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PG introduces sealed sandbox flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 21 January 2022: Bangkok Airways will operate two special sealed-route flights daily from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Phuket, starting 1 February to support the Phuket Sandbox.  

The special sealed-route flights from Bangkok to Phuket will use an ATR72-600 aircraft. The first outbound flight, PG5275 will depart from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) at 1200 and arrive at Phuket International Airport at 1405. The second outbound flight, PG5279 departs from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport) at 1710 and arrives at Phuket International Airport at 1915.

Passengers travelling on these special flights are required to follow guidelines issued by the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) which requires that each passenger must possess the complete set of the relevant documents.

Certificate of Entry (COE).
A medical certificate with a laboratory negative result (RT-PCR issued no more than 72 hours before travelling).
Vaccine certificate.
Travel health insurance (worldwide or including Thailand) covering health care and treatment expenses for Covid-19 disease (or any other guarantee valid throughout their stay in the Kingdom) with a cover of no less than USD50,000.

Additionally, all passengers must undergo two Covid-19 tests (RT-PCR) during their seven-day stay in the Phuket Sandbox.  

TG welcomes Priority Pass members

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 21 January 2022: Thai Airways International welcomes Priority Pass members to three domestic lounges in Thailand

Priority Pass members travelling on any airline can visit THAI’s lounges in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket to relax or work in comfort before departing to their destination.

All three domestic lounges offer authentic Thai food and hospitality and deliver the airline 4C experience – confidence, cleanliness, care and comfort.

By using their Priority Pass app on their iOS and Android devices, members can locate the lounges, check their visit entitlement instantly and use their card or digital membership ID to gain access.

Priority Pass is a programme owned by Collinson Group that provides members with access to 1,300 airport lounges worldwide for economy class and premium economy class ticket holders.

Reality check on ASEAN tourism losses

By
Don Ross
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SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, 21 January 2022: ASEAN tourism ministers face a reality check as the latest data on the region’s tourist arrivals shows a massive drop of 211.33% since 2020 caused by Covid-19 lockdowns.

ASEAN’s Tourism Ministers, who attended in-person or virtually during their meetings earlier this week, said the massive 211. 33% decline caused the loss of millions of jobs and business closures due to stringent travel restrictions across the ASEAN 10-country region.

Despite their optimistic reopening tourism declaration announced at the opening celebrations at ATF in Sihanoukville, strict travel restrictions continue to hold back tourism recovery, particularly in Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Thailand is considering this week a proposal to resume its Test & Go scheme after public health authorities suspended it following the emergence of the highly contagious Omicron variant in mid-November. It immediately stalled recovery and impacted regional travel to other ASEAN destinations.

Countries that counted tourists by the million have faced two years when tourist arrivals shank to just a few thousand. Thailand saw visits fall from close to 40 million in 2019 to around 200,000 at the close of 2021. It looks forward to welcoming 5 million tourists this year, or if Chinese tourists return possibly 8 million.

Tourism ministers count on travel resuming from China, Japan and Korea over the next six months to kick-start recovery. Still, there are no immediate signs that China will reopen the door for outbound travel any time soon. Tourism experts warn that despite what tourism ministers declare, recovery to anything like pre-pandemic arrival levels is unlikely until 2024 or beyond.

In the meantime, ASEAN’s tourism ministers focus on restoring and strengthening objectives to nudge recovery. They need to restore the ASEAN tourism sector to get jobs back and support the reopening of tourism businesses. It will take massive financial bailout schemes that have been few and far between over the last two years of the pandemic. Beyond that, strengthening cooperation to adopt a more sustainable, responsible, and resilient tourism model remains challenging.

Junta’s tourism minister turns up at ATF

By
Don Ross
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SIHANOUKVILLE, 20 January 2022: ASEAN Tourism Forum’s Travex trade show opened Wednesday with officials claiming a turnout of 350 delegates from 29 countries.

A far cry from the usual 1,000 plus attendance, the 40th edition did make a statement on the resilience of the region’s tourism industry in the face of the global Covid-19 pandemic. With the Omicron infections surging in all 10 countries of the ASEAN Community, there was a clear risk in attending an international trade event. Mid-way through the five-day event, officials confirmed no reports of Covid-19 cases, while travel trade executives said attending the show would restore confidence in regional travel.

Myanmar’s Minister of Hotels and Tourism, Htay Aung joins government meetings during the ATF 2022.

Commenting on the health risks, Anantara Angkor Resort general manager Chin Pitak said: “It’s a wait-and-see situation but (the Omicron variant) lasts much shorter than the past outbreaks … we have a high rate for vaccinations in Cambodia, including the rollout of the third dose nationwide… coverage is now only second to Singapore in Asia.”

