SINGAPORE, 13 July 2026: Aman Group, a collection of luxury hotels, resorts, and branded residences, has announced the appointment of Victor Clavell as Chief Operating Officer, based at Aman’s Swiss corporate office and reporting directly to Chairman and CEO, Vlad Doronin.
Clavell brings more than three decades of senior operational, brand, and development experience across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. His career includes leadership roles with respected luxury hospitality brands, including The Ritz‑Carlton, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, EDITION, W Hotels, Rosewood, and Urban Resort Concepts.
Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Urban Resort Concepts in Hong Kong, where he led the repositioning and global expansion of The PuLi Group across hospitality, residences, and retail. Before this, he was Senior Vice President & Managing Director, EMEAC at Rosewood Hotel Group, overseeing a fast‑growing region and leading the profitable turnaround of its European and Middle Eastern portfolio.
In his role as COO at Aman Group, he will oversee global operations to ensure the highest standards of guest experience, consistency, and financial performance across all brands, including Janu, as well as all properties and business units. He will work closely with the Chairman to support the company’s continued expansion across hotels, resorts, branded residences, and Aman Group’s growing lifestyle verticals.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2026: Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), a worldwide alliance of independent hotel brands, has announced the winners of its 2026 GHA Awards, recognising outstanding achievements by member brands and hotels across the alliance’s global portfolio.
Presented during GHA’s annual CEO conference aboard Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ luxury cruise ship Seven Seas Splendour last week, the awards celebrated excellence across 13 categories spanning loyalty performance, guest engagement, technology, sustainability, marketing and luxury hospitality.
Photo credit: GHA. This year’s winners at the GHA Awards 2026.
The alliance’s most prestigious accolade, the Best Brand Performance Award, was presented to Wharf Hotels in recognition of its outstanding overall performance across the GHA DISCOVERY programme, achieving the highest levels of guest satisfaction while consistently delivering exceptional member recognition and engagement.
Kempinski Hotels and Outrigger Resorts & Hotels were named runners-up, reflecting the exceptionally high standard of performance across the alliance.
The Hotel of the Year Award was presented to Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas as the top-performing hotel based on GHA DISCOVERY member room nights booked over the past year, reflecting exceptional loyalty engagement and commercial success.
The Best New Hotel Award went to Lanson Place Parliament Gardens, Melbourne, in recognition of the most successful new addition to the portfolio, based on strong member engagement and rapid performance growth.
Cheval Collection earned the Best Cross-Brand Contribution Award for driving strong engagement across multiple brands within the alliance and encouraging members to explore the wider GHA portfolio. Wharf Hotels took home its second award of the evening, receiving the Best Member Recognition Award as the brand with the highest guest satisfaction scores across the alliance.
Among other winners, Hotel Groove Shinjuku, A PARKROYAL Hotel in Tokyo, received the Web & App Hotel of the Year Award for outstanding booking and revenue performance through GHA DISCOVERY’s digital channels. At the same time, JA Resorts & Hotels was recognised with the Marketing Excellence Award for exceptional engagement across the programme’s campaigns, promotions and content initiatives.
For excellence in growing the programme’s member base, Minor Hotels received the Best Enrolment Performance Award, having generated the highest number of new GHA DISCOVERY member enrolments over the past year. Rotana Hotels & Resorts was recognised with the Best Use of Technology Award for innovative deployment of digital solutions to enhance both member experiences and operational efficiency.
At the brand level, The Doyle Collection received the Most Improved Brand Performance Award for delivering significant gains in performance, engagement and collaboration within the alliance. At the same time, SAii Hotels & Resorts was named Best New Brand Performance for achieving the strongest results among brands that joined GHA in the past year.
The Green Collection Exceptional Engagement Award was presented to PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, Singapore, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to sustainable hospitality, including initiatives that support local communities and environmental preservation. The Ultratravel Collection Hotel of the Year Award went to Capella Bangkok, honouring exceptional leadership in luxury hospitality and a consistent ability to meet the evolving expectations of high-end travellers.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the alliance’s long-standing members. The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts and Marco Polo Hotels were recognised for 20 years of membership, while Lungarno Collection and Shaza Hotels marked 15 years with the alliance. Outrigger Resorts & Hotels was honoured for its 10-year milestone, underscoring its valued contribution to GHA.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2026: Dida Holdings, a global AI-first travel technology group, has launched Dida MCP*, a new AI native booking gateway that allows approved B2B partners to bring hotel search and booking capability from Dida’s global portfolio of more than 2 million hotel properties directly into their own AI apps, agents, platforms and customer experiences.
