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Top brand ranking goes to Centara Grand

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 9 August 2023: Centara Hotels & Resorts’ flagship brand, Centara Grand, has been recognised as the strongest brand in Thailand by Brand Finance’s prestigious Thailand 50 2023 report. 

The ranking highlighted Centara Grand’s exceptional brand equity, trust, and value performance over the past year.

Brand Finance, a leading global brand valuation and strategy consultancy, evaluates thousands of renowned brands across various sectors and countries annually, with its Thailand 50 2023 report showcasing the top 50 most valuable and strongest brands in the country.

This year, Centara Grand emerged as Thailand’s strongest brand with an impressive brand strength index score and strong financial results contributing to the brand’s overall ranking, something which will surely only be enhanced by the recent opening of the first Centara hotel in Japan – Centara Grand Hotel Osaka. Centara Grand’s top position signifies its outstanding brand equity and the trust and loyalty it has garnered from the public and guests alike. With the ranking partly based on surveys, this accolade underscores the faith in Centara Grand as a leading hospitality brand.

“We are deeply honoured for Centara Grand to be named the strongest brand in Thailand by Brand Finance in their esteemed Thailand 50 2023 report,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts Chief executive officer Thirayuth Chirathivat.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Brand Finance and our valued stakeholders for their trust and support. This recognition is a testament to our unwavering commitment to excellence. As we celebrate our milestone 40th anniversary this year, we are more motivated than ever to continue striving for greatness.”

As Centara Hotels & Resorts aspires to be among the world’s top 100 hotel groups by 2027, this prestigious ranking strengthens the company’s resolve to continue enhancing its offerings and showcase a new wave of Thai-inspired hospitality on the global stage.

For more information about Centara Hotels & Resorts,  visit: https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/

SQ rings in the changes for 2024 season

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 9 August 2023: Singapore Airlines (SIA) will ramp up services to destinations across its network during the Northern Summer 2024 operating season (31 March 2024 to 26 October 2024), the airline confirmed in a 7 August media release.

It includes restoring Airbus A380 services between Singapore and Frankfurt, deploying widebody Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft on services to Cairns and Male, reinstating direct services between Singapore and Barcelona, and increasing flight frequencies to pre-pandemic levels across multiple points and exceeding them in some.

Destinations that will reach or exceed pre-pandemic levels of flight frequencies include Ahmedabad (India), Beijing and Shanghai (China), Copenhagen (Denmark), Danang (Vietnam), Darwin, Melbourne, and Perth (Australia), Dubai (the United Arab Emirates), Tokyo-Haneda (Japan), and Seattle and Houston (the United States of America). 

Singapore Airlines senior vice president of marketing planning, JoAnn Tan said: “With the release of SIA’s Northern Summer schedules (end of March to end of October 2024), our customers can plan and start to make their travel plans for 2024.”

Asia Pacific network changes

AUSTRALIA
From 31 March 2024, SQ203 and SQ204 between Singapore and Cairns will operate a four-times-weekly service instead of the current five-times weekly service. SIA will upgauge the aircraft on this service from the Boeing 737-8 narrowbody to the larger A350-900 medium-haul aircraft, deploying a widebody aircraft on this route for the first time in more than 20 years.

SIA’s flights between Singapore and Darwin (SQ251 and SQ252) will step up to a daily service instead of five times weekly from 31 March 2024. This will restore frequencies to Darwin to pre-pandemic levels.

From 26 May 2024, SIA will add a fifth daily service between Singapore and Melbourne (SQ247 and SQ248) with the A350-900 long-haul aircraft. This will increase flight frequencies to Melbourne from four times daily to the pre-pandemic level of five times daily.

From 24 November 2023, SIA will operate an additional four-times-weekly service between Singapore and Perth (SQ213 and SQ226). This will step up to a daily flight service from 31 March 2024, with SIA deploying the A350-900 medium-haul aircraft on the route. As a result, services between Singapore and Perth will go up to the pre-pandemic level of four times daily.

