SINGAPORE, 16 November 2023: Hotelbeds, part of HBX Group, entered a partnership with Barceló Hotel Group earlier this month.
The strategic distribution agreement increases Hotelbeds’ accommodation portfolio while also extending Barceló Hotels & Resorts’ brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, opening up new possibilities for travellers.
The collaboration adds 130 Barceló hotels in 15 countries into the Hotelbeds Preferred Portfolio, and Hotelbeds will, in return, enhance the distribution reach for these properties, which spans more than 170 markets and encompasses more than 71,000 travel buyers, resulting in a number of benefits, including increased revenue streams in underpenetrated market segments.
As the flagship brand of Barceló Hotel Group, Barceló Hotels & Resorts encompasses a global collection of hotels and resorts, including urban properties, beachfront getaways and all-inclusive destinations.
SINGAPORE, 16 November 2023: AirAsia Thailand introduced Wednesday a new direct flight from Singapore to Hat Yai, set to take off on 1 February 2024.
Starting 15 November 2023, travellers could start booking flights to explore the largest city of the Songkhla province in Thailand.
AirAsia Thailand’s head of commercial Tansita Akrarittipirom said: “The introduction of the new route will establish an important connection between the economic hub of Southern Thailand and Singapore, one of the most prominent Asean’s port cities. This is also an opportunity for Thailand to attract more tourists from the Lion City, as Singaporeans can now fly directly to Hat Yai without the need to transit in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur, allowing them to save even more. The new route launch also presents opportunities for boosting local tourism and economies.”
Hat Yai is a major city in the southern region of Thailand situated in Songkhla province and a hub for trade and travel. Known for its lively culture and vibrancy, Hat Yai boasts notable attractions such as the Kim Yong Market and Asean Night Bazaar, drawing visitors from across Southeast Asia. Beyond the shopping havens, tourists can immerse themselves in the rich cultural tapestry of Songkhla Old Town, take in panoramic vistas from the Hat Yai Cable Car, explore the unique biodiversity at the Ton Nga Chang Wildlife Sanctuary, or experience the excitement of the iconic Golden Mermaid statue adorning Samila Beach.
In celebration of the new route launch, AirAsia offers promotional fares from as low as SGD88 all-in* one way. Bookings are open for the promotional fare until 3 December 2023 for travel from 1 February 2024 to 31 March 2024.
Flight schedule from Singapore (SIN) to Hat Yai (HDY):
*The all-in fare is for one-way travel only, including airport tax, fuel surcharges and other applicable fees. Other terms and conditions apply.
SINGAPORE, 16 November 2023: Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Klook, Asia’s leading travel and experiences platform, are scaling up efforts to drive inbound travel to Singapore, jointly investing over SGD2 million in marketing initiatives as part of their partnership.
Launched on 15 November, the marketing and tactical partnership between STB and Klook in Southeast Asia will focus on digital content powered by Klook’s network of Klook Kreators (micro and nano content creators and affiliates) to drive engagement and conversion.
The latest initiative builds on a two-year Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) signed in April 2023.
Singapore’s tourism industry has seen continued recovery, with more than 11 million visitor arrivals as of 31 October 2023, and Klook’s recent Travel Pulse survey showed that 1 in 3 Millennial and Gen Z travellers in Southeast Asia are looking to travel within the region, indicating a healthy appetite for exploration and discovery closer to home.
Klook general manager of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore Sarah Wan said: “Singapore has been a key destination leading travel recovery within Southeast Asia, and we’re excited to partner with STB again. We aim to inspire travellers by highlighting how Singapore makes unexpected, diverse and unique experiences possible. The resurgence of global events has fuelled higher travel demand, which will be an area we’re doubling down on. Our deep understanding of the next generation of travellers driving social travel will also guide these new efforts in showcasing the best of what Singapore can offer.”
STB executive director, Southeast Asia Terrence Voon added: “We are delighted to team up with Klook to strengthen Singapore’s position as a compelling travel destination and leading events hub in Southeast Asia. Our new initiatives aim to drive tourism recovery and highlight distinctive experiences that make each journey to Singapore memorable. They will also complement STB’s new Made in Singapore campaign, which showcases how our city transforms ordinary moments into extraordinary experiences.”
Klook’s Travel Pulse survey also indicates that 87% of travellers in Southeast Asia are willing to spend on distinctive experiences during their holidays.
Launched in October 2023, the Live in Singapore – Epic Events in the Lion City campaign features family, culture, sports, and entertainment events that showcase the richness of Singapore’s events scene.
These include theatrical musicals, concerts, Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium, Jumptopia, ZoukOut, and Singapore Comic Con.
For upcoming theatrical musicals in Singapore, Klook users can look forward to front-row seats sold exclusively on Klook for Matilda and tickets for Hamilton, where Klook was also the priority presale partner.
