DOHA, 24 March 2022: Qatar Tourism presented its latest
promotions for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and made a pitch to revive the
wedding business from the Indian market during last week’s OTM travel show
hosted in Mumbai.
“India is and will continue to be a significant and rapidly growing market for us at Qatar Tourism. Pre-pandemic, we have witnessed a significant rise in arrivals from India and look forward to accelerating our efforts to fully unlock the potential of travellers across segments of leisure, MICE and weddings, “ said Qatar Tourism chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel.
India’s Outbound Travel Mart made a comeback after a
two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, drawing delegations from Asia and the Middle
who were keen to reconnect with travel trade partners and media in the Indian
outbound travel market.
Trenkel added: “We were pleased to be part of OTM 2022 and to re-establish our presence in the Indian market. The objective was to highlight the various facets that Qatar offers not just in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup but also beyond”.
Looking beyond 2022, the Qatar Tourism chief forecast Qatar
will welcome more than 6 million visitors a year by 2030. The country welcomed
2.14 million visitors in 2019, and that dropped to just 580,000 in 2020.
“India will play a pivotal role in bringing that vision to life. With strategic trade partnerships incentive programmes backed by robust PR and marketing campaigns, we are positive that the market will see a quick turnaround,” he noted.
Qatar extends visa-free status to Indians, which helped to
boost holiday and business travel significantly pre-Covid-19.
To reaffirm trade partnerships, Qatar’s national carrier,
Qatar Airways in association with Qatar Tourism, hosted a networking dinner at
The St. Regis Mumbai for travel trade partners and media representatives.
The Qatar Tourism delegation to OTM was led by Philip
Dickinson, Vice President International Markets, Qatar Tourism, along with
Sandeep Shevale – Tourism Marketing & Promotions and Deveekaa Nijhawan –
International Public Relations & Communications. The delegation’s DMC
participants covered Discover Qatar, Al Tawfeeq Travel and Travel Designer. The
team was also supported by BRANDit, India Representative of Qatar Tourism.
SINGAPORE, 24 March 2022: The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) initiated the Hotel Sustainability Roadmap during the inaugural Hotel Sustainability Conference and Marketplace, held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre earlier this week.
Hotel Sustainability Roadmap
As part of the Singapore Green Plan 2030, the roadmap sets
targets and strategies for hotels to adopt in their sustainable journey. It
will enable them to contribute to sustainable development goals, capture new
opportunities presented by the green economy, strengthen enterprise resilience,
and tap new visitor segments.
Roadmap milestones
1. Integrate sustainability as a core value across the entire hotel ecosystem,
2. Establish a living lab and uses sustainability to drive business competitiveness and growth, and
3. Recognition as a leader in environmental sustainability in the region.
The roadmap requires that 60% of hotel room stock in
Singapore attain internationally-recognised hotel sustainability certification by
2025.
Hotels must also commence tracking emissions by 2023 and
reduce emissions by 2030, with a view to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Participating hotels will be able to tap STB funds such as the Business Improvement
Fund to support sustainability initiatives that improve competitiveness and
productivity, which may put hotels in better stead to seek sustainability
certification subsequently.
They can leverage SHA’s Hotel Technology Directory to source
for sustainability solution providers and the Hotel Sustainability Playbook
(ready by Q4 2022) to reference best practices, success cases and outcomes.
They will have the opportunity to create new sustainability
jobs by tapping on STB’s Training Industry Professionals in Tourism (TIP-iT)
grant to build capabilities and train staff to take on these roles.
STB and SHA have also identified four focus areas to green
hotel operations to ensure that hotels’ sustainability efforts drive impactful
environmental outcomes.
1. Water Conservation (implementing smart water meters, reverse osmosis water recycling for laundry facility, water-efficient toilet fit-outs in rooms).
3. Sustainable Sourcing and Procurement (in-house farms, locally-sourced produce, assessing vendors based on certification/sustainable practices).
4. Energy Conservation (district cooling systems, solar panel technology, smart energy meters, trigeneration plants)
The roadmap is endorsed by the Hotel Sustainability
Committee (HSC), which was set up in March 2020 to drive industry-wide adoption
of sustainability practices in hotels to promote Singapore as a sustainable
destination. The committee comprises members from the hotel industry and
representatives from the public sector.
PATTAYA, 23 March 2022: The Royal Cliff Hotels Group achieved another milestone recently as the first hotel in Thailand to be awarded “The Best of SHA Awards 2021” for Hotel Accommodation.
