BANGKOK, 7 September 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is inviting Thai guests to unlock savings with its “Unbeatable 9.9 Sale”.
Under this five-day flash sale, travellers who book their vacation between 8 and 12 September 2022 for stays before 31 October 2022 will gain 35% off their chosen hotel’s best available rate, including breakfast for two people and free stays for up to two children (terms & conditions apply).
Centara’s “Unbeatable 9.9 Sale” comes at the ideal time. All local travel restrictions have now been lifted, and international entry requirements have been eased for Thai nationals visiting Vietnam, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
This means that guests can book sensational stays at Centara’s collection of world-class properties across Asia, safe in the knowledge that they will experience a dream holiday without disruption.
Hot destinations include Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Krabi, Hua Hin and Chiang Mai in Thailand, Mui Ne in Vietnam and the paradise atolls and islands of the Maldives. Six brands range from five-star hotels and stylish urban boutiques to blissful beach resorts, adventure-themed family destinations and elegant upcountry retreats.
The “Unbeatable 9.9 Sale” runs from 8 to 12 September 2022.
BANGKOK, 7 September 2022: A presentation at Penn State University-Berks will focus on two of Thailand’s eco-friendly lodges in the far north of the country and how responsible tourism contributes to the well-being of village communities by avoiding the pitfalls of overtourism.
Dr Scott Michael Smith, PhD-TRM, from the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, MSME Business School, Assumption University, Thailand, will deliver the presentation on 11 October on the US campus as part of an interactive lecture for undergraduates studying strategic hospitality management, based on two of his research papers.
Research papers
The Communication of Corporate Social Responsibility: Asian Oasis—Mythical journeys in the Hill Tribe Villages of Northern Thailand.
Planet Happiness: a Proposition to Address Overtourism and Guide Responsible Tourism, Happiness, Well-being and Sustainability in World Heritage Sites and Beyond.
Asian Oasis’ eco-friendly Lisu Lodge in Chiang Mai and Lan Jia Lodge in Chiang Rai provinces are billed as community-based tourism trailblazers in Thailand, having won numerous accolades and national and international awards.
Asian Oasis built its first eco-friendly lodge, Lisu Lodge, in 1995 in a remote Lisu hill tribe village. The aim was for Lisu Lodge to become a place where visitors could learn about local culture directly from their hosts, the Lisu villagers. Asian Oasis also wanted the village to benefit from tourism, so part of the income earned at the lodge goes towards the village fund to support educational, cultural and economic projects to improve the quality of life of hundreds of villagers.
This same development model was adopted a few years later when they built Lanjia Lodge in a Hmong and Lahu hill tribe village in Chiang Rai province overlooking the Mekong River and close to Chiang Khong.
But like so many other community-based projects across Asia, the Covid-19 pandemic forced both lodges to close in 2020, with catastrophic consequences for the communities involved. Lisu Lodge in Chiang Mai reopened recently, but Lanjia Lodged remains a casualty, with Asia Oasis confirming the lodge is “still closed until further notice. And there is no fixed plan to reopen the lodge so far.”
It underscores the predicament facing eco-lodges and community-based tourism projects. They need a rescue package to get them back in the mix, providing alternative tourism experiences.
Smith’s observations from the Planet Happiness research paper will touch on how to create well-being and sustainability in heritage sites worldwide and tackle ‘overtourism’ using the Happiness Index. It seeks to measure levels of happiness and well-being to discover solutions that promote happiness and quality of life, preserve the heritage of local communities, and protect the environment.
The Happiness Index, available in 20 languages, is a comprehensive survey instrument that assesses happiness, well-being, and aspects of sustainability and resilience. The Happiness Index measures life satisfaction, the feeling of happiness, and other happiness domains: psychological well-being, health, time balance, community, social support, education, arts and culture, environment, governance, material well-being, and work.
Happiness is closely related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the core elements in a mission to promote stability, well-being and happiness, leaving no one behind. It is one piece of the puzzle that completes a picture conveying the importance of the happiness movement as a new environmental, social, and economic paradigm to enhance the quality of life and sustainability for all beings.
“It is essential to start measuring happiness on macro (communities) and micro (personal) levels,” said Smith. “Summarised data and recommendations can be shared with policymakers and used to begin public conversations regarding community happiness and mental well-being. In these trying times, the happiness survey is an excellent tool to start the discussion with students about the importance of assessing and taking steps to improve their mental health. The strategy is for students worldwide to take the survey in the hopes that it will spark a discussion about happiness and well-being while they consider their mental health.”
