TOKYO, 20 April 2022: Okura Nikko Hotel Management, a subsidiary of Hotel Okura Co Ltd, is accepting reservations for its latest addition Hotel Nikko Amata City Chonburi due to open on 1 June in the Amata City, Thailand complex.
The new hotel is located in Amata City Chonburi Industrial
Estate, covering an area of approximately 4,000 hectares and is home to around
750 international companies, of which more than half are Japanese firms.
The property is also close to Amata Spring Country Club and a 45-minute car drive from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The hotel features 220 rooms and has three executive floors with an executive lounge. Other signature features include a Japanese restaurant, event space and a ballroom.
Hotel Okura Co Ltd, founded in 1958, opened its flagship
Hotel Okura Tokyo in 1962 as a first-class hotel. It closed its doors in August
2015, and after a four-year remake, reopened as The Okura Tokyo in September
2019.
Okura Nikko Hotel Management Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Hotel
Okura, operates 80 properties (54 in Japan and 26 overseas) encompassing some
24,525 guest rooms (as of 1 April 2022)
under three hotel brands or groups: Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels
International and Hotel JAL City.
SINGAPORE, 20 April 2022: Manila, Philippines, is the top
hot spot in Southeast Asia according to booking trends monitored by Travelport
during the first quarter of the year.
A global technology company powering bookings for hundreds
of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide released its latest trend data on
Monday that identifies the top 10 hot spots in Southeast Asia that are gaining
bookings as travel restrictions ease.
Manila came out top due to easy entry rules followed by Singapore. Thailand’s capital Bangkok, gained the third spot while booking trends placed the Thai beach resort Phuket in eighth place.
Travelport excluded Brunei and Myanmar from its booking data
analysis. Both countries lagged far behind in easing restrictions, while
Myanmar’s recovery remains a non-starter due to civil unrest and opposition to
the ruling military junta following the 1 February 2021 coup.
According to Travelport’s booking data, the top 10 destinations in Southeast Asia for international travellers to visit in 2022 are:
Manila (Philippines)
Singapore (Singapore)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Jakarta (Indonesia)
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Hanoi (Vietnam)
Phuket (Thailand)
Bali (Indonesia)
Angeles/Mabalacat (Philippines)
Travelport reports that for the first quarter of 2022,
international flight bookings to Southeast Asia showed an upward trajectory
with the Philippines taking the lead by regaining 42% of its international
bookings when compared to the first quarter of 2019 before the Covid-19
pandemic.
The Philippines and Thailand were among the earliest
countries in Southeast Asia to ease border rules, although Thailand’s travel
industry said more should have been done to streamline entry requirements.
However, in the first quarter of 2022, these two countries alone represent over half (51%) of all international flight bookings to the region, according to Travelport findings.
The Philippines fully reopened its borders to vaccinated
travellers on 10 February. Within a week of the announcement, international
flight bookings to the country rose by 114%. By 28 February, the country saw a
294% increase in daily flight bookings.
Thailand reintroduced its Test & Go programme on 1
February, which required tourists to have a negative PCR test for entry and a
subsequent antigen test on the fifth day of travel. In the 24 hours following
that announcement, international flight bookings to Thailand grew by 37%. On 7
March, the Thai government further revised the measures, dropping the testing
requirements on the fifth day. With that change, international flight bookings
grew 128% compared to booking on the first announcement.
The top five countries travelling to Southeast Asia are the
United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. Solo
travellers made up 44% of international flight bookings for the first quarter
of 2022.
About Travelport
Travelport is a global technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide. Headquartered in the UK it operates in more than 180 countries worldwide.
KOTA KINABALU, 20 April 2022: Thirty members of the Rotary
Club will climb Mount Kinabalu this Friday as part of a charity mission to
raise funds and awareness for polio.
Additionally, the climb should also see climbers setting a Rotary record by holding “the highest meeting” at the mountain’s summit during the climb.
