There are only two recognised private resorts that I know of in Thailand. The other is located on Koh Yao Noi, off the east coast of Phuket Island. Meanwhile, Chiang Rai’s elusive Pa Sak Tong is not where Google Maps says it should be, but that might not be accidental.

Private resorts, by their very nature, are challenging to find. They snub LED signage or easy-to-follow road signs and even frown on Google Maps. Google obliges by sending you on a wild goose chase until you almost bump into a bamboo pole barrier and the tiniest of arrows that say welcome —  you have arrived.

I was mulling over the conundrum private resorts face. They like to be anonymous for their client’s sake, while a bit of publicity in moderation doesn’t do any harm. I have arrived at a resort named after its opulent Golden Teak villas, where the teams of butlers and chefs curate remarkable hospitality and dining experiences. I am here for lunch with the private resort’s managing director, John Dunbar, who is introducing two new villas to the resort’s portfolio and the now well-established Locus Native Food Lab, an elaborate chef’s table restaurant open to the public.

Last week, Marriott International released a luxury travel study claiming that “three distinct and new groups of luxury travellers have emerged.” They are the ‘Venture Travelist’ who seeks business opportunities when travelling, the ‘Experience Connoisseur’ Millennials who travel for enrichment, and the ‘Timeless Adventurer’, 65-plus who build their own itineraries and explore places before they become famous.

I could add a fourth, the ‘reclusive traveller’, where being anonymous and far away from the media spotlight is worth buying out a resort lock, stock and barrel for your entire stay to be with family and close friends without intrusions.

Pa Sak Tong has all the proper credentials to appeal to travellers seeking the ultimate in privacy; its vast hill country estate cradles its famous guests in an off-the-grid bubble.

“Our product is total privacy with the highest standard of personalised service in Asia, explains Dunbar. “It’s a buyout, but guests have three choices — Khum Sak Tong with 18 guests in six villas, Baan Sak Tong with up to 12 guests in three villas or a total estate buyout of 24 guests in seven villas.

“The major difference between us and other large villas is we price based on the number of guests, which is very positive for smaller parties of four or six guests. Other villa operators charge one price regardless of whether you have two or 24 guests. We feel we offer fair value. So, while calling it a buyout stay, it’s a fair and price-conscious buyout.”

The buyout options for the villas come with a team of butlers and chefs who serve residents exclusively. However, the buyout option can also extend to the resort’s independent signature restaurant, usually open to non-residents. Locus Native Food Lab stands in its own gardens, separated from the villas. In the evenings, it is open to the public for a single seating and is limited to a maximum of 12 diners. Chef Kongwut Chaiwongkajorn presents around 12 to 18 Northern Thai dishes, emphasising that  “every dish has a story,”  that he tells with enthusiasm as he prepares an amazing array of dishes.

Dunbar recognises there are challenges running Thailand’s only private estate resort in Chiang Rai. “We need international flights to Chiang Rai,” he explains. “Vietjet is planning to restart domestic flights between Phuket and Chiang Rai this October, but we need direct flights from gateway cities in Southeast Asia.”

AirAsia will start direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Chiang Rai in November. Thai Airways International intends to upgrade its A320 fleet to offer business class and economy on its domestic flight network from its Bangkok hub. That will allow travellers to fly business class to Bangkok and continue the journey in the same class all the way to Chiang Rai.

However, more should be done to put Chiang Rai on the luxury travel map by recognising quality restaurants with a few renowned stars. Dubar points to Michelin, saying it is “unfortunate that it has left out Chiang Rai” when it focused on Chiang Mai. 

“Chiang Rai has many excellent dining facilities that should be recognised by Michelin, Locus Native Food Lab being one of them. Hopefully, Michelin will soon include our fine city in their guide,” he concluded.

For more information visit: https://pasaktong.com/en/homepage/.

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Enthusiastic spotters shot snaps of Viking Orion earlier this week on an overnight stop at the Singapore Cruise Centre, while Facebook posts heralded the return of Viking Ocean Cruises Asia.

