BANGKOK, 19 January 2023: Diethelm Travel Group, a leading inbound tour operator in Asia, has confirmed a new executive lineup at its head office here in Bangkok.
Nickky Ong joins Diethelm Travel as chief innovation officer focusing on digital innovations and expansion, along with Meggie Valdes, who joins as the new director of marketing for DTG.
Malaysian native, Ong, boasts 15 years of experience in travel technology in Asia. His mission is to promote high-level digital innovations as the core component driving Diethelm Travel’s business expansion.
Valdes started her career as an account manager for Grey Marketing in the Philippines before joining the Tourism Promotion Board as its chief marketing executive. Her team launched the award-winning “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign.
In 2016, she became the youngest tourism director of the Philippines Tourism Office based in Frankfurt. She joins Diethelm Travel Group this month.
DUBAI, UAE, 18 January 2022: Emirates will offer passengers an opportunity to ‘fly better’ with new high-speed, inflight broadband powered by Inmarsat’s GX Aviation, onboard 50 new Airbus A350 aircraft – scheduled to enter service in 2024.
The new agreement will significantly improve the passenger experience with enhanced connectivity and greater global coverage, even on flights over the Arctic.
The Airbus A350s will be the first Emirates aircraft to take advantage of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress (GX) satellite network, which powers the world’s first and only globally available broadband network, ensuring passengers can enjoy uninterrupted global connectivity, no matter their destination, including the North Pole. The advanced high-speed capabilities of the broadband will enable Emirates passengers to stay connected with family and friends, browse the internet, and enjoy social media, all from the comfort of their seats.
Currently, the GX network that will power the Emirates inflight broadband consists of five Ka-band satellites and will be further enhanced by adding seven more satellite payloads as part of Inmarsat’s fully funded technology roadmap. This includes two Inmarsat-6s, the most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever built, both of which are scheduled to enter service in 2023. These will be followed by three additional satellites in geostationary orbit, adding speed, capacity, and resilience. Two will be positioned in a highly elliptical orbit to enable the world’s only commercial mobile broadband service for aircraft flying in higher elevations and across the Arctic, such as routes between the Middle East and North America.
Emirates’ chief operating officer Adel al Redha said: “Delivering a world-class onboard experience has always been paramount to Emirates, and we understand the importance of being connected during flights. Over the years, we have worked closely with Inmarsat and our supplier partners to ensure all our aircraft offer Wi-Fi connectivity. We look forward to finding ways and options to improve the connectivity onboard our aircraft by utilising GX Aviation for our Airbus A350 fleet. The advanced capabilities introduced by the forthcoming satellites are particularly important, as this will boost capacity across our global network, including aircraft flying over the Arctic for routes between the Middle East and America.”
Emirates has also introduced connectivity enhancements for Skywards members – including complimentary internet access throughout the flight for all Skywards Gold or Silver members travelling in Business Class, in addition to First Class and Platinum members travelling in any cabin class.
The plan for high-speed inflight broadband onboard A350s is the latest addition to Emirates’ multi-billion-dollar investment into its onboard product and passenger experience, which also includes the largest known fleet retrofit project of 120 aircraft, extensive investment into menu development and food and beverage experiences, the planned introduction of next-generation inflight entertainment systems on incoming aircraft, and a hospitality training programme designed by the world’s most renowned hotel school – Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.
SINGAPORE, 18 January 2023: Trip.com Group’s latest booking trends show mainland Chinese demand surging in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year holiday season.
Millions of Chinese tourists will be on the move during the Lunar New Year holiday. Also known as the Spring Festival, the festival takes place from 21 to 27 January 2023. It’s the first significant holiday following the liberalisation of border policies, and outbound travel bookings have grown significantly.
Since the announcement in late December that confirmed travel restrictions would end on 8 January 2023, Trip.com Group has monitored a huge increase in searches and the volume of travel bookings.
Key trends and highlights
Between 26 December 2022 and 5 January 2023, Trip.com Group’s leading Chinese language travel service platform Ctrip, reported search interest for outbound flights from mainland China increased by 83% compared to the previous two weeks.
The most popular cross-border destinations are Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Singapore, the US, Malaysia, the UK and Indonesia.
Overseas travel for the seven-day Lunar New Year holiday surged by 540% compared to last year’s Spring Festival. The average cost of bookings has also risen by 32% year-on-year.
Ctrip data also shows airline bookings from mainland China to Hong Kong increased 18 times compared with the previous year following the announcement to ease restrictions. Airline bookings to Hong Kong have also increased by 36% month-on-month. Similarly, the search popularity of Hong Kong on the platform was more than double that and increased by 85% month-on-month.
As of 12 January 2023, overall travel bookings made by mainland Chinese tourists to Southeast Asian countries increased by 1026% compared with the same period last year.
Air ticket bookings from mainland China to Southeast Asia increased by 864% year-on-year. The top five most popular destination countries for mainland Chinese tourists travelling to Southeast Asia during the Lunar New Year holiday are Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
According to Ctrip’s data, Thailand stands out as a top destination for Chinese tourists during the Spring Festival holiday made on the Trip.com platforms. Inbound travel bookings from Thailand to mainland China have also increased by 101% year-on-year.
