A&K Thailand crafts weekender series for locals

October 6, 2020

Abercrombie & Kent Thailand (A&K) has kicked off a series of weekend getaways that are designed to bring together travellers who wish to experience the county’s hidden treasures.

The themed tours, conducted across October and November, are kept small. They are led by private A&K guides, and guests are offered a chance to connect with cultural experts and destination insiders.

Four programmes are available.

Into the Wild: Family Fun in Khao Sok National Park

The first, Northern Thai Explorers: Tribes, Treks and Tuk Tuks, will be conducted from October 16 to 19. The three-night adventure features whitewater rafting and a self-drive tuk tuk convoy into the scenic hills and valleys of northern Thailand. Opportunities to visit remote hill tribe communities and have an ethical elephant experience are included.

This is priced from 18,250 baht (US$582.90) per person, based on twin-share.

The second, Into the Wild: Family Fun in Khao Sok National Park, will be conducted from October 19 to 22. This educational adventure heads into the beautiful jungles and lake of Khao Sok National Park, where guests can spend time with a natural educator, learn how to forage for lunch, and spot monkeys on Cheow Lan Lake. Children of all ages are welcome.

This is priced from 17,220 baht per person, based on adult twin-share. Children under 12 years old pay 8.600 baht each, or participate for free if under four and sharing a bed with two full-paying adults.

The third, The Lanna Kingdom: Arts, Cuisine & Spirituality, will run from November 6 to 8. It journeys into Chiang Mai for a firsthand encounter with the city’s spiritual, culinary and artistic traditions, with opportunities to interact with local insiders and skilled artisans as well as craft fabrics and meditate.

This is priced from 16,400 baht per person, based on adult twin-share.

Finally, there is the Gardens and Communities of Old Bangkok, which is available on October 10, 09.00 and October 18, 14.30. Guests will encounter a little-known part of the Thai capital and hear stories of pioneers and merchant families from centuries ago.

This is priced at 600 baht per adult; 200 baht per child aged six to 12; free for five and under.

For more information, visit www.abercrombiekent.asia/thailand

Millennium rolls out Yacht-cation Escape

By TTG Asia

October 6, 2020

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Millennium Hotels and Resorts (MHR) has launched a Yacht-cation Escape package that promises an indulgent break which includes premium accommodation and a sailing adventure to explore the Southern Islands of Singapore.

The package, available for booking at Orchard Hotel and M Social, is part of the company’s Take Happiness Seriously campaign, an initiative that encourages guests to prioritise happiness through curated activities.

Millennium Hotels and Resorts’ new Singapore staycation deal features a four-hour yacht experience

Priced from S$1,600 (US$1,176) for two guests at Orchard Hotel, the two-day/one-night package features a stay in a Premier Suite, welcome afternoon tea, dinner at Hua Ting, gourmet picnic lunch set, chauffeured limousine ride to the Yacht Club, a four-hour yacht experience, breakfast and an early check-in and late check-out arrangement.

A three-day/two-night option is available from S$2,160.

The package from M Social is priced from S$1,380 for two persons on a two-day/one-night arrangement. Along with a stay in a Premier Loft, guests will enjoy welcome amenities, a mixology class, set dinner at Beast & Butterflies, gourmet picnic lunch set, chauffeured limousine ride to the Yacht Club, a four-hour yacht experience, breakfast, and an early check-in and late check-out arrangement.

A three-day/two-night option is available from S$1,560.

MHR has four other hotels in Singapore – Grand Copthorne Waterfront, M Hotel, Copthorne King’s Hotel, and Studio M. However, only Orchard Hotel and M Social are currently available for staycation bookings.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/YachtcationOHS and http://bit.ly/YachtcationMSS

PATA, TTG round up industry experts to understand future of travel in special series

By Karen Yue

October 6, 2020

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The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and TTG Asia Media are collaborating on a series of articles that will look into the travel and tourism industry’s future, and provide guidance to stakeholders on how a responsible, meaningful and sustainable development could be achieved.

To provide these insights and advice, the series of six articles will draw inputs from industry leaders, policymakers and influential institutions, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Tourism Working Group, World Economic Forum, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, and Asian Development Bank, etc.

The series will be published at the PATA Crisis Resource Center website, with the first out today. The first article, titled A Turning Point: Crafting tourism’s future together, looks at what what major regional travel and tourism bodies are doing to steer recovery, and how their efforts are backed by institutions beyond tourism’s usual boundaries.

