Roiback wins World Travel Award

PALMA DE MALLORCA, Spain, 17 October 2017: For the second year running, Roiback, a specialist in powering direct sales for hotels, won Europe’s ‘Leading Hotel Booking Solutions Provider ‘award at the 2017 World Travel Awards, considered the travel industry’s most prestigious awards programme.

World Travel Awards celebrated its 24th anniversary in Saint Petersburg 30 September.

Votes are made by professionals working within travel and tourism, worldwide. The vote system is also open to the public through its website but free of commercial considerations that blight many media drive award schemes. Read more

North Korea beaches and a jail?

SEOUL, 20 July 2017: North Korea’s tourism agency has launched a website offering holiday options ranging from surfing to rice planting, despite strong US warnings to avoid travel to a nation where several trips have ended in jail.

Sixteen Americans have been detained in the past decade in North Korea, including 22-year-old student Otto Warmbier who was given a long prison term for stealing a hotel propaganda poster. He was sent home in a coma in June but died several days later.

The “DPR Korea Tour” website, run by the North’s National Tourism Administration, depicts the country — which is subject to stiff sanctions over its weapons programmes — as just another tourist destination. Read more

Island sues media outlet

BANGKOK, 11 July 2017: Thai officials have filed criminal charges against a news website for branding the popular beach destination of Koh Tao “Death Island” in reports about a string of tourist fatalities.

Koh Tao’s reputation as a tropical paradise was first sullied in 2014 when two British backpackers were brutally murdered on one of its white-sand beaches.

A series of other foreign tourist deaths have fuelled press coverage about the island’s ‘dark side,’ with allegations of local mafia and corrupt police colluding to cover up murders. Read more

YTL goes direct with special offers

SINGAPORE, 11 May 2017: YTL Hotels has launch a new and direct booking portal, singapore.ytlhotels.com that will focus on offering deals and packages specifically for the Singapore market.

Singaporeans are amongst some of the most frequent travellers in the world prompting the group to create a portal customised for the Singapore market.

“Guests can save both time and money when they visit this new site, while being assured that they are getting the best value by booking directly with us,” said YTL Hotels vice president of marketing & communications, Geraldine Dreiser. Read more

Booking.com rebuffs block

BANGKOK, 4 April 2017: Booking.com is filing an appeal against a Turkish court injunction that blocked the popular travel website in Turkey.

In a statement to TTR Weekly, Monday, Booking.com said the court blocked the site’s domestic bookings in Turkey.

“We disagree with the injunction and are in the process of filing an appeal. However, Booking.com always abides by local law,” the statement read. Read more

Destination Asia revamps website

BANGKOK, 16 March 2017: Destination Asia, a regional inbound tour operator, has completed a major remake of its  website that features news and activities taking place in each of the 11 destinations it serves.

Announcing the revamp, Tuesday, the company said visitors to Asia would gain richer insights, catch up on travel news and activities taking place across Asia.

The redesigned website offers quick and easy access to essential news and information from the company’s head office in Bangkok and 31 operational offices in 11 destinations across Asia. Read more

Travelindex names top dining spots

BANGKOK, 21 February 2017: Travelindex has launched its first Global Restaurant City Guide featuring the Top 25 restaurants of the Thai capital.

Restaurant ratings and reviews are based on unbiased and authentic consumer response, according to Travelindex.

The Top25Restaurants website guide is an extension of the site’s own “Restaurant Rating Index”, which combines social media and review sites and input from culinary experts. Read more

Angkor launches website

SIEM REAP, 6 February 2017: Apsara National Authority launched a new Angkor tourism website www.angkor.com.kh, last week, to improve and offer more accurate travel information on services as well as the background history of the World Heritage site.

Agence Kampuchea Presse reported the authority was developing a new website that does not only provide detailed information of tourist sites under its management, but also encourages feedback from browsers.

Apsara Authority deputy general director, Sok Sangvar, was quoted saying the online site would also serve as a platform to get feedback from visitors, on the quality of service. Read more

Danang focuses on Japanese visitors

DANANG, 17 October 2016: Danang and Japanese software company, Digital Ship, have teamed up to build a Japanese-English website called “Happy Danang” to encourage Japanese expatriates living in Vietnam to explore the central region.

Local media quoted Digital Ship manager saying the website would provide tourism information for the Japanese community living in Hoi An and Danang, but it will also help Japanese tourists who need information in their own language.

To tap this market, Danang and Japan will also start construction of the first Vietnam-Japan Culture Exchange Park in Ngu Hanh Son district, later this month, and they will reserve a 134-ha industrial park for medium and small-size businesses from Japan.  Read more

TripAdvisor remodels homepage

SINGAPORE, 8 September 2016: TripAdvisor announced the redesign of its homepage, Wednesday, adding new features that make booking attractions and tours  more convenient.

With the debut of a new “Things to Do” widget on the homepage, TripAdvisor makes it easier to book attractions, tours and local activities right alongside hotels, vacation rentals, restaurants and flights.

Year-to-date, attraction and tour bookings on TripAdvisor¹ have risen 150% year-over-year. TripAdvisor has grown its attractions listings by 63% during the same period by adding free venues like scenic parks and admission-free museums. Read more

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