According to the Singapore Cruise Society, Viking Orion is now sailing north to Laem Chabang port in the Gulf of Thailand, bringing to a close its first intercontinental cruise featuring Asia in more than two years. It will dock at Thailand’s principal cruise port 100 km south of Bangkok.

Viking Orion marking its return to Asia this week, completed a 27-night cruise that started in Honolulu, Hawaii and featured five countries – the US, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Fares for the cruise started around AUS6,799, with the cruise line saying the focus is on gaining more port days and fewer days at sea. The inaugural cruise post-Covid-19 sailing explored coastal cities in Australia, Cairns and Darwin before visiting Thursday Island, Singapore and Bangkok.

It was a busy week at the Singapore Cruise Terminal, according to the Singapore Cruise Society’s Facebook post that monitored Ocean Odyssey sailing’ under the Vantage Deluxe World Travel owners’ flag. The vessel concluded its “delivery voyage” when it docked in Singapore on Tuesday, arriving from Manila, Philippines, after leaving the shipyard in China.

The Ocean Odyssey and her Infinity-class sister ships share a distinctive  Ulstein X-Bow, a design that gives smaller ships a smoother ride and better fuel economy.

Ocean Odyssey has a capacity for 134 passengers in 77  standard cabins and 15 cabins specifically designed for solo travellers. It will spend its inaugural season 2023 in Asia, sailing expedition cruises to Indonesia and Australia.

The Wild Landscapes of Indonesia & Australia – 2023 sailings are home-ported out of Singapore. The  22-night cruise features port of calls in Pulau Lengkuas/Belitung Islands, Kumai/Kalimantan, Karimun/Kura Kura, Semarang, Madura, Probolinggo, Celukan Bawang/Lovina Beach, Benoa, Gili Islands, Badas, Rinca/Komodo, Sumba, Sawu, Ende, Lembata, Kalabahi, Kisar and Darwin Australia. The cruise has a starting price tag of USD17,999 or USD666 a day and features 42 land tours in Indonesia and northern Australia.

The five-star Ocean Odyssey follows the launch of Ocean Explorer in 2020.

“We couldn’t be more excited to build on the success of the Ocean Explorer with the Ocean Odyssey,” said Vantage Deluxe World Travel chairman  Henry Lewis. “Our travellers want an intimate, enriching experience where they can truly absorb history and culture with fewer guests and a better staff-to-guest ratio. The Ocean Odyssey will cater to those who appreciate relaxed refinement, unparalleled cultural enrichment, and unique adventures.”

The return of cruise ships to Singapore started earlier this year, with a steady rise in the daily port of calls since July.

A report by the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration released at the end of September noted that many cruise operators had announced the resumption of port calls in Southeast Asia, and cruise bookings are steadily increasing. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects Singapore’s cruise industry to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.

Between 2010 and 2019, Singapore’s cruise industry contributed USD530 million to Singapore’s economy, attracting more than 1.2 million people in 2016 alone. Singapore was one of the top destinations for port calls before the pandemic due to its strategic location as a gateway to tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. It is relatively close to more than 25,000 islands, including Bali, Langkawi, Phuket and 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the US Department of Commerce reported noted.

“The outlook for the cruise industry looks positive, with revenue from the cruise industry projected to reach US$239.1 million in 2022. That is a good sign compared to the previous two years during the global pandemic. With an expected annual growth rate of 13.86%, the market volume should grow to USD401.80 million by 2026,” the US Department of Commerce specialist Chan Yiu Kei concluded.

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It sounds impressive but anecdotal evidence via delegate videos and social media comments suggested footfall was off the pace compared to the last “all in-person” show held in 2019.

But participants gave the show a big thumbs up. They were back renewing contacts and negotiating business face-to-face after a two-year pause.

“The positive feedback from all attendees showed us how important personal exchange is after two years of holding a purely digital event. As a leading trade fair for Asia’s travel industry, ITB Asia once again provided an opportunity and platform for the industry to rebuild and reconnect”, said Messe Berlin CEO Martin Ecknig, who pointed to the “stellar line up of industry giants headlined ITB Asia Conference sessions under the theme “Go Big & Go Forward: Travel Industry on the Road to Recovery and Growth.”

