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Emirates ramps up flights to Melbourne

MELBOURNE, 25 March 2022: Emirates has announced the second daily flight on its Dubai-Melbourne route, served by its flagship A380 aircraft.

Starting 1 May, the airline will offer customers fourteen weekly services from Dubai to Melbourne. The expansion of services is supported by the Victorian Government to help fast-track the return of international flights to Melbourne and bring more visitors to the state.

The additional daily frequency between Dubai and Melbourne will grow Emirates’ seats to over 1,000 a day, totalling 700,000 a year between the airline’s global Dubai hub and Victoria, with 516 seats on each flight. Travellers can choose from 14 First Class suites, 76 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 426 ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.

From 1 May, Emirates’ additional daily flight will depart Dubai daily at 1005, arriving in Melbourne at 0530 the next day. From Melbourne, the flight will depart at 0515 and arrive in Dubai at 1310. The additional flight will join the existing service, which flies daily from Dubai, departing at 0240 and arriving at 2150 in Melbourne. From Melbourne, the flight departs at 2115 and is scheduled to arrive in Dubai at 0515 the next day. All times are local. The addition of the second daily A380 service will also offer customers more convenience with the option of choosing a morning or evening flight for optimal onwards connection opportunities when they stop in Dubai.

Before the pandemic, international flights brought more than 3.1 million visitors to Victoria each year and injected AUD8.8 billion into the economy. Emirates carried 22 per cent of the 1.3 million passengers that arrived in Victoria from key European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland, which added AUD86 million to the Victorian economy in 2019.

Emirates divisional vice president for Australasia Barry Brown said: “As an international airline that has been serving Australia for over 25 years, we are especially delighted to boost our services to Melbourne, adding yet more seats and flight options to the Victorian capital. Our second daily A380 service reaffirms our ongoing commitment to Australia and our loyal passengers as demand for international travel continues to increase. The newly expanded flight schedule also means our customers can experience three continents in one day, enjoying their breakfast in Australia, lunch in Dubai, and dinner in Europe.” 

“Emirates’ inaugural flight to Australia arrived in Melbourne in 1996. Since then, we have carried more than 11 million passengers on this key route, and we are delighted that Victorian travellers and businesses can continue to enjoy the global reach that our expansive network offers.”

Emirates’ increasing operations

With Australia being the third-largest destination for Emirates’ A380 operations, the airline has been continuously committed to increasing flights to Australia which will soar to 42 weekly flights in May, with the airline’s flagship flying to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. From then, Victoria and News South Wales capitals will be served by twice-daily flights and the Queensland capital once daily, operating on the iconic A380 aircraft. Emirates also provides passenger services to Perth with the airline’s other wide-body aircraft in its fleet, the Boeing 777-300ER, which will operate daily from 1 May.

The Emirates A380 experience remains highly sought after by travellers for its spacious and comfortable cabins. The airline is gradually expanding the deployment of this flagship aircraft in line with growing demand and operational approvals, with 29 destinations now served on a scheduled basis. More information on the A380 experience can be found here.

 Flying with Emirates

As travellers across Australia begin to travel overseas again, Emirates has extended its flexible booking policies to August 2022 in the instance travel plans need to be adjusted. Some tickets can be extended by up to 36 months in line with the airline’s dedication to flexibility.

Customers of Emirates and Qantas have access to an expansive network of destinations thanks to the codeshare partnership between the two airlines. In addition to over 120 destinations that Emirates flies to, its customers currently have access to nearly 30 Australian destinations through the partnership, while Qantas customers can fly on Emirates to Dubai and access over 50 cities in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Customers are encouraged to check their latest government travel guidelines and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination.

For more information on entry requirements for Dubai, visit https://www.emirates.com/au/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/

Qatar woos India’s travel market

DOHA, 24 March 2022: Qatar Tourism presented its latest promotions for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and made a pitch to revive the wedding business from the Indian market during last week’s OTM travel show hosted in Mumbai.

“India is and will continue to be a significant and rapidly growing market for us at Qatar Tourism. Pre-pandemic, we have witnessed a significant rise in arrivals from India and look forward to accelerating our efforts to fully unlock the potential of travellers across segments of leisure, MICE and weddings, “ said Qatar Tourism chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel.

