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WTTC backs EC revision of Covid rules

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 24 February 2022: The World Travel & Tourism Council welcomes the European Council’s recommendations to ease travel restrictions on 1 March six weeks ahead of the Easter break in April.

“WTTC welcomes the sensible decision by the EU to drop travel restrictions before Easter, said WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson. “The patchwork of rules and regulations did nothing to prevent the spread of Covid but did cause immense damage to the economy of Europe, causing the loss of jobs and businesses. Now is time to rebuild Travel & Tourism and connect Europe to the world.”

WTTC was responding to the more recent European Council recommendation issued on 22 February. The Council’s Covid-19 update said member states should allow non-essential travel for persons vaccinated with an EU or WHO-approved vaccine, recovered persons and all persons travelling from a country on the EU list.

It includes persons who have recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days before travel to the EU. For some of these travellers, additional measures such as PCR testing before travel could apply. The new recommendation will start to apply on 1 March 2022.

Countries on the EU list

For restrictions to be lifted for all travellers from a given third country under the new rules, the number of Covid-19 cases per 100 000 inhabitants over the last 14 days is raised from 75 to 100. The weekly testing rate per 100 000 inhabitants is also increased from 300 to 600.

Sarawak Tourism wins award

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 24 February 2022: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) recently took home the bronze award at the Marketing Excellence Awards Malaysia 2022 for its Excellence in Mobile Marketing for The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and Borneo Jazz Festival (BJF).

Designed to recognise outstanding marketing strategies, the award saw 50 companies from various industries participating in 40 categories from diverse disciplines.

STB Director of Communications Margaret Apau (third right) receiving the bronze award for Excellence in Mobile Marketing for RWMF and BJF on behalf of the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB).

“We are honoured to be recognised for our mobile marketing strategy for RWMF and BJF. Both these events are highly-anticipated annually, and we challenged ourselves to push the boundaries in 2021 when we took RWMF and BJF virtual. In total, 402,865 people from 79 countries tuned in for the RWMF and 244,637 from 43 different countries tuned in for BJF,” said Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor.

“This year, we are already prepping for RWMF and BJF, both of which will be organised in a hybrid format. Again, we will push the envelope to ensure our audience, both local and international, enjoy a wide range of musical performances from traditional to world fusion and contemporary”.

At the end of 2021,  RWMF and BJF were also acknowledged as the ‘One to Watch’ by WTM Responsible Tourism, a global award programme that recognises excellence in responsible tourism.

“Responsible tourism has been a longstanding effort by Sarawak Tourism Board to ensure that Sarawak’s tourism industry remains relevant, viable, and sustainable. We will continue spearheading responsible tourism initiatives in 2022 and beyond, as we believe it will not only contribute to the wellbeing of our local communities and environment but also create meaningful experiences for travellers,” Puan Sharzede concluded.

For more information about Sarawak Tourism Board’s website at https://sarawaktourism.com

Weekday Special on Thai Vietjet

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 24 February 2022: Thai Vietjet launched a Weekday Special promotion this week, offering fares starting from just THB 555 (inclusive of taxes and fees) for travel on the airline’s entire domestic flight network.

The special fares are available for booking from now until 28 February, with the travel period open from 1 March to 30 June 2022 (excludes public holidays).

The promotional tickets apply to Thai Vietjet’s entire domestic flight network in Thailand from its home base Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi), to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani, Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, and Ubon Ratchathani.

The deal also applies to cross-country routes connecting Phuket to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Udon Thani, together with a flight from Chiang Rai to Hat Yai.

Thailand’s travel tax won’t go away

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 24 February 2022: Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn insists the controversial THB300 travel tax is still on the table despite a decision to delay its introduction beyond the target launch date of 1 April.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has been pushing for the introduction of a tax on all incoming tourists for years. Still, it faces stiff opposition from a travel industry fighting for survival after two years of Covid-19 restrictions. Earlier this month, the Thai cabinet postponed the introduction of the entry tax for foreign tourists without specifying a new launch date.

Earlier this week in comments first reported by Associated Press, he stressed the entry fee’ on all foreign tourists visiting the country would be eventually implemented, noting it would be used for tourists’ insurance and an emergency fund for those travelling in the country.

Phiphat was quoted saying the collection process would be transparent and accountable to the public and would not end up in anyone’s “pocket”.

Part of the fee will go towards funding basic health and accident insurance cover for travellers to provide emergency services. The balance will fund the restoration of tourist and heritage sites supervised by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports’ permanent secretary.

It is highly likely the USD9 tax will be introduced later in the year once collection issues have been resolved, particularly at land checkpoints. For airline travellers entering the country, the fee will be included in the fare along with the THB700 airport tax.

Travel industry opposition focuses mainly on the timing, claiming it will be perceived as yet another burden for travellers in addition to having to pay for Covid-19 tests and mandatory medical insurance under the Test & Go scheme. They are suggesting the tax should be postponed until after Covid-19 is downgraded from a pandemic to endemic and costly tests are eliminated.

