SINGAPORE, 13 July 2023: Cunard invites foodies and art enthusiasts to set sail with gastronomy, art and entertainment talents as Cunard announces its latest event voyages for 2024.
Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 will host newly launched themed voyages on its transatlantic crossings. Queen Elizabeth will feature event voyages on sailings in Asia-Pacific – Australia and Japan in early 2024.
2024 Event Voyages schedule:
Queen Mary 2
London Theatre at Sea, eastbound transatlantic, 15-23 June 2024
Queen Mary 2’s 400th Transatlantic Crossing, eastbound transatlantic, 23-30 August 2024
National Symphony Orchestra’s 15th Anniversary, eastbound transatlantic, 4-13 October 2024
Literature Festival at Sea, westbound transatlantic, 13-20 November 2024
Queen Elizabeth
Great Australian Culinary Voyage, Southern Australia, 5-12 January 2024
Sporting Greats & Wellness Voyage, Southern Australia, 13-30 February 2024
Big Band Ball, Japan, 5-14 May 2024
Queen Mary 2 standout events
“London Theatre at Sea” is an eight-night eastbound transatlantic crossing hosting musical theatre in partnership with the Olivier Awards.
“Literature Festival at Sea” appeals to book lovers featuring seven days of inspiring literary events on the westbound transatlantic crossing, curated by the programming team of The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
2024 marks the 15th Anniversary of Cunard’s National Symphony Orchestra voyages. Guests can rehearse with the choir during the day and enjoy classical concerts in the Royal Court Theatre at night on this nine-night eastbound transatlantic crossing in October.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2023: US travel agents feel squeezed out by travel tech giants, and their counterparts in the Asia Pacific should take it as a warning that they need to recognise the potential of merging human capabilities with technology.
Released earlier this week, a new study by Voyagu, an AI-powered travel management platform and marketplace, surveyed US-based travel advisors to gain insights into the state of the travel industry and its challenges.
Photo credit: Voyagu
Titled “Travel in a Post-Pandemic World: The State of the Industry According to Travel Advisors”, the most relevant findings suggested 60% of travel advisors do not feel confident that their incomes will rise, with 65% seeing competition from direct-to-consumer online platforms – such as Expedia and Booking.com – as an obstacle to revenue growth.
However, on a positive note, 53% of advisors surveyed believe technology will be a key driver to increase revenues and grow business.
For this report, Voyagu interacted with 1000 US-based travel advisors and travel agency owners, randomly selecting and interviewing 150 of them to understand the challenges they face, their perceptions of income prospects, the impact of technology on their business, and their strategies for growth and adaptation in a post-pandemic world.
Business trends and travel technology advances in the US usually precede what plays out in Asia’s travel agency markets.
Report takeaways
• 60% of travel advisors don’t believe it is possible to boost their income, with 65% seeing competition from direct-to-consumer online platforms as an obstacle to revenue growth.
• 53% of travel agents believe that technology will be a key driver for increased revenues and business growth, with only 16% believing that technology is squeezing them out of the industry.
• 84% of travel agents consider referrals the best way to grow their business.
• 79% of travel agents experience high demand for personalised services, but only 46% highlighted that clients prioritise expertise and personalised services over lower prices. In contrast, the majority demand personalised travel services for the same price as online bookings, posing a challenge for travel agents to make a profit.
• 23% of agents disagree that the travel industry offers more opportunities to earn money now than before Covid.
• 54% of agents reported earning less than USD60,000 annually, with only 6% earning over USD120,000.
• 66% of agents are expanding their offering with customised products such as travel insurance, private transfers, and transit, while only 24% offer services such as booking villas, retreats, airport transits, city tours, and entertainment activities.
“Despite their value, travel advisors face significant challenges competing with the affordable and convenient technology companies offer,” said Voyagu founder and CEO Ivan Saprov. “However, there are signs of a gradual acceptance of this transformative shift, as agents are starting to recognise the potential of merging human capabilities with technology. Implementing technological tools can help travel advisors enhance the human touch where it matters the most.”
