SINGAPORE, 5 September 2022: Japan will ease entry rules starting 7 September, allowing independent tourists to enter the country if they book their holiday package through a travel agency.
The new rule ends the need to travel in a group package organised by authorised tour agents. The country reopened to escorted group tours in June and is now easing the rule to allow travellers to book unescorted “package tours.”
The Japan Times last week also confirmed that the country would raise its daily arrival cap to 50,000 visitors, up from the 20,000 daily maximum that has also been in place since June.
Under the new rules, tourists will no longer need an escort, but they will still need “sponsors” or travel agencies in Japan to endorse their itinerary to allow them to enter the country.
Japan will abolish the need for fully vaccinated visitors (three jabs) to submit proof of a negative Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight departure, effective 7 September.
The country immigration agency confirmed: “From 0:00 am (JST) on 7 September 2022, based on the New Border Measures (31), among all cross-border travellers and returnees from countries/regions where the B.1.1.529 Omicron variant becomes dominant, persons who possess a valid vaccination certificate of Covid-19 will be no longer required to submit the certificate of a negative result of pre-departure Covid-19 test within 72 hours before departing from the original country/region.”
Blue zone countries in the Asia Pacific
The new rules apply to travellers from around 150 countries identified on a Blue Zone List. In the Asia Pacific, they are:
Indonesia, Australia, Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Bangladesh, East Timor, Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Laos
According to national tourism data provided by JNTO, just over 8,000 foreign tourists have visited the country since it started the reopening phase in July.
Japan maintains some of the strictest border rules in the region when compared with countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore which have dropped all testing and quarantine requirements allowing visitors to travel freely.
DUBAI, UAE, 5 September 2022: Emirates will debut its newly retrofitted A380s featuring its latest Premium Economy cabins to five new cities from December – New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore.
The airline will also add more Premium Economy seats on services to London Heathrow and Sydney as its newly enhanced aircraft sporting refreshed cabins roll into scheduled service.
The airline aims to offer customers more opportunities to experience its highly acclaimed Premium Economy product. Its latest deployment plans will also see 85 A380s back in the sky by December, well-timed to serve the year-end travel demand.
Emirates’ enhanced A380s with Premium Economy to New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore will operate as follows:
To New York JFK, Emirates will operate with its newly retrofitted A380 on EK203 and EK 204, starting from 1 December.
To Auckland, Emirates will debut its Premium Economy cabin on EK 448 and EK 449, starting 15 January 2023.
From 1 February 2023, Melbourne will become the second Australian destination to be served with the signature Emirates A380 featuring Premium Economy. Services will be deployed on EK 406 and EK 407.
San Francisco will become the second US destination to be served by the retrofitted A380 with refreshed interiors on EK 225 and EK 226, starting on 15 February 2023.
Emirates’ enhanced A380 with Premium Economy will land in Singapore for the first time on 1 March 2023, operating as EK 354 and EK 355.
Emirates will also update its schedules to London Heathrow, Sydney and New York JFK with its retrofitted A380 aircraft operating on the following services:
From 15 December 2022, Sydney will become the first city in the Emirates network to offer Premium Economy seats on all flights, with the introduction of the airline’s retrofitted aircraft on EK 414 and EK 415.
From 1 January 2023, London Heathrow will receive its third daily service with Premium Economy, with the new product debuting on EK 005 and EK 006.
From 15 March 2023, Emirates will operate its second A380 with Premium Economy to New York JFK on EK 201 and EK 202.
Emirates will also start A380 services with a Premium Economy debut to Christchurch from 26 March 2023 as an extension of the Dubai to Sydney service, operating with EK 412 and EK 413.
Scaling up A380 operations
With the strongest travel demand in more than two years, Emirates will provide customers more choice and a better experience as it ramps up A380 services to 42 destinations by the end of March 2023. In tandem, the airline is optimising its network to meet robust demand and enhancing its existing schedules to over 400 A380 departures from Dubai, offering 460,000 weekly A380 seats by March 2023, including 81,000 seats across its premium cabins, offering the very best in customer comfort.