IMCT director of events Peter Tay, who conducts projects for PATA Cambodia, called sellers attending the Travex trade show ‘lion hearts’, adding ATF was “a step towards tourism recovery from 2022 onwards.”

Even travelling to Sihanoukville on the southern coast of Cambodia presented challenges. Sellers from Medan Indonesia left their homes before dawn on 16 January to arrive at the venue in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, late in the evening of 17 January. It illustrated the airline connection issues facing travellers within the 10-country ASEAN region, particularly between secondary cities.

Photo Credit: Peter Tay. Long trip for the delegation from Medan Indonesia.

But media attention shifted from ‘lion hearts’ to the arrival of Myanmar’s Minister of Hotels and Tourism Htay Aung, who lead a small delegation on behalf of the country’s oppressive military junta. He was warmly welcomed by Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Thong Thon. 

Htay Aung congratulated Cambodia for taking steps to safely reopen tourism, saying the experience would be a role model for Myanmar to restore its tourism industry.”

In contrast, Myanmar is teetering on the verge of civil war as the country’s military junta crushes street protests and opposition while ignoring ASEAN’s five-point policies of engagement on resolving the crisis. Back home in Myanmar, travel industry staff, tour guides and entrepreneurs are imprisoned by the military without trial. Last December, travel executives in the region appealed to Htay Aung to step in and seek the release of a popular tour guide without success. There are very few travel colleagues from Myanmar attending this year’s ATF. Their careers and business have been devastated since the 1 February 2021 military coup.

While Cambodia welcomed the military junta’s appointed minister of tourism at the ASEAN Tourism Forum’s official government meetings, a Reuters quoted Singapore’s Prime Minister saying the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should continue excluding Myanmar’s junta from its meeting until it cooperates on agreed peace plans. It could take years before Myanmar once more travels the path back to democracy and revives its battered economy and tourism industry.

Cross Collection debuts in Thailand

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 20 January 2022: Cross Hotels & Resorts launches Cross Collection, a blend of stylish resorts and city hotels in first-tier tourist and business destinations.

Recently inked deals introduce the Cross Collection portfolio of boutique properties with Haven’t Met Bangkok Silom and Itz Time Hua Hin Pool Villa.

Haven’t Met Bangkok By Cross Collection is located in the central business district and offers 72 rooms, a rooftop swimming pool and access to the Skytrain via Chong NonSi BTS Station.

Itz Time Hua Hin Pool Villa By Cross Collection is a residential-style resort in the coastal town of Hua Hin that features 16 three-bedroom Pool Villas ranging in size from 279 to 440sqm.

Commenting on developments, Cross Hotels & Resorts CEO Harry Thaliwal said: “Cross Collection is our white-label branding solution for independent hotels, and I’m proud to welcome Sincere Capital Land to our family. It’s our entrepreneurial approach that allows us to push traditional hospitality boundaries and offer partners very workable solutions that elevate their businesses to a higher level.

Cross Hotels & Resorts current portfolio includes more than 23 hotels under five distinct brands – Cross, Cross Vibe, Away, Lumen and Cross Collection – across Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Japan.

CWT and Etihad carbon offset

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE 20 January 2022: CWT, a leading travel management platform and Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, have signed a carbon offsetting partnership initiative as part of the launch of Etihad’s Corporate Conscious Choices programme.

The first partnership of its kind between Etihad and a travel management company, this initiative will see all CWT client bookings made on Etihad-operated flights automatically offset by the airline using the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculation methodology.

Running up to 31 March 2022, the innovative global partnership will see all offsets purchased go to Etihad’s official offsetting climate action programmes in Makame Savannah REDD project in Tanzania, Peru’s Cordillera Azul National Park and Indonesia’s Katingan Mentaya Project.

Beyond this initiative, Etihad and CWT’s longstanding global partnership will continue to see them collectively and individually drive forward the carbon neutrality agenda alongside delivering tangible carbon footprint solutions.

“Seeking more environmentally responsible travel solutions is a continuing focus, and our initial offsetting partnership with Etihad is the latest in our range of such groundbreaking initiatives,” said CWT  president & chief commercial officer Patrick Andersen.

As a launch partner for Etihad’s Corporate Conscious Choices, CWT is one of the first organisations globally to participate in Etihad’s corporate sustainability programme, designed for organisations committed to reducing emissions and operating sustainably, with rewards and incentives designed to proactively support pro-environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives and employee behaviour.

