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GoPro joins TAT’s ocean health campaign

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 1 July 2024: The Tourism Authority of Thailand and GoPro, a versatile action camera platform, teamed up to promote ocean health and climate stability during the GoPro World Ocean Day 2024 event, held from 20 to 23 June at Ko Tao, Surat Thani.

The strategic partnership brought together local dive enthusiasts and GoPro advocates from across APAC, all dedicated to fostering ocean conservation in alignment with Thailand’s commitment to sustainable tourism and marine ecosystem conservation.

TAT Governor Thapanee Kiatphaibool said: “We believe that compelling storytelling can drive positive change in daily behaviours to protect our oceans. Actions such as reducing plastic use, supporting sustainable practices, and engaging in beach cleanups are pivotal in preserving our marine environment for future generations.”

The four-day event featured enriching activities such as GoPro Workshops, where participants learned to capture breathtaking underwater footage, showcasing the beauty and delicacy of marine ecosystems. The #SeaGlass workshop also empowered attendees to repurpose marine debris and create beautiful treasures, emphasising responsible tourism and environmental stewardship.

The excitement continues with the GoPro Asia Best Challenge (GoProABC), inviting adventurers, content creators, and storytellers from across Asia to share their favourite unedited GoPro footage. Submissions are accepted until 31 July 2024, at 2359, via GoPro.com/ABC. Winners will be notified through the GoPro Awards portal and announced in August.

GoPro Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications Rick Loughery said: “Our goal with the GoPro World Ocean Day event in Thailand is to inspire responsible travel and ocean conservation. By empowering divers to document and share their underwater experiences, we aim to cultivate a global community committed to safeguarding marine resources. Participants explored Ko Tao’s pristine waters using HERO12 Black cameras, capturing Thailand’s oceanic beauty and promoting sustainable travel.”

GoPro and PADI collaborated to launch Thailand’s inaugural PADI Instructor course in Ko Tao as part of this initiative. Upon completion, these instructors will qualify to offer the GoPro PADI Distinctive Specialty Course to all PADI divers.

PADI Worldwide Vice President of Growth and Marketing Lisa Nicklin said: “We developed this course with GoPro to equip scuba divers with skills to capture and share meaningful underwater adventures. Learning to dive is transformative, and learning to document and share content with a GoPro inspires others to do the same, raising awareness and driving action to protect our shared ocean.”

Cambodia switches to online arrival cards

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TTR WEEKLY
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PHNOM PENH, 1 July 2024: Cambodia introduces an online e-arrival form today 1 July for all visitors to pre-register before arriving in the country.

First reported by Khmer Times, last week, the new requirement is mandatory for all travellers. They can pre-register up to seven days before they arrive in the country or complete the procedure on tablets provided by authorities in the immigration hall. 

Travellers are advised to complete the Cambodia e-Arrival form in advance of their arrival to cut queues and waiting time at immigration counters.

The form is online and requires travellers to provide passport information and the details of where they will be staying in the country. They will have to upload a photo to the online form.

The digital Cambodia e-Arrival form is available at https://www.arrival.gov.kh/ and has around 10 fields to fill out, including an optional field for details of social media, such as WhatsApp.

The fields include passport date of birth, gender, and occupation, as well as details of a contact address and an email address in Cambodia or the home address.

Once you have completed the online form, the online service generates a QR code on your smartphone app. You are advised to take a screenshot or print out the page via the QR code. Registering your arrival through the app or via the website browser is free.

Singapore and Malaysia were the first countries in Southeast Asia to introduce pre-arrival online registration forms after the Covid pandemic to speed up immigration checks that are now fully automated. It does away with the physical printed arrivals cards that airlines previously distributed to passengers during the flight.

SWISS names new CEO

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 July 2024: Swiss International Air Lines has named Jens Fehlinger as the new CEO effective 1 October 2024, replacing Dieter Vranckx, who will become a member of the Lufthansa Group Executive Board as of today, 1 July 2024.

Fehlinger started his professional career at the Lufthansa Group in 2006, where he held various management positions. Among other assignments, he was in charge of strategy and business development at Lufthansa Airlines and the operational performance management for Lufthansa Group. 

During the Covid pandemic, he was responsible for the Group’s crisis management office and subsequently headed the ReNew restructuring project. In recent years, Fehlinger has been Co-Managing Director of Lufthansa Cityline and, at the same time, established as Managing Director of the new airline Lufthansa City Airlines. 

