BANGKOK, 11 April 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts
has confirmed a July 2023 opening date for Centara
Grand Hotel Osaka.
The group’s Chief Executive Officer, Thirayuth Chirathivat, was recently in Japan for the project’s topping-off event alongside his business partner counterparts in Taisei Corporation and Kanden Realty & Development and made time to visit the hotel site on Namba street.
Construction is
well underway, with the 35-storey structure completed and overall progress
nearing its halfway milestone.
When complete, Centara’s
debut property in Japan will feature 515 premium accommodations, including
rooms with bunk beds and connecting rooms, making it an ideal destination for
families, leisure, and business travellers. The hotel will also be home to a unique
rooftop dining destination crowning the architectural masterpiece, as well as
the first SPA Cenvaree in the country, fitness centre, co-working space, and
sophisticated events spaces.
Centara’s foray into Japan
highlights the group’s strategic goal of becoming a top 100 global hotel
operator within five years with a portfolio of approximately 200 hotels and
resorts, up from 89 properties at present.
MUMBAI, India, 11 April 2022: Marriott International has
signed an agreement with Ceres Hotels Private Limited to bring its St Regis
brand to Mobor Beach in Goa.
Slated to open in October 2022, the St Regis Goa Resort will
be the ninth Marriott International hotel in Goa, following a strategic
conversion of The Leela Goa.
The resort will undergo a complete transformation in phases,
starting this year, according to Ceres Hotels Private Limited, the owner of the
resort and a subsidiary of Metrod Holdings Berhad listed on the Kuala Lumpur
stock exchange.
“We are delighted to work with Ceres Hotels Private
Limited to introduce the St Regis brand to Goa, bringing bespoke experiences
curated for discerning travellers to one of the most beautiful and fascinating
coastal destinations in India,” said Marriott International. President
Asia Pacific (excluding Greater China), Rajeev Menon.
The 206 room St Regis Goa Resort with five restaurants is
located on Mobor Beach, a prime beachfront location in South Goa surrounded by
water on three sides and known for dolphin
spotting and bird watching.
The resort is located approximately 28 km south of Goa
International Airport.
Marriott International currently operates 129 hotels and
resorts in India, spanning 16 brands that include St Regis Hotels &
Resorts, Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, W Hotels, Luxury Collection, Westin,
Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Renaissance
Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments, Le Méridien, Aloft, Tribute Portfolio,
Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, and Fairfield by Marriott.
KOTA KINABALU, 11 April 2022: The Sabah Tourism Board applauds local filmmakers for their efforts to promote the state and its rural destinations in their work.
Last week, a group led by film producer Chester Pang met
with Sabah Tourism chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai to discuss the state’s film
tourism potential.
Datuk Joniston Bangkuai receiving ‘Craze Below The Wind’ promotional merchandise from Chester Pang.
They also discussed their plans to showcase Sabah’s charms
through movies and the making of a promotional video that would spark the
public’s interest in the state.
A video clip ‘Discover Kiulu’ and a feature-length Mandarin comedy film ‘Craze Below The Wind’ are among the works.
“This is a good effort to raise awareness of Sabah’s
numerous attractions and stimulate people’s curiosity about them,” said
Joniston, who is also Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment.
“Kiulu, for example, has been chosen by the state government
as a model for rural tourism, alongside Kadamaian. Kiulu will soon have a
tourism information centre, where a video clip like this one can be displayed
to showcase what Kiulu has to offer.
“We also hope to see other places featured in film
production works. While most rural products are identical, local film producers
must also find new attractions to focus on,” he added.
As a part of Borneo, Joniston said Sabah needs to
distinguish itself from Sarawak and Kalimantan, where construction of the
country’s future capital Nusantara is ongoing.
He added that Sabah Tourism is delighted to work with film
producers to promote the distinctive features and aspects of Sabah.
Present at the meeting were Froggy Planet producer and director
Katak Chua, Kiulu Tourism Association deputy president Lasmen Lopog, Pro-Merge
Vision representative, and local film director Ramli Carlo.
The filming for ‘Discover Kiulu’ should be done by the end
of the month, said Chester, who is a producer from Can Bah Production.
He said the 90-second promotional video would also be
displayed at the Sabah International Convention Center.
As for the 90-minute ‘Craze Below The Wind’, it will be
released in May.
Produced by Can Bah Production, the ‘Craze Below The Wind’
tells a story of two siblings who get into mischief and are forced to journey
across Sabah with a mysterious suitcase.
Chester stated that the film, which release had been
postponed since 2020 due to the pandemic, will be screened in 53 cinemas,
including in Brunei.
Meanwhile, Katak said the film garnered a positive response
during its test showing, with seven out of 10 respondents expressing an
interest in visiting Sabah.
