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BA codeshares with Airlink

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 15 February 2023: British Airways has completed a codeshare partnership with Airlink, improving connectivity between the UK, Europe, North America and more than 15 destinations in Southern Africa.

With bases in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban in South Africa, Airlink is a premium regional airline with a network of cities in 14 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Namibia.

The agreement means British Airways’ customers travelling from or transiting through London can connect to their final destination via Cape Town or Johannesburg on a single ticket. This will offer more choice and flexibility for those travelling on to one of 18 towns and cities, such as Windhoek in Namibia and Durban in South Africa.

British Airways currently flies twice daily between London Heathrow and Johannesburg with A380 aircraft, twice daily between London Heathrow and Cape Town with B777 and A350 aircraft and three times per week between London Gatwick and Cape Town with B777 aircraft.

Members of British Airways’ loyalty programme, the Executive Club, can earn Avios when flying on Airlink flights on a British Airways codeshare journey. Avios is the programme’s currency, which can be used as part-payment towards Reward Flights or upgrades, hotel stays, car hire and more.

British Airways director of network and alliances, Neil Chernoff said: “Our flights to Cape Town and Johannesburg continue to be as popular as ever with our customers, so we’re pleased to be able to open up more options in the Southern African region. Our partnership with Airlink means customers can book a full journey on one ticket, allowing seamless travel from London to their final destination.”

In total, 18 destinations are available as codeshare options when travelling from Heathrow via Johannesburg and Cape Town.

They include:

London Heathrow to Durban via Johannesburg or London Heathrow to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, via Cape Town or Johannesburg; London Heathrow to Skukuza, South Africa, via Cape Town or Johannesburg;
London Heathrow to Windhoek, Namibia, via Cape Town or Johannesburg;
London Heathrow to Walvis Bay, Namibia, via Cape Town or Johannesburg;
Codeshare tickets are available to book for travel from 15 February 2023 onwards.

Bedsonline strengthens sales in the Philippines

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 15 February 2023: Bedsonline, a leading global provider of online accommodation, has appointed Worldrep Inc as its general sales agent (GSA) in the Philippines.

Worldrep Inc will now represent Bedsonline in all sales and commercial activities, helping to grow the accommodation provider’s business in the Philippines. Bedsonline will also benefit from extensive marketing support from its new partner while expanding Worldrep Inc’s footprint thanks to its network of more than 300,000 hotels worldwide.

“Working with Worldrep Inc will strengthen our position in the Philippines at this critical time for tourism growth in the region,” said, Bedsonline’s regional director for Asia-Pacific, Peter Jones.

“We’re looking forward to building our presence here to serve our customers better and introducing our network of 320,000 hotels and ancillary products to more customers around the country.”

Worldrep Inc president Teresa “Tisha” Escalona said: “We are confident that Worldrep, Inc. will upgrade the service provided to Bedsonline customers across the Philippines with high professionalism. Its extensive success in the industry and established experience and expertise will help us better serve this market thanks to the global knowledge of our local talent.”

Philippine travel agencies already working with Bedsonline will continue to book all their accommodation, activities, transfers and car hire via www.bedsonline.com.

About Bedsonline

Bedsonline is a global provider of accommodation and complementary travel products exclusively catering to travel agents. Its online platform distributes accommodation, excursions, tickets and transfers to more than 60,000 travel agencies backed by local sales teams in over 30 countries covering over 100 markets.

Penang Roadshow tours India

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TTR WEEKLY
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PENANG, Malaysia, 15 February 2023: The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) is once again hosting the Penang Roadshow to India 2023 in four different cities this week through to 20 February.

Now in its sixth edition, the roadshow kicked off in Mumbai on 13 February, followed by New Delhi (15 February), Chennai (17 February) and Hyderabad (20 February). The roadshow will engage in a networking session in each city to connect with Indian buyers from the MICE industry.

Penang’s second virtual roadshow to India early last year attracted 24 buyers and trade visitors from various travel trade sectors in India.

