Wednesday, April 30, 2025
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Qatar kicks off World Cup packages

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TTR WEEKLY
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DOHA, Qatar, 8 April 2022: With the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final Draw completed and the 32-team tournament set to kick off on 21 November, Qatar Airways is offering fans worldwide all-inclusive travel packages.

Travel packages, including tickets to cheer on their favourite team, are available at qatarairways.com/FIFA2022.

Photo Credit: Qatar Airways. Al Bayt Stadium

Qatar estimates it will host more than 1.5 million fans for the most popular sporting event.

From now until 30 April, eligible members of the Qatar Airways Privilege Club who book an individual flight or a travel package during the FIFA World Cup period (15 November – 18 December 2022) will earn 5,000 bonus Avios upon completion of their journey.

Fans can choose from seven-tiered travel packages, which include return flights, match tickets and accommodation options. Customers can reserve their seats for their preferred matches and follow their favourite team. Qatar Airways’ travel packages start from USD3,400* per person.

The travel packages are currently accessible in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Vietnam. Additional markets will be added soon (subject to licensing agreements).

The tournament will be held across eight world-class stadiums. The Al Bayt Stadium will host the opening game with a capacity of 60,000 seats, while Lusail Stadium is set to host the final match of the tournament, with a capacity of 80,000 seats. The remaining stadiums will house 40,000 spectators. These include Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium, Education City Stadium, Stadium 974 and Al Thumama Stadium.

*Starting price per person in a double room for comparison purposes only. This is subject to change depending on the city of departure and exchange rate.

Vietnam ready to issue vaccine passports

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TTR WEEKLY
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HANOI, 7 April 2022: Vietnam’s health ministry confirmed this week that it will start issuing vaccine passports as of 15 April, claiming the country is now the sixth-highest for vaccine cover worldwide.

Whether it is the sixth or the 10th highest depends on the data source. World in Data statistics placed the country 10th in its latest chart this week, clearly confirming Vietnam is a top performer in the bid to vaccinate an entire population.

According to the Vietnam Government Portal, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said as of 1 April, the country had administered over 206 million vaccine doses ensuring  99% of adults received two jabs and 50% the third. This month, children under 12 to 5 years old will be vaccinated against Covid-19.

So far, 17 countries accept Vietnam’s vaccine passports, which will be used in conjunction with other personal identification documents such as ID cards to facilitate smooth travels. 

The passport will be accessible on two apps PC Covid-19 or Digital Health. If people don’t have the apps, they can obtain vaccine passports through the health ministry website once they have imputed ID information.

Adoption of the vaccine passports has been piloted since late March for around 1,000 residents of Hanoi who received their jabs at one of the city’s three major hospitals. In Ho Chi Minh City, vaccine passports have already been trialled for those vaccinated at Gia An 115 General Hospital.

Last month the country reached an agreement on the mutual recognition of “vaccine passports” with 17 countries, namely the US, the UK, Japan, Australia, Belarus, India, Cambodia, the Philippines, Maldives, Palestine, Turkey, Egypt, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Singapore, Saint Lucia, and the Republic of Korea.

Last February, YouGov attempted to identify which countries had the highest levels of support for vaccine passports.

Out of 26 countries surveyed, Australia had the highest average support for vaccine passports across nine scenarios where vaccine passports might be required. Australian support for making it compulsory to show a vaccination certificate ranged from half (50%) who would support vaccine passports for clothes shops to 75% who support vaccine passports for travelling to or from Australia. Australia is only just about to open up its borders to fully vaccinated travellers after implementing strict travel restrictions for two years of Covid-19.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Mexico and Brazil all also had high average support for vaccine passports across the nine settings.

At the other end of the scale, Poland, Hungary and Russia all had less than 40% average support for vaccine passports.

In terms of other places where vaccine passports could conceivably be introduced (or are already being used in some countries), there is high average support (56%) across the countries surveyed for requiring people to show a vaccination passport to attend large public events, like sporting matches or concerts.

