SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: Viking’s 2026 ocean voyages are now open for booking for 2026 departures, while the cruise line reports its newest ship, the Viking Vesta, will join the fleet in July 2025.
The 998-guest sister ship will spend her inaugural season sailing popular itineraries in the Mediterranean and Scandinavia.
A Viking ocean ship sails Norway’s fiords.
Qualified as a small ship, Viking Vesta has a gross tonnage of 54,300 tons, 499 staterooms, and a 998-passenger capacity.
With more than 80 ocean itineraries on offer, examples of the most popular voyages include:
Viking Homelands (15 days; Stockholm – Bergen).
Iconic Western Mediterranean (8 days; Barcelona – Rome).
Empires of the Mediterranean (10 days; Venice – Athens).
British Isles Explorer (15 days; Bergen – London).
West Indies Explorer (11 days; San Juan roundtrip).
Additionally, Viking has announced six new pre and post extensions beginning in 2024 and 2025. Over 45% of all Viking guests choose to add such extensions to their voyage. The new, fully guided, three-night extensions are offered in the iconic cities of Barcelona, Istanbul, London, Rome, Stockholm and Venice. They feature Privileged Access to museums, local cuisine for lunches and dinners, market visits and cooking classes, to personalise the journey with optional excursions.
SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced at the weekend details of a masterplan for a project branded THE RIG that PIF claims will redefine adventure tourism.
When finished (opening date still pending), THE RIG will become a world-first adventure tourism destination built on an offshore platform in the Arabian Gulf.
The project is part of a wider strategy in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives to grow tourism to “contribute to employment opportunities and diversify the economy.”
THE RIG, inspired by the design of offshore oil platforms, will deliver a one-of-a-kind hospitality and adventure experience spanning a gross floor area of over 300,000 sqm located 40 km from the coastline, near Al Juraid Island and Berri Oil Field in the Arabian Gulf.
According to the masterplan, it targets over 900,000 annual visitors by 2032, appealing to a wide range of domestic, regional and international audiences, including adrenaline seekers, explorers, balanced holidaymakers, and relaxation seekers.
It will include three hotels totalling 800 rooms, 11 restaurants, an extreme sports and adventure park, a world-class marina, and an arena with a capacity of 6,000 people. Damman is the gateway city where helicopters will transfer guests to the TH RIG in 20 minutes.
The project will be developed by the Oil Park Development Company (OPDC) under the direction of its CEO, Raed N Bakhrji, who brings more than 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and a passion for the future of adventure tourism.
For additional information on the project visit: www.THERIG.sa.
TOKYO, 30 January 2024: JTB, a leading tour operator in Japan, has signed a new multi-year international partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB).
As part of the new multi-national business arrangement, JTB officially sponsors MLB’s WORLD TOUR and will offer exclusive international hospitality packages for the season-opening Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Eijiro Yamakita, JTB President & CEO (left) at MLB headquarters in New York City with Noah Garden, Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media, Major League Baseball (right). (Photo: Business Wire).
The two-game series at Seoul’s Gocheok SkyDome, 20 to 21 March, marks the regular season Dodgers debuts of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
As an official partner of the Major League Baseball WORLD TOUR, JTB will also offer to fans worldwide, excluding the US, VIP ticket and hospitality packages to WORLD TOUR events, including the Seoul Series and London Series. Furthermore, JTB can provide tickets to MLB regular season games to fans based in Asia as part of hospitality packages that include travel to and accommodations in the US.
“Last year, we experienced a dramatic rise in demand for travel and events around the world as we finally moved beyond most challenges caused by the pandemic, and now we see that the market needs for real and exciting experiences are very strong,” said JTB president and CEO Eijiro Yamakita.
JTB, a Tokyo-based international operation, opened its New York office 60 years ago. It has focused on overseas travel in Japan while extending its role to become a leading travel agency in Asia.
In recent years, JTB has helped thousands of Japanese baseball fans visit the US and Canada to see Japanese players who star in the MLB.
About JTB
JTB has 159 offices in 35 countries/regions, handling international travel from Japan and various countries worldwide in recent years.
SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: Singapore Tourism Board (STB), Marina Bay Sands, and UOB have spearheaded a first-of-its-kind partnership to enliven the Marina Bay precinct for locals and tourists.
