Abu Dhabi rolls out e-learning platform for travel trade

May 11, 2020

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) has launched the Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme, an e-learning platform which will educate travel trade industry professionals with all destination-related information about the emirate through a series of online courses.

The programme will be rolled out in three phases in several languages across 17 markets, including the UK, the US, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and Russia, as well as GCC countries.

Abu Dhabi rolls out online courses for travel trade to learn more about the emirate; Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu-Dhabi, UAE pictured

The first phase was launched on May 4, in the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India.

Designed specifically for industry partners such as tour operators, travel agents and wholesalers, the Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme will equip travel trade professionals with up-to-date information about the UAE capital, so that they will be able to better promote the destination.

The e-initiative, which is part of DCT Abu Dhabi’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, aims to reach a larger number of travel trade agents worldwide, including previously untapped markets like Canada and New Zealand, according to Saood Al Hosani, acting undersecretary at DCT Abu Dhabi.

The courses encompassed in the programme cover information related to key attractions in Abu Dhabi, local events, accommodation options, and much more. Additionally, it includes a rewards section featuring incentive programmes, exclusively available for Abu Dhabi Specialists – travel trade agents who graduate from the main programme.

The Abu Dhabi Specialist Programme is now available for travel trade professionals on abudhabispecialist.com.

For the Indian travel industry, upon successful completion of two modules, agents can win an Amazon gift voucher worth Rs 10,000 (US$132). As well, upon successful completion of the Specialist Programme, agents stand to win the latest smartphones and a trip to Abu Dhabi.

Digitalisation, domestic travel to drive Philippine hotels’ recovery

By Rosa Ocampo

May 11, 2020

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Philippine hotels and resorts are preparing to reboot operations via an overhaul in their business processes, with a renewed focus on tapping the domestic market and advancing digitalisation for post-pandemic travel.

In a webinar run by WOFEX University, The Linden Suites general manager Celeste Romualdo said that the biggest challenge in charting business recovery plans is “what will be left of the market after the community quarantine” even as her property, one among a handful in Ortigas still allowed to open during this time as it has long-stay guests and medical frontliners, is already adopting new safety and social distancing rules.

Hotels in the Philippines will need to adapt to new safety and health protocols when travel resumes, says industry players; aerial view of sandy beach and hotels in the Boracay, Philippines pictured

Romualdo added that there will be changes in how sales call are being carried out and the way meetings are set with clients, and that there will be an emergence of more online platforms and digital transactions as opposed to human-to-human contact.

In a webinar conducted by Hotel Sales and Marketing Association, Margie Munsayac, vice president sales and marketing of Bluewater Resorts in Cebu and Bohol, said that they will go after the local market, which will be their major source. “Most people are experiencing cabin fever so they will hit the beach,” she opined.

She shared that the plan going forward for hotels will be to operate on a lean management as there will be lower occupancy, in keeping with new safety measures such as social distancing. She added that properties should look at offering more flexible rates and cancellation policies.

Elpidio Beloso Jr, general manager, Holiday Inn Express at Resorts World Manila (RWM), suggested that business recovery plans should also include redirecting to digital marketing, revisiting unique selling points, as well as focusing on local markets and product enhancements.

In the aspect of ramping up digital promotions, Beloso said that RWM has launched a talent competition called Kwarto (Room) Guts Talent where they invite overseas Filipino workers who are quarantined in their properties to create a video displaying their talent, with the most creative and entertaining entries to receive vouchers for an overnight stay in one of three selected properties, and meal for two.

Maldives may reopen borders by July

By Feizal Samath

May 11, 2020

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Preparations are underway for the Maldives to resume tourism by July after a prolonged shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, government and industry officials said.

Tourism minister Ali Wahed and finance minister Ibrahim Ameer have both said the most likely scenario is that the borders would be re-opened by July for tourist arrivals.

Maldives set to welcome tourists against in July

However, Abdulla Ghiyas, former President of the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, said that the reopening of borders in July would also depend on the containment of Covid-19 cases.

