KUALA LUMPUR, 10 November 2022: AirAsia will launch a new route connecting travellers from Penang to Phnom Penh, starting 10 December 2022.
The new route will boost AirAsia’s connectivity within ASEAN and allow for seamless travel between Cambodia and Penang, which is AirAsia’s third-largest hub in West Malaysia.
Following the inaugural flight in December, the airline will offer twice weekly flights initially. AirAsia’s Penang hub is expanding following the introduction of a Bali service on 20 October.
To celebrate the new flight to Cambodia, AirAsia rewards members can grab value fares for MYR179* one way or MYR428* return for the travel period 10 December 2022 to 25 March 2023 via AirAsia Super App or website. The sale period closes on 27 November 2022.
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “We’re thrilled to launch this new route to Phnom Penh from another important hub of ours in Malaysia – Penang. Following our flight resumption to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia from Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, this new route further reinforces the popularity and demand for tourism to and from Cambodia.”
*Terms and conditions apply
*This promo price is only valid for AirAsia rewards members
HONG KONG, 10 November 2022: The Cathay Pacific Group announces senior leadership appointments over the next few months, including the top post of chief executive officer, effective 1 January 2023.
Incumbent chief executive officer Augustus Tang will retire end of December and will be replaced by Ronald Lam, who will take over the top post effective 1 January 2023.
Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific Group chief executive officer-designate.
Tang will assume a new role at John Swire & Sons (HK) Ltd, effective 1 January 2023. Lam is currently the chief customer and commercial officer. He will continue to serve as chair of HK Express.
Senior management appointments
Lavinia Lau, director of customer travel, will be appointed chief customer and commercial officer, replacing Lam, and will also be appointed executive director on the board of Cathay Pacific effective 1 January 2023.
Greg Hughes, chief operations and service delivery officer since June 2017, will retire from the Swire Group after 36 years of service in 2023.
Alex McGowan, director service delivery, will be appointed chief operations and service delivery officer and an executive director on the board of Cathay Pacific effective 1 April 2023 upon Hughes’ retirement from the board. McGowan will also be appointed chair of Cathay Pacific’s wholly-owned all-cargo airline, Air Hong Kong, replacing Hughes.
Other changes
Erica Peng, currently general manager planning at Cathay Pacific, will succeed Lau as director customer travel effective 1 January 2023.
Mandy Ng, currently chief executive officer of the Cathay Pacific Group’s wholly owned low-cost carrier HK Express, will return to Cathay Pacific and succeed McGowan as director service delivery effective 1 April 2023.
Jeanette Mao, currently general manager inflight services at Cathay Pacific, will succeed Ng as HK Express chief executive officer effective 1 April 2023.
SINGAPORE, 10 November 2022: Life for Singapore’s ship spotters took a turn for the better during the year’s second half as cruises made a comeback in Southeast Asia.
Enthusiastic spotters shot snaps of Viking Orion earlier this week on an overnight stop at the Singapore Cruise Centre, while Facebook posts heralded the return of Viking Ocean Cruises Asia.
Photo credit Singapore Cruise Society
According to the Singapore Cruise Society, Viking Orion is now sailing north to Laem Chabang port in the Gulf of Thailand, bringing to a close its first intercontinental cruise featuring Asia in more than two years. It will dock at Thailand’s principal cruise port 100 km south of Bangkok.
Viking Orion marking its return to Asia this week, completed a 27-night cruise that started in Honolulu, Hawaii and featured five countries – the US, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Fares for the cruise started around AUS6,799, with the cruise line saying the focus is on gaining more port days and fewer days at sea. The inaugural cruise post-Covid-19 sailing explored coastal cities in Australia, Cairns and Darwin before visiting Thursday Island, Singapore and Bangkok.
It was a busy week at the Singapore Cruise Terminal, according to the Singapore Cruise Society’s Facebook post that monitored Ocean Odyssey sailing’ under the Vantage Deluxe World Travel owners’ flag. The vessel concluded its “delivery voyage” when it docked in Singapore on Tuesday, arriving from Manila, Philippines, after leaving the shipyard in China.
The Ocean Odyssey and her Infinity-class sister ships share a distinctive Ulstein X-Bow, a design that gives smaller ships a smoother ride and better fuel economy.
Ocean Odyssey has a capacity for 134 passengers in 77 standard cabins and 15 cabins specifically designed for solo travellers. It will spend its inaugural season 2023 in Asia, sailing expedition cruises to Indonesia and Australia.
