BANGKOK, 21 February 2022: Best Western Hotels & Resorts offers sakura season travellers a 25% discount at member hotels in Japan.
The Japan Spring Blossom Sale runs from 23 February to 31 March 2022 for stays booked any time until 31 May 2022, and enjoy a 15% discount on the hotel’s best rate. Best Western Rewards members gain an additional 5% off.
The deal is valid at participating Best Western Hotels in Japan, including properties in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Okinawa.
SINGAPORE, 21 February 2022: Club Med confirmed at the weekend the reopening of Club Med Bintan on 8 March after cross-border travel restrictions closed travel to Bintan for close to two years.
The decision to reopen the resort follows the Singapore government’s introduction of the Bintan-Batam-Singapore travel corridor.
Bintan Island is a short 55-minute ferry ride from Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal. Club Med Bintan stands on a 2.4 km private beach overlooking the South China Sea.
“Since the announcement of the quarantine-free travel corridor by Indonesia, we have seen an 83% increase in web traffic from Singaporean travellers within just three days,” said Club Med chief executive officer, East and South Asia & Pacific markets Rachael Harding. “Similarly, bookings for the resort also increased by four times during the same period. We anticipate that with this new announcement from Singapore, the surge will be even greater.”
Over the last two years, Club Med focused on enhancing the resort’s offerings and re-skilling staff in preparation for Club Med Bintan’s reopening.
It involved the introduction of Club Med’s Safe Together guest assurance programme with the support of Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services.
BANGKOK, 21 February 2021: Effective 4 March, Singapore Airlines will operate Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights from Phuket to Singapore.
Under the VTL scheme, vaccinated travellers who meet the criteria gain quarantine-free access to Singapore.
SIA operates two flights daily (14-flights weekly) from Phuket to Singapore. All 14 flights will be designated as VTL flights.
Flights will increase to three flights daily from 27 March 2022 and by April 2022 to four daily (28 weekly).
VTL flights between Phuket and Singapore complement SIA’s existing VTL service between Bangkok and Singapore. Since 1 February, SIA has been operating five flights daily (35 weekly) from Bangkok to Singapore, of which three flights daily are designated as VTL flights.
“The expansion of VTL flights from Thailand allows SIA to reconnect family and friends more easily, as our customers will be able to travel between Thailand and Singapore fuss-free,” said Singapore Airlines general manager Thailand Biren Poh.
SINGAPORE, 21 February 2021: Families can enjoy more relaxing travel to Spain following the country’s approval of easier health entry requirements for non-EU travellers 12 to 17 years.
It means travellers from countries where access to the Covid vaccines is difficult or not yet possible for young adults or children 12 to 17 need only to submit a negative covid NAAT molecular nucleic acid amplification test (RT-PCR or similar) 72 hours before their arrival in Spain. They do not need to present a vaccination certificate.
Likewise, children under 12 years of age, who travel with an adult, are still not subject to any health requirement, same as before.
Spain is responding to the problematic situation that impacted families with children who are not eligible for vaccination. Under previous rules, parents vaccinated against Covid-19 were free to enter the country but travelling with their children became troublesome for families with children and young adults who are not eligible for vaccine programmes.
The revision means families can reunite with friends and relatives in Spain or enjoy an Easter holiday break.
For the most updated information about Travel Safe to Spain, you may visit: https://travelsafe.spain.info/en
HONG KONG, 21 February 2022: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has unveiled Norwegian Viva, the next ship in its brand-new Prima Class that will cruise Mediterranean destinations in June 2023.
Providing guests with elevated experiences including more wide-open spaces, thoughtful and stunning design and exceptional service, Norwegian Viva will begin sailing Mediterranean itineraries in June 2023, homeporting in key Southern European port cities including Lisbon, Portugal; Venice (Trieste) and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy; and Athens (Piraeus), Greece. She will then sail the Southern Caribbean for her 2023-2024 northern hemisphere winter season offering warm-weather getaways from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Mirroring the upscale design and structure of her record-breaking sister ship Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva, also built by renowned Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri in Marghera, Italy, will debut at 965 feet long, 142,500 gross tons and accommodate 3,219 guests at double occupancy. Travellers will live up every second of their journey in the most spacious accommodations, including the brands’ largest inside, ocean view and balcony category staterooms.