The launch addresses one of the biggest gaps emerging in digital travel. AI assistants, superapps, banking apps, loyalty programmes and connected devices are increasingly becoming places where customers plan, compare and decide. But a recommendation is only valuable if the hotel is live, available and bookable at the moment the customer wants to confirm.
Photo credit: Dida.
Dida MCP to close that gap
Through Dida MCP, approved partners can empower their users to search, compare, and book hotels within the partner’s environment—no unnecessary handoffs. No forcing the customer out of the experience.
The partner keeps the brand, the customer and the data relationship. Dida operates behind the scenes as the infrastructure that makes the hotels searchable, bookable and serviceable.
The launch does not mark a move by Dida into direct consumer travel; rather, it extends Dida’s established B2B model into the AI agent economy.
“The tech industry is currently obsessed with building AI that can talk about travel,” said Dida Holdings Group CEO Daryl Lee. “But talking does not generate revenue. Bookings do.”
“You can build the smartest chatbot in the world, but you cannot prompt-engineer live inventory. AI can recommend based on what it knows. Booking requires what is live. For 14 years, Dida has done the heavy lifting behind travel distribution: securing supply, managing rates and availability, connecting content, handling bookings, payments, settlement, confirmation and servicing”
“With Dida MCP, we are putting that infrastructure directly into the hands of approved B2B partners that own the customer relationship. You bring the customer. We do the heavy lifting. The booking happens inside your own experience.”
From recommendation to revenue
Dida was founded in 2012 to digitise and simplify global travel distribution. Today, its hotel portfolio spans more than 2 million hotel properties in more than 100 countries, supported by the content, rates, availability, booking, confirmation and servicing systems needed to complete real travel transactions at scale.
Until now, accessing that capability usually required bespoke API development, specialist travel knowledge and significant engineering time. Dida MCP changes the starting point. Approved partners can begin connecting to Dida’s hotel search and booking tools in minutes, removing much of the bespoke integration work that traditionally came first.
Dida believes it is among the first B2B travel infrastructure providers to make global hotel search and booking accessible to approved AI-enabled partners through an MCP-enabled gateway.
Built for B2B partners, not to compete with them
Dida MCP is designed for partners that want to make hotels bookable inside their own products.
For travel agencies, OTAs, TMCs, wholesalers, and tour operators, it creates a faster path to AI-native customer experiences. Their users can search, compare, and book hotels within their own agent, app, or digital interface, with booking data flowing back to the partner in real time.
For companies with large captive audiences, including banks, card programmes, loyalty platforms, telcos, e-commerce platforms, associations, superapps and consumer device makers, it creates a faster path into travel without having to build hotel supply, connectivity, payment, confirmation and servicing infrastructure from scratch.
For hotels and travel suppliers, it opens another route to qualified demand. As discovery shifts into AI-led environments, hotel supply can reach trusted partner ecosystems while preserving the controlled B2B distribution, booking and servicing processes the industry depends on.
Dida MCP is launching first with global hotel supply, one of the largest and most complex parts of travel to fulfil well. Over time, Dida expects the same approach to extend across its wider content, including flights, ground transportation and experiences, giving partners a single route to a growing range of travel products.
About Dida
Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Singapore, with major operations in Shenzhen and across Asia Pacific, Dida is a global AI-first travel technology group serving the B2B travel ecosystem.
Dida connects high-quality travel content from hotels, airlines and ancillary providers to travel agencies, TMCs, tour operators, OTAs, wholesalers and other distribution partners worldwide.
Through its core business lines, Dida Hotels, Dida Flights, Dida Go and Dida Experiences, the company gives travel partners the technology, supply connectivity, automation and data-driven insights to operate more efficiently, engage customers more deeply and grow faster.