By year-end, the airline will be serving close to a third of its network with its flagship on 85 A380s as it unlocks more destinations like Houston, Bengaluru, Perth, Auckland, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, with additional cities to be announced in the coming weeks. With an expanded list of cities, Emirates will have recovered 75% of its pre-pandemic A380 network. The airline is also adding frequencies to popular cities already served by its flagship, bringing greater resiliency and stability to its operation.
Raising the bar for premium air travel
Since Emirates debuted its Premium Economy Class to London, Paris and Sydney, customer response has been overwhelmingly positive, with demand exceeding expectations, demonstrating its appeal and willingness of travellers to trade up and try the quiet luxury and meticulously customised experience it offers.
On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width.
The Emirates A380 experience has long been taking passenger comfort to new levels, with an extensive suite of products that turn the journey itself into a destination, including one of the industry’s largest screens for customers to enjoy the airline’s award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice. Customers travelling in First and Business Class cabins can enjoy the aircraft’s signature features, such as the popular Onboard Lounge and fully flat seats in Business Class, as well as private suites and Shower Spas in First Class.
Emirates recently announced its fleet retrofit programme, consisting of a multi-billion dollar investment to ensure customers continue to have the best experience in the sky. Starting from November, the airline will begin intensive work to upgrade and retrofit the interior cabins of 67 Airbus A380 and 53 Boeing 777 aircraft, with one aircraft rolling out into service every 16 days. By 2025, nearly 4,000 new Premium Economy seats will be installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished, and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design.
Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380, with 118 double-decker aircraft in its fleet. Since A6-EVF, the first A380 reactivated in 2020, began flying, the operating fleet has clocked in more than 31,000 trips worldwide, carrying over 10 million passengers.
Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.
BANGKOK, 5 September 2022; Vietjet resumes direct flights between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s business and tourism hub, and Chiang Mai, North Thailand’s largest city.
The thrice-weekly service between Ho Chi Minh City and Chiang Mai operates every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday with a flight time of just two hours. Flights depart Ho Chi Minh City at 1125 and arrive in Chiang Mai at 1330. Return flights take off at 1430 in Chiang Mai and land in Ho Chi Minh City at 1635.
Tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City – Chiang Mai flights are now available from THB 219 (USD6) (excluding taxes and fees) at www.vietjetair.com or Vietjet Air mobile app.
“We are delighted to bring back the only direct service connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Chiang Mai as the travel restrictions have been lifted and travel momentum is picked up,” said Vietjet vice president Nguyen Thanh Son. “The nonstop flights are to serve the increasing travel demand for leisure and pilgrimage during the year-end season while promoting trade between the two countries and regionally. We will keep providing seamless connectivity, affordable fares, and quality services for passengers to enjoy flying with Vietjet.”
At Chiang Mai International Airport, Vietjet’s direct flight VJ891 from Ho Chi Minh City was welcomed by Suladda Sarutilavan, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Chiang Mai Office; Pacha Rattanaphan, President of Chiang Mai Tourism Business Association; Pallop Sae Jew, Chairman of Chiang Mai Tourism Industry Council; Pinyot Pibulsonggram, Director of Commercial, Thai Vietjet; Weerachote Thirawayamakul, Senior Branch Marketing Manager, Central Chiang Mai; and Siraphop Somphong, Customer Experience Manager, Central Chiang Mai.
Both Vietnam and Thailand have lifted all arrival regulations relating to Covid-19. The Thai government has increased the visa-free stay for tourists from over 50 countries, including Vietnam, from 30 days to 45 days, effective October 2022.
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 September 2022: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will resume flights from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta effective during the winter 2022-2023 schedule that starts on 31 October.
For its winter 2022-2023 schedule, it will offer the following flights from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
From Kuala Lumpur, KLM will operate four flights weekly to Amsterdam and resume four weekly flights to Jakarta using a Boeing 777-200. The roundtrip fare starts at MYR3,887 in early November.
