The Philippine city of Baguio is now welcoming tourists from the four nearby provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan and La Union, with a clear set of reopening guidelines.
Electronic monitoring, paperless transactions, limited access points and pitstops are meant to make the trip hassle-free while closely keeping tab of tourists’ itineraries to minimise their exposure as well as those of the residents’.
Baguio’s reopening guidelines, if successful, may allow the city to expand its travel corridor
In a webinar on the reopening of Baguio City’s tourism, tourism operations officer Alec Mapalo said only 200 tourists would be allowed on any given day for a maximum five-day stay, coming from Region 1 (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan).
Mapalo also said that before the trip, every tourist should explore and arrange the visit with Department of Tourism-accredited tour operators and travel agencies, and learn safety protocols and guidelines; get Covid-19 swab test or rapid antigen test at least 48 hours before the trip; and register and create a multiple-use account with digital monitoring app Baguio Visitor Information and Travel Assistance.
Three required documents – confirmed itinerary issued by tour operator or travel agency; hotel booking receipt, and Covid-19 negative test result from an accredited testing laboratory – should be provided and once confirmed, printed or stored on the tourist’s cellphone along with the QR coded Tourist Pass QTP that is issued by the city.
The QTP is presented to the triage, checkpoints, and for every entry and exit in the hotel to monitor the tourist’s movement.
Depending on the results of this arrangement, Mapalo said the city might expand the travel corridor by accommodating tourists from the same category of risk level (modified general community quarantine or MGCQ), excluding metro Manila which remains on general community quarantine (GCQ), beyond Luzon and even from Visayas and Mindanao.
In this phase, entry point for air travel is Laoag International Airport while access for land travel are Baguio and Pangasinan.
Mapalo said Laoag may even start accessing foreign travel depending on the results.
Correction: In our original post, we wrote that tourists are required to log into the online visitor management platform VISITA. That is a mistake. Baguio relies on a different programme, named Baguio Visitor Information and Travel Assistance.
The pandemic which has devastated the tourism industry has also thrown up an opportunity for a reset of the industry, with a greater focus on sustainability, said travel and tourism players at an open group text chat session entitled, Sustainability is the New Normal, held during the Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020.
The session, which took place on September 24, was moderated by Graham Harper, director, sustainability & social responsibility, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
Virtual PATA Travel Mart participants agree that now is the time for tourism stakeholders to get serious about long-term solutions for overtourism
An attendee, Budhchinakorn Wattanapalachaikoon, described Covid-19 as a “good wake up call” for the tourism industry.
“The lockdowns we see around the world has allowed nature to heal, albeit temporarily. We can see what sustainability actually looks like… wild flowers blooming again, less pollution, wildlife returning, etc.”
In the past, he shared, there have been many instances of mass tourism creating overcapacity issues at tourist attractions such as world heritage sites.
He believed this was the right time for tourism stakeholders to brainstorm long-term solutions to issues such as the environmental impact of overtourism so that future generations can continue to enjoy positive experiences from their travels.
Another attendee, Akansha Dariyani, membership relations associate at PATA, shared that sustainable tourism also entailed tourism dollars flowing to local communities, and suggested empowering locals through knowledge and improving infrastructure accessibility.
Sayeda Abir, chairperson, PATA Bangladesh Dhaka University Student Chapter, described sustainability as a “game-changer” for tourism and that industry stakeholders must take responsibility for the environmental impacts of tourism, instead of relying on the government to take action.
Attendee, Jimena Rodriguez, opined that environmental sustainability should be part of “normal life”, and that its positive aspects should be introduced to the masses from an early age.
A TTGmice feature on the role event dining functions play in facilitating networking, achieving sustainability goals and delivering unique destination experiences has scored this year’s PATA Gold Award for Business Article.
The feature, titled Food For The Soul, was produced by TTG Asia Media’s editorial staff, Rachel AJ Lee, Adelaine Ng and S Puvaneswary. It was published in the July 2019 issue of the monthly magazine.