To complement the robust line-up of events, Klook is introducing product bundles to enhance the overall experience and facilitate further discovery of Singapore by offering activities, accommodation, and transportation options in its multi-vertical bundles.
Another Klook’s Travel Pulse Survey finding shows that 97% of Millennials and Gen Z travellers in Southeast Asia rely on social media to find travel inspiration and holiday recommendations, making this an important platform for discovery.
SINGAPORE, 15 November 2023: Oceania Cruises has revised its 2024 Mediterranean schedule to replace sightseeing visits in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan with more ports of call in the Mediterranean, specifically the Greek islands.
The 42 revised itineraries range from 10 to 58 days and concentrate on the Mediterranean’s so-called ‘best-loved ports’.
Photo credit: Oceania.
Sample 2024 Mediterranean Itineraries
21 April: 10 days from Valletta to Trieste aboard Vista Sails the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Adriatic seas with visits to Valletta, Heraklion, Athens, Dubrovnik and Venice.
13 May: 24 days from Dubai to Barcelona aboard Insignia Highlights Athens, Valletta, Dubrovnik, Rome and Barcelona, and the Santorini, Capri and Monte Carlo resorts.
14 May: 15 days from Dubai to Trieste aboard Riviera Cruises the Arabian, Red, Mediterranean and Adriatic seas. Highlights include Argostoli and Corfu in Greece, Montenegro, Dubrovnik, and Split, Croatia.
18 May: 14 days from Barcelona to Rome aboard Marina Visits Barcelona, Athens, and Rome, plus the resorts of Palma de Mallorca, Corfu, Santorini and Sorrento, the gateway to Capri.
21 May: 11 days from Rome to Trieste aboard Vista The cruise visits mainland ports in Italy, Greece, and Croatia. Also explores the islands of Sicily, Malta, Corfu, and Montenegro.
29 May: 12 days from Trieste to Barcelona aboard Rivier This new itinerary features ports along the Dalmatian Coast, Montenegro, Corfu, Malta and Sicily islands, Pompeii, Rome, Florence, and St Tropez.
1 June: 11 days from Trieste to Athens aboard Vista From Trieste, the ship heads for the Adriatic coastal resorts of Zadar, Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Bari before visiting ports in Turkey and Greece.
7 July: 10 days from Athens to Istanbul aboard Riviera The itinerary highlights historic sites in Greece and Turkey, including UNESCO-protected Ephesus and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, plus Crete.
24 July: 10 days from Athens to Barcelona aboard Riviera This voyage visits Athens, Rome, Florence, and Barcelona, as well as Greek islands, Sicily and resorts along the Amalfi Coast and French Riviera.
13 August: 12 days from Rome to Rome aboard Riviera The cruise explores Rome, Athens and Pompeii, plus the Amalfi Coast and the Mediterranean islands of Malta, Mykonos, Santorini, Sicily and Crete.
28 September: 10 days from Athens to Istanbul aboard Riviera This cruise combines the Croatian city of Dubrovnik and remote Kotor with Mykonos and Santorini, Athens, Crete, and Ephesus.
2 October: 14 days from Barcelona to Valletta aboard Marina Explores the Mediterranean and Aegean seas with visits to Barcelona, Florence, Rome, and Dubrovnik, the resorts of Toulon, Portofino and Capri, and the islands of Corsica, Sicily, Corfu, and Malta.
16 October: 10 days from Valletta to Rome aboard Marina The islands of Malta, Montenegro, Corfu and Sicily are the historical attractions, plus the itinerary features Dubrovnik and Split, Croatia; Katakolon, Greece; and Bari, Naples and Rome, Italy.
20 October: 10 days from Athens to Rome aboard Vista Athens, Gythoin, Argostoli and Corfu in Greece, the Dalmatian coastal treasures of Kotor and Dubrovnik, and the island of Malta are complemented by calls at Messina, Salerno and Rome in Italy.
30 October: 12 days from Rome to Athens aboard Vista Visits Mykonos and Corfu in Greece, Montenegro, legendary Sicily, and Malta. Calls in at Rome, Cinque Terre, Toulon, Dubrovnik and Athens.
11 November: 9 days from Athens to Rome aboard Vista The cruise visits Athens, Gythion and Argostoli in Greece, the islands of Montenegro, Malta and Sicily, plus Dubrovnik, Salerno and Rome.
24 November: 18 days from Istanbul to Dubai aboard Riviera Sails from Istanbul for Mykonos, Athens, the walled city of Dubrovnik, and the lesser-known resorts of Kotor and Argostoli.
DUBAI, 15 November 2023: Flying the flag for UAE aviation, the stunning opening flypast at Dubai Airshow 2023 on 13 November showcased the nation’s capabilities, with Emirates headlining the commercial aerial formation.