The award further cements its place as a destination that
delivers excellent safety and hygiene measures to prevent the spread of
Covid-19.
Vankamon Athikomkulchai, Marketing and PR Manager of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group Pattaya (left), received the “The Best of SHA Awards 2021” in the Accommodation and Homestay category from Yuthasak Supasorn, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (right).
Royal Cliff’s five–star Cliff Spa has also received
“The Best of SHA – The Excellence Award” in the Health and Beauty
category.
The Best of SHA Awards 2021 is given to establishments that
have received the most votes from a satisfaction questionnaire of tourists all
over Thailand. The satisfaction questionnaire covers the safety and health
standards (SHA Standard) and the ‘White Tourism’ standards (convenient, clean,
safe, fair, and nature-friendly).
The awards ceremony, presided over by TAT governor Yuthasak
Supasorn, was organised by TAT to acknowledge tourism businesses prioritising
compliance with Amazing Thailand SHA measures.
“The Best of SHA Awards 2021 was launched in June last
year to search for the best SHA-certified businesses in the 10 categories the
certification covers and celebrate their excellence,” said the TAT
Governor. “The initiative is to encourage business operators to
continuously adhere to the SHA standard and maintain consistency in their
safety and hygiene approaches.”
Kannikar Sawaengrujitham, the Assistant PR and Marketing Manager of the Royal Cliff Hotels Group (left) received Cliff Spa’s “The Best of SHA Excellence” Award in the Health and Beauty category from the TAT Governor (right).
The winners of “The Best of SHA Awards 2021” are chosen from establishments that received an average voting score of 90-100% from tourists. As the sole winner of the hotel accommodation and homestay category, Royal Cliff’s safety measures ensure guests that they will always have an extraordinary and safe stay in all its different hotels.
The Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA)
project is a collaboration between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the
Ministry of Public Health, the Department of Disease Control, the Department of
Health as well as public and private sector partners.
Situated in a 64-acre private parkland estate overlooking
the Gulf of Thailand, the Royal Cliff Hotels Group operates four award-winning
hotels providing guests from home and abroad with the ultimate experience.
You can book a stay directly and get the best price guaranteed and optional value-added extras by visiting www.royalcliff.com.
Or contact reservations at (+66) 38 250 421 ext. 2732 or emailing: [email protected]. For more information on the Royal Cliff Hotels Group, please visit www.royalcliff.com
BANGKOK, 23 March 2022: Dusit International
targets Singaporean buyers for the landmark Dusit Central Park residency
projects that are under construction on the site of the former Dusit Thani in
downtown Bangkok.
In a media statement released Tuesday, the group said the 160-unit Dusit Residences and the 246-unit Dusit Parkside “would attract a premium group of investors,” claiming it has already exceeded sale targets in 2021 as “savvy investors snap up 40% of available residences”.
Photo Credit: Delivering Asia Communications. Central Park will occupy 3.7 hectares of real estate at the Silom and Rama IV road junction.
Dusit Residences will be located on the
upper 30th to 69th floors of the main tower, while the Dusit Parkside will be
located on the lower 9th to 29th floors.
Roadshows to sell residences to overseas
buyers start in Singapore in early April.
Scheduled to open in 2025, the real estate
project includes the two residences, a new
Dusit Thani Hotel with 259 rooms, Central Park lifestyle Centre and
Central Park Offices. The project covers
3.7 hectares at the intersection of Silom and Rama IV roads next to both
the MRT and Skytrain stations.
Developed through a joint venture
partnership involving two high profile public listed companies, Central Pattana
PCL and Dusit Thani PCL, the mammoth Dusit Central Park complex comes with a
hefty price tag of THB46 billion (SGD1.91 billion, USD1.42 billion).
SINGAPORE, 23 March 2022: Banyan Tree Group, one of the world’s leading independent hospitality groups, launched a new wellbeing brand Banyan Tree Veya, earlier this week.
The flagshipBanyan Tree Veya Phuket is a wellbeing-centred resort that offers bespoke programmes emphasising what the brand calls ’embodiment therapies’, built on Banyan Tree’s proprietary eight pillars of wellbeing.
Veya means ‘to weave’ and provides the safe space to
integrate your own path to wellbeing. The Veya experience is led by certified
multidisciplinary wellbeing hosts around a 3-step protocol of Awareness,
Discovery, and Sustenance. Created in direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic,
Banyan Tree Veya aims to address a world with an urgent need for reconnecting
mind and body on a daily basis.