Sarawak partners with Malaysia Aviation Group

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 20 January 2022: Sarawak is set to become a destination of choice for both domestic and international travellers, as Sarawak Tourism Board and Malaysia Aviation Group embark on a year-long partnership to promote Sarawak as a tourist destination in 2022.

The collaboration was formalised today via the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board and Ms Lau Yin May, Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer of Malaysia Airlines Berhad. 

The signing ceremony was witnessed by YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Sarawak and Minister of Youth, Sport & Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, YB Dennis Ngau, Chairman of Sarawak Tourism Board and Captain Izham Ismail, Group Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Aviation Group. 

As part of the MoU, STB and MAG will work hand-in-hand to market and promote events between STB, Malaysia Airlines Berhad, Firefly, MASwings and MHholidays. Both organisations will also work together on inter-organisational partnerships for Sarawak tourism activities, Corporate Social Responsibility activities, and other collaborative opportunities.

Speaking at the event, YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts Sarawak and Minister of Youth, Sport & Entrepreneur Development Sarawak said, “Connectivity and accessibility are important elements to enhance the travel experience and position Sarawak as a leading destination for eco-tourism in the ASEAN Region.”

“In addition, Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee has just announced recently that Sarawak has approved more domestic flight frequencies into Sarawak from 307 flights to 562 flights per week with effect from 14 January 2022. We look forward to seeing more direct routes from West Malaysia and to more parts of Sarawak soon,” he added.

Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board said: “As a sign of our commitment to revitalise and re-energise Sarawak’s local tourism industry, we are pleased to be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Malaysia Aviation Group this morning. Malaysia Airlines will not only be the Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus’ official airline, but also it will have MAB, Firefly, MASwings and MHholidays on board as our strategic partners on future marketing campaigns in promoting Sarawak’s tourism activities and cultural events.”

“Most importantly, through this collaboration between STB and MAG, there will be an increase of connectivity into Sarawak, with more direct flights from Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur to look forward to,” she added.

Group Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Aviation Group, Captain Izham Ismail said, “Over the past year, Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings have worked on improving connectivity to and within Sarawak, with the commencement of direct flights from Penang to Kuching, and increased frequencies between Miri-Sibu-Bintulu that will provide greater mobility to the state and further reinvigorate domestic tourism in Sarawak. We look forward to welcoming our customers to fly “Sia Sitok” with us and experience our enhanced products and services with a range of flexibility and choices, seamless connectivity and contactless end-to-end journey while keeping to our utmost priority and commitment to safety. Together, the three airlines under MAG offer strong value propositions to the state of Sarawak – with better services, convenience and reliability.

In conjunction with the event, STB also launched its Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus interstate travel campaign to give travellers the opportunity to visit Sarawak through its main tourism gateways, namely Kuching, Sibu and Miri, with Malaysia Airlines as the official airline.

Customers can enjoy attractive hotel and flight packages via MHholidays, the airline’s tour operating arm and choose from the list of participating hotels, including New World Suites in Bintulu, The Waterfront Hotel in Kuching, Grand Palace Hotel in Miri, RH Hotel in Sibu, for their well-deserved staycation.

MHholidays packages come with a baggage allowance of 40kg, complimentary onboard meals, and free seat selection and earn Enrich points. This promotion is bookable at www.holidays.malaysiaairlines.com. To top it off, customers can book an exclusive tour package on Journify from as low as RM95.

Through the Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus interstate-travel campaign, travellers will have access to 57 exhilarating packages to Sarawak.

The booking period for the Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus interstate-travel campaign started 19 January and runs until 28 February 2022, with the travelling period from 19 January until 30 April 2022.

“Sarawak is blessed with exciting wonders from culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals (or CANFF), which are unique to our state. We hope to attract local travellers to experience the hospitality of Sarawak through the Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus campaign and become our ambassadors to then share their experience with friends and family,” Puan Sharzede concluded.

Visit malaysiaairlines.com or download Malaysia Airlines’ App to get the latest information and make sure you never miss out on exciting Sia Sitok Sarawak Plus promotions and exclusives.

(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)

Cruise with confidence

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE 20 January 2022: It’s never too early to start planning for much-anticipated summer vacations, and Princess Cruises is giving guests an added level of comfort when they book a cruise with the extension of the Book with Confidence programme and extended health and safety protocols.

Book with Confidence is now extended to summer 2022 sailings, including all cruises departing through 30 September 2022, for all bookings made by 2 March 2022. The flexible programme allows guests to make summer travel plans with confidence knowing that if plans change, their cruise vacation is protected. The programme allows guests the flexibility to change their vacation plans up to 30 days before the day of departure, receiving cancellation fees as a future cruise credit to then book another voyage when the time is right.

