HO CHI MINH CITY, 27 November 2023: Vietjet introduced two new flights to Perth and Adelaide last week that established routes to five cities in Australia, giving the airline 58 weekly flights to and from Australia.
Western Australia’s state capital, Perth, is the fourth largest city in Australia, followed by Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, in fifth place. Vietjet already flies to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, making it the first Vietnamese airline to fly to all five major cities in the country.
The two new destinations in Australia are served by five weekly flights each.
SINGAPORE, 27 November 2023: Air India confirmed in a Facebook post at the weekend it will start a brand new service flying direct to Phuket from Delhi starting 15 December 2023.
Saying the decision to fly to Phuket was a response to the recent Thai government’s move to introduce visa-free stays for Indian citizens, Air India confirms it will operate four direct weekly flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday starting 15 December using Airbus A320neo aircraft. The roundtrip economy fares start at INR22,896 (USD275).
Flight AI378 will depart Delhi 0110 and land in Phuket 0710 Flight AI379 will depart at 0810 and arrive in Delhi at 1050
IndiGo flies from Delhi to Phuket, offering daily services that depart Delhi at 0620 and arrive in Phuket at 1230.
Since February 2023, the average fare on the Delhi-Phuket has hovered around USD390. Air India’s four weekly flights will give the route 11 services weekly (IndiGo offers daily flights).
SINGAPORE, 27 November 2023: The TravelTech Lab by HBX Group and Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub (the Hub) are sharing expertise and collaborating on accelerating innovation in the travel and tourism sector as they embark on a joint programme over the next three years.
The HBX Group’s TravelTech Lab and Mastercard’s Global Tourism Innovation Hub are based in Spain, and the companies have signed off on a joint commitment to provide a springboard for emerging innovation and tech talent. Together, they will share knowledge and industry insights over the next three years while collaborating on sustainability and inclusive tourism projects.
The first edition of Oktobertech 2023, from 24 to 30 October, was hosted at the TravelTech Lab at Hotelbeds headquarters in Palma, Spain.
“Our new membership in Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub will help us accelerate our goal to provide frictionless end-to-end travel for everyone,” said HBX Group chief innovation officer José María Pestaña Sartorius.
“Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub has become a trusted collaborator across the public and private sectors in developing more sustainable and resilient tourism globally, “Mastercard vice president Tourism Innovation Hub Quim Martinez Bosch noted.
While the TravelTech Lab by HBX Group opened earlier this year to reimagine tourism and improve the overall travel experience, Mastercard’s Global Tourism Innovation Hub works with governments, public sector agencies and private sector companies to accelerate their digitalisation efforts, as well as innovate, research, and co-create solutions across the tourism ecosystem.
Recent additions to the Hub include the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Kazakh Tourism National Company. They join existing Tourism Innovation Hub members, including the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Spain’s SEGITTUR, and the Global Travel Resilience & Crisis Management Centre (GTRCMC) of Jamaica.
About HBX Group HBX Group is a B2B ecosystem player in the TravelTech space, connecting and empowering businesses. Hotelbeds is part of the HBX Group. The group has over 3,000 experts worldwide, including specialists on the ground who provide insights and support to boost trading even further, especially in the most hard-to-reach segments.
KOTA KINABALU, 27 November 2023: Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group, started flights from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (BKI) to Miri International Airport (MYY) last week.
The air link between the two towns in Sabah and Sarawak will enhance connectivity for business and leisure travellers.
Starting with a twice-weekly service, the airline deploys a retrofitted Boeing 737-800 aircraft equipped with 189 seats in economy class. Fares start as low as MYR69 one-way for travel in January 2024 and around MYR89 in early December 2023.
About Firefly Launched on 3 April 2007, Firefly is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group Berhad. Operating out of the Penang and Subang hubs, Firefly connects various points within Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Singapore, and Sumatera, Indonesia. Firefly has also extended its reach to include Sabah and Sarawak.
BANGKOK, 27 November 2023: Despite the growing media hype surrounding AI and Chat GPT, technology, data, and people working together create the magic ingredients for the travel experience to succeed.
That was how Hotelbeds’ chief technology officer, Paula Felstead, opened her presentation, “How will tech shape the future of travel?” at last week’s Markethub Asia event hosted in Bangkok for Hotelbeds team players and partners.
Hotelbeds Chief Technology Officer Paula Felstead.
“It is the most powerful when all three elements are combined,” she explained. “ Without one, the rest will fail.”
