Cross Hotels & Resorts entered the Japanese market in a master franchise agreement with AB Accommo Company.
Sabre introduces new airline storefront with “shelves”
Sabre has rolled out its new airline storefront, an industry-first capability that makes it easier to comparison-shop complex airline offers in the indirect channel.
The new airline storefront delivers initial shopping results that include airlines’ complete product lines. It eliminates confusion caused by different fare naming conventions and organises a broad set of inventory across multiple airlines to enable improved comparison shopping.
This move is a step towards Sabre’s vision to create a new marketplace for personalised travel.
The new airline storefront capabilities are available via Sabre’s shopping APIs, which travel retailers can leverage to build a bespoke storefront and enhance their customers’ experience.
Kathy Morgan, vice president, offer sourcing, Sabre Travel Solutions, explained in an online media briefing that the new airline storefront provides a framework for “shelves” on which airlines can display content side-by-side to help drive more informed decisions.
“Shelves” are defined by specific attributes such as exchangeability, refundability and baggage allowance that qualify the product for placement on a shelf.
She added: “For airlines, the new airline storefront supports differentiation and more merchandising opportunities in the indirect channel, with flight search results displaying several product offerings for an individual flight.”
Wade Jones, chief product officer for Sabre Travel Solutions, noted: “Airlines have invested in differentiating their brand in a number of ways. While this creates greater choice for travellers, it also presents a challenge – it’s easy to understand the cost, but harder to understand what the experience will be. Sabre’s new airline storefront not only empowers airlines to effectively market their unique product in the indirect channel, it also helps travel buyers communicate the total offer value.”
Sabre has partnered with multiple agencies such as Fareportal, the travel technology company powering CheapOair.com and OneTravel.com; and Espressamente Viaggi, part of TravelMatic, a travel technology company in Italy, to test the new storefront capabilities.
Initial pilot results demonstrate the ability of the new airline storefront to deliver a broader set of upsell opportunities with more transparency into each fare.
In a press release issued by Sabre, Werner Kunz-Cho, CEO of Fareportal, commented: “Our customers demand choice paired with convenience and simplicity – this is not always the case with today’s airline shopping experience. Consumers want to compare products and offers quickly and efficiently, just as they do in a shop. That’s exactly what Sabre’s new airline storefront delivers: it allows us to group products for easy comparison, just as a supermarket arranges similar products on the same shelf. Ultimately, this modern retailing enables us to deliver an enhanced traveller experience that centers around offer value.”
Mimmo Christofaro, CEO at TravelMatic, shared: “In today’s world, travel agents are under increasing pressure to ensure that travellers receive the offer that is right for them based on their specific needs and preferences. As a result, we require a solution that allows for quick and easy comparison across offers to help drive more informed decisions. Sabre’s new airline storefront makes all relevant content available in the initial shop and, as such, we are able to increase agent efficiency and encourage upsell.”
Changi Airport rolls out portal for inbound passengers
Singapore’s Changi Airport Group (CAG) has launched a free online service named Safe Travel Concierge (STC) for travellers planning to fly into Singapore during Covid-19.
This online service lets passengers book their on-arrival Covid-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and checks that they have completed all pre-travel requirements for a safe and smooth entry into Singapore.
After registering for an STC account, passengers just need to add their upcoming trips. Depending on their profile and trip details, they will be shown a customised list of pre-travel requirements to complete.
Besides booking their on-arrival PCR test, passengers can also access services such as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s electronic Arrival Card and Health Declaration form through STC. Passengers can also stay updated with the latest Covid-19 news within the portal.
CAG’s managing director for airport operations management Jayson Goh said the online concierge service can ease the anxiety of air travel by helping passengers navigate their pre-travel requirements.
Erwann Mahe joins Best Western as MD Asia
Best Western Hotels & Resorts has appointed Erwann Mahe as managing director – Asia.
In this new role, Mahe will be responsible for all aspects of operating Best Western Hotels & Resorts in the region. He will focus his efforts on supporting hoteliers through the upcoming recovery and expanding the brand’s portfolio of hotels throughout Asia Pacific.
The seasoned hospitality professional joins the Best Western Hotels & Resorts team with over 23 years of industry knowledge. Mahe’s prior roles range from managing large-scale Accor hotels to holding executive-level positions, including chief operations officer at Red Planet Hotels and executive vice president of Hotel Investment at The Erawan Group.
