HONG KONG, 26 May 2022: The Cathay Pacific Group released its annual Sustainable Development Report earlier this week that addresses its commitment and progress towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Chief Executive Officer Augustus Tang said: “I am pleased to share our 2021 Sustainable Development Report, which sets out the specific progress we made last year towards our priority sustainability issues and being a good corporate citizen as the world tackled the Covid-19 pandemic. This included supporting our communities during this global health crisis and making new commitments toward greater diversity in our workforce and the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in our operations.
“As our industry makes a gradual recovery from the impact of COVID-19, the transition to low-carbon transport and towards sustainable aviation has reached a tipping point. Building on the carbon-neutral pledge we have made, we announced in 2021 our target of 10% SAF use for flights operated by Cathay Pacific by 2030.
“We also developed Asia’s first major Corporate SAF Programme in 2021, which came to fruition last month with the launch of its pilot phase, bringing SAF into Hong Kong International Airport for uplift for the very first time. Together with our partners and corporate customers, we will continue to connect Hong Kong to the world in sustainable ways as recovery accelerates.”
2021 report highlights
Making progress towards carbon neutrality: “We became one of the first airlines in Asia to target 10% SAF use by 2030 and have committed to purchasing more than 350 million gallons of SAF beginning from 2024 alongside our Oneworld Alliance peers. We also co-founded the Aviation Climate Taskforce, an industry platform through which we will accelerate the development of breakthrough technologies that will help drive the decarbonisation of civil aviation.”
Strong commitment to diversity: “We have pledged to increase female representation at senior positions by 25% – reaching 30% i– by 2025. A Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Steering Committee and a dedicated team were set up in 2021 to drive change.”
Full details of the group’s 2021 Sustainable Development Report are available here. To read more about Cathay Pacific’s Sustainable Development commitments, click here. For more information about its Corporate SAF Programme, please click here.
NEW DELHI, 26 May 2022: Jet Airways says it hopes to resume flights during the last quarter of this year following a series of proving flights that are part of the process to regain its wings from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
According to a report in the aviation news channel, Simple Flying, Jet Airways announced last week that it “passed a significant milestone on its path to resuming operations.”
If all goes to plan, the airline that stopped flying in April 2019 when its finances collapsed could start limited commercial flights on domestic routes in India by the fourth quarter. According to reliable trade sources in Delhi, it could make a comeback on routes to other Asian destinations in early 2023.
Jalan-Kalrock Consortium is reportedly financing the airline’s resurrection enabling its return to the skies, and if all goes to plan, an air operator certificate will be issued by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
According to Routes Online, Jet Airways became India’s fastest-growing airline and, at its peak, mustered a fleet of 120 aircraft, flying 600 domestic and 380 international routes.
A court panel approved Jet’s takeover and restart plan in June 2021.
A revived Jet Airways will probably fly services from Delhi to Mumbai first. However, it could face stiff opposition from other airlines as it attempts to reclaim other flight shots on domestic and eventually international routes to Southeast Asia. Flying to Phuket and Bangkok in Thailand would tap the lucrative Indian leisure travel market in the first quarter of 2023.
Flights to Singapore and Malaysia would be on the cards, followed by long-haul routes. Ultimately the airline would want to get its flight slots back on the London Heathrow route and Dubai in the Middle East.
JAKARTA, 26 May 2022: Singapore is gearing up to boost visits from Indonesia with its SingapoReimagine recovery campaign designed to reignite the passion for travel through fresh and innovative experiences in Singapore.
To drive visits, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) partners, through two Memoranda of Cooperation (MoC), with lifestyle super app Traveloka and Trans Digital Media to signal the start of the year-long rollout of joint tactical campaigns.
MoC Signing between STB and Traveloka, Juliana Kua, Assistant CEO, STB; Shirley Lesmana, CMO, Traveloka.
The MoCs are STB’s first key lifestyle and travel partnerships inked in Indonesia since the pandemic to position Singapore as the holiday destination of choice with great offers following the city’s reopening to fully-vaccinated visitors with no quarantine and testing requirements under the Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF).
Singapore saw a 252% increase in international visitor arrivals year-on-year in Q1 2022. This is on the back of international arrivals climbing month-on-month for the third straight month in April 2022.
Some 294,300 visitors hit the island’s shores in April, up from 121,200 in March, although volumes were still far lower than the 1.6 million recorded in Apr 2019, before the pandemic. Indonesia overtook India as the biggest source of arrivals, with 58,270 travellers in April, up from 13,620 in March. Singapore expects to welcome even more visitors from May as the result of the transition to the VTF from 1 April 2022.
