BANGKOK, 7 July 2023: Thai Airways International increased flights to Osaka, Japan, from seven to 13 weekly to meet the growing demand by both business and leisure travellers.
Osaka is one of the top and most popular destinations for tourists, cargo services, and connectivity to other destinations worldwide.
To celebrate the additional six weekly flights on the Osaka route, the airline served fudge bar chocolate specially designed for THAI by Kanvela Chocolate.
THAI has been serving the Bangkok-Osaka route since 2022, with daily flights departing midnight from the Thai capital. This week, the airline adds six weekly flights ( Monday to Saturday) on the route, offering passengers an early morning departure from Bangkok.
Weekly schedules
Bangkok – Osaka TG622 departs daily from Bangkok at 2359 and arrives in Osaka at 0730 plus one day (local time). TG672 departs from Bangkok at 0825 and arrives in Osaka at 1555 (local time), Monday to Saturday.
Osaka – Bangkok TG623 departs daily from Osaka at 1145 and arrives in Bangkok at 1535 (local time). TG673 departs from Osaka at 1735 and arrives in Bangkok at 2125 (local time), Monday to Saturday.
BANGKOK, 6 July 2023: Singapore Airlines says it’s time to pack your bags and prepare for your next getaway by tapping fare bargains at the airline’s ‘Time To Fly Travel Sale’.
Up to midnight on 19 July, travellers in Thailand can buy all-inclusive return airfares starting from THB7,890 to popular destinations such as Los Angeles, Nagoya, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Zurich, and other destinations across the Singapore Airlines Group network.
Photo credit: Singapore Airlines
Promotional fares are offered in Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class.
Purchasing fares during the travel sale using credit cards adds benefits on shopping, dining, hotel stays, lifestyle and travel experiences. The exclusive perks include:
• Receive a sign-up bonus of SGD15 for new sign-ups for Kris+.
• Enjoy 20% off when you book your travel experiences on Pelago.
• Get a 30% discount for your stay at Cross River Kwai, Cross Chiang Mai Riverside, Cross
Pattaya Oceanphere, and Cross Pattaya Pratamnak.
• Enjoy 10% off at Drop By Dough, a freshly made doughnut store in Bangkok.
• Receive THB1,000 dining discount at Michelin-starred IGNIV Bangkok, the St.Regis
Bangkok.
• Enjoy 10% off food and beverage when you spend a minimum of THB 500 on a single bill at Nana Coffee Roasters.
• Receive up to THB 300 shopping E-Coupons at Emporium, EmQuartier, and Paragon Department Store.
• Get up to THB17,000 cash back when you book your tickets at singaporeair.com or the SingaporeAir mobile application and pay by UOB and Citi Credit Cards.
For more details on the perks, click on this link.
To plan your travel and book fares visit singaporeair.com, SingaporeAir mobileapplication or appointed travel agencies by 19 July 2023.
Sample fares
*The above fares are per person in Business Class, Premium Economy Class, and Economy Class and include the air ticket price, as well as associated taxes and surcharges, accurate as of 28 June 2023. Valid for travel from now till 30 June 2024. Stated fares are available on singaporeair.com and SingaporeAir mobile application.
BANGKOK, 6 July 2023: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, in collaboration with Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines, three of the world’s leading international airlines, is proud to announce a limited-time Double Rewards offer exclusively for CentaraThe1 loyalty programme members.
From today to 31 July 2023, members will receive 600 airline miles or Avios for every 5,000 CentaraThe1 points they convert, double the usual 300 miles or Avios offered through these strategic airline partnerships. This enhancement to Centara’s loyalty programme provides more opportunities for members to maximise their points and indulge in extraordinary travel experiences faster.
Centara Hotels & Resorts continues to pioneer new ways to offer personalised travel to its guests while staying committed to delivering the utmost value, service and warm Thai hospitality at each of its properties worldwide. With the CentaraThe1 loyalty programme, every stay, dining experience, and spa treatment at the group’s world-class hotels and resorts earn members valuable points. These points can now be effortlessly converted into airline miles for flights with these three esteemed airline partners: Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines and Turkish Airlines.
Signing up for the CentaraThe1 loyalty programme is free and offers various travel rewards and possibilities. Members can take advantage of this exciting Double Miles offer and have exclusive privileges, including 15% off room rates, complimentary room upgrades, and more.
