Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh in Vietnam has partnered with the nearby KN Golf Links golf course, designed by famed golfer Greg Norman, to roll out a stay and golf package, in a bid to attract golfers to the new course.
Available for bookings and stays till November 30, 2020, the package includes lodging at the resort’s deluxe room, and one tee time per room night.
KN Golf Links on Long Beach at Cam Ranh Bay
The package also comes with access free Wi-Fi, daily breakfast and complimentary soft drinks from the in-room minibar. Guests who stay for four nights or more can also given a complimentary one-hour massage at the resort’s spa.
Transportation between Cam Ranh International Airport and the resort, and the resort and the golf course is included as part of the package. Also included are one pyramid of range balls per round; green, caddy and shared buggy fees; as well as all taxes.
Priced from VND 3,880,000 (US$165) per golfer per night, the package also features complimentary access to the Vietnamese resort’s fitness centre. A non-player second guest can accompany the golfer at a special rate.
Located on Long Beach on Vietnam’s south-central coast, about a five-minute drive from the resort, the 27-hole KN Golf Links opened its grounds to golfers last October. It comprises the Links Course and the garden-style, nine-hole Oasis Course.
Meanwhile, the recently-opened Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh boasts 292 contemporary rooms and suites – all with ocean views – including 36 private pool villas. Dining outlets at the resort include Vietnamese seafood restaurant Blu Lobster and beach bar Waves.
Flexible flight, accommodation and tour bookings may become a basic expectation of consumers looking into post-pandemic travel, with comprehensive travel insurance earning higher priority in the purchasing process, advised Skyscanner.
This information comes at a crucial time as travellers are raring up for potential travel later this year, with stirrings in the domestic travel sector already being detected across the region.
Flexible flight bookings and travel insurance will take on increased priority post-pandemic: Skyscanner
A recent Skyscanner survey of more than 6,700 users on its website between April 17 and 19 showed that 52 per cent of consumers in Asia-Pacific “believe it will be safe to travel internationally later this year”, with 82 per cent confident in domestic travel, shared Gavin Harris, commercial director, strategic partnerships at Skyscanner.
This bubbling travel intent serves as a call to action for companies to promote flexible bookings.
Jon Thorne, director, user satisfaction at Skyscanner, stressed: “This is an important consideration right now as timelines on imposed travel restrictions remain uncertain. Guidance could change very quickly and so having flexible cover for your future plans is advised right now. Many airlines are adopting flexible booking policies to enable customers to plan a trip but have the peace of mind that if restrictions are still in place, they will not lose out.”
He raised the example of Singapore Airlines waiving all rebooking fees for tickets issued on or before March 15, 2020, for travel up to May 31, 2020. While currently a temporary measure, such policies may become a mainstay in travel bookings as they can inspire confidence in travellers.
“There will be more interest in flexible flights, airlines and OTAs that have fair cancellation and rescheduling policies. Travellers are expecting airlines and OTAs to be more flexible after the crisis and charge less – or waive the fees – for rescheduling or getting a refund,” said Thorne.
Additionally, consumers are expected to pay closer attention to travel insurance, and are “considering insurance policies more than they used to”, he predicted.
As the industry prepares for the slow but eventual pickup of travel, Skyscanner is working with airlines and OTAs to support them and update offerings in line with the changing arrangements, said Thorne.
The company has also extended free trials of its Travel Insight products for airlines, tourism boards and other travel businesses to analyse global flight search data and understand ongoing traveller sentiment in order to predict future demand and allocate capacity.
Hertz Global Holdings is preparing to file for bankruptcy if the company fails to rework its debt, reported Bloomberg.
Hertz, which also operates the Thrifty and Dollar brands, was in talks with lenders to avoid defaulting on debt related to leases for its rental cars, after unprecedented travel restrictions due to the coronavirus crushed demand for car rentals.
Hertz is said to be in discussions with creditors to rework debt
The company is reportedly struggling to reach a deal with its creditors, and is preparing to file for Chapter 11 court protection, according to the report, citing anonymous sources. However, a filing is not set in stone, added the sources.
