Enchanted Princess joins Princess Cruises fleet
The newly completed Enchanted Princess has been delivered to Princess Cruises in an official handover ceremony live-streamed from the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
The ceremony was virtually attended by executives from Carnival Corporation including chairman of the board Micky Arison, president and CEO Arnold Donald; Stein Kruse, group CEO of Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Carnival Australia and Carnival UK; and Jan Swartz, group president of Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia. Fincantieri was represented by CEO Giuseppe Bono.
The 145,000-ton, 3,660-guest ship is the 100th cruise ship built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, and its finalisation marks the first ship to be completed during the time of Covid.
Enchanted Princess will introduce new dining experiences, the most pools and whirlpool hot tubs ever, entertainment venues, and the Sky Suites, offering expansive views from the largest balconies at sea.
Enchanted Princess is scheduled to arrive in North America in December 2020, for a season of Caribbean cruises.
For the true costs of Thailand’s 2020 tourism retraction, look beyond the tourism sector
In the past decade, the Asia-Pacific region established itself as the world’s largest, fastest-growing, and most diverse tourism market. In Thailand, the tourism sector supported almost 20 per cent of national GDP in 2019, and one in five jobs, according to the WTTC.
This year, of course, the tourism sector has come to face with its biggest-ever challenge – the coronavirus.
In Oxford Economics’ latest projections for the travel and tourism sector in Thailand, we expect the volume of international visitor arrivals to fall by more than half in 2020, compared with last year. In our central scenario, we do not see tourism spending recovering to 2019 levels until 2024. That means a 4.8 trillion baht loss of visitor spending in Thailand’s economy compared with our pre-pandemic outlook.
For tourism providers in Thailand and across Asia-Pacific, this is a devastating blow. Our modelling identifies 40 million “jobs at risk” in the wider Asia-Pacific tourism sector. For workers and business owners in this sector, a return of tourism expenditure could not come soon enough. What is increasingly clear is that the rebuilding of the travel and tourism sector will be essential for the wider economic recovery of the region.
Airbnb’s role in Thailand, as part of the wider short-term rental sector, provides a useful example of how tourism spending manifests itself broadly around the economy. We recently worked with Airbnb to estimate its total economic impact across 13 Asia-Pacific countries in the five years preceding the coronavirus travel disruption. This included detailed modelling of the direct economic impacts of the spending Airbnb facilitates, and the indirect economic impacts it creates through supply chain effects and wage expenditure.
A little more than one third of Airbnb’s total economic footprint in Thailand (worth around 44 billion baht in 2019) can be attributed to this “direct impact” – that’s the value added by businesses and workers in the first line of tourism activity: the bars and restaurants, retailers, and taxi drivers. The remainder is generated by the “indirect” value added along the supply chains of these tourism providers, and from the wage expenditure of those workers earning incomes from it. And these wider impacts fall widely across sectors and are spread widely across states and regions.
In Thailand, only one quarter of Airbnb’s economic impact falls in Bangkok (Airbnb’s biggest local market in Asia-Pacific). The lion’s share is distributed around second-tier and smaller tourism destinations, including those with no tourism footfall to speak of at all.
Similarly, the decline in tourism has not only been felt by the unfortunate staff and operators of those frontline tourism providers, but also in the transport, retail, manufacturing, and agricultural jobs that service this tourism demand indirectly.
As our study for Airbnb highlights, there are more than 925,000 workers in Asia-Pacific whose employment was supported by Airbnb-related tourism alone in 2019. More than half of these workers benefited through indirect impacts. They might not make the connection themselves, but their employment and prosperity are tied in part to the recovery and trajectory of the tourism sector.
So, how can a recovery in travel and tourism be accelerated? When producing our forecasts, we tend to closely observe three core obstacles: physical travel restrictions, depressed economic conditions, and lasting impact the coronavirus will leave on traveller confidence.
