Sunday, July 20, 2025
Home Blog Page 397

Wellness Festival Singapore lasts longer

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Locals and visitors will be in for a treat at this year’s Wellness Festival Singapore (WFS), 17 June to 9 July,  as the second edition will run for three weeks, up from 10 days last year.

There are also over 180 activities across 10 precincts islandwide, promoting physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. This is an increase from the more than 130 activities offered in 2022.

Zentosa LiveWELL Festival.

Organised by the Singapore Tourism Board in collaboration with Enterprise Singapore (Enterprise SG), Health Promotion Board, National Arts Council, Sentosa Development Corporation and Sport Singapore (SportSG), the festival will feature key programmes as well as several large-scale activations in popular locations.

Festival highlights

·  The Wellness Experience Space: The anchor event for WFS 2023 is a multi-sensory pop-up at the Marina Bay Sands’ Event Plaza, with six different zones offering fun, innovative public installations, masterclasses, and food and beverage. These include the ASMR Wonderland, where participants can create relaxing sounds by interacting with floating cubes of textured materials, and the Mirror Scent Trail, where visitors can go on a journey along a reimagined “urban jungle”, accompanied by unique scents representing the ebb and flow of daily life. Visitors can also participate at the Active Arena by swinging across an obstacle course, balancing on a slackline or simply letting out their feelings with punching bags. Other activities include sound bath jamming (a wellness practice that combines sound baths with music jamming), an array of masterclasses, and healthy snacks and drinks for a healthier mind and body.

The Mirror Scent Trail

· Where Mind and Body Connect at Marina Bay Sands: Marina Bay Sands will invite visitors to embark on an ultimate journey of self-care through ‘Where Mind and Body Connect’ – the integrated resort’s celebration of wellness and wellbeing from 17 June to 19 July. In support of WFS 2023, Marina Bay Sands has lined up 30-weekend workshops across six different activities that explore new holistic ways of experiencing unique spaces such as the Rain Oculus at ArtScience Museum, Digital Light Canvas at The Shoppes and the iconic SkyPark Observation Deck.

·  Zentosa LiveWELL Festival: The Zentosa LiveWELL Festival is returning to Sentosa for its second edition with over 250 activities covering five holistic pillars of wellness: physical wellness (PlayWELL), relationship building (BondWELL), mind and soul nurturing (FeelWELL), healthy eating (EatWELL) and mindful resting (RestWELL). A festival highlight will be an immersive mental and emotional wellness zone, FeelWELL at Fort Siloso, that will showcase art installations and poetry created by local artists Kult Studio & Gallery and Charlene Shepherdson, in collaboration with the National Arts Council and National Heritage Board.

· Gallery Wellness Festival 2023: Th Gallery Wellness Festival, presented by the National Gallery Singapore, returns with an expanded line-up of more than 20 art-inspired wellness experiences from 17 June to 9 July 2023. This year’s festival is themed “Art Connects” focusing on human connections.

· Wellness Offerings at Jewel: Jewel Changi Airport will host free fitness classes around HSBC Rain Vortex. These include Bounce, Zumba and Barre, all of which will be set against the backdrop of Shiseido Forest Valley.

· Wellness Open Innovation Challenge: Companies and solution providers in the wellness economy can participate in EnterpriseSG’s inaugural Wellness Open Innovation Challenge.

For the updated listing and details of WFS programming, visit the WFS website at www.wellnessfest.sg.

Etihad wins Environmental Award

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

ABU DHABI UAE, 2 June 2023: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has been named Environmental Airline of the Year 2023 for the second year running by the Airline Ratings awards.

The award recognised Etihad for its commitment to sustainable aviation through innovation and collaboration and its dedication to driving change and results from Abu Dhabi and the world.

Photo credit: Etihad Airways.

As well as being crowned Environmental Airline of the Year, Etihad took third in Airline Ratings’ ‘Top 10 Airlines’ award, which critiques airlines on comfort, innovation, value and safety across Economy, Business and First Class.

In its most recent sustainability report released in May 2023, Etihad announced it had achieved a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (RTK). This achievement is underpinned by Etihad’s flagship sustainability initiatives, including the Greenliner programme, which uses the airline’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners as flying test beds and the Sustainable50 A350-1000.

Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Antonoaldo Neves said:

“We take great pride in reducing our CO2 RTK by 26%. I am also very proud of our overall achievements, which go beyond delivering direct Co2 reductions but explore innovative solutions to the broader challenges facing aviation sustainability, as you can see in our annual report.”