The closing press statement was light on show performance details other than to acknowledge the three-day event had generated 27,000 business appointments and 3,950 minutes of conference talk curated by 150 speakers in 100 sessions.

In 2019, the show delivered an identical volume of business appointments as in 2022. ITB Asia 2019 recorded 1,300 exhibitors and 1,250 travel buyers who conducted their business on two floors of the Sands Expo and Convention Centre. ITB Asia 2019 claimed around 13,000 participants from 132 countries walked the aisles.

However, in contrast, even the most rudimentary figures for the 2022 event were absent from last week’s closing report other than the 27,000 business sessions logged in the B2B show’s pre-scheduled appointments system. Information on past shows indicated that 65% of the buyers seeking appointments came from Asia.

Information on the two ITB Asia Virtual shows (edition 13 in 2020 and edition 14 in 2021) indicated a much higher level of business appointments and business exchanges – 35,000 for the 2020 event and 42,100 for 2021. The two virtual shows each fielded around 3,200  travel product showcases presented by 400 exhibitors visited by 800 buyers who registered for the shows.

Without a doubt, we prefer an in-person format to a virtual show. We all appreciate the face-to-face encounters, but from the ITB Asia website data, the two virtual shows delivered a much higher turnover of business meetings and exchanges at a much lower cost. As the cost-of-living crisis bites worldwide, travel budgets will face cuts, and travel trade shows could be the losers despite the joys of reconnecting after a two-year pause.

ITB Asia has posted its super early bird discount rates for booth space rentals for the 2023 show this week. The starting rate for super early birds is USD4,994.10 (9SQM). For that, you get the basic booth setup, two badges and one appointment set with 30 slots that go into the pre-matched appointment App.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Tourism Board extended its strategic partnership with ITB Asia Messe Berlin (Singapore) for three more shows from 2023 to 2025.

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First reported by the BBC, inbound and outbound travellers will be eligible to pick up the free tickets through the Airports Authority of Hong Kong, possibly in early 2023 or as soon as the remaining Covid-19 rules phase out. 

Hong Kong scrapped hotel quarantine restrictions on 26 September and pre-departure flight tests. However, health surveillance measures remain prohibiting access to restaurants, entertainment spots, and events for the first two days. PCR tests are still required on day two, day four and day six during the self-surveillance phase when travellers monitor themselves for possible infection

Last month, Hong Kong’s government said it would no longer require people arriving in the city to go into hotel quarantine or show a negative Covid test before boarding flights to Hong Kong.

The BBC quoted the Hong Kong Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng saying that the free tickets, purchased to support Hong Kong airlines during the pandemic, will be “distributed next year to inbound and outbound travellers by the territory’s airport authority.

“Once the government announces it will remove all Covid-19 restrictions for inbound travellers, we’ll roll out the advertising campaigns for the free air tickets,” Cheng confirmed.

Airlines serving Hong Kong have been struggling to recover flight schedules, with Cathay Pacific expecting to run just a third of its pre-pandemic passenger capacity by the end of the year.

The carrier last month welcomed the removal of hotel quarantine for arriving passengers as helping to boost sentiment for travel, adding that it was “fully committed to rebuilding the connectivity of the Hong Kong aviation hub”.

Originally the 500,000 ticket purchase was part of a financial rescue scheme to aid the territory’s airlines, approved in April 2020. At the time, Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan noted that due to the shutdown of international traffic during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong International Airport was down to 1% of its capacity.

Today, aviation experts say Hong Kong’s airport runs at 18% of the passenger traffic that passed through the airport in the pre-Covid-19 era. Around 45 airlines serve the airport, down by 50%. A typical regional route, Hong Kong – Bangkok, is currently served by 14 weekly flights down from 63 before Covid.

Under the 2020 aid package, the Airport Authority purchased 500,000 air tickets from Hong Kong Airlines, Hong Kong Express and Cathay Pacific to provide airlines with cash flow during the pandemic.