The participating Rotarians are from Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, and Kuala Lumpur. The ascent of the second highest peak in Southeast Asia will commence on Friday, 22 April.
Datuk Joniston Bangkuai (left) received a copy of the ‘East Kinabalu: A Guide To The Eastern Part of Mount Kinabalu’ book from Dr Ravi Mandalam (right).
Last week, Kota Kinabalu Rotary Club member and the charity
climb’s coordinator, Dr Ravi Mandalam, and senior Rotarian Datuk Abdullah
Sibil, met with Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai to invite
him to flag off the charity climb at a ceremony on 21 April.
Dr Ravi stated that most participants are first-time
climbers and that Mount Kinabalu would be an excellent choice to start climbing
endeavours while also promoting Sabah’s iconic charm.
The radiologist, who hails from India, is no stranger to Mount Kinabalu, having scaled the peak 56 times and written a book ‘East Kinabalu: A Guide To The Eastern Part of Mount Kinabalu.’
Dr Ravi, who has lived in Sabah for 28 years, stated at the
meeting that the Rotary Club decided to climb Mount Kinabalu after learning
about his experiences through his book.
“To me, Mount Kinabalu is the crown jewel of Sabah. It is
the state’s treasure, a botanical paradise, and a biodiversity hotspot,” said
Dr Ravi.
Meanwhile, Joniston stated that Mount Kinabalu is an iconic
destination in Sabah and that many people have organised a climbing mission or
charity climb to the peak for a good cause.
“It’s also an excellent way to introduce Sabah and our
heritage mountain to Rotarians who have never been here or climbed the summit.
“Mount Kinabalu, in particular, is a popular
destination for international climbers. With our international borders now
open, we hope to see a resurgence of foreign climbers in addition to Malaysians,”
he said.
During the meeting, Joniston received a copy of the East
Kinabalu book, which Dr Ravi co-authored with two others.
SINGAPORE, 20 April 2022: Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore (CESG) opened on Monday at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, with Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu delivering the joint opening keynote address.
Fu emphasised the importance of global partnerships and
innovation in tackling climate change and highlighted the actions that
Singapore is taking towards its climate ambition and sustainability agenda
through the Singapore Green Plan.
Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore, delivered the opening address of the Singapore International Water Week and CleanEnviro Summit Singapore 2022.
“Singapore’s efforts to advance our sustainability agenda and grow our environment and water sectors are underpinned by partnerships with the rest of the world,” said Fu.
She added that “international events such as CESG and SIWW could play an important role in bringing together thought leaders, experts and practitioners from governments, academia, and industry to exchange ideas and co-create solutions.”
Following the opening ceremony, Fu officiated at the launch
of the RSK Centre for Sustainability Excellence at SIWW’s Water Expo and
witnessed the launch of Hyperscale, Asia’s inaugural waste-tech accelerator
programme by StartupX at CESG.
The 9th Singapore International Water Week and the 5th CleanEnviro Summit Singapore are being held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands, until 21 April.
BUSAN, 20 April 2022: Busan has long
been referred to as the maritime capital of Northeast Asia. The city has a
brand identity of ‘International
industrial Logistics City’, thanks to its location, which is a
centre of logistics between China and Japan, near the pacific rim.
Pivoting around the West Busan, where the Busan port and Gimhae international airport are located, the west strait serves as a land, sea, and air hub from Asia to Africa, and the east one plays a role as a gateway from the Pacific Rim to Korea to Japan. The northern area is a starting and ending point for the Silk Road connecting to the Eurasian Continent as well as an outpost for the logistics of the East Sea in the era of the unified Korean Peninsula.
With the economy and traffic developed throughout the city, Busan has experienced the development of the shipping and port industries, which are the foundation for tourism, convention, and cultural industries. It has earned another name in each field and has long been referred to, such as ‘Asia’s 4th largest tourism and convention city’, ‘Asian Hollywood’, and ‘Korea’s first international tourism city. Busan, a centre of maritime logistics with natural tourist attractions, has a unique charm that plays a key role in maintaining its superiority in the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference & Exhibitions) industry, encompassing all business events.
