SYDNEY, 4 March 2022: Thousands of travellers boarded Qantas and Jetstar flights following the reopening of Western Australia’s domestic border, on 2 March, allowing visitors quarantine free entry for the first time in almost two years.
After a false start in February, more than 23,000 passengers
booked to travel this week on Qantas and Jetstar flights to and from Perth.
Several of the 31 Qantas and Jetstar flights on day one (2 March) were fully booked with Australians rushing to reunite with friends and family or get back to business in Western Australia. WA was the last Australian state to reopen to visitors.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce welcomed the border reopening saying, “Australia is now finally back together…It’s a terrific boost to West Australian tourism operators and businesses who will once again benefit from the influx of visitors from the east coast and beyond.
“We had to cancel thousands of flights when the border
reopening was cancelled in February, and tens of thousands of travellers had
their plans ruined, but while the reopening has been complicated, it’s great
that Aussies can now travel freely again.”
Qantas and Jetstar have added around 60 return interstate
flights each week in March – representing around 40% of the group’s pre-Covid
capacity. This ramps up in April, particularly around the school holiday period
as travel demand recovers.
Flights have been added from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane,
Adelaide, Cairns, Gold Coast, Canberra, Hobart and Darwin.
SINGAPORE 4 March 2022: Vaccinated travellers from Singapore can visit Dubai on the recently introduced Vaccinated Travel Lane without quarantine when they return to Singapore.
Singapore’s VTL scheme in late February extended to include Dubai in the UAE. Currently, Emirates operate four flights a week under the VTL scheme between Dubai and Singapore.
Flight Number
Days of Operation
Departure from Dubai (local time)
Arrival in Singapore (local time)
EK352
Tuesday,
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
10:00AM
9:25PM
Note: All other flights between Dubai and
Singapore are non-VTL flights
In addition, with the Dubai Expo still open, there is no better time to visit the city and catch what’s been dubbed the “world’s largest showcase of brilliance and achievement”. Travellers on Emirates will be able to redeem a complimentary Season Pass with every ticket booked with the airline.
Expo 2020 Dubai
With just a
month to go before it closes, the remarkable showcase that is Expo 2020 is a
must-visit. Themed Connecting Minds,
Creating the Future, the Expo showcases the best examples of collaboration,
innovation and cooperation from around the world.
Health and wellbeing: Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety
measures at every
step of the customer journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology and scaled up its digital verification capabilities.
Travel Assurance: Emirates continues to lead the industry with
innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic
time. The airline has taken its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible
booking policies
and helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status. In addition, COVID‑19 medical travel insurance automatically applies to tickets purchased for
flights between 1 December 2021 and 31 March 2022.
PCR Testing: To make travel planning easier, Emirates has
partnered with medical groups in Singapore to extend special rates on Covid-19
PCR tests. Emirates passengers will benefit from a discounted rate on Covid-19
PCR tests at select clinics simply by making an appointment and presenting
their Emirates E-tickets at the clinic. Partner medical groups include
Healthway Medical, which has 34 clinics and Fullerton Health which has seven
clinics that provide discounted PCR testing. Tests should be taken not more
than 72 hours before the flight.
For Healthway Medical, passengers can view available PCR test slots and book an appointment via their portal prior to walking in. For Fullerton Health, passengers are to call the Fullerton Health Call Centre at 6333 3636 or [email protected] and indicate “PRE-TRAVEL PCR TEST” to make an appointment. At the clinic, they will need show their Emirates e-tickets to enjoy these special rates.
Customers are encouraged to check the latest government travel restrictions and ensure they meet the travel requirements of their final destination. For more information on entry requirements for international visitors to Dubai visit: https://www.emirates.com/english/help/covid-19/dubai-travel-requirements/
MANILA, 4 March 2022: The World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit returns in 2022, hosted by the Philippines Ministry of Tourism, 20 to 22 April.
Following last year’s summit hosted by Cancun, Mexico, the
2022 Summit will convene in Metro Manila in person, with a global audience
joining virtually.
WTTC says the summit will adopt a theme of Rediscovering
Travel. Delegates have the option to attend the in-person event or join
virtually. Registration is open on the WTTC website.
The Cancun Global Summit was the world’s first major
in-person gathering of travel & tourism leaders since the outbreak of the
pandemic. More than 20 Ministerial and 600 International delegates from 40
countries attended in-person, and another 30,000 watched virtually. It
demonstrated how major live corporate events, and international travel, can
take place safely by observing the latest health and safety protocols.