Tripadvisor names top beaches

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 24 February 2022: Tripadvisor announced Wednesday the second of its annual Travellers’ Choice® Awards for 2022, the Best of the Best Beaches.

The importance of beach holidays is reflected in a  recent Tripadvisor sponsored survey that revealed  32% of travellers globally would take a beach trip in 2022. 

Radhanagar Beach.

The number one beach worldwide determined by travellers this year is Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos. With over 7,200 reviews to date (90% of which are 5-bubble), the Caribbean paradise has travellers raving about its white sand and crystal clear water.

India retrains crown in Asia

This year, India still retains the crown of being home to Asia’s most loved beach, but travellers have crowned a brand new winner for 2022: Radhanagar Beach in Havelock Island, India. The award-winning beach is also ranked as the sixth-best beach in the world! This year, India also had the most winners on the ‘best beaches in Asia’ list, including Cavelossim Beach (#4), Agonda Beach (#5), Varca Beach (#8) and Benaulim Beach (#10). 

The only other Asian beach making it to the World list is Yonaha Maehama Beach in Miyakojima, Japan which came in at No. 25.

 Top 10 Beaches in Asia for 2022

  1. Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
  2. Yonaha Maehama Beach – Miyakojima, Japan
  3. Railay Beach – Krabi, Thailand
  4. Cavelossim Beach – Goa, India
  5. Agonda Beach – Goa, India
  6. Nai Harn Beach – Phuket, Thailand
  7. Haeundae Beach – Busan, South Korea
  8. Varca Beach – Goa, India
  9. Karon Beach – Phuket, Thailand
  10. Benaulim Beach – Goa, India

Top 10 Beaches in the World for 2022

  1. Grace Bay Beach – Grace Bay, Turks and Caicos
  2. Varadero Beach – Varadero, Cuba
  3. Turquoise Bay – Exmouth, Australia
  4. Quarta Praia – Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil
  5. Eagle Beach – Palm – Eagle Beach, Aruba
  6. Radhanagar Beach – Havelock Island, India
  7. Baía do Sancho – Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
  8. Trunk Bay Beach – Virgin Islands National Park, U.S. Virgin Islands
  9. Baía dos Golfinhos – Praia da Pipa, Brazil
  10. Spiaggia dei Conigli – Lampedusa, Italy

“The list has something for everyone because it was determined by the millions of different travellers all over the world reviewing their favourite beaches on Tripadvisor throughout 2021. Although last year was still far from ‘normal,’ these are the beaches travellers visited and loved more than any others,” said Tripadvisor VP global media business Christine Maguire.

You can check out the winners across all subcategories here: www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Beaches.

(Source: Tripadvisor)

Cathay adopts Sabre fares solution

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TTR WEEKLY
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HONG KONG, 23 February 2022 : Sabre Corporation, a software and technology provider that powers the travel industry, announced Monday a new agreement with Cathay Pacific Airways to upgrade fare management and drive revenue recovery.

The Hong Kong-based carrier will adopt Sabre’s AirVision Fares Manager and complementary Fares Optimiser solutions to monitor and manage fares.

Sabre’s AirVision Fares Manager and Fares Optimizer bring together integrated end-to-end automation and intelligence to fares management by incorporating publicly available competitor fare benchmarking and automating fare rule adjustments, empowering analysts to make astute pricing decisions in an effort to drive incremental revenue opportunities.

“It’s essential to be able to mine real-time market data to respond dynamically to market conditions while taking into account customer segmentation, demand, willingness to pay and competition,” said Cathay Pacific general manager, revenue management Navin Chellaram. “As the industry looks to recovery, we want to ensure we move forward with the right technology partner to modernise our fares management model, enhance our business processes and offer our customers the right fares every time.”

Airlines mull a return to Bali

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TTR WEEKLY
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DENPASAR, Bali, 23 February 2022: Bali’s steps to recovery begin with three foreign airlines indicating they will launch flights to Indonesia’s top holiday destination.

It’s a far cry from the pre-Covid times when more than 30 airlines served the destination daily. Still, officials told the local news channel Bali Sun they were “so happy to hear that these three international airlines plan to resume their regular flights to Bali.”

They will join Garuda that started a flight from Tokyo to Bali and Singapore Airlines. Foreign airlines are awarded discounts on airport and landing fees to encourage them to resume services to Bali. However, as Garuda is home-based in Indonesia, it failed to secure the discounts on international flights from Tokyo earlier this month, according to travel industry experts who posted on their Facebook pages.

Jetstar Airways, Scoot and KLM Royal Dutch are prepared to start scheduled flights in early March, landing at Bali Ngurah Rai Airport from Australia and Singapore. Airport officials called it a ” positive sign that will generate trust from foreign visitors who want to start travelling to the island again”.

The Bali Sun reported KLM Royal Dutch plans to fly the Singapore-Denpasar route four times weekly as an extension of its service from Amsterdam to Singapore.

Jetstar Airways intends to resume its Denpasar-Singapore, Denpasar-Sydney and Denpasar-Melbourne routes with three flights weekly. Scoot will fly the  Singapore-Denpasar route also with three flights per week.