To take advantage of all CentaraThe1 membership privileges, sign up now or login to your existing account at www.CentaraThe1.com
DUBAI UAE, 6 July 2023: The Emirates Group is laying the groundwork for its next big growth phase with a mammoth drive to recruit the best minds and talent globally across 180 unique roles. The Group is looking to cherry-pick cabin crew, pilots, engineers, IT professionals and customer service agents at Emirates and dnata.
Despite tough labour market conditions globally, the Emirates Group ended its financial year on 31 March with more than 102,000 employees after welcoming 17,160 people in various roles.
Emirates Group senior vice president of human resources Oliver Grohmann said: “The Emirates Group has built an extraordinary reputation as an employer of choice and a trailblazing force in aviation. People aspire to be part of the Group’s growth story and its ambitions and work and live in Dubai, one of the world’s safest, most cosmopolitan and most dynamic cities. In the last financial year, we received around 2.7 million applications globally for roles across the organisation. We use the latest technologies, such as digital assessments, artificial intelligence and other top-notch recruitment systems, to shortlist, select and respond to candidates most efficiently and effectively. Our focus is recruiting the best talent, the brightest minds, and those most fit for the various roles supporting and driving our future growth and expansion.”
The fresh callout for cabin crew and pilots comes at one of the most exciting times in Emirates’ history – a year of record financial results and profit share, projected growth, network expansion, delivery of the new fleet of Airbus A350s and Boeing 777-Xs starting in 2024, a buoyant travel market and an optimistic outlook overall.
Cabin crew
Emirates is organising open days and invite-only events across six continents, covering hundreds of cities all year round, in search of the brightest talent to offer customers an unmatched onboard experience. The recruitment process is designed to be completed within a day, and candidates are contacted within 48 hours of the assessment.
As part of the world’s largest international airline, Emirates’ cabin crew community represents over 140 nationalities, speaks around 130 languages and delivers the airline’s signature services with excellence and empathy. Aspiring cabin crew can browse the recruitment events calendar, view benefits and eligibility criteria, and apply here.
Pilots
Emirates is holding a series of open days to recruit pilots in the UK and Ireland – Dublin, Manchester, London Gatwick and London Stansted – in August after successfully running these events in Budapest, Madrid and Lisbon in June. An online information session is slated for 19 July at 1300 Dubai time.
Emirates’ pilots fly one of the world’s youngest and most sophisticated fleets, with 260 all wide-body aircraft of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s, to six continents, 150 destinations, and across all terrains, including the North Pole. Since 2022, the airline has welcomed over 900 new pilots on its three recruitment programmes – Direct Entry Captains, Accelerated Command, and First Officers.
A380 Direct Entry Captain: designed for captains with recent command experience on Airbus fly-by-wire Wide Body such as the A330, A340, A350, and A380.
Accelerated Command: for experienced Airbus Captains who currently command narrow-body aircraft on regional routes.
First Officer: for those with multi-engine, multi-crew aircraft experience and a valid Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL).
For more info on benefits and eligibility criteria and to register for the online information session, click here.
KUALA LUMPUR, 6 July 2023: Trip.com Group announced Wednesday a childcare subsidy for its global employees.
Malaysian employees who have been with the company for three years or more will receive an annual cash bonus of MYR10,000 for each newborn child every year from the first birthday until the child reaches the age of five.
The company plans to invest MYR1 billion as subsidies to support its employees in family planning and promote working families.
Trip.com Group executive chairman James Liang said: “Employees are our greatest asset to the company, and we are committed to creating a better and more supportive working environment for them. By introducing this new childcare benefit, we aim to provide financial support to encourage our employees to start or grow their families without compromising their professional goals and achievements.”
At Trip.com Group, building an inclusive and supportive workplace is always a top priority. This childcare subsidy is a further commitment to empowering our employees to balance their family and professional lives.
As a family-friendly company, Trip.com Group also supports working mothers and cares for pregnant employees. In recent years, Trip.com Group has implemented pro-family policies such as hybrid work and assisted reproduction benefits.
To enhance employee happiness and satisfaction, the company implemented a hybrid working scheme through which employees across various markets could opt to work remotely on certain days of the week. The hybrid working model was introduced with the aims to improve employee satisfaction, contribute to family care and promote work-life balance. The global group was the first internet company in China to implement the scheme. While initially introduced in mainland China, the policy has now been adopted by Trip.com Group in 14 regions and countries, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and Australia.