CHINA
From 1 May 2024, SIA will add a third daily service between Singapore and Beijing (SQ800 and SQ805) with the Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft. This will increase flight frequencies to China’s capital from two times daily to the pre-pandemic level of three times daily.

SIA will add a fifth daily service (SQ896 and SQ897) between Singapore and Hong Kong SAR from 29 October 2023. A sixth daily service (SQ882 and SQ883) will be added between the two cities from 1 August 2024, bringing frequencies back to pre-pandemic levels. SIA will operate the A350-900 long-haul aircraft on these two services.

From 1 October 2023, SIA will add a fourth daily service between Singapore and Shanghai (SQ828 and SQ831). A fifth daily service (SQ832 and SQ835) will be added from 31 March 2024, bringing Shanghai back to pre-pandemic frequencies.

JAPAN
From 1 October 2023, SIA will add a third daily service between Singapore and Tokyo-Haneda (SQ632 and SQ633). From 1 September 2024, SIA will add a fourth daily service between the two cities (SQ630 and SQ639). The A350-900 medium-haul aircraft will be used in both services. This will bring services to Tokyo-Haneda from two to four times daily, restoring pre-pandemic frequencies.

INDIA
From 2 September 2024, SIA’s services between Singapore and Ahmedabad (SQ504 and SQ505) with the A350-900 medium-haul aircraft will go up to the pre-pandemic daily frequency from five times weekly.

THE MALDIVES
SIA will upgauge the seven-times weekly service between Singapore and Male (SQ432 and SQ431) to the A350-900 medium-haul aircraft from the Boeing 737-8 narrowbody from 31 March 2024, helping to meet the strong demand for air travel to this holiday destination.

(Source: SIA)

Thai AirAsia X resumes Sapporo flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 9 August 2023: Thai AirAsia X (XJ) will resume its Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) – Sapporo route starting from 29 October 2023 to capture the winter season tourist traffic to Japan’s gateway city for winter sports and snow attractions.

Flying a direct daily service Thai AirAsia X presents promotional fares starting at THB6,990 available for booking through 30 September 2023 for travel from 29 October 2023 to 30 March 2024 via the AirAsia Superapp.

Photo credit: Thai AirAsia X

Thai AirAsia X chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld said: “Sapporo and the island of Hokkaido are high potential destinations beloved by Thai travellers. The island can be visited all year round with different attractions during the summer and winter periods and is home to wonderful seafood, including the famed Taraba crab.”

Various experiences are available on Hokkaido, especially during the transition from autumn to winter, when it is most beautiful. Visitors can enjoy Sapporo’s winter festival, ski resorts, Moiwa Mountain, and Sapporo Beer Museum. Or they can venture to nearby cities such as Otaru, Asahikawa and Niseko, each offering end-of-year activities.

“Resuming flights to Sapporo brings more choice to Thai and international travellers and Japanese travellers looking for economical ways to visit Thailand. This route has always received significant interest, and we are bringing it back at a wonderful AirAsia price,” Tassapon concluded.

Thai AirAsia X flies Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) directly to Tokyo (Narita) 14 times a week and Osaka 10 times a week.

World powerboats race heads for Vietnam

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TTR WEEKLY
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HANOI, 9 August 2023: Vietnam will host the 2024 Grand Prix of Powerboat Racing following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in Rome last week, Vietnam Government Portal online news reported.

Vietnam’s President Vo Van Thuong witnesses the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) along with the Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Committee leaders and H2O Racing, the event organiser. 

Signing ceremony for the Grand Prix of Binh Dinh. Photo credit: VGP.

The 2024 Grand Prix of Binh Dinh, a world powerboat racing, is scheduled to take place in Binh Dinh province on the south-central coast of Vietnam in late March next year, according to VGP online news.

Quy Nhon, north of Ho Chi Minh City, will host the inaugural round of the ABP Aquabike Grand Prix of Binh Dinh-Vietnam from 22 to 24 2024 March and the F1H2O Grand Prix of Binh-Dinh-Vietnam 29 to 31 March. 

