PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, 16 August: Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri has appointed Tan Sri Dr Ong Hong Peng as the chair of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.
He replaced the former chair Dato’ Seri Ramlan Bin Ibrahim, effective 4 August 2022.
Photo: Bernama.
Tan Sri Dr Ong Hong Peng began his service in the government sector as an Assistant Director at the Public Service Department (JPA) of Malaysia in 1981. In 2007, he was appointed as the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, marking the start of his contributions to the tourism industry. He then served as the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture for eight (8) years, beginning in 2008.
During his service with the Ministry, he served as the chair of the Malaysia Convention Bureau (MyCEB) and Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) from 2009 until 2016. He was also the chair of the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA) from 2013 until 2018.
As the new chair of Tourism Malaysia, he will work closely with the management and officers of Tourism Malaysia, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the tourism trade industry and the media to reinvigorate the tourism industry and place Malaysia as a safe and preferred holiday destination.
“I am truly honoured to accept this position, especially during the same month and year of Tourism Malaysia’s birthday. Celebrating together Tourism Malaysia’s 50th Golden Anniversary not only fills me with gratitude but also with immense responsibilities that come together with it. I am thrilled to walk hand in hand with everyone on this journey as we work toward paving a better path for the industry,” he explained.
BANGKOK, 16 August 2022: Thai Airways International and its subsidiaries reported revenue (excluding the one-time transactions) at THB21,526 million, 282% higher than last year’s THB5,635 million for the second quarter of 2022
The revenue from passenger and cargo services increased by 619.3% to THB19,803 million, mainly due to the continual production rise.
Operating expenses (excluding the one-time transactions) reached THB 22,825 million, 126.3% higher than the previous year, mainly due to variable operating expenses, especially the aviation fuel price.
Fuel costs jumped 104.1%, resulting in a bill of THB8,946 million (39.2% of total operating expenses). The company’s personnel expenses decreased due to the continual cost reduction programme implemented under THAI’s Rehabilitation Plan supervised by the court.
This resulted in an operating loss before the financial costs, excluding the one-time transactions of THB1,299 million, significantly lower than last year when the airline reported an operating loss of THB4,449 million.
In Q2/2022, the profit from Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) after deduction of aircraft leases was THB168 million, which was positive for the first time since the company operated under the Rehabilitation Plan. Last year’s loss from EBITDA was THB9,212 million.
In the second quarter of 2022, THAI and its subsidiaries reported its financial cost at THB3,102 million and one-time transactions with net profit totalling THB1,982 million baht consisting of profits from debt restructuring, organisational restructuring, personnel compensation structure and sales of investment and assets despite the loss of asset impairment and foreign exchange rate.
THAI and its subsidiaries reported THB3,213 million of net loss in Q2/2022, while in 2021, the net profit was THB23,326 million due to the one-time transactions with a net profit of THB27,100 million in Q2/2021.
The recovery of the aviation industry and business due to the easing of travel restrictions in many countries since the end of 2021 was the major factor that helped to boost the company’s flight operations and frequencies.
In the second quarter of 2022, THAI and its subsidiaries’ Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) improved 366.6% when compared with last year. Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) was 1,766.9% higher than last year. Cabin Factor averaged 60.3%, which was higher than 15.1% last year. Passenger traffic increased by 2.01 million, which was higher than the previous year by 570%. Available Dead Load Ton-Kilometers (ADTK) were 384.4% higher than the previous year. Revenue Freight Ton-Kilometers (RFTK) was higher by 241.5%. Freight Load Factor averaged 69.0%.
In addition, as the travel and cargo demand significantly increased in July 2022, the cabin factor improved 77.7%, resulting in the passenger and cargo revenue rising to THB10,000 million. With 30% of the total passengers travelling to and from Thailand, the airline had THB13,474 million of cash equivalents at the end of June 2022, while at the end of 2021, the company had THB5,515 million.
BANGKOK, 16 August 2022: Laguna Phuket and Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) signed a memorandum of understanding last week to create a medical and wellness centre in the Laguna Phuket resort complex.
