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Big savings on a Maldives holiday

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 11 October 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts is offering travellers remarkable savings of 40%, and a further 15% on top discount for CentaraThe1 members during the ‘Winter Escape Flash Sale’  at the Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives.

The offer only runs from 10 to 24 October and is valid for stays from 11 October to 22 December 2022.

Surrounded by the blue ocean of the South Ari Atoll and adorned with distinctive timbered walkways and colonial-style buildings, Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives is an ideal hideaway for couples and honeymooners, as well as a fun-filled destination for families.

 Accommodation features 112 spacious overwater villas and beach suites with ocean views. In addition to its luxurious design and pristine natural surroundings, Centara also offers extraordinary culinary experiences at its six on-site bars and restaurants.

Guests looking to book their dream island escape can save up to 40% during the Winter Escape Flash Sale period, which runs from 10 – 24 October 2022 and is valid for stays from 11 October – 22 December 2022. CentaraThe1 members are eligible for an additional 15% discount, while non-members can sign up for free at https://centara1card.com/signup to take advantage of these exciting privileges.

For further details on the Winter Escape Flash Sale, please visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/cirm/promotions.

Interested travellers can also contact Centara Hotels & Resorts for more information or assistance with bookings at [email protected] or (+960) 400 9999 / (+960) 400 9914/15/16

(Your Stories: Centara Hotels & Resorts)

Sabah supports community-based tourism

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 11 October 2022: The Community-Based Tourism Roadshow (CBTR) will return in November, bringing more international experts and participants to promote rural destination offerings.

Organised by the Sabah Tourism Board, this year’s CBTR opens at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) just one day ahead of the 6th World Tourism Conference (WTC).

The event will run for three days, starting 27 November 2022, and is expected to draw in about 3,000 domestic and international visitors.

Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who presided over the first CBTR 2022 main organising committee meeting, said that the upcoming roadshow is an opportunity for tour and rural tourism product operators to get together and discuss how to package rural destinations for new markets better.

“Our objective is not only to reach out to the locals but also to exhibit the tourism offerings of our rural areas to WTC delegates in the hopes of encouraging them to travel to these places during their time in Sabah.

“It is our aim that this time’s CBTR would offer our rural tourism operators the much-needed exposure and put our hidden attractions into the international market,” said Joniston, who is also assistant minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment.

The 6th WTC follows CBTR from 28 to 30 November at SICC. A total of 700 international and local participants are anticipated to attend the conference, which is jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.

The CBTR will be participated by 27 districts and 11 sub-districts; the various Ministries as well as government and private agencies; and tourism-related associations, among others.

The roadshow will exhibit and market new tourism products in each district and sub-district in Sabah in collaboration with district offices and registered district tourism associations.

It also intends to highlight the distinctiveness of Sabah culture, traditional food, and indigenous handicrafts.

In addition, there will be an international forum on community-based tourism featuring local speakers from neighbouring countries of Thailand and Indonesia.

Sabah’s community-based tourism concept has grown rapidly since its inception in 2014 with the pilot projects in Kiulu and Kadamaian. 

The Sabah Tourism Board has been instrumental in expanding the concept to other districts, resulting in several CBT operators receiving accolades and international recognition.

“Sabah now has more than 100 CBTs and is regarded as a pioneer of the initiative, with several states in the peninsula sending delegations to learn more about the concept,” said Joniston.

For more information, visit www.sabahtourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Dusit opens mountain resort

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 11 October 2022: Dusit International continues its expansion in China with the opening of Dusit Thani Tianmu Mountain, Hangzhou – the 11th Dusit-branded property in China.

The resort offers a package starting from CNY 999 (USD142) per night to mark the opening. It includes accommodation in a premier garden view room, daily breakfast for two, and a hot aromatherapy pool experience for two. Offer ends 31 December 2022.

Located at Tianmu Mountain, an area of natural beauty in Hangzhou city’s Lin’an District, the resort is a 60-minute car transfer from the city centre of Hangzhou and a 90-minute drive from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport. The high-speed rail station, which links with Shanghai, is a one-hour drive from the property.

The resort comprises 160 villas and guest rooms on the outskirts of the Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve – a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve renowned for its ancient towering trees, verdant valleys and mountain peaks, and pleasant weather year-round.

