Japanese agents and media visit Malaysia

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August 23, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 August 2022: Following Malaysia Airlines’ first direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo last week, Tourism Malaysia is hosting Japanese travel trade partners and media on a familiarisation trip promoting Malaysia as a safe holiday destination.

Nine travel agents and media visited the country flown in by Malaysia Airlines for a four-day, three-night stay in Langkawi, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Penang.

The FAM Trip was also co-hosted by the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), Holiday Villa Resort Langkawi, Megawater Sport, ParkRoyal Collection Kuala Lumpur, Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Penang and Penang Global Tourism.

Travel agents and media had the chance to experience the mangrove tour at the award-winning Kubang Badak Biogeotrail in Langkawi – the island’s newest ecotourism product recognised for its high geological diversity and early settlement history dating back to the 18th century. Apart from riding jet-ski for the island hopping tour, participants were also treated to a cooking demonstration at Kunang-Kunang Heritage Villas before immersing themselves in a robust conservation and sustainability programme initiated by The Datai Langkawi.

Besides Putrajaya sightseeing, several attractions in Kuala Lumpur were also highlighted, including Saloma Bridge, Petronas Twin Towers, KL Tower, FRIM’s Forest Skywalk, Kwai Chai Hong and LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre – the first regional and largest retail facilities operated by Mitsui Fudosan in Southeast Asia.

Other activities included George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site inspection and a guided tour to Entopia by Penang Butterfly Farm, Escape Theme Park, and The Habitat Penang Hill to explore the myriad of flora and fauna and the 360-degree panoramic views of Penang Island from its highest viewing point.

In welcoming participants during a special dinner, Tourism Malaysia, director general Dato’ Zainuddin Abdul Wahab said: “Japan remains one of Malaysia’s top 10 international tourists generating markets before the pandemic. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 424,694 arrivals from Japan, and 70 per cent of Japanese tourists came to Malaysia for holidays.

“ Malaysia will participate in the upcoming Tourism Expo Japan 2022 in Tokyo this September to attract more tourist arrivals from this market,” he told the media.

(Source: Bernama)

AirAsia Thailand flies to Fukuoka

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 23, 2022

BANGKOK, 23 August 2022: AirAsia Thailand (FD) will launch direct flights to Japan for the first time on 12 October, introducing direct flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Fukuoka, the largest city on the Japanese island of Kyushu.

The low-fare AirAsia route will fly three times weekly (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) from 12 to 28 October 2022 before increasing to four flights weekly (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday) starting 30 October. A 236-seat Airbus A321 will fly the route.

AirAsia is launching the new route with promotional fares for BIG members from THB4,888 THB each way and THB4,928 THB for non-members.

The discounts are on offer until 28 August 2022 for travel from 12 October 2022 to 23 March 2023. Pre-book 20kg of checked baggage during the promotional period and gain an additional 30kg free when booking on the AirAsia Super App.

AirAsia Thailand Chief Executive Officer Santisuk Klongchaiya stated: “Japan is a top leisure favourite destination for Thai travellers, and many of them are planning to visit the country as soon as it reopens to tourism. Acknowledging this opportunity, AirAsia Thailand decided to introduce Fukuoka as its first destination in Japan, presenting travellers with a new and different take on the nation through a city known for being welcoming and budget-friendly.”

“Fukuoka might not be the first city that comes to mind for people thinking of visiting Japan, but anyone who experiences it is sure to be deeply impressed. Our flights to the city begin just in time for autumn when the weather begins to cool, and the trees change colour with the stunning sakura blooms, a favourite time for Thais getting ready to celebrate the end of the year,” Santisuk said.

View requirements for travelling to Japan at www.mofa.go.jp/ca/cp/page22e_000925.html

Central Group acquires Selfridges

By

Andrew Wood

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August 23, 2022

BANGKOK, 23 August 2022: Central Group and Signa Holding announced Monday they had completed the acquisition of Selfridges from the Canadian Weston Family.

The Central Group, controlled by the billionaire Chirathivat family, is the largest department store chain operating for over 75 years in Thailand. With the acquisition of the British luxury store chain Selfridges, Central and Signa aim to become a major global player in the department store sector. This transaction has created one of the world’s leading luxury department store groups, with a presence in eight European countries and flagship stores in the cities’ most sought-after locations, mainly the iconic Selfridges department store.