Singapore Tourism Board executive director Southeast Asia, John Conceicao said: “With the strong rebound in the Indonesia market in recent months as a result of quarantine-free and test-free travel for the fully vaccinated, we are doubling down on our SingapoReimagine recovery campaign to maintain top-of-mind awareness and recapture mindshare amongst our target audiences. Through our partnerships with Traveloka and Trans Digital Media, we hope to entice Indonesian travellers with a wide range of curated tactical offers such as flight and hotel packages and other lifestyle offerings to drive and sustain visitorship through to next year.”
The partnership with Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s lifestyle super-app, will drive interest to a broader target audience. It will provide a more effortless booking experience for Singapore offerings across five markets in the Southeast Asia region, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam.
STB Indonesia had previously partnered with Traveloka in 2019 before the pandemic, and with the improving travel situation regionally, this partnership is timely to reignite the pent-up travel demand and sustain the recovery momentum.
Traveloka chief marketing officer Shirley Lesmana said: “Before the pandemic, Singapore was consistently amongst the top three tourist destinations for Indonesians, and we are hoping that this partnership will continue the momentum, revitalizing the wanderlust in Indonesians to travel to Singapore.”
Harnessing the strong consumer touchpoints within the Trans Digital Media’s ecosystem, STB hopes its first of its kind partnership with the group will help to drive demand and actual bookings for leisure travel to Singapore. The partnership with Trans Digital Media will see AntaVaya – one of Indonesia’s largest travel agencies, creating new Singapore products supported by exclusive Bank Mega deals and promoted throughout their media and retail outlets nationally.
Trans Digital Media president director Abdul Aziz added: “We are truly excited about the collaboration with STB to strengthen the appeal of its tourism offerings to the Indonesian market. With this partnership, we hope to be able to support Singapore’s tourism recovery to emerge even stronger than before.”
Fresh and innovative experiences in Singapore
SkyHelix Sentosa, Singapore’s highest open-air panoramic ride and the first carbon-neutral attraction on Sentosa Island. as well as the Museum of Ice Cream.
Other Singapore attractions have been enhanced, such as Marvel Universe area at Madame Tussauds Singapore, the Tropical Montane Orchidetum at National Orchid Garden, and the Ice Hotel Gallery at Snow City, which is Singapore’s first ice hotel experience.
The events calendar in Singapore looks set to entice visitors with the first-ever Wellness Festival Singapore in June, the perennial favourite Singapore Food Festival in Q3 2022, and the highly anticipated F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2022 at the end of September.
Travellers can also look forward to new attractions that will be opening soon, like the Slingshot; Asia’s tallest extreme swing ride and an integrated facility where visitors can skate, surf, ski and snowboard in Trifecta in 2023.
Singapore has put in place robust measures to safeguard the health and safety of travellers and the local community. As of 24 May 2022, 93% of Singapore’s total population has completed their full vaccination regimen.
SINGAPORE, 25 May 2022: Premier beach resort brand Outrigger Hospitality Group has joined the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH.org) as part of its larger ESG (environment, social, governance) initiative.
“WTACH’s ambition to respect and conserve local culture is fully aligned with ‘The Outrigger Way’ – our corporate foundation of caring for the host, guest and place,” said OHG vice president of corporate communications and social responsibility Monica Salter.
“We’re grateful to be part of a network of like-minded organisations to protect and preserve cultural uniqueness through respectful engagement with local communities and custodians,” she said.
The Outrigger Way values system originated from Hawaii’s culture of hospitality. It embraces local traditions and cultures in all of Outrigger’s places. Whether in Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius, Hawaii or The Maldives, the host culture is of crowning importance at Outrigger and is incorporated into signature guest experiences.
Founded in 2019 as a not-for-profit membership organisation, WTACH seeks to ensure that the unique attributes, history and cultural values of the world’s tourism-related communities are celebrated and preserved for generations to come.
“Travel and tourism, when done right, can be one of the great protectors of local cultural heritage and a force for good,” said WTACH president and CEO Nigel Fell.
“We look forward to offering Outrigger extra support, training and tools to enhance the already solid work on tourism sustainability practices in the Pacific, Asia and Indian Ocean regions,” said Fell.
Last March, Outrigger unveiled the A’o Cultural Centre in the Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort’s lobby as part of a USD80 million transformation. Through art and historical artefacts, Outrigger’s aim at the centre is to showcase Hawaii’s maritime heritage in partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society, local artists, Bishop Museum – designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History – and Friends of Hawaiiloa and Hokulea, a non-profit dedicated to Hawaiian canoe building traditions.
BANGKOK, 25 May 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts invites freedom-loving travellers to stay longer for less with free nights on offer at COSI hotels in Samui, Krabi, and Pattaya.
