SINGAPORE, 9 August 2023: To celebrate Singapore’s 58th birthday, 9 August, low-cost airline Jetstar Asia rolls out a National Day sale with 58,000 bargain fares available for flights to 10 destinations.
Featured destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Phuket and Bali.
The sale period opened at 1000 on 8 August and will close at 2359 on 13 August. One-way fares to the 10 destinations from Singapore will start as low as SGD68 (Singapore to Kuala Lumpur) for travel before 31 March 2024. Club Jetstar members will have access to even cheaper fares, starting from just SGD65, with travellers able to sign up to become a Club Jetstar member at Jetstar.com when booking.
Jetstar Asia marketing manager Amy Law said it was important to recognise this special day and celebrate with customers. “National Day is an opportunity to celebrate everything wonderful about this great country, including our love of a great deal,” Law said.
MANILA, 8 August 2023: The Philippines Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco highlighted the importance of ‘culinary tourism’, saying it was high on the DOT’s prioritisation list to diversify the country’s multidimensional tourism product offerings.
She made the statement last week in a welcome address to the World Chefs Asia President Forum 2023 in Pasay City.
Photo credit: DOT. Gathering of the chefs.
Worldchefs is a professional organisation dedicated to maintaining and improving the culinary standards of global cuisines through membership education, training, and professional development.
Founded in October 1928 at the Sorbonne in Paris, the World Association of Chefs’ Societies is a global network of chefs’ associations.
During her welcome speech, Secretary Frasco expressed her gratitude to the chefs that purveyed their love for food resulting in the propagation of their respective countries’ cultures and identities.
“Our President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. envisions the Philippines to have a primary role in Asia in terms of being able to reintroduce itself to the world in the aspect of fun and adventure and, importantly, to allow you to get to know the heart and soul of the Filipinos that lies in our history, our heritage, our identity, and our living cultural traditions, including, and especially, our culinary traditions,” explained Secretary Frasco.
The three-day forum, co-hosted by DOT’s attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, brought together some 100 delegates from 18 countries in the food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality industries, including leaders, professionals, educators, suppliers, Philippine Culinary Cup judges, and competitors from member countries of different Asia-Pacific chefs associations.
“Under the National Tourism Development Plan recently approved by President Marcos, one of the objectives identified by the DOT is the importance of multidimensional tourism to ensure that when tourists come to the Philippines, they can enjoy the width, length and breadth of our offerings. And that is why we’re here to support culinary and gastronomic tourism,” the tourism chief added.
The LTB Philippines Chefs Association, the premier chefs’ association in the Philippines and a national member of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies or Worldchefs, organised the event.
The World Chefs Asian Presidents Forum, which aims to promote camaraderie among chefs in the Asia-Pacific region, included various activities, such as the presentation of the latest gastronomical trends, sharing knowledge on sustainability practices, conducting culinary education sessions, the launch of the regional e-book, global chefs challenge, and community outreach in Baseco Port Area, Manila.
Worldchefs director for Asia Willment Leong, LTB Philippines Chefs Association president Chef Carlo Miguel, LTB Philippines Chefs Association vice president James Antolin, DOT Undersecretary Ferdinand Jumapao, and representatives from TPB joined the chefs and delegates during the forum.
KOTA KINABALU, 8 August 2023: Just short of 1 million travellers visited Sabah during the first five months of the year, according to the state’s chief minister’s latest tourism update
Bernama news service quoted Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, saying domestic and international travel arrivals reached 988,680, up 77.1% over last year. From January to May 2022, visitor arrivals reached 558,169.
Tourism data for the five months of this year showed Malaysian residents accounted for 706,203 visits and international tourists another 282,450. Tourism revenue clocked MYR2.02 billion for both domestic and international visits.
According to the Bernama report, the chief minister said the performance “clearly demonstrates that the tourism sector in Sabah will continue to develop strongly this year and in the years to come…The state government will continue to strive to revitalise and develop the tourism sector through various programmes this year.”
SINGAPORE, 8 August 2023: Banyan Tree Group invites guests to participate in its annual “Live Well, Travel Well” campaign from 15 September to 15 October.
The invite from the Banyan Tree Group’s multi-brand hotels and resorts offers Spa experiences and discounts on stays.
• Stay longer to explore some of the world’s most spectacular locales with up to 40% savings at select accommodations, ensuring exceptional value and creating unforgettable experiences.
• Rejuvenate between adventures with 35% off à la carte Spa treatments with 35% off (excluding beauty and facial treatments and other promotional treatments).