*The iconic Selfridges Oxford Street is considered one of the UK capital’s premier shopping destinations in the heart of London, which occupies an entire city block*.

In December 2021, Thailand’s largest department store owner, Central Group, was just days away from closing a UKP4 billion (USD4.76 billion) acquisition of Selfridges stores in the UK. The Weston family owned Selfridges for almost 20 years (2003), acquiring the brand for UKP598 million.

Selfridges Group’s portfolio includes stores under four brands in three countries, including the flagship department store Selfridges in London, England. The integration will also include Selfridges Group’s e-commerce platforms, which draw over 30 million online visitors monthly and ship to over 130 countries worldwide.

Central and Signa’s combined existing portfolio of 22 department stores and two new stores to open soon in Dusseldorf and Vienna. The current holdings comprise Rinascente in Italy and Illum in Denmark (wholly owned by Central Group) KaDeWe, Oberpollinger, Alsterhaus in Germany, and Globus in Switzerland, which Central Group and Signa Holding jointly own. Central Group, owned by the billionaire Chirathivat family, has had a presence in Europe since 2011. Last year, the joint venture bought Swiss luxury department store Globus and other real estate assets for USD1 billion.

Central executive chairman and chief executive officer Tos Chirathivat and Signa Holding chairman of the executive board Dieter Berninghaus will be the new co-chairs of the group.

In February 2022, Central Retail announced it would spread USD3 billion across its operations in Thailand, Vietnam and Italy. Central Retail has 23 Central department stores in Thailand and 40 under the mid-range Robinson brand, making it the country’s biggest chain of its kind. Central Retail has 3,641 branded stores (Sept 2021), including supermarkets, hypermarkets, sportswear, stationery, electronics and office products.

(Report by Andrew Wood, CEO A&P Media)

Thai Vietjet to fly to Phu Quoc

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 23, 2022

BANGKOK, 23 August 2022: Thai Vietjet announces its new international services from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, starting on 12 October.

“We are delighted to connect travellers with one more top travel destination of Vietnam – Phu Quoc providing Thai people more opportunities and flexible choices to travel to Vietnam, as well as welcoming Vietnamese tourists to Thailand.

“Since tourism is on its track to returning to the pre-pandemic level, we strongly believe that the service between the two destinations would help facilitate the region’s growing travel demand and stimulate the trade recovery of both countries, particularly the international tourism industry and aviation business,” said Thai Vietjet chief executive officer Woranate Laprabang.

Thai Vietjet will operate four flights weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday on the Bangkok – Phu Quoc route with an approximate flight time of one hour and 15 minutes.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Flight

Number

Origin

Destination

Departure

Arrival

Days of Operation

VZ980

Bangkok

Phu Quoc

09:45

11:00

Monday/Wednesday/Friday/Sunday

VZ981

Phu Quoc

Bangkok

12:00

13:20

To support the new route, the airline has launched its ‘Deluxe Super Sale’, offering deluxe fares starting from THB 2,999 (inclusive of taxes, fees, and surcharges). The special deluxe service includes 20 kg of checked baggage, free seat selection, priority check-in and flexibility with unlimited flight changes at no charge.

It is valid for bookings made from 25 to 31 August 2022, with the travel period starting on 15 September and extending to 25 March, 2023.

Phu Quoc is the largest island located in South Vietnam and up until the Covid-19 lockdown was a top island destination for travellers visiting Southeast Asia alongside Bali and Phuket. Flights to Phu Quoc are now resuming after Vietnam reopened its borders last May.

Thai Vietjet has recently expanded its international flight network to dtourist destinations, including Fukuoka (Japan), Phu Quoc (Vietnam), Taipei, and Ahmedabad (India).

Etihad partners with Rassure

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 22, 2022

SYDNEY, 22 August 2022: Etihad has selected Rassure, a revenue rescue service provider based in Sydney, to automate its sales audit process fully.

The airline says the collaboration will boost revenue more than possible through legacy, semi-automated service providers. By recovering revenues with high levels of accuracy in short turnaround times, it should positively impact cash flow. As a special feature, this “out of the box” tool enables Etihad to rerun the audit at will, simulating various “What if” scenarios to inform strategic business decisions.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, technology-based evolution is at the core of our recovery and future development strategy. The RAX platform represents a step-change in discovering lost revenue,” said Etihad Aviation Group VP of financial reporting & control Kelly Schroeder.

