SINGAPORE, 22 November 2022: The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort, Doha, Qatar, managed by General Hotel Management Ltd, opened its doors on 12 November to guests ahead of the highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2022.
Developed in partnership with Katara Cultural Village by Qatari real estate consortium Triple A Holdings, the property will strengthen GHM’s portfolio.
“With The Chedi Katara, we hope to reinforce GHM’s reputation for exceptional service and showcase A Style to Remember to discerning guests with its unrivalled lifestyle experiences,” said GHM’s Chief Executive Officer, Tommy Lai. “We aim to introduce a new experience in ultra-luxury hospitality, reflective of the charms and dynamism of each property’s locale.”
Located in the heart of Katara Cultural Village, a 30-minute drive from Hamad International Airport, The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort is close to theatres, concert halls, exhibition galleries, mosques, restaurants, shops, a park, and an open amphitheatre.
Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort named Morton Johnston as the general manager of the 91-key resort that features 59 rooms and suites and 32 villas. Located along a dramatic 300-metre shoreline, The Chedi Katara offers guests a fully serviced private beach.
The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort is the latest addition to GHM’s portfolio of 11 properties and a pipeline of five projects in the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The Chedi El Gouna, Red Sea, Egypt, an upcoming beachfront resort, is scheduled to open next month.
SINGAPORE, 22 November 2022:Spain is full of charming villages, especially in rural areas. These postcard places encourage you to get lost in their small streets, discover their architectural treasures and enjoy their people’s welcoming atmosphere and traditions. With more than 8,000 towns, it would be impossible to name them all,
In the heart of La Alpujarra and within the Sierra Nevada National Park, this small village in Granada province is 1,500 metres above sea level, with spectacular views of the Poqueira gorge and the peaks of Cerro Mulhacén and Pichacho Veleta from its viewpoints. The town is notable for its traditional whitewashed Andalusian houses and several heritage buildings, such as the church of Nuestra Señora de la Cabeza and the Pedro Antonio de Alarcón museum house.
Albarracín, Teruel
Albarracín, Aragon
This unique place, nominated as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, is 1,182 metres high. The typically reddish houses in the old part of this town create narrow streets that frequently open up to improvised viewpoints where you can see the landscape. The village of Albarracín has been built on the side of a mountain, and its peculiar hanging houses look out over the Gualaviar river, which almost completely surrounds the town. The protected landscape of the Pinares de Rodeno and several areas of cave paintings surround the town.
This town is situated inside one of the largest volcanic craters in the Canary Islands. It is notable for its spectacular scenery, including Roque Nublo, one of the symbols of Gran Canaria. This is a monolith that was created during the volcanic processes that took place on the island. Just a few kilometres from here is Roque Bentayga, a larger natural monument that was once a sacred place for the native people of the Canary Islands. Its natural beauty combines the historical aesthetics of its white buildings and traditional roofs to make Tejeda one of the places where the aesthetics of the Canary Island villages are preserved.
This village contains valuable classicist architecture from the 17th and 18th centuries and is located at the foot of two small hills: Marimón and Cotillamón, commonly known as “Las Tetas de Liérganes”. Its old town, known as “El mercadillo”, has vernacular mansions, palaces and churches. It also has a famous spa, which uses water from the Miera river.
Plaza Mayor in Almagro, Ciudad Real
Almagro, Castilla – La Mancha
The history of this city, whose Arabic name alludes to the red clay used to construct some of the buildings, is tied to the theatre. The Corral de Comedias is the only theatrical courtyard that has remained intact and active, providing interesting dramatised tours since the early 17th century. It is worth visiting the National Theatre Museum and attending the International Classical Theatre Festival, which attracts hundreds of tourists every year. The Plaza Mayor is also exceptional and is one of the most beautiful squares in Spain, with its columns and green-painted windows.
Frías, Burgos
Frías, Castilla y León
Situated on a rock on the edge of the Ebro river, Frías is the smallest village in Spain. The village is outlined by the Humión peak, the tallest in the Montes Obarenes Nature Reserve. Its architecture mixes Roman and Medieval elements, most notably on Los Velasco castle and the church of San Vicente Martír. In between these buildings, hanging houses crowd together.