Commenting on the initiative, PATA CEO Mario Hardy said: “Our Crisis Resource Center was established earlier this year as a leading platform to assist travel industry trade at this critical time. By collaborating with a partner as knowledgeable and as insightful as TTG Asia, we are excited to bring some new and unique perspectives into this the current pandemic and what it means for our regional stakeholders.”

Centara touts “ultimate staycation experience” with attractive deals

By TTG Asia

October 5, 2020

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Centara Hotels & Resorts has kicked off the Even Stronger Together promotion campaign, offering staycationers extensive privileges such as daily hotel credits and shopping vouchers across all its properties worldwide.

Guests can enjoy reduced room rates ranging from 720 baht (US$23) to 3,120 baht per night, with daily hotel credits of up to 2,020 baht to spend on spa, food and drinks. They will also get Central department store gift vouchers of up to 1,600 baht per stay. Other perks include free early check-in from 09.00 and late check-out up to 21.00, subject to availability for stays from Sundays to Thursdays.

Centara guests can now enjoy discounted room rates and other perks; Centara Karon Resort Phuket pictured

The promotion is inclusive of daily breakfast for two, with a half-board upgrade available for stays of four or more nights at select hotels. Up to two children stay for free when sharing existing bedding with parents.

Even Stronger Together can be booked from now until November 30, 2020, for stays through year-end.

Ovolo Hotels eschews meat in favour of sustainable dining

By TTG Asia

October 5, 2020

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In conjunction with World Vegetarian Day on October 1, Ovolo Hotels has launched the Year of the Veg, becoming the first hotel group to go completely vegetarian across all its restaurants, bars, and food services for an entire year.

Inspired to act on climate change and environmental conservation, and in light of more consumers opting for vegetarian cuisine, the hotel group is phasing out meat to focus on creating plant-based cuisine instead.

Guests and diners at Ovolo Hotels will now be able to enjoy an array of meat-free meals; murtabak bread with shawarma and traditional pickles dish at Za Za Ta in Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane pictured

For Ovolo in Hong Kong, the movement towards vegetarianism began at Veda at Ovolo Central which was Hong Kong’s first vegetarian hotel restaurant. Following suit, Komune, the all-day dining destination at Ovolo Southside, is cutting meat from its menus, and the hotel will soon debut a new fully vegetarian restaurant concept.

The movement will extend to Australia, with Ovolo’s Australian locations also going plant-based for the year. Monster Kitchen & Bar (Ovolo Nishi, Canberra), Za Za Ta (Ovolo The Valley, Brisbane), and Mr Percy (Ovolo 1888 Darling Harbour, Sydney) are also debuting new all-vegetarian menus. They will join Alibi Bar & Kitchen at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, which set the standard as the first 100 per cent plant-based hotel restaurant in Australia and New Zealand.

To further the plant-based cause, Ovolo is also revamping its room service menus, allowing guests to enjoy an array of vegetarian dishes in the comfort of their guestroom during this period.

Ovolo Group’s founder and CEO, Girish Jhunjhnuwala, said: “We want to be conscious about what we’re consuming and practice sustainability as much as we can because we believe this can have an enormous impact on the environment and humanity at large. To that end, we’re evolving our food offerings so that our guests can continue enjoying great dining experiences in a more sustainable manner.”

Year of the Veg is the latest in a series of eco-friendly initiatives that Ovolo Hotels has implemented over the last year. This includes eliminating single-use bathroom amenities made of plastic, replacing plastic straws with environmentally-friendly alternatives, and using reusable woven bags for slippers.

Banyan Tree branches further into Indonesia

By TTG Asia

October 5, 2020

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As part of its regional expansion strategy, Banyan Tree Group is set to extend its multi-brand presence in Indonesia with five new hotels in the pipeline including three from the group’s upcoming new nature-centric brand extension, Banyan Tree Escape.

Upcoming properties comprise Banyan Tree Nipah, Lombok and Angsana Saranam, Bali; alongside potentially three hideaway resorts under its Banyan Tree Escape brand.