Fehlinger holds a commercial pilot’s license for the Airbus A320 and is currently an active pilot for Lufthansa Cityline. He has a graduate degree (Dipl.-Ing.) in Aviation Systems Engineering and Management from the University of Bremen, Germany, and a master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Traffic and Transport from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. 

SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach will act as interim CEO until Fehlinger takes over this October.

Air Astana scoops up Skytrax awards

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 July 2024: The Air Astana Group has been recognised with top honours at the prestigious 2024 Skytrax World Airline Awards, held last week at the iconic Fairmont Windsor Park (UK).

Air Astana was named the Best Airline in Central Asia & CIS for the 12th time and received the Best Airline Staff Service in Central Asia & CIS award for the eighth time. Additionally, FlyArystan, Air Astana’s 100% owned low-cost carrier, won the Best Low-Cost Carrier in Central Asia & CIS award for the second time. Skytrax, the international air transport rating organisation, hosts the awards event.

Air Astana Group CEO Peter Foster said: “We are honoured to be recognised once again for our excellence in the region. These awards underscore our entire team’s dedication at Air Astana and FlyArystan in maintaining the highest standards and providing the best experience for our customers on every flight. Receiving these prestigious honours highlights our unwavering commitment to excellence in every aspect of our service.”

Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said: “It is a great accomplishment for Air Astana to be named the Best Airline in Central Asia & CIS for the twelfth time. Also, taking the top place for Best Airline Staff Service in Central Asia & CIS is a testament to the high standards being achieved by Air Astana. Additionally, it is a fantastic achievement for FlyArystan to win the award as the Best Low-Cost Airline in Central Asia & CIS for the second consecutive year, and it should be a source of great pride for the FlyArystan management and staff.”

About the Awards
The Skytrax World Airline Awards, established in 1999, are independent and impartial. They provide a global customer satisfaction study. Travelers worldwide vote in the largest airline passenger satisfaction survey, often called “the Oscars of the aviation industry.” Skytrax covers all survey and awards event costs, with no entry or registration fees for airlines and no charges for using award logos and results.

The 2023/2024 online survey ran in six languages from September 2023 to May 2024, with over 21.42 million eligible entries from more than 100 nationalities. The results featured over 350 airlines, ensuring a broad and diverse assessment.

About Air Astana Group
Air Astana Group is the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus regions in terms of revenue and fleet size. The Group operates a fleet of 51 aircraft split between Air Astana, its full-service airline that operated its inaugural flight in 2002, and FlyArystan, its low-cost airline established in 2019. The Group provides scheduled, point-to-point and transit, short-haul and long-haul air travel and cargo on domestic, regional and international routes across Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Far East, the Middle East, India and Europe.

BWH expands Surestay brand in Thailand

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 1 July 2024: BWH Hotels, the global hospitality network comprising WorldHotels, Best Western Hotels & Resorts and SureStay Hotels, has reaffirmed its position as one of Bangkok’s leading international hotel operators with the launch of SureStay by Best Western Bangkok Ramintra, an urban oasis in an up-and-coming part of Thailand’s vibrant capital city.

Located on the main Ratchada-Ramintra Road in the city’s Khan Na Yao district, this modern hotel is easily accessible – just a short drive from both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang International Airports and just a few minutes away from the city’s MRT subway network at Nopparat Station.

Guests are offered a choice of 80 bright, loft-style rooms, all equipped with modern features and complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi. On the fourth floor, guestrooms have direct access to the glistening outdoor pool – a concept that adds a unique touch to this hotel in the city.

Every morning, guests can start with breakfast at the onsite restaurant, serving light daytime bites and evening meals. A coffee shop will serve all-day refreshments and in-room dining is also available. Visitors can maintain their fitness routine in the gym, and corporate travellers can use a meeting room, which is fully equipped for business events and training sessions for up to 30 delegates.

“We are delighted to introduce yet another hotel to our ever-expanding portfolio in Bangkok. As the world’s most-visited city, the Thai capital is a key business and leisure market with rising demand for internationally recognised hospitality brands. This conversion is the latest example of how owners entrust BWH Hotels to elevate their assets to new levels of success. We look forward to welcoming our guests to this rapidly emerging part of the city at SureStay by Best Western Bangkok Ramintra,” said BWH Hotels Vice President – APAC Olivier Berrivin.