The UK introduced this policy in England in December last year, requiring attendees of large events to show their Covid pass in order to enter, but lifted it soon afterwards.

The introduction of vaccine passports for doing indoor exercise at a gym (50% average support across 26 countries), eating in restaurants (47% average), going to bars or cafes (47% average) or travelling on public transport (46% average) had middling support while shopping in supermarkets and in clothes shops were at the bottom of our list, both with 41% average support.

(Source: VGP, YouGov research, World in Data)

Sarawak attends virtual ITB India

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUCHING, 8 April 2022: Keen to rebuild travel bookings from India, Sarawak Tourism Board participated in the virtual ITB India, a three-day business-to-business trade show, earlier this week.

STB, along with local travel and tour operators from the southern, central and northern regions of Sarawak, networked with traders virtually at the Sarawak stand housed in Imperial Hotel, Kuching, from 5 to 7 April 2022 for the duration of the virtual trade show.

STB’s chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said, “The Indian tourists’ arrivals to Malaysia showed a positive trend with a 15% growth rate pre-pandemic in 2019. India scored 5th place in terms of visitor arrivals to Sarawak, which marks the significance of tapping into the Indian market. In addition, with projections showing that among the 21 million Indians going abroad, more than 25% of these travellers are going out of the country for a holiday.”

“Furthermore, the profiling of the Indian travel market has also indicated that the younger generations are looking for a destination that offers exciting adventures, unique culture and less crowded tourism sites. Sarawak is an ideal eco-escape destination with its vast geographical landscape that spans over 120,000 sq km, and low population density seems to have fulfilled their requirements of an ideal holiday destination,” she added.

ITB India Virtual brings together key travel industry leaders and international exhibitors from various segments of MICE, Leisure, Corporate and TravelTechnology. The B2B virtual event connects the Indian and South Asian travel markets, offering three full days of virtual business appointments and a digital conference programme.

Effective 1 April 2022, international travellers to Sarawak face minimal travel procedures and may no longer need to apply through EnterSarawak or fill in the e-health declaration form but simply download the MySejahtera app and fill in the pre-departure form under the ‘Traveller Icon’ and meet all other requirements set.

More information on the latest Standard Operating Procedure can be downloaded at SDMC’s official website at https://sdmc.sarawak.gov.my/.

(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)

Centara manages Chiang Mai Riverside

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 7 April 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator and Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co  Ltd has announced the signing of a Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) for Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai. Senior management teams from the two companies officially executed the agreement at a signing ceremony held at Centara Grand at CentralWorld recently.

The latest signing is the first following the announcement by Centara of its bold expansion plans, which will help the group reach its goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel operator within five years.

Located next to Ping River close to the Old Town, the existing 27-storey hotel will be rebranded Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai, from 1 April 2022 onwards.

Centara Riverside Hotel Chiang Mai

Centara Riverside Hotel’s 526 guestrooms range between 45 and 223 square metres and feature floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city, Ping River, and Doi Suthep.

In addition to spacious rooms, facilities include a wide range of culinary experiences across the varied restaurants and bars, a large outdoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms. An alfresco Sunset Pool Deck near the pool offers comfortable bean bags to sink into and watch the changing colours of the sky, while Riverside Pavilion provides guests with the perfect spot to enjoy river and mountain views from the riverfront patio lawn.

Already a well-known MICE destination in the region, the hotel offers 14 versatile indoor event spaces certified by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau for meeting the Thailand Mice Venue Standards (TMVS).

“We are delighted to kick off our 2022 expansion drive by welcoming Centara Riverside Hotel to our growing portfolio, one of several hotels and resorts we plan to open this year. Chiang Mai is a beautiful province, and we are excited to expand our footprint in the region through strategic partnerships, including this one with Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co Ltd,” said Centara Hotels & Resorts chief executive officer Thirayuth Chirathivat.