Scheduled to open early next year, Laguna Wellness by BDMS Phuket will join a collection of hotels, resorts, residences and spas and a golf course. The new facility will be located in the Canal Village retail and community services hub, positioning Laguna Phuket as a premium medical tourism hub in the region,
It will offer residents and medical tourists healthcare and wellness support, including regenerative medicine, sports medicine, dermatology, mental health, rehabilitation and preventive cardiology services.
“Since the formation of Laguna Phuket over 30 years ago, our on-site emergency clinic operated by BDMS has been integral to the Laguna Phuket lifestyle,” said Laguna Resorts & Hotels CEO Ravi Chandran
“This development will be a game-changer and further cement Laguna Phuket’s reputation as Thailand’s leading integrated destination for tourism and residential lifestyle offerings.”
The BDMS Phuket will also collaborate with BDMS Wellness Clinic, the pioneer model based in Bangkok and three hospitals in Phuket, which is part of BDMS Group 6 headed by Dr Narinatara Boonjongcharoen. The group also manages hospitals in Phuket, Hat Yai, Surat Thani and Samui Island in Phuket.
KUCHING 12 August 2022: Sarawak Tourism Board reached out to Singaporean travel consumers at the 56th edition of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) Holidays Fair held over the weekend after a two-year pause.
In a media statement on the opening day of the show, 12 August, STB said the event would provide an opportunity to keep Sarawak top of mind for Singaporean stakeholders while promoting the rich land of Sarawak against the fascinating backdrop of history and mystery, culture, festivals, food and its variety of unique tourism products.
STB’s deputy chief executive officer for Integrated Marketing Communications Suriya Charles Buas noted the “positive signs of recovery in international travels. It was a perfect opportunity for Sarawak and the Singaporean tourism stakeholders to come together to refresh efforts to boost Sarawak as a preferred tourism destination choice.”
“With food being one of the pillars of Sarawak Tourism and our capital city Kuching being the first city in Malaysia to be named ‘The Creative City of Gastronomy by UNESCO, we plan to have a campaign partnership with Singaporean tourism stakeholders intended exclusively for Singaporean foodies to enjoy Sarawak’s gastronomy abundance,” he said.
STB also engaged with 20 NATAS registered travel agency members during a Business Networking Sessions (B2B) held on the show’s sidelines.
BANGKOK 15 August 2022: Revenue rises, but Thai AirAsia’s second quarter 2022 results deliver a loss of THB4,724 million, Asia Aviation Plc, a major shareholder of Thai AirAsia, confirmed in the 2Q 2022 operational results last week.
On the positive side, the airline group declared THB2,774 million in revenue, up 157% year-on-year (“YoY”).
The revenue boost was attributed to a strong recovery in the tourism industry, driven by solid domestic growth and reinstatement of key international routes, especially to India, Malaysia and Singapore. Seat capacity in 2Q2022 returned to 33% of what it was in the second quarter of 2019 (2Q2019), before the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, setbacks from doubling global fuel prices due to consumption outpacing supply globally, higher maintenance costs, and the depreciation of the baht against the US dollar have all contributed to AAV registering a loss of THB4,724 million for the quarter.
Throughout 2Q2022, TAA carried 1.68 million passengers, or an increase of 133% YoY, with a load factor of 75%, up 14 percentage points compared to last year.
Meanwhile, the average fare per passenger increased 17% to THB 1,317, mainly due to strong pent-up demand and the addition of a fuel surcharge for international flights.
For the first half of 2022 (1H2022), AAV recorded revenue of THB4,628 million, up 90%, while reporting a loss of THB7,094 million. The airline carried 3.14 million passengers, up 84% YoY, with a load factor of 74%.
For 2022, the airline forecasts 10 million passengers, a three-fold increase from last year’s 2.93 million passengers.
SINGAPORE, 15 August 2022: The global travel rebound continues at pace this summer, with global air traffic reaching almost 70% of pre-pandemic levels in May and international hotel occupancy rates achieving the same in April, according to Trip.com.
But despite an increased appetite for travel driven by more than two years of pent-up demand, the global online travel agency warns holiday destinations are likely to be affected by supply chain issues at airlines and airports, fully booked hotels and the rising accommodation costs and car hire through to the start of autumn.
