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Asia/Singapore Friday, 19th December 2025
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Page 972

Thailand’s domestic travel bounces back

By TTG Asia
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Airbnb has observed a surge in domestic bookings in Thailand, with the number of reservations rebounding to pre-Covid levels, up 13 per cent from last year.

With travel slowly resuming in Thailand, domestic travel is trending to nearby destinations. Top domestic destinations from May 12 to June 10 in Thailand include Bangkok, Hua Hin, Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phetchaburi, with travel to non-urban destinations comprising 45 per cent of bookings, based on recent booking data.

Airbnb bookings show a surge in domestic bookings across Asia-Pacific, including Thailand; tourists visiting Wat Saket temple in Chiang Mai, Thailand pictured

Across other markets in Asia-Pacific, domestic travel is also on the rise, with Airbnb seeing a surge in bookings in the last month in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. In May 2020, over 60 per cent of all bookings on Airbnb were for listings in non-urban destinations.

Between May 18-24, there were more nights booked for domestic travel on Airbnb globally compared to the same period in 2019. From June 5-7, for the first time since February, year-over-year growth in gross booking value (not including cancellations or alterations) has increased for all Airbnb reservations made around the globe.

Tapping into the demand for nearby trips, Airbnb said it will be updating its app and homepage to feature local trip ideas and nearby getaways.

Kum Hong Siew, regional director (Asia-Pacific), Airbnb, said: “We are already seeing early positive signs of domestic travel getting ready to make a comeback, driven by locals booking holidays that are closer to home. This latest data reinforces our belief that travellers increasingly are looking for more local, authentic and affordable experiences.

“Tourism is a key driver of economic growth in Thailand and it will play an important role in overall recovery. We are committed to working hand in hand with governments, tourist agencies, communities and other key local stakeholders in Thailand to help restore travel in a responsible way that economically benefits local citizens and small businesses, paving the way towards tourism’s much-needed recovery.”

Tourism revival key to SE Asia’s economic recovery: FATA

By TTG Asia
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As the coronavirus leaves economies reeling, the tourism industry will be among the first to recover, and its revival will spur the economic growth in South-east Asia, said the Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA).

FATA president Tan Kok Liang said in a statement that once tourism within the region recovers, it will quickly become the catalyst for the revival of other affected sectors linked to the industry.

Tourism sector plays a crucial role in boosting South–east Asia’s recovery, says FATA; Golden Bridge in Vietnam’s Ba Na Hills pictured 

“Ensuring that the travel and tourism industry is the first to recover would mean instant activation of a wide range of related micro-economies. The impact from the tremendous growth of tourism in (South-east Asia) will be an eye-opener; creating curiosity and branding opportunities in international markets,” Tan said.

For his part, FATA secretary general and Philippine Travel Agencies Association president Ritchie Tuaño said the ASEAN Tourism Strategic Plan (ATSP) for 2016 to 2025 remains their guidepost amid the pandemic, and beyond.

“We need to continue to position and brand (South-east Asia) as a single market destination. Then, within each member state, sub-regional destinations and circuits must be promoted,” Tuaño said.

FATA members will work with governments in the region to ensure that tourism survives the pandemic, while ensuring stakeholders’ readiness post-Covid-19, he added.

FATA said the potential of domestic tourism within South-east Asia, with its 622 million population, can match that of Europe, China, and the US.

Last year, tourist arrivals to the South-east Asian region hit 133 million, 10 million above ATSP’s projection. This shows the key role tourism plays in economies within the region, contributing at least two per cent to 14.5 per cent to each member’s GDP, FATA said.

Tan also urged ASEAN member states to strengthen cooperation in the sharing of information and exchange of best practices, in order to boost confidence of stakeholders and travellers.

He said the move “will further build resilience and prepare the region to effectively implement and manage sustainable tourism in the aftermath of a crisis”.

CAPA rolls out new tool to project air capacity

By TTG Asia
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CAPA launches data models for airlines to project future capacity growth

Market intelligence provider CAPA – Centre for Aviation has launched a series of interactive data models designed to project future air capacity in key markets across the world.

Supported by travel data provider OAG, the CAPA Airline Capacity Models provides a breakdown of each nation’s domestic and international outlook for seat capacity – as well as each city and route pair – based on 2019’s actual figures. It also takes into account government statements, airline network announcements and capacity projections.

CAPA launches data models for airlines to project future capacity growth

Using assumptions around six key phases: Zero/Grounded, Skeleton, Acutely Restricted, Basic, Restrained, and Standard, users can track the pace of recovery in their relevant market.