TTGmice July 2019’s Food for the Soul feature won the PATA Gold Award 2020 for Business Article
This is TTG Asia Media’s seventh PATA Gold Award for Business Article in the past decade. TTGmice has scored in this category in 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2018 previously; TTG Asia Luxury was recognised in this category in 2016.
This year’s PATA Gold Award ceremony was conducted online in the afternoon of September 24, as part of Virtual PATA Travel Mart 2020. A total of 23 organisations and individuals were recognised.
PATA presented 20 Gold Awards to such organisations as Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts; Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka; Designated Areas for Sustainable Development Administration; Kazakh Tourism National Company JSC; Macao Government Tourism Office; Mekong River Tourism; Outrigger Hospitality Group; Sampan Travel; SriLankan Airlines; Taylor’s University; and Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Kerala Tourism, India received the PATA Gold Award 2020 Grand Title Winner in Marketing for Education and Training for its Human by Nature Print Campaign.
The Grand Title Winner in Sustainability was presented to YAANA Ventures, Thailand, for the Anurak Community Lodge.
The Grand Title Winner in Human Capital Development was bestowed to MGM China, Macao, China for its Unleashing Greatness – MGM’s Human Capital Development Initiative.
Commenting on the virtual initiative, PATA CEO Mario Hardy said: “This was the first year that we announced the winners live and it was an absolute pleasure to celebrate their accomplishments during the Online PATA Gold Awards Presentation.”
“The achievements of this year’s winners will hopefully inspire and encourage our industry to create new responsible and sustainable initiatives as we look towards recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
The Macao Government Tourist Office remains the event’s partner and sponsor, as it has done for the last 25 years.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, MGTO director, said: “As we look forward to restarting tourism in the ‘new normal’, more than ever we will have to come up with solutions ‘outside the box’ to ensure that tourism is not only safe, but also seamless and appealing. Macao is honoured for its long-standing support to PATA in this inspiring initiative, on our way to transform the city into a world centre of tourism and leisure.”
A year-long ASEAN travel festival is in the works for 2021, to help hospitality sellers in the South-east Asia region speed up the recovery of travel and tourism through interactive selling opportunities targeting trade buyers and the general public.
The event is planned and produced by TTG Asia Media, which has vast experience in trade show production, having brought to life its own annual IT&CM series of events across Asia as well as notable industry gatherings such as ASEAN Tourism Forum’s TRAVEX.
The Great 2021 ASEAN Travel Fest will promote regional tourism to trade buyers and consumers
TTG Asia Media in August successfully delivered its first Virtual IT&CM China and CTW China trade show and conference, connecting 242 exhibitors from 26 territories/countries with 383 buyers from around the world, and achieving close to 3,000 pre-scheduled meetings in 15 hours.
The Great 2021 ASEAN Travel Fest will feature a monthly calendar of destinations and destination-specific suppliers, starting from February and through November.
Sellers will have the opportunity to engage with travel trade buyers predominantly from Asia-Pacific as well as international markets, through a virtual exhibition, walk-in meetings, scheduled appointments, destination showcases as well as games to win prizes.
A B2C component will also present opportunities for participating sellers to connect with consumers through live-streams and online marketing.
Commenting on the Great 2021 ASEAN Travel Fest, Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media, said: “As intra-ASEAN travel is expected to be the next step in the region’s tourism recovery, we hope to support travel and tourism companies’ resumption of business though a year-long engagement to drive interest and awareness to these destinations. This initiative leverages on our experience of being the longest-running ASEAN Travel Forum (ATF) TRAVEX secretariat and established connections of bringing together regional and global buyers and suppliers to do business.”
Bangkok-based Absolute Hotel Services will debut the Eastin Hotel brand in the capital city of Laos, with the 94-key property due to open in the last quarter of 2021.
Eastin Hotel Vientiane Laos is slated to open in 2021
Eastin Hotel Vientiane Laos will feature deluxe rooms and suites, alongside facilities such as an all-day dining restaurant, a speciality restaurant, outdoor swimming pool and a gym.