Angsana Saranam, Bali is one of five Indonesian properties in Banyan Tree Group’s pipeline

Set to open in 2Q2021, Angsana Saranam, Bali will be a 82-key wellbeing resort that will feature an Angsana Spa and wellbeing facilities such as a multifunctional activity centre, movement space and vitality pool for hydrotherapy and aqua activities. An organic farm will also feature harvest-to-dish activities.

Banyan Tree Nipah, Lombok will be a 72-key luxury beach resort featuring suites and villas with infinity pools and a hilltop oceanfront lobby. Its three dining venues will comprise an all-day restaurant, lobby lounge and beach shack. Scheduled to open in 2022, it will include the Banyan Tree Spa with wellness suites and hydrothermal facilities, alongside a beachfront multi-event space.

In light of the post-Covid quest for increased emphasis on wellbeing and sustainability, the group has unveiled an upcoming new brand extension, Banyan Tree Escape, with its first hotel to debut in the heart of Ubud, Bali in 2Q2021. Featuring its signature “no walls, no doors” experience concept, the brand aims to bring travellers on “a rewilding renewal through immersion in nature”. Further destinations include a private island and tropical rainforests in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara; and North Sumatra.

Additionally, the group said that it is in discussions to open more Cassia properties, following its first Cassia Bintan in Indonesia; and Dhawa hotels in the country’s super-priority destinations of Borobudur at Central Java, Labuan Bajo at East Nusa Tenggara, Mandalika in WNT, Lake Toba in North Sumatra, Likupang in North Sulawesi, and Bangka Belitung.

Malaysia Airlines embarks on urgent restructuring

By TTG Asia

October 5, 2020

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Malaysia Airlines (MAB) will be undergoing a comprehensive restructuring of its business and capital structure, and has reached out to its lessors, creditors, and key suppliers recently as part of that exercise.

Its statement comes after a Reuters report stating that its parent company, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), said in a letter to lessors that the group is unlikely to be able to make payments owed after November unless it receives more funding from state fund Khazanah.

Malaysia Airlines to revise its long-term business plan as part of an urgent restructuring exercise

The report quoted insiders as saying that the letter follows the national carrier’s request to its lessors for steep discounts on aircraft rentals as part of a broad restructuring plan.

The announcement of the restructuring exercise is the latest cost-cutting move by the airline as it seeks to weather the fallout posed by the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis. Since March, measures taken by the MAG to cut costs and conserve cash include introducing extensive salary cuts for the entire management team and pilots, introducing no-pay leave, seeking payment deferrals, and renegotiating contracts.

The resurgence of the coronavirus in some markets, the lack of a vaccine that needs to be widely distributed, and tight border restrictions remaining in place for its key markets will “hamper the return of international leisure and business travel demand for MAG in the next couple of years,” the airline said in a press statement.

As such, MAG said that it will take drastic steps in revising its long-term business plan further to ensure the group’s relevance and survival. This includes reworking its network and fleet plans to be able to cope with not only the uncertain and volatile aviation landscape, but also likely softer traffic demand for the foreseeable future, it added.

The airline said that it intends for the restructuring exercise to be completed over the next few months, but does not rule out taking “more drastic measures” if that outcome is not possible. It also said that it is committed to carrying out its restructuring exercise “in a fair manner through any form of mechanism that is appropriate”.

Pandemic accelerates Mekong’s sustainable tourism development

By Marissa Carruthers

October 5, 2020

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The Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), which was established three years ago by the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) to connect public and private sectors across the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) to drive sustainable and responsible travel, is seeing its work accelerated by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Jens Thraenhart, MTCO executive director, told TTG Asia: “MeTAG wasn’t designed with Covid-19 in mind but has become more relevant than ever now.”

Industry stakeholders and governments are more aware of the need for responsible tourism developments

Since the outbreak, the group has provided a vital platform for key industry stakeholders and governments across the GMS to discuss recovery plans, exchange success stories, collaborate and provide support.

In August, MTCO conducted its first Virtual Destination Mekong Summit, a free-to-attend series of talks on how destinations will survive these challenging times and prepare for an accelerated recovery.

Thraenhart added that much of the group’s work to celebrate and promote leading responsible tourism initiatives through its various programmes has become more important.

These include Experience Mekong Collection, Experience Mekong Showcases and Mekong Heroes, which throw the spotlight on innovative sustainable programmes and trailblazers within the industry – all marketing tools being used to entice travellers once borders open.