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Early bird tickets were available through digital and online channels on Wednesday, with sales going public a day later. Tickets to the event sell at HKD1,195 (Games Friday to Sunday 4 to 6 November)

Last July, The Hong Kong Rugby Union confirmed it had gained approval from the Hong Kong Government to proceed with the Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens scheduling the event for 4 to 6 November 2022.

Since then, the government has eased entry rules step by step, with the latest allowing travellers to enter Hong Kong without having to quarantine in a hotel for three days.

HKRU Chairman Patrick Donovan said: “After 3 ½ years without a Sevens, I am confident this will be a very special event, albeit there lies plenty of hard work ahead for our dedicated events team.”

Teams from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, Spain, USA, Uruguay and Hong Kong have confirmed their participation.

Latest entry rules

Last week, the Hong Kong government introduced its “0+3” programme. Travellers can enter the territory without undergoing a pre-flight PCR test or a three-night hotel quarantine.

However, all inbound passengers must undergo a PCR test on arrival in Hong Kong to receive an amber health pass, followed by medical surveillance at the hotel they booked for three days.

On day 1 and day 2 of their hotel stay, they can leave the hotel but cannot enter places such as restaurants, bars, fitness centres, nightclubs, swimming pools, barber shops or “high risk” venues that require a vaccine pass.

On day 2, travellers take a PCR test, and if a negative, a blue health pass is issued that allows them full access to Hong Kong as of day 3.

It’s far from perfect and costly as it requires travellers to book a hotel for two nights before they can embark on serious travel activities. In the case of the Hong Kong Sevens, the event requires a three-night stay for the duration of the games. However, travellers will have to book a hotel for two additional nights to cover the two days of medical surveillance before being free to attend the opening games on Friday.

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Established on 26 September 1975, the PATA Nepal Chapter is just three years short of celebrating its 50 anniversary.

As part of World Tourism Day celebrations, PATA Nepal Chapter launched a promotional video to announce the 4^th Himalayan Travel Mart (HTM) to be held in Nepal from 6 to 9 June 2023. PATA Nepal Chapter organised three highly successful editions of HTM in 2017, 2018 and 2019, before the global Covid-19 pandemic shut down tourism.

At the World Tourism Day event, the chapter posthumously bestowed the prestigious PATA Lifetime Achievement Award on the late Joti Lai Khanna, founder of Yeti Travels, “with great respect, honour and heartfelt appreciation for his invaluable contribution to the association, and his lifelong dedication of more than 45 Years promoting tourism in Nepal.”

The chapter also presented the ‘PATA Personality of the Year 2021 Award’ to Deepak Raj Joshi in recognition of his “advocacy, engagement, and tireless contributions toward the promotion, sustainable development, and revival of Nepal’s tourism sector during the global Covid-19 pandemic.”

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Public health ministries are phasing out the daily tally of Covid-19 cases starting 1 October, a clear signal that travel enterprises can now embark on the long and challenging journey to recovery. 

Tourists visiting popular destinations in Southeast Asia will have fewer flight options to their favourite resorts, and fares are considerably higher than what was on offer in 2019. They will also encounter closed restaurants and bars, or at best, open for just a few hours in the evening as owners attempt to rehire staff. Hotels face the same challenges. They are reopening, but they face tough, uncertain times made worse by an energy crisis and the war in Ukraine that threatens travel bookings from Europe to popular destinations across Southeast Asia.

Despite the uncertainties, Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022 cast a ray of sunshine by naming its top airlines worldwide after an absence in 2020 and irrelevant citations in 2021 precipitated by Covid-19 lockdowns and disruptions.

Qatar Airways takes the top spot in the 2022 Airline of the Year Awards, followed by Singapore Airlines in second place and Emirates in the third slot.

Qatar maintained its slot at the top of the chart based on consistently delivering a route network of 30 or more destinations during the voting period from late 2021 to August 2022. Today the airline flies to more than 150 destinations.

Commenting on the latest achievement, Skytrax chief executive officer Edward Plaisted said: “Qatar Airways was the largest airline to have flown consistently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with their network never falling below 30 destinations.”