Guests can book from now until 30 June 2022 for stays from 1 to 30 June 2022 and enjoy a second consecutive night free for every night booked, starting from just THB900++ for a two-night stay. It gets better the longer you stay — Stay-2-Pay-1, Stay-4-Pay-2, Stay-6-Pay-3.
Modern and funky, affordable lifestyle hotels, COSIs are located in some of the most vibrant neighbourhoods and home to a fun community where travellers and residents meet and connect. COSI reimagines the modern hotel as a smart social hub connected with fast, free Wi-Fi and USB charger points throughout, where like-minded travellers get to do more of what makes them happy, 24 hours around the clock.
COSI Samui Chaweng Beach
A hop away from the fine sands of Chaweng Beach, COSI Samui Chaweng Beach is a lively place for connecting, chilling and mingling. Guests can splash in the rooftop pool, with its mega-instagrammable see-through side, or venture out and explore the island after hitting up the COSI Crew for local recommendations.
COSI Pattaya Wong Amat Beach
Metres from the beach and close to all the social happenings in Pattaya, COSI Pattaya Wong Amat Beach oozes simplicity and style. Guests enjoy the freedom to play a pool or beer pong game in the Social Hub or take a dip in the cool outdoor swimming pool with underwater speakers. To mingle with like-minded travellers, Café 247, a signature brand concept available at all COSI hotels, offers a part-digital playspace and part-lifestyle café where guests can redeem daily credits for food and drinks anytime day or night.
COSI Krabi Ao Nang Beach
The newest lifestyle hotel in Krabi, COSI Krabi, is located right in the heart of the action, within walking distance from Ao Nang Beach and the town’s nightlife and restaurants. The smart hotel offers total freedom for today’s connected generation, including the 24-hr social hub & café and fitness centre. A rooftop pool, complete with the mandatory underwater speakers, offers guests stunning views of the region’s iconic limestone rocks.
Every Centara hotel and resort adheres to strict health and safety standards as part of the “Centara Complete Care” programme developed with Ecolab and SGS.
To enjoy the free night offer, choose the “COSI Celebration” promotion when booking between now and 30 June 2022 for a stay from 1 to 30 June 2022.
MANILA, 25 May 2022: Cebu Pacific (CEB) used green fuel to power its brand-new Airbus A330neo on its delivery flight from Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France, to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.
It becomes the first low-cost carrier in Asia to incorporate sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) into its operations. The historic flight on the Airbus A330neo aircraft departed Toulouse, France powered by a blended mixture of SAF and conventional fuel arriving in Manila on 20 May.
The new aircraft is CEB’s third A330neo and is the greenest aircraft in the industry, given its fuel efficiency and carrying capacity.
CEB’s A330neo is configured with 459 seats in a single-class layout and is fuel-efficient, achieving 25% less fuel burn than previous-generation aircraft.
CEB intends to fuel up with SAF when delivering two more A33neo aircraft later this year.
“This move to use SAF is a pillar of Cebu Pacific’s sustainable journey. SAF will be used for aircraft delivery and is a major component of our fleet modernisation. This strengthens our drive to achieve our green goal of being carbon neutral by 2050,” said Cebu Pacific chief strategy officer Alex Reyes.
SAF is a “drop-in” replacement for fossil fuels produced from renewable resources. The use of SAF results in an up to 85% reduction in carbon emissions across the SAF lifecycle. The chemical and physical characteristics of SAF are almost identical to those of conventional jet fuel and can be safely mixed with regular jet fuel to varying degrees. SAF does not require any adaptations to the aircraft or engines and does not negatively impact performance or maintenance.
The airline’s sustainability goal is aligned with global aviation’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. To respond to this challenge, CEB pledges to use SAF to launch green routes by 2025 and fuel its entire network by 2030.
BANGKOK, 25 May 2022: AirAsia Super App has recruited Bangkok Airways (PG) for a Super Flash Sale campaign presenting air tickets from 27 to 29 May with discounts of up to 30%.
Travellers can book all Bangkok Airways routes and access promotions using AirAsia Super App, including the AirAsia Super App mobile application available for iOS and Android.
AirAsia Super App (Thailand) country head Varut Vutipongsatorn said: “Bangkok Airways chose our app as a new sales channel, expanding the travel options for users … With AirAsia Super App’s customer base of over 50 million users, we are confident that we can support the carrier’s sales and provide new opportunities while giving our users a larger selection of routes, including Bangkok Airways’ popular Bangkok-Samui and Bangkok-Trat flights.”
Currently, AirAsia Super App partners with over 700 airlines.
Super Flash Sale bookings can be made from 27 to 29 May with discounts up to 30% on offer for travel from 5 September 2022 to 25 March 2023.
BANGKOK, 25 May 2022: Tripseed, a Thailand-based destination management company, launched representation for operators wishing to tap the Thai outbound travel market earlier this week.