Voyagu connects premium travellers with travel advisors and suppliers, helps them to get personalised offerings up to 35% cheaper than online prices, simplifies their trip booking process and management and provides quick access to human support.
SINGAPORE, 12 July 2023: China Airlines has concluded a codeshare agreement with ITA Airways for flights CI075 and CI076 on the Taipei-Rome route.
The codesharing agreement will also be expanded to cover other destinations within Italy to promote the development of both markets by streamlining travel between Taiwan and Italy.
Photo credit: CAL
Based on the passenger traffic growth between Taiwan and Italy, China Airlines operates three weekly nonstop flights on the Taipei-Rome route using an Airbus A350 configured with 32 Premium Business Class, 31 Premium Economy Class, and 243 Economy Class seats.
Travellers arriving in Rome will be able to connect with ITA flights to many European destinations, including Venice, Torino, Genova, Trieste, Florence, Bologna, Bari, Brindisi, Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calabria, Palermo, and Catania.
China Airlines serves five destinations in Europe, and the sixth destination will be added when flights to Prague in the Czech Republic start on 18 July. Existing European destinations comprise Rome (Italy), Vienna (Austria), Frankfurt (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), and London (UK) – 30 flights per week on routes to Europe.
China Airlines also codeshares with other SkyTeam member airlines, including KLM, Air France and Air Europa, to expand its network to 16 other cities in the UUK, France, Spain, and Italy. There is also a partnership with Deutsche Bahn that provides rail connections from Frankfurt to 13 cities in Germany.
China Airlines is now focusing on the transit market for travel between Europe and Southeast Asia. It is opening new services to Cebu, Danang, and Chiang Mai, which will give the airline more than 150 return flights to Southeast Asia every week,
Codeshare agreements with Garuda Indonesia on the Taipei to Singapore and Bali routes as well as from Jakarta and Bali to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, are all active. CAL is also partnering with Bangkok Airways to provide connecting flights from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Samui and Phuket.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2023: Jetstar Asia (3K) has announced the return of its flights from Singapore to Okinawa, becoming the only airline to operate direct services between the Lion City and Japan’s popular island holiday destination.
With support from the Okinawa Prefectural Government (OPG) and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the service will restart on 30 November, just before the year-end holiday season begins.
Scheduling three weekly flights, Jetstar offers special one-way fares from Singapore to Okinawa starting at SGD159, bookable on jetstar.com.
Jetstar Asia CEO Barathan Pasupathi commented: “Okinawa has always been an incredibly popular destination…“Our amazing low fares mean Singaporeans will be able to spend more while on holiday, taking advantage of everything the island has to offer.”
Okinawa Prefectural Government Singapore Representative Office, director Heat Ikehara noted: “With the resumption of this direct flight, I am confident that we will see a vibrant increase in tourism and economic exchange with Okinawa, the nearest part of Japan from Singapore”.
JNTO Singapore Representative Office executive director Hatsume Nagai said JNTO was delighted to welcome Jetstar Asia back to Okinawa.
“According to our recent survey, Okinawa has seen a sharp rise in its popularity with 47% of respondents expressing interest in visiting Okinawa – the second highest Japanese destination”.
She added: “Moving forward, JNTO will continue to work closely with Jetstar and Okinawa Prefecture to promote its charms to the Singapore market.”
Jetstar Asia first launched charter services to Naha Airport in Okinawa in 2014 before becoming the first low-fares carrier to fly direct between the two cities in 2017, attracting thousands of visitors to Okinawa each year.
Okinawa is the largest of 160 islands between Japan and Taiwan and is a dream destination for those wanting to island-hop.
Singapore to Osaka
In addition, Jetstar Asia announced it would resume a second Japan route with services from Singapore to Osaka (Kansai) via Manila commencing 24 November 2023. Jetstar Asia services to Osaka will operate five flights weekly, increasing to daily from 30 December.