Trip.com’s latest observations point to a “fractured recovery” in Asia, with Southeast Asia and the Middle East leading with positive trends while China and South Korea are recovering at just 15% of pre-pandemic levels caused by travel restrictions and Covid-19 outbreaks. As such, when customers should be excited about quality time with friends or family, relaxation and culture, they are now braced for uncertainty.
Earlier this year, Trip.com expanded its travel insurance product offering in collaboration with AXA Partners. Made available to UK customers since September last year, this insurance product was extended to travellers across Europe.
The travel insurance option provides medical, cancellation and baggage cover and protection against cancellation and medical costs if a customer contracts Covid-19.
In mainland China, the Ctrip platform introduced its TripTour2Day upgrade service, offering free refunds on group tour products cancelled up to two days before departure. Users click on the order details page to obtain a one-click refund in as little as one minute on products with the TripTour2Day label.
A week after the TripTour2Day product was launched, sales exceeded 20 million, indicating travellers believe these products are vital for peace of mind. Many travellers in China harbour concerns about whether Covid-19 measures would interfere with their plans.
“The TripTour2Day service upgrade shortens the threshold of a free refund from seven days or longer to just two days, giving every Ctrip user a better experience in terms of both booking and opportunity to refund. You can customise your travel needs at your own pace and join a tour with peace of mind,” commented Trip.com Group Tour Business CEO Wen Jiang.
Trip.com is offering customers added protection against travel price volatility. For a small upfront fee, Trip.com users can freeze a flight price for up to 14 days, allowing them to confirm plans with their travel companions before booking without worrying about an unnecessary price rise. Price Freeze ensures that customers never lose out because if a Trip.com user freezes a flight and the prices go up, the difference is covered up to a set amount. If the price goes down, the user pays that lower price.
Yudong Tan, CEO of the Flight Business Group, Trip.com Group, commented: “With this new Price Freeze feature, powered by Hopper, we are giving our customers more ways to save money when they book flights.”
SINGAPORE, 15 August 2022: Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced its latest EMBARK with NCL Series, “The Evolution of Innovation,” a showcase of the history of cruising and the company’s 55-year legacy of pioneering and defining vacation experiences at sea.
With just a few weeks away from the highly anticipated debut of Norwegian Prima, this three-part programme chronicles NCL’s groundbreaking moments and series of firsts, revolutionising modern-day cruising and preparing it for this next evolution of NCL.
In this new episode of EMBARK, viewers are guided through NCL’s storied journey, from being the first cruise line to offer roundtrip voyages to the Caribbean in 1966 to NCL’s new Prima Class of ships, debuting in August 2022.
In each episode, an element of NCL’s innovative, multifaceted, and guest-centred focus is illustrated through the unique perspectives of NCL executives, long-serving staff members, loyal guests and remarkable individuals who played key roles in NCL’s evolution from the very beginning. Bringing viewers along Norwegian’s storied past, present and future, the episodes offer viewers the opportunity to take an exclusive peek into the history of the brand, with never-before-seen interviews and archived footage, as well as a first look at the exceptional class of vessels that will define NCL’s future.
Norwegian Cruise Line President and Chief Executive Officer Harry Sommer said, “Since 1966, Norwegian Cruise Line has set industry-leading standards for the ultimate vacation experience. ‘The Evolution of Innovation’ documents the Company’s pioneering heritage and provides a look into the future, one built on creativity, style and an uncompromising commitment to our guest.”
The three episodes include “History of Innovation,” “The Evolution of Entertainment”, and “The Future of the Cruise Experience.” The first episode premieres Friday, 12 August 2022, at 0800 SGT at www.ncl.com/embark and on Facebook before all three episodes are made immediately available on-demand.
To watch the complete collection of EMBARK episodes highlighting the people, destinations and experiences of the Norwegian Cruise Line, visit www.ncl.com/embark.
For more information about NCL’s award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.
BANGKOK, 15 August 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announces a partnership with AirAsia rewards, a recognised leader in loyalty marketing under AirAsia Super App, offering AirAsia members 40% off all-inclusive packages at Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives and Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives.
Tom Thrussell, Vice President – Brand, Marketing & Digital of Centara Hotels & Resorts (3rd from left) announces a marketing partnership with Ba-wornpak Siripanich, AirAsia rewards’ Country Head for Thailand (2nd from right), offering airline passengers 40% off all-inclusive packages at a choice of family-friendly or adults-only island of Centara resorts in the Maldives.
Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives
Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives is a family-friendly destination featuring stunning overwater villas. Dedicated children’s activities ensure younger travellers are kept entertained with outdoor games and eco-friendly activities. At the same time, watersports, diving courses, snorkelling, whale shark and turtle sighting excursions delight the whole family.
The all-inclusive plan at Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives allows travellers to enjoy everything the island offers, including daily breakfast, dine-around options for lunch and dinner, and afternoon tea with a selection of pastries, sandwiches, and cakes. Lunch and dinner are complemented with a choice of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and guests can also enjoy a wide choice of drinks from the resort’s two bars from 11.00 to 23.00 hrs. To enjoy one of the Maldives’ best all-inclusive deals, the Grand All-Inclusive offers unlimited dining, premium beverage, and water sports. Guests staying for a minimum of three nights also enjoy a choice of complimentary excursions.
Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives
Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives offers an idyllic adults-only experience just a short speedboat ride from Malé. Here in the North Malé Atoll, guests savour unforgettable moments in beachside or overwater villas looking out over the sparkling blue lagoon, as well as indulge in world-class scuba diving, intimate dining experiences, and couples spa journeys at SPA Cenvaree.
A choice of meal plan includes a full board meal plan complemented with beverages and daily resort credit for additional culinary options. The in-villa minibar is stocked daily, including a selection of snacks, soft drinks and mixers, mineral water, chocolates, and beer. As part of the All-Inclusive package, guests enjoy daily afternoon tea, canapés and flavourful tapas every evening. For pure island indulgence, the Gold All-Inclusive package at Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa includes daily spa credits for treatments at the award-winning SPA Cenvaree, a complimentary house reef snorkelling excursion by boat, and four pieces of complimentary laundry per room per day.
The partnership is the latest addition to Centara’s growing airline network, which already includes Thai Airways International, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Vietjet.
“As travel restrictions continue to ease worldwide, we are thrilled to expand our marketing network with partner airlines. Leveraging our Centara The1 loyalty platform to provide exclusive privileges to Air Asia’s vast customer network, we look forward to offering excellent savings and welcoming even more guests to The Place to Be in the Maldives,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts Vice President – Brand, Marketing & Digital Tom Thrussell.
Under the Centara x AirAsia rewards promotion, AirAsia members receive a 40% discount when booking an All-Inclusive package for all room types, plus a 20% discount on selected spa treatments at Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives or Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives, exclusive to AirAsia members for bookings and stays from now until 20 December 2022.
Travellers also enjoy a 20% discount on seaplane transfers to Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives or speedboat transfers to Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa Maldives for stays from now until 31 October 2022.
DUBAI, UAE, 15 August 2022: Emirates is investing over USD2 billion to enhance its inflight customer experience, including a massive programme to retrofit over 120 aircraft with the latest interiors, plus an array of other services improvements across all cabins starting in 2022.
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark said: “While others respond to industry pressures with cost cuts, Emirates is flying against the grain and investing to deliver ever better experiences to our customers. Through the pandemic, we’ve continued to launch new services and initiatives to ensure our customers travel with assurance and ease, including digital initiatives to improve customer experiences on the ground. Now we’re rolling out a series of intensive programmes to take Emirates’ signature inflight experiences to the next level.”
Some of Emirates’ latest initiatives include elevated meal choices, a brand new vegan menu, a ‘cinema in the sky’ experience, cabin interior upgrades, sustainable choices and a generous approach to the little touches that make travel memorable.
Some of the changes starting this month
New Inspirations, New Menus: An award-winning team of chefs, a world-class catering team and a wide variety of suppliers have been assembled to design and deliver the best fine dining experience in the sky. New menus will be served on select Emirates routes in First Class, followed by business and economy on 1 September.