Situated a short drive from the international airport, the hotel will be located on the banks of the Mekong river, with views across to Thailand.
The Malaysian government has introduced a second wage subsidy scheme worth RM2.4 billion (US$576.7 million) to assist companies that are still affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, while lowering the nation’s unemployment rate.
In a live telecast on Wednesday (September 23), prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the subsidies would be given to companies that have seen a revenue decrease of 30 per cent or more as compared to last year, due to the recovery movement control order (RMCO) which has been extended to December 31, 2020.
Malaysia extends wage subsidy scheme by three months to help companies tide through the RMCO period
Qualifying companies will be given a monthly wage subsidy of RM600 for up to 200 employees each for three months. New applicants that qualify, but have not received assistance earlier under the first wage subsidy programme, will be eligible to receive wage subsidies of up to six months. Applications are open from October 1 until December 31.
When contacted, two major hotel associations told TTG Asia that the government’s announcement was a step in the right direction, but said more needed to be done to help industry stakeholders weather the coronavirus slump.
Malaysian Association of Hotels CEO, Yap Lip Seng, applauded the government’s extension of the wage subsidy scheme, saying that it recognises the impacts of extended border restrictions on the tourism industry.
However, he highlighted that earlier requests by industry players for more assistance, including higher wage subsidies, utilities discounts and special grants, have gone unanswered.
“For the hotel industry particularly, we are hoping for more mid- to long-term support from regulatory requirements and tax incentives to tourism marketing as well as overall tourism development. We hope that the government will take into serious consideration our proposals submitted for Budget 2021,” he said.
“This will in turn facilitate mid- to long-term strategic planning and will set the tourism landscape for Malaysia for the next five to 10 years.”
Similarly, Sri Ganesh Michiel, deputy president, Malaysia Budget Hotel Association, welcomed the government’s latest move and urged its members to apply for the extended moratorium with the banks before the September 30 deadline.
He also appealed to the government to act swiftly in tackling issues that threaten the recovery of the tourism industry, including unfair commercial practices by online travel agents who are not subjected to the same regulations as their traditional counterparts.
He added: “We also see unfair competition in our hotel industry as four- and five-star hotels are reducing their rates, which have forced our budget hotel members to reduce their selling rates as well in order to compete.”
Brisbane city skyline and Brisbane river at twilight in Australia
More than 70 per cent of the 30,000 hotel rooms and apartments across Queensland could sit unoccupied through the coming months if border uncertainty persists, warned Australia’s leading hotel group.
Accor Pacific said that without a hard border reopening date, Queensland will miss out on the crucial summer dollar, which could lead to a wave of business closures and job losses for the first six months of 2021.
Border uncertainty could cripple Queensland’s economic rebound, warns Accor; Brisbane city skyline and Brisbane River in Queensland, Australia pictured
According to estimates by the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland and the Queensland government, border closures are costing Queensland A$17 million (US$12.1 mil) a day.
Simon McGrath, COO for Accor Pacific, said: “The current border restrictions mean that Queensland will miss out on the summer dollar, a crucial period for local businesses, the economy and jobs. Now is when people are booking visits for the next three to six months and if they don’t have certainty that Queensland will be open, then Queensland will miss the surge in travel and fall behind other states. Queensland could go from leadership to last in the race for tourism.”
He highlighted that tourism annually contributes A$25 billion to the Queensland economy and employs 217,000 Queenslanders directly or indirectly.
“If Queensland misses this crucial booking window and JobKeeper (wage subsidy scheme) falls away, then some hotels will close for the first six months of 2021. This will significantly impair the state’s ability to bounce back; certainty is required now,” he added.
McGrath noted that the impacts to hotel businesses will have a knock-on effect for local business owners too. “The livelihoods of small business owners, from café owners, to restaurants to taxi drivers are at stake. We are urging the state government to use common sense, provide clarity and safely open up borders, which will set Queensland up for a stronger 2021 and save jobs. We all want to see local businesses thriving and workers return to work,” he said.
