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The Maldives trains travel agency specialists

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, branded Visit Maldives, teams up with Pacific World Travel to launch an e-learning programme for Southeast Asian travel agents.

The programme runs through to 28 March 2023 and uses Pacific World Travel’s sales and marketing network across Southeast Asia.

The joint e-learning programme will promote the Maldives as a preferred and safe tourist destination targeting the Southeast Asian outbound travel market.

A dedicated website provides the e-learning sessions featuring the latest information about the Maldives for travel trade professionals recruited from Pacific World Travel’s tour operators and travel agents network.

Over 600 travel partners linked to Pacific World Travel will participate in the initial programme, with the reach extending to more than 3000 travel partners over one year.

The e-learning programme covers three modules, with the first module covering basic destination information, followed by module two focusing on identifying and presenting the selling points of the destination. In contrast, the last module covers the latest travel guidelines, Covid-19 measures and updates.

The Maldives has also eased travel restrictions to allow visitors to enter the country without presenting a Covid-19 PCR negative result on arrival as long as travellers are fully vaccinated.

Ascott: Go direct earn more points

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: Travellers booking stays at Ascott properties through direct channels earn more loyalty points rising through the loyalty ranks to platinum status.

Now in its third year, Ascott Star Rewards’ offers 35% more points and fast tracks membership upgrades to the platinum tier when bookings are made through various direct channels. They include Ascott’s reservation offices via email, phone calls and WeChat, and authorised travel agents.

Members can also earn points for walk-in bookings at more than 400 ASR participating properties in over 130 cities across more than 30 countries. These channels are in addition to Ascott’s booking website and mobile app.

Ascott’s managing director for Brand and Marketing, Tan Bee Leng said: “There is no cap to ASR points earned, no minimum points redemption and no blackout dates for redemption. Our ASR members enjoy maximum flexibility and convenience when using their points. Since its launch in 2019, ASR members contribute about 90% of Ascott’s direct bookings online, and about 50% of ASR members are repeat guests.”

Princess opens sales for South America cruises

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: From the origin of the tango to the home of coffee and the rugged landscape of the most isolated continent on earth, Princess Cruises has announced its diverse programme offerings for the 2023-2024 South America and Antarctica season.

On sale April 6 2022, Sapphire Princess returns to this exotic region to visit 19 destinations in 10 countries on five unique itineraries.

With 10 departures, ranging in length from 14- to 34-days, Sapphire Princess cruises offer guests the experience of sailing to Cape Horn – where the Pacific meets the Atlantic – to the Chilean Fjords, stunning mountains of Patagonia, the Falkland Islands’ famous penguins and the mystic waters of remote Antarctica. Cruise options include:

Cape Horn & Strait of Magellan – 14 Days – 3 Voyages

  • Overnight in Buenos Aires, including scenic cruising of the spectacular Amalia Glacier
  • Depart from Buenos Aires (overnight), Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands (Stanley), Cape Horn scenic cruising, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego), Punta Arenas, Amalia Glacier scenic cruising, Puerto Montt and arrive in Santiago
  • February 5 and March 4, 2024; reverse itinerary on February 19 2024

Antarctica & Cape Horn – 16 Days – 3 Voyages

  • Featuring four days of cruising the Antarctica region with views of Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound and Gerlache Strait
  • Sail from Santiago to Punta Arenas, Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego), Cape Horn scenic cruising, Antarctic Peninsula scenic cruising (Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound, Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, South Shetland Islands and Admiralty Bay), Falkland Islands (Stanley), Montevideo and arrive in Buenos Aires.
  • December 19, 2023, January 20, 2024; reverse itinerary on January 4 2024

Andes & South America – 18 Days – 2 Voyages

  • Overnight in Lima (Callao), Peru, with an optional overland land tour to UNESCO World Heritage Site, Machu Picchu
  • Depart Los Angeles and sail to Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Manta, Lima (overnight), Pisco (General San Martin), La Serena (Coquimbo), and arrive in Santiago – on December 1 2023
  • Depart Santiago, La Serena, Pisco, Lima (overnight), Manta, Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles – 18 March, 2024

Grand Adventures – 32 or 34 Days – 2 Voyages

  • Overnight in Bueno Aires and Lima
  • Antarctica, Andes & Cape Horn Grand Adventure (34 days): Sail from Los Angeles, Costa Rica, Manta, Lima (overnight), Pisco, La Serena, Santiago, Punta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Horn scenic cruising, Antarctic Peninsula scenic cruising (Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound, Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, South Shetland Islands and Admiralty Bay), Falkland Islands, Montevideo and arrive Buenos Aires – departs December 1, 2023
  • Andes & Cape Horn Grand Adventure (32 Days): Depart Bueno Aires (overnight) to Montevideo, Puerto Madryn, Falkland Islands, Cape Horn scenic cruising, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Amalia Glacier scenic cruising, Puerto Montt, Santiago, La Serena, Pisco, Lima (overnight), Manta, Costa Rica, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Los Angeles – departs 4 March, 2024