Guests can immerse themselves in nature with guided hikes of Tianmu Mountain and have an opportunity to learn about local culture and environmental sustainability by joining exclusive arts and crafts workshops at the Tianmu Mountain Nature Centre, which reflects

Tianmu Mountain’s rich history is the source of the finest ceramic glazed teacups dating back to the Tang Dynasty.

Thai Smile flies to Luang Prabang

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TTR WEEKLY
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VIENTIANE, Laos, 11 October 2022: Thai Smile Airways will launch direct daily flights from Bangkok to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang later this month.

Ground handling services confirmed the flight should commence on 30 October following last week’s introduction of a second daily flight from Bangkok to Vientiane to the Lao PDR capital. The airline now serves the Vientiane route with morning and afternoon flights.

THAI Airways International’s services to neighbouring Mekong Region countries (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) have been transferred to its daughter airline, Thai Smile.

Using a fleet of A320s, Thai Smile will fly daily to Luang Prabang departing Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport at 0845 (WE576) and arriving in Luang Prabang at 1020. The return flight (WE577) will depart Luang Prabang at 1120 and arrive in Bangkok at 1255. According to a web search, the cheapest roundtrip fare on Thai Smile is USD197. The flight time is one hour and 25 minutes. 

Thai AirAsia flies daily to Luang Prabang from its Don Mueang base quoting fares ranging from USD157 to USD220. Lao Aviation also flies daily on the Luang Prabang route using an ATR72.

Bangkok Airways will resume daily flights to Luang Prabang just one day after Thai Smile on 1 November from its Bangkok Suvarnabhumi base quoting a roundtrip fare starting at USD473. However, it uses the smaller 70-seat ATR72 plane taking two hours and 18 minutes to complete the flight. Pre-Covid, the airline scheduled three daily services to Luang Prabang.

HICAP returns to Singapore

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 11 October 2022: The Hotel Investment Conference the Asia Pacific will return for an ‘in-person’ event from 19 to 21 October 2022 at the Fairmont Singapore and Swissotel The Stanford.

C9 Hotelworks founder and managing director Bill Barnett will lead a mixed-Use Development – Maximizing Resort Development and Investment session during the three-day event that attracts global hotel investors.

According to C9 Hotelworks’ latest update, panellists for the session are Chris Anklin, regional VP of development, Hyatt, Guy Cooke, director of Strategy, WATG, Matt Holmes, vice president of development – SEAPR, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, James Mabbutt, development director, Mandarin Oriental, Lee Lin, group head of product strategy and development, Asset World Corporation.

HICAP was originally scheduled for 20 to 22 October 2021 at the Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford and was rescheduled to  October 2022 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

STB allies with tradeshow players

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 11 October 2022: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) has signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with key Meetings, Incentive, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) players.

The signing ceremony held last week alongside the launch of the Asia CEO Summit comes on the back of a strong MICE recovery following the reopening of Singapore’s borders last April.

Image by lifeforstock on Freepik.

The three partners are the Global MICE Sustainability Alliance, the Italian Exhibition Group and Comexposium, all key players in driving tradeshows and events in Singapore.

“The strategic alliance with Informa Markets and tradeshow ecosystem players supports our vision of becoming one of the most sustainable MICE destinations in the Asia-Pacific by 2030 or earlier,” said STB chief executive  Keith Tan.

“As Singapore’s MICE industry recovers strongly, our partnerships with IEG and Comexposium will boost the vibrancy of Singapore’s business events calendar and create new opportunities for our MICE industry.”

Global MICE Sustainability Alliance

This seven-party MoU aims to meet the growing demand for sustainable business travel by reducing waste and the carbon footprint of exhibitions involving key players in the tradeshow space such as Informa Markets, Constellar Venues, PICO World (Singapore), Cityneon Holdings, Kingsmen Exhibits and the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS). 

The alliance aims to set clear sustainability targets over the next six months for the identified pilot event – Food & Hotel Asia (FHA)-Food & Beverage 2024 and trial green initiatives there.

These efforts build on Singapore’s sustainability efforts under the Singapore Green Plan 2030 and are part of STB’s ambition for Singapore to be a top sustainable urban destination.