Mahe takes over from Olivier Berrivin, who has moved within the BWH Hotel Group parent company to take up the role of managing director of WorldHotels Asia Pacific.
Japan in favour of vaccine passports to restart international travel
As Japan prepares to host the Olympic Games in July, albeit without inbound spectators, the country’s public and private sectors are taking steps to help restart inbound and outbound travel in the longer term.
Most of the activity is related to Covid-19 vaccines and travel passes that will allow travellers to move safely across borders.
Japan has been slower than many other wealthy nations in vaccinating its citizens. The country has been inoculating healthcare workers since mid-February, and is not slated to complete vaccines for everyone aged 65 or older until the end of June.
To encourage vaccine take-up among the working-age population, the government has said it will urge companies to allow staff to take paid leave to get the jabs, and to consider allowing national public servants to take holidays for the same purpose.
Japan will also be issuing digital health certificates to citizens who have been inoculated, according to Nikkei. Japan joins several countries which have embraced vaccine passports for their citizens, such as China, Denmark, and Israel.
The Nikkei report also added that the digital certificate can be managed on a mobile app and will be in line with international standards, allowing the individual to present proof of vaccination at immigration checkpoints.
In the public sector, All Nippon Airways (ANA) plans to trial the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass app, which allows passengers to verify if they meet the Covid-19 testing requirements of their destination and share their test results with airlines and authorities.
“Through our trial, we hope to contribute to the development of the digital solution, which aims to make the travel experience more seamless, secure and contactless,” said Yuji Hirako, president and CEO of ANA and member of the board of governors of the IATA.
Still, the public in Japan remains conservative about overseas travel. Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of people surveyed in Japan in December 2020 said they thought Japanese people should refrain from overseas travel until at least July 2021, according to Statista Research Department. One tenth of the 3,948 respondents said they believed it might be possible for Japanese people to restart overseas travel between April and June 2021.
TTG Conversations: Five Questions kicks off April season with resident sentiments focus
TTG Conversations: Five Questions video series returns for an April season with another strong line-up of travel and tourism industry thought leaders, with TCI Research’s Olivier-Henry Biabaud kicking off the first episode.
Biabaud will be joined by other opinion leaders such as Safe Travel Barometer’s Chetan Kapoor, Singapore Hotel Association’s Kwee Wei-Lin, and renowned architect, interior designer, hotelier and conservationist Bill Bensley.
In this season debut, out today, Biabaud reviews how residents are taking to the concept of tourism pre- and post-pandemic. While resident sentiments have remained largely the same and positive overall, Biabaud’s research team has picked up a recent “slight erosion” in tourism sentiments among residents in cities with a history of overtourism.
Biabaud, who specialises in measuring host community sentiments and their impact on tourism development and management, also discusses with series host Karen Yue the likelihood of host community sentiments impacting destination vaccine requirements for tourists and if destination managers and marketers should also track racial issues which could shape the destination’s image.
Past and upcoming episodes of TTG Conversations: Five Questions video series can be accessed on the TTG Asia Media YouTube channel.
Bali trailing other Indonesian markets in hotel performance recovery
As Indonesia moves through the early part of 2021, the impact from lost international demand on hotel occupancy levels is most obvious in Bali, which continues to trail the country’s regional markets in the recovery process, according to STR’s latest data.
Indonesia finished 2020 in similar shape as its regional peers. Domestic demand was strong enough to lift hotel occupancy from pandemic low points but not sufficient to overcome the void in international travel.
Aside from a Singapore occupancy level lifted by quarantine demand, Indonesia was right in line with other Asia-Pacific countries at 36 per cent for the year.
Business was worse in Bali, however, with occupancy hanging below 20 per cent for much of the year. At the same time, Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, and Surabaya rose to greater levels thanks to those markets’ heavier reliance on domestic demand.
Occupancy levels for all cities started to pick up in June after the end of a three-month “emergency period” implemented by the Indonesian government. Occupancy spikes at the end of 2020 were aligned with New Year’s celebrations, while additional higher periods in Bandung correlated with national holidays such as the Islamic New Year and the Prophet’s Birthday celebrations.