“With our hyper-stimulated modern life, our nervous
systems cannot truly relax and, therefore, rest; chronic stress erodes our
natural immunity and regenerative capacity. Our ethos #OwnYourPresence guides
our mission of inspiring individuals’ to travel inwards and become conscious of
how their daily actions, thoughts, and emotions interact with their physical
being,” says Ms Ho Ren Yung, Senior Vice President, Brand and Commercial
of Banyan Tree Group.
THE VEYA EXPERIENCE
The Veya journey begins with a private consultation with the
wellbeing hosts, who are certified and trained in eastern medicine, naturopathy
and coaching. After an assessment against the brand’s codified wellbeing
approach, a personalised itinerary is created aligned to each guest’s needs and
priorities, centred on embodiment therapies and somatic practices.
Mindfulness practices: Classes such as Ocean Breath and
Conscious Grounding raise sensory awareness through breathwork, sound therapy
and guided imagery meditation techniques in natural environments.
Somatic movement: Intuitive forms of dance, yoga and
classes such as balance and stability release chronic tension patterns and calm
the nervous system.
Weightless: A new range of signature therapies
unique to Veya – combining rehabilitative floatation with body stretch massage
techniques and meditational sound therapy into a restorative sensory
experience.
Lifestyle learning: Workshops introducing wellbeing
rituals into daily life, such as creative therapies, integrative nutrition, and
classes such as Positive Resilience help guests bring the retreat experience
home.
RESTFUL LUXURY ACCOMMODATIONS
Designed for optimal rest, the villas feature organic cotton
bed linen, a choice of pillows, black-out curtains, nightly aromatherapy, sleep
light and music. Each villa comes fully equipped to enable wellbeing practices
in the privacy of the own room, with amenities including a wellbeing minibar,
yoga mats, sound therapy bowls, exercise stretch bands and more.
NOURISH WITH VEYA CUISINE
Veya showcases plant-forward cuisine that weaves together
Asian and Mediterranean influences in a creative, flexitarian approach that respects
ingredient provenance. Menu signatures include bowls broths and reinterpreted
iconic local dishes around a Fuel-Balance-Repair daily sequence. Resident
‘Nutrition Sommeliers’ assist guests in curating a tailored menu during their
stay to fulfil dietary needs and preferences.
THE WIDER EXPERIENCE
Banyan Tree Veya Phuket offers a lush enclave within Laguna
Phuket, a distinct and tranquil location within the Banyan Tree Phuket resort
and a few minutes’ walk from Bangtao Beach. Veya guests will enjoy exclusive
access to a Wellbeing Center featuring Thailand’s first-ever White Room for
sensory detox and meditative practice and a traditional herb farm-pharmacy
workshop opening soon. Flexible Veya credits allow further customisation of
guest wellbeing journeys with options to use for spa, private classes, dining
and retail products. A journey reflection consultation is offered before
departure, followed by personalised programs and lifestyle practices to
continue their wellbeing journey in their daily lives.
“The pandemic has brought unprecedented
stress and trauma to our generation, the full impact of which remains to be
fully assessed. However, many of us are reassessing our purpose and approach in
life. The Banyan Tree Veya team of resident wellbeing specialists and external
experts aim to guide, encourage and celebrate with our guests in discovering
this new conscious way of living,” says Wellbeing Senior Assistant Vice
President, Executive Director Lee Woon Hoe.
OPENING OFFER
For a limited time only, travellers can enjoy Banyan Tree
Veya Phuket’s opening offer for a three-night package at THB38,400 with
THB20,000 Veya exclusive credit per villa for two persons.
Veya Experience inclusions
Accommodation in a Veya Pool Villa well-designed for rest and restoration.
Private wellbeing assessment, mapping and consultation.
Bespoke wellbeing itinerary from curated group wellbeing activity calendar.
Daily rituals and mindful practices to centre the mind and body.
25% discount on private sessions, spa treatments, retail purchases and outlet dining.
End of stay experience reflection and consultation.
Personalised take-home guide to support home practice.
BANGKOK, 23 March 2022: Dusit International named Nichlas Maratos as vice president – commercial to drive sales and marketing efforts across Dusit Hotels and Resorts worldwide.
Before joining the Dusit team, he worked for Shangri-La
Hotels and Resorts as the group’s executive vice president of sales.