BANGKOK, 13 July 2026: Thai Airways International is revamping its Royal Orchid Plus Benefits with ROP Smart Miles Pay and ROP Smart Miles Pay Lite.
Introduced to the media last week, THAI called the improvements to ROP “a new chapter for its frequent flyer programme, Royal Orchid Plus”, tapping new benefits through the latest technologies.
THAI Chief Executive Officer Chai Eamsiri and THAI Chief Commercial Officer Kittiphong Sansomboon officially unveiled the new benefits.
Eamsiri stated: “This enhancement of Royal Orchid Plus represents another important milestone in THAI’s ongoing development of the customer experience. We are committed to creating value beyond travel through benefits that meet members’ needs, while continuously advancing our technology and services to build long-term engagement and trust among our members.
Sansomboon added: “Over the past 33 years, the Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer programme has continued to evolve. This latest enhancement enables members to use their miles with greater flexibility, better value, and maximum benefit through ROP Smart Miles Pay and ROP Smart Miles Pay Lite, making mileage usage easier and better aligned with today’s travel behaviour.
ROP Smart Miles Pay offers greater flexibility in paying for THAI tickets. Royal Orchid Plus members can choose to pay for tickets using a combination of cash and accrued miles, or use accrued miles to cover the full ticket fare (excluding taxes and fees), with instant seat confirmation.
Members can select the ROP Smart Miles Pay option via the airline’s website starting from 13 July 2026 to use accrued miles in place of cash when purchasing tickets for THAI flights departing from Bangkok.
In addition to expanding mileage options, THAI has further developed its membership ecosystem through the Royal Orchid Holidays (ROH) platform, which connects travel services, hotels, tourism activities, and benefits offered by business partners. This enables members to use their accrued miles more broadly while supporting the future growth of the membership programme.
For members seeking elevated experiences, the ROP Experience programme offers a curated selection of special activities throughout the year in collaboration with chefs, artists, hotels, restaurants, and leading partners.
Members can use accrued miles to redeem discounts or as a cash equivalent to participate in activities under specified terms and conditions. This reflects THAI’s commitment to creating value for accrued miles beyond travel rewards.
New Rewards – Earn more: Special bonus miles for members who earn qualifying miles under the specified criteria each calendar year, starting from 1 January 2027.
New Benefits – Elevated Privileges: Additional member benefits include dedicated check-in counters at Suvarnabhumi Airport for Silver members and complimentary Wi-Fi for members of all card tiers.
New Digital Security – Enhanced Account Access: Strengthened member data security by transitioning from a 7-digit to a 10-digit membership number to support future membership growth. The programme will also upgrade password standards, introduce email verification, and require each member to use a unique email address. Effective from 5 August 2026.
To celebrate the launch of this new chapter of Royal Orchid Plus, members who download the THAI Mobile application from today until 31 July 2026 will receive 330 bonus miles.
NEW DELHI, 13 July 2026: Air India ranks as the fourth most on-time airline in the world in June 2026 by aviation analytics firm Cirium, underscoring the airline’s continued focus on operational reliability and schedule integrity.
According to Cirium’s June 2026 On-Time Performance report, Air India recorded an on-time arrival rate of 86.85% across 15,135 flights tracked during the month. The airline also posted an on-time departure rate of 86.23% and a completion factor of 99.7%, meaning virtually all scheduled flights operated as planned.
Photo credit: Air India. Ranks fourth worldwide in Cirium’s June 2026 On-Time Performance Report.
The ranking reflects Air India’s sustained investments in operational resilience, improved network planning, and enhanced execution across its domestic and international operations.
As a hub-and-spoke network carrier operating numerous domestic and international connections through India’s two largest airports, Delhi and Mumbai, Air India manages significant operational complexity. The airline’s operations can be impacted by congestion and air traffic control restrictions at these busy airports, which often have a cascading effect across the network.
To mitigate disruptions and delays, Air India has implemented measures to improve schedule reliability and deliver a more consistent travel experience for its customers. These include improving departure punctuality, streamlining aircraft turnaround processes, enhancing real-time network monitoring, and enabling faster operational decision-making across the airline.