To counter lower occupancy levels, Bali’s hoteliers have been able to somewhat rely on room rates to drive revenue per available room (RevPAR). For 2020, Bali’s ADR was 91 per cent higher than the national average.
Regardless, when indexing RevPAR to 2019 levels, Bali remains much further behind other key markets in the country. Because of the pandemic impact on 2020 data, 2019 serves as the benchmark as hoteliers measure their recovery.
The most recent preliminary data from February shows that Bali is still averaging daily occupancy below 35 per cent. While the country’s vaccine campaign, which began in mid-January, supplies reason for optimism, there is still no timetable for a reopening to foreign visitors. That eventual reopening will provide the boost that Indonesia’s hoteliers most need.
Vietjet restarts international flights
Vietjet has resumed regular international flights connecting Vietnam’s major hubs with Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei, since last Friday (April 2).
Flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok are scheduled to depart every Friday, and the service from Hanoi to Seoul (Incheon International Airport) is scheduled to depart from April 15.
Meanwhile, the flights from Hanoi to Tokyo (Narita International Airport) are scheduled to depart from April 6, while the services from Hanoi to Taipei are scheduled to depart from April 11.
All services from Vietnam will only serve passengers who meet the immigration regulations of the host countries and territories. These travellers are usually Vietnamese citizens studying, working, or visiting relatives overseas, or foreigners returning home from Vietnam.
Passengers are advised to seek detailed information at the embassies and diplomatic agencies of related countries to complete required procedures and paperwork to ease the immigration process on arrival.
Willie Walsh takes helm at IATA
The IATA has appointed Willie Walsh as director general, succeeding Alexandre de Juniac.
Walsh was confirmed as IATA’s 8th director general by the 76th IATA Annual General Meeting on November 24, 2020. He joins IATA after a 40-year career in the airline industry.
Walsh retired from the International Airlines Group in September 2020, after serving as its CEO since its inception in 2011. Prior to that, he was CEO of British Airways (2005-2011) and CEO of Aer Lingus (2001-2005). He began his career in aviation at Aer Lingus in 1979 as a cadet pilot.
Walsh is deeply familiar with IATA, having served on the IATA Board of Governors for almost 13 years between 2005 to 2018, including serving as chair (2016-2017). He will work from the association’s executive office in Geneva, Switzerland.
“My goal is to ensure that IATA is a forceful voice supporting the success of global air transport. We will work with supporters and critics alike to deliver on our commitments to an environmentally sustainable airline industry. It’s my job to make sure that governments, which rely on the economic and social benefits our industry generates, also understand the policies we need to deliver those benefits,” said Walsh.
Taking cruise control
This time last year, Covid-19 anchored holiday ships to their ports and sailing seasons met an abrupt end. In the tense months that followed, the cruise industry was left teetering in uncertain waters.
Relief could not have come sooner. On July 26, Dream Cruises broke through the fog with island-hopping itineraries out of Keelung in Taiwan. The move proved a success: more than 25,000 guests flocked to the decks of Explorer Dream over 22 sailings in two months, signalling to the industry that Asia’s markets were more than ready to restart cruising.
Taking cue, the company relaunched World Dream sailings in Singapore with a collection of Super Seacation itineraries in November 2020, when the Singapore Tourism Board started a pilot scheme for round-trips – but only open to local residents. Royal Caribbean International (RCI) also came on board with Quantum of the Seas. Both vessels sailed at a reduced capacity of up to 50 per cent.
Navigating adversity
Market sentiment is so stable that, despite a snag in Quantum of the Seas’ maiden sailing – one passenger was tested positive for Covid-19 on board, which later turned out to be a false positive – demand for sailings remained largely unfazed.
Angie Stephen, managing director, Asia Pacific, RCI, shared: “Our bookings have shown that there is still a strong demand for cruising. We are seeing a lot of interest from new-to-cruise consumers as well as repeat cruisers. Bookings have been brisk over the past three months. We have extended the Singapore season for Quantum of the Seas until June 21 (2021).”
The false positive scare seems to have only scraped the industry, as Dream Cruises has also pulled through relatively unscathed. Michael Goh, president of Dream Cruises and head of international sales, Genting Cruise Lines, described: “(In) Singapore, we are all part of an interconnected and small cruise industry; the impact of one cruise line will often have an impact on another and the industry as a whole.