By resuming an in-person format, the sixth edition recruited 14 registered exhibitors, together with Team PCEB. They will network with an estimated 800 buyers and trade visitors during the four-city roadshow in India.

During the Penang Roadshow to India, PCEB will launch its very own campaign, ‘Chalo Penang’ in all four cities to position Penang as the preferred meeting & leisure destination for Indian travellers.

The Penang State Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy Yeoh Soon Hin said: “PCEB will launch the latest meeting and incentive packages to re-establish connections with the Indian business events market.”

Around 2500 events with 260,000 delegates should take place in Penang this year, with an estimated economic impact of MYR1 billion.

This conveys a message of confidence that Penang is ready and reflects its capability to host large and world-class events.

For example, V-Convention, one of the largest events hosted bi-annually in Penang, attracts around 15,000 delegates, mainly from India.

“PCEB is strategising comprehensive blueprints to position Penang higher in the Indian market. The growth and advancements of the tourism industry in Penang are rapidly moving forward now,” said  Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran.

Penang is working closely to improve airline connectivity with India. Malaysia Airlines has identified Penang as a key player in attracting business events from India, the UK, China, Australia, North Asia and ASEAN countries.

Exhibitors  joining this year’s roadshow include:

1. Apollo Holidays

2. Fantastic Holidays

3. Shangri-la Rasa Sayang

4. Courtyard by Marriott

5. Tourism Malaysia

6. DU Digital

7. Melia Hotel

8. The Wedding Asia

9. Malaysia Airlines

10. Lexis Group of Hotels

11. Malabar Restaurant

12. DIYA Malaysia

13. Setia Spice Convention Centre

14. Ace Conference & Events

Routes Asia lands in Chiang Mai

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TTR WEEKLY
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CHIANG MAI, 15 February 2023: After twice rescheduling in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic restrictions, Routes Asia finally arrived in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on Tuesday for its 2023 edition, 14 to 16 February.

Routes is a UK-based company that hosts worldwide aviation and airline events. The 19th edition of Routes Asia welcomes 100 airlines, mainly top executives responsible for network planning, who will hold meetings and network with airport and destination partners from around the region.

Thailand won the bid to host Routes Asia in 2020 following the 2019 host Cebu Philippines, but the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 forced the host Airports of Thailand to reschedule twice. Routes Asia 2022 successfully resumed in the region in 2022, hosted by Danang in central Vietnam, when AOT confirmed new dates for Thailand to host the event in 2023.

The Routes Asia 2023 meetings platform features virtual meeting opportunities, enabling airport and tourism delegates to undertake meetings with 13 of China’s leading carriers which, due to travel restrictions, will take part virtually in meetings hosted during the event in Chiang Mai. Virtual meetings will be available with Chinese airlines such as Air China, China Eastern, China Southern Airlines, and more.

Airline decision-makers worldwide will attend networking sessions, while Routes Asia 2023 features over 40 speakers from trade associations, airline boards of directors, airports and government ministries, who will deliver more than 15 hours of actionable insight for delegates across the three days of the event.

The speaker lineup includes

  • Woranate Laprabang, Chief Executive Officer, Thai Vietjet
  • Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, President, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited
  • Sarun Benjanirat, Deputy Director, The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand
  • Tao Ma, Regional Director of Asia Pacific, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
  • Stefano Baronci, Director General, Airports Council International Asia-Pacific (ACI)
  • Subhas Menon, Director General, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA)
  • Senthil Balan, Chief Commercial Officer, MYAirline
  • Aaron McGarvey, Director of Business Development, Finnair
  • Jay L Lingeswara, Director Commercial, VietJet Air
  • Thiti Arayakhun, Director of Network Planning and Business Development, Thai Smile Airways
  • Dinh Xuan Thuy, Director of Corporate Planning Division, Bamboo Airways
  • Neil Hathi, Marketing Regional Director for Southeast Asia, Boeing
  • Ignacio Bosch Nacenta, Head of Networking and Scheduling, AirAsia Group
  • Pinyot Pibulsonggram, Head of Commercial, Thai Vietjet
  • Krislen Keri, Senior Commercial Manager, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi
  • Anthony Chan, Head of Network Planning, HK Express

Routes director Steven Small said: “Asia-Pacific carriers enjoyed a strong and welcome international travel recovery in 2022. The picture for Asia-Pacific’s airlines, airports and destinations is one of real optimism heading into 2023. Routes Asia 2023 comes at the ideal time for the route development community to negotiate new and existing air services that will continue to build on this momentum.”