Quy Nhon is a coastal city and capital of Binh Dinh province of central Vietnam. Both Grand Prix events will be staged at the Thi Nai Lagoon in Binh Dinh.

The 2024 Binh Dinh Grand Prix in Binh Dinh will become a feature in the world powerboat racing calendar from 2024 onward.

It will bring together more than 70 athletes from 30 teams from 30 different countries worldwide, including several racers who have broke world records for the sport reaching speeds of up to 261km per hour.

Since 1984, nearly 300 major races were held in 33 countries on five continents, including Italy, Germany, Egypt, South Korea, Japan and Sri Lanka.

(Source: VGP Online)

Thai Vietjet sells family fun fares

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 9 August 2023: Thai Vietjet encourages travellers to embark on family holidays by tapping bargain fare deals during its ‘Family Fun Month’ promotion, open until 17 August.

The offer presents special fares starting from THB1,688 (including taxes and fees) for travel on the airline’s international flight network. 

The promotional fares are valid for bookings since 7 August, and the deal ends at midnight on 17 August. The travel period runs from 1 September 2023 to 27 March 2024 (excluding public holidays) for bookings made at www.vietjetair.com or through other channels, including authorised travel agents.

The special promotional tickets apply to Thai Vietjet’s entire international flight network from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Japan, and Taipei. 

Currently, Thai Vietjet operates flights to 10 Thailand domestic routes, including flights from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Udon Thani, Hat Yai, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, and Surat Thani. The deal also applies to cross-country flights from Phuket to Chiang Mai. 

The airline is also actively expanding its international flight network to many destinations across Asia-pacific, connecting Thailand with Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Japan, Taiwan and other top destinations, including destinations in Australia. A new service from Ho Chi Minh City to Perth, Australia, will start on 21 November 2023.

Jetstar Asia launches national day sale

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 9 August 2023: To celebrate Singapore’s 58th birthday, 9 August, low-cost airline Jetstar Asia rolls out a National Day sale with 58,000 bargain fares available for flights to 10 destinations.

Featured destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Phuket and Bali.

The sale period opened at 1000 on 8 August and will close at 2359 on 13 August. One-way fares to the 10 destinations from Singapore will start as low as SGD68 (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur) for travel before 31 March 2024. Club Jetstar members will have access to even cheaper fares, starting from just SGD65, with travellers able to sign up to become a Club Jetstar member at Jetstar.com when booking.

Jetstar Asia marketing manager Amy Law said it was important to recognise this special day and celebrate with customers.
“National Day is an opportunity to celebrate everything wonderful about this great country, including our love of a great deal,” Law said.

World Chefs dish up culinary tourism

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TTR WEEKLY
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MANILA, 8 August 2023: The Philippines Department of Tourism  Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted the importance of ‘culinary tourism’, saying it was high on the DOT’s prioritisation list to diversify the country’s multidimensional tourism product offerings.

She made the statement last week in a welcome address to the World Chefs Asia President Forum 2023 in Pasay City.

Photo credit: DOT. Gathering of the chefs.

Worldchefs is a professional organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines through membership education, training, and professional development.

Founded in October 1928 at the Sorbonne in Paris, the World Association of Chefs’ Societies is a global network of chefs’ associations.

During her welcome speech, Secretary Frasco expressed her gratitude to the chefs that purveyed their love for food resulting in the propagation of their respective countries’ cultures and identities.

“Our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. envisions the Philippines to have a primary role in Asia in terms of being able to reintroduce itself to the world in the aspect of fun and adventure and, importantly, to allow you to get to know the heart and soul of the Filipinos that lies in our history, our heritage, our identity, and our living cultural traditions, including, and especially, our culinary traditions,” explained Secretary Frasco.

The three-day forum, co-hosted by DOT’s attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, brought together some 100 delegates from 18 countries in the food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality industries, including leaders, professionals, educators, suppliers, Philippine Culinary Cup judges, and competitors from member countries of different Asia-Pacific chefs associations.