SINGAPORE, 6 September 2022: Regent Seven Seas Cruises topped its single-day booking record with the launch of its 2024-2025 Voyage Collection.
Sales commenced on 24 August, and bookings beat its previous largest booking record day, 18 August 2021, when it launched its 2023-2024 Voyage Collection.
Travel trends identified that guests were keen to book exotic destinations and desire to travel longer, with sailings including destinations in Africa and South America making up approximately 70% of the top 10 itineraries.
Booking data also revealed an increase in travel partner reservations compared to the previous year’s 2023-2024 Voyage Collection launch.
With seven of the 10 most popular itineraries booked on the 2024-2025 Voyage Collection launch day, including ports in Africa and South America, it indicated travellers are keen to enjoy new experiences in unfamiliar and exotic locales for extended periods.
Seven Seas Grandeur, the most highly anticipated ship to be launched in 2023, had a strong launch day with three sailings in the top 10, which includes a 2024 Barcelona to New York 16-night transatlantic as the third most booked sailing.
Of the top 10 voyages booked on the day, no single voyage had a duration lower than 16 nights, with the longest being 25 nights and entry-level prices for the line’s spacious veranda and deluxe veranda suites ranged from USD9,999 per guest and UD$21,199 per guest.
Other notable destinations featured in the top 10 sailings booked on the record launch day were the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and South America sailings featuring the Amazon River.
The most spent on a single reservation (inside or outside of the top 10 voyages) was close to USD275,000 for a Grand Suite on board Seven Seas Mariner.
Regent’s new 2024-2025 Voyage Collection introduces itineraries and new ports of call in the world’s most beautiful destinations, showcasing 160 sailings with 130 overnight stays, 18 maiden ports of call, four Grand Voyages and a 150-night World Cruise.
Voyages encompass every corner of the world, from Africa & Arabia to Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Canada and New England, Alaska, and Bermuda, plus favourites such as the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
SINGAPORE, 6 September 2022: Korean Air resumes flights to Dubai, Phuket and Chiang Mai on 1 October, followed by a new route to Budapest from its home base in Seoul Incheon.
Korean Air will launch its inaugural flight to Budapest, Hungary, on 3 October using a 269-seat Boeing 787-900 for a once-a-week flight on Monday, departing Seoul Incheon at 1125 and landing in Budapest at 1705. The return flight will leave 1915 and arrive in Seoul Incheon one day later at 1250. Flights will increase to twice weekly on 31 October (Monday and Saturday).
Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with a rich history and beautiful landscapes. The city is famous for its night view and major tourist attractions such as Fisherman’s Bastion, Buda Castle and the Hungarian Parliament Building.
Dubai flights
Korean Air will restore its Middle East network by resuming services to Dubai three times a week. The Incheon-Dubai route will be served by an A330-300 departing from Seoul Incheon every Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Flights depart at 1320 and arrive in Dubai at 1855. The return flight will depart at 2300 and arrive in Seoul Incheon at 1240 on the following day.
Phuket and Chiang Mai
The airline will also resume services to Phuket on 1 October, a popular honeymoon destination in Thailand. The flights will depart from Seoul Incheon on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1755 and land in Phuket at 2200. Return flights leave Phuket at 2320 and arrive in Seoul Incheon at 0755 the following day.
Flights to Chiang Mai also resume on 1 October using a Boeing 737-800. The airline will offer four weekly flights on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday – departing from Seoul Incheon at 1755 and arriving in Chiang Mai at 2130. The return flights leave Chiang Mai at 2300 and arrive in Seoul Incheon at 0625 the following day.
SINGAPORE, 6 September 2022: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel, announced Monday a beverage partnership with global iconic drink brand Coca-Cola following Norwegian Prima’s christening voyage from Reykjavik, Iceland.
With the historic debut of Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Cruise Line continues to push boundaries across every element of the guest experience, so it’s perfectly fitting that we are unveiling and bringing on board a fresh, new beverage partnership with Coca-Cola during the christening of Norwegian Prima. As a company rooted in history, Norwegian Cruise Line is honored to align with a fellow beloved brand, Coca-Cola, and we look forward to leveraging this relationship to continue to enhance our guest experience.
Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Prima will be the first vessel in NCL’s 18-ship fleet to carry Coca-Cola as its official soft drink, with the remaining NCL ships to carry Coca-Cola by the end of December 2022. In celebration of the new partnership and the christening of Norwegian Prima, the first major cruise ship to be christened in the Icelandic Capital, Harry Sommer, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line and Coca-Cola’s famous polar bear, toasted to the momentous occasion with a refreshing Coca-Cola beverage at the Penrose Atrium.