“Having said that, overall demand continues to be encouraging, especially during the school holidays and the various festive seasons. Riding on these, we have extended both our itineraries in Taiwan until October 1 and in Singapore until June 27.”
The key, explained Goh, has been the education of consumers and travel partners on safety and preventive measures as well as impressing how cruising has evolved with the changing landscape.
For instance, Dream Cruises has undertaken a higher frequency and increased levels of sanitisation and disinfection on board, online check-in, staggered registration and mandatory use of contact tracing through Singapore’s TraceTogether system.
Similarly, RCI has invited trade partners to experience the safe way of cruising on its Ocean Getaways.
This transparency and commitment to safety is “the most important factor in lifting consumer confidence in cruising”, expressed Joel Katz, managing director Australasia & Asia, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). He said: “The cruise industry’s new global health protocols are among the most extensive of any industry, (and) they help foster confidence among governments and travellers alike. The fact that cruises have been operating successfully in a carefully managed environment has done a great deal to build confidence.”
According to CLIA’s recent consumer research, 74 per cent of cruisers indicated that they were likely to cruise again in the next few years, and two out of three respondents were willing to cruise within a year. Katz added that this might inspire “a phased resumption in other countries”.
Already, this confidence has spilled into the luxury segment, as Regent Seven Seas reported “record booking days” for its 2023 World Cruise and 2022-2023 Voyage Collection launches, revealed Steve Odell, senior vice president & managing director Asia-Pacific, Oceania Cruises & Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
“Our 2021 wave offer has also performed well, demonstrating great success with Seven Seas Explorer for voyages around Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and the Mediterranean. Looking beyond 2021, we have already seen the incredible pent-up demand for future travel across Regent Seven Seas Cruises. A good example of this is our longer Grand Voyages, which are booking strong,” said Odell.
Saved by the syringe
As Covid-19 vaccinations are progressively rolled out across the globe, the road to recovery may be paved even sooner. Katz said: “The roll-out of vaccines will obviously play a huge part in the global response to the pandemic, and advances like this are very encouraging.”
Already, Crystal has taken the bold step. In February, it announced a mandate for all guests and crew to be fully inoculated at least 14 days prior to sailing, and in the meantime, paused its operations through May for its River fleet, June for its Ocean ships and August for Crystal Esprit. Its interim president and CEO, Jack Anderson, stated the importance of vaccinations is indicated by “a recent (survey) of cruisers that revealed more than 80 per cent of respondents would cruise if a vaccine were required”.
While it remains to be seen if other cruise players will follow suit, the next steps are clearer than ever. “Importantly, the cruise industry’s new health measures are designed to provide extensive protective protocols regardless of vaccination status,” clarified Katz.
RCI, for instance, has begun to devise global protocols based on recommendations from the Healthy Sail Panel – a taskforce of globally recognised medical and scientific experts – such as upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
More than promising a safe cruising experience, Dream Cruises has taken time to sharpen the cruise product. World Dream has become the first cruise ship in Asia-Pacific to receive certifications from both the United World Halal Development and the Global Vegetarian Certification Services.
Explorer Dream will return to Taiwan for more island-hopping voyages to Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu Island, with the Bohemian Voyage theme debuting to offer immersive activities such as glamping at sea, the Boho Bazaar and Tarot reading workshops.
The franchise agreement currently includes plans for seven properties with a total of 844 keys within four years in locations such as Okinawa and Hokkaido.
The inaugural property, located on Kouri Island, will be called Away Okinawa Kouri Island Resort. Kouri is an island connected to the main Okinawa island by a two-kilometre sea bridge. Set to open in July 2021, the boutique beachfront property will offer guests views across the East China Sea.
“Japan is another milestone in our international expansion. Japan has one of the largest increases in international tourist arrivals in addition to very strong domestic travel… We are extremely excited to introduce our brands to Japan and about this strategic partnership with AB Accommo,” said Jens O. Reichert, chief development officer, Cross Hotels & Resorts.
AB Accommo manages 26 hotels, and has a proven track record of cooperation with some of the leading investors and developers in Japan. Meanwhile, Cross Hotels & Resorts operates 21 hotels across three brands – Cross, Cross Vibe and Away – in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.