From Jakarta, KLM offers four weekly flights that stop in Kuala Lumpur and then onwards to Amsterdam. The airline has fifth freedom rights on the Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur sectors open for local sales.
KLM also offers daily flight options from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta via Singapore in cooperation with its interline partners.
Until April 2020, when Covid-19 caused global travel lockdowns, KLM offered daily flights from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta to Amsterdam.
KLM’s Country Manager for Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, Estee Ng commented: “After suspending flights for two and half years due to the Covid crisis, we are delighted to resume direct flights again to Amsterdam from Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The resumption means more choice for customers to connect between Europe and Southeast Asia.”
Flight schedule between Kuala Lumpur –Amsterdam / Jakarta – Amsterdam
Valid from 31 October 2022 to March 2023
FLIGHT
NUMBER
ROUTE
DEPARTURE
ARRIVAL
DAYS
AIRCRAFT
KL809
Amsterdam – Kuala Lumpur
20:45
15:45+1
Tue-Thu-
Sat-Sun
B777-200
Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta
17:05
18:10
Mon-Wed-
Fri-Sun
KL810
Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur
19:25
22:30
Kuala Lumpur – Amsterdam
23:50
06:20+1
For more information and bookings visit www.klm.com
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 September 2022: Tourism Malaysia has signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with Qatar Airways this week to extend promotional opportunities by tapping the airline’s extensive network.
Tourism Malaysia said in a media statement Thursday that working with Qatar Airways would boost travel arrivals from the Middle East via Qatar Airways’ broad network to Malaysia. In addition, it will strengthen Malaysia’s appeal as a preferred travel destination among travellers in Europe and the US.
Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri announces the MoC with Qatar Airways.
Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, commented at the press conference: “With the reopening of international borders and an increase in the demand for air travel, we believe the strategic cooperation will increase the awareness of our attractions and more initiatives will take place to help to boost tourist arrivals to Malaysia.
“As we continue to navigate recovery from the pandemic, this MoC works as a platform to increase the choice of flights, wider destinations, and greater flexibility on top of the excellent service hospitality Qatar Airways offers”.
Qatar Airways Group chief executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to work closely with Tourism Malaysia to support tourism growth in the popular Southeast Asian country. As an airline, we are moulded strongly by tourism, and we will remain committed to playing our role in supporting Tourism Malaysia through this collaboration. With international borders now open and travel demand returning, Qatar Airways also looks forward to connecting more travellers to Malaysia and the world.”
The partnership involves familiarisation trips to Malaysia, marketing promotional activities, and advertising campaigns to feature Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination.
KUALA LUMPUR, 2 September: Sabah Tourism Board (STB) is leading a delegation of 30 co-exhibitors to showcase the state’s holiday packages to travel consumers visiting the MATTA Fair Kuala Lumpur from 2 to 4 September. The delegation comprises 26 tour operators, a dive operator, and three hotels.
Photo Credit: MATTA
“As one of the biggest consumer fairs in Malaysia, it is crucial for Sabah Tourism to be present. Sabah is known for its nature and adventure attractions, which is why our booth represents these two elements,” said STB Chief Executive Officer Noredah Othman. “Now that the MATTA Fair KL covers three days, we are confident we can reach out to more people, and visitors can have more time to come discover deals in time for the year-end holiday.”
Sabah Tourism attended and supported several other MATTA shows this year; MATTA Kelantan in March, MATTA Fair in April, MATTA Bazaar at Sunway Velocity in June and MATTA fairs in Johor and Penang in August.
“Sabah gained much traction from visitors at all these shows. We commend Sabah’s local tour operators, hotels and product owners for their continuous participation in these tourism consumer fairs to capture the domestic market and provide attractive Sabah travel packages,” STB’s CEO noted.
