Crystal gets squeaky clean with new safety protocols
Crystal Cruises has unveiled Crystal Clean+, its initial set of safety and health protocols to be implemented on its ships Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony once they return to sailing.
This set of Crystal Clean+ protocols is considered the 2.0 version – the initial expansion of Crystal’s already stringent health and safety policies – developed with the latest data from health experts to meet the unique challenges posed by Covid-19.
New Crystal Clean+ measures include additional precautionary steps taken during the pre-boarding and embarkation processes; reduced capacity for social distancing; enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols; mandatory mask-wearing; open seating dining with tables amply spaced, and 24/7 in-room dining available; health monitoring for guests and crew; as well as isolation staterooms in case of illness with separate air filtration system.
Further, Crystal is working with all shoreside partners to ensure that Crystal Clean+ protocols will be extended to guests’ experiences ashore, including disinfection of tour coaches and tenders, as well as reduced excursion group sizes. The cruise line has also assured that it will only visit safe, open ports of call, though that may cause changes to the itinerary.
Onboard medical centres and professionals will also be available 24/7. The medical team will comprise a doctor and three nurses aboard each ship, while the medical centres will be equipped with ventilators, virus testing equipment, X-Ray machines, first aid tools and common prescription and over-the-counter medications. There will also be a dedicated public health officer to ensure that all health and safety protocols are being adhered to.
Crystal Clean+ protocols are in development for Crystal’s River, Yacht and Expedition vessels.
In addition, the cruise line has introduced the Crystal Confidence 2.0 peace of mind policy which for a limited time, allows travellers 90 days from the time of booking to place their deposit on all new 2020-2023 reservations across all brand experiences – Crystal Cruises, Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Yacht Cruises and Crystal Expedition Cruises. As well, the company is relaxing final payment deadlines for all its current savings programmes.
MTCO to host first virtual summit
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) will be hosting a half-day virtual summit on August 25, offering recommendations and insights for travel businesses to prepare for a balanced recovery amid Covid-19.
The Virtual Destination Mekong Summit will be organised by public-private partnership Destination Mekong, and sponsored by UNWTO Affiliate Member Chameleon Strategies, under the theme of Balanced Tourism Recovery for a Better Future.
With feedback and significant contributions by members of the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group (MeTAG), and a focus on resilience and tourism recovery in the Greater Mekong Subregion, the 1st Destination Mekong Summit aims to give actionable insights and action steps to businesses, operating in the member countries of the Mekong Region.
With 15 short sessions and 40 speakers, the summit will address issues like changing sentiments from source markets China and Japan; recommendations for the meetings sector; latest data and insights for travel businesses; how to communicate to stakeholders in these times; sustainability concerns including climate change, plastic pollution, child protection, and wildlife conservation; as well as a scenario analysis to prepare for the future today.
Instead of following the usual presentation format, the virtual summit will engage in pointed and focused discussions that aims to answer burning questions, offer actionable suggestions on how to survive these challenging times, and how to best prepare for an accelerated recovery. The summit will be emceed by Jutamas Wisangsing of Perfect Link Consulting, and MTCO executive director, Jens Thraenhart.
The summit will have two short take-away sessions, led by Horwath HTL Global Tourism Practice Leader Mr Siniša Topalović, calling in from Croatia. These two sessions are designed to give delegates a quick view on key dos and don’ts, drawing on global research of many destinations and travel businesses.
The opening keynote will be given by the author of the upcoming book Travel & Covid-19, Simon Hudson of South Carolina University in the US, who will look at case studies and best practices from all over the world.
Reflections from past crisis’ and ideas will be discussed by Weearasak Kowsurat, a Thai senator and Thailand’s former minister of tourism and sports; and Htay Aung, Myanmar’s former hotels and tourism minister.
Steven Schipani from the Southeast Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank will lead a session about economic development measures and tourism recovery in the region, alongside the vice chairman of the Vietnam Administration of Tourism, Ha Van Sieu, and the director general of the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia, Rathasak Thong.