The two routes should carry more than 180,000 passengers between Singapore and Japan each year. Customers can seamlessly connect from Japan to Jetstar Japan’s extensive network of 15 domestic destinations, including daily services from Okinawa to Narita, Nagoya and Osaka.
SINGAPORE, 12 July 2023: Princess Cruises is unveiling savings on cruises for 2024, including fares as low as USD399 per person for a seven-day Western Caribbean voyage.
The “Score for 24 Sale” offers bargain fares for vacations aboard The Love Boat in 2024, with a wide range of itineraries and destinations to choose from, including select voyages that provide an opportunity for third and fourth guests to sail for free.
The deal covers cruises to the Caribbean, a European river cruise, or an adventurous expedition to remote destinations.
The Score for 24 Sale is available through 5 September 2023 on select 2024 and 2025 sailings, subject to availability.
DUBAI, UAE, 12 July 2023: Aviation innovation is hardcoded into the Emirates Group’s DNA, and this was brought to life at the Innovation Majlis unveiled by Emirates Airline & Group Chairman & Chief Executive HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum with other senior leaders at its Dubai headquarters.
As a platform to foster deeper research and development, and greater exchange of cutting-edge ideas, the Innovation Majlis will showcase the latest in robotics, hyper-reality, holograms, 3D printers and other advanced technologies. It will serve as the social space to co-create proofs-of-concept that will benefit customers, communities and the aviation industry. Partnerships with industry leaders and universities, sustainable initiatives, and exploring alternative energies will be key drivers for the majlis.
HH Sheikh Ahmed said: “The Emirates Group has always been a trailblazer in the aviation industry, and innovation is fundamental to our core values, culture and mindset. The Innovation Majlis, with its latest tools and tech, is designed to empower our employees to explore new horizons, discover innovative solutions, and drive the future of the aviation industry. It will bring our partners, top tech companies and entities together in one space to address key challenges affecting our industry today.”
In its initial phase, the Innovation Majlis will include:
Autonomous mobile manipulator: developed by Dubai Future Labs for order deliveries and picking and placing objects from shelves, bins and table-tops.
AI-enabled wearable glasses for AR experiences: transforms the way we perceive and interact with other people, products or services
Haptic gloves for natural XR interactions: enables touch interaction in virtual reality to feel the weight, vibrations and resistance of virtual objects
3D holographic display with generative AI: elevates the experience of interacting with digital signage by providing advanced conversational capability through natural language processing
Automatic wireless charging: next era of charging devices autonomously from a distance using infrared technology
3D printing solutions: exploringnext-generation printers that can handle a greater range of materials to provide an additive manufacturing capability for new areas
Optimised videoconferencing: all-in-one device providing advanced sensor and environment optimisation technology for video communications
Next-generation water filtration: reverse osmosis and carbon filtration purification system that turns tap water into mineralised water.
The Emirates Group has a long history of spearheading innovation in the industry. The Innovation Majlis comes hot on the heels of launching Sara, the world’s first-ever check‑in robot assistant and hosting the first edition of ForsaTEK. This annual event brings together start-up programmes, high-profile tech and industry partners, and key players in the ecosystem. The Emirates Group and Dubai Future Foundation have signed a significant partnership to launch the Emirates Centre of Excellence for Aviation Robotics (ECEAR). Emirates has dedicated US$ 200 million to finance research and development initiatives to mitigate the environmental impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation.
LANGKAWI, 12 July 2023: Langkawi Development Authority is supporting the return of the Langkawi International Half Marathon (LIHM’23) on 2 December 2023 for what will be its second edition.
On 7 July, registration opened for the 21 km race covering a circular route through the island’s scenic countryside and villages.
Interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic after the inaugural race in 2019, the second edition of LIHM will attract a strong turnout of runners from Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore.