“A hard border reopening date will give the rest of Australia the certainty they need to make plans for the future, and people need to be assured that when borders do eventually open, they will stay open. As soon as we are certain of a border reopen date, Queensland should prepare for a big summer boom.”
Planet Happiness, which tracks destination well-being, has teamed up with Taste of Happiness to create a video series spotlighting local culinary experts, in hopes of boosting food tourism when travel returns.
Through a series of 12-minute branded videos, Taste of Happiness will feature chefs, food and drink artisans, farmers and winemakers presenting destinations’ culinary crafts and traditional recipes. It will intertwine content with local culture and landscapes.
Planet Happiness’ new project with Taste of Happiness spotlights culinary heroes who bring happiness to the world through their labours of love
Each local food and drink story, told through the eyes of a local ‘hero’, will include reflections on what makes him or her and their local community happy.
Taleb Rifai, an ambassador for the WTTC, and global tourism advisor, said that the Taste of Happiness project is a timely recovery and sustainability tool for the global tourism industry. “The project is admirably consistent with Planet Happiness objectives as it promotes localisation, community inclusivity, and educates us in culinary heritage and conscious travel,” said the former head of the UNWTO.
Planet Happiness founder Paul Rogers added: “Taste of Happiness will be a powerful recovery vehicle for the local hospitality industries. It will give a sense of local pride to residents. And because we all relate to food, it will inspire viewers who are eager to travel again.”
Prospero Film & Media, based in Poland, which will be responsible for the film production has produced multiple documentaries and advertising spots on six continents as well as shows such as MasterChef Poland, MasterChef Junior Poland, Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, Top Model, House Hunters International and numerous travel and culinary programmes.
Brand Bridge, the company responsible for the digital launch of the project, will implement big data and AI tools to bring traffic and create digital marketing opportunities for Taste of Happiness partners.
CLIA, an industry body which represents major cruise lines, has unveiled the adoption of a mandatory set of health protocols, as part of a phased resumption of operations in the Americas.
Some of these protocols include testing of all passengers and crew for Covid-19 prior to embarkation, mandatory mask-wearing onboard and during excursions where physical distancing cannot be maintained; as well as air management and ventilation strategies to increase fresh air onboard.
CLIA adopts mandatory safety protocols, including 100 per cent testing for passengers and crew, as it looks to resume operations in the Americas
Also in place are risk-based response plans tailored for each ship to manage medical needs, dedicated cabin capacity allocated for isolation and other operational measures, and advance arrangements with private providers for shoreside quarantine, medical facilities, and transportation.
These core elements will be adopted by all CLIA ocean-going cruise line members. CLIA said in a statement: “Guided by world-class experts in medicine and science, CLIA and its ocean-going cruise line members have outlined a pathway to support a phased-in, highly-controlled return to passenger service in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America with protocols that promote the health and safety of passengers, crew and the communities visited.
“The core elements mirror the successful resumption of cruising in other parts of the world and include 100 per cent testing of passengers and crew prior to boarding — a travel industry first. Initial cruises would sail on modified itineraries under stringent protocols that encompass the entirety of the cruise experience, from booking to debarkation. With support and approval of regulators and destinations, cruises could feasibly begin during the remainder of 2020.”
Informed by leading scientists, medical experts, and health authorities, the core elements are the product of extensive work by CLIA ocean-going cruise lines and their renowned teams of science and medical experts, including the recommendations from the Healthy Sail Panel established by Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, as well as MSC’s Blue Ribbon group and Carnival Corporation’s collection of outside independent experts.
Other considerations included the effective protocols developed for the successful sailings in Europe by MSC Cruises, Costa, Tui Cruises, Ponant, Seadream, and others.
These core elements will be continuously evaluated and adjusted against the current state of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as the availability of new prevention, therapeutics, and mitigation measures.
We are on board a half-cabin cruiser, in the midst of the water border that Singapore shares with Malaysia, skimming past kelongs, mangrove swamps and wild boars scavenging for food on deserted beaches. Overhead, we spot a white-bellied sea eagle gliding through the air every now and then, and a low-flying Emirates aircraft – a rare sight these days – cruising past the skyline. This is home, truly… like nothing that we’ve seen before.