Communicating during Covid-19 is a challenge for many businesses – from branding, marketing, and positioning. A session on when to sell, how to discount, and what message to send will be led by the deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Tanes Petsuwan, and Michael Marshall, CCO of Minor Hotels, operating hotel brands such as Anantara and Avani.
When international travel resumes in the Mekong Region, two source markets are said to have great potential: China and Japan. The co-founder and CEO of leading China travel marketing firm Dragon Trail Interactive, George Cao, and the chief research officer of JTB Consulting, the research division of leading Japanese tour operator JTB, will discuss how to market to Chinese and Japanese consumers post Covid-19, how to build relationships with the trade now, and changing consumer sentiments in both key source markets.
Kelvin Lee of the International Air Transport Association, and Bernard Kee of leading hotel data firm STR, will share about the latest trends and insights, and what businesses from hotels, tours, and restaurants should do to survive the crisis and how to best prepare for recovery.
Finally, in a very special session, Gloria Guevara, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council, former UNWTO secretary general, Taleb Rifai, Thailand’s former tourism and sports minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, and CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, Mario Hardy, will give recommendations and opinions to stakeholders in the visitor economy.
Interested travel professionals can register for free here.
Agoda steps up domestic tourism promotions in Japan
Agoda has joined the Japan Tourism Agency’s Go To Travel campaign, ensuring Japanese travellers making domestic bookings on its platform can benefit from the subsidy scheme.
Under the programme, travellers can enjoy savings of 35 per cent up to 14,000 yen (US$132) per person per night on accommodation bookings at eligible hotels.
In addition, Agoda has also invested in a major international roll-out of its GoLocal campaign, which launches in Japan this month.
The GoLocal campaign, which has signed up thousands of hotel and accommodation partners since its phased launch in mid-June, is designed to stimulate the domestic tourism markets across Asia-Pacific and global markets, by encouraging people to explore more of their own country.
Travellers are incentivised by savings of up to 25 per cent savings to do so, while hotel partners are supported by a multi-channel marketing campaign to help reach potential travellers.
Hiroto Ooka, associate vice president, North Asia, Agoda, said: “As travel restrictions ease, we anticipate the appetite and enthusiasm for the GoLocal campaign in Japan among hotel and accommodation partners, and travellers alike, will be even greater than other markets.
“GoLocal early adopters are significantly outperforming other properties within the domestic travel sector across the region, and so we are confident this GoLocal initiative in Japan will also generate even more bookings.”
Partners signing up to GoLocal are offering up special domestic deals. In return, participating partners will be featured across various Agoda product and marketing touchpoints. These include the exclusive agoda.com/golocal landing site for domestic travel, GoLocal badges to highlight participating properties on Agoda, plus brand and performance marketing activities.
Strategic partnerships with key verticals will highlight and promote partner hotels and properties, further extending the reach of the campaign.
Melbourne Airport’s solar farm to power all four terminals
Melbourne Airport is set to open Australia’s largest behind-the-meter solar installation that will produce enough renewable energy to power all four passenger terminals.
The solar installation will generate 17GWh of electricity per annum, equal to nearly 15 per cent of the airport’s annual electricity consumption.
Melbourne Airport chief of landside access, utilities and facilities group, Lorie Argus, said the investment in renewable energy will reduce the airport’s carbon footprint.
She added: “With the airport’s electricity demand expected to grow, the construction of our solar farm makes sense for several reasons. The project is expected to deliver significant annualised energy cost savings, a timely benefit with the impacts of Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the aviation industry.”
Glen Thomson, general manager of Beon Energy Solutions, which is working with Melbourne Airport on the project, said: “The airport location brings with it some unique complexities and challenges, which utilises our collective strengths.”
Construction of the solar farm is expected to be completed by end-September, and be operational in January 2021.