DUBAI, 3 March 2022: Emirates is
streamlining check-in formalities for its customers in Ajman and the Northern
Emirates with the introduction of a new check-in facility in collaboration with
the Ajman Transport Authority.
The new facility, located in the Ajman
Central Bus Terminal, is the first
remote check-in facility outside of Dubai and is another way the airline is
helping customers reap the benefits of simple and quick check-in closer to
home, reducing queues and improving their overall experience across the first
touchpoints of their travel journey.
Customers can easily and efficiently
check-in, verify Covid-19 related medical records for their destination,
receive their boarding passes and board one of the convenient Ajman Transport
Authority buses to Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. Once customers
arrive at Terminal 3 and disembark, they can drop off their bags in a dedicated
baggage area and proceed directly to immigration and security-ensuring a
smoother ground journey through the airport by bypassing the check-in counter
at Dubai International. Plans are underway to integrate baggage check-in at the
new Ajman facility in the coming weeks.
Open 24 hours a day, the Emirates check-in facility in Ajman will
have four counters and two self-service kiosks for a contactless start to the
journey, allowing check-in, boarding pass collection, choosing or changing
seats onboard, and updating passport and Skywards information. Bus trips from
the facility to Terminal 3 will run in parallel with Emirates’ peak operational
periods, which include early and late morning scheduled flights as well the
late-night departures.
The new facility builds on the airline’s
efforts to deliver a seamless experience for its customers across all
touchpoints. The Ajman check-in facility complements Emirates’ existing
facilities for group and family check-in areas at Dubai International and its
cruise passenger check-in facilities at Port Rashid and Dubai Harbour. Emirates
also provides a Home Check-in service from anywhere in Dubai, helping customers
complete check-in from the comfort of their home, hotel or office and have
their luggage transported to the airport before their flight.
GENEVA, 3 March 2022: The International Air Transport
Association (IATA) expects airline passengers to reach 4 billion in 2024
(counting multi-sector connecting trips as one passenger), to exceed the
pre-Covid-19 levels registered in 2019 by 3%.
Expectations for the shape of the near-term recovery have
shifted slightly, reflecting the evolution of government-imposed travel
restrictions in some markets. The overall picture presented in the latest
update to IATA’s long-term forecast, however, is unchanged from what was
expected in November, prior to the Omicron variant.
“The trajectory for the recovery in passenger numbers from
Covid-19 was not changed by the Omicron variant. People want to travel. And
when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies. There is still a
long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the
evolution in passenger numbers gives good reason to be optimistic,” said IATA’s
director-general Willie Walsh.
The February update to the long-term forecast includes the
following highlights:
In 2021, overall
traveller numbers were 47% of 2019 levels. This is expected to improve to
83% in 2022, 94% in 2023, 103% in 2024 and 111% in 2025.
In 2021, international
traveller numbers were 27% of 2019 levels. This is expected to improve to
69% in 2022, 82% in 2023, 92% in 2024 and 101% in 2025.
This is a slightly more
optimistic near-term international recovery scenario compared to November 2021,
based on the progressive relaxation or elimination of travel restrictions in
many markets. This has seen improvements in the major North Atlantic and
intra-European markets, strengthening the baseline for recovery. Asia-Pacific
is expected to continue to lag the recovery with the region’s largest market,
China, not showing any signs of relaxing its severe border measures in the near
future.
In 2021, domestic
traveller numbers were 61% of 2019 levels. This is expected to improve to
93% in 2022, 103% in 2023, 111% in 2024 and 118% in 2025.
The outlook for the
evolution of domestic traveller numbers is slightly more pessimistic than in
November. While the US and Russian domestic markets have recovered, the same is
not true for the other major domestic markets of China, Canada, Japan and
Australia.
“The biggest and most
immediate drivers of passenger numbers are the restrictions that governments
place on travel. Fortunately, more governments have understood that travel
restrictions have little to no long-term impact on the spread of a virus. And
the economic and social hardship caused for very limited benefit is simply no
longer acceptable in a growing number of markets. As a result, the progressive
removal of restrictions is giving a much-needed boost to the prospects for
travel,” said Walsh.
IATA reiterates its call
for:
The removal of all travel barriers (including
quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine
Pre-departure antigen testing to enable
quarantine-free travel for non-vaccinated travellers
Removing all travel bans, and
Accelerating the easing of travel restrictions
in recognition that travellers pose no greater risk for COVID-19 spread than
already exists in the general population.
Regional Variations
Not all markets or market
sectors are recovering at the same pace.