The world-class vessel will not only offer the highest staffing levels and space ratio of any new cruise ship in the contemporary and premium cruise categories and the largest variety of suite categories available at sea but will also boast a redefined The Haven by Norwegian, NCL’s ultra-premium key card only access ship-within-a-ship concept. The Haven’s public areas and 107 suites designed by Piero Lissoni, one of Italy’s most renowned designers, will feature an expansive sundeck, a stunning infinity pool overlooking the ship’s wake and an outdoor spa with a glass-walled sauna and cold room.
The Prima Class’ varied recreational activities also make their elevated comeback on Norwegian Viva with only-available-on-Prima-Class experiences, including the fastest freefall drop dry slides at sea with The Rush and The Drop and the largest three-level racetrack at sea with the Viva Speedway.
Norwegian Viva will feature Ocean Boulevard, the 44,000 square foot outdoor walkway which wraps around the entire ship; Indulge Food Hall featuring 11 varieties of eateries; The Concourse boasting an outdoor sculpture garden; expansive pool decks and infinity style pools at Infinity Beach and Oceanwalk, showcasing glass bridges above water.
Norwegian Cruise Line president and chief executive officer Harry Sommer said: “Norwegian Viva sets the standard in the premium segment, illustrating our commitment to pushing boundaries in four main areas: wide open space, service that puts guests first, thoughtful design and experiences beyond expectation. We have taken everything our guests love to the next level with this brand-new class of ships designed with them in mind.”
Norwegian Viva will boast eye-catching hull art designed by Italian graffiti and sculpture artist Manuel Di Rita, commonly known as “Peeta,” who also illustrated the exceptional hull design on Norwegian Prima. World-class architects who helped design Norwegian Prima, including Rockwell Group, SMC Design and Miami-based Studio Dado, also have returned to influence the aesthetic of various restaurants, staterooms and public areas.
“Norwegian Viva, the second of six Prima Class vessels being built with us, reinforces the great collaboration between Norwegian Cruise Line and Fincantieri,” said Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager Merchant Ships Division at Fincantieri. “We were extremely satisfied that Norwegian Prima, the first of the new class, earned record-breaking bookings, and we are excited to see how Norwegian Viva will live up to her sister ship. As we proved our resilience during these challenging times, this announcement represents another testament to Fincantieri’s global leadership role in the cruise sector.”
The first two Prima Class vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva will feature cutting-edge alternative technologies, such as a NOx reduction system (SCR), that reduce the ship’s overall environmental impact. SCR catalysts filter out sulphur oxides up to 98% and nitrogen oxides up to 90%, ensuring the vessels meet Tier III NOx compliance. Further, they will be equipped with an Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS), an Advanced Wastewater Treatment System to treat and clean all wastewater to meet stringent international standards and Cold Ironing functionality to connect to onshore power grids to further reduce emissions while in port. For more information about the company’s environmental, governance and social efforts, please click here.
Itineraries on the brand’s newest ship
Northern Hemisphere Summer 2023: The Mediterranean from Rome, Athens, and Lisbon
Following a string of inaugural cruises and beginning June 2023, Norwegian Viva will be the newest ship embarking in the Mediterranean. From 15 June 2023 to 6 November 2023, she will sail a series eight, nine and ten-day voyages from Lisbon, Portugal; Venice (Trieste) and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy; and Athens (Piraeus), Greece, offering guests the opportunity to explore the Mediterranean’s Spanish, Italian and Greek regions.
Northern Hemisphere Winter 2023-2024: Southern Caribbean from San Juan
Norwegian Viva will become the largest new ship to ever homeport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. On 15 December 2023, she will depart San Juan on a seven-day Caribbean voyage with her first stop in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. She will then make her way to Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Bridgetown, Barbados; Castries, St. Lucia; St. John’s, Antigua; and St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands for her last stop before returning to San Juan on 22 December 2023. Future sailings will also include notable ports in the Caribbean for seven- and nine-day sailings.
For more information about the company’s award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.
About Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
As the innovator in global cruise travel, NCL has been breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising for 55 years. Most notably, the cruise line revolutionised the industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal holiday on their preferred schedule with no assigned dining and entertainment times and no formal dress codes. Today, its fleet of 17 contemporary ships sail to over 300 of the world’s most desirable destinations, including Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas and its resort destination Harvest Caye in Belize.