The iconic Emirates A380, the world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft, was first in the aerial formation, followed by the UAE’s air display team, Al Fursan, flying in V formation and trailed by their signature red, green and black smoke trails. An Emirates Boeing 777 was next in formation, followed by an Etihad Airbus 350, an Air Arabia Airbus 320 and a flydubai Boeing 737, soaring through the skies and delighting spectators and passionate aviation enthusiasts.
Soaring over the Dubai World Central (DWC) runway, the Emirates A380 flew at an altitude of just 100 meters, which is almost equal to the wingspan of the legendary double-decker jet. The Emirates Boeing 777 followed at an altitude of 160 meters. Both aircraft carried Emirates’ new signature livery, providing an in-motion view of the modern and dynamic branding.
A fleet of military aircraft and helicopters also joined the formation.
Teams across the aviation ecosystem coordinated the aerial display. The Flight Operations team overseeing the Emirates part of the aerial display included Captain Michael Schreiber, the airline’s Chief Pilot of Technical Operations, and Captain Khalid Akram, Deputy Chief Pilot of Boeing. At the head of the formation flying the A380 were Captain Mubarak Al Mheiri, Captain Chris Gauchi and Captain Khalid Binsultan, while Captain Dave Kilian, Captain Ali Almarzooqi and Captain Ali Alyafei, commanded the Boeing 777.
The impressive aerial feat follows months of thorough and cross-functional planning between stakeholders, including multiple teams at Emirates and the other UAE carriers, the UAE Ministry of Defence, UAE Military, Emirates pilots, Flight Operation Managers and Air Traffic Controllers working together with the Dubai Air Show Flying Control Committee and both aviation authorities (DCAA and GCAA).
The Dubai Airshow is open until the evening of 17 November.
SINGAPORE, 15 November 2023: Pandaw introduces its latest combo adventure this week, a 21-night one-off river cruise that embarks on a journey along all navigable stretches of the Mekong River in October 2024.
The 21-night expedition is a grand tour of Indochina, covering Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand and is only possible thanks to Pandaw’s ultra-shallow draft vessels.
The distinctive river ship cruise delivers the rich culture, history and nature of Indochina in one all-encompassing river adventure, which includes flights and accommodation between cruises.
Sailing in October 2024, this one-off special departure delivers an exclusive Pandaw in-depth exploration of the Mekong River from South to North. It combines two 10-night Mekong expeditions through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The four-country expedition sails all of the navigable stretches. Guests who join the cruise will learn about how one river supports a vast and diverse group of peoples and cultures as locally crafted Pandaw vessels navigate one of Asia’s mighty river systems.
This combo cruise includes a flight from Saigon to Vientiane and a one-night stay in Vientiane between cruises covered in the price.
The Full Mekong, Four Country 21-Night Combo Cruise SIEM REAP – CHIANG KHONG 21 nights FROM USD9,596.00
BANGKOK, 15 November 2023: Asia Aviation Plc, the sole shareholder of Thai AirAsia, announces its operational results for the third quarter of 2023 with total revenue reaching THB9,898.7 million, increasing 102% year-on-year (YoY) while controlling operational costs effectively.
Excluding fuel costs, the company’s cost per unit (CASK ex-fuel) decreased by 33% from the same period last year. EBITDA for the period was positive at THB389.1 million, bouncing from a loss of THB601.3 million the previous year.
Depreciation of the Thai baht towards the end of the quarter resulted in an unrealised loss from exchange rates of THB813.5 million, mostly an accounting loss with no impact on the company’s liquidity. Overall, the company saw a loss in the quarter of THB1,694.7 million, significantly improving from a loss of THB4,050.2 million in the same period last year.
“Thai AirAsia continued to perform robustly compared to the same quarter last year despite being significantly impacted by fuel costs, which rose 61% YoY and 19% QoQ, partly due to a hike in the fuel excise tax for domestic flights. Coupled with the Thai Baht that considerably weakened during the period, these two uncontrollable factors have directly affected earnings for the quarter,” said Asia Aviation Plc and Thai AirAsia chief executive officer Santisuk Klongchaiya.
“Despite the loss this quarter, the company will experience improved performance in the last quarter when we enter the high travel season. The last quarter will also benefit from state policies supporting tourism, such as visa-free schemes for visitors from China, Kazakhstan, India and Taiwan, and more efforts to bolster confidence in Thai tourism. Greater clarity in an appropriate fuel excise tax is also expected soon.”
As for its 2023 targets, the company remains confident it will carry 20 million passengers for the full year, having flown 13.8 million guests in the first nine months. This is on top of an average load factor of 87%, a 90% t on-time performance rate with 50 aircraft out of its 54 fleet in operation by the year’s end. For 4Q2023, Thai AirAsia will adjust its strategy and increase domestic flights by 20% from the previous quarter while adding international routes to Gaya, Guwahati and Ahmedabad in India and Shantou in China to capitalise on international travel growth opportunities.