Maldives has recorded 785 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as at May 6, including 528 foreigners, with a death toll of three, according to the country’s Health Protection Agency.

The infection of foreigners are mostly among Bangladeshi nationals who work in the capital Male as construction workers and in other unskilled jobs. The infection rate in resorts have been much less.

A government relief package has been offered as loans and debt moratorium to the private sector, which is largely made up of tourism businesses. Discussions about a second relief package are ongoing, according to Ghiyas.

Tourism represents more than 70 per cent of the business in the Maldives, with the government relying on tourism taxes and lease rentals of tourism islands to sustain the economy.

According to Suresh Dissanayake, assistant vice president – sales marketing at Heritance Aarah & Adaaran Resorts – Maldives, the government has plans to re-open its borders first to regional tourism traffic from India, China, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries by 3Q2020, followed by Europe in October or November.

China is the Maldives’ single largest tourism source market, but as a region, nearly 50 per cent of arrivals come from Europe.

Dissanayake said that both Emirates and Qatar are expected to resume flights from June, with the Maldives set to be among the first destinations to be served by the Middle Eastern carriers.

While most resorts in the Maldives are closed, about 10 to 12 resorts have been transformed into quarantine or isolation facilities. There are also another 10 resorts housing a combined 500 foreign guests, some who deem it safer to remain in the island-country than return to their own hometowns.

Repatriation flights have been operating intermittently to ferry foreign workers to their homeland.

The Maldives, which is home to some 200 resort islands, closed its air and sea borders to tourist arrivals on March 27.

Earlier in the year, the government was positive on tourism prospects, targeting two million arrivals this year after last year’s record 1.7 million. However, in light of the pandemic-induced shutdown, the number of tourist arrivals to the Maldives this year could drop by half of 2019.

Singapore births framework for tourism recovery, development

By Pamela Chow

May 11, 2020

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To help tourism businesses tide through the downtime amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has developed a new framework featuring new platforms for easier digitisation and potentially faster recovery.

Under the three-step framework coined Learn Test Build, companies can learn to identify gaps and opportunities in their business models through the STB Tech College, as well as a new self-diagnostic tool, the Tourism Transformation Index (TXI).

Quek: tourism businesses hoping to survive and thrive in the new normal will need data, insights and ability to test and scale new products fast

TXI provides a holistic gauge of a company’s current state of digital transformation across six areas: leadership and organisation, process and operations, customer, innovation, technology, and data. Businesses can then identify the next steps that they should take to advance their state of transformation. TXI is being launched this quarter.

“TXI is like a company’s annual health check-up in this age of disruption. On STB’s end, this is an important first step that will allow us to identify areas of intervention for our stakeholders,” explained Quek Choon Yang, chief technology officer, STB.

Under the “Test” stage, STB will launch ThreeHouse, a new physical space at its headquarters where companies can collaborate, workshop and prototype new ideas and solutions. If successful, these ideas will be picked by STB to be scaled to a bigger platform. ThreeHouse will be launched in 4Q2020, and co-located with the Singapore Tourism Accelerator, another programme under the “Test” section of the framework.

Finally, the “Build” stage encourages businesses to formulate viable and lasting solutions. Besides information provided on open-sharing platform, the Tourism Information and Services Hub, STB has also opened its tourism data pool, the Singapore Tourism Analytics Network (STAN), to the tourism industry.

Businesses can now access 10 years’ worth of Singapore’s visitor arrival data broken down by market, region, visitor profile and mode of arrival. They will be able to gain consumer insights, create visualisations, analyse datasets and collaborate with other players on data analytics projects.

This platform is essential for businesses to “identify where the pockets of opportunities are once the tourism industry shows signs of recovery”, said Quek, elaborating that “certain sectors and certain source markets will recover quicker than others”.

He continued: “Post-Covid, we expect consumer behaviour and the norms for travel to change for good. Consumers are likely to come out of the pandemic with a heightened sense of hygiene, both personal and environmental.

