SINGAPORE, 29 September 2022: Star Alliance reclaimed the title of World’s Best Airline Alliance at the Skytrax 2022 World Airline Awards, last week.
The Alliance’s Los Angeles lounge has also retained the World’s Best Airline Alliance Lounge award for the sixth year running.
Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh commented on the win: “We are elated to learn that millions of flyers worldwide have again put their trust in Star Alliance and have recognised the exceptional value the alliance offers through their journey. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, the recognition means even more to us.”
Recently Star Alliance extended its network with the Intermodal Partnership model, which intelligently combines air travel with other transport ecosystems. Launched last July with the German rail network, Deutsche Bahn, passengers can book combined air and rail journeys on a single ticket.
Skytrax World Airline Awards are independent and impartial awards decided through international customer voting. Passengers of over 100 nationalities participated in the 2022 survey, with 14.32 million eligible entries in the results. The survey was also provided in six major international languages.
Back in 2005, when the World’s Best Airline Alliance category was introduced, Star Alliance was the first alliance to achieve the title, winning it multiple times in the following years. More recently, it held the top position for four consecutive years, from 2016 to 2019. The awards paused in 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis.
SINGAPORE, 29 September 2022: Thai Vietjet today announced Wednesday the launch of a new virtual interline service developed in partnership with technology provider Dohop.
The platform allows Thai Vietjet passengers to purchase airline tickets to global destinations in one seamless transaction and combines Thai Vietjet flights with ticketing on partner airlines.
Dohop’s API-based technology will provide Thai Vietjet with a network of carriers, such as the Singapore-based Scoot, that can be ticketed simultaneously for onward connecting services via the Bangkok hub and other connecting airports. It enables passengers to book tickets to select destinations, including ancillary services such as checked baggage, in-flight services, and upgrades via a streamlined booking process.
Dohop automatically generates the best options and fares for Thai Vietjet customers based on their departure and arrival at airports. Dohop services the connection in case of delays and disruptions, while Thai Vietjet retains customer ownership.
Currently, Thai Vietjet passengers can fly to various global destinations via Thai Vietjet’s Bangkok base with a flight connection with Scoot. Further network expansion is planned, with Thai Vietjet adding different carrier networks to the booking platform soon.
“We are excited to announce our collaboration with Dohop, providing international passengers with more flexible travel options across the Asia-Pacific region. With the collaboration between both parties, Thai Vietjet will be able to provide its passengers with a convenient connection to numerous destinations around the world via its Bangkok base, as we are expanding our flight connection with more carriers,” said Thai Vietjet’s director of commercial Pinyot Pibulsonggram.
“We are thrilled to be expanding our presence in Southeast Asia. Working with an innovative and forward-thinking airline such as Thai Vietjet further underlines the necessity for alternative interline solutions in global markets. As we head into the latter half of 2022, we look forward to further collaborating with Thai Vietjet, expanding their service, and providing new commercial opportunities,” commented Dohop commercial director Sarah Hanan.
PHUKET, 29 September 2022: Laguna Phuket, home of the Laguna Phuket Triathlon (LPT), welcomes the 28th edition of the internationally-acclaimed event on Sunday, 20 November 2022.
Dubbed “The Race of Legends”, the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and Asia’s longest-standing triathlon race is finally back after its two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The race features a 1.8K swim, 50K bike, and 12K run through the tropical scenery of Laguna Phuket and local communities in the northern part of Phuket Island.
The 28th Laguna Phuket Triathlon will be held across the famous Laguna Phuket destination race course, with the swim taking in both the Andaman Sea and the freshwater lagoon. The challenging yet scenic bike course spans Phuket’s coastal countryside, local villages and a climb over the imposing Naithon hills.
With slots quickly filling up, applicants are advised to sign up for each race designation as soon as possible, under the categories Individual and Team Triathlon, Sprint Triathlon and Duathlon. Participants can book their stay at any of the eight hotels in the Laguna Phuket group available at a special rate with the use of code “LTP2022” For more information, visit Laguna Phuket Triathlon’s official website here https://www.lagunaphukettri.com.
MONTREAL, 28 September 2022: Air Canada welcomed the Government of Canada’s decision earlier this week to lift remaining Covid-19 restrictions, including requirements for wearing masks on aircraft, testing and quarantine, and the compulsory use of ArriveCan starting 1 October 2022.
