customers wear face masks and record their details when entering the premises, all is fine. But much more than that should be done. The programme will assist tourism businesses in Malaysia to safely operate their business while rebuilding consumer confidence and trust.”
Correction: Our initial report stated that 65 companies have been certified under the A+A Covid-19 Tourism Certification Programme. The correct number should be 88.
Hilton targets 600 Hampton hotels in China by 2034
Hilton and Jin Jiang International has extended the Hampton by Hilton management license agreement, with the goal of operating more than 600 hotels under the brand in China by 2034.
The exclusive license agreement between Hilton and Plateno, which has since been acquired by Jin Jiang, was first signed in 2014 to tap into the potential of China’s mid-scale hotel market.
Building on the original 10-year partnership, the extension is expected to help Hampton by Hilton maintain its edge in the highly competitive mid-scale hotel sector in Hilton’s top priority market, China.
Currently, in China, there are 155 Hampton hotels in operation, with over 350 in the development pipeline.
Emirates unveils A380 premium economy cabin
Emirates has unveiled details of its new premium economy cabin fitted onboard its latest A380 aircraft, which the airline took delivery of last month.
Emirates’ premium economy cabin offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 cabin layout. With a pitch of up to 101cm, each seat is 49cm wide, and reclines 20cm into a cradle position. Additionally, each seat is fitted with 6-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests, alongside a 33cm screen, in-seat charging points, dining table and side cocktail table.
Emirates’ premium economy cabins will be offered as a complimentary upgrade to select passengers, until the airline has a viable number of seats in its inventory to bring to market, according to its president, Tim Clark. The carrier will also deploy its newest A380 aircraft on various routes, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Emirates’ remaining order of five A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins over 2021 and 2022. The new seats will also be installed on some of the airline’s Boeing 777X aircraft, due to join the fleet in 2023. As well, there are plans to retrofit the carrier’s existing A380 fleet.
Additionally, the airline also unveiled a series of enhancements on its newest A380 plane, including refreshed cabin interiors, wider and taller doors for its first class private suites, new luxury finishes for its business class seats, and ergonomically designed seats for economy class.
Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast gets new GM
Hard Rock International has appointed Murray L. Aitken as the general manager of Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, situated in the Malaysian state of Johor.
Boasting 30 years of hospitality experience, Aitken will lead the team in driving strategies for continued growth and implementing programmes that prioritise guests’ health and safety during their stay.
In his previous stint with Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, Aitken played an integral role in opening the company’s first-ever luxury urban properties in Singapore’s Chinatown.
Aitken’s portfolio also includes running his own hospitality consulting and advisory company, as well as helming leadership roles with various luxury hotel groups around the world, including Raffles in South-east Asia, Rosewood in Indonesia, and several properties across South Africa.
GHM welcomes new VP for operations
General Hotel Management (GHM) has moved Ilkin Ilyaszade into place as vice president of operations and pre-opening services.
He will oversee the development of up-and-coming properties such as The Chedi Aquarius Koh Chang, Thailand and The Chedi Khorfakkan, UAE.
An Azerbaijani national, Ilyaszade is a seasoned Asia hand, having opened 10 hotels and resorts across Asia and the Middle East for Banyan Tree and Pan Pacific over the past 15 years.
As resort manager, he led the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay in Bali – the brand’s flagship and largest operation. Prior to that, he spent 11 years with Banyan Tree, in the Maldives, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore.
Agoda offers greater payment flexibility with Atome tie-up
Agoda has partnered with Singapore-headquartered “buy now, pay later” technology company Atome to offer flexible instalment payment options for accommodation bookings across the region.
The scheme has initially been made available in Singapore and Malaysia since December 21, and will be expanded to include eight additional markets in South-east Asia and Asia-Pacific this year.
Under the partnership, travellers can pay for their accommodation bookings on the Agoda website or mobile app in three interest-free instalments by selecting Atome at checkout.
Agoda vice president of commercial finance, Darren Makarem, said the new tie-up allows travellers “who might have previously found it inconvenient to pay for their booking in one lump sum to spread the costs over multiple payments”.
Launched in December 2019, Atome now partners over 2,000 online and offline retailers across verticals such as fashion, beauty, lifestyle, homeware and travel.
Marriott International has signed an agreement with Vietnam-based real estate firm Masterise Homes to develop a dual-branded residential and officetel project in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.
Expected to open in late 2024, the project will form part of an integrated mixed-use complex slated to include residential, offices and commercial units. The property will include branded units from two Marriott International brands – JW Marriott and Marriott Hotels.
Poised to house close to 4,200 residential and officetel units, the hotel-branded residential project will be the largest of its kind to date worldwide, according to the Savills International Development Consultancy.
Each unit will offer access to an array of facilities including hotel-like amenities and on-demand services. The officetels, set to be designed in a similar fashion as the residential units, will offer the benefit of dual functionality of both commercial as well as residential components.