India’s Outbound Travel Mart made a comeback after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, drawing delegations from Asia and the Middle who were keen to reconnect with travel trade partners and media in the Indian outbound travel market.

Trenkel added: “We were pleased to be part of OTM 2022 and to re-establish our presence in the Indian market. The objective was to highlight the various facets that Qatar offers not just in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup but also beyond”.

Looking beyond 2022, the Qatar Tourism chief forecast Qatar will welcome more than 6 million visitors a year by 2030. The country welcomed 2.14 million visitors in 2019, and that dropped to just 580,000 in 2020.

“India will play a  pivotal role in bringing that vision to life. With strategic trade partnerships incentive programmes backed by robust PR and marketing campaigns, we are positive that the market will see a quick turnaround,” he noted.

Qatar extends visa-free status to Indians, which helped to boost holiday and business travel significantly pre-Covid-19.

To reaffirm trade partnerships, Qatar’s national carrier, Qatar Airways in association with Qatar Tourism, hosted a networking dinner at The St. Regis Mumbai for travel trade partners and media representatives.

The Qatar Tourism delegation to OTM was led by Philip Dickinson, Vice President International Markets, Qatar Tourism, along with Sandeep Shevale – Tourism Marketing & Promotions and Deveekaa Nijhawan – International Public Relations & Communications. The delegation’s DMC participants covered Discover Qatar, Al Tawfeeq Travel and Travel Designer. The team was also supported by BRANDit, India Representative of Qatar Tourism.

(Source: Qatar Tourism)

Singapore hotels embark on a green journey

SINGAPORE, 24 March 2022: The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) initiated the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap during the inaugural Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace, held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre earlier this week.

Hotel Sustainability Roadmap

As part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the roadmap sets targets and strategies for hotels to adopt in their sustainable journey. It will enable them to contribute to sustainable development goals, capture new opportunities presented by the green economy, strengthen enterprise resilience, and tap new visitor segments.

Roadmap milestones

1. Integrate sustainability as a core value across the entire hotel ecosystem,

2. Establish a living lab and uses sustainability to drive business competitiveness and growth, and

3. Recognition as a leader in environmental sustainability in the region.

The roadmap requires that 60% of hotel room stock in Singapore attain internationally-recognised hotel sustainability certification by 2025.

Hotels must also commence tracking emissions by 2023 and reduce emissions by 2030, with a view to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Participating hotels will be able to tap  STB funds such as the Business Improvement Fund to support sustainability initiatives that improve competitiveness and productivity, which may put hotels in better stead to seek sustainability certification subsequently.

They can leverage SHA’s Hotel Technology Directory to source for sustainability solution providers and the Hotel Sustainability Playbook (ready by Q4 2022) to reference best practices, success cases and outcomes.

They will have the opportunity to create new sustainability jobs by tapping on STB’s Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT) grant to build capabilities and train staff to take on these roles.

STB and SHA have also identified four focus areas to green hotel operations to ensure that hotels’ sustainability efforts drive impactful environmental outcomes.

1. Water Conservation (implementing smart water meters, reverse osmosis water recycling for laundry facility, water-efficient toilet fit-outs in rooms).

2. Waste Management, Recycling and Circular Economy (artificial-intelligence (AI) powered food waste management solutions, food digestors).

3. Sustainable Sourcing and Procurement (in-house farms, locally-sourced produce, assessing vendors based on certification/sustainable practices).

4. Energy Conservation (district cooling systems, solar panel technology, smart energy meters, trigeneration plants)

The roadmap is endorsed by the Hotel Sustainability Committee (HSC), which was set up in March 2020 to drive industry-wide adoption of sustainability practices in hotels to promote Singapore as a sustainable destination. The committee comprises members from the hotel industry and representatives from the public sector.

(Source: STB)

Royal Cliff wins SHA awards

PATTAYA, 23 March 2022: The Royal Cliff Hotels Group achieved another milestone recently as the first hotel in Thailand to be awarded “The Best of SHA Awards 2021” for Hotel Accommodation.

The award further cements its place as a destination that delivers excellent safety and hygiene measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Royal Cliff’s five–star Cliff Spa has also received “The Best of SHA – The Excellence Award” in the Health and Beauty category.