Running enthusiasts take along their families and weave a holiday around marathon events. The 21 km half marathon is popular, especially for recreational runners building up their pace to run the full 42 km marathon later.
LIHM’23: Mark your calendars and commence planning for an incredible year-end ‘runcation’ on the captivating island of Langkawi.
SINGAPORE, 12 July 2023: P&O Cruises and Time Out launch a new Lisbon shore experience, ‘The Flavours of Lisbon by Time Out’, led by experts and locals.
P&O Cruises’ new Lisbon shore experiences are created in partnership with and curated by the city experts at Time Out, a global media and hospitality brand.
Photo credit: P&O Cruises.
On selected cruises, ‘The Flavours of Lisbon by Time Out shore experience will offer guests a taste of local food with a hands-on cooking class in the world-famous Time Out Market and an opportunity to discover the Baixa district famed for its stunning architecture, famous yellow trams and Pink Street, one of Lisbon’s most photo-worthy locations.
‘The Flavours of Lisbon by Time Out and P&O Cruises’ shore experience for adults only costs £109 per person and is available initially on the following three cruises. (Cruises depart and return to Southampton Port, UK.)
Spain and Portugal, 14-night cruise on Iona from £799 per person for an inside cabin. Departs 23 September 2023.
Mediterranean, 13-night cruise on Arvia from £699 per person for an inside cabin. Departs 14 October 2023.
Spain and Portugal, 14-night cruise on Iona from £699 per person for an inside cabin. Departs 28 October 2023.
HONG KONG, 12 July 2023: Cathay Pacific progresses towards using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for a targetted 10% of its 2030 fuel consumption by uplifting SAF to commercial flights for the first time outside its Hong Kong hub.
Blended and supplied by ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, the batch of SAF was used to refuel four CX cargo aircraft at Singapore Changi Airport – CX2076 to Hong Kong on 7, 14 and 28 June, and CX2074 to Penang on 30 June.
Photo caption Cathay Pacific cargo planes refuel on SAF at Changi Singapore.
This follows the use of blended SAF uplifted at Hong Kong International Airport to selected flights last year and on the delivery flights for its new Airbus A350 from Europe over the past six years.
Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “This is an important milestone for Cathay Pacific and our ambition to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. As an international airline, we have a leading role in helping the aviation industry to decarbonise. We constantly explore solutions and advocate for extensive collaboration with many stakeholders to combat climate change.
“We firmly believe that SAF will be the primary lever by which the aviation industry achieves net-zero carbon emissions. By expanding the uplift of blended SAF onto selected commercial flights at Changi Airport and our home hub, we hope to strengthen SAF awareness across the Asia Pacific region and signal to the supply chain that there is firm demand for SAF from airlines.”
This neat SAF was created from 100% used cooking oil and meets International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) EU standards. On a lifecycle basis, it can reduce GHG emissions by nearly 90% compared to conventional jet fuel[1], providing a lower GHG emissions air travel and air cargo solution.
The airline launched the Cathay Pacific Corporate SAF Programme in 2022, the first major programme in Asia, with eight corporates as launch customers. It allows corporate customers to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel or airfreight by contributing to the use of SAF. Cathay Pacific plans to bring more corporate customers to the programme in 2023.
SINGAPORE, 12 July 2023: Budget-conscious travellers are determined to score more affordable getaways without breaking the bank, says Skyscanner’s latest Travel in Focus report released Tuesday.
With insights from Skyscanner’s proprietary search and booking data and consumer behaviour study, the report uncovers key insights in travel powerhouses Singapore, South Korea, and India for the remainder of 2023.
Photo credit: Skyscanner
Travel is not going away, but the way people travel has changed. With the pandemic behind us and the rising cost of living, travellers across Singapore, South Korea, and India are more cost-conscious than ever. While rising costs of everyday items will affect their travel plans, close to 99% still plan to travel.