• Support artisan communities and gain an appreciation for indigenous crafts with 35% off retail items (excluding consignment and other promotional items) at Gallery.
This multi-brand campaign highlights the group’s commitment to prioritising wellness across all its offerings. For more information and reservations, visit www.banyantreegroup.com/offers/live-well-travel-well.
MANILA, 8 August 2023: Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomes United Airlines’ recent announcement that it will introduce direct flights between San Francisco and Manila starting October 2023.
The Philippines News Agency quoted the DOT statement: “United flies to Manila from Guam and Palau. Once the flights between Manila and San Francisco become operational, the airline will be the first American carrier to fly direct to Manila from the continental US in a long while”.
Based on the DOT’s Routes Development report released in June, eight of the country’s international gateways saw significant growth in flights and seat capacity, according to the PNA report.
Between June and July 2023, the country welcomed 58 new incoming weekly flights landing at the country’s international gateways.
Among the domestic flights that resumed in the same period are Clark to Bacolod, Busuanga, Cagayan de Oro, Caticlan, Davao, Iloilo, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa; Manila to Tablas, and Lal-o; Davao to Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Siargao and Zamboanga to Cotabato.
“With the DOT’s Philippine Experience Programme and regional travel expos, we are optimistic that our stakeholders, particularly from the aviation industry, will see the need to improve connectivity around the country to cater to the growing demands of our travellers,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said.
HANOI, 8 August 2023: A cable car that climbs to the cloud-shrouded summit of Fransipan Peak in Sapa Vietnam will suspend operation for maintenance from 11 to 15 September, its owner Sun World Fanispan Legend, announced last week.
In a statement posted on its website, the company it would suspend operations of the cable car system and mountain train at the famous resort to perform periodic system maintenance. The train and cable car can accommodate up to 2,000 tourists per hour.
Fansipan cable car. Sapa, Vietnam. Photo credit: Tad Malone.
Named the world’s leading cultural attraction by World Travel Awards, the cable car takes 20 minutes to climb to the station just short of the summit, a difference of 1,410 metres in height measured from the base station (Sapa village elevation: 1,500m).
Fansipan is the highest mountain in Indochina at 3,147 metres above sea level, and the cable car is acknowledged by two Guinness World Records for having the longest nonstop three-rope cable car in the world, spanning 6.3 km and the greatest elevation difference for a nonstop three-roped cable car of 1,410 m elevation between terminals.
Opened in February 2016, the summit cable car and mountain train that takes travellers beyond the steep steps for trail walks attracts thousands of tourists who pay VND850,000 to enjoy the spectacular views as the cable car gently soars to the summit across valleys and ridges.
It suffered recent bursts of negative publicity, the latest posted by the New Zealand Herald on 4 August. The newspaper reported a cable car carrying Tik Kok influencer Haris Minhaj, who hails from Australia, and 15 other passengers got stuck for three hours 300 metres above the Sapa Valley.
The incident occurred on 17 June 2023 and was first reported in the UK’s Daily Mail and Express. Minhaj, who goes by the tag Fully Fledged, is seen in the Tik Tok video saying: “We are in [one of] the highest cable cars in the world, and we are now stuck.”
Due to an electrical fault, moving the cable car at a snail’s pace using backup generators took two and a half hours. Passengers applauded as they slowly descended to the gondola base station that emerged visible as the cloud cover dissipated. Minhaj said passengers weren’t offered a refund, but there were profuse apologies and cups of tea.
The Sun World Fansipan Legend cable car system was designed by European operators Doppelmayr, and the company states the entire cable car system and train are tested rigorously for passengers’ safety and peace of mind.
GEORGETOWN Penang, 8 August 2023: Trip.com Group and Penang Global Tourism have signed a new MoU that enhances their marketing partnership.
The deal raises Penang’s profile on the Trip.com Group’s platforms – such as Trip.com and Ctrip building awareness to boost inbound tourism to Penang and accelerating bookings over the next three years.
Photo credit: Trip.com Group.
The new MoU identifies priority markets such as mainland China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Australia, where Trip.com Group can generate more bookings for the island destination.
Trip.com Group chief marketing officer Bo Sun explained: “Trip.com Group and Penang Global Tourism are longstanding partners… (But) with new travel consumption behaviours and emerging trends after the pandemic, we hope to leverage our strengthened collaboration to guide the destination’s tourism industry towards a rapid recovery and achieve sustainable growth through innovation.”