“With the historic debut of Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Cruise Line continues to push boundaries across every element of the guest experience, so it’s perfectly fitting that we are unveiling and bringing on board a fresh, new beverage partnership with Coca-Cola during the christening of Norwegian Prima,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line. “As a company rooted in history, Norwegian Cruise Line is honoured to align with a fellow beloved brand, Coca-Cola, and we look forward to leveraging this relationship to continue to enhance our guest experience.”
As the first of six vessels in the new Prima class, the Brand’s first new class of ships in nearly ten years, Norwegian Prima debuted on 27 August from Reykjavik, Iceland, to more than 2,500 guests in a larger-than-life christening celebration with an unforgettable performance by Katy Perry, global superstar and godmother of the ship.
Built in Marghera, Italy, by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, Norwegian Prima is 965 feet long, 143,535 gross tons, and can accommodate 3,100 guests at double occupancy. Norwegian Prima offers guests exciting itineraries, the highest staffing levels and space ratio of any new cruise ship in the contemporary and premium cruise categories, and brand-first experiences with Ocean Boulevard, Indulge Food Hall, The Concourse, Infinity Beach, and Oceanwalk. Norwegian Prima also features multiple first-at-sea innovations, including a three-story transformational theatre-nightclub, the Prima Theater & Club; its three-level racetrack with the Prima Speedway; the fastest slides at sea, The Drop and Rush; and the cruise industry’s first sustainable cocktail bar with The Metropolitan Bar.
For more information about NCL’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.
DUBAI, UAE, 6 September 2022: Emirates SkyCargo has set up an airbridge between Dubai and Pakistan to offer cargo capacity free of charge on flights to transport relief aid to people grappling with the damage caused by the devastating floods.
Starting last Friday, cargo capacity on all Emirates’ passenger flights to Pakistan has been available to organisations based at the world’s largest humanitarian hub, International Humanitarian City (IHC), to transport critical equipment and supplies, food and other emergency relief goods directly to the five airports – Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Sialkot.
Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: “Emirates is deeply connected and committed to Pakistan. From our first flight in 1985 to Karachi until today, we’ve steadily grown the mutually beneficial air links that facilitate business, tourism and trade between the UAE and Pakistan. HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, have directed urgent aid to Pakistan, mobilising people and businesses across the UAE, and Emirates is ready to play our part.”
Emirates operates 53 scheduled passenger flights per week to Pakistan, where recent heavy rainfall has caused catastrophic flash flooding across the country, tragically leaving over 1,100 people dead and millions homeless.
Any of the humanitarian organisations at IHC wishing to use the free cargo capacity to transport humanitarian relief from Dubai to Pakistan should contact Emirates SkyCargo’s centralised crisis relief desk at [email protected] and [email protected].
Supreme Committee for the Supervision of IHC, Chairman, His Excellency Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani said: “Times of crisis are a true test of spirit, and once again, we are working with Emirates to respond to a devastating humanitarian crisis, this time in Pakistan, where floods have caused unimaginable losses and damages. We are grateful for the long-standing support of Emirates to the IHC community and its honourable commitment to alleviate the suffering of the victims of these extraordinary floods. Together, we are proud to deliver this vital support to the people of Pakistan.”
In May 2021, Emirates SkyCargo flew relief materials free of charge from Dubai to India over three weeks to support the Indian community in managing the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the Emirates India Humanitarian Airbridge, Emirates donated cargo capacity to transport essential supplies such as relief tents and thousands of oxygen cylinders and concentrators free of charge on flights to Indian destinations.
After the Port of Beirut explosions in August 2020 devastated many parts of Lebanon’s capital city, Emirates SkyCargo ramped up its freighter operations to Lebanon by dedicating over 50 flights to deliver critical emergency relief and aid to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the blasts.
TAIPEI, Taiwan, 6 September 2022: Taipei’s Department of Information and Tourism (DOIT) launched the latest version of its Come Explore Taipei campaign at the MATTA Travel Fair in Kuala Lumpur from 2 to 4 September.
DOIT resumed sales in Southeast Asia last month after a two-hiatus during the Covid-19 crisis.