The Wild Landscapes of Indonesia & Australia – 2023 sailings are home-ported out of Singapore. The 22-night cruise features port of calls in Pulau Lengkuas/Belitung Islands, Kumai/Kalimantan, Karimun/Kura Kura, Semarang, Madura, Probolinggo, Celukan Bawang/Lovina Beach, Benoa, Gili Islands, Badas, Rinca/Komodo, Sumba, Sawu, Ende, Lembata, Kalabahi, Kisar and Darwin Australia. The cruise has a starting price tag of USD17,999 or USD666 a day and features 42 land tours in Indonesia and northern Australia.
Photo credit: Singapore Cruise Society.
The five-star Ocean Odyssey follows the launch of Ocean Explorer in 2020.
“We couldn’t be more excited to build on the success of the Ocean Explorer with the Ocean Odyssey,” said Vantage Deluxe World Travel chairman Henry Lewis. “Our travellers want an intimate, enriching experience where they can truly absorb history and culture with fewer guests and a better staff-to-guest ratio. The Ocean Odyssey will cater to those who appreciate relaxed refinement, unparalleled cultural enrichment, and unique adventures.”
The return of cruise ships to Singapore started earlier this year, with a steady rise in the daily port of calls since July.
A report by the US Department of Commerce International Trade Administration released at the end of September noted that many cruise operators had announced the resumption of port calls in Southeast Asia, and cruise bookings are steadily increasing. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) expects Singapore’s cruise industry to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
Between 2010 and 2019, Singapore’s cruise industry contributed USD530 million to Singapore’s economy, attracting more than 1.2 million people in 2016 alone. Singapore was one of the top destinations for port calls before the pandemic due to its strategic location as a gateway to tourist destinations in Southeast Asia. It is relatively close to more than 25,000 islands, including Bali, Langkawi, Phuket and 37 UNESCO World Heritage sites, the US Department of Commerce reported noted.
“The outlook for the cruise industry looks positive, with revenue from the cruise industry projected to reach US$239.1 million in 2022. That is a good sign compared to the previous two years during the global pandemic. With an expected annual growth rate of 13.86%, the market volume should grow to USD401.80 million by 2026,” the US Department of Commerce specialist Chan Yiu Kei concluded.
SINGAPORE, 9 November 2022: ForwardKeys, which has the world’s largest database of flight tickets, has revealed the performance of the top global destinations of 2022 in an extensive review of the year.
The country list is headed by the Dominican Republic, and the city list by Antalya in Turkey. Both destinations are set to welcome more guests than in 2019, the pre-Covid-19 era.
According to the latest available air ticketing data (combining arrivals up to 18 October with bookings to the end of the year), the Dominican Republic is set to welcome 5% more visitors than it did in 2019.
It is followed by Turkey, Costa Rica and Mexico, which will welcome the same number of visitors. They are followed by Jamaica and Pakistan, 5% down, then Bangladesh, 8% down, Greece, 12% down, Egypt, 15% down, Portugal, 16% down, and the UAE, 17% down.
The 20 best performers are shown in the table below. (An expanded list with additional regional and industry-wide insights can be downloaded in a detailed report from the ForwardKeys website here.
The strong representation of Central American and Caribbean destinations towards the top of the list reflects the relative strength of the US outbound market and the approach taken by many highly tourism-dependent countries in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. Throughout the pandemic, they imposed less severe Covid-19 travel restrictions than elsewhere and, in doing so, maintained their visitor economies. As the year has progressed, they have consolidated their leadership position and begun to exceed pre-pandemic volumes.
Alongside the ranking, ForwardKeys identified several major trends that have characterised travel in 2022. The strongest is recovery, as pandemic-related travel restrictions have been progressively relaxed and pent-up demand to travel has been released, helped by a recent revival in business travel and major global events such as the World Expo in Dubai and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
However, recovery could have been smoother. Initially, the highly virulent Omicron variant caused great concern and the reimposition of travel restrictions at the start of the year. Another factor stalling recovery was staff shortages, which resulted in chaotic scenes in airports before the start of the summer season.
Although Russia’s invasion of Ukraine massively impacted travel to and from Russia, as numerous countries imposed bans on direct flights, it has not caused long-haul travel to Europe to decline as much as might have been expected before the pandemic. Travel to Southern Europe, especially to Greece, down 12%, Portugal, down 16%, and Turkey, flat, and to Iceland, down 14%, are set to hold up well. However,
ForwardKeys expects that second-order consequences of the war, such as rising fuel prices and inflation, will have a delaying effect on travel recovery.