Penang’s caretaker chief minister, YAB Chow Kon Yeow, added: “As we forge this historic bond with Trip.com Group, the first global partnership after the pandemic and the first in Malaysia, spanning up to 10 markets, we fortify our commitment to embracing the world with open arms.”
SINGAPORE, 8 August 2023: JustCo, a flexible workspace provider, announced on Monday its new partnership with Changi Airport Group (CAG) to launch and manage Asia’s first pay-per-minute co-working centre in an airport at Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3).
JustCo Changi Airport T3, the first JustCo centre to offer round-the-clock co-working access, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2023.
It offers 24/7 on-demand access to co-working spaces, nap zone, and various food options to business travellers and modern workers at one of the world’s busiest airports.
The centre will house one of JustCo’s largest hot-desking facilities to date, offering close to 50 hot-desk workstations. JustCo Changi Airport T3’s pay-per-minute pricing model is designed to be flexible and convenient for travellers or individuals who need a place to work for a few hours or even just a few minutes. Aside from the hot-desk workstations, the centre will also be well-equipped with private office suites, a work lounge, meeting rooms with video conferencing tools, quiet nooks, and collaboration areas to support the different work modalities of modern workers.
In addition to its 24/7 access, large hot-desking facility, and purpose-built workspaces, JustCo Changi Airport T3 will also feature a nap zone fitted with partitions and a pantry with food vending machines. The nap zone will provide individuals with a comfortable and quiet space to rest in between long working hours or flight transits.
PHUKET, 8 August 2023: Thai Vietjet will resume direct flights on 29 October from Phuket in South Thailand to Chiang Rai, a town in far north Thailand.
PhuketOK News first reported the news last week, which was picked up by Facebook netizens residents in Chiang Rai, overjoyed by the news that they will once more have a direct airline service to the popular holiday island on the Andaman Sea coast.
So far, the airline has not officially announced it will resume the direct flight from the southern island beach resort to Chiang Rai’s hill country, but there is plenty of evidence that it is on the table and ready to launch. It reintroduced the route in April 2022 after a three-year Covid pandemic pause and shut it down almost immediately without warning or explanation. Pre-Covid, the airline served the Phuket-Chiang Rai route daily using an A320 with two hours and a 10-minute flight duration. When it dropped the route post-Covid, local tourism and hotel executives in Chiang Rai criticised the airline, saying it had shut down the route just a few months before the peak season was due to start in late October 2022. A year later, it looks like the airline will be back flying initially four times a week on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
Last week you would have been hard-pressed to find any details of the service on any of the travel or aviation-related websites, including the airport websites of both Phuket and Chiang Rai airports. But it did surface on the travel booking site Trip.com showing a departure time from Phuket of 0815 and an arrival time of 1025 in Chiang Rai. The flight number is VZ400.
A search of the Trip.com booking site for a direct flight on 15 November flagged a one-way fare as low as THB400 if you booked it immediately (last Friday). A fare alert from Trip.com pinged a below THB500 one-way a day later, but as the days tick by, the fare will rise to around THB1,817 if you believe the travel platform’s forward estimates for one-way fares on this new route.
Checking Thai Vietjet’s booking website late Monday before this post goes live confirms the flight details and departure time for the four weekly services effective 29 October are confirmed, but the fare is rising fast. The airline pegs a one-way economy fare at USD70 (THB2,438.10), including all taxes and fees for travel on 8 November. A check of Trip.com indicates the fare for 8 November has now risen to THB1,335 one-way in economy.
HANOI, 7 August 2023: South Korea’s largest hotel group, Lotte Hotels & Resorts Soft, opened its L7 Hotels by Lotte West Lake Hanoi last week, the first overseas hotel under the brand.
Located in the heart of the Tay Ho district in Hanoi, the property is part of the Lotte Mall West Lake Hanoi, the largest mall complex in Vietnam, totalling 353,700 sqm in area.
Photo credit: Lotte Hotels & Resorts.
Part of a two 23-story tower complex, L7 Hotels by Lotte West Lake features 264 hotel rooms and 192 serviced residence rooms overlooking West Lake and the Red River.
Overlooking Hanoi’s famous West Lake, a popular district attracting wealthy foreign residents and tourists, the property is branded as a full-service five-star lifestyle hotel. During the soft opening phase, facilities open include Lake Salon, a lounge for guests staying in premium rooms, a rooftop infinity pool on the 23rd floor, a buffet restaurant and a dim sum franchise from Hong Kong.
