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Travel firms gear up for India’s festive season

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

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

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

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)

Thai Vietjet starts Bangkok – Taipei flights

BANGKOK, 22 August 2022: Thai Vietjet launched a new international service from Bangkok to Taipei last week, marking the occasion with a USD99 one-way fare, including tax and fees.

The new service departs just once a week from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and lands at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.

Thai Vietjet,  chief executive officer Woranate Laprabangsaid: “Thai Vietjet is proactively expanding our network to various major destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, providing international travellers with excellent, hospitable, but affordable service, as well as with the highest level of safety throughout their journeys. This would definitely help bring back travellers to both sides also, positively contributing to the tourism recovery.”

He noted that due to the limited capacity quota in Taiwan, the new international flight from Bangkok to Taipei would operate just once a week on Thursday, with more flights to be added subject to the easing of travel restrictions. Flight time to Taipei is three hours and 45 minutes,

The special Deluxe Super Sale on the Bangkok -Taipei route starts at USD99 (THB 3,499) (inclusive of taxes, fees, and surcharges) including 20kg of checked baggage, free seat selection, priority check-in and flexibility with unlimited flight changes at no charge.

The fare is bookable from 25 to  31 August 2022, with a travel period from 15 September 2022  to 25 March 2023.

Currently, passengers entering Thailand no longer need to show a negative Covid-19 result before entering the country. Passengers are also not required to quarantine upon arrival due to the removal of the ‘Test & Go’ scheme from 1 May 2022. Health insurance is no longer mandatory but highly recommended.

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

Flight

Number

Origin

Destination

Departure

Arrival

Days of Operation

VZ562

Bangkok

Taipei

09:55

14:40

Thursday

VZ563

Taipei

Bangkok

15:40

18:25

Singapore’s food festival is back

SINGAPORE, 18 August 2022: The annual Singapore Food Festival (SFF) returns for its 29th edition from 24 August to 11 September 2022.

For the first time since the pandemic, SFF 2022 offers a sumptuous spread of 70 gastronomic experiences, including a Festival Village with over 25 food establishments and a special nine-course dinner, as well as an array of workshops, tours, and exclusive menus at partner restaurants.

Singapore Tourism Board director, retail & dining, Teyi Guo said: “As international travel resumes, we are excited to bring SFF back to its usual format, with engaging in-person programming so visitors can fully experience the international palate of our city.”

SFF Highlights

This year’s line-up, with the theme ‘Real Foodies Only’, comprises several components: the Festival Village, limited-time menus at partner restaurants, tours and workshops, virtual offerings, and overseas activations.

The Festival Village will bring together over 25 culinary and beverage brands at the Bayfront Event Space from 31 August to 11 September 2022.

Over 25 food establishments will serve familiar favourites with an innovative twist, such as Jelebu Dry Laksa’s signature dish topped with Boston lobster and tiger prawns.

Singapore’s hottest food truck The Goodburger is set to sizzle with Blue Lotus Eating House on an SFF-exclusive plant-based Golden Chilli Crab Burger, while the newly-minted Michelin Bib Gourmand stall One Prawn & Co will collaborate with heritage brand Hock Lian Huat to present a thick, silky prawn bisque with shrimps, mussels and clams (above), alongside a ngoh hiang (five-spiced meat rolls) platter. The Chef Arena situated within the grounds of the Festival Village will present a special nine-course dinner created by top culinary masters featured in SFF 2022’s virtual masterclasses, complete with a Martell Noblige cocktail created by Juan Yi Jun, the head bartender of No Sleep Club.

Complementing the food offerings is a curated line-up of workshops for those who prefer to get hands-on. Foodies can learn the art of mixing spices from 3rd generation owner Jeya Seelan from traditional spice stall Jeya Spices; as well as gather Thermomix tips to whip up delicious meals with cookbook author Annie Xavier and passionate home bakers. There will also be a Marketplace featuring a curated selection of merchandise and an Entertainment stage presented by Tiger Beer.

Beyond the Festival Village, various restaurants island-wide will offer festival-exclusive dishes. In an ode to the melting pot of cultures in Singapore, Two Men Bagel House will present a bagelwich (left) packed with the aromatic flavours of Chinese, Indian and Malay curries, while Italian meets Malay at Italian-inspired restaurant and bar Dopo Teatro with its sambal goreng pizza.

In a meeting of old and new, deli veteran Steeple’s Deli will collaborate with new-school Park Bench Deli for a 1-day pop-up at Steeple’s Deli, featuring sandwiches that incorporate the former’s mouth-watering corned beef and the latter’s pastrami. Foodies with a sweet tooth must try the Teh Halia flavoured ice cream or the guava sorbet with sour plum powder by Made With Passion[1] brands The Ice Cream & Cookie Co. and Creamier.

Festival-goers can check out www.singaporefoodfestival.sg for the full list of experiences and ticketing information.

Emirates embarks on fleet retrofit

DUBAI, UAE, 19 August 2022: Emirates has kick-started its plans to upgrade the entire interior cabins of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft – two of the largest commercial aircraft types in service today.

This ambitious project, representing a multi-billion dollar investment to ensure Emirates’ customers “fly better” for the coming years, officially commences in November and is managed entirely by Emirates’ Engineering team.

The target is to completely retrofit four Emirates aircraft from start to finish every month, continuously for over two years. Once the 67 earmarked A380s are refreshed and back in service, 53 777s will undergo their facelift. This will see nearly 4,000 brand new Premium Economy seats installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design when the project is complete in April 2025.