The partnership focuses on introducing lifestyle and entertainment programming for the Bay, including launching over 50 exclusive experiences across hotels, attractions, retail shops and dining establishments, in partnership with more than 19 precinct stakeholders.
The partnership starts with a Lunar New Year drone light show at the Marina Bay waterfront in February.
This builds on the marketing efforts of all three parties – including STB’s Made in Singapore global brand campaign, Marina Bay Sands’ Bay Precinct Strategy, and UOB’s strategy to provide exclusive access to the best Travel, Shop, Dine and Entertainment events across ASEAN – to form a compelling tourism narrative for visitors.
Alongside engaging programming, this partnership will include a marketing campaign, Masterpieces. Made in Singapore, leveraging STB’s global campaign highlighting how the ordinary is made extraordinary through a rich tapestry of unique and unexpected experiences made possible only in Singapore. Campaign communications will go out to key source markets such as Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as post-arrival visitors already in Singapore.
The partnership takes flight in February with a spectacular waterfront drone light show at the Bay in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Titled “The Legend of the Dragon Gate” will present the story of the mythical Dragon King, brought to life through 1,500 drones set against the iconic Singapore skyline. Themes of family reunion, perseverance, and symbols of luck and prosperity will feature prominently in the show. Visitors can usher in the Year of the Dragon with a 10-minute drone performance, which runs 2000 on 6, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 February. After the complimentary show, they can also stay on for “Spectra – A Light & Water Show”, which runs at 2030 and 2130 on these dates.
Beyond the festive season, the three partners will continue to embark on joint marketing initiatives to promote the Marina Bay precinct as a world-class lifestyle destination and entertainment hub. Such initiatives will be timed with upcoming opportunities in Q1 2024, such as the highly anticipated Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour in Singapore, of which Marina Bay Sands is the Official Presenting Partner and UOB is the Official Bank and Presale Partner, as well as the Rod Stewart “Live in Concert, One Last Time” tour held at Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
BANGKOK, 30 January 2024: Thais can travel visa-free to China starting 1 March, and AirAsia is offering discounts on 11 direct routes from Thailand to China at THB2,490 per trip.
Travellers who join direct flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi) to China can book the all-inclusive, one-way fares until 11 February for travel from 15 February-30 September 2024.
China has awarded Thai citizens (ordinary passport holders) visa-exemption travel starting on 1 March as part of a raft of bilateral agreements ratified earlier this month during top-level government-to-government talks.
AirAsia flies to Shanghai*, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha, Kunming, Chongqing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Wuhan and Shantou.
AirAsia Thailand chief executive office Santisuk Klongchaiya remarked: “Without a visa requirement for Thai citizens travelling to China, trips will be both more convenient and affordable. The agreement is sure to boost tourism between both countries.”
AirAsia has been adding routes and frequency between Thailand and China, including the upcoming new route of Bangkok (Don Mueang) – Beijing, in line with growing demand.
Thailand and China will allow visa-free travel from 1 March onward, allowing citizens of both nations to visit one another for up to 30 consecutive days or multiple trips that do not exceed 90 days within a 180-day period without requiring a visa. The agreement is expected to be a boon to tourism and the economy of both countries.
*Bangkok (Don Mueang) – Shanghai flights are operated by Thai AirAsia (flight code FD), and Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) – Shanghai flights are operated by Thai AirAsia X (flight code XJ)
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 January 2024: Malaysia Airlines is increasing flights to meet growing travel demand during the upcoming Chinese New Year and school holidays from February to March 2024.
In a press statement last week, the airline said it would mount an additional 124 flights to cater to its domestic and selective international network from its main hub in Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1 (KUL).
In addition, the airline will also seat capacity deploying Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft instead of 12 smaller aircraft during the Chinese New Year period to accommodate passengers departing to and from Kota Kinabalu (BKI), Kuching (KCH) and Penang (PEN).
Sister airline Firefly recently operated the first international charter flight to Sabah’s Tawau coastal district from Nanjing, China, carrying 157 passengers last week. Firefly will operate the charter flights three times weekly, scheduled to arrive in Tawau every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, offering 540 seats per week until the end of March 2024.
Meanwhile, the airline continues its ongoing fleet modernisation plan by confirming it will add 12 new aircraft in 2024, including its first Airbus 330-900, which is scheduled to arrive in Q3 2024.
The A330-900 will provide improved operational efficiency for MAG while also allowing it to address environmental targets by offering up to 25% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions.
SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: IndiGo will introduce daily direct flights from Hyderabad to Bangkok, effective 26 February.
The new daily service will improve connectivity between the two cities, providing a seamless travel experience between the two major tourist
hubs and accessibility across Southeast Asia. IndiGo will become the first Indian carrier to connect Hyderabad to Bangkok. It will increase international destinations served out of Hyderabad from eight to 14 compared to a year ago.
IndiGo connects Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Bhubaneshwar to Bangkok. With the addition of these new flights from Hyderabad, IndiGo will now operate 37 weekly flights between India and Bangkok, and Hyderabad will be the sixth Indian city connected to Bangkok.
IndiGo head of global sales Vinay Malhotra said: “With the introduction of this new route, IndiGo now offers 57 direct flights a week to Thailand from six cities in India (37 flights to Bangkok & 20 flights to Phuket).
SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: Agoda, the global digital travel platform, broadens its collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), expanding its Eco Deals Programme to support eight conservation projects across Southeast Asia.
In a press statement, Agoda says it will increase its donation to WWF-Singapore four-fold to USD1 million as part of this year’s Eco Deals Programme, supporting the conservation efforts of local WWF offices in eight markets; Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Photo credit: Agoda.
Agoda vice president for Southeast Asia, Enric Casals commented: “The Eco Deals Programme has been an important cause-related marketing initiative among our hotel partners to join since its launch in 2022. Building on the success of previous campaigns, the 2024 initiative is scaling up t, increasing the donation value up to USD1 million and expanding its reach projects in eight markets. This expansion offers hoteliers even more opportunities to get involved.”
Based on previous editions of the programme, Agoda will donate USD1 for each hotel booking made on hotels participating in the initiative.
Funding support for WWF’s conservation projects, spanning marine, forest, and wildlife preservation. The latter includes the protection of tigers in Malaysia, whale sharks in the Philippines, and elephants in Thailand. Other projects receiving support this year focus on the conservation of Saolas in Vietnam, ecosystem restoration in Indonesia, ranger support in Cambodia, and improvement of urban wetlands in Lao PDR.
The Eco Deals Programme is actively onboarding accommodation partners ahead of going live for consumers on 3 March and running until 3 December 2024.
Accommodation partners can offer discounted rates of up to 15%. In return, participating partners will be highlighted with the Eco Deals Badge and be featured across various Agoda product and marketing touchpoints.
SINGAPORE, 29 January 2024: Hilton has appointed Candice D’Cruz as its Asia Pacific vice president of luxury brands.
Based in Singapore, she will lead Hilton’s award-winning luxury brands, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, across Asia Pacific.
“Candice is a respected leader with a proven track record of delivering exceptional luxury experiences,” said Hilton’s brand management, Asia Pacific senior vice president Alexandra Jaritz. “With Asia Pacific contributing to almost 50% of Hilton’s global luxury pipeline, I am confident that Candice’s strategic guidance and profound understanding of the industry make her the perfect fit to lead the charge.”
With over two decades of experience, she joins Hilton from Marriott International, where she most recently served as vice president of luxury brand management and marketing for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
KOTA KINABALU, 29 January 2024: Sabah Tourism Board has won the silver award at the Putra Aria Brand Awards 2023 in the Transportation, Travel and Tourism category, following on from winning the bronze award in the same category in 2022.
Introduced in 2022 by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As), the Aria Brand Awards, often dubbed the People’s Choice Awards, aim to acknowledge brands with a significant connection to Malaysians.
Putra Brand Awards 2023 organising chairman Datuk Johnny Mun described the accolades as ‘money cannot buy’ awards, which the people choose via online research survey results. The winners are determined through a survey involving 11,000 respondents over an eight-week period from September to October 2023.
“I am proud of Sabah Tourism Board for not just winning the award but also being awarded a higher tier from the previous year. It’s an achievement on the part of the Board,” Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew said. “Sabah has surpassed the targeted number of arrivals set at 2.2 million for 2023. We recorded some 2.6 million tourist arrivals (based on statistics released by the Board’s Research Division). This upbeat track record must continue. This year, we are targeting 2.8 million arrivals.
“Besides reinstating flights and developing new possible flight routes, I again would like to emphasise that developing quality tourism products and services is necessary to ensure our visitors have a memorable experience,” Liew added.