Etihad’s 2023 sustainability achievements

26% reduction in CO2 emissions per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (RTK).
Five A350 aircraft joined the Etihad fleet.
Planted 68,916 Mangrove trees as part of the Etihad Mangroves Forest project.
Recycled over 29,000 plastic bottles by employees with DGrade.
Saved 770,000+ litres of water from waterless bus washing.
3,700+ tonnes of CO2 offset by guests.
Operating over 40 ecoFlights in 2022.Operated the first Etihad NetZero* flight powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Book & Claim.

Top destinations for Muslim travellers

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Indonesia and Malaysia have emerged as the top two destinations globally for Muslim travellers in the newly released Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2023.

The annual report, now in its eighth year, analyses data across nearly 140 countries to offer comprehensive insights into which destinations best meet the needs of the increasingly influential Halal travel segment.

The Halal travel demographic is a sizeable market segment globally. According to the GMTI, Muslim international arrivals hit 110 million in 2022 and are forecast to reach 140 million this year. By 2028, Muslim arrivals are expected to hit 230 million, with a projected expenditure of USD225 billion.

Currently, Asia leads the way for arrivals, with more than 31% of all travellers to this region identifying as Muslim.

Indonesia and Malaysia, which scored equally in the index this year, have long been popular destinations for Muslim tourists; Indonesia had previously topped the ranking in the 2019 report, while Malaysia has consistently been at the forefront of the GMTI since 2015. Singapore ranked 12th, making it only one of two countries (along with the United Kingdom) outside the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to rank in the top 20.

The index assesses destinations across four key criteria: Access, Communications, Environment, and Services (ACES). Southeast Asian destinations ranked among the top 10 on all four of these criteria, while in the aggregate, Indonesia and Malaysia both scored 73 (out of a possible 100), Singapore scored 64, Thailand achieved a score of 52, and the Philippines 46.

The report also found that global travel behaviours are impacting trends among Muslim travellers, with the demographic increasingly: incorporating sustainability into their travel; opting for destinations and activities to improve their health and wellness; finding opportunities for immersive experiences and authenticity; incorporating personal development into their travel plans.

“While by no means a monolith, Muslim travellers are often looking for their travel plans to align with certain faith-oriented criteria, such as availability of Halal foods, rooms for prayer, and encouraging communications and messaging from destinations,” said CrescentRating founder and CEO Fazal Bahardeen.

“Over the years we’ve conducted this research, we’ve consistently seen markets that prioritise these requirements perform well among Muslim travellers, and so it is our hope that the 2023 edition offers insights that will allow destinations to garner more understanding, more inclusivity, and ultimately, a closer relationship with this demographic.”

Mastercard division president, Southeast Asia Safdar Khan said: “Mastercard is a longstanding partner of CrescentRating, with both organisations sharing the same commitment in using data and insights to create more relevant solutions and unearth new economic opportunities. With the travel industry already exceeding pre-pandemic levels of growth, the GMTI shows how faith-based travellers have evolved in their needs and how these needs can be better met to create more resilient tourism offerings. Mastercard is confident that the GMTI will help to bolster the ongoing recovery and lay the foundations for future growth in the Muslim travel sector.”

The GMTI has grown considerably since its first iteration in 2011, when it was initially known as the Crescentrating Annual Ranking and assessed only the top 10 Muslim-friendly destinations. Now, the report encompasses 138 destinations globally and offers comprehensive insights into everything from travel document requirements to faith-aligned sustainability practices.

The latest edition of GMTI offers four new tools that offer insights and recommendations regarding this demographic:

Muslim Travel Intent Tracker (MTIT): This metric considers various time frames, from immediate travel plans to those planned over a year in advance, to capture the dynamic and evolving preferences of the Muslim traveller market.

Muslim Traveler Responsible Tourism Framework: Offers a holistic approach to help Muslim travellers make mindful choices that promote sociocultural, socio-economic, and environmental sustainability while upholding the values of the faith.

GMTI Performance Matrix (GPM): By incorporating the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) scores and the percentage of Muslim visitors to overall visitors, the GPM provides a comprehensive overview of destinations’ ability to cater to Muslim travellers and their success in attracting this growing market segment.

Muslim Women Friendly Destinations: Features destinations worldwide that provide a welcoming and comfortable experience for Muslim women travellers, considering factors such as safety, faith restrictions and sustainability within the Environment criteria of the ACES model.