“Hence, it is important for tourism businesses to build trust with consumers, provide safety for visitors and be able to influence consumer choices. To survive and even thrive in this new normal, businesses need to be armed with the right data, insights and ability to test and scale new products fast.”

STB will soon conduct an industry-wide capability upskilling programme and engage stakeholders, including hotels, attractions, business event companies and travel agencies, on how to adopt STAN and data analytics in their businesses.

Future updates for STAN include enhanced capabilities such as advanced data visualisation and analytics, as well as sandboxes for users to collaborate and co-create data models.

Malaysia extends partial lockdown until June 9

By TTG Asia

May 11, 2020

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Malaysia has extended its conditional movement control order (CMCO) for another four weeks until June 9, announced prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a live broadcast on Sunday (May 10).

This marks the fifth time that the government has extended the country’s lockdown, which kicked in on March 18.

Malaysia is currently in its fifth phase of the conditional MCO; health workers donning protective suits on the streets of Kuala Lumpur pictured

The prime minister said that the extension was based on overall public sentiment wanting the government to continue taking measures to curb the pandemic.

He also announced a ban on interstate travel, noting that several major festivals fall during the CMCO period, including the Kaamatan and Hari Gawai, which are harvest festivals celebrated in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.

However, friends and relatives living within the same state will be allowed to visit each other’s homes for the Eid festivities, as long as such gatherings are limited to 20 people at a time, he said.

Schools, worship venues and cinemas will remain closed under the new extension, while mass public gatherings outdoors are still banned.

Malaysian health authorities on Sunday (May 10) reported 67 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the country’s total to 6,656, with a death toll of 108.

International tourist arrivals could plunge up to 80% in 2020: UNWTO

By TTG Asia

May 8, 2020

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The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a 22 per cent fall in international tourist arrivals in 1Q2020, and could result in an annual decline of between 60 per cent and 80 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest data from the UNWTO.

The UN body said that the dip in arrival numbers places millions of livelihoods at risk and threatens to roll back progress made in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

International tourist arrivals in 1Q2020 fell by 22 per cent due to the global pandemic; departure board displaying cancelled flights due to Covid-19 at an empty airport in Bangkok last month

UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Tourism has been hit hard, with millions of jobs at risk in one of the most labour-intensive sectors of the economy.”

Available data reported by destinations point to a 22 per cent decline in arrivals in the first three months of the year, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Arrivals in March dropped sharply by 57 per cent, as many countries went int lockdown, and unprecedented travel restrictions and worldwide border closures came into place. This translates into a loss of 67 million international arrivals and about US$80 billion in tourism receipts (exports), said UNWTO.

Although Asia and the Pacific shows the highest impact in relative and absolute terms (-33 million arrivals), the impact in Europe, though lower in percentage, is quite high in volume (-22 million).

Prospects for the year have been downgraded several times since the outbreak and uncertainty continues to dominate. Current scenarios point to possible declines in arrivals of 58 per cent to 78 per cent for the year. These depend on the speed of containment and the duration of travel restrictions and shutdown of borders.

Depending on when lockdowns and travel restrictions are lifted, UNWTO has outlined three possible scenarios for 2020, alongside the ensuing impact of the loss of demand in international travel:

Scenario 1 (-58 per cent), based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions in early July, could see a loss of 850 million to 1.1 billion international tourists
Scenario 2 (-70 per cent), based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions in early September, could see a loss of US$910 billion to US$1.2 trillion in export revenues from tourism
Scenario 3 (-78 per cent), based on the gradual opening of international borders and easing of travel restrictions only in early December, could put 100 to 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk

Calling this the worst crisis that international tourism has faced since records began in the year 1950, UNWTO said that the impact will be felt to varying degrees in the different global regions and at overlapping times, with Asia and the Pacific expected to rebound first.