Addressing the emerging trends in technology and the challenges, she said the focus should be on data quality, mainly to allow for personalisation. “We need to, and we need to remove as many friction points out of the transaction flow as possible, and we must ground ourselves in making sure that what we are doing with technology adds value and improves our businesses,” she explained.
“One of the key elements today is that travel is one of the worst cases for security; the opportunity for the bad actors is huge. The more connected we become as an ecosystem, the more problems will flow. If we took this on collectively as an industry, to pool our information and come together to confront the issues, we would all benefit, especially the end travellers.
“We should be wary about embracing the ‘latest and greatest’ tech. There is no first mover advantage in embracing AI without understanding how it will benefit your business.”
“Technology is like an iceberg. Everyone is focused on what is visible, such as AI, but everything underneath is the most important – data, ability to scale, and security.
“At Hotelbeds, we have just undertaken a huge tech migration in just under 11 months because our previous tech stack would not allow us to scale and grow. The investment we’ve made is on the underwater section of the iceberg, so over the next 12 months, the visible top of the iceberg will be improved data.
“Tech can be challenging to drive tangible results, so we should always start with the problem we are trying to solve and the value we’re trying to drive, then use tech wisely rather than being sucked into the hype. Tech is great, people are better, data is essential.”
SINGAPORE, 24 November 2023: Seabourn, an expedition cruise specialist, celebrated a historic moment on Wednesday when Seabourn Pursuit and Seabourn Venture, the line’s two new ultra-luxury purpose-built expedition ships, sailed together side by side for the first time.
The sister ships met at the entrance to the picturesque Neko Harbor, surrounded by towering icescapes, to celebrate Seabourn Pursuit’s maiden season in Antarctica. To commemorate the historic meeting, guests and team members gathered on the expansive bow of each ship, where caviar and champagne were served.
Photo credit: Carnival Cruises. Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit in Antarctica.
Seabourn Pursuit just embarked on its maiden season in Antarctica, while Seabourn Venture is beginning its second season on the icy continent. Both ships will operate 11 to 13-day voyages to Antarctica, as well as 21-day voyages to South Georgia, Falkland Islands, and Antarctica.
These itineraries will offer Zodiac outings to cruise among icebergs, observe penguin colonies up close, and join the ship’s Expedition Team to walk and hike across untouched and seldom-seen landscapes. Optional kayaking and submarine excursions will also be available.
Launched in 2022 and 2023, respectively, both Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit offer a luxury small ship experience enhanced by equipment that allows the line to offer its widest range of expedition activities led by an expert 24-person expedition team of elite, world-renowned scientists, scholars, naturalists, and more.
Designed and built for remote, diverse environments to PC6 Polar Class standards, the ship includes a plethora of modern hardware and technology that extends the ship’s global deployment and capabilities.
There is close to 30,000 square feet of deck space, special touches at every turn, and indoor and outdoor guest areas with nearly 270-degree views. In addition, a 4K GSS Cineflex Camera is mounted on the mast of the Constellation Lounge and capable of broadcasting imagery from miles ahead on monitors located throughout the ship and in guest suites.
The ships are also equipped with enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity with SpaceX’s Starlink, providing its expedition guests with faster service, greater connectivity, and more reliable Wi-Fi wherever Starlink’s services are available.
SINGAPORE, 24 November 2023: Pandaw Cruises has released a new Laos Expedition video that spotlights the travel experience onboard its 10-night adventure cruise through the upper Mekong River
The video focuses on the “sights, sounds and feel of our Laos Mekong expedition in words can be very difficult and the varied landscapes, colourful culture and smiling faces sometimes need to be seen to be believed,” says the Pandara introduction.
Limited last-minute dates remain for the current sailing season that ends next April, while future dates through 2025 are selling quickly.
Pandaw’s 10-night expedition on the Upper Mekong sails between Chiang Khong on the Thai-Lao border and through Laos toward Vientiane, the old French capital. It delivers stunning scenery and opportunities to meet warm and friendly locals and learn about Laos’ national animal, the majestic elephant.
The cruise stops three nights at the UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang with its intricate wood-carved monasteries before heading deep into the mountains through rapids and gorges on the high-powered but compact Pandaw vessels custom-built to navigate this majestic river.
The Laos Mekong CHIANG KHONG TO VIENTIANE 10 nights FROM USD4,360 NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT ON SELECTED DATES
DUBAI 24 November 2023: Emirates takes centre stage at the ULTRAs 2023 Awards, taking home two coveted accolades; “Best Airline in the World” and “Best Airline in the Middle East”.