For additional information or to book a cruise, contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com. Follow NCL on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube @NorwegianCruiseLine; and Twitter and Snapchat @CruiseNorwegian.
HONG KONG, 21 February 2022: Cathay Pacific continues to suffer substantial capacity reductions in response to significantly reduced demand and quarantine restrictions the airline reported in its latest traffic figures for January 202
The airline released traffic figures for January 2022 at the weekend, showing it had carried 24,699 passengers last month, a decrease of 18.8% compared to January 2021 and a 99.2% decrease compared to the pre-pandemic level in January 2019.
The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) decreased 23.4% year-on-year and were down 99% versus January 2019. Passenger load factor increased by 27.1 percentage points to 40.3%, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), decreased by 74.8% year-on-year and decreased by 97.9% compared with January 2019 levels.
The airline carried 74,242 tonnes of cargo last month, a decrease of 31.8% compared to January 2021 and a 55.5% decrease compared with the same period in 2019. The month’s cargo revenue tonne-kilometres (RFTKs) decreased 64.4% year-on-year and were down 73.6% compared to January 2019. The cargo load factor decreased by 2.8 percentage points to 76.6%, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (AFTKs), was down by 63.1% year-on-year and was down by 78.8% versus January 2019.
Travel
Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Ronald Lam commented: “We’ve had a very difficult start to 2022 with the accelerated spread of the Omicron variant and the further tightening of travel and operational restrictions, notably stricter quarantine requirements for Hong Kong-based aircrew. As a result, Cathay Pacific’s passenger flight capacity in January reduced by about 82% compared with December 2021, to about 2.1% of pre-COVID-19 levels. Meanwhile, passenger numbers dropped to an average of 797 per day. The load factor was about 40%.
“Both inbound and transit traffic were limited by the enhanced restrictions imposed by the Hong Kong SAR Government, while outbound demand also remained weak. Passenger traffic in January was largely generated from ex-Chinese Mainland flights via the Hong Kong hub to long-haul destinations in Australia, the US and the UK. We also saw some pre-Lunar New Year traffic between the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong.
“Our regional operations remained intact and, as such, our teams were able to place added focus on opportunities in the Chinese Mainland and the region. This resulted in increased cargo capacity for services to destinations in Northeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, where there was good demand prior to the Lunar New Year holidays.
Outlook
“Looking ahead in February and beyond, we will continue to operate a highly reduced passenger flight schedule until at least the end of March in view of the extension of quarantine measures for Hong Kong-based aircrew, the flight-specific and place-specific suspension mechanism as well as the transit ban by the Hong Kong SAR Government. We will continue to strive to maintain passenger connectivity to key destinations as much as possible, although we are currently not seeing any signs of significant recovery in passenger travel demand. We expect to continue operating about 2% of our pre-COVID-19 passenger flight capacity while current restrictions remain in place.
“Regarding cargo, demand during the first half of February was affected by the reduced production over the Lunar New Year holiday period, though it is expected to progressively improve during the second half of the month. In light of the ongoing strict crew quarantine requirements, we will continue to operate a reduced schedule for our long-haul cargo operations, with services to Europe and the Middle East continuing to be served by passenger aircraft carrying cargo only, while trans-Pacific frequencies will remain similar to January. However, we have managed to restore some freighter frequencies to the Southwest Pacific, and we will continue to maximise opportunities provided by our regional markets. Overall, our cargo flight capacity is likely to remain less than one-third of pre-COVID-19 levels in the first quarter,” Lam concluded.
(Source: Cathay Pacific)
KOTA KINABALU, 21 February 2022: Sabah Tourism Board has launched its ‘Fly Me To Sabah’ contest to woo more domestic travellers to Sabah.
The contest remains open until 14 April 2022. Winners stand a chance to win their dream bucket list holiday to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Embracing the edge of the digital world and modern media, the Sabah Tourism team invites the public to post their most creative, interesting and wittiest ‘virtual letter’ to Sabah Tourism via social media account Instagram or Facebook using the campaign hashtag #flymetosabah and #sabahtourism.
One winner will be announced by Sabah Tourism every fortnight, with a total of four lucky winners at the end of the two-month-long contest.