“Chiang Mai is a key destination in Thailand for international as well as domestic travellers. With this new partnership with Centara Hotels and Resorts, we are confident that it will strengthen our presence in both the leisure and MICE travel markets in Chiang Mai,” said Chiangmai Riverside Plaza Hotel Co Ltd  Board Director Amarin Narula.

From its prime riverside location, Centara Riverside Hotel places guests within convenient reach of the region’s natural, cultural, and shopping attractions which range from the CentralFestival lifestyle and shopping centre to artist villages and night markets. Chiang Mai Old town is a few minutes away, and Chiang Mai International Airport is a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

Centara Riverside Hotel is the group’s second hotel in the northern Thai city after Khum Phaya Resort & Spa, which is a member of Centara Boutique Collection. A third Centara hotel flying the group’s COSI flag is in the pipeline and scheduled to open in Q1 2025.

Centara’s ambitious growth vision will see the group’s portfolio increase from nearly 90 properties at present to 200 hotels and resorts by 2026.

For more information, please visit Centara’s website at https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/

Park enthusiasts meet in Sabah

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 7 April 2022: The 2nd Asia Parks Congress will convene in a hybrid format at the Sabah Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, from 24 to 29 May 2022.

Representatives from protected area authorities, other government agencies, NGOs, academia, youth, the private sector, Indigenous peoples and local communities have been invited to participate in the congress. The event is organised in collaboration with IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

Congress themes
• Nature-based solutions for health and wellbeing.
• Governance of protected and conserved areas.
• Connectivity and transboundary conservation.
• Effective protected and conserved areas.
• Economic and financial sustainability of protected and conserved areas.
• Urban conservation and a new generation.

The landmark event will attract conservation experts from across Asia and beyond, and set the agenda for the region’s protected and conserved areas for the next 10 years. Registrations are being handled by the host the State Government of Sabah through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and its agency, Sabah Parks.

For registration, visit https://2nd-asia-parks-congress.sabahparks.org.my/.

Sabah has re-opened its borders to international travellers effective 1 April 2022. The standard operation procedures and entry requirements can be referred to on: sabahtourism.com/alert

About Sabah Parks

Sabah Parks is a conservation-based statutory body established in 1964 with the purpose of conserving the scenic, scientific and historical heritage of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The organisation is also responsible for the management and promotion of the various protected reserves in Sabah, in particular those designated as state parks. It is also mandated to develop tourism-friendly facilities to accommodate tourist arrivals to these reserves and ensure that the state of the reserves is not compromised. The first choice for inclusion in a park system was Mount Kinabalu. As a result, Kinabalu Park was gazetted in 1964, and today it is designated as the first Malaysia World Heritage Site. For more information, please visit https://www.sabahparks.org.my/ .

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Cebu Pacific resumes HK flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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MANILA, 7 April 2022: Cebu Pacific resumed its Manila – Hong Kong flights late last week after Hong Kong lifted the ban on the entry of passengers from nine countries.

The ban prevented airlines from the nine countries from flying to the Hong Kong International Airport for seven days. It impacted flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, the UK and the US.

This week Cebu Pacific restarted flights  5jJ 272 and 5J 114 on the Manila-Hong Kong route.

Travel continues to be restricted to the following:

Hong Kong residents;
Holders of HKG SAR passport or British National (Overseas) passport (with right of abode in HKG);
Individuals with HKG Document of Identity;
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) with Hong Kong work visas are considered Hong Kong residents;
.Non-residents of Hong Kong cannot board flights to Hong Kong

Travellers who are exempt from the entry restrictions:

Passengers travelling from Mainland China, Taiwan or Macau SAR who have not been to other countries/regions in the past 14 days.
Diplomatic/official passport holders (subject to prevailing visa requirements).
Spouse and children of Hong Kong residents.
Local government personnel performing official duties.
Passenger holding new entry visa to work, study, establish or join in any business, or take up residence in HKG.
Personnel approved by the Hong Kong SAR government to carry out anti-epidemic work.