As of 12 January, mainland tourists travelling to Singapore for the Lunar New Year holiday increased by 499% year-on-year. Malaysia saw an increase of 584% year-on-year, with Cambodia and Indonesia each increasing by more than 10 times year-on-year.
SINGAPORE, 18 January 2023: Singapore’s international visitor arrivals reached 6.3 million in 2022 (just 33% of 2019 IVAs), exceeding the Singapore Tourism Board’s forecast of between 4 and 6 million visitors.
Tourism receipts should reach SGD13.8 to SGD14.3 billion (1) (50 to 52% of 2019 receipts). STB believes tourism activity should recover to pre-pandemic levels by 2024.
Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Keith Tan said: “Our 2022 tourism performance underscores Singapore’s appeal as a leading business and leisure destination for post-pandemic travellers. To sustain our growth in 2023 and beyond, we will expand our partnerships, build up a rich year-round calendar of events, ramp up investment in new and refreshed products and experiences, and continue to support industry efforts to build the capabilities they need to meet consumer demands.”
2022 Tourism Performance
IVAs: Indonesia (1.1 million), India (686,000) and Malaysia (591,000).
Tourism receipts reached SGD8.96 billion between January to September 2022. The top tourism receipts generating markets were Indonesia, India and Australia, which contributed SGD1.1 billion, SGD704 million, and SGD633 million, respectively (excludes sightseeing, entertainment and gaming receipts) (2).
Visitors are also spending more time in Singapore compared to before the pandemic. For the last three quarters of the year (April-December 2022), when Singapore no longer required quarantine for fully-vaccinated travellers, the average stay was approximately 4.81 days (3), considerably higher than 3.36 days for the same period in 2019.
2023 Outlook
STB expects tourism recovery to accelerate in 2023 due to increased flight connectivity and capacity fueled by China’s reopening. International visitor arrivals are expected to reach around 12 to 14 million visitors, bringing in approximately SGD18 to 21 billion in tourism receipts – around two-thirds to three-quarters of the levels in 2019.
1 These are preliminary estimates for 2022. The final figure will be available in 2Q 2023.
2 In line with previous practices, STB excludes Sightseeing, Entertainment & Gaming in the country analysis due to commercial sensitivities.
SINGAPORE, 18 January 2023: Silversea Cruises unveils its newest ship Silver Nova due to set sail in August 2023.
The 728-passenger Silver Nova will feature 10 bars and lounges, eight restaurants and additional public venues, all designed to reflect spaciousness.
Silver Nova
“Silver Nova will unlock a new luxury experience for our guests, offering an industry-leading variety of bars, lounges, and restaurants with an entirely new design approach for Silversea,” said Silversea Cruises president and CEO Barbara Muckermann.
Silver Nova will offer guests the choice of eight signature restaurants, a three-storied atrium, a casino, a two-storied boutique, and two outdoor bars, Pool Bar and the Dusk Bar. In addition, the ship will offer 364 spacious suites across 13 categories.
The ship is set to become the world’s first low-emission cruise ship with advanced hybrid technology that uses fuel cells, emitting zero local emissions while in port—an industry first.
BANGKOK, 18 January 2023: SKÅL International Thailand has appointed a new executive committee comprising members from the country’s six SKÅL clubs; Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Phuket, Koh Samui and Krabi.
The new committee, under the leadership of recently elected president, Kevin Rautenbach, will support the country’s six clubs in building membership, engaging young tourism professionals and promoting SKÅL’s key mission of “Doing sustainable business among friends.”
Kevin Rautenbach
“Despite the industry’s challenges of the past few years, said Rautenbach, “SIT has continued to thrive under the leadership of Immediate past president, Wolfgang Grimm and our International Councillor, Heike Garçon Suiheran. Through lockdowns and travel restrictions, regular Zoom conferences with our clubs and a series of creative initiatives to support and engage members have enabled us to strengthen our network.
“ We have already taken steps to save on annual membership fees. Now that travel has restarted, we will use some funds to enhance our #RediscoverThailand programme – a consumer-focused tourism campaign designed to drive traffic directly to members’ businesses,” he concluded.
The ‘SKÅL Talks Thailand’ programme – a webinar series launched in 2020 to support members through the pandemic tourism recovery process will continue featuring talks, panels and workshops hosted by industry experts and personalities. The series provides invaluable expertise and fresh and creative ideas to renew and rebuild the industry for a changed world.
Meanwhile, SIT’s destination marketing websites for each SKÅL Thailand destination will be given additional funding for their development. The six destination-specific websites promote different areas and aspects of Thailand and members’ tourism-related enterprises.
TAIPEI, 18 January 2023: Tourism Malaysia boosted its promotional activities in Taiwan by organising a sales mission last week to persuade Taiwanese travellers to rebook holidays in Malaysia after a two-year pause.
Headed by Tourism Malaysia’s senior director of international promotion (Asia & Africa), Manoharan Periasamy, the Malaysian delegation comprised two state tourism bodies, 10 MM2H agencies, two homestay operators, three hotel/resort operators, 10 travel agents and a product owner.