GURUGRAM, 15 November 2023: Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, won two recognitions at the recent APEX Awards 2024.
Vistara took home the award for ‘2024 Best Overall Airline in Central/Southern Asia’ and was rated a ‘2024 Five-Star Major Airline’ at the award ceremony at the FTE APEX Asia EXPO in Singapore.
Photo credit: Vistara: Airline wins two APEX accolades.
The APEX ‘Best In Airline’ Awards are based on neutral, third-party passenger feedback, and insights gathered through APEX’s partnership with TripIt from Concur, the world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app. For the 2024 Awards, nearly 1 million flights were rated by passengers across more than 600 airlines worldwide using a five-star scale. The APEX ‘Best In Airline’ Awards are independently certified by a professional external auditing company.
Commenting on the achievement, Vistara chief executive officer Vinod Kannan said: “This award is a strong endorsement of our intuitively thoughtful approach to customer service. It is also a testament to Vistara setting benchmarks for excellence in operations and service delivery in India and global markets.”
The APEX Five Star (and APEX Four Star) Airline Awards, formally the APEX Official Airline Ratings, are the first airline rating programme based solely on certified passenger feedback.
BANGKOK, 15 November 2023: Thai Airways International forecasts rising travel demand during Q4 2023 and Q1 2024, traditionally the high season for travel to and from Thailand.
But it warns the aviation industry remains highly competitive as airlines resume services and redeploy aircraft to increase seat capacity to reach pre-pandemic levels. This can be seen in the resumption of a Bangkok-Copenhagen service by SAS for the winter timetable to tap what is popularly called the snowflake market as Europeans escape the severe winter weather for warmer climates. Lufthansa has scheduled the return of its A380 on the Bangkok-Munich route for the winter season.
In the look-forward notes attached to its financial results for Q3 2023, the airline points to the slow recovery of Chinese tourists mainly due to the country’s economic recess, rising fuel prices, and costs of overseas ground customer services. They remain a challenge for THAI in managing yield, optimising expenses, and implementing the organisational transformation plan to complete the debt and capital restructuring processes under the rehabilitation plan’s timeframe.
THAI reported its operational performance results for the third quarter of 2023 (July to September) earlier this week, confirming total revenue, excluding one-time transactions, reached THB37,008 million, higher than last year, which stood at THB32,860 million.
Passengers carried reached 3.27 million, 2.19 million by THAI and 1.08 million by THAI Smile Airways, an airline subsidiary due to be phased out by the end of 2023. THAI’s overall average cabin factor stood at 77.3% (THAI: 77.1% and THAI Smile Airways 80.9%), up just three percentage points from the same period last year, which was 77%.
THAI and its subsidiaries reported the total expenses, excluding one-time transactions, at THB29,289 million, higher than the previous year, which was THB28,940 million due to an increase in variable costs and fuel expenses, which was THB11,995 million.
However, THAI and its subsidiaries reported a net profit of THB1,546 million compared to a net loss of THB4,780 million in Q3 2022.
In the first nine months of 2023, THAI and its subsidiaries reported revenue, excluding one-time transactions, at THB115,897 million, higher than last year’s THB65,567 million. Total expenses, excluding past transactions, stood at THB86,567 million.
For the full nine months, Q1 to Q3, the airline reported an operating profit of THB29,330 million, up from an operating loss of THB548 million in 2022. The airline reported a net profit of THB16,342 million for the first nine months of 2023.
SINGAPORE, 15 November 2023: Marina Bay Sands (MBS) has announced an enhanced integration with Trip Affiliates Network, enabling real-time B2B connectivity with TA Network’s global ecosystem of partners through the hotel group’s distribution platforms.
TA Network will work closely with MBS on distribution-focused channels through its ecosystem, participating agencies, and B2B travel operators. This will support MBS and enhance connectivity to its unique distribution network of agents, wholesalers and corporates within the TA Network ecosystem.
Photo credit: Marina Bay Sands.
This latest partnership will extend MBS’s direct bookings across a wide range of global travel businesses.
TA Network’s turnkey solutions and connectivities unite Asia Pacific’s leading travel wholesalers, operators and destination management companies onto a single platform. TA Network focuses on customer value, direct supplier contracting, real-time connections, improved inventory management, and software integration services.
TA Network’s managing partner, Josef Foo, adds: “We are thrilled to have finalised integration and real-time B2B distribution connectivity with a world-class partner like MBS. Integrating with the existing legacy system has been a challenge. We look forward to working closely with MBS to broaden and deepen their direct booking partnerships with their preferred traditional channel operators, B2B agents and corporates.