Despite being only 50 kilometres from the capital city, Chinchón is one of the most picturesque villages in the region. Its Plaza Mayor, with its irregular shape and medieval style, with its urban landscape of intricate alleyways and clusters of houses grouped on hills, makes it an essential trip. Its most notable tourist attractions include the church of Nuestra Señora de La Asunción, with a Goya canvas in pride of place over the main altar, the Clock Tower, the Lope de Vega Theatre, and the castle of Los Condes. The monastery of San Agustín and the convent of Las Clarisas.
Did you like these villages? Click here to see many more beautiful villages all over Spain. (Your Stories: Turespaña)
SINGAPORE, 22 November, 2022: The newly-refurbished Diamond Princess welcomed guests onboard on 20 November for its inaugural sailing from its new homeport, San Diego in California, USA. This sailing milestone completes the Princess Cruises’ 15-ship fleet’s return to service.
For its first sailing, Diamond Princess offers a seven-night cruise to Mexico that includes visits to Cabo San Lucas, La Paz and Loreto before returning to San Diego on 27 November, after which the ship sails a unique 20-day cruise to Central America, roundtrip from San Diego. This cruise features visits to several ports in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Guatemala, including Manzanillo, Puntarenas, Panama City and Puerto Quetzal.
Diamond Princessis offering a series of new cruise itineraries ranging from five- to 16-days and calling at ports along the Mexican Riviera, California Coast, and the Hawaiian Islands through February 2023.
“Whether you’re looking for four-, five- or seven-day convenient West Coast (USA) vacations, or vacations that extend to Hawaiian or South Pacific, Princess Cruises has you covered at incredible values,” said Princess Cruises president John Padgett.
Diamond Princess delivers the ultimate in effortless, personalised cruising featuring the world-class dining and entertainment the cruise line is renowned for, all elevated with the Princess MedallionClass Experience. All Princess ships feature the Princess Medallion that enables everything from expedited contactless boarding to locating loved ones anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced service like having whatever guests need delivered directly to them, wherever they are on the ship. In addition, guests can share their favourite cruise moments using MedallionNet, stay connected with friends and family back home, work remotely anywhere on the ship, quickly post content and stream favourite movies and shows.
Diamond Princess features the largest open-air Japanese bath at sea – an 8,800 sq. ft bath and garden complex offering indoor and outdoor Japanese bathing experiences, including steam rooms, saunas and hot tubs with spectacular ocean vistas. Guests can experience Diamond’s distinctly Japanese offerings, such as Kai Sushi, an authentic sushi bar, and various other dining options while enjoying the warm, welcoming service synonymous with Princess.
CHIANG MAI, 22 November 2022: AirAsia will add a new route, ‘Chiang Mai-Singapore’, effective 1 February 2023, flying every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The latest route brings even more options to the already popular city of Chiang Mai, where both domestic and international routes are resuming. AirAsia will deploy four aircraft to its Chiang Mai hub to meet strong travel demand growth during December and into the first quarter of 2023.
AirAsia Thailand chief executive officer Santisuk Klongchaiya confirmed in the airline’s announcement, “travel demand is increasing, and AirAsia is introducing a variety of new routes, focusing on international journeys to help boost the economy. Our latest addition, Chiang Mai-Singapore, will make AirAsia the provider of convenient travel to Singapore as it will be flying Don Mueang-Singapore three times daily, Phuket-Singapore once daily, and Chiang Mai-Singapore four times a week.”
Marking the introduction of Chiang Mai-Singapore, AirAsia is offering the “Endless Colors of Singapore” promotion. AirAsia members can fly the route for only THB3,390 one-way, while non-members will pay THB 3,430. Bookings for the special fare are open until 4 December 2022 for travel from 1 February 2023 only through the AirAsia Super App.
AirAsia’s Chiang Mai flight base will see its fleet grow to four aircraft this December, nearing its size before the Covid-19 pandemic. The base currently serves eight domestic routes from Chiang Mai to Bangkok (Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi), Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, Khon Kaen and Hua Hin, and five international routes from Chiang Mai to Hanoi and Danang, in Vietnam, Taipei, Taiwan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the latest addition Singapore.
SINGAPORE, 22 November 2022: Expedia has unveiled 2023 travel trends across Expedia and the broader travel industry sourced from the company’s first-party data and research of thousands of travellers and industry professionals across 17 countries.