The airline has also focused on building greater operational resilience through robust contingency planning, enhanced cross-functional coordination, and maintaining the operational flexibility needed to respond effectively to unforeseen disruptions such as weather events, airspace restrictions, airport congestion, or technical issues. These efforts help minimise the impact of disruptions, support network stability, and ensure customers reach their destinations with greater reliability.
Air India’s improving operational performance complements its broader transformation efforts, which encompass fleet modernisation, customer experience enhancements, digital innovation, and the strengthening of global connectivity through its growing hub-and-spoke network.
Ongoing fleet modernisation
Air India is undertaking one of the world’s largest fleet renewal programmes, having placed orders for 600 new Airbus and Boeing aircraft, while simultaneously modernising its existing fleet. The airline has inducted three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft over the last six months, with additional Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A350-1000s scheduled to join the fleet later in 2026.
In parallel, Air India is progressing with the retrofit of its legacy widebody fleet. Two of its 26 legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft featuring completely refreshed interiors have already returned to service, while three more are currently undergoing upgrades in the United States.
By the end of 2026, more than 50% of Air India’s widebody fleet is expected to feature new or upgraded interiors, significantly enhancing the customer experience across the airline’s long-haul network.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2026: Vietjet has introduced Vietnam Halal Connect, a proposed industry-wide initiative to make travel in Vietnam more accessible and convenient for Muslim visitors, including travellers from Singapore.
The initiative was introduced at the Vietnam Halal Tourism Conference 2026 on 8 July, which brought together government representatives, international organisations and industry leaders to discuss how Vietnam can strengthen its appeal to Muslim travellers.
Photo credit: Vietjet.Vietjet Commercial Director Ha Nang Viet presents the Vietnam Halal Connect initiative.
For travellers in Singapore, the initiative comes as Vietjet continues to expand connectivity between the two countries. The airline currently operates direct services from Singapore to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. Its upcoming Singapore–Nha Trang service is scheduled to begin on 11 December 2026, operating four return flights each week.
Vietnam Halal Connect is envisioned as a platform that will bring together airlines, airports, accommodation providers, tourism businesses, halal certification bodies and technology partners. Through improved coordination, the initiative seeks to provide Muslim travellers with clearer information and greater confidence when planning and experiencing their trips.
As part of the initiative, Vietjet plans to work with relevant partners to expand Halal meal options, develop digital travel solutions and encourage tourism services that better address the needs of Muslim visitors. The initiative will also support the adoption of internationally recognised halal standards where applicable.
“We see strong opportunities to strengthen Vietnam’s appeal among Muslim travellers through better connectivity and services that respond to their evolving travel needs,” said Vietjet’s Commercial Director Ha Nang Viet. “Through Vietnam Halal Connect, we hope to encourage closer cooperation across the travel value chain so that Muslim travellers can explore Vietnam with greater confidence and convenience.”
Vietnamese officials speaking at the conference highlighted the country’s potential to attract a larger share of the Muslim travel market, supported by its location between Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Middle East, as well as its range of cultural, culinary and coastal tourism experiences.
According to figures presented at the event, Vietnam welcomed more than 21 million international visitors in 2025, of whom approximately 600,000 were Muslim travellers. The platform also reflects Vietjet’s strategy of expanding international connectivity while supporting Vietnam’s tourism development. The airline currently operates more than 135 domestic and international routes, connecting Vietnam with destinations across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia and other markets with growing demand for Muslim travel.
As Vietnam expands its Halal tourism capabilities, Vietjet aims to support this growth by strengthening air connectivity and partnerships that enhance the overall journey, from flight and meal planning to accommodation and destination experiences.
SINGAPORE, 13 July 2026: Digital travel platform Agoda has released the latest insights on travel trends in Indonesia for the first half of 2026, revealing strong momentum for inbound travel interest from travellers across the Asia Pacific region.
Based on accommodation searches made between January and June 2026 compared to 2025, Agoda reports that Malaysia and Singapore rank as Indonesia’s top two contributors to inbound travel interest, dethroning South Korea, which now ranks third.
Australia follows in fourth place, while China emerges as the fastest-growing source market expressing travel interest in Indonesia, entering the top five ranks for the first time and overtaking Japan.