Sabah is presenting its travel content at booths 5096 to 5113 at the World Trade Centre (WTC), Hall 5, from 1000 to 2100. Boost e-wallet users have the opportunity to redeem the MansauSabahBoostku MYR100 e-voucher, which applies to all of the fair’s packages in booths 5096 to 5113.
There are also MYR50 Sabah vouchers up for grabs using the scan QR code located in AEON Mall Klang Valley. The Sabah voucher may be used as an additional discount to purchase Sabah travel packages at the fair.
“Physical events are gaining momentum in Sabah, and we welcome travellers to be part of the Borneo Bird Festival from 21 to 23 October in Sandakan and the World Tourism Conference from 28 November to 30 November 2022,” Noredah concluded.
DUBAI, UAE, 2 September 2022: Emirates, the world’s largest international airline, carried more than 10 million passengers on nearly 35,000 flights to 130 destinations this summer.
Having anticipated the strong return of travel demand, Emirates worked closely with its airport partners to operate as scheduled, minimise travel disruptions, and take customers to their planned holidays and trips to see friends and family worldwide over the summer.
The airline also ramped up operations to serve customer demand during this busy period, reinstating daily services to London Stansted. It increased flights to 33 cities on popular routes across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and to favourite holiday spots like the Seychelles, Maldives, Mexico and Miami.
In June, Emirates added Tel Aviv to its global network. In July, it added a third daily flight to London Gatwick to serve travellers impacted by capacity cuts at Heathrow.
The iconic Emirates A380, the world’s largest commercial jet, was also deployed to serve high customer demand in over 30 cities around its network.
On the ground, the airline re-opened and was operating 32 signature Emirates Lounges, including 25 dedicated lounges at major airports across its network, to provide frequent flyers and premium travellers with a comfortable haven to rest and refresh during their journey. The airline had also reinstated its trademark complimentary Chauffeur Drive airport transfers for First and Business Class customers in nearly all cities it serves.
Dubai International (DXB) is the world’s busiest international airport. With millions of Emirates customers arriving, departing, and transiting through DXB each month, the airline ensures smooth operations at its 24/7 hub with close coordination and additional resources deployed throughout the airport eco-system.
Travellers benefited from the airline’s investments in services and digital initiatives to reduce downtime at the airport between connecting flights and facilitate a smooth flow for customers to complete their formalities and get to where they are going.
During the summer months, over 3.8 million travellers across the network conveniently checked in online via emirates.com and the Emirates App.
Over 500,000 travellers used the 22 self-service check-in kiosks and 38 baggage drop facilities in Dubai Terminal 3.
Over 11,000 travellers used Emirates’ home check-in services, which are complimentary for first-class passengers departing Dubai, skipping the airport check-in queue and proceeding straight to immigration.
Emirates continues to rebuild its network and capacity as travel restrictions ease. It currently operates at 74% of its pre-pandemic network/capacity and plans to increase that to 80% by year-end. The airline is also commencing a US$2 billion retrofit programme to equip 120 aircraft with its latest onboard products in November.
SINGAPORE, 2 September 2022: Pan Pacific Hotels Group, a member of Singapore-listed UOL Group Limited, rejigs its senior management team as it expands its global portfolio spanning Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. The new operational leadership team reports directly to Pan Pacific Hotels Group CEO Choe Peng Sum.
There are now five regional clusters, each headed by a seasoned vice president of operations.
Jeremy Aniere is now vice president of operations for Singapore and general manager of Pan Pacific Singapore. Excluding the yet-to-open Pan Pacific Orchard, he will head operations at eight Singapore properties under the Pan Pacific Hotels Group.
Marcel Holman takes over as vice president of operations for China, Indonesia and Japan. He is also the pre-opening general manager of the Pan Pacific Orchard, which is due to open in the first half of 2023. Across Indonesia, China and Japan, he will oversee 13 properties under the group, including those under development.
Richard Tan becomes vice president of operations for Dhaka, Indochina, Malaysia and Nairobi. This is in addition to his current purview over properties in Malaysia and Indochina (Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia).