The airline also took home three additional awards; World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East. It was named Airline of the Year in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Six of the top 10 listed airlines were based in Asia, including the Middle East. Europe was represented by three airlines Turkish Airways (7), Air France (8) and Swiss International Air Lines (10) and Qantas Australia (5).

Absent from the top 10 for the first time in years, Cathay Pacific dropped to 16th place, reflecting the grounding of services for long periods during the voting window in 2021 and 2022.

According to Skytrax, the 2022 World Airline Awards are based on an online consumer voting registered from September 2021 to August 2022 in various languages; English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.

Skytrax’s top 10 airlines 2022:

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. All Nippon Airways (ANA)
5. Qantas Airways
6. Japan Airlines
7. Turkish Airlines
8. Air France
9. Korean Air
10. Swiss International Air Lines

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The quest is complicated by the different descriptions of a traveller who stays more than 30 days in a single destination. They used to be lumped together as long-stay visits, but that loose definition needs refining. Are they workaholics who prefer to describe their miserable lives as a workation in progress, or should we go for the buzz phrase “digital nomads”?

A Google search suggests Digital nomads are people “who are location-independent and use technology to perform their job, living a nomadic lifestyle. Digital nomads work remotely, telecommuting rather than being physically present at a company’s headquarters or office.”

A study released last week by the UK insurance specialists William Russell attempts to identify the world’s top 10 destinations for a workation described in the study’s preamble as  a place where you”do the same job, but with more sand and better coffee.”

It claims the global searches for ‘working holiday’ have soared by 82.66% since April 2021 to July 2022.

Surprise, William Russell’s top 10 destinations worldwide for a workation that could “extend several weeks or months” is none other than Pha Ngan Island, a close neighbour of Samui Island in South Thailand.

It’s definitely a surprise because Thailand’s swathe of visa options miss the category “Digital Nomad”, and if a traveller works in the country, technically, they will need a work permit. That drawback needs sorting out if Thailand’s tourism planers are to welcome digital nomads with open arms.

The only other Asian destination in the top 10 list is Canggu in Bali, Indonesia. It’s in the seventh slot with monthly rentals of USD1,411. Pha Ngan Island’s monthly rentals are lower at an average of USD1,051, and claims an internet speed of 24 Mbps which is bettered by most of the destinations listed in the top 10.

The team at William Russell sets out its stall with workation tips.

“Schedule it in advance and do your research properly to know what to expect. What are the risks? And how can you avoid or minimise them? Calculate your budget: living in another city or country can be unpredictable and expensive. Be prepared to save money for housing, coworking (if needed), food, insurance, and other options.

“Be aware of culture shock and cultural sensitivities to avoid finding yourself in tricky situations.

“Schedule your free time to explore the new country and stay productive.

“Have a safety net in case things go wrong – international health insurance will enable you to access private treatment if you’re injured or become ill.”

William Russell’s marketing director, William Cooper says: “Combining work and vacation time is a clever way to extend your stay in a destination that benefits both you and the local people. More places are setting up coworking spots, beefing up wifi, and changing legislation to attract remote workers.

“The workation trend emerged in 2012. Then large corporations introduced this option as one of the bonuses for their employees. However, the format of a workation was a little different: several teams travelled together out of town or to another country for a week to work, relax and unite.”

He claims the global searches for ‘working holiday’ have soared by 82.66% from April 2021 to July 2022.

Top 10 best workation destinations

Source: William Russell insurance specialists UK

For more information on the study visit https://www.william-russell.com/blog/best-workation-destinations-work-from/

But if you decide to head for Thailand claiming you are a digital nomad, be aware that Thailand does not currently have a digital nomad visa. It also has strict work permit rules.

For more details visit https://visaguide.world/digital-nomad-visa/thailand/

The website warns: “A quick online search will show many results for foreigners who have worked remotely or as freelancers while living in Thailand. However, working remotely as a foreigner in Thailand contravenes the labour law.”