About CrescentRating

CrescentRating is the leading authority on Halal travel and tourism. The company uses insights, industry intelligence, lifestyle, behaviour and research on the needs of the Muslim traveller to deliver authoritative guidance on all aspects of Halal travel to organisations across the globe. Founded in 2008, CrescentRating services are used by every tier of the tourism industry, from government bodies and tourism agencies to hospitality service providers, to serve the needs of the Muslim traveller better.      

Website: https://www.crescentrating.com

Singapore ‘Wanderland’ on Roblox

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

SINGAPORE, 2 June 2023: Singapore Tourism Board has launched Singapore ‘Wanderland’ on Roblox [1], marking its first foray into one of the world’s most popular online game platforms. The new game is a whimsical take on Singapore, drawing over two million visits since the beta version launched on 11 May.

Singapore ‘Wanderland’ is part of STB’s efforts to reach new audiences and allows users to experience Singapore as they accomplish various tasks in a virtual world. To reimagine Singapore in the metaverse, STB worked with gaming specialist Publicis Play and Roblox developer Wonder Works Studio to create the immersive experience over five months. Singapore ‘Wanderland’ puts a playful spin on real-life attractions in three mini-games, where players earn magic orchids to transform a garden with STB’s destination mascot Merli. 

Gardens by the Bay, Mandai Wildlife Group and Marina Bay Sands are featured in the mini-games alongside iconic attractions such as the Merlion Park, Singapore Flyer, Adventure Cove Waterpark and The Fullerton Hotel Singapore. The experience is based on popular entertainment formats on Roblox and aims to drive affinity for Singapore by featuring elements inspired by destination icons. For example, users can express themselves through fun personalisation options. They can amass virtual collectables to customise their avatars, such as a Supertree hat, a Singapore Flyer Backpack and a Lotus race car.

Players embark on a scavenger hunt on Finders’ Isle to find items unique to Singapore amidst a town square inspired by Clarke Quay, a shophouse in cultural neighbourhoods and retail icons like Tangs Orchard.

Roblox has over 60 million daily active users worldwide, allowing STB to reach key markets such as India, the US, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

It also offers a new way to reach the family segment, as over half of the users on Roblox are under 18 years old. The aim is to grow Singapore ‘Wanderland’ into a platform where local tourism businesses can experiment and find new audiences in virtual environments.

“STB is constantly exploring creative ways and fresh channels to engage new audiences and connect with potential travellers. Singapore ‘Wanderland’ demonstrates how we push the boundaries of innovation while inspiring travel to Singapore. We welcome visitors to explore Singapore virtually and for tourism partners to collaborate with us in the virtual world to create impact in the real world,” said Singapore Tourism Board assistant chief executive marketing group Kenneth Lim.

[1] Home – Roblox

Visit Singapore Wanderland in Roblox here: http://www.roblox.com/singaporewanderland/

(Source: STB)

New flight links three Mekong Region towns

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

HANOI, 2 June 2023: Vietnam Airlines will resume a three-country route that links Vietnam’s capital Hanoi with two UNESCO World Heritage towns Luang Prabang in Laos, and Siem Reap in Cambodia, starting 1 July, the Vietnam Government Portal confirmed last week.

It’s an unusual route for a single aircraft to fly between three Mekong Region countries as most airlines fly city pairs linking major cities. However, it will be welcomed by tour operators in Hanoi who can create tour packages featuring the two World Heritage destinations in the two neighbouring countries using the three weekly flights on Vietnam Airlines. It also eases booking logistics for tour operators who sell multiple Mekong Region country tours to international travellers from Europe.

The airline has not posted service details on its Facebook page or website. Still, the VGP report identified a three-weekly frequency on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, possibly increasing to five weekly flights from 30 October, when the peak season starts for European travellers visiting Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

The so-called trans-Indochina route was suspended in 2020 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. A second trans-Mekong Region route was resumed earlier this year. With a daily flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Vientiane, Laos, with a stop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Vietnam Airlines began flights to Siem Reap in 2000 and Luang Prabang in 2006. In 2019 the carrier transported nearly 400,000 passengers on the two trans-Mekong Region routes before Covid-19 locked down air travel for over two years.

Airlines based in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam benefit from an aviation cooperation pact that allows them to establish unlimited multiple-city routes in addition to city pairs covering the four-country grouping.

(Source: VGP)

HAL: Three ships sailing the South Pacific

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

SINGAPORE, 1 June 2023: Three Holland America Line ships are set to explore Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific in the cruise season 2024-2025.

The cruise ship Westerdam will spend the season sailing around Australia, while Koningsdam and Zaandam each offer longer cruises to the South Pacific and Hawaii. 

Photo credit: Holland America Line. Westerdam in Sydney.