Said Thraenhart: “We have been creating these programmes to build resilience in the case of a crisis for the last few years. We now have Covid-19 and a strong strategy for sustainable tourism that is globally unique.”

He added that group members will continue to work together to use this time to build further infrastructures, programmes and strategies for resilience across the GMS to be stronger in the future.

TTG Conversations: Five questions with Tan Kok Liang, Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents

By S Puvaneswary

October 5, 2020

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Inbound demand for experiential travel is set to grow once Malaysia reopens her borders to foreign tourists, so will interest for nature-based destinations, predicts Tan Kok Liang, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents.

In this new episode of TTG Conversations: Five questions video series, Tan points out that the travel trade should start developing more immersive and sustainable packages in order to take advantage of new travel trends in the post Covid-19 era.

Through pictures, he shares successful, immersive community-based tourism packages in off-the beaten tourist areas in Sabah which tour operators are selling to the domestic market currently, and later, when the border reopens, to international inbound tourists. He believes such packages will also appeal to the niche, high-end travellers looking for hidden gems.

Trickle of tourists as Boracay reopens to domestic travellers

By TTG Asia

October 2, 2020

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Boracay has reopened to tourists from the general community quarantine (GCQ) areas on Thursday (October 1), signalling a significant stride towards restarting the Philippines’ tourism industry amid the pandemic.

The island has been open to visitors from Western Visayas since June, and tourism secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the island’s reopening to a wider market marks “a crucial first step” for jumpstarting domestic tourism recovery across the country. This gives the country’s tourism industry a glimmer of hope, especially for those counting on tourism to survive, she added.

Boracay Island reopens to tourists from general community quarantine areas under strict health protocols

“What could be a better way to herald the revival of Philippine tourism than the reopening of the world-renowned Boracay Island?” she said.

On its reopening day, the island welcomed 19 tourists, including seven from metro Manila and five from Aklas, according to data from the municipal tourism office of Malay.

Despite the low visitor count, Puyat told The Philippine Star that the gradual entry of tourists on the island would allow the government to test its health and safety protocols.

Having welcomed Western Visayas visitors since June, the island has reported zero Covid-19 cases, according to Puyat, promising government support in ensuring that health and safety protocols are in place.

The Department of Tourism (DOT), the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), along with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary Roy Cimatu and Department of Interior and Local Government secretary Eduardo Ano, the province of Aklan and the municipality of Malay have implemented enhanced hygiene and safety protocols in entry points, accommodations and activities, Puyat said.

“We advise all tourists to be on strict quarantine immediately after the (Covid-19) test and until the time of travel to the island. This is to help ensure that they will remain free of Covid-19 before they visit Boracay,” she added.

Puyat reiterated that while the age restriction has been relaxed to allow travellers below 21 and above 60 years old, only those without underlying medical conditions and with documentation of negative Covid-19 test results taken 48 hours before travel to the island will be allowed to enter the island through the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan.

A confirmed booking in a DOT-accredited accommodation establishment, air tickets, and documentation of the negative Covid-19 test result should be submitted online, through http://aklan.gov.ph, for the approval of the Aklan provincial government. Each visitor who is cleared to travel to the island will then be issued a unique personal QR code for monitoring.

The tourism chief urged the island’s guests to comply to the health and safety protocols in order to ensure the success of Boracay’s reopening. “We urge our visitors to be responsible tourists. Follow the guidelines, respect the rules. We can never be too complacent, even on vacation, we must adhere to the minimum health protocols. Let’s wear our mask when possible,” said Puyat.

Meanwhile, DOT-accredited hotels will each have a designated health and safety officer who will call the Boracay Covid Hotline number 152 should any of the guests exhibit symptoms of the virus. The data from the QR code system will be used to identify the close contacts, should a guest test positive for the coronavirus while on the island.

A&K Thailand crafts weekender series for locals

Millennium rolls out Yacht-cation Escape

PATA, TTG round up industry experts to understand future of travel in special series

Centara touts “ultimate staycation experience” with attractive deals

Ovolo Hotels eschews meat in favour of sustainable dining

Banyan Tree branches further into Indonesia

Malaysia Airlines embarks on urgent restructuring

Pandemic accelerates Mekong’s sustainable tourism development

TTG Conversations: Five questions with Tan Kok Liang, Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents

Trickle of tourists as Boracay reopens to domestic travellers

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