During the MATTA Fair, Taipei stressed its second-place ranking in the 2021 Global Muslim Travel Index, an accolade that gained traction with Malay travel consumers at the three-day fair. Taipei has as many as 70 Muslim-friendly attractions, and it has launched a robust campaign to certify numerous Muslim-friendly restaurants and mosques. The well-known Muslim actor and Internet celebrity Yana Samsudin, followed on social media by over a million fans, visited the exhibition and shared her Taipei travel experiences during a tour of the Taipei Pavilion.
The Taiwan Lantern Festival will return to Taipei on 5 February 2023 after a 23-year absence when it was hosted in other cities in Taiwan.
SINGAPORE, 6 September 2022: Finnair will launch daily services from Nordic capitals to Doha through a partnership with Qatar Airways.
Finnair and Oneworld partner Qatar Airways agreed last week to establish daily flights from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha.
Finnair. New AirLounge seat.
These services will be supported by a comprehensive codeshare agreement allowing shared passenger and cargo capacity.
Passengers from the three Nordic cities will benefit from seamless connections via Doha to Qatar Airways’ extensive network of around 100 destinations across Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
The services should start between November and December 2022, with Finnair’s Airbus A330 aircraft featuring the airline’s new long-haul cabins, including industry-leading Air Lounge business class seats, a brand-new premium economy travel class and refreshed economy class.
The flights to Doha will be sold and marketed by both Finnair and Qatar Airways. In the pipeline are roundtrip daily flights to Doha from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen.
“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with our Oneworld partner Qatar Airways, offering new connections between Doha and the three Nordic capitals”, said Finnair CEO Topi Manner. “The role of Doha as an international hub is growing, and Qatar Airways has extensive connections from Doha onwards to Australasia, the Middle East and Africa.”
Meanwhile, Finnair confirmed the roll of its new renewed cabins on its New York, Phuket, Singapore and Tokyo routes. The new cabins will also be on all Finnair flights to Bangkok from 25 November.
The improvements deliver a new Premium Economy travel class, a renewed Business Class and a refreshed Economy Class and are already available on selected long-haul routes. The full cabin renewal will extend to all aircraft in the long-haul fleet of Airbus A350s and A330s before the end of 2023.
PHUKET, 6 September 2022: Vietnam Airlines returns to Phuket Island with twice-weekly flights following last week’s inaugural welcome by the island’s travel industry leaders.
The flights scheduled for Thursday and Saturday should boost leisure travel from Ho Chi Minh City after a two-year break. Flight VN9624 departs HCMC at 1000 and arrives in Phuket one hour later.
The return of flights from the southern Vietnamese city followed shortly after Malaysia’s FireFly resumed flights from Penang to Phuket in late August. The first flight FY3600 from Penang International Airport to Phuket International Airport arrived on 26 August. Using a Boeing 737 on the route, the airline offers direct flights from Penang to Phuket four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
More airlines are serving Phuket, as confirmed by the Airports of Thailand’s flight schedules for September. Batik Air resumed direct flights from Kuala-Lumpur to Phuket in early August. AOT said the return of Batik Air was a “good sign of economic recovery in tourism that will mark recovery for Phuket”. Batik Air, previously branded Malindo Air, is a low-cost airline based in Malaysia.
Major Middle East airlines with global networks – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar – serve Phuket with direct flights out of hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Singapore Airlines increases flights to three daily services starting this month. Other notable players include AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Jetstar Asia, Scoot, IndiGo, Air Astana and Malaysia Airlines.
ADDIS ABABA, 5 September 2022: Ethiopian Airlines and Travelport, which powers travel bookings worldwide, renewed an agreement including distribution on the Travelport+ platform and New Distribution Capability (NDC) content.
The agreement expands travel retailing and distribution contracts between Travelport and Ethiopian Airlines. Both companies are developing a strategic plan to provide agents access to NDC content and functionality from Ethiopian Airlines in the Travelport+ platform.
As part of the agreement, Ethiopian Airlines will also become a new participant in Travelport’s Rich Content & Branding (RC&B) programme.
“As we are now investing in our ability to meet the high demand for travel following the pandemic, we must deepen our partnership with Travelport as they understand our need to efficiently deliver simplified access to our growing content,” said Ethiopian Airlines’ chief commercial officer Lemma Yadecha.
“Travelport’s enhanced multi-sourced content capabilities within the Travelport+ platform will help us to provide agents and their travellers with quick, easy access to highly relevant offers and more choices to fit their needs. Our expanded agreement with Travelport and Rich Content & Branding will further enable us to drive more value for our travellers through today’s modern travel retailing environment.”