Itineraries up to 58 days include explorations of South Pacific islands and a circumnavigation of Australia.

In October 2024, Westerdam sails a westwardly South Pacific crossing, followed by the iconic Australia Circumnavigation. From December 2024 through March 2025, the ship will offer 14-day departures roundtrip from Sydney, Australia, or between Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney.

Zaandam’s “Tales of the South Pacific” in September 2024 is from Vancouver, Canada, to San Diego, California, or roundtrip to San Diego, while Koningsdam’s “Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas” in February 2025 is roundtrip from San Diego.

Beginning fares for 2025 Australia/New Zealand/South Pacific cruises range from USD2,449 to USD10,999 per person, double occupancy, depending on the length of the trips. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional.

Langkawi showcases scuba diving trips

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

LANGKAWI, 1 June 2023: Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) led a team of specialist water sports providers to present the island’s marine attractions and leisure activities at the Malaysia International Dive Expo held in Kuala Lumpur last week.

The show, hosted at the city’s premier venue, the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, attracted more than 70 specialised dive companies and government agencies representing state tourism activities. Over the three days, 26 to 28 May, more than 15,000 travel consumers visited the event.  

Langkawi’s dive tour team welcome visitors to the LADA pavilion.

LADA recruited a team of representatives from the island dive community and providers of other sea-based tourism products. At the close of the event, the government agency reported companies participating at the Langkawi pavilion generated an estimated MYR74,847.00 in sales over the three days. LADA said it was the first time the island had fielded a team and presented its dive packages at the annual show.

During the expo, His Majesty the Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and his son visited the LADA booth at MIDE 2023.

Langkawi joins Tioman, Perhentian, and Sabah as a top dive destination making an impact with both dive tour operators in the domestic market and dive enthusiasts who book scuba diving activities directly through online channels and social media.

For more information: Langkawi

(Source: LADA)

Emirates embraces AI technology

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

DUBAI UAE, 31 May 2023: The Emirates Group is embarking on a futuristic, immersive digital journey to transform its employee experiences – a first for the industry – by collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Both organisations have agreed to develop an immersive Extended Reality (iXR) platform and capability for the Emirates Group’s cabin crew, new joiners, and the wider industry partner community. 3D virtual hubs, virtual training, gamified environments, simulated experiences – all this and infinitely more are in the offing as the Group adds ground-breaking features and technology to the platform.

iXR, powered by AWS spatial computing and artificial intelligence, will deliver technical capabilities with photorealistic experiences. iXR experiences will be available across next-gen wearables and hand-held devices, including tablets and mobiles, with a consistent, high-fidelity experience streamed from the cloud.

In the first phase, iXR will have three distinct capabilities – a collaborative hub and social space, cabin crew training, and employee onboarding. An Emirates Virtual Hub will welcome employees to engaging and interactive brand experiences. iXR will introduce an unparalleled 3D interactive experience to the airline’s award-winning cabin crew by leveraging advanced technology to create a truly immersive environment. Here, the crew will be transported into a meticulously constructed digital universe with virtual classrooms, engage with and learn from seasoned facilitators and peers, and navigate the intricate interiors of the airline’s flagship A380s and Boeing 777s. The environment will feature cabin service trainers, photorealistic avatars, and spatial audio for an authentic sensory experience that enhances Emirates’ hospitality ethos.

The hyperreal virtual world will enable the Emirates Group’s recruits to quickly and visually learn more about the organisation and its extensive business, people and culture, roles, and living in Dubai. Embedded support services will create a seamless onboarding experience for successful candidates.

Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha said: “The Emirates Group is synonymous with innovation and for always setting the bar high in the aviation industry. We aim to build a meaningful, practical, rewarding XR capability that utilises AI’s evolution.

“We are using scalable XR capability that spans the breadth of our Group’s brands and businesses. In the first phase, iXR will help cabin crew interact and familiarise themselves with the platform in an interactive, high-fidelity 3D environment which they can explore at their convenience, leading to greater knowledge transfer and employee satisfaction. During this phase, we will develop our employee experience using iXR to seamlessly assimilate our people within the Group’s business, community and culture.

“iXR, which is on track for launch later in the year, will establish us as the first and only airline with an embedded extended reality platform connecting its operations. It reflects our commitment to spearhead and entrench innovation and cutting-edge technologies in aviation to benefit our customers, communities and the industry.”