Rassure is a company based out of Sydney that delivers actionable insights to airline executives on distribution, fares and surcharges.

Busan hosts COSPAR 2024

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 22, 2022

BUSAN, 22 August 2022: Korea has recently successfully propelled the satellite launch rocket Nuri and the lunar probe Danuri in succession. Based on these achievements, the country is securing a stronger global standing academically and technologically in terms of space science.

Korea is also being recognised for its ability to attract relevant MICE events. In particular, Busan was the venue for not only the 2022 International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly but was also selected as the host city for the 2024 Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). With the world’s largest space science academic events taking place in Busan, it has become possible to not only revitalize its MICE and tourism-related industries but also showcase Busan’s potential as a science and technology hub and MICE city.

IAUGA 2022 Successfully Held in Busan

In 2015, Korea won the honor of hosting the 31st International Astronomical Union (IAU) General Assembly over the candidates of South Africa, Chile, and Canada. After a series of unfortunate delays due to COVID-19, this major scientific event finally took place in Busan.

The theme of this year’s General Assembly, which took place for 10 days and opened on August 2 at BEXCO in Busan, was “Astronomy for All”. It was structured not just as an academic meeting of specialists, but also as a science culture event for the general public. On August 6 and 7, public lectures on “next-generation astronomy” were held at the Busan National Science Museum. On August 9, various experiential activities were held at the BEXCO outdoor plaza, such as the Star Party where participants observed the sun during the day and the stars at night.

By hosting the 31st IAU General Assembly, which become a valuable forum for mutual exchange in the field of astronomy, Busan has clearly engraved itself in the hearts of visitors as a seaside MICE city where bright city life and nature coexist.

Busan Secures Hosting of COSPAR 2024!

Meanwhile, the 45^th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, the world’s largest symposium on space science, is set to take place in Busan in 2024. This assembly will be held at BEXCO from July 13 to 21, 2024, under the theme of “Team Spirit in Space Research”. In addition to diverse invitational lectures and academic presentations, assorted public events such as the “Space Film Festival” and “Meetings with Space Scientists” are being planned as well. As a part of the preparations to hold this assembly successfully, a team from the Busan Tourism Organization attended the 44th Assembly held in Athens, Greece, last July and networked with key specialists and officials. Hosting COSPAR 2024 will be an excellent opportunity to showcase Busan as a city of science and technology to space researchers and officials around the world, including NASA.

By being selected to host such large-scale space science events, Busan is being acknowledged as a MICE city that possesses the infrastructure and resources to successfully conduct wide-ranging academic exchanges.

For more information, visit https://bto.or.kr/cvbeng/Main.do

or visit: https://bto.or.kr/cvbeng/CMS/Board/Board.do?mCode=MN039&&mode=view&board_seq=2448&

(Your Stories: Busan Tourism Organisation.)

Travel firms gear up for India’s festive season

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 22, 2022

MUMBAI, 22 August 2022: As India’s key religious festivals get underway during late August and September, Thomas Cook and SOTC Travel data monitor a boost in holiday bookings.

Holidays linked to Hindu festivals lasting up to 10 days, such as Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri/Durga Puja-Dusshera, followed by Diwali (October and November) fuel holiday bookings. In addition, schools are closed for their mid-term break further boosts demand for family travel.

SOTC Travel president & country head Holidays Daniel D’Souza noted: “India’s festive season presents the perfect opportunity to travel, especially for families with schools closing for their mid-term break and working professionals taking time off and travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families.

To capitalise on the high demand during this peak festive period, Thomas Cook (India) Limited and its group company, SOTC Travel, have launched an extensive range of holidays across International and domestic destinations – with a range of special offers and deals.

Destinations in line to benefit

Destinations leading demand include short haul/easy visa destinations like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Maldives, Mauritius; also Nepal and Bhutan in the Indian subcontinent.

The most preferred long and mid-haul destinations are the USA (for visa-holding customers), Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, Europe, UK. The domestic favourites include Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Ladakh, Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa.

Key segments driving demand for the festive season include:

• Multi-generational families/couples: 78% looking for quality bonding time together

• India’s migrant working professional segment: 66% keen to travel home and celebrate with their families

• Millennials: 71% are open to a mini-cation with their group of friends or a solo break

Indians are quintessential value seekers, and hence to accelerate bookings, the companies have announced an array of special deals like Buy One Get One Free, Early Bird Discounts, and Travel Now Pay Later.