Italian Exhibition Group

IEG, one of the world’s leading exhibition organisers, and STB have signed a three-year MoU to expand the Italy-based company’s business in Southeast Asia. This includes establishing IEG’s Southeast Asia regional headquarters in Singapore by the end of 2023.

The new headquarters will be IEG’s first in Asia, leveraging Singapore’s position as a Global-Asia Node to strengthen its regional presence. Under the partnership, IEG and STB will also explore ways to develop and anchor events in Singapore.

As a start, IEG is acquiring two trade shows in the jewellery and food & beverage sectors from Conference & Exhibition Management Services (CEMS) – The Singapore International Jewelry Expo (SIJE); and Café Asia, Sweets & Bakes Asia and Restaurant Asia. The aim is to expand IEG and the trade shows’ presence in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Comexposium

Under this three-year MoU, leading global event organiser Comexposium will invest in Singapore by growing existing shows such as Milipol Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific’s largest homeland security event, and launching two anchor events – SILMO Singapore, a leading eyewear and lifestyle tradeshow held from 12 to 14 April 2023; and Vinexpo Asia, a major wine and spirits exhibition held from 23 to 25 May 2023. Both events are linked to established brands in Paris.

Send me a postcard

By
Sawapat Pimchaichon
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BANGKOK, 10 October 2022: The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office is promoting a social media campaign #MekongPostcard challenge! to inspire travellers to visit Mekong Region and encourage locals in GMS destinations to highlight their favourite hangouts and attractions.

MTCO represents the tourism interests of six countries that make up the Greater Mekong Sub-region. They are Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

All entries must feature their experience in the Mekong region with an English caption explaining what it is, hashtag #MekongPostCard, and tag @TourismMekong. Five winners will win a USD250 Visa Gift Card in a random draw. The campaign is open now until the end of October.

For more information, visit https://gleam.io/3iNip/mekongpostcard-giveaway?fbclid=IwAR0Nx7zNPfSq2b6CpOHHR8zS203HnkeEb9A_ATtu9gtniOz6GhhkfnV9DRc

World Tourism Conference in Sabah

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 10 October 2022: The 6th World Tourism Conference (WTC), jointly organised by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), will take place in Kota Kinabalu Sabah from 28 to 30 November 2022 at Sabah International Convention Centre.

Sabah last hosted this event in 2010, and the selection of Sabah again recognises the state government leadership in developing sustainable tourism.

The WTC theme, “Tourism Futures Reimagined”, aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform to champion tourism’s future and strategies while driving recovery and resilience in a post-pandemic world.

WTC will feature a line-up of world-renowned speakers in four sessions themed – Decoding Tourism Futures, Discovering Niche Opportunities, Redefining Tourism Success and Rebuilding Tourism Resilience and Readiness.

Around 700 international and local participants will convene in Sabah for the three-day event. Applications are currently open through the official UNWTO website and will be vetted by MOTAC.

“Sabah is expecting foreign dignitaries, tourism industry experts and WTC participants from all over the world to visit Sabah for this exclusive event.

Sabah Tourism Board as the strategic partner is working closely with MOTAC, Tourism Malaysia, and industry stakeholders to prepare and welcome these delegations,” Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman.

“Sabah is proud to host another big-scale international event as we are committed to being a key business events destination in this region. I am confident with our facilities, skills, talents and experience. The Sabah business events industry will flourish,” she added.

Over 1200 participants convened in Sabah for the 2nd Asia Park Congress last May, followed by The Malaysia Borneo Football Cup, Borneo Bird Festival, Borneo Safari and the WWF – Malaysia 50th Anniversary Conference.

For more information, visit www.sabahtourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Sarawak launches Umrah gateway

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUCHING, 10 October 2022: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) officially launched the Kuching Umrah* Gateway (KUG) initiative last week.

The initiative will provide direct flights to Saudi Arabia aviation gateways Jeddah and Medina from neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.

The KUG initiative is a collaborative effort between Sarawak Tourism Board and ATS Global Travel & Charter Sdn Bhd that will establish flights between the Middle East and Sarawak.