Domestic demand is expected to recover faster than international demand, according to the UNWTO Panel of Experts survey. The majority expects to see signs of recovery by 4Q2020 but mostly in 2021. Based on previous crises, leisure travel is expected to recover quicker, particularly travel for visiting friends and relatives, than business travel.

The estimates regarding the recovery of international travel is more positive in Africa and the Middle East, with most experts foreseeing recovery still in 2020. Experts in the Americas are the least optimistic and least likely to believe in recovery in 2020; while in Europe and Asia, the outlook is mixed, with half of the experts expecting to see recovery within this year.

Ovolo rolls out Restaurant in Room dining concept

By TTG Asia

May 8, 2020

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Guests at Ovolo Nishi can now social distance in style with the launch of the hotel group’s new Restaurant in Room package, offering catered meals from a local restaurant in the comfort of a serviced apartment.

Initially offered at Canberra’s Monster Kitchen & Bar at Ovolo Nishi from April 30, guests at Nishi Apartments Eco-Living by Ovolo in Canberra, Australia can book Restaurant in Room on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights for private dining only, or with the addition of an overnight stay.

Ovolo Nishi’s new Restaurant in Room package offers a private dining experience in one of its rooms

Guests can choose from a three- or five-course menu, which costs A$229 (US$148) and A$289, respectively, for up to two guests. An option of additional beverages is also available for A$279 and A$349, respectively.

Guests who pick the three-course menu can also top up an additional A$90 for an overnight stay, while guests on the five-course menu pay A$70. Overnight stays will come with the usual complimentary amenities available to the serviced residence’s guests, such as Wi-Fi, in-room mini bar, and breakfast for two.

Ovolo said that as various states start to relax social distancing restrictions, it plans to launch Restaurant in Room across its other venues in Australia, including plant-based dining venue Alibi Bar & Kitchen in Sydney, and Middle-Eastern restaurant-bar ZA ZA TA in Brisbane.

Travel intent rises amid nosedive in bookings: ForwardKeys

By TTG Asia

May 8, 2020

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While the global aviation sector is engulfed in a perfect storm, with the past few months marked by flight cancellations and a lack of new bookings, flight search data by ForwardKeys in March showed consumers still aspire to travel.

An analysis of flight searches done in South Korea, Japan, France, Italy and Spain during March, reveals that consumers in these nations are still researching foreign travel and that they have a disproportionate interest in long-haul travel in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

Flight search data released by ForwardKeys shows spirit of travel still alive despite dive in bookings

In particular, for Italy, flight searches for departures in 2H2020 tracked during March 2020 surpassed that of the same month in 2019, showing potential latent demand.

The data is a stark contrast to the sobering picture painted by the decline in flight arrivals, aviation seat capacity and new bookings between January 6 and April 19.

Air travel fell by half (50%) compared to the same period last year, bringing home the degree of impact that the Covid-19 crisis has had on the aviation sector.

In Asia, flight arrivals fell by 56.1% year-on-year, making it the worst-hit region; followed by Europe (down 50.2%), the Africa and Middle East (MENA) (down 42.6%), and the Americas (down 39.8%).

The correlation between air travel and seat capacity was also made clear. Flight capacity worldwide tracked over the same period fell by more than 90% year-on-year, from 40 million seats to less than 4 million. As most flights remain grounded, ForwardKeys expects the year-to-year data for flight arrivals to continue to show downward trends in the near future.

Flight bookings across the same period decreased by 86.8% worldwide, found ForwardKeys. Since March 9, flight cancellations have surpassed the number of new bookings across the globe.

Looking at the overall impact of the crisis between January 6 and April 19, Asia was found to be the worst hit across the whole period, with a 100.5% year-on-year decline in flight bookings; followed by Europe (down 84.7%), the Americas (down 75.9%), and MENA (down 71.4%).

Nevertheless, an encouraging turn of events could be seen in the week of March 16, where cancellations peaked across the board.