“We have engaged 52 crew, and 80 per cent of them are
Sabahans. We want to promote tourism through the filming industry as it can
provide job opportunities to the locals.
“We hope the Sabah Tourism can work with filmmakers to make
the film tourism industry in the state a success,” said the film director.
BANGKOK, 11 April 2022: Thai Airways International confirmed
the delivery of two new Boeing 777-300ERs aircraft fitted out with first-class
cabins.
A third aircraft also featuring the return of a Royal First Class cabin will complete the lease transaction later this month. The contract for the three Boeing 777-300ERs was signed in 2018 with the lease fee being calculated by what THAI calls a “Power-by-the-Hour” approach for the first term of the contract. A lease fee agreement is due to kick in later according to the contract terms negotiated to comply with the company’s rehabilitation plan framework.
The leased Boeing 777-300ER can accommodate 303 passengers.
There are eight seats in Royal First Class, 40 seats in Royal Silk Class, and
255 seats in economy class.
The airline noted that introducing the latest version of
the B777-300ER aircraft meets the
requirement to reduce aircraft types to just fou in accordance with the
rehabilitation plan to ensure maintenance, spare parts and support are streamlined
to reduce operational costs.
THAI plans to use the three Boeing 777-300ERs for operations
on the high-yield Bangkok-London route starting at the end of this month.
SINGAPORE: 11 April 2022: Jetstar Group and IndiGo last week confirmed a new Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) interline partnership to enable Jetstar customers to book connections and flights on IndiGo services through its Jetstar Connect platform.
Launching at the end of this April, the virtual interline
partnership between the two LCCs is made possible by a technology company and
flight search engine, Dohop.
The integrated booking engine allows customers to select
flights and purchase both bundled and unbundled ancillary products, with
customers connecting between international flights provided with seamless
passenger and baggage transfer.
Jetstar’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, Alan
McIntyre, welcomed the partnership and said as the world reopens, it was great
to offer Jetstar customers in Asia and Australia opportunities to travel to
exciting new destinations in India through its partnership with IndiGo.
“The ability to partner with other LCCs through Dohop has
opened a new world of possibilities, helping customers enjoy more seamless
connectivity throughout the region,” McIntyre said.
“This new partnership enables Jetstar to offer our customers
more destinations, more frequency and better connectivity, by combining our
expanding network with IndiGo’s, all at the click of a button, fulfilling our
vision to make more travel affordable.
“Jetstar Connect on jetstar.com provides more options for
customers to access Jetstar’s great value fares and an expanded number of
low-cost connections.
“This partnership opens up new services to Jetstar customers
to incredible destinations such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and New Delhi through
Jetstar’s hub in Singapore.”
Changi Airport
Group’s managing director for Air Hub Development Lim Ching Kiat said India was
a key market for Changi Airport.
“In 2019, Singapore attracted over 1.4 million visitors
from India to Singapore, and with the relaxation of border policies, India has
ranked among the top three countries at Changi in recent months.”
“Jetstar and Indigo are strategic partners of Changi Airport
Group, and we welcome this new interline partnership as it will offer
travellers more flight options at Changi Airport.”
This is the second virtual interline partnership for the
Jetstar Group, following the Jetstar Group’s interline with Tiger Taiwan in
December 2019
GENEVA, 8 April 2022: Air travel posted a strong rebound in
February 2022 compared to January 2022, as Omicron-related impacts moderated
outside of Asia, the International Air Transport Association reported this
week.
IATA claimed the war in Ukraine, which began on 24 February, did not significantly impact traffic levels during the remaining days of the month.
Total traffic in February 2022 (measured in revenue passenger
kilometres or RPKs) was 115.9% compared to February 2021. That is an
improvement from January 2022, up 83.1% compared to January 2021. Compared to
February 2019, however, traffic was down 45.5%.
February 2022 domestic traffic was up 60.7% compared to the year-ago
period, building on a 42.6% increase in January 2022 compared to January 2021.
There was wide variation in markets tracked by IATA. Domestic traffic in
February was 21.8% below the volumes of February 2019.
International RPKs rose 256.8% versus February 2021, improving from a
165.5% year-over-year increase in January 2022 versus the year-earlier period.
All regions improved their performance compared to the prior month. In February
2022, international RPKs were down 59.6% compared to the same month in 2019.
“The recovery in air travel is gathering steam as
governments in many parts of the world lift travel restrictions. States that
persist in attempting to lock out the disease, rather than managing it, as we
do with other diseases, risk missing out on the enormous economic and societal
benefits that restoration of international connectivity will bring,” said
IATA’s director-general Willie Walsh.