“Under the National Tourism Development Plan recently approved by President Marcos, one of the objectives identified by the DOT is the importance of multidimensional tourism to ensure that when tourists come to the Philippines, they can enjoy the width, length and breadth of our offerings. And that is why we’re here to support culinary and gastronomic tourism,” the tourism chief added.

The LTB Philippines Chefs Association, the premier chefs’ association in the Philippines and a national member of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies or Worldchefs, organised the event.

The World Chefs Asian Presidents Forum, which aims to promote camaraderie among chefs in the Asia-Pacific region, included various activities, such as the presentation of the latest gastronomical trends, sharing knowledge on sustainability practices, conducting culinary education sessions, the launch of the regional e-book, global chefs challenge, and community outreach in Baseco Port Area, Manila.

Worldchefs director for Asia Willment Leong, LTB Philippines Chefs Association president Chef Carlo Miguel, LTB Philippines Chefs Association vice president James Antolin, DOT Undersecretary Ferdinand Jumapao, and representatives from TPB joined the chefs and delegates during the forum.

(Source: DOT)

Sabah’s tourism on the road to recovery

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 8 August 2023: Just short of 1 million travellers visited Sabah during the first five months of the year, according to the state’s chief minister’s latest tourism update

Bernama news service quoted Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, saying domestic and international travel arrivals reached  988,680, up 77.1% over last year. From January to May 2022, visitor arrivals reached 558,169.

Tourism data for the five months of this year showed Malaysian residents accounted for 706,203 visits and international tourists another 282,450. Tourism revenue clocked MYR2.02 billion for both domestic and international visits.

According to the Bernama report, the chief minister said the performance “clearly demonstrates that the tourism sector in Sabah will continue to develop strongly this year and in the years to come…The state government will continue to strive to revitalise and develop the tourism sector through various programmes this year.”

For more information on Sabah tourism, visit www.sabahtourism.com.

(Source: Bernama)

Banyan Tree rolls out wellness

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 8 August 2023: Banyan Tree Group invites guests to participate in its annual “Live Well, Travel Well” campaign from 15 September to 15 October.

 The invite from the Banyan Tree Group’s multi-brand hotels and resorts offers Spa experiences and discounts on stays. 

• Stay longer to explore some of the world’s most spectacular locales with up to 40% savings at select accommodations, ensuring exceptional value and creating unforgettable experiences.

• Rejuvenate between adventures with 35% off à la carte Spa treatments with 35% off (excluding beauty and facial treatments and other promotional treatments).

• Support artisan communities and gain an appreciation for indigenous crafts with 35% off retail items (excluding consignment and other promotional items) at Gallery.

This multi-brand campaign highlights the group’s commitment to prioritising wellness across all its offerings. For more information and reservations, visit www.banyantreegroup.com/offers/live-well-travel-well.

(Source: Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts)

DOT applauds UA’s direct flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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MANILA, 8 August 2023: Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomes United Airlines’ recent announcement that it will introduce direct flights between San Francisco and Manila starting October 2023.

The Philippines News Agency quoted the DOT statement: “United flies to Manila from Guam and Palau. Once the flights between Manila and San Francisco become operational, the airline will be the first American carrier to fly direct to Manila from the continental US in a long while”.

Based on the DOT’s Routes Development report released in June, eight of the country’s international gateways saw significant growth in flights and seat capacity, according to the PNA report.

Between June and July 2023, the country welcomed 58 new incoming weekly flights landing at the country’s international gateways.

Among the domestic flights that resumed in the same period are Clark to Bacolod, Busuanga, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Davao, Iloilo, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa; Manila to Tablas, and Lal-o; Davao to Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Siargao and Zamboanga to Cotabato.

“With the DOT’s Philippine Experience Programme and regional travel expos, we are optimistic that our stakeholders, particularly from the aviation industry, will see the need to improve connectivity around the country to cater to the growing demands of our travellers,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said.

(Source: PNA)

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