In addition, carpets and stairs will be upgraded, and cabin interior panels refreshed with new tones and design motifs, including the iconic ghaf trees native to the UAE.

No other airline has handled a retrofit of this magnitude in-house, and there’s no blueprint for such an undertaking. Therefore Emirates Engineering teams have been planning and testing extensively to establish and streamline processes and identify and address any possible snags.

Trials began on an A380 in July, where experienced engineers took each cabin apart piece by piece and logged every step. Every action was tested, timed and mapped out by removing seats and panelling to bolts and screws. Potential impediments to completing the installation of Emirates’ new Premium Economy Class or the retrofit of the remaining three cabins in just 16 days were flagged and documented for expert teams to review and address.

As part of the programme, new purpose-built workshops will be set up at Emirates Engineering to repaint, re-trim and re-upholster Business and Economy Class seats with new covers and cushions. First Class suites will be carefully disassembled and sent to a specialised company to replace the leather, armrests and other materials.

From the trials, engineers discovered several unexpected solutions. For instance, existing food catering trucks could be easily repurposed to move parts destined for refurbishment from the aircraft to the workshop for their refresh, as these vehicles had doors of the right width and offered sufficient space.

Until the retrofit programme starts in earnest in November, a cross-disciplinary team has been assembled to regularly review the planning process, address any issues, and track updates on various aspects of the project, such as procurement, staffing, and training.

Emirates’ new Premium Economy cabin class, which offers luxurious seats, more legroom, and service to rival many airlines’ business offerings, is currently available to Emirates customers travelling on popular A380 routes to London, Paris, and Sydney. More customers will be able to experience the airline’s new Premium Economy cabins starting from year-end as the retrofit programme picks up momentum.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com.

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Cross Hotels ramps up green measures

BANGKOK, 19 August 2022: Cross Hotels & Resorts is ramping up its environmental awareness credentials by signing two new hotel management agreements (HMA) in Bangkok and Pattaya.

In a media statement, the hotel group said the “twin deal with Evergreen Hospitality Co Ltd ushers in a sustainable drive to minimise carbon footprint.

In response, the group is implementing responsible procedures that include planting more trees and robustly executing the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). The signing of the management agreements saw executives from both companies move from the boardroom to the garden, where they planted trees to endorse the agreement.

In the Thai capital, Away Bangkok Sukhumvit is a 78-key boutique hotel close to leading business, entertainment and shopping centres, and a short walk to Phrom Phong BTS station. Meanwhile, situated just minutes from Pattaya’s famed beach, the 70-room Cross Vibe South Pattaya provides guests with a wide range of facilities that include rooms with balconies and terraces, onsite parking and easy access to the city’s renowned dining, entertainment and retail zones.

“We continue to take proactive steps to reduce our impact on the planet by keeping our carbon footprint to a minimum. This visionary signing is another major step towards realising our goal. In the same vein, these two properties are an exact fit for our brands Away and Cross Vibe as they align with our strategy of investing in the world-class destinations of Bangkok and Pattaya,” said Cross Hotels & Resorts CEO Harry Thaliwal.

Cross Hotels & Resorts’ current portfolio includes more than 26 hotels under five distinct brands – Cross, Cross Vibe, Away, Lumen and Cross Collection – in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan.

The group is owned by the ASX-listed Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG).

RainGain signs deal with Air India

NEW DELHI, 19 August  2022: Air India has signed a deal with RateGain Travel Technologies to use its AirGain product that delivers dynamically adjusted prices based on real-time, accurate, and high-quality airfare data.

As a flagship carrier, Air India offers connections to nearly 90 destinations in over 30 countries across Asia, Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, operating one of the world’s largest domestic and international networks. It maintains a fleet of 113 aircraft operating over 500 daily flights.

As fuel prices and inflation continue to increase costs for airlines, travellers are becoming cost conscious and looking for the best airfares.

Air India said the increased pressure on costs as well as traveller preference is creating a need for pricing data. AirGain will help the airline accurately understand market shifts, monitor competitive strategy and understand the right price each time.

It tracks historical trends and fare changes on the most-profitable routes making it easy for revenue and commercial teams to stay on top of every market development.

Commenting on the partnership, Air India executive director of corporate affairs Aruna Gopalakrishnan said: “Air India is focused on becoming one of the most competitive airlines in the world, and technology will play a big role in it. RateGain is known for helping the world’s largest travel companies and is expected to be playing a role in making Air India the preferred choice of traveller.”

Cunard updates Covid-19 requirements

SINGAPORE, 19 August 2022: Cruise line Cunard updated its Covid-19 protocols and guidelines this week to ease pre-travel testing requirements.

Effective 6 September 2022, self-testing before travel will change from “mandatory” to “highly recommended” for vaccinated guests on most voyages.

Only guests sailing on longer, more complex itineraries will be required to have an observed or in-person antigen or PCR test with a fit to travel certificate before departure. These include several sailings of 16 nights or more and other specific voyages.

These new guidelines apply to all Cunard itineraries sailing from Southampton, England, and all other departure points, except for countries where government regulations and protocols may vary, such as Canada and Australia. The vaccination policy for Cunard guests remains the same.

“These updated protocols reflect the current environment across the world, and while certain key elements have relaxed, our commitment to protect the health and wellbeing of all guests, crew and the communities we visit remains an ongoing and vital consideration,” said Cunard vice president, commercial, North America and Australasia Matt Gleaves.

The exact requirements will be communicated to all guests with the latest updates on www.cunard.com  from early September.

All the updated guidelines and protocols are subject to local regulations of applicable homeports and destinations.

The company is part of Carnival Corporation & Plc.