A Chapter 11 filing would permit Hertz to stay in business while it works out a plan to pay its creditors and turn the business around, said the report.
Hertz has hired an adviser to help with a forthcoming bankruptcy filing, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Founded in Chicago in 1918, Hertz was operating 12,400 locations worldwide as of February.
Air travel and flight capacity within China are showing first signs of recovery, according to press statements from travel analytics companies ForwardKeys and Cirium.
While this could mean travel players in specific locations in China can look forward to a rebound in the coming months, international air recovery remains uncertain.
China’s domestic air travel is slowly picking up in the wake of the coronavirus
ForwardKeys was cautious to speak of international travel recovery with the continued restrictions of flights in and out of China.
Cirium, however, painted a more positive picture, citing the return in China’s domestic air travel capacity as a “beacon of hope” for global aviation recovery, said Rob Morris, head-consultancy, Ascend by Cirium.
ForwardKeys’ data showed that Chinese domestic air travel has been in a slow but steady recovery since it hit the lowest point in mid-February.
In line with a slight restart to the economy and an increase in domestic air capacity, air travel within the country rose by 62.9 per cent during the week starting February 23, compared to one week prior.
Between the first week of March and the third week of April, domestic air travel rose by another 19.5 per cent from what was still a low figure in end-February.
Cirium’s analysis that domestic airline capacity was recovering in China corroborated with ForwardKeys’ observations. From a peak year-on-year drop of 71 per cent on February 24, capacity was down by just 33 per cent on April 22, said the company in the press statement.
China’s passenger aircraft also accounted for 40 per cent of the 1,000 such aircraft that returned to service between the start of March through to April 22.
Destinations that have been leading China’s domestic air travel recovery include commercial centres Guangdong, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Sichuan and Yunnan.
With the lifting of the 14-day quarantine requirement on travel between Beijing and low-risk areas in China on April 29, ForwardKeys said that it expects a more significant uplift in domestic air travel in the weeks ahead.
The announcement on the capital is welcome news to tourism players in Beijing, who have been seeing extremely weak air travel since the strictest travel restrictions were imposed on the city. Beijing continues to face the most stringent travel limitations across the country today.
Oliver Ponti, vice president insights, ForwardKeys, said that the domestic recovery is a positive sign for hoteliers with “properties and clientele in the right parts of (China)”, who can now “look forward to welcoming guests again”.
Moving forward, ForwardKeys expects inbound domestic travel to Shenzhen and Hainan Island to be indicative of recovery trends, considering that flight arrivals picked up in both areas early on, in the third week of February.
For Morris, the recovery in domestic air capacity marked a “beacon of hope for the (global) aviation industry”. He remained optimistic even as he acknowledged that flight cancellations in China remain high, and recovery in domestic flight capacity flattened in April.
Ponti, however, was more cautious. He pointed out that international air traffic to and from China was “still falling”, as restrictions remained on flights in and out of the country. Destinations looking forward to the return of tourists from the country still have to wait, he added.
Currently, Chinese airlines are allowed one flight to each outbound country per week, while foreign air carriers are allowed one flight to China each week, according to Civil Aviation Administration of China stipulations.
ForwardKeys estimated that this means only 130 international flights will land in China each week, and a maximum of 5,000 people each day will enter and leave the country.
Whether China’s domestic air travel recovery will be indicative of international recovery will become clearer once travel restrictions are lifted. Cirium, however, noted that flight capacity in Asia is showing signs of recovery, rising by 10 per cent between April 14 and 22.
Analysis of flight capacity in the US and Europe is less encouraging with the regions still under lockdown, said the company in the press release, though global flight capacity change seemed to be reaching a trough as at April 22.
Nonetheless, capacity growth has some way to go. Cirium data indicates that 16,800 passenger aircraft – more than 60 per cent of the global fleet of 26,300 – were still parked across the world on April 22.
Morris emphasised that consumer confidence post-lockdown and the extent of government support would influence airline capacity growth ahead.