Emirates celebrates Valentine s Day

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 14 February 2023: Passengers will enjoy sweet treats onboard flights today as Emirates celebrates Valentine’s Day by serving up love-themed desserts in the lounges, exquisite rosé champagne, tempting gift-giving offers, and an array of romantic movies and music.

Throughout February, love is in the air on ice as Emirates passengers can immerse themselves in feel-good movies, such as the 2022 romantic comedy ‘Ticket to Paradise’, starring Hollywood heartthrobs Julia Roberts and George Clooney. There is a selection of more than 70 romantic comedies and dramas available, including new releases ‘Meet Cute’ starring Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson and ‘Ask Me to Dance’, as well as all-time classics ‘When Harry Met Sally’, ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ and ‘The Notebook’.

On Valentine’s Day, onboard passengers in all classes will be treated to luscious brownies or red velvet cupcakes adorned with red and pink hearts in their own Emirates mini gift box while red mood lighting lights up the aircraft. Up until midnight on 15 February, Emirates Lounges worldwide will raise the romance with a beautiful array of themed treats, from chocolate hearts to Valentine’s mud cake and chocolate-covered strawberries.

For the Bangkok lounge, business and first-class passengers can look forward to special menu items, including salmon wellington with a delicious cream cheese and spinach filling, red velvet cream cheese cupcake, and chocolate cupcakes like a shot of love potion right to the heart.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com.

(Your Stories Emirates)

Centara wins GSTC certification

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK 14 February 2023: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announced its approval for certification by Vireo SRL, a GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) – Accredited certification body, for meeting global standards for sustainable travel and tourism known as GSTC criteria. This certification represents a major milestone in Centara’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

The Centara Hotels & Resorts corporate office and 12 hotels are currently approved for certification. The organisation continues to work toward its long-term goal of achieving full certification by 2025. The 12 hotels recognised for meeting the GSTC Criteria are:

  1. Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld
  2. Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao Bangkok
  3. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Krabi
  4. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin
  5. Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya
  6. Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket
  7. Centara Villas Samui
  8. Centara Villas Phuket
  9. Centara Hotel Hat Yai
  10. Centra by Centara Government Complex Hotel & Convention Centre Chaeng Watthana
  11. Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives
  12. Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives

Being certified means Centara’s products and services comply with the highest social and environmental standards. The four main GSTC criteria for hotels include:

• Demonstrate effective, sustainable management

• Maximise social and economic benefits to the local community and minimise negative impacts

• Maximise benefits to cultural heritage and minimises negative impacts

• Maximise benefits to the environment and minimises negative impacts

In honour of this prestigious certification, Centara hosted a celebratory handover ceremony between Dr Luigi Mazzaglia, Group CEO of Vireo, and top Centara executives, including Supatra Chirathivat, Senior Executive Vice President – Corporate Affairs & Social Responsibilities of Centara Hotels & Resorts. This special event took place on 7 February 2023 at Centara Grand CentralWorld.

“We are honoured to be recognised by Vireo SRL for our continued efforts to meet GSTC Criteria and achieve an international sustainability standard throughout the entire Centara Hotels & Resorts organisation. With our corporate office and 12 hotels already approved for certification, we are more than optimistic that we will reach our goal of 100% certification by 2025. By adopting sustainable, green practices, we are actively choosing to be more aware of our environmental impact and aligning our values and vision for a more mindful and ecologically conscious future,” said  Centara Hotels & Resorts senior executive vice president – corporate affairs & social responsibilities Supatra Chirathivat.