“In line with our mission to sustainably grow and expand our
business, we are delighted to welcome Mr Maratos to our global team,” said Dusit International Chief Operating Officer,
Lim Boon Kwee.
DENPASAR, 23 March 2022: Billed as Indonesia’s biggest
travel trade show, the Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) will convene 13 to 18
June after a two-year absence.
The eighth edition of the annual show will be held at the
Bali International Convention Centre (BICC) in Nusa Dua, South Bali.
Visitors to BBTF-2022 in June will still need to follow health protocols regularly updated by airlines and government agencies. They will need to wear face masks within the exhibition hall and show proof of vaccination and physical distancing.
Details of the virtual or in-person components of the fair can be checked at https://www.bbtf.co.id/.
Fully vaccinated arrivals from Singapore to Thailand, both
Thai nationals and foreign travellers, may enter the country without quarantine
by presenting a negative Covid-19 test result, registering on the Thailand Pass
system (at least seven days prior to departure) and uploading required travel
documentation to tp.consular.go.th.
As of 1 April, Thailand will end the requirement to present
a negative PCR test result valid for not more than 72 hours before they board
flights to Thailand.
Timetable shows VTL flights from Samui to Singapore
JAKARTA, 23 March 2022: Indonesia has expanded its
visa-on-arrival list to 42 countries and is phasing in easier Covid-19 rules,
including quarantine-free stays in a process that will continue in April the
Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno said during a weekly
press briefing earlier this week.
The country started this week to lift all quarantine
requirements for overseas visitors, but foreign tourists still need to supply
negative PCR test results before entering the country.
“In the next few months, we will carry out this life normalization, and we need all support. If the upcoming Eid al-Fitr (Ramadan fasting month 1 to 30 April) and homecoming goes smoothly, then the process will continue, and we will further expand economic activities in the community,” Anantara news quoted the minister saying.
He confirmed the decision to broaden the no-quarantine
policy throughout Indonesia based on the success of pilot schemes in Bali,
Batam and Bintan. They will serve as
benchmarks to implement the same policy throughout Indonesia. Covid 19
infection rates are noticeably low in all three destinations.
However, he did warn that it would be necessary to face various new Covid-19 variants that continue to emerge during the transition process. “The preparations toward the post-pandemic transition are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2022,” he added.
Asian Trails in Indonesia updated the visa-on-arrival list
changes in an email alert on Tuesday.
The visa-on-arrival costs IDR500,000 (USD 35). The passport needs to be valid for at least six months, and travellers may have to show a return ticket or onward flight from Indonesia.
Covid-19 related documents, as mentioned in my previous
newsletter, are still required. Other nationalities not on the list must still
apply for a B211A-visa.
Passport holders from the following countries no longer need to apply for a previously prepared visa when visiting Bali for tourism purposes. (*Latest additions).
LONDON, 22 March 2022: The World Travel & Tourism
Council (WTTC) addressed EU Tourism Ministers confirming the tourism private
sector’s solidarity with the people of Ukraine at a closed high-level meeting
in Dijon last week.
WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson praised European
Ministers for their resolve and solidarity with the people of Ukraine. WTTC was
present to highlight the importance of the recovery of tourism for Europe,
creating employment for 24 million in the EU.
Julia Simpson.
During this landmark event, Simpson said: “WTTC and its
members stand with the people of Ukraine. First and foremost, this is a
humanitarian disaster and an economic one. We have all witnessed the shocking
scenes on our TV screens, and our hearts go out to the innocent victims.”
“After almost two years without international travel,
the loss of businesses and millions of jobs, we can finally see the light at
the end of the tunnel.
“If restrictions continue to be removed, the sector could
employ almost 24 million people across the EU and contribute some EUR1.3
trillion to the region’s economy this year.
“As Presidency of the Council of the European Union, France
is in a unique position to make a real difference. Europe’s recovery is at a
critical juncture. We need to keep the economy open and restore unrestricted
travel.”
Simpson also highlighted the importance of a sustainable
recovery and addressed the role EU ministers can play in reducing carbon
emissions by 25 million tons of carbon a year.
“Aviation is making great strides in sustainability,
but it needs urgent support. For 20 years, airlines have been promised a Single
European Sky allowing planes to fly on the shortest routes. Today planes
zig-zag across Europe burning extra fuel. The time for talking is over. If the
EU is to meet its sustainability targets, it must act.”