For guests wishing to combine a land tour before or after their cruise, Princess offers two cruise tours for South America:

  • Iguazú Falls Adventure – features the thundering Iguazú Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a visit to Rio de Janeiro.
  • Machu Picchu Explorer – visits the ancient Inca compound, Machu Picchu, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, plus a tour of the historic city of Cusco.

Guests can enjoy the local sites, wines and cuisines in port, while Princess keeps the destinations alive on board with passionate Argentine folkloric musicians, sumptuous regional dishes and even celebrations of the famed Carnival festival with local dancers and samba classes.

In addition, the 2,670-guest Sapphire Princess offers Princess MedallionClass Vacations which begins with the Medallion wearable, a quarter-sized device that enables everything from expedited contactless boarding to locating loved ones anywhere on the ship, as well as enhanced service like having whatever guests need to be delivered directly to them, wherever they are on the ship. In addition, guests can share their favourite cruise moments using MedallionNet, the best WiFi at sea, as well as stay connected with friends and family back home, work remotely anywhere on the ship, quickly post content and stream favourite movies and shows.

Sapphire Princess was previously based in Singapore from 2014 to 2020.

https://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/south-america-cruises/

(Your Stories: Princess Cruises)

Frommer’s names top booking sites

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 1 April 2022: Frommer’s, a guidebook company celebrating its 65th this year, offers insights on the best hotel booking sites when planning summer vacation travel.

Earlier this week, it released the latest edition of its Best Hotel Booking Sites, saying the top 10 has been shaken considerably since the previous ranking in 2020.

Photo: https://www.frommers.com

Using a complex, weighted system involving 60 different room reservation scenarios, travel expert and analyst Reid Bramblett put booking engines through the wringer to determine which sites deliver the lowest rates, the most options, and the easiest user experience.

Frommer’s explained it involved tallying the number of choices each contender could rustle up in seven major tourist cities: Orlando, New Orleans, San Francisco, Rome, London, Bangkok, and Buenos Aires.

Then, for each city, it searched for the lowest rates each site could find at four specific downtown hotels in varying price ranges for a mid-week, shoulder-season stays three months out.

For the first time, Google tops the best list, but the search giant only narrowly edged out previous winner HotelsCombined, showing a keen ability to find the most affordable rooms.

Other heavy hitters, including Tripadvisor and Kayak, only managed middling scores when put to the Frommer’s test, ranking 5th and 7th, respectively. After falling out of the top 10 five years ago, Hotels.com clawed its way to the 10th slot, displacing Hotwire from the list entirely.

The complete top 10, along with detailed analysis, a rundown of each site’s pros and cons, and money-saving warnings about sneaky tactics and outright rip-offs, can be found at Frommers.com/BestHotelSites.

The top 10 booking sites

  1. Google.com/travel/hotels
  2. Hotelscombined.com
  3. Trivago.com
  4. Agoda.com
  5. Tripadvisor.com
  6. Booking.com
  7. Kayak.com
  8. Expedia.com
  9. Priceline.com
  10. Hotels.com

Frommer’s latest ranking of the top sites for finding affordable airfare will be updated later this year.

About Frommer’s:

One of the most venerable brands in travel, Frommer’s has been in continuous publication since the 1957 debut of Arthur Frommer’s Europe on Five Dollars a Day, which changed the way the world travelled. The Frommer’s collection of travel products has expanded to include nearly 100 award-winning guidebooks, a popular podcast.

(Source: Frommer’s)

India keeps a watchful eye on airfares

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TTR WEEKLY
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DELHI, 1 April 2022: India’s aviation authorities reminded domestic airlines this week that they continue to monitor airfares on a monthly basis to prevent sudden price surges and also to promote transparency.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation emphasised earlier this week that airlines should display on their websites the tariff sheet route-wise across their network in various fare categories and in the same manner it is offered in the market.

In addition, the DGCA noted its Tariff Monitoring Unit continues to monitor airfares on specific routes on a monthly basis to ensure that the airlines do not charge airfares outside a range declared by them.