Derek Sadubin, managing director, CAPA – Centre for Aviation, said: “The impact of Covid-19 has damaged the efficacy of traditional methods of understanding the future size and scale of our industry.

“Frustrated by the lack of a model that takes into account border closures and other key assumptions around the pace of recovery of domestic and international passenger markets, we set out to build our own model with the support of OAG.”

CAPA has rolled out Airline Capacity Models in Australia, New Zealand and China, while models for the UK, France, Germany, the US, India, Japan, South Korea, and other countries will follow.

New website aims to promote Covid-19 efforts in SE Asia

By TTG Asia
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ASEAN Agrees to Use visitseasia.travel Website as Official Platform for All Tourism and COVID-19 Related Updates

South-east Asian countries have agreed to publicise Covid-19-related updates, as well as promote the region’s tourism offerings, on a shared platform.

All updates on travel, tourism and measures to combat Covid-19 relating to the ASEAN member states can soon be found at visitseasia.travel.

During a recent video conference meeting, representatives from ASEAN member countries agree to use visitseasia.travel website as official platform for all tourism and Covid-19-related updates

Covid-19-related content featured on the site will include statistics, travel advisory notices, mitigation efforts, new policies, and success stories from each member state in handling Covid-19.

The move was proposed by current chair of the ASEAN Tourism Communication Team, Malaysia, during the Special Video Conference Meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Communication Team on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) held on June 4, 2020.

During the meeting, the director of inter-institutional relations for the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (MoTCE) and head of the Indonesian delegation, Candra Negara, said that the focus of all ASEAN member states is to restore tourists’ trust in the cleanliness and safety of South-east Asian destinations.

Global travellers are keen to know the efforts by tourism stakeholders in these destinations to tackle the new normal post-Covid, he added.

Agustini Rahayu, director of communication bureau for MoTCE, said that Indonesia’s handling of Covid-19 includes “enhancing channels of communication, introducing services to reassure tourists, and the deployment of human and digital resources of the tourism and creative economies to tackle the crisis”.

Following this approach, the Indonesian government has provided the covid19.go.id website, which is managed by the national task force, as an official source of Covid-19 data in Indonesia. Specifically, for the tourism and creative economy sector, MoTCE also provides regular Covid-19-related updates on the pedulicovid19.kemenparekraf.go.id microsite.

In addition to the deployment of digital and communications resources, the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Health, has also issued several health protocols for various sectors published in both paper and electronic format (mobile and desktop) as a Health Care Card for tourists.

TAT, Expedia tie up to plug Thailand’s public health push

By TTG Asia
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Expedia has joined forces with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to promote the country’s health and safety initiatives, under TAT’s Safety and Health Administration (SHA) scheme, to global travellers.

Under this partnership, Expedia will launch a series of domestic and international marketing initiatives to build awareness of the SHA and promote Thailand as a safe travel destination among its users.

Thailand’s health and safety efforts to combat Covid-19 will be promoted through Expedia-TAT tie-up; Locals visiting the Grand Palace and the Emerald Buddha Temple in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 7, 2020 – its first day of reopening after Covid-19 outbreak

The announcement was made during a second joint virtual industry seminar as part of the Thailand’s Covid-19 Travel and Tourism Strategies Series – The Path to Recovery, jointly organised by Expedia Group, TAT and Thai Hotels Association, and attended by more than 1,000 Thai hoteliers in Bangkok.

Speaking at the virtual industry seminar, Ang Choo Pin, senior director, government and corporate affairs, Asia, Expedia Group, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has created a ‘new normal’ and significantly changed the way our travellers are going to be planning and experiencing the world. Health and safety remain a priority and the availability of coherent cleanliness and hygiene plans will play an important role in driving people’s decisions to travel.”

TAT governor Khun Yuthasak Supasorn added: “The SHA scheme ensures Thai tourism operators are prepared for the return of tourism post-Covid-19. It provides confidence in Thailand as a safe destination.”

Malaysia allows flights, public transport to run at full capacity

By TTG Asia
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All public transport services including flights in Malaysia can now operate in full capacity, under standard operating procedures

All forms of public transport, including flights, e-hailing, and express bus services, are now allowed to operate at full capacity, announced the Malaysian government on Thursday.

It is also no longer necessary for airlines to enforce compulsory social distancing. Malaysian transport minister Wee Ka Siong shared that the airlines’ manifestos showed exactly where each passenger was seated, making it easy to locate an individual should the need arise.