“We hope that the number of international flights to Bali gradually increases and that this will positively affect the economy,” Fahmi concluded. Since Garuda and Singapore Airlines resumed their international flights to Bali in early February 2022, Bali Airport has recorded 639 passengers.

(Source; Bali Sun and Facebook)

Radisson closed 2021 on a high note

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TTR WEEKLY
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HONG KONG, 23 February 2022: Radisson Hotel Group added 137 new hotels to its portfolio in 2021 to reach 191 operational hotels, with China playing a pivotal role in the expansion.

In partnership with Jin Jiang International and its subsidiaries, the Group signed 122 new hotels and resorts in China, covering four brands in the market.

The Group also signed 15 hotels in key markets in the region, such as Australia and India.

Radisson Hotel Group’s core brands expanded their footprint with the signing of Radisson Collection Hotel, Yangtze Shanghai. Six upscale Radisson and upper-upscale Radisson Blu properties were signed in China and India, including Radisson Hotel, Beijing Daxing Airport, Radisson Blu Hotel Changyuan and Radisson Blu Resort & Spa New Gurugram. In the upper-midscale sector, four new Park Inn by Radisson hotels were added in India, located in Vellore, Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Jharkhand.

Radisson Individuals, a category described as a “soft brand” (affiliated properties), continue to attract independent hotels and small chains seeking global representation and awareness while retaining their independence and flexibility.

The brand expanded into new destinations across India, Australia, and Papua New Guinea, with four properties added to the portfolio. This includes the Grand Papua Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea.

Radisson Collection made its debut in the Asia Pacific with the opening of five fantastic properties in China, located in Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuxi. Other key openings included Radisson Blu Resort Vishakhapatnam, Radisson Hotel Tianjin Aqua City, Park Plaza Beijing, Park Inn by Radisson Bacolod, The Oasis Mussoorie, a member of Radisson Individuals, and Radisson RED Chandigarh Mohali, which marked this cutting-edge concept’s first operational hotel in India. Radisson Hotel Group’s Asia Pacific portfolio now totals 365 properties – 191 operational and 174 under development.

Hong Kong scuttles Scoot flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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HONG KONG, 23 February 2022: Scoot has halted seat sales on its flights to Hong Kong until 7 March following a flight ban after passengers disembarking in Hong Kong tested positive for Covid 19 last week.

Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier became the latest airline to have its flights banned for two weeks following KLM Royal Dutch Airlines currently banned by  Hong Kong’s Department of Health until 6 March.

The loss of the Scoot flight is a blow for Hong Kong and Singapore. Both are keen to revive business travel between the two aviation hubs.

Bloomberg said the move severs one of the last air links between the two Asian financial hubs. The route was one of the busiest in the world before the pandemic hit.

A check of Scoot’s website shows the earliest booking date is now 7 March. Scoot was operating a daily service.

The ban comes after Hong Kong authorities blocked Singapore Airlines from flying to the city for two weeks from 16 February after too many passengers tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival.

Cathay flew just one service to and from Singapore in February and will fly just one next month, on 19 March, according to its website. Before the pandemic struck, the two hubs mustered more than 250 monthly flights.

Centara rolls out Digital Guest Solution

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK 23 February 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announces a partnership with True Digital Solutions, True Group’s fully-integrated digital solutions provider.

The partnership allows Centara to usher in a new era of hospitality with the latest touchless technologies to create an extraordinary experience for guests.

The Digital Guest Solution, a digital solution operating on one of the digital platforms for service-related business, True Hospitality Platform, is implemented in five Centara hotels and resorts in Thailand to offer a more convenient approach for guests looking to use a hotel’s services. Without the need to download any applications, guests can scan an Intelligent QR Code via their personal mobile phone or tablet to enjoy services at their fingertips, such as ordering in-room service, booking a spa appointment, or requesting housekeeping.

At Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, Centara is also adopting trailblazing hospitality technology in the form of True 5G Robo-serve in its restaurant. The powerful 5G cloud-intelligent robot can perform tasks autonomously, including delivering food, welcoming guests and interacting with customers, increasing the speed of services and building customer trust and confidence.

Centara Hotels & Resorts deputy CEO, Markland Blaiklock said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with such a prominent player in the technology segment as True Digital Group in a partnership which will be a game-changer in the hospitality business. At Centara, we are always looking for new approaches to enhance our services and create a better experience for our guests, and we believe these innovations fit perfectly with the demands of the new generation of travellers.”

True 5G Robo-serve uses sensor navigation to help the robot avoid obstacles with intelligent mobility and complete tasks autonomously. Combined with the Digital Guest Solution platform, which also offers accurate insight to allow Centara to better understand guest behaviours, these innovations will play important roles to transform operational functions in today’s hospitality landscape.

The Digital Guest Solution from True Digital Solutions is available for guests to experience at Centara resorts across Thailand, including:

Centara Grand at Central World;
Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao;
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya;
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin;
Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket.

For more information, please visit https://www.truedigital.com/industry-based-solution or https://www.facebook.com/truedigitalso/

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