Busan’s maritime MICE is an attractive
product in the global market as it is one of the few maritime ‘Bleisure Cities’ where both business
and leisure are available. Some cities may provide bleisure travel, but only a
few are destinations for maritime bleisure. Busan has iconic beaches not only
Haeundae and Gwangalli, but also Songdo, Cheongsapo, Songjeong, and Dadaepo,
which remind visitors from home and abroad of the sea. One of Busan’s strengths is its
unmatched tourist attractions, with numerous hotels and local restaurants
serving various menus along the beach.
When the
Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism(MCST) selected an ‘International
Tourism City in Korea’ in 2020, Busan was named the
country’s first international tourist city. The city was
officially recognized as one and only MICE destination after going viral.
Recently,
the sea of Busan has been reborn as a core infrastructure that leads the MICE
industry beyond a tourist destination. In the same year, after the MCST chose
Busan as Korea’s International Tourism City, the ministry
also designated an area of the same city as an International Conference Complex
Zone to make the best MICE city, where ‘HAEVENUE’ (Haeundae International Conference Complex)’
is an area with a size of 2,390,000㎡ including BEXCO in
the Centum City business district, Nurimaru APEC House, and luxury hotels in
Haeundae. Busan’s potential for MICE was highly evaluated
with the successful hosting of APEC South Korea 2005, 2012 Lions Clubs
International Convention, 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit.
In
particular, ‘World Ocean Forum (WOF)’,
considered the Davos forum in the maritime sector, is a good example of
combining the sea of Busan with its MICE industry. The WOF approached the sea,
a tourist attraction, as a source of human prosperity, gathering global marine
and environment experts and ranking officials to come up with solutions. The forum,
held 15 times until last year, created new values and global business.
As such,
Busan, which has a higher future potential as a MICE destination, is about to
host a series of international events to raise its global status as a ‘maritime city Busan’ and ‘MICE
city’.
First, the ‘FIATA World
Congress 2022’ is the
so-called ‘Logistics Olympics’, in which FIATA, the world’s largest logistics
organization, established in 1926, participates in 40,000 members from 108
countries and tours its member countries annually. This year’s congress, under
the theme of ‘Uniting for Global Solutions’, will be attended by 2,000 experts,
government officials, and international organizations at BEXCO from 11
September for six days to discuss changes and innovations in the global
logistics industry after the 4th industrial revolution.
@ 7IMDC official website
Following the FIATA World Congress 2022, another maritime-related global conference, ‘the 7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC)’ will be held in Busan. The conference, which has been hosted exclusively in the United States since 1984, is being held for the first time in another country this year. Busan didn’t miss this chance. Ideas and practices in all areas of marine waste prevention and management, including monitoring, R&D, public-private cooperation, education, and the policy, will be shared and disseminated by approximately 700 experts and stakeholders from the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other governments, NGOs, international organizations, research institutes, and corporations.
Busan
received high praise for its experience and know-how in hosting large-scale
international events. In addition, it has offices in oceans and fisheries and
is leading marine environmental policies based on excellent tourism and MICE
infrastructure.
An
official from the Busan Convention Bureau said, “Busan, the hub of marine
logistics in Northeast Asia, with beautiful sea and abundant tourist
attractions, has built MICE infrastructure for a long time and collected data
based on the evaluation of global visitors. I am confident that the city will
emerge as a global MICE destination leading the post corona era.”
NEW DELHI, 20 April 2022: India’s full-service airline
Vistara launched its ‘Summertime Sale’ across its domestic and international
network on Tuesday with fares across all three classes – economy, premium
economy and business.
Domestic bookings up for grabs until 2359 on 21 April come with one-way all-inclusive
fares starting at INR2,499 for economy class, INR3,459 for premium economy and
INR9,999 for business.