AWS vice president of professional services Al Opher said: “Extended Reality (XR) is a rapidly emerging technology that will propel the aviation industry into the future. It will profoundly impact training, design, and innovative service propositions in safe environments that are immersive, performance-oriented, and efficient. This collaboration will further equip Emirates employees to deliver unique, consistent end-customer experiences.”

iXR will feature advanced technologies, including Epic Games’ Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced 3D tool, offering developers flexible, scalable, secure, and reliable real-time capabilities on AWS’ cloud.

 Dubai and the UAE are blazing the way in the digital economy with a clear vision supported by practical policies and regulatory frameworks across virtual assets, AI, and data protection.

The Emirates Pavilion at Expo 2020 is being repurposed as a hub to develop cutting-edge future experiences aligned with the UAE’s vision for the digital economy. The Emirates Group continues to engage with industry partners on its Web3 strategy and recruit talent for projects in its pipeline.

Emirates pioneered web virtual reality (VR) technology on emirates.com and its app more than six years ago, offering an immersive 3D, 360-degree view of its aircraft cabin interiors. Emirates also has its own VR app on the Oculus store, offering users accurate, life-size and interactive cabin interior experiences onboard Emirates’ flagship A380s and Boeing 777-300ER Gamechanger aircraft.

For more information on the airline and bookings, visit www.emirates.com.

Vietjet expands flights to Indonesia

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

HO CHI MINH CITY, 1 June 2023: Vietjet Air will open a new route connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta (Indonesia) with daily flights starting 5 August.

Flight VT855 will depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 0935 am and land at 1230 at Jakarta’sSoekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK).

Photo credit: Vietjet

The return flight VT854 will depart Jakarta at 1330 and arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at 1640. The flight time using an A320 is around three hours.

The airline already flies daily direct services to Bali, Indonesia, from both Hanoi (daily) and Ho Chi Minh City (three daily).

On the Ho Chi Minh City – Jakarta route Viejet quoting a low fare of USD150 will compete head-on with AirAsia Indonesia (return fare around USD292) and Vietnam Airlines (USD422).

Checking Vietjet’s booking website during August, there are very few days when a customer can grab the lowest fare. They will probably have to settle for USD252 to get a seat.

Tourism Malaysia adopts strong role at PATA summit

By
TTR WEEKLY
-

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia 1 June 2023: Tourism Malaysia is heading Malaysia’s participation at the Asia Pacific’s premier thought leadership event, which for the first time, combines a travel mart component under the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit and Adventure Mart 2023 hosted in Pokhara, Nepal this week.

Chairman of the PATA Malaysia Chapter since 2019, Datuk Musa Hj Yusof, who is also deputy director-general (promotion) of Tourism Malaysia and a PATA board member, is representing Malaysia at PATA Board Meeting and Government Meeting and joining 32 other country members in PATA Chapter Congress today.

Datuk Musa is one of the panellists to address the topic of “Managing Crises and Challenges in the Post-Pandemic World” by sharing the best practices for tourism businesses and destinations in responding to the effective crisis management and communication for a safe reopening and the recovery of tourism.

Held alongside the summit’s conference themed “Sustainability through Tourism”, PATA Youth Symposium, on the other hand, provides opportunities for young people to engage with current industry leaders under the Mentorship Session, and Tourism Malaysia is represented by Mr Zaidi Kassim, Senior Assistant Director from Corporate Communications Division.

PATA has been actively promoting travel and tourism in the Asia and Pacific region by supporting the growth of its members’ businesses in both the public and private sectors to expand their networks regionally and globally. Besides being the targeted channel for brand exposure, PATA also helps to strengthen the tourism industry through trade events, industry research and professional development programmes.

Datuk Musa said: “Tourism Malaysia’s active participation in PATA augurs well to strengthening its primary role as the leading agency for promoting national tourism at both international and domestic levels. Meanwhile, the added value from

strategic collaborations and the sharing of the latest trends by experts in the tourism industry is also driving preparations towards the success of Visit Malaysia Year 2025.”

Tourism Malaysia has been a PATA Government Member for 64 years since 1959 and hosted the PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) in 2020 at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The upcoming PATA Destination Experience Forum and Mart (PDFM) 2023 will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, from 21 to 23 June and hosted by Sarawak Tourism Board.

1...396397398...595Page 397 of 595

Stay ahead with the
latest travel news
on Southeast Asia.

Subscribe now


Contact Us
TTR Weekly (TTRW) is published in Bangkok, Thailand, registered since 1978.
/ month
placeholder text
/ month
placeholder text
Press releases, announcements, events for calendar should be sent to: [email protected]
/ month
placeholder text

Copyright © 2023 TTR Weekly, all rights reserved.