The UN ICAO’s governing council has established a new Covid-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force to coordinate government and industry efforts for the post-pandemic recovery of the international aviation sector.
The task force will leverage government and industry data toward solutions to the immediate challenges being felt sector-wide, and the priorities to be addressed to reboot the network for a post-Covid world, and make it more resilient and responsive in the process, the ICAO said in a press statement.
ICAO establishes new task force to rescue international air travel and facilitate the resumption of operations
The new body comprises ICAO council members and high-level aviation industry representatives including the directors general of all major air transport industry associations. UN entities such as the WHO and the UNWTO, as well as the heads of several national and regional aviation administrations, are also represented.
“As we know, air connectivity is critical to economic and sustainable development in every region of the world. Consequently, an effective recovery of international air transport is essential to support the post Covid-19 pandemic worldwide economic recovery,” ICAO council president Salvatore Sciacchitano said at a meeting of the task force on Wednesday.
“We are not talking of a recovery after an international air transport crisis. International air transport has faced several crises in the past from which it was able to regain its position thanks to timely initiatives by ICAO. The progress achieved over the course of decades could be entirely erased if international air transport does not resume soon and effectively.”
The council expects the first outcome by the task force by end-May.
A Dutch duo has launched a new DMC in South-east Asia on Tuesday (May 5) – rebranded from Asia DMC Thailand – and opened offices in two new destinations, Vietnam and Myanmar.
The brainchild of tourism industry veterans André van der Marck and Gerben Bloemendaal, Travel Exclusive Asia has offices in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Saigon and Yangon.
Travel Exclusive Asia has launched in South-east Asia, with presence in Vietnam and Myanmar; ancient temple in Bagan, Myanmar pictured
Travel Exclusive Asia offers tailor-made journeys in Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar – with more countries to follow soon, according to van der Marck.
“This was the perfect time for both of us to really focus on this project, which was in the making since 3Q last year, and to launch now is a positive, impactful sign that we will be ready as your partner once business comes back, which it surely will,” stated van der Marck.
Previously the managing director of Asia DMC Myanmar, Bloemendaal opened Travel Exclusive Asia’s Vietnam and Myanmar offices in March 2020.
Van der Marck, already with a longstanding hospitality career under his belt, partnered Asia DMC to open his own DMC in Thailand in 2016. By mid-2019, he completed a successful management buy-out to operate under the Asia DMC brand, leading up to Travel Exclusive Asia’s debut.
Both van der Marck and Bloemendaal, who have each spent over two decades working the South-east Asian scene, saw a gap that they could plug in the world of DMCs, as well as a current base of partners that they could build on.
“Travel Exclusive Asia is all about creating meaningful, bespoke and very different journeys in each of our destinations, and in doing so, serve our customers in a reliable, fast and trustworthy fashion,” van der Marck shared.
“(We felt) real honesty to our partners was missing; (it’s our desire to really serve the B2B market) and not play the B2C game behind the scenes, to dare to partner with different people and industries.”
In addition, Bloemendaal added: “Sustainability and giving back to the planet is a must nowadays, and we will be doing this in very innovative ways.”
One such example is their partnership with Netherlands-based, purpose-driven travel social enterprise Local Happinez, which strives to foster cultural interactions and genuine discussions between travellers and local communities, and ensure benefits for all locals involved.
Travel Exclusive Asia’s van der Marck (left) and Bloemendaal aim to provide unique, different experiences to guests and business partners
All products will be sourced by the Travel Exclusive Asia team and tried before launching, with the goal of creating different, memorable journeys for all guests that truly allow them to experience a destination.
Although they don’t foresee any business in 2020 – van der Marck stated they expect to grow from 2021 onwards – they retain an optimistic outlook. “For now, there is no MICE and the ‘new normal’ for MICE is the way forward. We are close to having found all the answers on that.”
Sharing that it was back to business for them, van der Marck added: “We were not in crisis at all (from the pandemic), but doing extremely well. So we went ahead and sped up our launch. (We want to) do it now, do it well and be ready when the crisis is over.”
PATA has inked a new partnership with TCI Research, a leading travel data intelligence agency.