“In general, we are
moving in the right direction, but there are some concerns. Asia-Pacific is the
laggard of the recovery. While Australia and New Zealand have announced
measures to reconnect with the world, China is showing no signs of relaxing its
zero-Covid strategy. The resulting localized lock-downs in its domestic market
are depressing global passenger numbers even as other major markets like the US
are largely back to normal,” said Walsh.
Asia-Pacific: The slow
removal of international travel restrictions, and the likelihood of renewed
domestic restrictions during Covid outbreaks, mean that traffic to/from/within
the Asia Pacific will only reach 68% of 2019 levels in 2022, the weakest
outcome of the main regions. 2019 levels should be recovered in 2025 (109%) due
to the slow recovery in international traffic in the region.
Europe: In the next
few years, the intra-Europe market is expected to benefit from passenger
preferences for short-haul travel as confidence rebuilds. This will be
facilitated by increasingly harmonized and restriction-free movement within the
EU. Total passenger numbers to/from/within Europe are expected to reach 86% of
2019 values in 2022 before making a full recovery in 2024 (105%).
North America: After a
resilient 2021, traffic to/from/within North America will continue to perform
strongly in 2022 as the US domestic market returns to pre-crisis trends and
with ongoing improvements in international travel. In 2022, passenger numbers
will reach 94% of 2019 levels, and full recovery is expected in 2023 (102%),
ahead of other regions.
Africa: Africa’s
passenger traffic prospects are somewhat weaker in the near-term due to slow
progress in vaccinating the population and the impact of the crisis on
developing economies. Passenger numbers to/from/within Africa will recover more
gradually than in other regions, reaching 76% of 2019 levels in 2022,
surpassing pre-crisis levels only in 2025 (101%).
Middle East: With limited
short-haul markets, the Middle East’s focus on long-haul connectivity through
its hubs is expected to result in slower recovery. Passenger numbers
to/from/within the Middle East are expected to reach 81% of 2019 levels in
2022, 98% in 2024 and 105% in 2025.
Latin America: Traffic
to/from/within Latin America has been relatively resilient during the pandemic
and is forecast to see a strong 2022, with limited travel restrictions and
dynamic passenger flows within the region and to/from North America. 2019
passenger numbers are forecast to be surpassed in 2023 for Central America
(102%), followed by South America in 2024 (103%) and the Caribbean in 2025
(101%).
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
The forecast does not calculate the impact of the Russia-Ukraine
conflict. In general, air transport is resilient against shocks, and this
conflict is unlikely to impact the long-term growth of air transport. It is too
early to estimate what the near-term consequences will be for aviation, but it
is clear that there are downside risks, in particular in markets with exposure
to the conflict.
Sensitivity factors will include the geographic extent, severity, and
time period for sanctions and/or airspace closures. These impacts would be felt
most severely in Russia, Ukraine and neighbouring areas. Pre-COVID-19, Russia,
was the 11th largest market for air transport services in terms of passenger
numbers, including its large domestic market. Ukraine ranked 48.
The impact on airline costs as a result of fluctuations in energy prices
or rerouting to avoid Russian airspace could have broader implications.
Consumer confidence and economic activity are likely to be impacted even
outside of Eastern Europe.
BANGKOK, 3 March 2022: Skål International Bangkok, a networking club of tourism professionals, will hold an Annual General Meeting to elect a new club president during a networking lunch for members on 8 March at Arnoma Grand Bangkok.
During the AGM, club members will elect a new president to replace Andrew Wood, who was elected last year as president of Skal International Asian Area representing clubs in more than 15 countries.
James Thurlby assumed the role of acting president following Wood’s appointment. The new club president and executive committee will be announced at the AGM immediately after the election.
Skål International has over 12,000 members worldwide in more
than 300 clubs in 98 countries. The Skål International Bangkok club was formed
in 1956 comprises more than 60 members in Thailand’s tourism industry.
Skål International Asia announced its committee lineup on its Facebook page on 16 February. President SIAA –Andrew J Wood VP West Asia –Keethi Jayaweera VP SEA –Kevin Rautenbach VP EA – Hiro Liao Director Membership Development – Dushy Jayaweera Director Young Skal –Shalini Khanna Charles Director PR & Communication – Windy Yang International Skal Councillor –Michelle Sandhu Secretary SIAA – Shekhar Divadkar Treasurer –Stuart Bolwell Secretariat -Joan Béchard
SINGAPORE, 3 March 2022: Fam trips are making a comeback as Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) host seven travel agents, three media and content creators based in Singapore this week.