BANGKOK, 6 July 2023: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is taking its Think Business, Think Hong Kong (TBTHK) signature promotion event to Bangkok next week.
The event will showcase Hong Kong as a resilient innovation hub where businesses worldwide can seize opportunities. TBTHK will convene from 13 to 14 July at Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld.
Ronald Ho, Regional Director, Southeast Asia and South Asia of the HKTDC.
Hong Kong and Thai business communities will explore partnership opportunities through exhibitions, seminars and networking activities during the event.
HKTDC regional director, Southeast Asia and South Asia Ronald Ho commented: “Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has a long history of close economic ties with Hong Kong and is the city’s second-largest trading partner in merchandise trade. The TBTHK in Bangkok will highlight Hong Kong’s offerings in ASEAN and provide additional impetus for promoting regional trade and investment partnerships and creating opportunities through regional economic and supply chain integration.”
“Our main goal is to promote Hong Kong’s strengths in merchandise and services and introduce the city’s latest developments, demonstrating to the Thai business community that Hong Kong is the premier international business hub in Asia, as well as an investment and business platform for Thai enterprises to maximise China opportunities. Simultaneously, we will showcase how the Thai, mainland and Hong Kong business communities can collaborate to create mutually beneficial business opportunities and maintain long-standing close business and trade ties.”
SINGAPORE, 6 July 2023: JLL announced Wednesday it advised Pan Pacific Hotels Group on the sale of the Parkroyal on Kitchener Road to Midtown Properties Pte Ltd, part of Worldwide Hotels Group.
The purchase consideration of SGD525 million (USD388 million) represents Singapore’s largest single-asset hotel transaction and the second largest in Asia Pacific in 2023.
The 542-key freehold hotel is in the heart of the historic Little India district near City Square Mall, Mustafa Centre and Farrer Park MRT station.
Adding to the asset’s attractiveness, the Parkroyal on Kitchener Road completed a major refurbishment in 2020, adding more state-of-the-art fit-outs to meet maturing guest experience demands.
“As the largest single-asset hotel transaction ever recorded in Singapore and the second largest in the Asia Pacific region in 2023, this deal underscores the enduring appeal of Singapore as a haven investment destination amidst global macroeconomic uncertainty and its status of one of the most attractive long-term hotel markets globally,” said JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group chief executive officer, Asia Pacific Nihat Ercan.
“JLL is delighted to have advised on this landmark transaction, secured through a comprehensive marketing campaign targeting active sources of capital globally and regionally. Furthermore, we see this sale as reinforcing our confidence in strong buyer appetite regionally for quality hotel assets and a willingness by investors to deploy capital into key markets and strategic assets.“
The Parkroyal on Kitchener Road transaction is also the first major agent-brokered hotel transaction in Singapore post-pandemic, and it follows JLL’s successful sale of the SHREIT portfolio in Indonesia and Vietnam, which the firm believes is indicative of stronger investment activity to materialise across the region during the second half of 2023. This transaction holds significant importance for the market, following the successful sales of the Andaz Singapore and the Oakwood Premier OUE since 2019, also brokered by JLL.
HONG KONG, 6 July 2023: Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) welcomes the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest projection of air passenger traffic for Hong Kong, which sees a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024.
AAHK chief operating officer Vivian Cheung said: “We have been communicating closely with IATA and global stakeholders about the latest developments in Hong Kong. We are delighted that IATA revised its projection to express an optimistic outlook after the government announced the new scheme that allows importation of labour to support the aviation industry.”
Previously IATA projected that Hong Kong would only surpass the pre-pandemic air passenger levels in 2027.
Passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport has risen since the relaxation of travel restrictions. Currently, the airport is handling over 120,000 passengers a day, representing about 60% of the pre-pandemic level.
Last week, IATA upgraded passenger traffic projections for Hong Kong to forecast recovery to pre-crisis levels by the end of 2024. This revision brings Hong Kong’s recovery in line with expectations for a faster recovery in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The situation is looking bright for Hong Kong. China’s earlier-than-expected reopening is providing a much-needed boost to the passenger recovery,” said IATA’s director general Willie Walsh.