The winners will get the chance to get their Sabah holiday bucket list fulfilled with a travel voucher worth MYR5,000.00 for each person.
“Sabah has always been a favourite destination by domestic travellers in particular for their interest in climbing Mount Kinabalu, island adventures in Semporna and amazing seafood.”
“After last year’s reopening of state border for inter-state travel, we could see a growing number of domestic arrivals to Sabah and airlines has gradually increased their flight frequencies. “
“This has certainly motivated and helped our tourism industry players to get back on their game. Likewise, we hope the #flymetosabah contest will reignite the public passion for travelling again and lure them into visiting Sabah through the many interesting posting shared by participants,” said Sabah Tourism Board chief executive officer Noredah Othman.
For the past two years, travelling might seem like a distant memory, but the team in Sabah Tourism is optimistic that many want to share their travel memories about Sabah. Some might still be waiting for the perfect time and reason to visit. The ‘Fly Me To Sabah’ contest is an ideal platform.
The contest is open to non-Sabah residents, West Malaysians, Sarawakians and expatriates living in Malaysia.
For more information on the contest visit www.flymetosabah.sabahtourism.com.
About Sabah Tourism Board
The Sabah Tourism Board, known as Sabah Tourism, is an agency of the Sabah State Government operating under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. Sabah Tourism was first established in August 1976 as the Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation and later re-established as Sabah Tourism Board.
Sabah Tourism’s primary responsibility is the marketing and promotion of tourism for the State. It has since expanded in roles and responsibilities to cater to the current needs of the global tourism market.
(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)
BANGKOK, 18 February 2022: Bangkok Airways announces the resumption of direct services between Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) and Krabi, starting 27 March 2022.
The airline will reinstate daily flights using an Airbus A319 aircraft. The outbound flight, PG261, departs Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) at 0815. and arrives at Krabi airport at 0940. The return flight, PG262, departs Krabi airport at 1040. and arrives at Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) 1210.
Bangkok Airways strictly implements surveillance measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
SINGAPORE, 18 February 2022: The Covid-19 pandemic continued to impact travel worldwide through the end of 2021, but in the fourth quarter, Expedia Group Media Solutions registered consistent global search volumes.
Expedia Group Media Solutions released its Q4 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report earlier this week. The quarterly report combines Expedia Group first-party data and custom research with actionable insights and industry examples to help travel marketers on their continued journey toward rebuilding and recovery.
“The pandemic continued to impact travel around the world through the end of 2021, but in Q4, we saw consistent global search volumes, lengthening search windows and more international destinations
appearing on regional top 10 destination lists,” said Expedia media solutions global vice president Jennifer Andre. “Consumers have learned how to travel under ever-changing circumstances, and we anticipate they will continue to adapt and evolve their behaviours and preferences as the landscape evolves. We are encouraged by the overall year-over-year progress and remain confident in the power of travel and the resilience of the industry and travellers.”
Here are the key findings from the Expedia Group Media Solutions Q4 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report
Appetite for Travel Continues to Grow
Despite a bumpy quarter, there is still a tremendous appetite for travel compared to 2020. Global search volume in Q4 was flat quarter-over-quarter, but up more than 70% year-over-year, indicating that travellers are still eager to get away. In APAC, search volumes were up nearly 35% over Q3, driven by additional vaccinated travel lanes and international border reopenings in several countries, including Australia, Singapore, and Fiji.
Week-over-week global searches spiked around major announcements and industry activity, including the 8 November U.S. border reopening to vaccinated travellers from 33 countries, and during the week of 27 December, possibly due to travellers reacting to thousands of delayed or cancelled flights.
However, this heightened interest has been sustained into the first weeks of 2022, with global, NORAM*, and EMEA* search volumes even higher during the first two weeks of January than the last week of December 2021. This eagerness for travel is also complemented by an apparent resilience in the traveller mindset, as evidenced by lodging cancellation rates, which remained flat throughout Q4 despite the continued and unpredictable headwinds of the pandemic.
Search Windows Lengthen as Borders Reopen
As borders worldwide continued reopening to international travellers in Q4, the global search window lengthened. 40% of global searches fell within the 31+ day search window, a 15% increase over Q3. Regionally, EMEA saw the greatest swing toward longer search windows, with the 31+ day search window increasing 30% over Q3.