Entry requirements

To enter Hong Kong, travellers must show a negative PCR-based nucleic acid test for Covid-19, conducted within 48 hours before the scheduled time of departure.

The test report must show the name of the traveller and there must be documentary proof to show that the laboratory or healthcare institution is ISO 15189 accredited or is recognized or approved by the relevant authority of the government.

Confirmation of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for seven or 14 nights, in a designated quarantine hotel.

Guests who plan on securing early discharge from quarantine must hold a seven-night confirmed booking in a designated quarantine hotel and shall only be discharged upon meeting the early discharge criteria:

If fully vaccinated and/or being accompanied by children under 12, and the results of the PCR test conducted on the fifth day and the RATs conducted on the sixth and seventh days are all negative;

They should also self-monitor for the subsequent seven days;

They must undergo compulsory PCR-based nucleic acid testing by professional swab sampling on the 12th day of arrival in Hong Kong in a community testing centre or mobile testing station (for free), or at a local testing institution recognized by the government (self-paid).

Guests who choose to quarantine for 14 nights must hold a 14-night confirmed booking in a designated quarantine hotel and shall only be discharged upon confirmation of negative results from the PCR-based nucleic acid test conducted on the 12th day and the RAT conducted on the 14th day.

Vietnam readies to host Routes Asia

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TTR WEEKLY
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DANANG, Vietnam, 7 April 2022: Routes Asia 2022 travels to the central coastal city of Danang in Vietnam for its annual forum from 4 to  9 June after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in Asia.

Vietnam National Tourism Authority posted on its website that the 16 edition of the Asia Pacific event owned by the UK’s Informa Routes should draw around 500 top aviation and airport executives to Danang at a time the city is attempting to regain the confidence of international airlines to resume services.

Photo credit: Informa Routes. Asian airlines and airport executives return for Routes Asia to be hosted in Danang, Vietnam, this June.

Despite the commitment to host Routes Asia in Vietnam, the event will miss the usually robust presence of Chinese aviation and airline executives as restrictions on outbound travel from China are unlikely to ease by June.  

Danang International Airport has a capacity of 12 million passengers along with modern facilities and considerate customer services. In 2019, the airport welcomed over 30 airlines operating 40 routes to/from 11 Asian countries and territories. 

AirAsia App pushes hotel deals

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 7 APRIL 2022: AirAsia Super App users can tap hotel deals featuring over 100 selected hotels in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with at least a 20% discount, but the deadline is just a day away

Closing midnight on 8 April, the deals are valid on hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Jakarta, Bali, Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket for stays until 30 June 2022.

AirAsia Super App head of travel Ostrova Cheng said: “In line with AirAsia’s signature flight promos that have helped reconnect our guests with their loved ones, we are also happy to introduce this limited-time, Super App-exclusive offer on hotels.” 

Three-part ITB India wraps up its virtual event

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TTR WEEKLY
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MUMBAI, 7 April 2022: Under the theme of “Connecting you to the Indian Travel Market”, the 3-in-1 show ITB India, MICE Show India and Travel Tech India 2022 gathered top-notch industry figures and international exhibitors from various segments of MICE, Leisure, Corporate and Travel Technology.

The B2B virtual events, hosted on ITB Community in Asia from 5 to 7 April, provided insights and key strategies to lead the industry, mainly in Indian and South Asian markets, towards recovery and growth.

Key exhibitors at this year’s virtual show included Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Business Events Perth, German National Tourist Office, GIATA, Melia Hotels International, National Tourism Office of Spain in India, Radisson Blu Hoi An, Royal Commission for AlUla, Sarawak Tourism Board, Tourism New Zealand and Turismo de Portugal.

“This year’s powerful conference’s keynote sessions unveiled the biggest and most important issues to open the doors for travelling, accelerate international recovery and ultimately make sure that the travel, tourism and MICE industries become more inclusive and sustainable in the years ahead”, said Katrina Leung, Managing Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB India, MICE Show India and Travel Tech India.