With the addition of SureStay by Best Western Bangkok Ramintra, BWH Hotels now offers 12 hotels in Bangkok, encompassing seven of its industry-leading brands: Best Western, Best Western Plus, Vīb, SureStay by Best Western, SureStay Plus by Best Western, SureStay Collection by Best Western, and WorldHotels Elite. This new opening also brings BWH Hotels’ nationwide portfolio in Thailand to 20 properties, including city hotels, beachfront resorts and upcountry retreats.

To book your stay with BWH Hotels in Asia, please visit bestwesternasia.com.

THAI domestic bookings continue in Amadeus

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 28 June 2024: Amadeus and Thai Airways International have renewed and expanded their distribution agreement to enhance travel retailing offerings via Amadeus travel sellers in Thailand, offering continued access to Thai Airways’ domestic content. 

The carrier will also revamp its website and mobile booking channels to make them more compelling, competitive and passenger-friendly. Amadeus Reference Experience will provide a modern, responsive, and configurable user interface that will speed up Thai Airways’ website and mobile channels and create a robust booking flow. 

The airline has implemented Amadeus Travel Ready, which enables international travellers to verify their travel documents (passports and visas) in the online check-in process. This helps save time at the airport by speeding the manual document verifications at check-in, bag drop and boarding, consequently reducing queues.

Thai Airways will implement Amadeus Network Revenue Management to boost and optimise network revenue. The carrier will benefit from this cutting-edge technology when building routes through connecting hubs, codeshares, or partnerships. The solution enables Thai Airways to optimise pricing and availability decisions by leveraging machine learning and customer choice modelling techniques.

Finally, the airline will use the Xchange Payment Platform (XPP) from Outpayce, Amadeus’ payments business. This platform allows Thai Airways to easily accept a wide range of card and alternative payment methods from travellers. Through XPP, the carrier can accept payments globally by connecting to a wide range of specialist partners for services like cross-border acquiring, authentication and fraud management. Thai Airways also benefits from XPP’s enhanced orchestration and analytics to continually refine its payment strategy and increase acceptance rates.  

“This is a major technology investment and upgrade for the airline and will provide the building blocks of our business transformation,” said THAI Head of Pricing and Revenue Management Nuthaphol Amawatana.

We’ll now be able to offer travellers a more modern and seamless booking experience whether they are visiting our website or searching for travel via our mobile app. We are also pleased to continue our content agreements with Amadeus and look forward to exploring new opportunities.” 

Amadeus, Executive Vice President Travel Unit & Managing Director, Asia Pacific Javier Laforgue, commented: “The agreement (with THAI) is a milestone for us, and we look forward to working hand in hand with the carrier on its transformation journey.”

Gathering of Hainanese clan in Kuching

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUCHING, 28 June 2024: Kuching hosted the 42nd National Convention of The Federation of Hainan Association Malaysia 2024 earlier this month, attracting more than 700 delegates from around Malaysia.

Supporting the event, BESarawak drives the development of Sarawak’s MICE sector — Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions — acting as a matchmaker between local and national associations to attract major conventions and raising Sarawak’s profile as a preferred events destination in domestic and regional markets. 

Photo credit: BESarawak.

After a gap of 31 years, the Kuching Hainan Association proudly hosted the Federation’s event, which also marked the association’s 139th anniversary. 

Established in 1885, the Kuching Hainan Association is one of the oldest and most respected associations in Sarawak and Malaysia. Its mission is to preserve and promote Hainanese traditions, customs, and values while fostering social cohesion, community development, and cultural exchange.

More than 700 members from Hainanese associations throughout Malaysia, ASEAN countries, and China attended the 42nd National Convention of The Federation of Hainan Association Malaysia 2024, highlighting the unity and shared heritage within the Hainanese community throughout Southeast Asia. 

For more information, head to the website: https://businesseventssarawak.com/.

Tripadvisor unveils best attractions and experiences

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 28 June 2024: Tripadvisor, a travel guidance platform, announced on Tuesday the winners of its annual 2024 Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best Things to Do, highlighting the highest rated experiences and attractions worldwide. 

For the first time, the Empire State Building in New York City became the No 1 attraction globally. Tripadvisor also named its best experience in the world the “Unvanquished Tour in Porto City, Portugal,” where visitors can explore 2,000 years of history in just a few hours.

Photo credit: Tripadvisor.

Boasting 60,000 5-star reviews, the Empire State Building reinforces its claim as the “World’s Most Famous Building” by rising to the No 1 attraction in the US and the world. 