Fares on international routes are open for purchase until
2359, 25 April. All-inclusive return fares start at INR12,999 for economy
class, INR17,249 for premium economy and INR35,549 for business. All fares are
inclusive of taxes, for travel between 20 June and 30 September 2022.
DOMESTIC: SAMPLE ONE-WAY ALL-IN PROMOTIONAL FARES (IN INR)
FROM
TO
Economy
Premium Economy
Business Class
Delhi
Dehradun
2,499
N/A
N/A
Delhi
Chandigarh
2,519
3,459
14,439
Delhi
Lucknow
2,939
3,939
9,999
Mumbai
Chandigarh
4,149
5,449
16,159
Udaipur
Delhi
2,969
3,959
14,839
Delhi
Amritsar
3,089
4,179
12,409
Delhi
Leh
3,089
3,929
12,849
Delhi
Srinagar
3,089
4,169
14,429
Mumbai
Varanasi
3,939
4,799
23,419
Delhi
Varanasi
3,529
4,609
12,369
Mumbai
Goa
2,929
3,929
15,669
Delhi
Kochi
5,059
6,029
27,249
Delhi
Goa
4,609
5,559
25,819
Mumbai
Bengaluru
3,519
4,879
16,659
Delhi
Kolkata
4,159
5,079
25,239
** Above fares are exclusive of convenience fees
** To view the exhaustive list of domestic discounted fares, click here
INTERNATIONAL: SAMPLE ALL-IN RETURN PROMOTIONAL FARES (IN INR)
FROM
TO
Economy
Premium Economy
Business Class
Delhi
Kathmandu
12,999
17,249
43,099
Mumbai
Colombo
22,649
30,099
35,549
Delhi
Dhaka
14,399
24,299
68,799
Delhi
Singapore
18,449
27,599
70,349
Mumbai
Dubai
20,849
28,549
60,149
** To view the full list of international discounted fares, click here
Bookings are now open on Vistara’s website, iOS and Android mobile apps, at Vistara’s Airport Ticket Offices (ATOs), through the airline’s call centre, and online travel agencies (OTAs).
YANGON, 20 April 2022: Myanmar makes the first moves to reopen international commercial flights at Yangon Internation Airport this week, according to a press statement released by Myanmar Tourism Marketing, a privately funded not-for-profit organization.
The country has been closed for more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a military coup that overthrew the elected government on 1 February 2021. Reopening Yangon’s airport to international flights will enable overseas Myanmar people to connect with their families.
The Myanmar Tourism Marketing statement said it is now
possible for international business and leisure travellers to visit the country
if they are full vaccinated and meet the criteria to secure an online e-visa.
International business travellers and tourists will be able
to apply online for a business e-visa or tourist e-visa through the website
www.evisa.moip.gov.mm.
Fully vaccinated travellers will be required to show a
negative PCR test before arrival, pre-arrange a private transfer on arrival and
stay for one night in hotel quarantine while waiting for the results of their
in-country PCR test.
International travellers are also required to purchase Myanmar health insurance that covers Covid-19 (starting price USD50 for insurance valid for 15 days). If the in-country test is positive, the health insurance covers the additional cost of hotel quarantine and hospital fees according to requirements by the health authorities for a maximum of USD4,500
Travel downsides
MTM confirms cash withdrawals from ATMs in Myanmar are not possible at the moment, and businesses do not accept international credit cards. Travellers must pre-arrange their trip to Myanmar through a travel agency and bring lots of cash to cover the entire holiday costs.
There are also very few airlines ready to risk resuming
services to Yangon. Travel demand in and out of the country has hit ground zero
mainly due to security risks, the Covid-19 threat and negative travel
sentiments shared by international travellers on social media.
Air Asia is the first international airline to announce a
new flight schedule to Yangon International Airport. Starting from 13 May 2022,
Air Asia will fly weekly from Kuala Lumpur.