The Asia Pacific region, which has been characterised by stiffer travel restrictions, most notably in China with its Zero Covid policy, has started to recover. There, people travelling to visit friends and relatives is the main driver, with Pakistan and Bangladesh just 5% and 8% down on 2019 levels. Leisure travel to the Maldives, down 7%, and Fiji, down 22%, both tropical island paradises, are set to hold up well.
Consumer demand for beach holidays has led the revival, with business travel and city tourism lagging until the start of the autumn. There has also been a trend towards travel in premium cabins, partly fuelled by so-called “revenge travel”, which has seen consumers spending more on value-added travel services. That syndrome, plus the increasing fuel cost, has driven a strong increase in fares.
Among top destination cities, the best performer is Antalya, the largest city on the Turkish riviera, which is set to welcome 66% more visitors than it did in the equivalent period in 2019. It is followed by San Jose Cabo (MX), up 21%, Puerto Vallarta (MX), up 13%, Punta Cana (DO), up 12%, San Salvador (SV), up 10%, Cancun (MX), up 9%, Lahore (PK), up 4%, Aruba (AW), up 3%, Montego Bay (JM), flat, and Islamabad (PK), down 1%.
The extraordinary performance of Antalya has been helped by a few factors, most notably the Turkish lira’s weakness and the Turkish government’s policy to remain relatively open to tourism during the pandemic and to continue welcoming Russian visitors.
ForwardKeys VP Insights Olivier Ponti said: “Looking at the world on a regional basis, one must admire Caribbean countries for their early efforts to sustain visitor arrivals in the face of the pandemic and their continued growth in an increasingly competitive travel landscape. The Middle East also stands out, as it has helped to accelerate its recovery by hosting major global events such as the Dubai World Expo, Formula One grand Prix in various Gulf locations and, above all, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Gulf has also seen a relatively robust comeback in business travel, a segment whose recent revival has come as a surprise to many.”
MANILA, 9 November 2022: Regional travel fairs are garnering record sales leads and results according to the latest assessment by the Tourism Promotion Board as the Philippines tourism industry embarks on recovery.
Just weeks after a successful turnout at the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) 2022, TPB registered record-breaking sales estimated at PHP83 million during the 10th Regional Travel Fair (RTF) held from 27 to 30 October 2022 in Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
Photo credit: TPB
The annual regional travel fairs are organised by the TPB, the marketing and promotions arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT). This year’s 8th and 9th Regional Travel Fairs generated an increase of PHP45,452,000 (120%) and PHP27,360,000 (49%), respectively. Strong sale trends continued with the 10th RTF last week.
“For the 10th Regional Travel Fair, we focused on Calabarzon, a region that has shown meaningful resilience throughout the crucial times in our country’s development,” said DOT Undersecretary Atty. Mae Elaine Bathan. She presented the keynote speech at the event on behalf of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
The Regional Travel Fairs began in 2018 to sell domestic tour packages by showcasing the rich culture, heritage and products the host regions offered with the support and backing of DOT’s regional offices, local government units and private stakeholders.
TPB chief operating officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles noted: “All of these initiatives aim to revitalise the tourism industry in the country and introduce innovations and ideas that not only transform but also enhance the entire travel experience.”
The four-day hybrid edition of the RTF featuring “#DiscoverCALABARZON” commenced with a half-day onsite and online tourism forum on best practices in tourism operations. It was followed by a full day of face-to-face business-to-business sessions with 48 sellers from within region IV-A and 47 buyers and 27 Sellers/Exhibitors from elsewhere in the Philippines.
The 10th Regional Travel Fair was organised in partnership with the Department of Tourism Region IV-A and Ayala Malls in cooperation with the Provinces of Calabarazon, Technopark Hotel and Cebu Pacific Air.
SINGAPORE, 9 November 2022: SMiZE Cream, the super-premium ice cream with an edible surprise in every cup from iconic supermodel and super businesswoman Tyra Banks, will soon be available on all 15 Princess MedallionClass ships.
Launched by Banks in 2020 as a fun and innovative ice cream brand that features unique flavours and one-of-a-kind packaging, SMiZE Cream is available in luxe-meet-fun flavours like: “Brownies, I Love You”, “Caramel Cookie Queen”, “Strawberry BirthYAY! Cake”, “Purple Cookie Mon-Star & Me”, “Salted Caramel King” and “The Best Vanilla I Ever Had.” And strategically located at the bottom of every luxurious serving is the SMiZE SURPRiZE, a yummy reward after some serious digging.