“Air Canada welcomes the removal of these restrictions, acknowledging that air travel is safe and that the measures were not justified by science,” said Air Canada executive vice-president and chief operating officer Craig Landry.
“We believe it will greatly facilitate travel, help to continue stabilising the country’s air transport sector and support Canada’s economy. Customers and crew will still have the option to wear masks, and we also encourage customers to monitor their health to be sure they feel well and fit to travel,”
“While Tuesday’s announcement is a positive step, we urge the government not to lose momentum. Lessons learned during the pandemic should now be applied to streamlining the air transport system in Canada and enact further reforms.
“This includes improving processes, such as security and customs at airports, developing trusted traveller programs, deploying new technologies and, more fundamentally, re-examining the user-pay model that finances air transportation in Canada, as weaknesses and interdependencies were exposed by Covid.”
SINGAPORE, 28 September 2022: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises announces new offerings for 2023, including itineraries, excursions, and cruise extension options.
In 2023, Uniworld will launch four brand-new itineraries across Europe and beyond. The 15-day Grand Central Europe itinerary will cruise along three iconic rivers—the Rhine, Main and Danube—through Switzerland, France, Germany and Austria.
The 10-day Zurich & the Rhine River Valley itinerary will sail along the Rhine and Main rivers through Switzerland, France and Germany. Guests will enjoy nature with activities such as a canoe ride through the Mainschleife nature reserve and a day in the lakeside city of Zurich.
Updated Itineraries
Existing Uniworld itineraries are being revamped for 2023 in Italy and Vietnam. Aboard the SS La Venezia, guests explore the city of Venice and the Veneto region on the Milan, Venice & the Jewels of Veneto sailing. Additionally, the Timeless Wonders of Vietnam & Cambodia itinerary will go from 13 to 15 days, with two added days in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi at the end or beginning of the journey.
SINGAPORE, 28 September 2022: Following the announcement from Transport Canada to remove all Covid-19 requirements to enter the country, Princess Cruises is prepared to welcome all guests on cruises visiting, arriving or departing from Canadian ports, including its Canada/New England voyages and Alaska cruises where the cruise line is the industry leader.
All of Princess’ Alaska cruises feature Canada as part of the itinerary.
“We applaud these decisions by Transport Canada to make visiting the country easier and more convenient for all guests sailing our popular Alaska and Canada/New England itineraries, and look forward to welcoming everyone on our incredible Alaska and Canadian cruises,” said Princess Cruises president John Padgett. “Alaska and Canadian cruises are among the most desired vacation options in the world, and we look forward to welcoming everyone who’s waited the past three years for this market to open fully.”
Princess is in the process of notifying guests and travel advisors of this tremendous development and is excited to welcome everyone to take an Alaska vacation in 2023.
More guests choose Princess than any other cruise line to experience the incredible glaciers, wildlife, fresh seafood and the local culture of Alaska. Princess’ 2023 cruises and cruisetours programme offers something for everyone to explore this destination, including the top-rated Voyage of the Glaciers itinerary, award-winning “North to Alaska” enrichment programme and the ultimate experience of combining a cruise with a land tour including scenic rail travel and stays at Princess-owned wilderness lodges.
The cruise line’s newest Discovery Princess will return to Alaska for a second season. With more than 140 departures offering various glacier viewing experiences, cruise offerings include:
Voyage of the Glaciers from Vancouver (Canada) or Anchorage (Whittier): Majestic Princess, Sapphire Princess and Grand Princess sail the top-rated, seven-day itinerary featuring two glaciers viewing experiences, including Glacier Bay National Park.
Inside Passage from Seattle: Discovery Princess, the newest ship in the fleet, and Crown Princess return to the Emerald City with seven-day Inside Passage voyages.
Inside Passage from San Francisco: Ruby Princess sails this 10-day cruise roundtrip from the City by the Bay, with a once-in-a-lifetime experience of sailing under the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor by calling +65 6922 6788 or visiting the company’s website at http://www.princess.com/.
KOTA KINABALU, 28 September 2022: Sabah needs to consider developing architectural tourism to create new product offerings that will boost the state’s vibrancy and tourism in general.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment cum Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said Sabah’s cultural elements are diverse and should play a part in architecture design.