Cruise holidays represent a great value proposition: an all-inclusive holiday packed with entertainment/activities across age groups, diversity of dining experiences and sailing to multiple locations with on-shore sightseeing tours – without the hassle of check-in/check-out, transfers, etc. With cruises witnessing a surge in demand, Thomas Cook and SOTC are offering value deals on cruise holidays like children under 18 years of age travel free on Costa Cruise’s Dubai sailings, discounted prices on select Royal Caribbean and NCL (Norwegian Cruise Lines) Cruises for Europe.

India’s couples and solo travellers (30 to 45 yrs) are displaying a strong preference for spiritual tours that include meditation, yoga, and wellness programs like the Yoga Centre/Ashram in Coimbatore, Dharamshala, and Rishikesh; Panchakarma program at Kumarakom, etc.

Thomas Cook and SOTC’s festive range of offers also extend to its ready-to-book and personalised experiences, including outdoor and adventure activities like safari drives at India’s leading national reserves, biking, hiking/trekking, camping, white water rafting and paragliding.

Thomas Cook (India) Limited president & country head – holidays, MICE, Visa, Rajeev Kale said: “To encourage our customers, we have introduced an extensive range of Festive Holidays across customer favourite destinations packed with unique experiences and special deals for our ready-to-book and personalised itineraries to ensure great value for money. Customers can make the most of our air-inclusive holidays with Vistara Getaways, Air Arabia Holidays and Emirates Holidays.”

SOTC President & Country Head – Holidays Daniel D’Souza said: “India’s festive season presents the perfect opportunity to travel, especially for families with schools closing for their mid-term break and working professionals taking time off and travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate with their families.

Centara launches Adventure Park

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TTR WEEKLY

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August 22, 2022

BANGKOK, 22 August 2022: Thailand’s leading hotel operator Centara Hotels & Resorts has officially launched a brand attraction at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, the number one family hotel in Thailand.

Nestled against the jungle waterpark at Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya, The Lost World Adventure Land invites guests to let their imagination soar as they fly through the air with SkyRider, dipping and swooping along the aerial course. Kids and their parents can also face their fears at SkyTrail and navigate their way across a choice of two obstacle courses in the sky.

The outdoor play area also features an expansive three-level playground complete with slides, trampolines, a raft game with a moving raft, a playground tower, and a digging pit where young archaeologists can excavate dinosaur bones.

A relaxation area for adults allows parents to enjoy a view of the action zones while kids play safely under the watchful eye of dedicated playground supervisors.

In addition to providing action for younger guests, a range of activities inspires kids to use their imagination while providing fun learning experiences. Children are invited to unleash their creativity in the indoor zone, which features a sprawling arts and crafts area. Kids can become junior chefs for the day and learn the basics of baking and decorating in lively cooking classes led by the resort’s chef team at the cooking studio.

As part of the indoor zone, The Cave provides a safe environment to enjoy family-friendly entertainment, including wooden toys, a soft-play kids’ cinema screening age-appropriate films, and a giant, soft Lego set.

To fuel the next adventure, a Kids’ Café serves refreshing drinks, ice cream, sweets and other indulgent treats.

“Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya is already one of the most famous family-themed resorts in Thailand and Asia, and with the addition of The Lost World Adventure Land attraction, we are proud to offer guests an enhanced experience to share happy, memorable moments with their families,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts, executive vice president – hotel operations David Good.

Located on Wong Amat Beach in North Pattaya, Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya is a Lost World-themed destination hotel located directly on a 230-metre stretch of beach with its jungle, waterpark and diverse attractions making it an appealing destination for families as well as MICE events for Thailand’s tourism and MICE industries.

“We are excited to add the Lost World Adventure Land to our unique family experiences, which already include a Kids’ Club with separate zones for younger guests of different ages and the Zulu Family Lounge for guests travelling with children under the age of 15. The addition of a new family-themed attraction further amplifies our resort’s appeal to travellers of all ages,” said Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya area general manager Wayne Duberly.

Day passes for The Lost World Adventure can be purchased in advance at https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centaragrand/cmbr/lost-world-adventure

The gate ticket price for Children over 90cm is 350 THB and for children under 90cm

are free of charge. Special Offer; entry free of charge for parents.