Etihad unveils protective snood for premium passengers
Etihad Airways has introduced a snood style face mask for its first and business class guests, as part of its new health and hygiene programme, Etihad Wellness.
The soft reusable snood has been treated with MicrobeBarrier fabric treatment, a broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment, laboratory tested and proven to reduce the presence of germs in fabrics. With this long-lasting protective layer, the snoods are washable and reusable, making them environmentally friendly.
Made out of lightweight, breathable and stretchy jersey fabric, the snood can be worn around the neck like a scarf and be easily slipped on and off to cover one’s mouth and nose as needed.
The MicrobeBarrier treated snood is one of the many initiatives the airline has introduced to create a healthier and cleaner environment.
Betting big on small-scale ecotourism
A likely side effect of the pandemic is a shift in tourist preference away from mass tourism destinations in favour of more remote, less-crowded ones as health and safety become the primary concern of travellers.
The Philippines is moving to meet these changing demands by bringing in “fresh, less crowded and open destinations”, usually in rural and remote areas, shared Alice Queblatin, Southwind Travel managing director inbound, at an industry webinar.
“FITs will be in, group travel out,” Queblatin said, adding that products are being studied “to make them private, safer and more hygienic” in compliance with the health and safety protocols that were rolled out for the travel and tourism industry.
Fortunately, the Philippines, being an archipelago of over 7,100 islands, has a plethora of unspoiled ecotourism, nature and remote community destinations. Most of these destinations also have beaches, one of the country’s main attractions.
In the province of Cebu, for instance, outside the city are unexplored destinations ripe for authentic and experiential trips, including Aloguinsan, a small town on the western seaboard. Highlights from tour packages in the region include ecotour cruises along the Bojo River and interaction with remote villagers who actively participate in the tour, such as a fisherman guide and the village medicine man who performs a traditional send-off ritual.
Ecotourism consultant Boboi Costas, who developed ecotours in nature reserves including the Aloguinsan ecotour, said that with the pandemic, ecotourism sites and experiences will have to be redesigned in order to win back consumers.
That process will involve the entire tourism value chain. Everyone from local communities to tour guides should adapt to the new normal, including going digital and adhering to the health and safety protocols, while destination managers should touch base with local health practitioners, Costas said. Equally crucial is enhancing efforts to climate proof one’s operations, he added.
Product development wise, Costas said there could be a segmentation or combination of activities like ecotours, wellness or organic farming, and nature-based activities which promises a more private and customised experience – all these are already being adopted by a growing number of destinations.
Bohol, best known for the white sand of Panglao and rural scenery, has lesser-known destinations boasting the same attractions, which fortunately, were being developed and packaged following the 2013 earthquake that destroyed a number of its tourist attractions.
Lucas Nunag, Bohol Provincial Tourism Council, said they have already developed key tourism circuits anchored on the local culture, heritage and new eco-tourism products like farm and craft tourism and culinary attractions in destinations like Anda, Lila, Maribojoc, and Candijay.
In Luzon, the province of Rizal situated just a few hours from metro Manila, there are vast unexplored areas of natural attractions and indigenous communities, including the 2,700ha reforestation area of the Masungi Georeserve, which is becoming known among millennials and science-based teams due to its nature-based recreational activities.
Billie Dumaliang, advocacy officer and managing trustee, Masungi Georeserve Foundation, said that they are partnering with World of Outbound, which organises school trips to the Philippines and advocates for outdoor nature education, to develop virtual field trips, since classes will be conducted remotely and it will likely be some time before traditional field trips resume.
Another destination being primed for ecotourism is Northern Mindanao, which includes the provinces of Camiguin island, Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental and Lanao del Norte.
The zone is vastly undeveloped for tourism but is Covid-free, according to Marie Elaine Unchuan, tourism regional director of Northern Mindanao.