Even though the government does not regulate airfares under normal circumstances, the Covid-19 pandemic adversely impacted businesses’ revenue streams, including the aviation sector. In response, the government introduced fare bands with upper and lower limits as a special measure to serve the dual purpose of protecting both travellers and airlines.

Presently, fare capping is applicable on a rolling basis on a 15-day cycle. Decisions regarding the domestic scheduled operations and the possible relaxation in fare capping are subject to the prevailing Covid-19 situation, the status of airline operations and passenger demand for air travel.

Fare check Delhi-Mumbai route

During April, a fare check on the popular Delhi-Mumbai route showed variations from a low of USD76 to a high of USD97 for one-way economy travel.

According to a Google flight search, Spicejet filed the lowest fare at USD76, but for those who worry about carbon emissions, the flight flagged 13% more kgCO2 when compared with the route’s average of 134 kgCO2.

Vistara and Indigo, both quoting USD97 fares, operated at the average carbon emission level flying the route. AirAsia quoting a USD96 fare, scored a minus 29% carbon emission level when compared with the route average, well below all rivals.

Air India quoted a fare of USD94, but the carbon emission level was the highest of all airlines serving the domestic route at 29% over the average. AirAsia at -29% is the winner when the topic is carbon emission levels and not just a cheap fare.

Qatar first Middle East airline to fly to Bali

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TTR WEEKLY
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DENPASAR, Bali, 31 March 2022: Qatar Airways resumed flights from its Doha home base to Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport earlier this week, ending a two-year absence on the popular leisure travel route.

Bali Sun online news reported the Qatar Airways flight landed last Sunday evening with 222 passengers onboard, marking the first flight by a Middle East airline to Bali since Covid-19 locked down Indonesia in 2020.

Using a Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aircraft, the service will deliver Bali-bound to travellers originating from Europe, Africa, Eastern Europe, Europe and the Middle East through the airline’s Doha hub.

Bali Discovery confirmed the airline would operate four flights each week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday returning to Doha on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

According to the airport officials, there are flights from six overseas cities to Bali; Narita (Tokyo), Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, and Doha.”

This week, nine airlines serve the airport: Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines, Jetstar Asia, Scoot, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Jetstar Airways, Qatar, and AirAsia.

(Source: Bali Discovery)

Thailand tops Agoda searches

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 31 March 2022: Agoda’s latest search data places Thailand top of the global charts as the number one most searched destination for travel in the next six months.

Since last year, the country has seen a steady increase in international visitor traffic, with Agoda search data reflecting a 500% spike in interest in the first quarter of the new year to date. 

Travellers from Japan represent the top source market and the keenest return to Thailand, followed by the US (second) and Singapore (third).

European markets follow closely behind with the UK (4), France (5) and Switzerland (6), while other departure cities in South Korea (7), the Maldives (8), the Philippines (9) and Indonesia (10), round up the top 10.

“While the Thai government has made great efforts to help streamline the booking experience for travellers gearing to get back out there, with Test & Go, Sandbox and Thailand Pass, it can be daunting and time-consuming for international travellers to keep track of these requirements, and the processes needed. That’s why Agoda has worked on integrating its booking data seamlessly to the Thailand Pass platform in order to help travellers upload booking details automatically, reducing the room for human error,” said Agoda Chief Commercial Officer Damien Pfirsch.

Agoda is offered as a check box option on the Thailand Pass application page. Once a user enters their booking ID, the system immediately pulls all data needed and will autofill the application form. Customers will receive instant booking validation and clear instructions on the next steps – helping to speed up the review process.

For more information, visit https://www.agoda.com/thailandreopens.

Agoda Top 10 inbound searches 2022 (1 March – 30 September)

1.     Japan

2.     The United States

3.     Singapore

4.     United Kingdom

5.     France

6.     Switzerland

7.     South Korea

8.     Maldives

9.     Philippines

10.   Indonesia

Top 10 nationalities that travelled to TH since reopening (2021)

1.     USA

2.     Germany

3.     UK

4.     Russia

5.     France

6.     Sweden

7.     Israel

8.     South Korea

9.     Australia

10.   Switzerland

*Data extracted from TH Pass platform

Arabian Travel Market launches 2022 exhibitor awards

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, 31 March 2022: Arabian Travel Market 2022 exhibitors will pull out all the stops to showcase their business flair as they vie for ATM’s Best Stand Awards 2022.

The awards will recognise the creative design, people skills and the business-friendly appeal of exhibiting companies’ stands at the annual showcase, which will be taking place at Dubai World Trade Centre from 9 to 12 May 2022.

Arabian Travel Market, Exhibition Director ME Danielle Curtis said: “Arabian Travel Market would not be the huge success it is without the incredible amount of effort and investment that goes into creating and manning the exhibitor stands at the show.