Each ice cream flavour is served in limited-edition, individually packaged servings, complete with a unique augmented reality (AR) activation per ice cream flavour that happens right on the cup.
“When I set out to create an ice cream company, I had big dreams, but I’ll admit that SMiZE Cream being able to be enjoyed at sea aboard Princess Cruises truly exceeds my dreams,” said Banks. “Our ice cream won’t just be on one cruise – it will be on the entire fleet, so my team and I are super pumped! As an entrepreneur, innovation and going above and beyond to delight customers is everything to me, so the synergies with Princess’ stance on innovation and premium experiences are the perfect match. I can’t wait for Princess Cruise passengers to delight in luxe, fun, creamy and dreamy SMiZE Cream!”
Starting in mid-March, guests on Princess ships will be able to order SMiZE cups via the OceanNow delivery-on-demand experience.
“We’re thrilled to be working with a world-renowned personality like Tyra Banks to offer SMiZE Cream across our fleet — and there’s no doubt our guests will absolutely love this indulgent super-premium treat,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “There’s nothing sweeter knowing that with our exclusive OceanNow anywhere/anytime delivery, our guests will never have to wait in line for their favourite SMiZE Cream flavours.”
Princess delivers Princess MedallionClass Vacations which begins with the Medallion wearable, a quarter-sized device 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, the best Wi-Fi at sea, as well as stay connected with friends and family back home, work remotely anywhere on the ship, quickly post content and stream favourite movies and shows.
SINGAPORE, 9 November 2022: Recovery in air travel continues to be strong according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) passenger data for September 2022, released Monday.
Total traffic in September 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 57.0% compared to September 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 73.8% of September 2019 levels.
Domestic traffic for September 2022 was up 6.9% compared to the year-ago period. Total September 2022 domestic traffic stood at 81% of the September 2019 level.
International traffic climbed 122.2% versus September 2021. September 2022 international RPKs reached 69.9% of September 2019 levels. All markets reported strong growth, led by Asia-Pacific.
“Even with economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the demand for air transport continues to recover ground. The outlier is still China, pursuing a zero Covid strategy to keep borders closed and creating a demand roller coaster ride for its domestic market. September was down 46.4% from the previous year. That is in sharp contrast to the rest of Asia-Pacific, which, despite China’s dismal performance, posted a 464.8% increase for international traffic compared to the year-ago period,” said IATA’s director general Willie Walsh.
International Passenger Markets
Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 464.8% rise inSeptember traffic compared to September 2021, the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 165.3%, and the load factor was up 41.5 percentage points to 78.3%.
European carriers’ Septembertraffic climbed 78.3% versus September 2021. Capacity increased by 43.8%, and the load factor increased by 16.3 percentage points to 84.1%, the second highest among the regions.
Middle Eastern airlines posted a 149.7% traffic rise in September compared to September 2021. September capacity increased 63.5% versus the year-ago period, and the load factor climbed 27.6 percentage points to 80.0%.
North American carriers hada 128.9% traffic rise in September versus the 2021 period. Capacity increased 63.0%, and the load factor climbed 24.6 percentage points to 85.4%, the highest among the regions for a fourth consecutive month.
Latin American airlines’ September traffic rose 99.4% compared to the same month in 2021. September capacity climbed 73.7%, and the load factor increased 10.8 percentage points to 83.5%.
African airlines saw a90.5% rise in September RPKs versus a year ago. September 2022 capacity was up 47.2%, and the load factor climbed 16.7 percentage points to 73.6%, the lowest among regions.
The Bottom Line
“Strong demand is helping the industry cope with sky-high fuel prices. To support that demand in the long term, we must pay attention to what travellers tell us. After nearly three years of pandemic travel complexity, IATA’s 2022 Global Passenger Survey (GPS) shows that travellers want simplification and convenience. That’s an important message for airlines but also for airports and governments. They own many facilitation processes that let passengers down at key airports during this year’s northern summer travel season. According to the GPS, most passengers want to use biometric data rather than passports for border processes. And 93% of passengers are interested in trusted traveller programs to expedite security screening. Modernising the facilitation experience will not only help alleviate the choke points, but it will also create a better experience for all,” Walsh concluded.
BANGKOK, 9 November 2022: Chatrium Hospitality will open its newest hotel on 28 November 2022 with the unveiling of the Chatrium Grand Bangkok, located in the heart of the city’s prime shopping and business area.