Camiguin is being promoted for dive tourism on top of the usual sightseeing, nature tripping and beach activities; while picturesque Bukidnon is promising for farm and mountain tourism, said Unchuan.
Unchuan remains hopeful that an international airport will be built in Bukidnon within the next three years to further boost the eco-destinations. Skyjet used to fly from Manila to Camiguin but suspended the flight in March. Without this flight, the island is reachable only by ferry from Cagayan de Oro and a Cebu Pacific flight from Cebu to Camiguin.
Osaka’s Itami Airport completes four-year renovation
Osaka International (Itami) Airport reopened its north and south terminal buildings on August 5, marking the completion of the first major renovation at the west Japan airport in some 50 years.
Operator Kansai Airports, which also manages Kansai International Airport, said the new facilities offer increased opportunities to shop, eat, relax and work in a bid to make the airport more comfortable and enjoyable for travellers and people waving them off, as well as local residents.
The aim is to offer visitors a “Kansai experience” by showcasing products from the seven prefectures around Kyoto and Osaka that make up the region.
The post-security Retail Zone in both terminals will be home to Japan’s first walk-through commercial space in the domestic gate area, offering 31 new stores. Most will sell exclusive Kansai-inspired products and experiences.
Five new stores will also open in the pre-security area in an effort to attract local residents and visitors to the area who are not flying.
Some 17 F&B outlets have also joined the airport’s commercial space, including many that are making their debut in the Kansai area or the airport.
The renovation of the new terminals began in February 2016 and was scheduled for completion in July, but was delayed due to Covid-19.
The work is part of a long-term upgrade on the airport, which handles about 17 million passengers per year across an extensive domestic network. The central area and observation deck were reopened in April 2018 following renovation.
Klook Malaysia reports surge in staycation demand
Klook Malaysia is seeing a rise in demand for nature-focused staycations and theme park hotels close to home, as the country’s tourism sector looks to the domestic market to pave the way for industry recovery.
The travel booking platform recently launched a collection of exclusive staycation experiences for Malaysians, where accommodation were bundled with additional perks such as free massages, food and beverage credits and attractive passes.
Emily Tan, marketing lead of Klook Malaysia, shared: “We have been experiencing a surge of demand among Klook users for both nature-focused staycations and theme park hotels. For instance, some customers enjoy a tropical paradise at Ipoh’s Belum Rainforest Resort to escape the usual hustle and bustle.
“Meanwhile, travelling groups with children prefer to stay at hotels with theme parks nearby, such as Legoland Hotel Malaysia and Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast. This allows both the parents and children to get an enjoyable travel experience.”
Ever since the interstate travel ban was lifted in June, Klook Malaysia has seen consumers go from joining home-based experiences like online workshops to exploring outdoor recreation, such as diving trips or staycations. The most-searched destinations by local users in June were Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Langkawi, Johor Bahru and Sabah.
Tan said: “Although we are still in the early stage of business recovery, we have already witnessed strong traction with our home-based and domestic experiences. Locals have booked items from attraction passes to afternoon tea packages at five-star hotels.”
Asked about forward bookings for 4Q2020, she shared: “We remain optimistic there will be a continued demand for local-based activities and experiences, especially so with the upcoming public holidays.”
Inaugural IAAPA virtual expo took 4,000 visitors on a wild ride
IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, concluded its first-ever virtual expo and conference, IAAPA Virtual Expo: Asia, held on July 28-30.
The event was attended by more than 4,000 participants, and featured 131 companies on the virtual tradeshow floor, as well as nine education sessions and seven networking events.
The education conference featured 21 speakers from around the world and covered topics such as best practices for reopening parks and attractions, safety, operations, automation and digitalisation, and more.
While the virtual event was held live daily, registered attendees could access the exhibit hall, chat rooms, and education sessions at any time.
IAAPA Virtual Expo: Asia attendees may continue to engage with the Expo’son-demand content and continue to follow-up with exhibitors until August 8, 05.00 China Standard Time / August 7, 23.00 Central European Summer Time.