It is increasingly clear that the early revival of short-haul and domestic travel along safe and trusted, low-risk travel corridors will be key to recovery, before a broader normalisation of tourism flows can be established in the years to come.
In many ways, platforms like Airbnb are well placed to help accelerate Asia-Pacific’s tourism recovery. There are five reasons why:
- Facilitating and inspiring domestic trips: As households look to substitute longhaul for short-haul and international for domestic trips, platforms like Airbnb can help connect that demand with new and unique alternatives.
- Supporting a youth-led recovery: The coronavirus has disproportionately affected older travellers in terms of health impacts and the willingness to travel. Young people will be critical to tourism’s recovery, particularly in the early stages, and the majority of Airbnb’s users are aged under 30.
- Helping to rebuild international travel as an export sector: Airbnb’s community model helps sustain traveller interest through the restricted travel period, and therefore, smooth and catalyse their return to the market once conditions normalise.
- Leveraging analytics to adapt to a changing landscape: With such a rapidly shifting landscape, agility in the current market is key. Hosts and travellers will benefit from the platform’s ability to respond quickly to the shifting trends and preferences.
- Finally, agility and flexibility in supply: Early signs of travel recovery have indicated a shift in demand for travel destinations, compared with the pre-coronavirus norms. Anchoring accommodation supply too heavily to pre-coronavirus tourism infrastructure could therefore act as a drag on recovery. Airbnb’s agile and flexibly supply of hosts can help facilitate the return of tourism spending more swiftly, and the wide range of jobs and incomes it supports.
In a post-pandemic world, a full recovery of the tourism industry will likely take time. There have been some encouraging signs of recovery in short-haul and domestic trips, but industry players across the board will need to do their part to deliver the sector’s broader revival. Platforms like Airbnb can play a pivotal role in supporting these efforts and reintroducing the many gains of tourism to the Thai economy.
Nikko grows China footprint with fifth Jiangsu property
Slated to open in 2023, Hotel Nikko Changshu will mark the fifth property of Okura Nikko Hotel Management in Jiangsu Province, further boosting the Japan-based company’s presence in China.
Hotel Nikko Changshu will be located at Changshu National New & Hi-Tech Zone in Changshu city, one of the county-level cities in the Suzhou of southeastern Jiangsu Province.
The company has contracted with Changshu Kuncheng Development Investment to manage the new property through its joint venture BTG Nikko International Hotel Management.
Hotel Nikko Changshu will offer 288 guestrooms, each with a standard area of about 40m2, including 14 suite rooms. Onsite facilities will include a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, all-day dining, lobby lounge, a fitness centre and indoor pool, alongside a banquet hall and five conference rooms.
Tourism Australia lures international visitors with 8D audio escapes
A series of new immersive videos will transport viewers from around the world into the heart of some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes, as part of efforts by the country’s tourism board to inspire future holiday plans.
Harnessing 8D audio technology, the six videos take viewers on a sensory journey, immersing them in the sights, sounds and textures of destinations such as Uluru, Sydney Opera House, Fraser Island and the Daintree.
8D audio is a sound engineering treatment that, when the viewer wears headphones, gives the music and sounds a three-dimensional effect for an immersive experience. This marks the first time a tourism body has utilised this technology for a video series.
The videos have each been themed by colour – blue, red, magenta, green, black and white – to evoke a range of feelings and emotions, and showcase the visual diversity and vibrancy found in Australia.
Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said the videos would give travellers around the world a taste of Australia from the comfort of home.
“Many people have had to put their travel plans on hold this year, but reassuringly, the demand for Australian holiday experiences hasn’t waned, with many still dreaming about travelling here in the future,” she said.
“Although the current border restrictions mean that international travellers can’t visit right now, we need to continue to keep Australia top of mind through bold and engaging initiatives, and remind them of the exceptional experiences that await them when they can travel here again.
The videos are part of Tourism Australia’s renewed international content marketing programme to drive traffic and engagement to its channels, and can be viewed on Australia.com/8DEscapes and Tourism Australia’s YouTube channel. They are supported by a series of articles on Australia.com providing information on the highlighted experiences and destinations.