International
Passenger Markets
European carriers saw theirFebruarytraffic rise 380.6% versus February 2021, improved over the 224.3%
increase in January 2022 versus the same month in 2021. Capacity rose 174.8%,
and load factor climbed 30.3 percentage points to 70.9%.
Asia-Pacific airlines had a 144.4% rise in February traffic compared to February 2021, up somewhat over the 125.8% gain registered in January 2022 versus January 2021. Capacity rose 60.8%, and the load factor was up 16.1 percentage points to 47.0%, the lowest among regions.
Middle Eastern
airlines’ traffic rose215.3% in
February compared to February 2021, well up compared to the 145.0% increase in
January 2022 versus the same month in 2021. February capacity rose 89.5% versus
the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 25.8 percentage points to 64.7%.
North American carriers experienced a 236.7% traffic rise in February versus the 2021 period, significantly increased compared to the 149.0% rise in January 2022 over January 2021. Capacity rose 91.7%, and load factor climbed 27.4 percentage points to 63.6%.
Latin American
airlines’ February traffic rose 242.7% compared to the same month in 2021, well
up over the 155.2% rise in January 2022 compared to January 2021. February
capacity rose 146.3%, and the load factor increased 21.7 percentage points to
77.0%, which was the highest load factor among the regions for the 17th
consecutive month.
African airlines had a 69.5% rise in February RPKs versus a year ago, a large improvement compared to the 20.5% year-over-year increase recorded in January 2022 compared to the same month in 2021. February 2022 capacity was up 34.7%, and load factor climbed 12.9 percentage points to 63.0%.
DUBAI, UAE, 8 April 2022: Emirates has announced it will
ramp up global operations with the restart of services to four destinations;
Bali (1 May), London Stansted (1 August), Rio de Janeiro (2 November), and
Buenos Aires (2 November).
The airline has also announced it will boost services to
Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore to serve market demand. In line with the
easing of travel restrictions worldwide, Emirates continues to rebuild and
expand its global network to meet travel demand.
Emirates returns to Bali, London Stansted, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires
Starting from 1 May, Emirates will operate five weekly
flights to Bali, utilising a two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The airline
will also scale up its operations from 1 July 2022 to serve the island
destination with a daily service. With its spectacular mountains, picturesque
beaches and cultural appeal, Bali is considered to be a world-leading tourist
destination.
Starting from 1 August 2022, Emirates will resume flight
operations to London Stansted with five weekly flights, utilising Emirates’
Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with the ‘Game Changer’ First Class product.
From 1 September, the airline will increase its services to offer a daily
flight. By October 2022, the airline will be serving the UK with 110 weekly
flights, including six times daily to London Heathrow; a double daily A380
service to Gatwick; three times daily to Manchester, including a double daily
A380 service (starting 1 October 2022); double daily service to Birmingham;
five weekly flights to Newcastle (with the fifth weekly flight starting from 1
July 2022); and a daily service to Glasgow.
Emirates will operate four weekly flights to Buenos Aires
via Rio de Janeiro on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from 2 November 2022 –
offering customers from Argentina and Brazil direct connectivity to popular
business and leisure destinations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. From
1 February 2023, Emirates will scale up its operations to a daily service,
offering customers greater convenience, choice and flexibility while planning
their travel.
Boosting operations
to Nigeria, Mauritius and Singapore
Emirates is ramping up its services to Lagos with 11 weekly
flights, starting from 1 July 2022. The airline will ramp up its operations to
the Nigerian city to offer a double daily service starting from 1 September
2022 – taking the airline’s services to pre-pandemic levels. Emirates will also
increase its services to Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, to offer five weekly
flights starting 1 May 2022 and then a daily service from 1 September 2022.
In line with rising demand, the airline will be scaling up
flights to Mauritius from daily to nine weekly flights between 9 April 2022 and
the end of June 2022 and then moving up to double daily flights from July 2022.
Emirates’ second daily flight will provide an important boost to tourism to the
Indian Ocean destination, which has now relaxed entry restrictions for
travellers. Under the codeshare agreement with Air Mauritius, customers of both
airlines can enjoy greater access and seamless connectivity to and from the
island nation.
The airline will also increase passenger services to
Singapore from seven weekly flights to 14 weekly flights, starting on 23 June
2022. The added service will meet the increased demand for travel since the
country safely reopened to international tourists and eased travel
restrictions.
For more information, visit emirates.com. Tickets can be purchased on emirates.com, Emirates Sales Office, via travel agents or through online travel agents.
SINGAPORE 8 April 2022: BWH Hotel Group has promoted Ron
Pohl to serve as the company’s president of international operations BWH Hotel
Group and president of WorldHotels.
Pohl joined the organisation in 2007 and previously served as senior vice president and chief operations officer. In his new role, Pohl will be responsible for strengthening the organisation’s presence worldwide.