When it comes to planning, travellers from Singapore (63%), South Korea (66%), and India (72%) would prefer to plan every single detail of their travel ahead of time. Still, they are equally willing to change their itineraries if they come across a good deal.
Commenting on the findings, Skyscanner’s travel trends and destination expert Brendan Walsh said: “Sometimes, it’s not just about where you’re going—it’s about the whole experience of getting away. Our appetite for travel certainly continues to grow, and we see millions of travellers on our site every month.
Travel in Focus Report takeaways
With the rising cost of living, it is no surprise that travellers are looking to stretch their dollar — but Skyscanner’s recent research revealed that they are willing to sacrifice different things to fit in their budget. 54% of South Koreans are willing to give up comfort to travel no matter what, while more than 60% of Singaporeans and Indians prefer to travel in comfort.
Singapore
Escape Artists: Singaporeans take every opportunity to escape their familiar surroundings or fast-paced lifestyle. About 80% of Singaporeans take advantage of long public holiday weekends for quick getaways, while 50% extend the trip by connecting two long public holiday weekends with a few additional days between.
Celebration Chasers: Two of five Singaporeans (40%) are motivated to travel due to the holiday season (long weekends, four seasons, and Christmas) or special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, and honeymoons). A third of Singaporeans (33%) are attracted to destination-bound events such as the Sakura season, Songkran, sale seasons, concerts, festivals, and sports events. But above all, most Singaporeans can’t resist a good deal – with 62% travelling due to a great price offer.
South Korea
Solo Flyer: 40% of South Korean travellers will likely travel alone on their next holiday. Gen Zs are less likely to travel solo (23% of the 18-24 age group) than Millennials (64% of the 35-44 age group). In comparison, nearly half (47%) of the respondents from the 65 and over age group responded that they are likely to travel alone.
Travel Junkies: More South Koreans want to travel no matter what (54%), even if they can’t afford to travel at their desired comfort level. By year’s end, even if they’ve completed all their planned trips, most South Koreans would prefer to use their extra cash to squeeze in one more trip (61%) instead of using it on something else (35%). It’s a fine balance between comfort and price.
No-normal Travellers: An overwhelming majority of South Koreans (86%) are willing to allocate a larger budget, or adjust their itinerary, for obscure travel attractions and destination-specific experiences. They’d rather dine at famous local restaurants or experience cultural heritage tours instead of shopping or attending sporting events.
India
Deal-driven travellers: Cost continues to be a major consideration for Indian travellers, with nearly 1 in 2 travellers (47%) willing to change their itineraries if presented with better deals. Some Indians prefer international destinations that are less expensive to visit (35%), and some opt for non-peak travel periods (33%).
Slow Travelling Gurus: In 2023, Indians prefer slow travel, with many opting for immersive travel (46%) over fast-paced travel (40%). Rather than visiting as many places as possible, travellers want to spend more time in a single destination to experience the local culture more deeply. They believe this mindful approach creates more meaningful personal connections and a richer experience. According to Skyscanner data, over 38% of Indian travellers spend longer than one month on a single-destination trip, including domestic and international destinations, based on redirect data for the year 2023, which is significantly more compared to travellers in Singapore (3%) and South Korea (8%)[4].
Purposeful Voyagers: Indian travellers seek meaning from within. From wellness retreats to holy sites and cricket matches — Indian travellers want to travel domestically with purpose and centre their travel experiences around specific activities. Over half of Indians (55%) embark on purpose-related travels within India for activities such as scuba diving, golf, yoga, and wellness retreats. 38% are likely to spend more on travel to catch live cricket matches, and one in two Indians (57%) actively plan to visit holy sites in the next six months.
Skyscanner’s Travel in Focus 2023 report draws on its research with OnePoll and analyses survey data from 3,000 travellers in Singapore, India, and South Korea to uncover key travel behaviour and provide unique insights into travel attitudes and preferences of travellers in these countries.