“At Vireo, we are focused on proposing the best and most credible certifications to promote sustainability and social responsibility in tourism. We proudly certify Centara Hotels & Resorts and 12 of their hotels for GSTC certification. We believe that Centara has made impressive efforts in their commitment to sustainability and look forward to following their continued successes as they continue to work toward certification across their entire organisation,” said Vireo SRLGroup CEO Dr Luigi Mazzaglia.

For more information about Centara’s commitment to environmental sustainability, please visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com/sustainability

(Your Stories: Centara Hotels & Resorts)

SIA and Vietnam Airlines sign MoU

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 14 February 2023: Vietnam Airlines and Singapore Airlines (SIA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this month to establish codeshare flights as part of a wider commercial agreement.

Introducing codeshare flights between Vietnam and Singapore would improve connectivity and give SQ passengers more options when booking flights from Singapore’s Changi airport to key cities in Vietnam. In the long term, the agreement could extend to codeshare flights from SIA’s other destinations

Mr Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and Dr Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, witnessed the exchange of the signed MoU during the Vietnam-Singapore Business Forum on 10 February 2023.

Vietnam Airlines and Singapore Airlines have enjoyed a long-standing partnership for over 20 years. As international border restrictions eased in 2022, both airlines sought opportunities to expand their bilateral cooperation to provide quality service for their customers travelling between Vietnam and Singapore.

Singapore Airlines chief executive officer Goh Choon Phong said: “Singapore Airlines and Vietnam Airlines have well-established networks, which can support one another to strengthen the connectivity between the two ASEAN countries and to key markets around the world. These win-win arrangements will offer more options and greater value for our customers, support economic growth, and bolster initiatives that facilitate tourism activities.”

Hong Kong’s free ticket treat for travellers

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TTR WEEKLY
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HONG KONG, 14 February 2023: The “World of Winners” Tickets Giveaway Campaign sponsored by Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) gets underway on 1 March 2023.

Around 500,000 free airline tickets are on offer for travellers as Hong Kong launches global promotions to speed up the recovery of its aviation and tourism industries.

Airports Authority Hong Kong introduces a free ticket campaign due to roll out 1 March.

Most of the 500,000 tickets will be given away in phases by three home-based airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong Express and Hong Kong Airlines, through their respective channels in major passenger markets.

The giveaway will start in Southeast Asia markets on 1 March 2023, followed by Northeast Asia and Mainland China markets for around six months. The airlines will introduce marketing and promotions for the free tickets in late February.

Inbound passengers who win the giveaway tickets will also enjoy special offers on hotel accommodation, shopping and entertainment offered by business partners who join the promotional activities.

AAHK chairman Jack So said: “We bought the tickets from the airlines during the most challenging time under the pandemic, and that is a testament to our confidence in the future of Hong Kong’s aviation industry.

“The campaign will generate a multiplier effect on boosting air traffic and enormous publicity for Hong Kong. Since the relaxation of travel restrictions and quarantine requirements for inbound travellers last year, passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) has started to pick up, especially in the last quarter. We also have had a good start in 2023 with the resumption of normal travel with the Mainland. HKIA has always been a major international aviation hub. We are confident that passenger traffic will continue to rise.”

“World of Winners” Tickets Giveaway Campaign: https://wow.hongkongairport.com/tickets

THAI restarts flights to China

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 14 February 2023: Thai Airways International will operate 14 weekly flights to five destinations in China following the country’s border reopening last month.

Flights to China resume on 1 March 2023

1. Bangkok – Kunming: twice weekly flights every Friday and Sunday.

2. Bangkok – Guangzhou: three weekly flights every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

3. Bangkok – Chengdu: twice weekly flights every Tuesday and Thursday.

4. Bangkok – Shanghai: four flights per week every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and

Sunday.

5. Bangkok – Beijing: three weekly flights every Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

Roundtrip fares in economy from Bangkok (SWB)

Bangkok (BKK) to Kunming (KMG)

01/03/2023 – 05/03/2023
Fares start from THB11,545.