Olivier Ponti, vice president insights, ForwardKeys, said: “Whilst we are currently looking at a catastrophic contraction of the aviation market, with a tiny proportion of flights still in the air, carrying cargo, repatriations and essential travel, there are some noteworthy patterns in the data to bear in mind.

“First, the peak for summer holiday bookings is in May, so if the lockdown can end soon, there may yet be a chance to rescue the summer season, at least partially. Second, flight search data strongly suggests that consumers aspire to travel; so, once the restrictions are lifted, the market will eventually come back.”

Korean Air mulls sale of core assets amid liquidity crisis

By Juyoung Lee

May 8, 2020

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Hanjin Group, the parent company of Korean Air, is considering to sell all three of the airline’s core businesses – its inflight meal service, mileage programme and aircraft maintenance division, to raise roughly US$2.4 billion in funds as part of its self-rescue plan amid a liquidity crisis.

South Korea’s flag carrier, also the country’s largest airline, has been making painstaking self-rescue efforts to tackle the fallout from the coronavirus, since Korea Development Bank (KDB) and Export-Import Bank of Korea said they will inject roughly US$978.8 million into the flagging airline.

Cash-strapped Korean Air considers selling its core business units to tide through the coronavirus

On April 26, Hanjin Group said it had launched a full-fledged internal review on how to sell its key business units. Korean Air had recently announced that it would sell its land in Songhyeon-dong, Seoul, but creditors rejected the proposal saying that it is meaningless to sell the land that had been out on the market since last year and that the assets need to be “sellable”.

“We will procure a lot of funds through the sale of Korean Air’s business units,” Dae-hyun Choi, vice president of KDB, said, adding that the company will announce detailed measures soon.

Choi: Sale of Korean Air’s three business divisions will raise “a lot of funds” for the carrier

The carrier’s inflight meal business is expected to steadily generate cash once operations have normalised, and compared to the other two business units, is relatively easy to sell in instalments.

The mileage division has a market valuation worth millions, as the mileages can be sold to credit card companies for cash. Korean Air’s maintenance and repair division is also considered a valuable business that can steadily generate cash as long as inspections and repair of domestic planes are maintained at a constant level.

Market watchers say Korean Air will raise billions of dollars in funds if it successfully sells all three of its key business units. However, it is unclear whether the carrier will be able to carry out the entire deal smoothly.

Cambodian quartet joins forces to feed needy

By TTG Asia

May 8, 2020

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A trio of hotels in Siem Reap have teamed up with a private museum on a meal scheme to provide more than 400 meals a day to individuals most affected by Cambodia’s lockdown due to the coronavirus.

Since April 20, Treeline Urban Resort, Mulberry Boutique Hotel, Jaya House Hotels and The Cambodia Landmine Museum have been doing the rounds on a daily basis, with the help of over 75 volunteers.

Mulberry Boutique Hotel among hotels in Siem Reap feeding the needy during the pandemic

The quartet started this initiative as unlike other countries, there are no social safety nets nor social support services in Cambodia to alleviate the effects of the virus crisis on the poor and vulnerable.

Under the food programme, all meals are nutritious, locally sourced and served in biodegradable packaging. They are also cooked locally, thus, generating income for local villagers and restaurants.

The quartet now hopes to raise over US$30,000 to keep this initiative going on for longer, and is calling on the public to join in their efforts to help feed the needy within the community during this crisis.

This initiative is entirely based on donations, and 100 per cent of the funds raised will go towards meal preparation and distribution. More information can be found on hotelsjoininghands.com.

Abu Dhabi rolls out e-learning platform for travel trade

Digitalisation, domestic travel to drive Philippine hotels’ recovery

Maldives may reopen borders by July

Singapore births framework for tourism recovery, development

Malaysia extends partial lockdown until June 9

International tourist arrivals could plunge up to 80% in 2020: UNWTO

Ovolo rolls out Restaurant in Room dining concept

Travel intent rises amid nosedive in bookings: ForwardKeys

Korean Air mulls sale of core assets amid liquidity crisis

Cambodian quartet joins forces to feed needy

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