Stronger interest in Indonesia
Rising interest in Indonesia reflects shifting travel preferences across the region, with more travellers seeking a broader mix of destinations and experiences. Among Indonesia’s major inbound markets, China recorded the highest year-on-year growth in travel interest at 44%. The momentum is likely to continue throughout 2026, as Indonesia recently announced new flight routes to expand air connectivity between the two markets.
Agoda also reports growth in interest from Malaysia and Singapore at 18% and 17%, respectively, underscoring rising interest from Southeast Asian travellers even as appetite softens from some destinations in North Asia, such as Japan and South Korea. The shift in travel preferences is also likely reinforced by the weakening rupiah, which has made Indonesia even more attractive to travellers prioritising value.
Bali retains top spot for inbound travellers; Sukabumi is a rising star
Agoda’s data also highlights the destinations attracting the most international travellers to Indonesia, with Bali, Jakarta, Batam Island, Lombok, and Bandung ranking as the top five most-searched destinations. While Bali continues to lead as the country’s most sought-after destination, Jakarta and Batam’s ranking points to growing interest in urban gateways and border-island destinations, alongside established leisure hotspots like Lombok and Bandung.
Beyond the top destinations, Agoda’s data also indicates growing interest in emerging locations across Indonesia. Sukabumi emerged as the fastest-growing destination, with traveller interest rising 4.6x, driven by its lush highlands, waterfalls, and geopark landscapes. In eastern Indonesia, Manado and Gorontalo ranked as the 2nd- and 3rd-fastest-growing destinations, with searches growing by around 3x compared to H1 last year. These destinations attract travellers with their rich marine biodiversity, distinctive local culture, and vibrant culinary offerings.
Agoda Senior Country Director, Indonesia, Gede Gunawan shared: “Indonesia’s appeal is clearly broadening, especially among travellers from China and Southeast Asia. The strong growth in interest in destinations such as Sukabumi, Manado, and Gorontalo shows that travellers are eager to explore more of what Indonesia has to offer beyond Bali. The combination of affordability, accessibility, and diverse experiences positions Indonesia well for continued growth in travel interest through the rest of 2026. Agoda remains committed to supporting Indonesia’s tourism growth with a seamless platform that makes travel more accessible and easier to plan.”
BANGKOK, 10 July 2026: Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld has received four prestigious certifications from the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), recognising its commitment to sustainability, accessibility, venue excellence, and international event standards.
The property has been awarded the Thailand Sustainable Event Management Standard (TSEMS) – Level 3 Leading, the highest level of certification within Thailand’s sustainable event management framework. It also successfully renewed its Thailand MICE Venue Standard (TMVS) certification and received recognition for Friendly Design for MICE Venue and TCEB Hygiene & Hybrid, reflecting the property’s ongoing commitment to sustainable operations, inclusive design, and high standards of safety across its meetings and events facilities.
Together, the certifications recognise the property’s ability to meet rigorous national standards across sustainability, venue management, accessibility, and health and safety, while reinforcing its reputation as a trusted destination for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, and events.
Commenting on the achievement, Robert Maurer Loeffler, Vice President Operations and General Manager of Centara Grand at CentralWorld, said, “These certifications are a testament to the dedication and passion of our entire team. They reflect the standards we strive to uphold every day and our ongoing focus on creating exceptional event experiences through responsible hospitality, outstanding service, and continuous improvement.”
The achievement further strengthens the reputation of Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld as a trusted destination for domestic and international events. It reflects its continued contribution to Thailand’s position as a leading MICE destination.
SINGAPORE, 10 July 2026: For many residents in Singapore, screens have become a source of comfort, connection and escape, according to a national study by StarHub and YouGov (1).
The study found that seven in 10 people in Singapore use screens to cope with everyday pressures, while more than 80% reported feeling mentally drained by prolonged screen time.
Photo credit: StarHub.
In response, StarHub has launched The Power of Pause, the next chapter of its Digital Wellbeing initiative. Building on last year’s focus on excessive screen time, this year’s initiative encourages people to understand the motivations behind their digital habits better and make more intentional choices about when to connect and when to take a break.
“The conversation around screen time is increasingly about balancing that with creating meaningful, real-life moments with the people around us,” said StarHub Chief of People, Organisation and Communications Tan Toi Chia. “As our lives become increasingly digital, choosing to pause creates opportunities to strengthen the connection between individuals, families and communities, one moment at a time.”