It will boost Sarawak’s tourism industry by opening up to new markets and positioning Kuching as a stopover point for Umrah travellers from nearby countries such as Kalimantan, Brunei and Southern Philippines, where more than 30 million Muslims live. 

A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between Sarawak Tourism Board and ATS Global Travel & Charter and witnessed by YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), Hii Chang Kee, Permanent Secretary of MTCP and Dato’ A. Aziz Bin Ahmad, Chairman of ATS Global Travel & Charter Sdn Bhd.

“We are confident that Kuching being an Umrah Hub, will further enhance Sarawak’s tourism economy by creating more job opportunities and increasing tourist spending while benefitting the eatery outlets and retail sectors. Other sectors that would also benefit from this initiative include hotels, homestays, travel agents, airlines and other passenger transport services,” said Abdul Karim.

“With a projection of over 230,000 visitor arrivals within six years through KUG, I strongly believe that this is an urgent call for Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB) to look into expanding KIA (Kuching International Airport) to meet the growing demand of visitors’ traffic,” he added.

ATS Global Travel & Charter Chairman Dato A. Aziz Ahmad said: “ATS is happy to support in bringing the vision of the Sarawak government to turn Kuching into an Umrah gateway hub that will attract more visitor arrivals to Sarawak. It offers the potential to showcase new tourism products.”

The special charter flight is expected to commence sometime in December, and ATS will arrange the feeder flights from Pontianak, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Samarinda, Ujung Padang (Makassar), Jakarta and Mindanao to support the main line operations of the Umrah flight carriers.

Visitors under the KUG initiative will also enjoy a variety of pre-and post-Umrah tour packages specially curated to cater to the interests and needs of the new passengers. The pre or post-tours will be together with the Umrah flights and will be made available via a dedicated platform on www.kug.travel. 

For more information about Sarawak, log on to www.sarawaktourism.com

*Umrah is sometimes called the “lesser pilgrimage” because it is not compulsory but is still highly recommended.

(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)

IATA: August international travel soars

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TTR WEEKLY
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GENEVA, 10 October 2022: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says August data showed continued momentum in the air travel recovery as international traffic soared 115.6% compared with August 2021.

Total traffic in August 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was up 67.7% compared to August 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 73.7% of pre-crisis levels.

Domestic traffic for August 2022 was up 26.5% compared to the year-ago period. Total August 2022 domestic traffic was 85.4% of the August 2019 level.

International traffic rose 115.6% versus August 2021, with airlines in Asia delivering the strongest year-over-year growth rates. August 2022 international RPKs reached 67.4% of August 2019 levels.

“The Northern Hemisphere peak summer travel season finished on a high note. Travel demand is progressing well, considering the prevailing economic uncertainties. And the removal or easing of travel restrictions at some key Asian destinations, including Japan, will certainly accelerate the recovery in Asia. Mainland China is the last major market retaining severe Covid-19 entry restrictions,” said IATA’s director general Willie Walsh.

International Passenger Markets

Asia-Pacific airlines had a 449.2% rise in August traffic compared to August 2021. Capacity rose 167.0%, and the load factor was up 40.1 percentage points to 78.0%. While the region experienced the strongest year-over-year growth, remaining travel restrictions in China continue to hamper the overall recovery for the region.

European carriers’ August traffic climbed 78.8% versus August 2021. Capacity rose 48.0%, and load factor increased 14.7 percentage points to 85.5%. The region had the second-highest load factor after North America.

Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic rose144.9% in August compared to August 2021. Capacity rose 72.2% versus the year-ago period, and the load factor climbed 23.7 percentage points to 79.8%.

North American carriers saw a 110.4% traffic rise in August versus 2021. Capacity rose 69.7%, and load factor climbed 16.9 percentage points to 87.2%, the highest among the regions.

Latin American airlines’ August traffic rose 102.5% compared to the same month in 2021. August capacity rose 80.8%, and the load factor increased 8.9 percentage points to 83.5%.

African airlines experienced a 69.5% rise in August RPKs versus a year ago. August 2022 capacity was up 45.3%, and the load factor climbed 10.8 percentage points to 75.9%, the lowest among regions. International traffic between Africa and neighbouring regions is close to pre-pandemic levels.

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