The Best of SHA Awards 2021 is given to establishments that have received the most votes from a satisfaction questionnaire of tourists all over Thailand. The satisfaction questionnaire covers the safety and health standards (SHA Standard) and the ‘White Tourism’ standards (convenient, clean, safe, fair, and nature-friendly).

The awards ceremony, presided over by TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, was organised by TAT to acknowledge tourism businesses prioritising compliance with Amazing Thailand SHA measures.

“The Best of SHA Awards 2021 was launched in June last year to search for the best SHA-certified businesses in the 10 categories the certification covers and celebrate their excellence,” said the TAT Governor. “The initiative is to encourage business operators to continuously adhere to the SHA standard and maintain consistency in their safety and hygiene approaches.”

Kannikar Sawaengrujitham, the Assistant PR and Marketing Manager of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group (left) received Cliff Spa’s “The Best of SHA Excellence” Award in the Health and Beauty category from the TAT Governor (right).

The winners of “The Best of SHA Awards 2021” are chosen from establishments that received an average voting score of 90-100% from tourists. As the sole winner of the hotel accommodation and homestay category, Royal Cliff’s safety measures ensure guests that they will always have an extraordinary and safe stay in all its different hotels.

The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) project is a collaboration between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Disease Control, the Department of Health as well as public and private sector partners.

Situated in a 64-acre private parkland estate overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, the Royal Cliff Hotels Group operates four award-winning hotels providing guests from home and abroad with the ultimate experience.

You can book a stay directly and get the best price guaranteed and optional value-added extras by visiting www.royalcliff.com.

Or contact reservations at (+66) 38 250 421 ext. 2732 or emailing: [email protected]. For more information on the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, please visit www.royalcliff.com 

Sales gear up as Dusit project takes shape

BANGKOK, 23 March 2022: Dusit International targets Singaporean buyers for the landmark Dusit Central Park residency projects that are under construction on the site of the former Dusit Thani in downtown Bangkok.

In a media statement released Tuesday, the group said the 160-unit Dusit Residences and the 246-unit Dusit Parkside “would attract a premium group of investors,” claiming it has already exceeded sale targets in 2021 as “savvy investors snap up 40% of available residences”.

Photo Credit: Delivering Asia Communications. Central Park will occupy 3.7 hectares of real estate at the Silom and Rama IV road junction.

Dusit Residences will be located on the upper 30th to 69th floors of the main tower, while the Dusit Parkside will be located on the lower 9th to 29th floors.

Roadshows to sell residences to overseas buyers start in Singapore in early April.

Scheduled to open in 2025, the real estate project includes the two residences, a new  Dusit Thani Hotel with 259 rooms, Central Park lifestyle Centre and Central Park Offices. The project covers  3.7 hectares at the intersection of Silom and Rama IV roads next to both the MRT and Skytrain stations.

Developed through a joint venture partnership involving two high profile public listed companies, Central Pattana PCL and Dusit Thani PCL, the mammoth Dusit Central Park complex comes with a hefty price tag of THB46 billion (SGD1.91 billion, USD1.42 billion).

Say hello to Veya wellbeing

SINGAPORE, 23 March 2022: Banyan Tree Group, one of the world’s leading independent hospitality groups,  launched a new wellbeing brand Banyan Tree Veya, earlier this week.

The flagship Banyan Tree Veya Phuket is a wellbeing-centred resort that offers bespoke programmes emphasising what the brand calls ’embodiment therapies’, built on Banyan Tree’s proprietary eight pillars of wellbeing.

Veya means ‘to weave’ and provides the safe space to integrate your own path to wellbeing. The Veya experience is led by certified multidisciplinary wellbeing hosts around a 3-step protocol of Awareness, Discovery, and Sustenance. Created in direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Banyan Tree Veya aims to address a world with an urgent need for reconnecting mind and body on a daily basis.

“With our hyper-stimulated modern life, our nervous systems cannot truly relax and, therefore, rest; chronic stress erodes our natural immunity and regenerative capacity. Our ethos #OwnYourPresence guides our mission of inspiring individuals’ to travel inwards and become conscious of how their daily actions, thoughts, and emotions interact with their physical being,” says Ms Ho Ren Yung, Senior Vice President, Brand and Commercial of Banyan Tree Group.