(Source: William Russell Insurance specialist UK)

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Six airlines that are members of the Thailand Airline Association joined the Tourism Authority of Thailand to launch the AMXTH300 deal on domestic fares last week.

There was a considerable delay in the publicity drive which finally clicked in when the airlines posted the deal on their Facebook accounts yesterday. Domestic travellers can grab the THB300 discount on bookings until midnight on 10 October. Fights are valid from 1 November through to 31 December.

Officially the campaign, supported by the TAT, is called “Discounts All Over the Sky, Fly All Over Thailand,” but more importantly, to get the discounts, you need to tap in the AMZTH300 code to activate the deal on airline booking sites.

TAA members supporting the discount are Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, Thai Smile, Nok Air, Thai Lion Air and Thai VietJet. The seventh TAA member, Thai AirAsia X, only serves international medium to long-haul routes.

Discounts apply on 500,000 seats across the six participating airlines, valid for travel until 31 December. Relying almost entirely on domestic travellers to revive tourism earnings, TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn believes the discount will help the country reach its domestic revenue goal. Airline services are increasing, but the domestic fare deal is unavailable in the international space as far as booking opportunities go. By design, it caters exclusively for Thais and expatriate residents.

TAA president Puttipong Prasarttong-Osoth claims the six airlines should regain their 2019 booking levels by the fourth quarter of 2023. That is remarkably optimistic. Bangkok Airways is struggling to resume lucrative codeshare deals that represented a substantial part of its revenue during 2019 before the Covid 19 lockdown. The airlines suspended codeshare agreements during the pandemic. Around 70% of the airline’s international bookings come from codeshare flights, mostly European airlines that use Bangkok Airways flights on domestic sectors or to destinations in neighbouring countries. Even if the codeshare agreements resume in 2023, most aviation experts say full recovery could take longer, possibly by 2024. China’s schedule leading up to the reopening of outbound leisure travel remains crucial for Southeast Asia’s airlines. It could be as early as Chinese New Year in January 202s or much later in the year. There are still no hints on the timetable.

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The Republic of Indonesia will host the official day (27 September). However, all UNWTO member states and non-members and stakeholders from the private sector are invited to host their celebrations and promote the day and its central theme.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili says: “The potential of tourism is enormous, and we have a shared responsibility to ensure it is fully realised. On World Tourism Day 2022, UNWTO calls on everyone, from tourism workers to tourists themselves, as well as small businesses, large corporations and governments, to reflect and rethink what we do and how we do it.”

World Tourism Day has been held on 27 September each year since 1980. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organization in 1970, paving the way for the establishment of UNWTO five years later. However, the special day’s celebrations are not known for delivering even a mood for change or adopting measures that will correct the pre-Covid-19 blight of ‘overtourism to develop an industry that puts local communities first.

 What UNWTO expects to achieve by a day of “rethinking tourism” remains unclear due to the absence of a mission statement. For the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “rethinking the tourism model involves improving the tourist’s experience, better managing the impacts of tourism, and encouraging positive spillover effects in the broader economy. Tourism policy should ensure that it contributes to economic growth that is shared broadly across society and improves the well-being of citizens.”

Tourism is one of the largest and fastest growing sectors in the world economy, and its potential remains very strong. In OECD countries, tourism contributes on average 4.1% of GDP, 5.9% of employment and 21.3% of service exports.

But from the outside, tourism is perceived as a top-heavy enterprise that benefits mega corporations, global hotel groups and the aviation industry at the expense of small local communities. Even in the travel technology space, despite its promise of levelling up, giant global booking systems inevitably gobble up small independent travel tech start-ups, reducing healthy competition.

Critics warn that the UNWTO and tourism leaders of its member states could be guilty of paying lip service to the call for a tourism rethink when they should be introducing sustainable practices that ensure travel benefits communities. Instead, tourism is essentially a money spinner for governments and corporations. Top-down tourism policies turn local communities into losers when they should be the lead stakeholders. UNWTO flies a standard declaring it is ready to rethink tourism, but its actions will speak louder than words. It should start by championing the conversation to rethink tourism to give local communities a seat at the top table.

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