Tripseed started in the inbound travel sector in Thailand, offering ground handling services for tour operators based in the UK, USA and Australia. It is now expanding to provide representation for overseas travel content providers interested in tapping the potential of the Thai outbound market.
Tripseed co-founder Narissara Wongmahawan
“The launch of our market representation services is just the natural progression,” said Tripseed co-founder Narissara Wongmahawan.
Tripseed’s new services will include the localisation of sales and marketing to appeal to Thai audiences, consultation on market penetration and product development to align travel packages with market demand, and on-the-ground representation at travel fairs and exhibitions around the country.
“Initially, we’ll focus on extending our partnerships with operators and agents in key long-haul destinations who are already using our services as their ground operator in Thailand,” Narissara explained.
KUALA LUMPUR, 25 May 2022: Klook, a leading travel and leisure e-commerce platform, has launched an all-new workcation initiative that enables its employees to travel and work anywhere.
Klook’s workcation initiative enables its employees to travel and work anywhere for up to 30 business days without tapping into their annual leave.
Photo Credit: Te lensFix on Pexels.
“Many firms are now exploring hybrid working models with a work-from-home and work-at-office arrangement… I’m thrilled to announce our workcation initiative to allow our employees to travel and work anywhere. Employees will not only continue to get their bills paid, but they will experience first-hand again the joys of travelling the world that many have missed the past two years,” said Klook Malaysia general manager Rachel Tan.
Many working professionals, especially millennials, have grown accustomed to remote working and seeking respite for their well-being in the past couple of years.
Based on Klook’s internal data, outbound bookings grew three times in April compared to February, signalling that the travel bug is stronger than ever, with overseas travel back on the table.
Singapore also leads the region in outbound bookings, closely followed by Thailand and South Korea. Users across the region are also looking at destinations like Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
In line with the burgeoning workcation trend, a 2021 study from Google revealed that in the Asia Pacific, the average length of stay has extended significantly since 2019, from three-and-half days to five days (85% of the respondents), with one in four travellers planning to spend over two weeks. Travellers are also hyper-focused and do not want to travel through multiple countries across Southeast Asia like before the pandemic.¹
MANILA, 25 May 2022: The Philippines’ Department of Tourism launches Version Two of the Save Our Spots (SOS) campaign titled ‘Keep the Fun Going’ to encourage tourists to practice eco-friendly travel.
The campaign builds on the gains of the SOS Version Two, launched in 2019 to educate travellers about becoming responsible tourists. The campaign aims to educate and motivate travellers to take part in sustainable tourism practices, mainly through gamified challenges.
“The DOT has been integrating sustainable tourism principles in its projects, programs, and policies, even involving tourists. Through the SOS campaign, we aim to raise awareness about responsible travel and emphasise that every small act goes a long way to ensure that future generations will continue to benefit from and enjoy nature’s abundance,” said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat.
Inspiring tourists to practice sustainable travel, the campaign highlights a gamified experience featuring four eco-friendly ways to travel. Local travel influencers encourage the public to accomplish at least two of the four activities.
The “Certified Foot Soldier Challenge” encourages travellers to walk, hike, or bike more often.
The “Zero-Waste Warrior” inspires travellers to reduce waste by avoiding single-use plastics and bringing reusable water bottles, utensils, and shopping bags.
The “resTOURism Advocate Challenge” encourages tourists to volunteer in restoration efforts of communities, such as planting activities, clean-up drives, and wildlife preservation.
The “Eco-Staycationer Challenge” motivates tourists to book eco-friendly accommodations, such as local homestays or ANAHAW-awardee hotels that take action to promote sustainability.
Marco Polo Davao reopens soon
Meanwhile, tourism officials in Davao City are counting on reopening the city’s Marco Polo hotel to jump-start recovery.
The Philippines News Agency quoted the Department of Tourism Davao region’s director Tanya Rabat-Tan saying the hotel’s reopening would create a ripple effect in the city’s business sector.
“Marco Polo’s reopening also signals Davao’s commitment to tourism recovery. We are delighted that the reopening will also mean job opportunities for our tourism workers, especially those displaced by the pandemic,” she said.
The DOT regional office has been organising training sessions for industry players, including indigenous communities, to prepare for Davao City’s full recovery.
“Even in a crisis, we continue to find opportunities on how we can rethink and reshape a more resilient tourism for the future,” Tan said.
The City Tourism Operations Office confirmed that the city’s first five-star Marco Polo hotel has promised to reopen this year.
“It is very welcome news. Marco Polo is an icon in Davao City. To have it reopen signifies that the management is confident with the city’s economic outlook and its ability to bounce back after the pandemic,” the city’s tourism chief Generose Tecson told Philippine News Agency.