Margaret Paul is vice president of pre-opening and operations for Oceania. Starting 1 October 2022, she will head global launches, overseeing a growing pipeline of hotels, resorts and serviced suites, plus six properties currently operating in Australia.
Anne Golden has been named vice president of operations for the UK and North America, overseeing six properties. She is also the general manager of Pan Pacific London.
SINGAPORE, 2 September 2022: Jetstar has appointed sales and commercial veteran Xu Haibing as the Jetstar Group’s regional general manager, Greater China & Southeast Asia, effective immediately.
Xu brings more than 20 years of aviation industry knowledge and significant leadership, sales and commercial experience, which will be critical as travel demand recovers to pre- Covid levels across Asia.
Previously based in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Xu has been part of the Jetstar Group’s commercial leadership team since 2012 and has recently relocated to Singapore.
Jetstar Asia CEO Bara Pasupathi said: “We are thrilled Haibing has accepted this leadership role based in Singapore to help drive sales initiatives and build strategic relationships for Jetstar in China and across the region.”
“Haibing has extensive and in-depth knowledge of the China market, and he joins us at a very exciting time, as China begins to relax travel restrictions and Covid measures gradually.
“There is an enormous opportunity for Jetstar to reclaim our pre-Covid foothold in China and rebuild our business in this vital market, making travel more accessible to more people once again.”
He has previously held senior management positions in Accenture, Roland Berger and China Eastern Airlines.
Pre-pandemic, Jetstar operated over 80 weekly flights from Singapore to six Greater China destinations, including Haikou, Hong Kong, Sanya, Shantou, Taiwan and Xuzhou.
VIENTIANE, Laos 2 September 2022: As the end of the monsoon season draws near, more travel operators in Laos are applying to certify tour guides and drivers to cope with an anticipated influx of tourists in October.
Over 710 tour guides and 270 drivers have achieved LaoSafe certification so far. The certification teaches frontline travel staff the latest health, safety and cleanliness skills and knowledge.
Laos reopened its borders to international tourists on 9 May, dropping all testing and quarantine requirements for vaccinated travellers. Since then, interest in the country grew, with a 50% increase in visitors by June. It’s an encouraging signal supported by an uptick in consumer demand for organised tours during the upcoming high season.
“LaoSafe is a great standard and important during the new normal. The LaoSafe training that our guides received helped them prioritise safety and cleanliness. As a tour operator, I want travellers to know that Laos has safety standards to travel with peace of mind and confidence. All operators in Laos should apply for LaoSafe certification,” said EXO Travel Laos managing director Duangmala Phommavong.
LaoSafe is a nationwide initiative designed to create a world-class health and hygiene system within the tourism and hospitality industry, implemented by the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and approved by the Lao PDR’s Ministry of Health.
Sector-specific standards have been developed for accommodation, food and beverage, tour guides, and drivers to raise the benchmark of hygiene provision throughout the country and build international confidence in Laos as a safe tourist destination.
“As a DMC, it is important for us to be able to offer our customers a safe and quality experience. As Covid-19 has changed our world and our way of living, it was important for us to adapt as well. Thanks to the LaoSafe initiative, this has been possible,” says Asian Trails Laos product and Inbound officer Julie Beaufrère.
“This initiative allows us to reassure our customers concerned about safety and hygiene measures in Laos. We will continue to support by training our guides and drivers through LaoSafe,” she commented.
Tourist arrivals to Laos are unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels in 2023. However, removing entry restrictions gives the tourism and hospitality industry a welcome boost. As long as Covid-19 infections fluctuate worldwide, protecting against infection is still a concern for many, particularly when they travel from Europe on long-haul flights. LaoSafe certification goes a long way to restoring confidence.
The LaoSafe Programme is supported by the Skills for Tourism Project, co-financed by the Lao PDR government, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Switzerland. It is managed by the Ministry of Education and Sports of Laos and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency.