Flights, public transport in Malaysia to resume at full capacity

He was quoted by The Star as saying: “Airlines have also been implementing various SOPs to ensure the safety of both crew and passengers in light of Covid-19.”

Welcoming the government’s decision to allow airlines to operate at full capacity, Malaysia Airlines said it would be able to price fares more competitively for the benefit of customers, while balancing the need to cover operational costs.

Uzaidi Udanis, president of Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, hailed the removal of the in-flight social distancing measures, saying it would make airfares more affordable, thus, encouraging domestic travel.

He added: “We don’t want a trip to Langkawi from Kuala Lumpur to cost RM$1,000 (US$230). Air travel is especially important to Sabah and Sarawak, which are now depending even more on domestic tourists from Peninsular Malaysia. We hope airlines will comply and enforce the strict SOPs as we don’t want to see a relapse, as there is still no vaccine for Covid-19.”

Taiwan’s domestic tourism gets US$130m boost

By TTG Asia
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Top view of Jiufen Old Street in Taipei Taiwan

Taiwan has rolled out a NT$3.9 billion (US$130 million) stimulus package to bolster domestic tourism, which includes travel subsidies for citizens, as Covid-19 restrictions ease.

The announcement was made by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Monday, according to a report on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan) website.

Taiwan will provide citizens with travel subsidies from July in bid to boost domestic tourism; Jiufen Old Street in Taipei, Taiwan pictured

From July 1 to October 31, citizens travelling within Taiwan can enjoy discounts and subsidies for hotel stays, park admissions and travel packages.

Individual travellers will receive a one-time NT$1,000 or NT$2,000 subsidy for hotel stays, depending on whether they are travelling within Taiwan, or its offshore counties.

In addition, Taiwan Tour Bus passengers on half-day or one-day tours can benefit from a two-for-one discount. As well, citizens born on or after July 1, 2001, can enjoy unlimited free admission to participating amusement parks between July 1 and August 31.

For groups of at least 10 people on two-day or longer tours, each member will get NT$700, with the total capped at NT$30,000 per group, and increasing to NT$70,000 for groups with more than 15 people travelling for three days or more.

The government will offer NT$1,200 per person for groups of 15 or more on tours of two days or longer to the outlying counties of Kinmen, Lienchiang and Penghu, up to a maximum of NT$70,000 per group.

A maximum subsidy of NT$10 million will also be given to city and county governments to aid with planning and launching local tourism campaigns.

The initiatives are expected to encourage 6.38 million citizens to travel domestically, said the ministry, pegging estimated revenue at NT$23.5 billion.

JNTO Singapore launches contest for agents, airlines

By Kathryn Wortley
0

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is inviting the travel trade to bid in a competition to help recover travel from Singapore to Japan. The project is part of plans to boost inbound tourism to Japan, which has been devastated by the global pandemic.

The co-promotion competition invites airlines and agents to propose projects that could stimulate interest among the Singapore market to travel to Japan from now till March 31, 2021.

Japan’s tourism board eyes Singapore travellers in bid to boost inbound tourism to the country

According to JNTO’s Singapore office, the project aims “to support sales of travel products to Japan, and provide information of Japan through co-promotion with airline companies and OTAs in order to promptly recover the demand for travel to Japan, which has decreased due to the global epidemic of Covid-19″.

Before the pandemic, Singapore was a growing market for Japan. In calendar 2019, Japan welcomed 492,252 visitors from Singapore, an increase of 12.6 per cent year-on-year. In April 2020, however, less than 10 travellers arrived from Singapore, down from 36,704 a year earlier, according to JNTO data.

“In order to appeal to and attract numerous Singaporeans coming back to Japan when the recovery begins, we are thinking of working with airlines, travel agencies and OTAs, who are our important partners, on various promotions,” said Max Ye, a JNTO Singapore spokesperson.

Singapore is among more than 100 countries whose citizens are banned from entering Japan at present. Although direct sales advertisements, such as those selling airline tickets, are on hold until travel restrictions are lifted, JNTO wants to start preparing now for Singapore arrivals, Ye explained.

“For Japan travel, the Singapore market comprises largely repeating travellers, and Singaporean travellers spend – and are willing to spend – quite a lot in Japan, so the Singapore market remains an important market for Japan tourism,” he added.

In 2018, the average spend per visitor from Singapore was 172,821 yen, (US$1,600), higher than that of many of its neighbours, including Hong Kong, at 154,581 yen.

Organisations wishing to take part in the competition should submit a proposal, in Japanese or English, by 13.00 (GMT +8) on June 24.