The trends prove there will be no “one-size-fits-all” travel in 2023. Instead, these trends point to a year defined by the “no-normal.”
Edinburgh, Scotland.
“When we look at Expedia data, we see a detailed and robust picture of travel into 2023,” said Expedia Brands president Jon Gieselman
“We’re seeing a surge in trips to culture capitals and TV shows playing a role in tourism — not a new normal but people branching out to unexpected trends in what we’re calling the ‘no normal.”
Unexpected Travel Trends in 2023
Set-Jetters
Booking a trip after binging a popular new series will become serious business in 2023. Expedia research confirms that streaming movies and TV shows have influenced Singaporeans’ travel decision-making, with 35% admitting that the influence had increased in the last 12 months.
Nearly one in four (23%) say that watching a series or movie is most likely to pique their interest in travelling to that destination – more than social media influencers (16%).
In Singapore, more than three-quarters (76%) of travellers considered visiting a destination after seeing it on a show or movie on a streaming platform, and one in two made a booking.
Shows or movies set in outdoor destinations with mind-blowing landscapes (41%) and beach destinations (40%) were found to impact Singaporeans’ travel destination decisions the most.
Japan (40%) and South Korea (39%) are the top two destinations Singaporeans consider visiting with the influence of popular Asian series and movies featured in the scenic destinations.
Culture Capitals
National parks and rural retreats had big moments in the past two years. Now, it’s time for cities to see a comeback. Based on traveller demand, most destinations seeing the largest increases are all culture-rich cities where art and culture festivities are getting back to full swing.
Top city choices
Edinburgh, Scotland
Lisbon, Portugal
Tokyo, Japan
Dublin, Ireland
New York, USA
Sydney, Australia
Dubai, UAE
Montreal, Canada
Munich, Germany
Bangkok, Thailand
With Singapore travellers drawing inspiration from their favourite streamed content, culture capitals that feature the backdrop of popular streamed TV shows and movies top the list of popular destinations Singaporeans are looking towards for travel in 2023.
Top 10 Popular Destinations for Travel in 2023
Bangkok, Thailand
Tokyo, Japan
Seoul, South Korea
Bali, Indonesia
Maldives
Hokkaido, Japan
Phuket, Thailand
London, United Kingdom
Paris, France
Johor, Malaysia
For travellers looking beyond the small screens for inspiration, consider the following trending destinations for travel in 2023:
Top 10 Trending Destinations for Singapore Travellers
Danang, Vietnam
Pahang, Malaysia
Lucerne, Switzerland
Langkawi, Malaysia
Brisbane, Australia
Perth, Australia
Hanoi, Vietnam
Krabi, Thailand
Busan, South Korea
Jeju Island, South Korea
For the full industry report on insights and actions for travel partners, download the Traveller Value Index 2023.
For the full consumer report on The No-Normal; Unexpected Travel Trends in 2023, visit here.
DELHI, 22 November 2022: India’s Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia inaugurated the Gwalior-Mumbai-Gwalior flights last week
He said the direct route from Mumbai to Gwalior would “enhance connectivity and promote trade, commerce, and tourism between the two cities.”
Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia
He described Gwalior as a “storehouse of history and culture”, noting the inauguration of direct flights from the commercial capital of Mumbai would support the Prime Minister’s vision of connecting every corner of the country through air services.
In addition to its historical and cultural attractions, Gwalior can develop into an industrial hub in its own right. The minister explained that the new air route will provide a time-saving travel option to citizens and promote new employment opportunities.
IndiGo and SpiceJet provide nonstop flights from Mumbai with a flight time of two hours and five minutes.
In addition, there are flights to Gwalior from Bengaluru on SpiceJet with a flight time of three hours and from Delhi on IndiGo with a flight time of one hour.
Gwalior is a city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It’s known for its palaces and temples, including the Sas Bahu Ka Mandir intricately carved Hindu temple. Ancient Gwalior Fort occupies a sandstone plateau overlooking the city and is accessed via a winding road lined with sacred Jain statues. Within the fort’s high walls is the 15th-century Gujari Mahal Palace, now an archaeological museum.
The best time to visit the city is from October to March, when the temperature ranges from a maximum of 21 degrees Celsius to a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius.
