News

What will not happen in travel

BANGKOK, 22 August 2017: Usually experts are telling us what will happen and how to adapt to the every changing travel scene. This time round, Mike Murray, founder of the hotel booking app Vir.al, predicts what will definitely not happen. Perhaps a mite tongue-in-cheek, Murray underscores the gulf between hotels and OTAs and the fact that OTAs are happy... [Read full story]

Tourism leaders condemn terror attack

MADRID, 22 August 2017: Two global travel organisations, UNWTO and WTTC have strongly condemned the latest terrorist attacks in Spain. UNWTO called it a “heinous attack” perpetrated in the city of Barcelona and expressed heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the innocent victims and to the people and government of Spain. The World... [Read full story]

Regional hotel pipeline grows

LONDON, 22 August 2017: STR’s July Pipeline Report shows 626,535 rooms in 2,834 hotel projects under contract in the Asia Pacific region. It represents a 7% increase in rooms under contract compared with July 2016. Under contract data includes projects in the in construction, final planning and planning stages, but does not include projects in the... [Read full story]

Hong Kong Airlines upgrades BKK service

HONG KONG, 22 August 2017: Hong Kong Airlines has rescheduled its inaugural flight for its new A350 that will now fly to Bangkok, 10 September, a week earlier than originally planned. The airline will use an Airbus A350 on the route to Bangkok through to the end of October, when the new winter timetable begins. Currently, it deploys A330-300s for its... [Read full story]

Walking street prices fly sky high

HANOI, 22 August 2017: It’s inevitable whenever tourism booms prices skyrocket, but the escalation in rental for real estate on ‘walking streets’ in Vietnam’s two biggest cities has raised more than a few eyebrows. Once authorities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s had settled on where they wanted the walking streets, rentals and real estate... [Read full story]

Meet the Sydneyporeans

SINGAPORE, 22 August 2017: Qantas has teamed up with Destination New South Wales to launch “Meet the Sydneyporeans”, a three-part video mini-series featuring Singaporeans living in Sydney and its suburbs. The series, due to launch today, will introduce New South Wales through the eyes of the featured Singaporeans, to inspire Singaporeans to travel... [Read full story]

Air Berlin waits September sale

BERLIN, 22 August 2017: Insolvent German airline Air Berlin hopes to complete its sale by September, the group’s chief executive said, as government officials fended off accusations of favouring Lufthansa in the bankruptcy process. “We want to settle the sale in September at the latest, otherwise customers’ trust in the airline will... [Read full story]

Qatar denies blocking flights

DOHA, Qatar, 22 August 2017: Qatar on Monday denied it had banned Saudi Arabian flights from landing in the emirate to transport Muslim pilgrims to Mecca, after an accusation by authorities in Riyadh. Saudi Arabian Airlines on Sunday said Qatari authorities had refused to grant a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight, scheduled to transport Qatari hajj pilgrims,... [Read full story]

Accor resort to be a Raffles

SINGAPORE, 22 August 2017: AccorHotels announced its first management contract for a resort in the Maldives, effective 1 September. The group will take over Dhevanafushi Maldives Luxury Resort that occupies the private island of Meradhoo. The resort will be repositioned following improvements to be completed by late 2018. It will then join the iconic... [Read full story]

Bangkok’s monorail makes progress

BANGKOK, 21 August 2017: Bombardier Transportation has announced two contracts for its Innovia Monorail 300 system for two mass rapid transit lines in Thailand. The contracts are with the Northern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (NBM) and the Eastern Bangkok Monorail Co Ltd (EBM). They will be responsible for the turnkey construction and 30-year concession... [Read full story]

Singaporeans fast track immigration

BANGKOK, 21 August 2017: The first automated passport checkpoints opened at the weekend at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport in a bid to reduce long queues at immigration checkpoints. The automated channels are now open to Singaporean travellers in the first phase of a project to introduce automated checks for foreign passport holders. Thai nationals... [Read full story]

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