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to take on this
new and expanded role aimed at further growing and strengthening our brand
across the globe,” said Pohl. “We have made tremendous progress in
recent years, diversifying our portfolio and offering new and exciting brands
that exceed developer and guest expectations. I look forward to working
collaboratively with our hoteliers, global partners, company leadership and
corporate staff to build upon our track record of success.”
SINGAPORE, 8 April 2022: Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) confirms this week it will sail into the Metaverse with the launch of the cruise industry’s first collection of NFTs, adding to the cruise line’s legacy of pioneering firsts.
NCL
will open for auction and sale a collection of six NFTs to celebrate the launch
of the Company’s cutting-edge Norwegian Prima Class
on Wednesday, 13 April 2022, at 0900 ET
/ 2100 SGT on NCL’s soon to launch online NFT marketplace. The NFT art pieces
were created by Manuel Di Rita, widely known as “Peeta,” the Italian artist who
designed the hull art on the record-breaking Norwegian Prima and her sister
vessel Norwegian Viva.
The first of the six art pieces will be
auctioned at the starting rate of USD$2,500, with the remaining NFTs sold for
prices beginning at USD250. The
winner of the auction will also be awarded a balcony stateroom on one of
Norwegian Prima’s inaugural voyages in the United States, setting sail from
NCL’s beautiful new PortMiami terminal located in Miami, the Cruise Capital of
the World.
“We
are so excited to partner with Peeta on this first for our brand and for the
industry,” said NCL President and CEO Harry Sommer. “Peeta is a talented artist
who has brought the magic and beauty of the ocean to our ships, so we are happy
to share this with our guests and to donate the proceeds of this new venture to
Teach For America, an organisation and a cause very near and dear to our
hearts.”
The
first piece in the NFT collection resembles the captivating hull art of
Norwegian Prima and provides the buyer with an opportunity to own a piece of
the beautiful Norwegian Prima for years to come. The additional five NFT pieces
showcase some of the innovative 3-D designs often depicted in Peeta’s works and
will be featured aboard Norwegian Prima, including the ship’s three-level
Penrose Atrium.
All
proceeds from the NFT auction and sales will be donated to Teach For America.
Teach For America finds, develops, and supports a network of leaders who expand
opportunities for children from classrooms, schools, and every sector and field
that shapes the broader systems in which schools operate.
Launching
in August 2022, Norwegian Prima’s Christening voyage will depart from
Reykjavík, Iceland and will feature a performance from the newly announced godmother, global pop star Katy Perry. Norwegian Prima
will offer voyages to Northern Europe from Amsterdam and Copenhagen, Denmark,
beginning 3 September, and Caribbean itineraries from Galveston, Texas, Miami and
Orlando, Florida, starting 27 October.
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
NCL Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 / Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.
KUCHING, 8 April 2022: The Sarawak Tourism Board tourism and
staycation homegrown brand’s campaigns – the Sia Sitok Sarawak (SSS) 3.0 and
the Sia Sitok Sarawak Accommodation (SSSA) 2.0 – gained an overwhelming
response from local travellers with both campaigns sold out before their 30
April 2022 end date.
Both the homegrown campaigns have accumulated MYR3.6 million
in total sales – with the SSS 3.0 generating more than MYR1.8 million in sales
with 467 tour packages sold, while for SSSA 2.0, more than MYR1.8 million sales
were recorded with 8,295 room night booked under 47 participating hotels across
Sarawak.
STB CEO Sharzede Datu Hj Salleh Askor said the latest
homegrown campaigns have been well-received by Sarawakians and permanent
residents because it was launched at the right timing, with an interest to
uncover and re-discover the vast travel gems that exist in their own backyards
skyrocketing since SSS and SSSA were first introduced in 2020 and 2021
respectively.
“With SSS 3.0 and SSSA 2.0, we have expanded the number of
packages available, giving Sarawakians even more opportunities to discover the
uniqueness of the state and simultaneously contribute to the recovery of the
state’s tourism economy,” she said.
“Ultimately, Sarawakians can explore and experience the
beautiful culture, adventure and nature within their own state and become
tourism ambassadors for other travellers around the world,” Sharzede
concluded.
Launched on 1 March, the SSS 3.0 campaign offers more than
88 packages for tours and activities throughout Sarawak, which includes day
trips and multi-day trips, while the SSSA 2.0 campaign offers attractive
staycation packages at local hotels and resorts, both at discounted prices up
to 50% off.
The booking period for both deals starts from 1 March, while
the travelling period is from 1 March until 31 May 2022.
Among the popular destinations were Teluk Melano &
Tanjung Datu National Park, Bung Jagoi, Wind Cave, Bako National Park and the
countryside of Bintangor and Sarikei.