Inter-district travel banned in Sabah as Covid cases spike
The Sabah state government has banned inter-district travel in Sabah from October 3-16, after Malaysia reported 260 new coronavirus cases on Thursday (October 1), its second-highest daily jump since the start of the outbreak, with majority of the new cases originating from Sabah.
The spike in cases came after a surge in travel to and from Sabah for the state elections. Of the 260 tally, Sabah accounted for 118 cases. Thirty-one of the new cases in other states involved Sabah returnees.
The latest virus surge is also Malaysia’s biggest daily jump in infections since June 4, when the country recorded 277 cases involving a cluster at a Selangor immigration detention centre.
Under the inter-district travel ban, all businesses are allowed to operate as usual as long as it does not require travelling out of the district.
Elsewhere, the Sarawak state government has temporarily banned the entry of non-residents from Sabah and Labuan from October 4-18. Sarawakians in Sabah and Labuan will be allowed to return home, but they will have to undergo a 14-day quarantine at designated facilities upon arrival, and take two Covid-19 tests during that period.
Earlier, four districts in Sabah – Lahad Datu, Tawau, Kunak and Semporna – had been placed under the targeted enhanced movement control order from September 29 to October 12.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, Tan Kok Liang, has advised Malaysians to defer their holiday plans to Sabah till after mid-October.
Onyx Hospitality hires new China head
Onyx Hospitality Group has appointed Ethan Cai as senior vice president and head of China, as part of its long-term commitment towards the China market.
Based in the Shanghai regional office and reporting to Craig Bond, executive vice president, operations, Onyx Hospitality Group, Cai will lead the operations and development of the company’s portfolio of hotels and serviced apartments in China. He will be in charge of exploring new businesses and project deals, while overseeing the group’s ongoing expansion and pre-openings, including the upcoming Shama Hub New City Changchun and Shama Hub West Coast Haikou.
tCai brings over 20 years of experience to his new role. Prior to joining Onyx, he co-founded a start-up company pioneering the use of robots for the hospitality business.
He started his hospitality career with Hyatt, where he was the pre-opening team member of Grand Hyatt Shanghai. His other roles include general manager of the hotel division of China Jin Mao Group, as well as various senior positions at Morgan Stanley within the real estate investment and property divisions.
Cai also spent time with PVCP Group, a European leader in development and operation of tourism residences, as one of the core founding members of its China JV, where he led the business development team in signing 11 different development projects over a period of 18 months.
Stringent rules for staycations in GCQ areas draw flak from Philippine hoteliers
Philippine hoteliers are baulking at the stringent staycation guidelines for properties located in metro Manila and other destinations under general community quarantine (GCQ), including restricting accommodations to four- and five-star hotels, limiting guests to those residing within the destination, and mandatory antigen testing for all guests.
Chroma Hospitality country manager, James Montenegro, questioned the point of subjecting every family member living in one household to antigen testing.
He also pointed out that while families are required to take antigen tests in GCQ hotels, masses are allowed to roam freely without Covid testing in malls, where the transmission risk is higher, especially on weekends when thousands throng the malls.
Montenegro said four- and five-star hotels have strict implementation of health and hygiene protocols that are similar to those in hospitals.
While he welcomed the authorities’ move to allow the resumption of staycations in GCQ areas, Montenegro also saw the need “to strike a balance” between public health measures and economic recovery, noting that hotels have been closed for at least six months now.
Cyndy Tan Jarabata, president of Tajara Leisure and Hospitality Group, and co-organiser of the Hotel Owners for Tomorrow, an action group made up of independent and MSME hotel owners and operators, agreed that certain staycation restrictions “don’t make sense to hotel owners, much less staycationers”.
Noting how families make up a key segment for the staycation market, she cited the example of how the costs of antigen tests for a family of four booking a staycation may amount to the same as the promotional room rate, deterring domestic travellers from taking staycations. Another problem, she added, is the limitation on the number of occupants, based on the room size.