Joniston listening to a briefing by Terengganu State Museum deputy director Fauzi Muda (2nd left) on the museum history and its architectural design. Also pictured are State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Permanent Secretary Datuk Sr. Mohd Yusrie Abdullah (left) and STB chief executive officer Noredah Othman (2nd right).
“We have rich elements with over 40 ethnic groups. We should highlight and feature these elements in our exterior and interior architecture to further complement Sabah as an eco-cultural tourism destination,” he said after visiting Terengganu early this week.
Last week Joniston led a group of STB board of directors and management staff to Kuala Terengganu for a four-day familiarisation trip to get product updates.
During the trip, the group visited the Terengganu State Museum, which its structures were designed to evoke the style of local traditional homes.
Joniston said Sabah should take inspiration from Terengganu, which has a strong presence in architectural tourism.
He also opined that it is time for the Sabah Tourism Board to oversee tourism development in the state rather than just promotion.
The Sabah Tourism Board’s visit to Terengganu is a reciprocal of the Terengganu Tourism Department’s February visit to Sabah earlier this year.
Joniston remarked that the Terengganu trip allowed STB to see how other states are thriving in the tourism business and provide them with ideas on how to accomplish the same.
In addition, the board of directors also held a meeting in Kuala Terengganu to discuss how to promote Sabah and increase the arrival of tourists.
Meanwhile, Terengganu praised STB for its creative approach to fostering the state’s local community and tourism development.
This was expressed by Terengganu Tourism Department director Fadli Yusof Zakaria to the Board delegation during a dinner hosted by them.
“It’s always great to get ideas from Sabah on effectively marketing products. STB is very creative in promoting tourism, particularly in its efforts to involve and uplift the rural community through this industry.
“I hope that Terengganu and Sabah would work together to exchange ideas and to contribute to the overall promotion of tourism throughout the nation,” he said,
He also reiterated that Terengganu was inspired to implement its community-based tourism (CoBT) after seeing how successfully Sabah’s rural CoBT concept had developed during their visit to Sabah, during which they explored Kiulu.
Apart from the Terengganu State Museum, the STB team also visited Pulau Redang, Islamic Civilisation Park, Terengganu Cultural Village, Pasar Payang, Chinatown, and Noor Arfa Batik.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Permanent Secretary Datuk Sr. Mohd Yusrie Abdullah and STB chief executive officer Noredah Othman were present.
SINGAPORE, 28 September 2022: Qatar Airways and British Airways have completed the expansion of their partnership, promising global connectivity between more countries than any other airline joint business.
The airlines have added 42 new countries to their shared network, including Italy, the Maldives, Norway, Singapore, and Sweden, giving passengers enhanced access between destinations in Europe and the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania.
The expansion will enable seamless connecting journeys on single tickets through the Doha and London hubs, bringing the destinations served by the two airlines to 185 across more than 60 countries.
Additionally, customers will have more freedom to engage with both airlines’ loyalty programmes, earning and spending Avios, their common currency. Customers can seamlessly link their Qatar Airways Privilege Club, and British Airways Executive Club account to transfer Avios between the two and combine balances.
Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The growing collaboration between Qatar Airways and British Airways shows our customers our common goal to offer an unparalleled network with unique benefits. Travellers can now experience the best in quality and service as they travel across our joint network. The joint business between our airlines cements Qatar Airways and British Airways as industry leaders, aiming to provide our customers with the utmost flexibility and unrivalled connectivity.”
British Airways chairman and chief executive officer Sean Doyle said: “This is a huge milestone in our long-standing relationship with Qatar Airways, an airline that shares our passion for customer service, choice and flexibility.
“From idyllic holiday hotspots such as the Maldives and Thailand to business hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong, we are pleased to open up the world as the travel industry continues to make steps towards its recovery.”
SINGAPORE, 28 September 2022: Hotel investment in the Asia Pacific will continue to recover in the fourth quarter of 2022 and into 2023, with more investors looking to deploy the highest capital levels since the pandemic started.
According to JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group’s latest Global Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey, approximately 80% of investors plan to be net buyers in 2022.
JLL shows that hotel investors expressed a renewed appetite to increase exposure to the sector as fundamentals recover. Approximately 20% of investors indicated they would deploy between USD501 million and USD1 billion worth of capital in the hospitality sector, up from 7% in 2021 to 16% in 2020.