THE VEYA EXPERIENCE

The Veya journey begins with a private consultation with the wellbeing hosts, who are certified and trained in eastern medicine, naturopathy and coaching. After an assessment against the brand’s codified wellbeing approach, a personalised itinerary is created aligned to each guest’s needs and priorities, centred on embodiment therapies and somatic practices.

Mindfulness practices: Classes such as Ocean Breath and Conscious Grounding raise sensory awareness through breathwork, sound therapy and guided imagery meditation techniques in natural environments.

Somatic movement: Intuitive forms of dance, yoga and classes such as balance and stability release chronic tension patterns and calm the nervous system.

Weightless: A new range of signature therapies unique to Veya – combining rehabilitative floatation with body stretch massage techniques and meditational sound therapy into a restorative sensory experience.

Lifestyle learning: Workshops introducing wellbeing rituals into daily life, such as creative therapies, integrative nutrition, and classes such as Positive Resilience help guests bring the retreat experience home.

RESTFUL LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS

Designed for optimal rest, the villas feature organic cotton bed linen, a choice of pillows, black-out curtains, nightly aromatherapy, sleep light and music. Each villa comes fully equipped to enable wellbeing practices in the privacy of the own room, with amenities including a wellbeing minibar, yoga mats, sound therapy bowls, exercise stretch bands and more.

NOURISH WITH VEYA CUISINE

Veya showcases plant-forward cuisine that weaves together Asian and Mediterranean influences in a creative, flexitarian approach that respects ingredient provenance. Menu signatures include bowls broths and reinterpreted iconic local dishes around a Fuel-Balance-Repair daily sequence. Resident ‘Nutrition Sommeliers’ assist guests in curating a tailored menu during their stay to fulfil dietary needs and preferences.

THE WIDER EXPERIENCE

Banyan Tree Veya Phuket offers a lush enclave within Laguna Phuket, a distinct and tranquil location within the Banyan Tree Phuket resort and a few minutes’ walk from Bangtao Beach. Veya guests will enjoy exclusive access to a Wellbeing Center featuring Thailand’s first-ever White Room for sensory detox and meditative practice and a traditional herb farm-pharmacy workshop opening soon. Flexible Veya credits allow further customisation of guest wellbeing journeys with options to use for spa, private classes, dining and retail products. A journey reflection consultation is offered before departure, followed by personalised programs and lifestyle practices to continue their wellbeing journey in their daily lives.

“The pandemic has brought unprecedented stress and trauma to our generation, the full impact of which remains to be fully assessed. However, many of us are reassessing our purpose and approach in life. The Banyan Tree Veya team of resident wellbeing specialists and external experts aim to guide, encourage and celebrate with our guests in discovering this new conscious way of living,” says Wellbeing Senior Assistant Vice President, Executive Director Lee Woon Hoe.

OPENING OFFER

For a limited time only, travellers can enjoy Banyan Tree Veya Phuket’s opening offer for a three-night package at THB38,400 with THB20,000 Veya exclusive credit per villa for two persons.

Veya Experience inclusions

  • Accommodation in a Veya Pool Villa well-designed for rest and restoration.
  • Private wellbeing assessment, mapping and consultation.
  • Bespoke wellbeing itinerary from curated group wellbeing activity calendar.
  • Daily rituals and mindful practices to centre the mind and body.
  • 25% discount on private sessions, spa treatments, retail purchases and outlet dining.
  • End of stay experience reflection and consultation.
  • Personalised take-home guide to support home practice.

Book by 30 April 2022. Reservations can be made online via www.banyantree.com/thailand/veya-phuket.

Dusit recruits new sales chief

BANGKOK, 23 March 2022: Dusit International named Nichlas Maratos as vice president – commercial to drive sales and marketing efforts across Dusit Hotels and Resorts worldwide.

Before joining the Dusit team, he worked for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts as the group’s executive vice president of sales.

“In line with our mission to sustainably grow and expand our business, we are delighted to welcome Mr Maratos to our global team,” said  Dusit International Chief Operating Officer, Lim Boon Kwee.