The flights will operate under the following schedule:
HONG KONG, 22 November 2022: Following the Hong Kong SAR Government’s lifting of quarantine requirements for arrivals entering Hong Kong at the end of September, travel sentiment out of Hong Kong improved significantly in October, according to Cathay Pacific’s traffic figures for October 2022.
The airline’s chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam said: “Demand for the first half of October mainly stemmed from flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul. We then saw a surge in demand for travel to Japan when its quarantine requirements for arrivals were relaxed on 11 October.
Looking ahead at the remainder of 2022, Lam noted that the airline group has already announced the addition of about 3,000 passenger flight sectors from October until the end of December this year and is on track to achieve its target of operating up to one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity levels by the end of 2022. Travel demand for the rest of 2022 continues to improve and is promising for the Christmas holiday season.
Cathay Pacific released its traffic figures for October 2022 at the end of last week. The airline carried 400,909 passengers last month, an increase of 424.5% compared with October 2021 but an 85.4% decrease compared with the pre-pandemic level in October 2019. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 416.6% year-on-year but were down 80.1% versus October 2019. Passenger load factor increased by 44 percentage points to 73.6%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased by 108% year-on-year but decreased by 79% compared with October 2019 levels. In the first 10 months of 2022, passengers carried increased by 166% against a 20.4% increase in capacity and a 167.8% increase in RPKs, compared with the same period for 2021.
Travel trends
Lam noted that demand during the first half of October was driven mainly by flights to Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul, followed by a surge in demand for travel to Japan when its quarantine requirements for arrivals relaxed on 11 October.
“We increased our regional flight frequencies, particularly to Japan destinations, in October. Last month, we also resumed services to Madrid, Milan, Bengaluru, Dubai and Kathmandu. More destinations and increased flight frequencies meant more choices and better connectivity for our customers at the Hong Kong aviation hub.
“Overall, in October, passenger flight capacity increased 32% compared with September, and we operated 21% of our pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity levels. Passenger numbers increased to nearly 13,000 per day, up from over 8,800 in September, and the load factor reached about 74%.
“Earlier this year, we said that we were targeting to be operating cash generative from August onwards. Since then, Hong Kong has made further adjustments to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. As such, our expectation is that the second half of 2022 will be operating cash generative overall.
“At the same time, our second-half 2022 results for our airlines and subsidiaries are expected to see a marked improvement over our first-half 2022 results, although still a loss overall for the full year of 2022. “
Looking further ahead, Lam said: “Earlier this week, the group – comprising passenger airlines Cathay Pacific and HK Express – announced that it anticipates it will be operating around 70% of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity by the end of 2023, to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2024, ahead of the Asia-Pacific traffic forecast issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).”
BUSAN, 21 November 2022: Busan, a global city known for its excellent MICE infrastructure and abundant tourism resources, continues to double down on its efforts to win the right to host the World Expo 2030, scheduled to be held from May 1 to October 31, 2030.
Leading Korean companies and citizens have joined Busan’s efforts to win the bid and demonstrate the city’s capabilities as an expo host. If Busan is selected as the venue for the World Expo 2030, the city will use the slogan “Transforming the world, navigating toward a better future” to promote achievements in science and technology and other industries, present a new vision for the future, and introduce the diverse attractions of Busan on the international stage.
Busan’s Bid to Host the World Expo 2030
The World Expo, an event accredited by the Bureau International des Expositions, serves as an arena for global dialogue promoting collaboration between nations and companies. Likened to an “Olympics of economy and culture,” the event celebrates humanity’s achievements in industry, education, science, and technology while showcasing the merits of the host country. World expos are categorized based on their theme and duration as a “Registered (Comprehensive) Exposition” or a “Recognized (Specialized) Exposition.” Korea has already hosted a Recognized Exposition, which must be held under a specific theme for up to three months, in Yeosu and Daejeon.
A Registered Exposition is a large-scale event held every five years and features exhibitions with a wide range of themes representing diverse fields, which in turn contribute to the advancement of humankind around the world. If Busan is selected as the host of the World Expo 2030, it will create an opportunity for people from all over the world to gather together in Busan, experience and spread K-contents through cultural exchanges, and showcase the potential of the Korean people.