“It’s too much hassle for a staycation in the city where we have been stuck since March. The domestic market would prefer to have some breathing space outside of the metro,” Jarabata explained.
As per other staycation requirements laid down by the Department of Tourism, all accommodation establishments in GCQ areas must also first secure a DoT Certificate of Authority to Operate for Staycations before accommodating any guests for a staycation. They are also required to have contactless booking and payment systems in place.
As well, the maximum number of guests allowed per room will be determined by the floor area – for example, a 49m2 room will be allowed to house a maximum of four guests. Accommodations which were previously used as quarantine or isolation facilities or had Covid-19 positive guests are also required to present a proof of sanitation and disinfection of their facilities.
New hotels: Mövenpick Resort Khao Yai, Capella Bangkok, and more
Mövenpick Resort Khao Yai, Thailand
Located less than a three-hour drive from Bangkok on the fringes of the Khao Yai National Park, the 112-key resort offers guests a European castle-esque experience surrounded by a mountainous landscape. There are 62 guestrooms, ranging from the 45m2 Deluxe Room to the three-bedroom Penthouse, alongside 50 villas. Onsite amenities include a swimming pool, a spa, an events hall, and an 18-hole golf course. F&B options include the all-day dining Flavours of Khao Yai, and farm-to-table Castleton Cafe. Children can be entertained at the My Ozone Animal Club, where they have the opportunity to get up close with a variety of farm animals, including ponies, horses, chickens, and goats.
Capella Bangkok, Thailand
Capella Hotels and Resorts’ first property in Thailand boasts 101 guestrooms, suites and villas, ranging from the 61m2 lead-ins to the 595m2 villas. Each accommodation has been fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony or verandah that opens out to Thailand’s Chao Phraya river. Facilities include a 24-hour fitness centre, a spa, and seven versatile event spaces. There are also four culinary options, including Thai restaurant Phra Nakhon, and Côte by three-Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco which serves traditional recipes from the French and Italian Riviera.
Grand Nikko Awaji, Japan
Following its rebranding, The Westin Awaji Island Resort & Conference Center has reopened as the Grand Nikko Awaji, and will be managed by Okura Nikko Hotel Management. Previously, the hotel was managed by Yumebutai Co. and Marriott International for 20 years. Located on the northern tip of Awaji Island, the rebranded Grand Nikko Awaji offers 201 guestrooms, each with a standard area of about 42m2, overlooking Osaka Bay and the Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park. It features four restaurants, a lounge, seven banquet halls, wedding chapel, a spa and fitness centre with indoor and outdoor pools, and tennis courts.
Holiday Inn & Suites Shin Osaka, Japan
Holiday Inn & Suites Shin Osaka is the first Holiday Inn in Japan to offer a suites product, with 126 of its 185 rooms featuring an apartment-style kitchen, dining room and laundry room. Each guest suite ranges from 30-45m2 in size, making it ideal for long-term business stays, as well as for families and groups; while standard rooms cater for shorter stays for one to two guests. The hotel offers all-day dining, meeting spaces, fitness facilities and ample parking.
Snag a staycation with TTG’s 10.10 deals
TTG Asia Media will be holding its inaugural Great Staycation sale on October 10, as part of this year’s eGSS (Great Singapore Sale), organised by the Singapore Retailers Association.
With borders closed, staycations are the next best thing for travel-deprived locals looking for a getaway. So set your calendars and get ready to pick up some fantastic promotions to help you escape your bedroom.
Our livestream will be hosted on GoSpree’s Facebook page from 21.00 to 22.00, as part of a three-hour-long segment.
Participants will also have the opportunity to enter a lucky draw and contests to win a variety of prizes such as vouchers and staycation packages. Participating properties include Parkroyal Collection Pickering, InterContinental Singapore, and One Farrer Hotel.
More details will be revealed next week, so stay tuned!
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.
“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.