Bali and Beyond Fair returns

DENPASAR, 23 March 2022: Billed as Indonesia’s biggest travel trade show, the Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) will convene 13 to 18 June after a two-year absence.

The eighth edition of the annual show will be held at the Bali International Convention Centre (BICC) in Nusa Dua, South Bali.

Visitors to BBTF-2022 in June will still need to follow health protocols regularly updated by airlines and government agencies. They will need to wear face masks within the exhibition hall and show proof of vaccination and physical distancing.

Details of the virtual or in-person components of the fair can be checked at https://www.bbtf.co.id/.

(Source: Bali Update)

PG plans more VTL flights to Singapore

BANGKOK, 23 March 2022: Bangkok Airways will increase its Vaccinated Travel Lane flights to daily on the Samui to Singapore route starting 1 July.

Currently, the airline offers VTL flights from Samui to Singapore three times weekly on Monday, Thursday and Sunday.

Passengers who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine upon arrival in Singapore if they travel on approved VTL flights.

Thailand has been included in Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL), allowing entry without quarantine for fully vaccinated passengers. 

Details on the programme can be viewed at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/vtl/requirements-and-process or visit https://www.thaiembassy.sg

Fully vaccinated arrivals from Singapore to Thailand, both Thai nationals and foreign travellers, may enter the country without quarantine by presenting a negative Covid-19 test result, registering on the Thailand Pass system (at least seven days prior to departure) and uploading required travel documentation to tp.consular.go.th.

As of 1 April, Thailand will end the requirement to present a negative PCR test result valid for not more than 72 hours before they board flights to Thailand.

Timetable shows VTL flights from Samui to Singapore

Flight no. Start Date End date Days Airport Departure Airport Arrival
PG961 3 March 22 26 March 22 1, 4, 7 USM 15.20 SIN 18.15
PG961 17 March 22 30 June 22 1, 4, 7 USM 16.25 SIN 19.20
PG961 1 July 22 Daily USM 16.25 SIN 19.20

Indonesia navigates easing Covid rules

JAKARTA, 23 March 2022: Indonesia has expanded its visa-on-arrival list to 42 countries and is phasing in easier Covid-19 rules, including quarantine-free stays in a process that will continue in April the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said during a weekly press briefing earlier this week.

The country started this week to lift all quarantine requirements for overseas visitors, but foreign tourists still need to supply negative PCR test results before entering the country.

“In the next few months, we will carry out this life normalization, and we need all support. If the upcoming Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan fasting month 1 to 30 April) and homecoming goes smoothly, then the process will continue, and we will further expand economic activities in the community,” Anantara news quoted the minister saying.

He confirmed the decision to broaden the no-quarantine policy throughout Indonesia based on the success of pilot schemes in Bali, Batam and Bintan. They will serve as benchmarks to implement the same policy throughout Indonesia. Covid 19 infection rates are noticeably low in all three destinations.

However, he did warn that it would be necessary to face various new Covid-19 variants that continue to emerge during the transition process.
“The preparations toward the post-pandemic transition are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022,” he added.

Asian Trails in Indonesia updated the visa-on-arrival list changes in an email alert on Tuesday.

The visa-on-arrival costs IDR500,000 (USD 35). The passport needs to be valid for at least six months, and travellers may have to show a return ticket or onward flight from Indonesia.

Covid-19 related documents, as mentioned in my previous newsletter, are still required. Other nationalities not on the list must still apply for a B211A-visa.

Passport holders from the following countries no longer need to apply for a previously prepared visa when visiting Bali for tourism purposes. (*Latest additions).

  • Australia
  • Argentina*
  • Belgium*
  • Brazil*
  • Brunei
  • Cambodia
  • Canada
  • China*
  • Denmark*
  • France
  • Finland*
  • Germany
  • Hungary*
  • India*
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Laos
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico*
  • Myanmar
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway*
  • Philippines
  • Poland*
  • Qatar
  • Seychelles*
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • Spain*
  • South Africa*
  • Sweden*
  • Switzerland*
  • South Korea
  • Taiwan*
  • Thailand
  • Tunesia*
  • Turkey
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • Vietnam

(Source: Antara and Asian Trails Indonesia)