June Ko, executive director and vice president, IAAPA Asia Pacific, said: “IAAPA’s first Virtual Expo truly reflects the resiliency and strength of the global attractions industry. Our goal was to provide an innovative, timely new experience that brought the industry together… We are more inspired than ever by the heart and spirit of this incredible industry and are already taking key learnings from this event and applying them to our next IAAPA virtual events.”
Registration is now open for IAAPA Virtual Conference: The Americas, set to take place September 2-3; as well as IAAPA Virtual Conference: EMEA and APAC, scheduled for September 22-24.
Zentis Osaka, Japan
Zentis Osaka, the first of a new hotel brand under the umbrella of Palace Hotel Group, has risen in the bustling port city of Osaka. The new, 16-storey build features 212 rooms and suites, ranging from 25m2 Studio rooms to 57m2 Suites. The suites feature separate living and sleeping spaces as well as a cozy dining area. Entry-level Studios are furnished with king-size beds and come outfitted with 4K TVs and rain showers, while each Suite and Corner Studio also come with a soaking tub and can be combined with an adjoining Studio to create a two-bedroom unit.
Hotel facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, as well as an all-day dining venue encompassing a main dining room with open kitchen, a lounge for light nibbles and afternoon tea, a covered outdoor terrace, and a bar serving everything from seasonal cocktails to fine Japanese whiskies.
Radisson Blu Resort Maldives
Radisson Blu Resort Maldives, a private island retreat in the Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, marks Radisson Hotel Group’s first property in the Maldives. Nestled on Huruelhi Island and one other pristine islet, Radisson Blu Resort Maldives offers 128 beachfront and overwater villas featuring private pools, ocean views, and one-, two- or three-bedrooms. For the ultimate getaway, the Presidential Suite boasts two levels of indoor and alfresco living space.
Resort facilities include a diving and water sports centre, an overwater spa and yoga pavilion, a fitness centre and sports court, kids’ club and games room, as well as a glass-walled Event Hall that can host up to 50 guests. F&B venues include Raha, a casual all-day dining destination; Alifaan, a Mediterranean and seafood grill; Eats & Beats, a poolside bar; and Crusoe’s, an adults-only oasis. Other options are Kabuki which showcases Nikkei cuisine; Mahurab, an overwater wine and cigar bar; and The Lab, an exclusive restaurant for intimate twice-weekly wine-and-cocktail pairing dinners. Alternatively, guests can also opt for 24-hour in-villa dining.
Mercure Rockhampton, Australia
Accor is growing its presence in regional Queensland with the opening of Mercure Rockhampton, rebranded from the Travelodge Hotel Rockhampton under a franchise agreement. Refurbished in 2008, Mercure Rockhampton is located in the heart of the city, just a short drive from the Rockhampton Airport. The eight-storey, 74-room resort features six conference spaces, an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre, 24-hour reception, and easy access to Great Keppel Island and many other spectacular locations along the Capricorn Coast.
ANA Holiday Inn Resort Shinano-omachi Kuroyon, Japan
IHG has opened the ANA Holiday Inn Resort Shinano Omachi Kuroyon, marking the first international resort in the Shinano-omachi area and Japan’s second Holiday Inn Resort. Following a significant refurbishment, ANA Holiday Inn Resort Kuroyon spans 47ha and features 73 guestrooms and suites, including the new Kids Suite, Family Room and Duplex.
With nature synonymous to the resort experience, guests can indulge in the traditional Japanese ritual of hot baths with the Kuzu natural hot springs, indoor hot baths, private baths and open-air baths. For a modern take on the tradition, families can unwind in the indoor heated pool. Other amenities include a 9-hole golf course, a tennis court, a brand new kids’ club, a botanica restaurant, as well as Eden Café & Bar offering a lounge and bar area. A spa and 24-hour fitness centre will also open soon.