ITB India Conference

Conference sessions focused on the path to recovery, with industry experts sharing their ideas on the future of the Indian and South Asian travel markets. 

Agoda CEO John Brown addressed the question, “What Will Be Key to Travel the World Again?” He outlined what it takes to succeed as the industry moves forward to identify the major game-changers that will impact business models and plans for the future of the travel industry.

MICE Show India

This year’s MICE Show India kicked off with BCD Meetings & Events managing director EMEA Mikael Ek exploring how to re-imagine the future of MICE by introducing various ways to conduct meetings and events.

Travel Tech India

Travel Tech India explored innovations, initiatives and case studies from various industry profiles, including tech companies, hotels, OTAs, and transport companies.

ForwardKeys Vice President of Insights, Olivier Ponti, shared insights on the new era of travel and the evolution of consumer sentiment in the session named “New Era, New Rules: Smart Tourism and the Global Challenges”.

Top cities to enjoy a break

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 6 April 2022: Tripadvisor names the World’s Top 10 Destinations for City Lovers for 2022 based on traveller reviews that favoured Europe’s cities.

Spain figured with two cities, Madrid and Barcelona, and India’s Delhi gained the 10th spot, the only Asian city to appear in the top listing.

Tripadvisor identified 25 destinations on the complete list, with Singapore the highest placed city in Southeast Asia in the 11th spot, followed by Bangkok in 17th place.

Here are the top 10 cities to visit according to Tripadvisor reviews with tips on the must-book activities in each city. 

1. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Top activities
High Red Dunes with Camel Ride, Sandboarding, Falcon Show and VIP BBQ Dinner.
Jet Ski Tour of Dubai: Burj Al Arab, Dubai Marina, Atlantis, Palm & Burj Khalifa.

2. London, United Kingdom

Top activities
London East End Food Tour.
Rock Cab Tours Presents: The Music Legends Private Taxi Tour of London.
Classic London Landmarks Bicycle Tour.

3. Rome, Italy

Top activities
Vespa Sidecar Tour in Rome with Cappuccino.
Colosseum Underground and Ancient Rome Semi-Private Tour.
The Roman Food tour in Trastevere.

4. Istanbul, Turkey

Top activities
Best of Istanbul: 1, 2 or 3-Day Private Guided Istanbul Tour.
Taste of Two Continents Food Tour.
Bosphorus Sunset Cruise on Luxury Yacht.

5. Paris, France

Top activities
Louvre Museum Skip-the-line Access Private Guided Tour.
Paris: the Amazing Segway tour (Eiffel Tower and more than 20 other points of interest).
Montmartre Hill Sweet & Savory French Gourmet Food & Wine Tasting Tour.

6. Barcelona, Spain

Top activities
Small-Group Sail Trip in Barcelona with Paddle Boarding.
Paella Experience with a Professional Chef + Bottomless Wine in Barcelona.
Fast Track Sagrada Familia Guided Tour.

7. Marrakech, Morocco

Top activities
Moroccan Cooking Class With Chef Najlae.
Explore the Atlas Mountains and Three Valleys and Waterfalls with Camel ride Guided Day Trip.
Hot Air Balloon Flight over Marrakech with Traditional Breakfast.

8. Madrid, Spain

Top activities
Tapas, Taverns & History Tour Madrid.
Historical Madrid Tour in Private Electric Tuk Tuk.
Skip-the-Line Prado Museum Guided Tour.

9. Cairo, Egypt

Top activities
Private Half-Day Trip to Giza Pyramids Sphinx with Camel Riding.
Evening Dinner Nile Cruise in Cairo with Private Transport.
Full-Day Luxor private Tour from Cairo by Plane with Lunch.

10. New Delhi, India

Top activities
Old Delhi’s Food, Temples, Culture and Spice Market.
Half-Day Old Delhi Bazaar Walk and Masterji Kee Haveli Visiting Tour.
Full-Day Private Old and New Delhi Combo Tour.

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