Source: Busan Tourism Organization
Should Busan be selected as the host of the World Expo 2030, approximately 50.5 million visitors from more than 200 countries are expected to flock to the city, creating a large and enduring ripple effect that will surely change the future of Busan. In fact, many other cities have been reborn as global economic powerhouses following the successful hosting of a World Expo. For example, after hosting the World Expo 2020, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates became even more widely recognized than the nation’s capital, Abu Dhabi. Through the bidding process, and hopefully, through the hosting of the expo, Busan will similarly be able to fortify its position as a global maritime city and secure immense economic growth.
Efforts Being Made for World Expo 2030
Source: Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Tourism Organization
In recent years, Korea has been passionately working hard to win its bid as the host of the World Expo 2030. The Korean government designated the campaign to win the World Expo bid as a national project and has been providing active support for campaign activities at the government level. The global K-Pop group, BTS, was appointed as the official ambassador for World Expo 2030 Busan, and they held a concert last October in Busan as a part of their promotional activities. Fans from all corners of the world gathered in Busan, stirring up heated enthusiasm for the expo bid. Active efforts are being made not only in Korea but also abroad. LG is playing promotional videos supporting Busan’s bid to host the World Expo on billboards in New York Times Square and Piccadilly Square in the UK. During the London Royal Docks Festival, the Korea Tourism Organization set up a PR booth where they distributed brochures and devoted their focus to helping Busan win its bid as a host.
The Busan Tourism Organization has also been making every effort to support Busan’s campaign for expo host. During the International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly 2022 and other MICE events, the BTO placed posters to inform international attendees about the bid, drawing favourable responses. Additionally, the organization placed banners and placards around Taejongdae Resort Park and made decorative magnets using Busan’s mascot, “Boogi,” which were given to MICE event participants and key decision makers, as part of the organization’s dedicated support of promoting Busan as the host of the World Expo 2030.
If Busan is selected as the host of World Expo 2030, the expo will be the first Registered Exposition to ever take place in Korea. Many Koreans nationwide are hopeful that Busan will be able to win the bid, bringing people from all over the world together in Korea’s top maritime city. As a result, many exchanges are expected to be made for the realization of a sustainable future that will go far beyond impacting Busan to positively influencing the whole of humanity.
BANGKOK, 21 November 2022: Emirates multi-award-winning inflight entertainment system ice won’t be letting football fans down this winter, as all FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ matches will be aired live on Sport 24 onboard the aircraft, as well as in the A380 onboard lounges, and across dedicated Emirates airport lounges – ensuring fans don’t miss a moment of the action.
The FIFA World Cup kicked off on 20 November, with the final scheduled for 18 December.
More than 200 Emirates aircraft are equipped with live TV, featuring dedicated sports channels – Sport 24 and Sport 24 Extra. Kicking off on 20 November, Emirates passengers will be able to watch all FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ on Sport 24 via ice, including the highly anticipated final on 18 December.
On Sport 24, fans can also watch live matches from the Premier League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, and the Asian Football Championship. Sport 24 also airs top international sporting events, including the upcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup, International Cricket Council Men’s T20 World Cup, the Olympic Games, National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), major golf championships, tennis grand slams plus sailing, horse-racing, and motorsports. Passengers can view full match schedules in advance and plan their viewing at https://www.emirates.com
HONG KONG, 21 November 2022: AirAsia will increase flights from cities in Southeast Asia to Hong Kong starting in December, despite some Covid-19 travel rules that still deter leisure travel.
Flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok (Don Mueang) will be increased to four times weekly starting from 15 December, while the Hong Kong – Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong – Manila routes will be served by three weekly fights each.
Fares from Hong Kong to popular destinations in Southeast Asia start as low as HKD672/MYR395, via AirAsia’s network to holiday destinations such as Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Singapore, Bali and many more.
The special promotion is valid until 27 November 2022, with the travel period open from 1 January until 30 April 2023.
As the AirAsia Group increases its services to Hong Kong, guests with AirAsia flight bookings to and from Hong Kong for the period up until 17 December 2022 will be able to change their flights at no charge via the AirAsia Super App and website. New flight dates can be selected until 31 December 2022, providing greater flexibility and convenience.
Since 26 September, travellers entering Hong Kong are not required to undergo compulsory quarantine but under medical surveillance for three days, subject to Amber Code restrictions under Vaccine Pass. Guests are advised to check the conditions and requirements imposed by the authorities before departing.