According to the JLL survey, the recovery of Asia Pacific’s hotel sector has accelerated in the past few months as travel restrictions ease, translating into an uptick of renewed investor interest in the space despite some broader economic headwinds.
“Our projection of USD10.7 billion in total hotel investment in the Asia Pacific for 2022 remains unchanged, backed by improving sentiment on the long-term fundamentals of the industry in this region in the coming years,” says JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group senior managing director, head of investment sales, Asia Pacific Nihat Ercan.
According to survey respondents, London, Tokyo and Boston emerged as the top three markets for hotel investment, pointing to the resurgence of investor interest in urban markets. While interest in Tokyo comes as it is recovering at a slower pace than other markets due to gradual border control restrictions, the primary catalyst behind Tokyo’s recovery is high levels of domestic demand. Room nights sold as of July 2022 grew 66% relative to the same period in 2021, with the upscale hotel segment accounting for the highest growth. Muted supply growth over the next two years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 0.9%, will further Tokyo’s performance recovery. Moreover, the depreciation of the Japanese Yen versus the US Dollar by nearly 20% and Japan’s low-interest rate environment will continue to boost foreign investment demand in the near-to-medium term.
Over the next six months, 57% of investors anticipate the best investment opportunities to emerge across traditional hospitality property types, including full-service and select-service hotels. Furthermore, 82% of investors indicated that they are targeting value-add investment opportunities, and 34% of investors are interested in vacant possession or unencumbered hotels.
Although the pace of recovery will vary by region, hotel fundamentals are expected to continue recovering, albeit at a more protracted rate, given global economic headwinds. Significant pent-up demand for travel and experiences coupled with increasing corporate and group demand will help further drive the recovery. Investor interest in the sector is expected to remain strong, with transaction activity picking up in the medium term.
JLL’s Hotel Investor Sentiment Survey is the only truly global survey of its kind and has been referenced by the global hotel investment community since its inception in 2000.
JLL’s most recent survey responses were collected from July to August 2022. This survey represents a compilation of 7,800+ data points from hotel investors on future hotel operating performance expectations, yield requirements and future cap rate trends.
BANGKOK, 28 September 2022: As the world’s tourism leaders celebrate World Tourism Day on Tuesday, countries are shedding the last remaining Covid-19 travel restrictions.
Public health ministries are phasing out the daily tally of Covid-19 cases starting 1 October, a clear signal that travel enterprises can now embark on the long and challenging journey to recovery.
Photo Credit: Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways wins the “Airline of the Year” Award by Skytrax for the seventh time.
Tourists visiting popular destinations in Southeast Asia will have fewer flight options to their favourite resorts, and fares are considerably higher than what was on offer in 2019. They will also encounter closed restaurants and bars, or at best, open for just a few hours in the evening as owners attempt to rehire staff. Hotels face the same challenges. They are reopening, but they face tough, uncertain times made worse by an energy crisis and the war in Ukraine that threatens travel bookings from Europe to popular destinations across Southeast Asia.
Despite the uncertainties, Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022 cast a ray of sunshine by naming its top airlines worldwide after an absence in 2020 and irrelevant citations in 2021 precipitated by Covid-19 lockdowns and disruptions.
Qatar Airways takes the top spot in the 2022 Airline of the Year Awards, followed by Singapore Airlines in second place and Emirates in the third slot.
Qatar maintained its slot at the top of the chart based on consistently delivering a route network of 30 or more destinations during the voting period from late 2021 to August 2022. Today the airline flies to more than 150 destinations.
Commenting on the latest achievement, Skytrax chief executive officer Edward Plaisted said: “Qatar Airways was the largest airline to have flown consistently throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, with their network never falling below 30 destinations.”
The airline also took home three additional awards; World’s Best Business Class, World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining, and Best Airline in the Middle East. It was named Airline of the Year in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022.
Six of the top 10 listed airlines were based in Asia, including the Middle East. Europe was represented by three airlines Turkish Airways (7), Air France (8) and Swiss International Air Lines (10) and Qantas Australia (5).
Absent from the top 10 for the first time in years, Cathay Pacific dropped to 16th place, reflecting the grounding of services for long periods during the voting window in 2021 and 2022.
According to Skytrax, the 2022 World Airline Awards are based on an online consumer voting registered from September 2021 to August 2022 in various languages; English, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