The world’s largest international airline won the votes of thousands of global travellers thanks to its world-class products, unmatched services, and superb value-for-money offerings.
Emirates divisional senior vice president of service delivery, Thomas Ney, accepted the awards at a ceremony held yesterday in Dubai at the Nikki Beach Club. The ceremony was also attended by other notable guests and leading members of the travel industry.
Emirates chief operating officer Adel Al Redha commented: “We’re delighted to be recognised again as one of the world’s best providers of luxury travel experiences. Emirates is renowned for always setting the bar high…We rolled out 10 A380 from our retrofit programme with completely new cabin interiors and Premium Economy seats and expanded our global network to more than 140 destinations. We remain committed to continuously introducing innovative solutions and products to enhance our customers’ journey. Thank you to our loyal customers for always choosing to fly better with us – and we look forward to raising the bar even higher.”
Best-in-class travel experiences
Emirates continues to invest in product and service enhancements to ensure customers have the best travel experience in the air and on the ground.
The accolades testify to the idea that “travel is not just about the end destination, it’s also about how you get there” – a concept brought to life in the airline’s brand advertising campaign featuring Hollywood actor Penelope Cruz.
Award-winning streak
Emirates recently won the 2024 APEX World Class Airline for delivering outstanding customer service and for showcasing the highest global standards of safety and well-being, sustainability, and service-guest experience. The airline also scooped a 2024 IFSA award for ‘Best Onboard Amenity’ in recognition of the airline’s sustainable Economy Class amenity kit.
Emirates operates the world’s largest fleet of wide-body Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft, offering spacious cabins and iconic inflight features such as its A380 Shower Spa and Onboard Lounge. The airline recently announced a record half-year performance for 2023-24, carrying more than 26 million passengers across its extensive network.
Customers on board will also enjoy the warm hospitality of the airline’s multinational crew of more than 160 nationalities, regionally gourmet cuisine, and award-winning inflight entertainment system – ice – offering up to 6,500 channels of the best movies, TV shows, podcasts and more.For more information, visit Emirates
SINGAPORE, 24 November 2023: Domestic and international businesses continued to show robust recovery in the third quarter of 2023, according to Trip.com Group reporting its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2023 earlier this week
Third Quarter 2023 highlights
Domestic hotel bookings grew by over 90% year over year and increased by over 70% compared to the pre-Covid level for the same period in 2019.
James Liang, Co-founder and Chairman of Trip.com Group.
Outbound hotel and air reservations recovered to around 80% of the pre-Covid level for the same period in 2019, compared to the industry-wide recovery rate of over 50% in terms of international air passenger volume for the same period.
Total bookings on the company’s global OTA platform increased by over 100% yearly and compared to the pre-Covid level for the same period in 2019. The company delivered strong results in the third quarter of 2023. Total net revenue for the third quarter grew by 99% year over year. Net income for the third quarter was RMB4.6 billion (USD637 million), which improved significantly from RMB245 million for the same period in 2022. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter was RMB4.6 billion (USD634 million). Adjusted EBITDA margin was 34%, compared to 21% for the same period in 2022 and 33% for the previous quarter.
“Throughout the third quarter of 2023, both domestic and international travel experienced a remarkable rebound, thanks to the robust summer travel demands,” said Trip.com Group executive chairman James Liang’
“This shows just how eager travellers are to explore the world. Looking ahead, we will continue expanding our global presence and cultivating AI-related initiatives, laying the foundation for continued growth of our company.”
Third Quarter of 2023 Financial Results
For the third quarter of 2023, Trip.com Group reported net revenue of RMB13.7 billion (USD1.9 billion), representing a 99% increase from the same period in 2022 primarily due to the substantial recovery of the travel market. Net revenue for the third quarter of 2023 increased by 22% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Accommodation reservation revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB5.6 billion (USD766 million), representing a 92% increase from the same period in 2022. Accommodation reservation revenue for the third quarter of 2023 increased by 30% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Transportation ticketing revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB5.4 billion (USD736 million), representing a 105% increase from the same period in 2022. Transportation ticketing revenue for the third quarter of 2023 increased by 11% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Packaged-tour revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB1.3 billion (USD182 million), representing a 243% increase from the same period in 2022. Packaged-tour revenue for the third quarter of 2023 increased by 84% from the previous quarter, primarily due to seasonality.