“Planning a vacation gives us something to look forward to, and so many of us have an inherent desire to explore the world and experience sought-after destinations,” said Deanna Austin, Princess Cruises chief commercial officer.

“With the extension of our Book with Confidence programme, we’re giving cruisers the confidence to book a summer vacation now, knowing they have flexibility in case they need to alter their plans.”

Additionally, Princess Cruises will continue to operate vaccinated cruises, as defined by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for guests who have received their final dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14-days before the sailing day and have proof of vaccination.

Princess Medallion Class summer cruise vacations sail to incredible destinations including Alaska, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, British Isles, Scandinavia and Canada & New England.

Within the Book with Confidence policy, the Covid-19 Protection Programme provides reassurance if cruisers are within 30 days of sailing, all the way through to disembarking from their cruise. It’s designed to assist booked guests if, as a result of being suspected of having or testing positive for Covid-19, or as a result of government travel restrictions put in place within 30 days of embarkation, they may be unable to travel to the cruise embarkation port, may be denied boarding, maybe quarantined on board or disembarked early.

For even greater peace of mind, Princess also offers Princess Vacation Protection that will provide complete vacation protection in the form of a future cruise credit or a reimbursement of the normally non-refundable cancellation fees, depending on the reason for changed plans. This programme also covers guests during their cruise, including lost or damaged luggage protection, emergency excess medical expenses and emergency evacuation, and trip interruption coverage which provides a pro-rated refund if illness interrupts the cruise and extra costs associated with trip delays or interruptions.

For the guidelines on Book with Confidence and Covid-19 Protection Programmes, visit www.princess.com/bookwithconfidence.

For the latest Princess Covid-19 health protocols, please visit https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health.

(Your Stories: Princess Cruises)

Dubai and Bali top Tripadvisor lists

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 20 January 2022: Tripadvisor announced Wednesday the first of its annual community-powered Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2022: the Best of the Best Destinations.

If 2021 was the year travellers dipped their toes in the water with smaller getaways and outdoors trips, 2022 is shaping up to be the year we return to travel in a big way, says Tripadvisor.

Bali, Indonesia.
Majorca, Balearic Islands.

Despite new variant surges, data shows that the desire to travel remains stronger than ever. A recent Tripadvisor sponsored survey noted 71% of travellers globally say they are likely to travel for leisure in 2022. Just as travellers are ramping up on their plans for the year, the 2022 Travellers’ Choice list is here to identify the best places to go.

“As the world returns to travel, trips will look different than before. New destinations, new experiences, and new priorities will take centre stage. Nearly three-quarters (70%) of travellers globally say that it’s important they ‘see new places’ when thinking about their future travel plans,” said Tripadvisor Group head of media partnerships APAC Sarah Mathews.

Top destinations worldwide

On Tripadvisor’s hallmark Popular Destinations list, highlighting the highest-rated and most loved spots worldwide, Dubai has officially dethroned perennial icons like London, Paris and Rome for the crown of the Most Popular Destination in the world for 2022. Asian destinations that made it to the world list include Bali (4), New Delhi (15), Singapore (16), Bangkok (21) and Phuket (23).

Top 10 Popular Destinations in Asia for 2022

  1. Bali, Indonesia
  2. New Delhi, India
  3. Singapore
  4. Jaipur, India
  5. Bangkok, Thailand
  6. Phuket, Thailand
  7. Goa, India
  8. Udaipur, India
  9. Mumbai, India
  10. Hong Kong

Mekong tourism website falters

By
Don Ross
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BANGKOK, 20 January 2022: Once a treasure trove of resources and information on the six countries of the Mekong region, the website mekongtourism.org has been offline for almost a week.

Sources say the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office hopes to free up funding to get the site back online within days. MTCO operates out an office in Thailand’s Department of Tourism.

Considered an essential resource for tourism students, the media and researchers, the website went offline last week, displaying an Error 522 message without any information on when it would be back online.

Background details on the website mekongtourism.com clearly state the website and the MTCO’s operations are administered out of the office of Thailand’s Department of Tourism under the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. So the buck appears to stop at the administrative door of the DOT if a financial glitch caused the blackout. It’s the first serious downtime for the MTCO’s website since it launched in 2005. 

It also comes just a few months after the former executive director Jens Thraenhart resigned to take up a new challenge as the CEO of Barbados Tourism Inc.

The MTCO’s Facebook account lives on with its latest post wishing the travel industries of the six Mekong countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) a successful start to 2022. Meanwhile, the six-country Tourism Working Group overseeing MTCO activities will appoint a permanent executive director soon.

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