Bangkok (BKK) to Guangzhou (CAN)

06/03/2023 – 03/04/2023
Fares start from THB16,405.

Bangkok (BKK) to Chengdu (TFU)

13/04/2023 – 17/04/2023
Fares start from THB11,135.

Bangkok (BKK) to Shanghai (PVG)

15/03/2023 – 02/04/2023
Fares start from THB17,995.

Bangkok (BKK) to Beijing (PEK)

14/03/2023 – 20/03/2023
Fares start from THB21,575.

JLL reports 14 Thai hotels sold in 2022

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 14 February 2023: Data from property consulting firm JLL reveals that Thailand saw 14 investment-grade hotel transactions totalling THB11 billion in 2022, dropping from THB12.3 billion in 2021 due largely to a slippage of some transactions that did not close before the end of 2022.

However, with continued investor interest and availability of investment-grade assets, JLL expects hotel investment activity in Thailand to grow to THB12 billion this year.

JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group executive vice president of investment sales, Asia Pacific Chakkrit Chakrabandhu Na Ayudhya said: “The total hotel investment volume in 2022 could have made a new high post-Covid if several transactions with exchanged contracts had not seen a delay in completion. With a combined value of approximately THB4 billion, these deferred transactions have been rescheduled for completion in the first half of 2023.

“Despite a 10.6% decline, 2022 represents another strong year in terms of hotel investment activity post-Covid, with the total transaction volume seeing a nearly fivefold increase from just THB1.9 billion in 2020 when Thailand’s tourism market started feeling a severe impact of the pandemic,” he added.

The hotel transactions in 2022 spread across Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, Krabi, Hua Hin, and Chiang Mai, according to JLL. Bangkok, Phuket and Koh Samui remained the top three hotel investment destinations accounting for nearly 70% of the countrywide total transaction volume recorded last year. Bangkok led the pack, witnessing two notable hotels sold with a combined transaction value that accounted for nearly 40% of the total volume. These include Oakwood Studios Sukhumvit Bangkok and Grand Mercure Bangkok Windsor, which were sold to Singapore-based Worldwide Hotels Pte Ltd (WWH) and a leading Thai real estate group, Asset World Corporation (AWC), respectively. JLL represented the sellers on both transactions.

“While all the hotels sold in 2022 belonged to Thai corporations or families, 80% of the investment capital was from domestic investors. This marks a major shift from 2021 when foreign capital accounted for 60% of the total hotel investment volume in Thailand,” commented Chakkrit.

AWC was the most active buyer in Thailand’s hotel investment market last year, according to JLL. Apart from Grand Mercure Bangkok Windsor, the group also acquired Westin Siray Bay in Phuket for approximately THB2.5 billion and dusitD2 Chiang Mai. The latter exchanged contracts in 2021, but it was not until last year that the transaction was complete.

“Looking ahead, we expect 2023 to be a bullish year for hotel investment activities in Thailand. Continued investor interest and a strong pipeline of ongoing hotel investment deals are likely to push hotel investment volume this year to THB12 billion, the pre-COVID annual average volume witnessed between 2010 and 2019,” said Chakkrit.

Supporting Chakkrit’s forecast JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group senior vice president of advisory & asset management Rathawat Kuvijitrsuwan

noted: “There are factors that will drive investment activity in Thailand’s hotel market this year. Many owners have struggled to hold their hotel assets over the past three to four years. Whilst some of these owners are experiencing more challenges, including lenders’ less compromising credit terms and interest rate hikes, the clear path to full recovery of Thailand’s tourism, supported by the reopening of China, is giving them confidence that they are now in a better position to dispose of their hotels.

“On the demand side, we have continued to see strong interest from local and foreign investors in investment-grade hotels in Thailand. Findings from JLL’s Investors’ Sentiment Survey 2H2022 show that Thailand ranked the third most attractive hotel investment destination in the Asia Pacific, after Japan and Australia/New Zealand,” Rathawat concluded.

About JLL

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm specialising in real estate and investment management. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of USD19.4 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 102,000 as of 30 September 2022. For further information, visit jll.co.th.

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