Under the agreement, TCI Research will be the sole content contributor to the industry-related, data-focused article for both editions of Issues & Trends 2020. They will also have the opportunity to share market trends, data and analysis with PATA members.
PATA strikes data partnership deal with TCI Research to build resilience in the tourism industry
TCI Research fuels destinations’ success through data, setting global proprietary standard analytic solutions for all-size DMOs and travel verticals, with a focus on visitor experience, destination reputation and resident sentiment, combining hybrid analytics sourced from surveys and social/big data.
“The Covid-19 pandemic presents a severe threat to the world economy and, in particular, the global travel and tourism industry. As the industry faces one of the greatest threats it has ever seen, PATA has continually highlighted the essential need for industry stakeholders to have trusted and reliable analysis and insights on the most-up-to date data and information in order to enact a measured and balanced recovery strategy,” said Mario Hardy, CEO, PATA.
“Our partnership with TCI Research allows our members to leverage their data and insights to build a more resilient, responsible, sustainable and stronger travel and tourism industry, and I look forward to working with them towards this goal.”
The first edition of Issues & Trends by TCI Research, providing 19 recommendations to battle the Covid-19 impact on destination reputation, will be available on the PATA Store on May 19, 2020.
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is currently developing a set of new health protocols in a move to renew confidence in travel, and will share them in the next two weeks with governments worldwide to ensure a coordinated approach to travelling within the Covid-19 world.
By working with the G20, the EU, as well as organisations and governments throughout the world to translate the protocols into easily adopted public policies in each country, the WTTC hopes to renew confidence in and restart travel in a Covid-19 world, before a vaccine is available to the masses.
WTTC calls for a private-public approach to develop new health protocols for tourism; Asian tourists wearing protective face masks enjoying the cherry blossom season at Miura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan pictured
Protocols will be developed through observations of the factors that led to China’s initial recovery as well as new successful standards employed by industry players.
They will include more frequent cleaning of rooms on cruise ships, social distancing measures at airports, wearing of masks on aircrafts, intensive cleaning of aircrafts and the use of contact tracing apps at airports.
Government endorsement of protocols put forward by the private sector – who understand the operations on the ground best – and their subsequent adoption, is crucial, said Gloria Guevara, president and CEO, WTTC, in a press statement. Public-private partnership is what allowed recovery timeframes to be greatly reduced in the past, she explained.
WTTC will take into consideration feedback and suggestions of its members, as well as global and regional travel organisations – including International Air Transport Association, Cruise Lines International Association, and Pacific Asia Travel Association – in developing the protocols. The WHO and health experts will also weigh in.
The council expects the travel and tourism industry to recover gradually over the months ahead, returning first in the form of staycations and domestic travel, followed by short-haul travel, and finally, long-haul travel.
Travellers between the ages of 18 and 35, less vulnerable to Covid-19, are likely to be the first to lead the growth, said WTTC in the statement.
Meanwhile, the council also pointed out some encouraging signs in the region — such as recent data from travel analytics firm Cirium, which showed a recovery in China’s domestic air capacity by more than 30 per cent between February 24 and April 22.
VietJet has also resumed flights between Vietnamese capital city Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as between the two cities and popular emerging destination Danang, noted WTTC.
The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) has partnered hospitality analytics company STR to offer benchmarking tools for Singapore’s hotels, based on data collected and analysed by STR.
The tools will allow hotels to track advancements in their performance and benchmark it against that of competitors, explained Margaret Heng, executive director, SHA, in a press statement.
Singapore Hotel Association partners STR to improve benchmarking
Bernard Kee, regional manager for South-east Asia, STR, said in the statement that the partnership will allow SHA members to benefit from “single-point data collection” and a “unified voice for hotel performance” across the country.
According to the release, STR has the world’s largest hotel performance data sample, comprising 68,000 hotels and 9.1 million hotel rooms worldwide. The data revealed that Singapore’s hotels had a record low occupancy (38.3 per cent) and revenue PAR (S$81.35/US$57.44) for March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