Corporate travel revenue for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB591 million (USD81 million), representing a 60% increase from the same period in 2022 and a 1% increase from the previous quarter.
Cost of revenue for the third quarter of 2023 increased by 94% to RMB2.5 billion (USD338 million) from the same period in 2022 and increased by 23% from the previous quarter, which was in line with the increase in net revenue. Cost of revenue as a percentage of net revenue was 18% for the third quarter of 2023.
Net income for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB4.6 billion (USD637 million), compared to RMB245 million for the same period in 2022 and RMB648 million for the previous quarter. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2023 was RMB4.6 billion (USD634 million), compared to RMB1.4 billion for the same period in 2022 and RMB3.7 billion for the previous quarter. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 34% for the third quarter of 2023, compared to 21% for the same period in 2022 and 33% for the previous quarter.
SYDNEY, 24 November 2023: Australia’s National Travel Industry Awards (NTIAs) 2023 celebrated the industry’s success, recognising the people in travel that made recovery happen post-pandemic.
Supported by major Sponsor Singapore Airlines, over 1,300 travel professionals and businesses attended last week’s awards presentation.
ATIA CEO Dean Long
ATIA CEO Dean Long commented: “The NTIAs 2023 was truly a night to remember. This is in no small part due to the high calibre of entries we received and the exemplary standard of travel professionals and businesses all throughout Australia.”
“It was so exciting to return to Melbourne this year and to be able to celebrate with all of the incredible travel professionals that make our industry so special.
“Events of the scale the NTIAs 2023 celebration do not just happen, and on behalf of everyone, I thank the hardworking ATIA team and the generous support of our sponsors for helping us realise our vision for this event.
“Our vibrant travel community is our greatest strength, and through events like the NTIA we will continue our focus on harnessing the skills and expertise across our network to benefit our industry, our clients and our businesses.”
WINNERS LIST
Most Outstanding Mobile / Home-Based Travel Advisor: Wendy Brockbank, MTA Mobile Travel Agents
Most Outstanding Travel Agency Manager: Stacey Brownsey, Helloworld Travel Mt Pleasant
Most Outstanding Travel Consultant Corporate: Lauren Zischke, TAG Travel Group
Most Outstanding Travel Consultant Leisure: Louis Teng, Connelly & Turner Travel Associates
Rookie of the Year: David O’Shea, RAA Travel
Most Outstanding Sales Executive – Air: Nick Lewis, Air New Zealand
Most Outstanding Sales Executive – Cruise: Helen Courias, Holland America Line
Most Outstanding Sales Executive – Land Supply- Mickey Mann, The Travel Corporation
Most Outstanding Employee Engagement and Recruitment Program: Flight Centre Travel Group
Most Outstanding Online Travel Agency: Webjet
Most Outstanding Hybrid Online Travel Agency: Ignite Travel Group
Most Outstanding Business Events Travel Agency: Event Travel Management (ETM)
Most Outstanding National Travel Management Company: Stage and Screen Travel Services
Most Outstanding Global Travel Management Company: Corporate Travel Management – CTM
Most Outstanding Leisure Travel Agency – Single location: FBI Travel
Most Outstanding Leisure Travel Agency – Multi-location: Helloworld Travel Hunter Travel Group
Sustainability Award – Business: Corporate Travel Management – CTM
Most Outstanding Mobile Advisor Network: MTA – Mobile Travel Agents
Most Outstanding Travel Agency Group: Flight Centre
Most Outstanding Non-Branded Agency Group: Travellers Choice
Most Outstanding Tour Operator – Specialised: Albatross Tours
Most Outstanding Tour Operator – Global: APT
Most Outstanding Wholesaler – Product / Service: Entire Travel Group AND Viva Holidays
Most Outstanding Wholesaler – Destination / Experience: ANZCRO
Most Popular Tourism Office: Destination Canada
Most Popular Accommodation Group / Chain: IHG Hotels & Resorts
Most Popular Airline – Online: Virgin Australia
Most Popular Airline – Offline: Lufthansa Group
Most Popular Ocean Cruise Operator: Viking
Most Popular River Cruise Operator: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Most Popular Car Rental Operator: Avis
Most Outstanding Travel Industry Training Institution: TAFE Queensland
Sustainability Award – Supplier: Hurtigruten
Innovation in Travel Support Services: Cover-More Travel Insurance: Post Pandemic Support
