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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.

Sabah backs business events travel

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU 6 April 2022: The Sabah Tourism Board encourages business event organisers to reach out to them for assistance in planning and holding major national and international conferences in the state.

Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said constant engagement with the Board is key to ensuring that all stakeholders work collaboratively to prepare for the return of business events.

With the Malaysian border now open, Joniston said they anticipate more business conferences and exhibitions will take place in the near future as industry players choose Sabah as a venue for business events.

“The Sabah Tourism has launched ‘Sabah: BE here for you’ campaign in 2020, targeting the Business Events industry. It is still running to this day, and the campaign involves an MYR5 million grant incentive from the state government.

“Eligible applicants can apply for this grant up to MYR100,000 maximum per group, for both national and international events meetings,” he said, inviting business event organisers to take advantage of the opportunity.

Joniston, who chairs Sabah Tourism Board, was speaking at the BE (business events) Get Together dinner reception on Thursday.

Present were Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) president Francis Teo; Place Borneo Sdn Bhd director and Congress Certification Program official trainer Gracie Veronica Geike; Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman; chief financial officer Julinus Jeffery Jimit; chief marketing officer Tay Shu Lan; and Sri Pelancongan Sabah general manager Zachary Mobijohn.

Joniston said the Sabah Tourism Board collaborates with the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) to market the venue for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) both locally and globally.

A state-of-the-art facility for small and large scale events, the SICC has a capacity of 5,000 people and is conveniently positioned with a seaside view. It is also strategically located close to the city centre and airport.

Earlier, Joniston congratulated industry players for completing the Congress Certification Program 1.0 and the Congress Certification Program 2.0 Advance Masterclass.

These online courses, which are recognised and certified by the Events Industry Council (EIC) of the United States, are fully subsidised by the Sabah Tourism Board.

It was aimed at helping promote the growth and ecosystem of the industry and to support the development of human capital for the state’s business events industry.

“With the necessary knowledge, tools, and requirements needed from event bidding to digital event strategies, these courses greatly assist in sustaining and empowering the industry.

“I would like to acknowledge the trainers from the MACEOS, for constantly working together with STB in ensuring the industry is ready to welcome business event travel. Let’s together strengthen our relationship towards improving business events for Sabah,” said Joniston.

Information on the ‘Sabah: BE here for you’ campaign can be found on the Sabah Tourism Board’s Business Events website at www.be.sabahtourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Emirates wraps up a stellar Expo 2020 Dubai

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, 6 April 2022: Emirates has wrapped up a stellar six months at Expo 2020 Dubai, wowing visitors at its ultra-futuristic Pavilion. Following the Expo’s wind-up, the airline looks back at 180 days of unique experiences at its Pavilion – teleporting visitors into the future of commercial aviation in 2071.

As the Premier Partner and Official Airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, Emirates has played a significant role in bringing visitors across the world to the event. Over the past six months, the airline has brought millions of passengers to the Expo, from over 120 destinations, across six continents.

More than 40 aircraft donned with special Expo liveries, including the head-turning “be part of the magic” Expo livery, have flown across the airline’s network to spread awareness of one of the world’s largest global events.

Emirates has invested more than AED100 million in advertising and other promotional campaigns to promote and spread awareness of Expo 2020 across its global markets. From launching a bold campaign during the opening of the Expo to captivating the world with a viral ad featuring its cabin crew on the tip of the Burj Khalifa, the airline has played a massive role in placing Expo 2020 Dubai on top of the world’s travel agenda.

The airline also rolled out various initiatives and multiple products offers, including specialised trade packages, early-bird offers and a complimentary Expo Day pass for all Emirates’ passengers – in which more than 1 million customers redeemed on emriates.com.

More than 20,000 items of Emirates merchandise were snapped up by Expo visitors.

Since October 2021, Emirates has welcomed a significant number of visitors to its Pavilion. The impressive, multi-sensory installations and visual experiences offered visitors a glimpse into the future of commercial aviation. The Virtual Reality headset – in which visitors could explore aircraft interior cabins of the future – was the most visited and popular digital experience.

Unique, limited edition memorabilia – such as the Emirates A380 “be part of the magic” Expo aircraft model and Expo branded passport covers – were some of the most sought after items by aviation fans and Expo visitors who visited the Pavilion.

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Cross boosts portfolio in Bali

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 6 April 2022: With Bali’s borders now open to international visitors, Cross Hotels & Resorts confirms expansion by adding two resort properties under its white label brand Cross Collection.

Tanadewa Resort & Spa Ubud and Tanadewa Villas & Spa Nusa Dua are the latest additions to the group’s Collection portfolio through a partnership with hotel developer PT. Bumi Pesona Mandiri.

“Cross Collection offers owners workable solutions to their business and gives them the ability to attach Cross Hotels & Resorts and Flight Centre Travel Group, our international distribution network, to their brand,” said Cross Hotels & Resorts CEO Harry Thaliwal.

The white-label branding solution works for independent hotels and continues to gain pace following recent deals in Bangkok and Hua Hin. The latest two-hotel deal in the world-class tourist destination of Bali further cements Cross Hotels & Resorts at the forefront of inspired hospitality offerings in Asia-Pacific.

Cross Hotels & Resorts’ current portfolio includes 24 hotels under five distinct brands – Cross, Cross Vibe, Away, Lumen and Cross Collection – across Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.

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