Following close to two years of Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions that suspended all fam trips and promotions, Malaysia Airlines provided flights for the fam trip from 27 February to 3 March 2022 that focused on Langkawi island.
During the Langkawi fam trip, participants had the opportunity to ride the Langkawi Skycab – the world’s steepest cable car. They explored the largest interactive 3D museum in Malaysia at 3D Art Langkawi, discovered an eco-friendly private island at Paradise 101 and visited the Underwater World Langkawi as well as participated in the Kubang Badak Mangrove Tour.
The mangrove tour is part of Kubang Badak Bio Geo Trail – Langkawi’s newest eco-tourism destination, which has been awarded the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Awards 2021 under the Heritage Category. The delegation also embarked on a day cruise, city tour and shopping in Langkawi.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Dato’ Hj Zainuddin Abdul Wahab said: “Singapore continues to be the key source market for Malaysia, especially when the international travel gradually resumes. Since November, the Langkawi International Travel Bubble (LITB), as well as land and air Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Malaysia and Singapore opened doors for international travel with 171,583 travellers from Singapore visiting by both air and land options up to 14 February 2022.”
LADA chief executive Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib hosted a welcome dinner at Kunang-Kunang Heritage Villas, and participants attended a tourism networking event with presentations and tourism product briefings by Langkawi industry players at The Danna Langkawi.
About Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia. In 2019, Malaysia registered 26.1 million tourist arrivals and MYR86.14 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.
BANGKOK, 3 March 2022: Thai Airways International and its subsidiaries
reduced operating losses by 44% or THB15,712 million to declare a loss of
THB19,702 million, according to its operational performance results for the
year ended 31 December 2021. The result excluded one-time transactions.
When one-time transactions are taken into account, THAI and
its subsidiaries reported a net profit totalling THB81,525 million. It
consisted of profits following the Rehabilitation Plan, such as profit from
debt restructuring, sale of unused properties and organisational restructuring.
Consequently, THAI and its subsidiaries reported a THB55,113 million net profit
for the year ending 31 December 2021.
The total revenue was THB23,747 million, lower than last
year by THB24,684 million or 51%, mainly due to a decline in both passenger and
cargo revenue recorded at THB24,599 million baht or 59.9% and a decrease of
THB1,545 million from other services.
However, THAI reports an increase in other incomes of
THB1,460 million due to revenue from offsets for maintenance and refurbishment
of engines.
Total expenses amounted to THB43,449 million, which was
THB40,396 million or 48.2% lower than the previous year, mainly due to variable
operating expenses and cost reduction programme implemented under the airline’s
rehabilitation plan and business reorganisation. However, this was insufficient
to offset decreasing revenue.
As of 31 December 2021, the total assets of THAI and its
subsidiaries were THB161,219 million, which decreased by THB48,078 million or
23% compared to the figure as of 31 December 2020. The total liabilities were
THB232,470 million, a decrease of THB105,492 million or 31.2% from 31 December
2020. Shareholders’ equity amounted to -THB71,251 million, which is a negative
decrease of THB57,414 million compared to the figure as of 31 December 2020,
due to THAI and its subsidiaries’ net profit in 2021.
THAI is seeking a THB25 billion loan from financial
institutions for the implementation of its rehabilitation plan in 2022. The
loan contract signing should occur this month, March 2022.
BANGKOK, 3 March 2022: Thailand’s tourism industry presented a united front that sent a strong message to the Thai government to scrap the Test & Go programme during Monday’s Thailand Tourism Forum 2022.
The country’s private sector tourism
leaders said the error-prone Test & Go app and travel restrictions ensure
the country is losing a competitive edge compared to regional competitors.
Thailand Tourism Leadership Summit: (from left) Bill Barnett, MD, C9 Hotelworks; Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau; Bill Heinecke, Chairman/Founder Minor International; Stephan Vanden Auweele, Chief Hospitality Officer, Asset World Corporation; Proudputh Liptapanlop, Executive Director, Proud Group; Boon Kwee Lim, Chief Operating Officer, Dusit International; Dirk De Cuyper, CEO of S Hotels & Resorts; Clarence Tan, Senior Vice President of Development, Hilton Asia Pacific; and Marisa Sukosol, President of the Thailand Hotel Association.
Company CEOs and key industry leaders set
out their joint vision for the future and jointly signed the Thailand Tourism
Pledge during the Thailand Tourism Leadership Summit, part of the 1 March
Thailand Tourism Forum 2022.
They said the aim was to chart a strong and
sustainable path out of the global pandemic.