“By the end of 2024, we expect to see Hong Kong’s traffic return to pre-crisis levels. And it is encouraging to see the Hong Kong government preparing for this with measures to ensure that the workers needed to support the recovery are available.”\
The Hong Kong government introduced a labour importation scheme to ramp up the airport workforce by 6,300 workers from Mainland China. While demand for air travel has been strong, airlines in Hong Kong have been struggling with supply chain issues and a labour shortage.
“The last three years have been devastating for the aviation sector. As we look ahead to the recovery and prepare for future growth, it is important that the entire Hong Kong aviation community, including airlines, airports, regulators, and government, work together to address the challenges and are well prepared to tap into future opportunities. I look forward to meeting with various partners in Hong Kong in August and engaging in fruitful discussions,” Walsh concluded.
IATA and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) are partnering to organise Hong Kong Aviation Day from 2 to 3 August 2023.
PHNOM PENH, 6 July 2023: Destination Mekong appointed four new directors to its 16-member board at its annual general meeting held online yesterday.
Destination Mekong represents the private sector travel and hospitality companies in the Mekong Region (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam).
Eight nominees contested for four directorships that became vacant when directors completed a one-year term after the destination marketing organisation was officially launched as a legal entity in Singapore and Cambodia. Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism HQ in Phnom Penh hosts the Destination Mekong operations office.
The incoming directors are Phan Thanh Ha, partnership officer of Asset-H&C Network; Nikolas Hatz of HatzConsult and managing director lead consultant and tourism development expert GIZ; Hannah Pearson founder of Pear Anderson; and Guido Neil, director of special operations 12GO.
Destination Mekong’s CEO Catherine Germier-Hamel opened the AGM presentations by outlining the strategy going forward, saying the DMO would remain true to its founding objectives by “promoting sustainable, inclusive tourism, market capacity building and value-added branding.”
DM’s commercial marketing officer, Gerrit Kruger, noted that initially, the organisation had not concentrated on recruiting paid memberships which start as low as USD60 a year.
“Our priority was building partnerships and establishing tangible benefits for members. This has unfolded through webinars, workshops and storytelling-focused destination marketing.”
Destination Mekong will concentrate on reviving its successful Mekong Collection and other initiatives that suffered a direct hit during the Covid pandemic. At the height of its success, the Mekong Collection had 500 participating travel and hospitality experiences spotlighted in social media.
Most of the previous Mekong promotions and projects remain inactive, awaiting the pick-up of sponsors. However, the Mekong Mini Movies is now a priority to revive as quickly as possible, leading to the return of the Mekong Mini Movie Festival. The event was launched in 2018 and gained rave reviews as it spotlighted individuals who produced videos on small budgets. Covid-19 knocked the show off the calendar, and efforts to revive it in 2022 failed. It is now a priority, with Destination Mekong seeking new sponsors.
Destination Mekong will add more working groups recruiting industry experts to review and advise on specific themes. Three new working groups are about to be established. They will focus on Cruises and River Tourism, Ecotourism and Community-based Tourism and Tourism Hospitality Certification.
The signature event for the organisation is the annual Destination Mekong Summit, which will be held from 6 to 7 December in one of the six Mekong Region countries. The venue will be decided at the next board meeting in August. The event will adopt the theme “Mekong in Motion, Mekong Emotions.”
The new directors joining the Destination Mekong board
Once the appointment of the new directors has been ratified at the next board meeting this August, the board will consist of 15 (one vacant place). They will serve the organisation for the next two years.
SINGAPORE, 5 July 2023: Oceania Cruises offers more shore excursion options and a beverage package paid for by credits earned on stateroom bookings for sailings departing 1 October 2023 or later.
The Simply More deal went live on 1 July and offers a shore excursion credit of up to USD1,600 per stateroom for tours of their choice. A comprehensive beverage package for lunch and dinner featuring vintage Champagnes, premium wines and international beers.
“Thanks to the launch of simply MORE, our guests will enjoy even more value, more choice and more convenience than ever before,” said Oceania Cruises president Frank A Del Rio. “For me, the cornerstone of this exciting new value promise is the generous credit offered to every guest to be spent on shore excursions of their choice.”
Oceania Cruises offers more than 8,000 educational and tour choices in its 600-plus ports of call. Shore excursion credit amounts vary by voyage length, from USD600 per stateroom for an itinerary of seven to nine days to USD1,600 per stateroom on sailings of 31 to 35 days.