Travel bubbles part of Myanmar tourism’s recovery plan

By TTG Asia
0
Myanmar has developed a roadmap for the recovery of its tourism industry, which has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic

Myanmar has mapped out a three-phase plan to reinvigorate its tourism industry, including fiscal aid for businesses, implementation of health and safety protocols, and looking to domestic travel to drive initial recovery.

The announcement was made by H.E. U Ohn Maung, union minister of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism (MOHT), on Tuesday. The ministry has been working on the post-Covid recovery plan since April.

Myanmar has developed a roadmap for the recovery of its tourism industry, which has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic

In the first “Survival” phase, financial aid will be provided to hotels and tourism businesses, in the form of tax relaxation, reduction of license fees, deferment of rent payment, and loan provision.

As well, MOHT will conduct more online training for tourism professionals and staff, discussing travel destinations and tourism market assessments.

Under phase two of “Reopening”, which will take place in June, July and August, businesses will have to observe a set of SOPs for the health and safety of travellers and staff. Focus will be placed on promoting domestic travel, as local travel destinations reopen in June.

Pagodas, museums and parks will also be reopened, in accordance with the national guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Sports.

Phase three will focus on “Re-launching”, and will be implemented within six months to a year. The phase will see the rolling out of new marketing campaigns and long-term plans to reinvent Myanmar’s tourism.

Furthermore, when the country reopens, the government plans to create “travel bubbles” through bilateral agreements with Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The government has announced extension of entry restrictions for travellers from all countries until June 15, 2020. However, Yangon International airport terminal remains operational for all domestic flights and special relief flights.

Myanmar Tourism Marketing is working with MOHT and other travel associations to launch a domestic tourism campaign, said May Myat Mon Win, Myanmar Tourism Marketing chairperson. Once pandemic eases, she added, they will target regional markets, followed by longhaul destinations.

A lot might have changed, But HAPPY TOURS remains the same: Your trusted European Travel Partner

By TTG
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Brought to you by Happy Tours

WHO IS HAPPY TOURS?

Happy Tours has grown as a family company and now we are celebrating 20 years!

We have several offices around Europe with skilled staff, an in-house developed IT system, which we are very proud of and we call it TOP (Tour Operators Programme) for a just reason – as this is where we want us to be – and with you along!
We own our own coaches and since last year even a hotel.

Lyra is the first modern 4* hotel in Plitvice in Croatia.

SLOVENIA – THE ORIGINAL HOME OF HAPPY TOURS

Slovenia, this small, yet cosmopolitan country is surrounded by much more internationally well-known countries: Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia and is one of the countries with direct access to the Adriatic Sea, although with a mere 46 km of coastline. Although only half the size of Switzerland, Slovenia boasts beautiful and diverse nature, comprising all the major regions found in Europe – thus it is often referred to as Europe in a nutshell. Short distances between diverse landscapes make you feel everything is within your grasp. This means that you can go skiing in the morning and sail the Adriatic in the afternoon.

Explore the land of diversity

Slovenia boasts numerous must-see places, like the charming pocket-sized capital of Ljubljana with its dazzling hilltop castle; the coastal town of Piran perched on a tiny piece of land jutting into the sea; the biggest European cave, Postojna Cave, which never fails to work its magic; Bled with a picture-postcard lake with an island in the centre and a medieval castle rising overhead, and the emerald green Soča River, one of the most thrilling places for white-water rafting in Europe.

Water is the driving force of all nature

Slovenia is one of the richest countries in Europe in terms of water. Either in search of an unforgettable rafting experience on the foamy emerald waters of the Soča River, an exciting sailing adventure on the Mediterranean or a perfect spa retreat in one of the spas with natural thermal water springs, Slovenia has it all. Also, tap water is drinkable in Slovenia.

Some of the highlights of the country include:

Charming Ljubljana

Fairy-tale Bled Lake

Postojna Cave, the biggest cave in Europe and Predjama Castle

The chronicles of the emerald-green Soča River

The cobbled streets of Piran and sandy beaches of Portorož


Kozjak Waterfall


Logar Valley


Lake Bled

Get to know us, at Happy Tours we are always at your disposal for itineraries throughout the Europe. With offices in London, Athens, Croatia and Slovenia, and with sales support in Malaysia, China and India, we are indeed your trusted European travel partner.

Win a fantastic holiday in our country, and experience its beauties for yourself: www.happytours.eu/prize.

For any enquiries please contact us at: sea@happytours.eu

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TTG Asia | Diamond Princess begins Singapore homeporting season
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