Commenting on the opening of the new high-end property, Chatrium Hospitality managing director Savitri Ramyarupa said in a recent interview with TTRW that a return on investment would materialise in eight to 10 years.
Chatrium Hospitality’s Group General Manager Rene Balmer noted the new deluxe property’s competitor set included Kempinski Hotels, InterContinental, Plaza Athenee, the Park Hyatt and in certain markets due to location, the Centara Grand at Central World.
City Realty, the real estate arm of the Sophonpanich family, owns the 600 key development representing an investment of THB5.5 billion or approximately USD 330,000 per room.
With convenient access to Siam Paragon, a popular lifestyle mall, the property stands adjacent to Bangkok’s historic canal, Khlong Saen Saep and just a short walk from Siam BTS Skytrain station.
Accommodation comprises rooms starting at 46 sqm and rising to a spectacular 321 sqm penthouse that has already been booked for three years by a Japanese businessman. The property also offers a selection of one, two and three-bedroom residences.
Business professionals and meeting planners can take advantage of the high-tech function spaces capable of hosting events, from eight to 1,000 attendees, throughout its multiple spaces. A 500 sqm pillar-free Grand Ballroom sets the stage for hosting corporate conferences and weddings.
Chatrium Hospitality operates 12 hotels, resorts and residences in three countries: Thailand, Japan and Myanmar. The collection comprises nine properties in Bangkok, including Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, one of the most recognisable landmarks on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
SINGAPORE, 9 November 2022: Albatros Expeditions took home the Gold Award in the environment category at the inaugural Meaningful Tourism Awards 2022.
The Meaningful Tourism Awards jury named 18 winners at a Singapore presentation last month.
Photo credit: Albatros Expeditions
Meaningful Tourism Centre, in the citation, said: “We are delighted to see how many stakeholders worldwide have started to create new approaches to tourism. They neither see the customer as king nor concentrate on short-term profit, and they are not treating environmental issues as the only concern which will create a positive future for the industry.”
This was the first edition of the Meaningful Tourism Award, which will, in the future, be organised annually.
Albatros Expeditions chief commercial officer Greg Carter noted that the award “highlighted Albatros’ team commitment to sustainability in every aspect of our (cruise) operations which is a testimony to their dedication over a tough couple of years.”
Established by Prof Dr Wolfgang Georg Arlt in 2021, the Meaningful Tourism Centre is based in Hamburg, Germany, with several regional representatives offering training and workshops for private and public organisations which see the need to move forward to a meaningful tourism business model.
Albatros Expeditions operates expedition cruises in some of the remotest regions worldwide from its home base in Copenhagen, Denmark. Operating for more than 35 years, the family-owned polar expedition company will welcome its newest vessel, the Ocean Albatros, in May 2023. A sister ship of Ocean Victory, it will sail both Arctic and Antarctic expeditions
BANGKOK, 9 November 2022: Emirates has appointed Mohammed Alwahedi as its new country manager for Thailand as demand picks up for inbound and outbound international travels.
Since 1 October 2022, international travellers to Thailand no longer need to show proof of vaccination or ATK test results. In addition, a longer stay is on offer, signalling the completion of the kingdom’s full reopening to international tourism.
Mohammed, whose appointment became effective in November, will oversee Emirates’ overall business in Thailand, including operations, and commercial strategies, while driving growth and strengthening Emirates’ footprint in Thailand.
He has worked with Emirates for seven years and was Manager for Vietnam before this his latest appointment.
Commenting on his appointment, Mohammed said: “I’m both honoured and very excited to be overseeing Emirates operations in Thailand. I look forward to working with our local team of dedicated and talented staff to ensure Emirates’ growth and continued success in the market.”
Emirates offers award-winning services to customers in all classes of travel. The airline has recently taken home three awards at the Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, including World’s Best Economy Class, World’s Best Economy Class Catering, and for the 17th consecutive time, World’s Best Inflight Entertainment. The awards are a testament to Emirates’ commitment to offering the very best customer experience in the sky.
Emirates has been flying to Thailand for over 32 years and currently offers 25 weekly flights from Bangkok to Dubai and 14 weekly flights from Phuket to Dubai as a hub to other international destinations worldwide.
Customers are encouraged to check their latest government travel guidelines and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination. For more information on entry requirements for international visitors and residents returning to Dubai visit: https://www.emirates.com/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/