Bringing us on this joyride exploring kelongs, or floating fish farms, in the north-eastern banks of Singapore is Robin Loh, founder of Let’s Go Tour Singapore. Priced at S$450 (US$330) for a maximum of five persons, the two-hour Let’s Go Kelong Tour was a breeze to put together for Loh, who has spent over 20 years fishing for leisure in this coastal area.
Kelong outings hosted by Let’s Go Tour Singapore let residents see a different side of the island city
On this balmy Friday afternoon, our tour starts with a few Covid safety measures. We are given a contact tracing form to fill out. According to Loh, the names are compiled and sent to the Singapore Tourism Board on a weekly basis. Masks have to be kept on throughout the tour – for both the guide and guests.
Temperature checks are also part of the drill. We cleared a temperature check at the entrance of the Marina Country Club, where Loh’s boat is parked, and checked in via SafeEntry. As part of further safety measures, Loh said boat seats are wiped down using disinfectant at the end of each day.
The boat tour is part of the agency’s This Is Home series, a collection of educational and interactive tours made for locals. Loh turned to domestic tourism to keep his tour business afloat amid the travel slump. Now, it seems the tides are turning for Loh, with the kelong tour reaping a harvest, netting about 30 bookings within less than two months of its launch.
In this Covid era, privately-hosted boat tours that promise ultimate safety have proven an attractive lure, especially with family groups, as people are “very scared” of contracting the virus. When international tourists start to trickle back, Loh said, this new collection of products could be marketed to them as “whatever is suitable for locals would be a hit with foreign tourists”.
Let’s Go Kelong Tours are all led by Loh, as he’s the only one in the agency who knows how to drive a boat
Today’s tour brings us on a journey to see sights beyond the picture postcard image of the island city. Notable sightings along the way include the Singapore offshore islands of Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong, cluster of kelongs, a high-tech fish farm, and the now-infamous S11 dormitories, aka Singapore’s largest Covid-19 cluster. From our vantage point, we espy the cramped conditions of the dorms, fringed by double barbed wire fences, not unlike that of a prison or detention camp. Just across, blocks of government-commissioned flats stand tall, unfenced. I’m guessing this is what inequality looks like.
Along the tour, we learn fascinating nuggets about kelongs and why traditional fish farming is a “risky” business. Loh regales us with riveting anecdotes of his sightings at sea from two decades ago, involving smuggling and high-speed boat chases. Unlike bigger group tours, where dialogue is usually a one-way street, we get to fire away our burning questions at the chatty and affable Loh, who expertly fields all our queries.
A snapshot of what Loh called the “last full kelong in Singapore”, a favourite parking spot for birds
Our trip concludes with a stopover at what Loh called the “last full kelong in Singapore”. Unlike other kelongs, this one has two long rows of wooden stilts built in a V-shaped structure to herd fish into the lift net hoisted at the centre where the kelong stands. These small fishes are then fed to farm fishes, which are harvested for sale. When we floated the idea of incorporating a land visit to one of the kelongs for a more immersive experience, as opposed to just viewing from afar, Loh said the concept is not feasible now as there is no dock on the site, but added that they are exploring the idea.
For those craving to return to the days of yore, or those curious about what Singapore circa 1960s looked like, the tour harkens back to the city-state’s humble beginnings as a Malay fishing village. As engaging as it is educational, the boat tour makes a nice change of scenery from the usual land tours, while spotlighting a slice of Singapore’s history forgotten amid the march of rapid urbanisation.
When we finally return to shore, the whole vibe around the jetty, not to mention the old-school, non-airconditioned F&B venues within the compound, makes us feel like we are still stuck in a time warp. But as we make our way out of the premises, we are stopped at the entrance by the security guard who gestured towards the designated exit, prompting us to check out via SafeEntry, and reminding us once again that this is 2020.