Despite military junta efforts to present a rosy tourism picture that suggests airlines are eager to resume flights, international travellers will have doubts about their safety. They will also fear that their tourism dollars will help prop up a military junta that has arrested and imprisoned thousands of innocent people without trial. If the military junta released those detained without trial, it might send a conciliatory message to travellers who have vowed to give the country a wide berth. Until there is a return to full democracy and a scaling back of the military-led violence, Myanmar will remain off the travel radar, particularly for travellers who follow their conscience and adopt responsible travel principles as benchmarks.
About Myanmar Tourism Marketing
Myanmar Tourism Marketing (MTM) is a privately funded, not-for-profit organization that aims to promote Myanmar as a sustainable tourism destination that can be visited the whole year-round.
NEW DELHI, 20 April 2022: Tourism Malaysia embarks this week on its first overseas roadshow to six major cities in India after a two-year break in international promotions due to strict Covid-19 sanctions that were lifted earlier this month.
The roadshow kicks off in Delhi, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai. The sales mission is headed by Tourism Malaysia’s senior director of international promotions (Asia & Africa), Manoharan Periasamy. The delegation includes three Malaysia-based airlines, 22 travel agents, four hoteliers, and four product owners, according to the media statement.
India remains and has been one of the top market sources for
Malaysia and has contributed 735,309 arrivals (+22%) in 2019.
Since Malaysia reopened its borders 1 April, for quarantine-free
travel, fully-vaccinated international travellers need to provide a negative
RT-PCR test two days before departure and travellers must undergo
professionally administered RTK-Ag within 24 hours upon arrival in Malaysia.
Currently, Malaysia eVISA can be applied online, and more
than 14,000 seats are offered weekly between India and Malaysia through
Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, AirAsia, IndiGo, and Air India Express.
SINGAPORE, 19 April 2022: Bamboo Airways has appointed TAL
Aviation Group as its sales representative in France and the Benelux countries
as the airline plans a new service to Paris.
The TAL Aviation France and Benelux teams will provide
Bamboo Airways with distribution, sales, reservations and marketing for the
upcoming launch of roundtrip flights from Vietnam to France.
The airline will use a Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 to serve
Paris later this year. It launched its first flights to the UK in March,
serving the Hanoi -London Heathrow route. It also started flights from Hanoi to
Frankfurt in Germany in late February with a twice-weekly service and has flown
“special flights” to Poland to repatriate Vietnamese citizens who had
visited or were residents in Ukraine.
“We are pleased to be a part of Bamboo Airways’ plans
of expansion. Our new partner is in good stead, led by our French team who has
hands-on experience in developing a new product in the market,” commented
Nissim Sagis, TAL Aviation’s Chief Commercial Officer.
Bamboo Airways, a member of the FLC Group, was officially
established in 2017. The airline signed an agreement to purchase 24 A321NEO
aircraft valued at USD3.1 billion a year later, followed by a contract to
purchase 20 new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft worth USD5.6 billion.
TAL Aviation is a global airline, travel & tourism
representation organisation with 35 offices covering 50 countries throughout
Europe, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas.
It has representation, distribution and sales agreements with 30 international airlines.
BANGKOK, 19 April 2022: Thai AirAsia revived flights to Bali Ngurah Rai Airport, last week carrying 128 passengers on the inaugural after a two-year pause.
The four-hour direct flight departs Bangkok
at 0615 on Tuesday and Saturday arrives in Bali at 1130.
Caption: Thai AirAsia resumes flights to Bali twice weekly.
Thailand is now the third Southeast Asia country with a direct air link with Bali, after Singapore and Malaysia. Flights will start soon between Ho Chi Minh City and Bali on VietJet Airways.
Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport is now directly
connected to nine destinations: Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Tokyo, Kuala
Lumpur, Doha, Istanbul, Perth, and Bangkok. The Bali flights to these cities
are flown by Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Jetstar
Asia, Scoot, KLM, Jetstar, AirAsia, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, and
Thailand AirAsia.