“Since its inception, the award programme has not only recognised exhibitor’s efforts but has also encouraged exciting, fresh and creative stands.”

This year, the five categories will be – Best Stand Design, Best Stand for Doing Business, Best Stand Feature, Best New Stand, Best Stand at ATM Travel Tech, and the People’s Choice Award.

Judging will take place on day two of the show (Tuesday 10 May), with the winners announced on day three (Wednesday 11 May), with the panel comprising journalists and industry speakers, such as Paul Clifford, ITP Hospitality Group Editor and Philip Wooller, Area Director MEA at global hospitality research company STR.

“With more than 2,000 exhibiting companies spread across 10 exhibition halls, the judging panel will have a lot of ground to cover,” added Curtis.

Now in its 29th year and working in collaboration with the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) – formerly the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) – ATM show highlights in 2022 will include, among others, a destination summit focused on the key source market of India, as well as Saudi Arabia.

Previously called Travel Forward, the revamped and rebranded ATM Travel Tech event will take place on the ATM Travel Tech Stage, hosting seminars, debates and presentations, as well as the inaugural ATM Draper-Aladdin Start-up Competition.

The dedicated ARIVALDubai@ATM forum, meanwhile, will cover current and future trends for tour operators and attractions, focusing on growing business through marketing, technology, distribution, thought leadership and executive-level connections.

ATM will once again play an integral role in Arabian Travel Week, a festival of events dedicated to enabling travel professionals from all over the world to collaborate and shape the recovery of the Middle East travel industry through exhibitions, conferences, breakfast briefings, awards, product launches and networking events.

Dubai’s Sevens Stadium goes greener

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 31 March 2022: Community sports, world-class tournaments, and international teams hosted at The Sevens Stadium are now even more planet-friendly, with the opening of the region’s first and largest solar carport at a sporting facility, owned and managed by the Emirates Group.

Officially launched by Emirates Group Chairman HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the solar carport provides shaded car parking for over 550 vehicles, including four charging lots for electric cars. It will also generate sufficient clean energy to power all of the Stadium’s operations throughout the year, except during the week of the Emirates Dubai 7s when supplementary power will be required for the city’s biggest sporting and lifestyle event.

The new solar carport at the Sevens Stadium is the latest commitment to reducing carbon footprint, in line with Dubai’s vision to transform into a carbon-neutral economy by 2050.

The Sevens Stadium’s other environmental initiatives include modern watering systems that utilise non-potable water, a waste reduction which saw 52% of waste generated at the 2021 Emirates Dubai 7s diverted from landfill through recycling, and the use of biodiesel to power events. At the 2021 Emirates Dubai Sevens, nearly 30,000 litres of biodiesel was used to power activity and amenities, including the World Rugby Broadcast, registration and referee tents, changing rooms, the HSBC lounges and ATMs in the village, and the lights and x-ray machines at the main entrance.

The Sevens Stadium hosts an active calendar of community sports which sees over 10,000 people per week during the winter months alone enjoying cricket, football, rugby, netball, and other sports at its various courts, fields and pitches. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, as sport struggled worldwide, The Sevens Stadium safely and successfully hosted international teams and events such as Olympic preparation training and matches, two editions of the Emirates Dubai 7s tournaments in 2021, and most recently, the Rugby World Cup Qualification Tournament. When the UAE recently hosted the IPL and T20 Cricket World Cup, The Sevens Stadium also played host to a number of the leading cricket teams and countries. www.thesevensstadium.com

For more information visit: www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)

UNWTO seeks out best tourism villages

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TTR WEEKLY
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MADRID, 31 March 2022: The Best Tourism Villages awards by the UNWTO  will return for a second year as it seeks to establish itself as the world’s leading network focused on tourism for rural development.

Launched in 2021, Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO promotes the role of tourism in safeguarding rural villages, along with their landscapes, natural and cultural diversity, knowledge systems, and local values and activities, including gastronomy. At the same time, the initiative also promotes transformative approaches to developing tourism in rural destinations that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“All member states are invited to present candidates that are examples of villages working to realize tourism’s unique potential to foster sustainability and create opportunities for all,” said the UNWTO media statement.

The pilot project in 2021 featured 40 villages from more than 30 countries (170 applications) gained recognition as Best Tourism Villages. A further 20 villages were selected to participate in the Upgrade Programme.

UNWTO members states are invited once again to present candidacies through their National Tourism Administrations. Applications will be open until 28 June 2022, and the chosen villages will be announced at the end of the year.

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