For more information on Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort and other family-friendly Centara hotels and resorts, visit www.centarahotelsresorts.com

(Your Stories: Centara Hotels & Resorts)

Tourism Malaysia on a mission in Thailand

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TTR WEEKLY

-

August 22, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 August 2022: Tourism Malaysia organised its first sales mission to two major cities in Thailand, namely Songkhla and Bangkok, last week, ending the two-year pause in roadshows to its northern neighbour.

Malaysia reopened its borders to tourism last April, and officials have identified Thailand’s outbound travellers as a priority to kickstart recovery in addition to India, Singapore and Indonesia.

The sales mission to Songkhla in the deep south, followed by Bangkok, was led by Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri and Malaysia’s tourism fraternity which consists of a Malaysia-based airline, travel agents, hoteliers, and travel content owners.

Thailand remains one of Malaysia’s essential short-haul markets. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 1,884,306 arrivals from Thailand, and almost 70% of Thais tourists had previously visited the country.

Tourism Malaysia said the mission’s objective was to instil confidence among Thais that they could revisit Malaysia safely while creating a platform for the travel industry to recover quickly.

Dato’ Sri Nancy commented: “The past two years have been tremendously challenging for us, but ever since the reopening of our international border last April, I am glad to let you know that we have surpassed our initial target of 2 million international tourist arrivals with MYR8.6 billion in tourism receipts. Hence, we have revised our target of welcoming 4.5 million international tourist arrivals with MYR11.1 billion in tourism receipts this year as we are optimistic about achieving higher numbers.”

Since April 2022, Thailand has ranked second after Singapore in tourist arrivals. Tourist arrivals from Thailand could reach 800,000 by the end of the year.

“We are delighted to invite Thai travellers to experience our newly developed attractions, including our outdoor theme park in the highlands – the newly-opened Genting SkyWorld, and the magnificent Merdeka 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur, currently standing as the world’s second-tallest building.

“For example, many Thais may not have been to the two Malaysian Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. Thus, we hope to attract more international travellers to explore Sabah and Sarawak,” she said at Tourism Malaysia’s networking dinner during the sales mission.

Malaysia welcomes fully-vaccinated international travellers. They are no longer required to complete the Traveller’s Card or undergo a Pre-Departure Test (PDT) and On Arrival Test (OAT) for their visit to Malaysia. Travel insurance is also no longer a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country.

(Source: Tourism Malaysia and Bernama)

World Tourism Day calls for a rethink

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TTR WEEKLY

-

August 22, 2022

MADRID, 22 August 2022: ‘Rethinking Tourism’ is the theme for this year’s World Tourism Day 2022, celebrated on 27 September with UNWTO designating Indonesia as the host country for the official celebrations.

UNWTO member states, non-members and stakeholders from the private sector are invited to host their celebrations and promote the day by focusing on the central theme of re-imagining the sector’s growth, both in size and relevance.

No one doubts the need to conduct a massive rethink of the tourism industry to meet sustainability and climate change challenges. But it’s a genuine year-long commitment that needs to be embraced across all tourism sectors rather than paying lip service on a particular day.

UNWTO should rethink the globetrotting its officials engage in to attend meetings. Travel executives should review the enormous carbon footprints they create in the name of business networking. Covid-19 taught us that most trade events we attend could function online using apps such as Zoom. Lessons learned are quickly forgotten as the need to gather for networking and a natter reassert themselves. Airlines need to speed up the adoption of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The present target aims to achieve net carbon emissions by 2050.

“The potential of tourism is enormous, and we have a shared responsibility to make sure it is fully realised, said UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili in a media statement announcing World Tourism Day: “UNWTO calls on everyone from tourism workers to tourists themselves, as well as small businesses, large corporations and governments to reflect and rethink what we do and how we do it.”

World Tourism Day has been held on 27 September each year since 1980. The date marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Statutes of the Organisation in 1970, paving the way for the establishment of UNWTO five years later.

(Source: UNWTO)

Japanese agents and media visit Malaysia

AirAsia Thailand flies to Fukuoka

Central Group acquires Selfridges

Thai Vietjet to fly to Phu Quoc

Etihad partners with Rassure

Busan hosts COSPAR 2024

Travel firms gear up for India’s festive season

Centara launches Adventure Park

Tourism Malaysia on a mission in Thailand

World Tourism Day calls for a rethink

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