The Power of Pause initiative will run throughout the year through the refreshed Digital BMI (Balanced Media Index) microsite, corporate partnerships, creator collaborations, and community activations, culminating in the return of the StarHub 5G Wellness Festival in September 2026.
The refreshed platform combines new, tailored recommendations and expert-backed resources from partners, including the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the National Library Board (NLB), and the digital mental health platform ThoughtFull. In support of the national Digital for Life movement, IMDA has contributed online safety resources to the platform, focused on helping parents and youths build healthy digital habits.
“The study findings reflect what we see in ThoughtFull’s clinical data across the region every day: hyperconnectivity is becoming a measurable driver of psychological strain. Through our partnership with StarHub, Digital BMI users will be able to understand their emotional needs better with clinically backed content and a dedicated support journey within the ThoughtFull app,” said ThoughtFull’s Head of Counselling, Dr John Pinto
From digital wellbeing and long-form reading to improve focus to online safety and parenting in the digital age, the Digital BMI microsite aims to provide trusted guidance tailored to different life stages and needs.
KUCHING, 9 JULY 2026: The Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2026 has advanced youth voices in climate and sustainability through the inaugural Planet Futures Forum. This youth-led platform culminated in the endorsement of the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration 2026.
RAYS 2026, the third edition of the Rainforest Youth Summit, was organised by the State Government of Sarawak and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), and supported by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak (MYSED).
Held in Kuching from 24 to 26 June 2026, the summit convened delegates, speakers and partners from across ASEAN and beyond.
Hosted in Sarawak, one of the world’s most ecologically significant rainforest regions, RAYS situates climate and sustainability dialogue within the realities of living landscapes, communities and cultures.
Held under the summit theme, Youth: Many Ways, One Planet, the forum created a space for young people to move beyond discussion and contribute to shared priorities in climate action, sustainability, governance, and collective responsibility.
As the first initiative of its kind at RAYS, the Planet Futures Forum was introduced not as a standalone summit activity, but as the foundation for a continuing youth-led platform that carries discussions, priorities and recommendations beyond the summit.
Guided by the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, the forum brought together indigenous wisdom alongside Western knowledge systems and practices, recognising that meaningful and lasting solutions require diverse perspectives, lived experiences and ways of knowing.
The discussions were organised around three key thematic areas:
• Ways of Knowing
• Living with the Earth
• Power & Responsibility
Supported by the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health as Knowledge Partners, delegates developed and refined recommendations that were relevant, evidence-informed and grounded in the realities faced by communities and young people today.
The forum resulted in the selection of nine priority recommendations across the three thematic areas. These recommendations were subsequently presented during the Declaration Congress, where delegates endorsed the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration 2026.
The endorsement marked a significant outcome of RAYS 2026, reflecting a shared commitment among delegates to carry forward youth priorities into future conversations on climate, sustainability and community action.
Throughout the forum, delegates were supported by Knowledge Holders and Allies, including YB Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Sarawak; Dr Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board; as well as RAYS speakers including Diwigdi Valiente, Dr Dzaeman Dzulkifli and others who contributed perspectives from governance, conservation, indigenous leadership and environmental practice.
Closing the session, YB Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu underscored that the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration represents the beginning of a longer journey. He encouraged delegates to continue strengthening the document through consultation, dialogue, and collective ownership, with the aspiration that it would inform future action and decision-making.
The Planet Futures Forum is intended to continue beyond RAYS 2026. Following the summit, the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration will undergo further consultation through a region-wide survey, giving young people beyond the RAYS community the opportunity to share their perspectives and strengthen the recommendations.
The feedback gathered will contribute towards the development and publication of the Final RAYS Youth Declaration. This will ensure that the priorities identified during the forum continue to evolve through wider youth participation, dialogue and collective ownership.
In this way, the Planet Futures Forum establishes a longer-term pathway for youth voices to inform future dialogue and meaningful action. It reflects the belief that a more sustainable future cannot be shaped by one generation, sector or knowledge system alone, but through many voices, many ways of knowing and one shared Planet.