With more than 8,000 5-star reviews, the Unvanquished Tour is praised for being budget and time-friendly, with entertaining and knowledgeable tour guides.

“With more than 1.4 million activities and experiences, Tripadvisor is a go-to resource for travellers to discover and book their next adventure, no matter what ‘adventure’ means to them,” says  Tripadvisor President, Kristen Dalton. “Experiences make a trip, and our Best of the Best Things to Do Awards offer some of the highest-rated activities from across the world, highlighted by our community of travellers.”

Unforgettable Vacation Moments

Bucket List Experiences: Once-in-a-lifetime experiences that get adrenaline pumping and leave every visitor wanting more.

No1 in the world: Beginner Scuba Diving Adventure with Videos in Honolulu – Oahu, Hawaii

Cultural & Historical Tours: Destinations ripped from the pages of history books and brought to life by knowledgeable guides, interactive walking tours, and more.

No 1 in the world: Amsterdam Canal Cruise in Open Boat with Local Skipper-Guide – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amusement Parks & Water Parks: Theme parks are a crowd pleaser, offering activities the entire family can enjoy.

No 1 in the world: Disneyland Paris – Paris, France.

Methodology

The 2024 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Things to Do Awards are determined based on the quality and quantity of traveller reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor over the 12-month period between 1 April 2023 through 31 March, 2024.

AirAsia opens KK-Manado route

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 28 June 2024: AirAsia will launch its inaugural service on 1 September 2024 between Sabah’s state capital, Kota Kinabalu, and Manado in Indonesia.

The low-cost airline will schedule three weekly flights using an Airbus A320. This will increase the international network to and from Kota Kinabalu to 13 routes with 83 weekly flights.

Photo credit: Sabah Tourism.

Kota Kinabalu offers natural beauty, cultural experiences, and historical sites. Here are some of the top tourist attractions.

Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park: This archipelago of five islands (Gaya, Sapi, Manukan, Mamutik, and Sulug) is a paradise for beach lovers, snorkelers, and scuba divers. Pristine waters teeming with marine life, coral reefs, and idyllic beaches make it a must-visit.

Mount Kinabalu: Southeast Asia’s highest mountain, Mount Kinabalu, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a dream destination for trekkers. The challenging climb rewards with breathtaking views and diverse flora and fauna.

Kota Kinabalu City Mosque: This stunning landmark is especially beautiful at night when it appears to float on the man-made lagoon. Its Islamic architecture is a marvel to behold.

Gaya Street Sunday Market: Immerse yourself in the local scene at this vibrant Sunday market. Browse through various souvenirs, handicrafts, fresh produce, and local delicacies.

Tanjung Aru Beach: This popular beach is a great place to relax, soak up the sun, and enjoy stunning sunsets. Take a stroll along the beachside promenade or indulge in fresh seafood at the many restaurants lining the beach.

For more information on Kota Kinabalu, visit www.sabahtourism.com. 

What to see in Manado

Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is known for its stunning underwater landscape and great mountain panorama. Visitors can dive at the renowned Bunaken Marine Park to experience its vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. For nature enthusiasts, trekking up Mount Klabat provides stunning panoramic views. The city also boasts cultural sites like Ban Hin Kiong Temple and traditional Minahasan culinary delights like Tinutuan porridge. 

Flight Schedule between Kota Kinabalu (BKI) and Manado (MDC)

Ascott names six top appointments

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE,28 June 2024:The Ascott Limited (Ascott), the lodging business unit wholly owned by CapitaLand Investment (CLI),has announced six key appointments in the functions of business development, strategy and operations to support its global expansion. 

The appointment come at the same time as Ascott charts a new growth trajectory towards achieving its target of more than SGD500 million in fee revenue by 2028.

Venessa Koo.
Teo Junrong.
Thomas Lamson.
Joseph Wong.
Steven Chan.
Sophie Mougel.

New appointments to the business development team:

Venessa Koo, Vice President Business Development for Hong Kong Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam. 

Teo Junrong, Vice President, Business Development for Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. 

Thomas Lamson, Vice President, Business Development and Product & Technical Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 

Other appointments:

Joseph Wong, Managing Director for China, has been entrusted with driving business development, on top of overseeing all aspects of Ascott’s operations, in this key market.

Steven Chan as Vice President, Global Franchise Services and Regional General Manager for Indochina. 

Sophie Mougel Vice President, Strategy and Regional General Manager for the Philippines and Malaysia. 

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