In Q4, 60% of global domestic searches fell within the 0- to 21-day search window, a slight decline quarter-over-quarter, as travellers searched for domestic trips further out – notably around the holiday season. NORAM, EMEA and APAC all saw a lift in the 31+ day domestic search window, with all three regions up more than 10% quarter-over-quarter.
International search window share fluctuated throughout Q4, with around 40% of global international searches occurring in the 0- to the 21-day search window, a 10% decline from Q3. Share for the 31- to 90-day search window grew 20% quarter-over-quarter.
Sustained Demand for Long-Haul Destinations
First identified in Q2, travellers are looking and booking destinations further afield – continued in Q4. LATAM* led the trend, with five of the top 10 booked destinations for travellers living there located in other parts of the world. Additionally, non-APAC destinations – Dubai and Honolulu – made up two of the four new entrants to the APAC top 10, with Sydney and Singapore also joining the list.
In contrast, North American travellers continued to book closer to home, with Cancun being the only destination outside the region on the top 10 list for NORAM bookers. However, this behaviour looks likely to change this year. Expedia’s 2022 Travel Trends Report found that 68% of Americans are planning to go big on their next trip, and many are eyeing intercontinental destinations like Rome, Bali, London, and Paris in 2022.
Paris, Dubai, Mexico City, Tokyo, and Madrid all saw double-digit quarter-over-quarter growth in hotel bookings. Looking at the 25 most-booked destinations globally, Dubai moved from 18th position in Q3 to 6th in Q4 – driven by a 40% increase in room night bookings quarter-over-quarter. During the same period, Tokyo moved from 41st to 24th, Mexico City moved from 23rd to 17th, and Paris moved from 12th to 5th.
Vacation Rentals Maintain Popularity
In Q4, global lodging bookings – for hotels and vacation rentals combined – were up more than 50% year-over-year. Comparing bookings in Q3 and Q4, there was a shift in share from hotels to vacation rentals, prompted by the busy holiday travel season and continued popularity among friends and families travelling together. LATAM had a particularly strong quarter for vacation rental bookings, which were up more than 100% quarter-over-quarter.
The average length of stay for vacation rentals in Q4 increased slightly to 5.4 days, up from the 5.2 days seen throughout Q2 and Q3. In EMEA, the average vacation rental length of stay surpassed the one-week mark, at 7.1 days.
For more data and insights from 300 petabytes of exclusive global Expedia Group travel intent and demand data, download the full Q4 2021 Travel Recovery Trend Report here.
*NORAM: Canada, the Caribbean and the United States of America
*EMEA: Europe, Middle East, Africa
*LATAM: Latin America
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 February 2022: While Malaysia’s tourism industry is hoping and praying for a 1 March reopening to welcome back international tourists, the launch date has come under government review.
First reported by TIN, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri cautioned this week that an evaluation remains ongoing, particularly to address concerns over the timing.
She suggests a full reopening on 1 March is now under reviewed and could be rescheduled based on the outcome of pilot travel bubble projects.
“It needs to be carefully studied before Malaysia’s tourism sector, and international borders can be allowed to fully reopen without the implementation of travel bubbles,” she told local media.
She called for a thorough study and preparations, including discussions with the tourism ministries in other countries.
The country’s National Recovery Council (NRC) the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, however, remain optimistic that depending on the success of the Langkawi Travel Bubble pilot project, a full reopening is imminent either on 1 March or shortly afterwards.
She told local media: ” Further studies are needed as some countries have yet to allow their people to travel, and this must be taken into consideration when deciding a date to reopen our tourism sector fully,”
She made cautionary comments to the media last Monday.
The minister noted that two travel bubble projects in Langkawi, starting on 16 September (domestic travellers) and 15 November (international travellers) the previous year, generated 720,000 local and foreign tourist arrivals with tourism income estimated at MYR750 million as of 31 December 2021.
According to the TIN Malaysia report, the Langkawi International Travel Bubble project as of 9 February had generated 4,274 visitor arrivals without any cases of Covid-19 transmission.
Local media reported on 8 February that as part of the NRC edition 2 recovery plan proposed a full reopening as of 1 March, without quarantine.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob subsequently called for a reevaluation that questions the reopening schedule.
(Source: TIN, Malaysia)
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