Thailand Hotels Association president
Marisa Sukoso said: “There’s no choice anymore. Thailand must open up and
stop Test & Go. We need to move from a pandemic to an endemic.”
Minor International, chairman and founder
Bill Heinecke, who authors numerous open letters to Thailand’s Prime Minister,
reiterated his mantra, “if we don’t open up, we can’t be
competitive.”
He told the forum’s 500 odd delegates:
“Currently, the rules are just too complicated. We are not even 10% of
where we were pre-Covid, and Thailand will not reach its target of 10 million
arrivals in 2022. We are falling behind. We are not even keeping up with our
neighbours.”
But Heinecke did concede the second quarter
presented a better outlook, just a few rungs up from ground zero.
“The second quarter will be better
than the first. That’s not thanks to the government, but people have pent-up
demand, and the government doesn’t make it easy.”
He said that travel costs have escalated as
airlines reduced flights and hotels have to keep up with the health and safety
standards. When adding up the expenses attached to the Test & Go programme
and health insurance makes it even more expensive for tourists, especially for
family travel.
On the same day as the forum, the government
introduced easier rules under the Test & Go programme with the required
prepaid accommodation reduced to just one night and the Covid-19 tests revised
to one RT-PCR and a self-administered ATK.
The health insurance coverage has also been
reduced to no less than USD20,000.
Covid-19 new cases on 1 March stood at
20,420 cases. Of these figures, 171 cases were detected among inbound visitors.
When reopening the country’s hospitality
leaders, recognising the challenges of balancing health and economic factors,
argued it was all about achieving a proper assessment and identifying the
acceptable risks.
Asset World Corporation chief hospitality officer, Stephan Vanden Auweele said: “Thailand was the first country in Southeast Asia to successfully open the Sandbox. I do believe that it is very difficult balancing to preserve the wellbeing of people, at the same time, reopening tourism.
“However, the industry is now at the
crossroad and needs to rethink what is essential to tourism: sustainability,
local community, educating people. The industry needs to sit together and come
up with strategies and plans.
Representing the public sector at the TTF
2022 Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau president Chiruit Isarangkun
Na Ayuthaya said:
“We have been reporting problems faced
by the business sector to the government and also collaborating with the Center
for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to negotiate and work together to
find solutions to help the private sector revive business through activities
such as exhibitions.
“Following the success of the Phuket
Sandbox, we can say that the government is being more open… and we will report
issues raised at the TTF 2022 to the government for the best outcome.”
The concerns over the tourism situation raised
by the tourism leadership summit at the TTF 2022 echo the latest research
conducted by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council
(NESDC) and the Research Centre for Social and Business Development (SAB).
It showed that only one out of three SMEs
in the tourism sector are fully confident that they can survive this crisis and
restore their business in post-Covid-19.
Meanwhile, 70% of the survey participants
said they do not have a rehabilitation plan.
One out of three SMEs participants in the
survey said they are facing financial liquidity issues. In 2021, the number of
SMEs that went into debt increased by 10% from 2019. Meanwhile, the solvency
ratio was decreased from 93% to 63.3% in 2021.
The survey was conducted from June to
September 2021 among 1,534 SME entrepreneurs in the five businesses, including
hotels, restaurants, transports, travel operators, and souvenir shops in six
provinces, namely Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Phuket, Chonburi and
Prachuap Khiri Khan.
SINGAPORE, 3 March 2022: Oceania Cruises, a culinary and
destination-focused cruise line, marked the float-out of its new 67,000 ton,
1,200 guest Vista last week at the Fincantieri shipyard in Sestri Ponente,
Italy.
Vista will sail her maiden voyage from Rome to Barcelona on
14 April 2023, followed by 12 additional European voyages before commencing
sailings from the US to the Canadian Maritimes and New England, the Panama
Canal, and the Caribbean.
Vista Highlights 12 dining options, four of them brand new. 1,200 guests served by 800 crew members = two crew members for every three guests. Eight bars, lounges, and entertainment venues. Aquamar Spa + Vitality Centre and Aquamar Spa Terrace. Staffed Concierge and Executive Lounges for Concierge Staterooms and Suites, respectively.
About Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises is a culinary- and destination-focused cruise line with a fleet of seven ships that carry no more than 1,250 guests.
Ships call on more than 450 boutique ports across Europe,
Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the
Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific in addition to the
epic 180-day Around the World Voyages. With headquarters in Miami, Oceania
Cruises is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a diversified cruise
operator of leading global cruise brands which include Norwegian Cruise Line,
Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