Purposefully Vegan Choices: Emirates’ new vegan menu is carefully curated to cater to the growing numbers of customers pursuing this thoughtful lifestyle. Vegans, or anyone interested in a delicious and healthy plant-based meal, will enjoy handcrafted gourmet dishes such as pan-roasted king oyster mushrooms, flavoursome jackfruit biryani and sliced kohlrabi garnished with burnt orange. Desserts are a decadent affair with choices of chocolate truffle cake with hazelnut, pistachio and gold leaf, or green grape tart adorned with candied rose petals, vanilla custard, and berry compote glistening with yuzu pearls. Vegan dishes are available to pre-order in all cabin classes.
The Champagne and Caviar Experience: Emirates’ First Class experience, always a benchmark for service excellence, has been raised in 2022. Customers can now savour unlimited portions of Persian caviar as part of the ‘dine-on demand’ service, with an exquisite pairing of the world-renowned Dom Perignon vintage champagne. Emirates is the only airline with an exclusive agreement to offer the luxury brand on-board.
Cinema in the Sky: First Class customers can create a memorable movie moment on board by ordering cinema snacks as they enjoy the 5,000 channels on Emirates’ ice inflight entertainment system. The cinema snack menu includes moreish classics such as lobster rolls, juicy sliders, edamame, and salted popcorn, and can be ordered on demand. All passengers can also curate their own ice experience before their flight simply by browsing and pre-selecting movies or TV shows on the Emirates app, which can then be synced to ice the moment they board, maximising the seamless travel experience.
Farm to Fork – Sustainable Supply Chain: Emirates’ customers departing on flights from Dubai can begin crunching on fresh greens harvested from Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical farm and newly-opened USD40 million joint venture investment through Emirates Flight Catering. Emirates is continuing to invest in sustainable operations and supply chains, seeking local food suppliers and farms wherever possible to serve the freshest produce on board.
Specialised Hospitality Training for Cabin Crew: Emirates has partnered with Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, one of the world’s top hospitality management schools, to craft the Emirates Hospitality strategy and encourage inspiring customer experiences. Emirates Cabin Crew have already begun engaging in intensive training programmes focused on delivering the four service pillars: Excellence, Attentiveness, Innovation and Passion.
Upgraded Cabin Interiors in all Classes: The most significant investment is an extensive and record-breaking refurbishment of the aircraft fleet interiors, where cabins will be retrofitted with new or reupholstered seats, new panelling, flooring and other cabin features. Benefitting all Emirates passengers, every cabin class will be refreshed and new Premium Economy cabins installed. After the retrofit, Emirates will have 120 aircraft offering Premium Economy seats – the only airline in the region to offer this cabin class, and enhanced interiors and features across all other cabins. Planning work and trials have begun, with its first aircraft scheduled to roll into the Emirates Engineering Centre for retrofitting in November.
More details on Emirates’ refreshed dining experience here.
BANGKOK, 15 August 2022: Skål International Bangkok organised a Business Luncheon Talk on “New Era of Digital Marketing for Thailand’s Tourism Business ” at Landmark Hotel Bangkok last week.
James Thurlby Skål International Bangkok, president and executive committee members, welcomed guest speaker Pawoot Pongvitayapanu (fifth right) CEO and founder of www.TARAD.com.
Pawoot Pongvitayapanu (Pom) is a well-known online entrepreneur, CEO of efrastructure Group and founder of www.TARAD.com, the largest E-Commerce Service in Thailand.
He is also the president of the Thai E-Commerce Association and a popular speaker and columnist for newspapers and Magazines. He is often called “Thailand’s Internet pioneer and Thailand’s eCommerce Wizard.”
The event was attended by senior executives of tourism organisations at the Landmark Hotel Bangkok. Skål International Bangkok organises networking lunch talks every other month.
Photo shows from the left:
– Pichai Visutriratana, Director of Events of Skål International Bangkok
– Kanokros Wongvekin, Director of Public Relations of Skål International Bangkok
– John Neutze, Treasurer of Skål International Bangkok
– Tim Waterhouse, Auditor of Skål International Bangkok
– Andrew J Wood, President Skål International Asia.
– Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, CEO and Founder of www.TARAD.com. (white shoes)
– James Thurlby, President of Skål International Bangkok
– Marvin Bemand, Vice President of Skål International Bangkok
– Michael Bamberg Secretary of Skål International Bangkok – Francis Zimmerman, General Manager of Landmark Hotel Bangkok