The sales mission in Taiwan took place last week in two cities, Kaoushiung, to increase Taiwanese tourists to Malaysia by promoting greater awareness of Malaysia as an ideal and safe holiday destination post-pandemic period.
The mission also fostered greater cooperation between tour operators and members of the tourism fraternity through its business-to-business events. It is also a timely effort to restore tourist confidence to travel to Malaysia, thus repositioning Malaysia as an outstanding tourist destination.
Tourism Malaysia also conducted a seminar in Taipei to promote niche segments such as Malaysia My 2nd Home (MM2H) and homestay packages.
Before the pandemic, Malaysia recorded 382,916 tourist arrivals generating MYR2.2 billion in tourist expenditure from Taiwan in 2019.
Manoharan commented during the mission’s opening: “The pandemic has been tremendously challenging for us, but ever since the reopening of our international border in April 2022, I am glad to let you know that we have welcomed more than 7 million international visitor arrivals in 2022.
“Hence, we are optimistic about achieving higher numbers in 2023, where we have a target to welcome 15.6 million international tourist arrivals with MYR47.6 billion in tourism receipts.”
He added: “Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme is an initiative by the Federal Government of Malaysia to persuade foreigners who fulfil certain criteria to stay in Malaysia for the long-term on a five-year renewable Pass with a Multiple-Entry Visa. It is open to all foreigners from countries regardless of race, religion and gender. All applicants must fulfil certain personal and financial criteria the Malaysian Government sets.
“Malaysia is consistently among the top options for Taiwanese considering long-stay destinations. The programme’s popularity can be attributed to the relatively affordable cost of living, the short flight times and the warm weather in Malaysia. Thanks to the friendly-long stay policies implemented under the MM2H programme, they can enjoy a luxurious life in Malaysia.”
Taiwan remains an important market for Malaysia. Regarding connectivity, there are 59 flights per week from Taiwan to Malaysia via Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, AirAsia X, Batik Air, EVA Air, China Airlines and Starlux Airlines.
PHUKET, 18 January 2023: Thailand is moving ahead with its bid to host Phuket Expo 2028, following a briefing on the holiday island to more than 250 officials, community leaders and travel industry players.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand hosted the “Local to Global: Phuket Expo 2028” briefing to show Thailand’s candidacy is progressing and remains on track.
If Thailand wins the bid, the event will be themed: “Future of Life: Living in Harmony, Sharing Prosperity.” To win the bid, Thailand must gain the support of member states of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) during a voting session at the bureau’s board meeting in June 2023 in Paris.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Sarun Charoensuwan reiterated that Thailand’s bid to host Expo 2028 in Phuket is prioritised as a national agenda item.
“Thailand and Phuket are fully ready to host the Expo, which will be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, standing to benefit the entire region”, he said.
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau president, Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, noted the expo would provide a platform for participating countries to present innovative solutions for sustainable future living. At the same time, Phuket governor Narong Woonciew stressed that the bid to host Expo 2028 Phuket was a local initiative entirely driven by Phuket’s communities.
DUBAI, UAE, 17 January 2023: Emirates will resume its services to Tokyo-Haneda starting from 2 April 2023, rebuilding its Japanese network and providing even more choice and flexibility for travellers to one of the region’s top economies and destinations.
Operated by one of Emirates’ latest Boeing 777 “Game Changer” aircraft, flight EK312 will depart Dubai at 0750 and arrive in Haneda at 2235. The return flight EK313 will depart Haneda at 0005 and arrive in Dubai at 0620. All times are local.*
The resumption underscores Emirates’ continued support of Japan’s post-pandemic travel and tourism revival, serving the surging demand for international travel and increasing inbound traffic from key markets across its global network. Emirates’ return to Haneda will further boost the airline’s operations in the market, alongside its daily A380 service to Tokyo-Narita and a daily Boeing 777 service to Osaka.
Since the route’s launch in 2013, and until the pandemic hit, Haneda has always been one of the key points on Emirates’ network for trade and tourism. The airline remains committed to supporting Japan’s accelerated growth and recovery and has recently celebrated 20 milestone years of operations in Osaka – the country’s second-largest metropolitan city after Tokyo. Emirates also offers passengers access to 26 additional domestic cities in Japan and 10 regional points via Tokyo and Osaka through its codeshare partnership with Japan Airlines.
With the addition of Tokyo-Haneda, Emirates takes its global network up to 141 points across six continents, including 10 cargo-only destinations. Emirates currently operates its latest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft fitted with its ‘Game Changer’ fully-enclosed First Class suites to Brussels, Geneva, Nice, London Stansted, Frankfurt and Zurich.
From First Class through to the Business and Economy Class cabins, the latest Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft features ergonomically designed seats, multi-million dollar upgrades and the latest version of the ice inflight entertainment system across all cabins. Designed with exceptional customer comfort and ultimate privacy, Emirates ‘Game-Changing’ Boeing 777 private suites feature floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and ultra-modern design features against cool grey colour-scapes. Offering up to 40 square feet of personal space each, the spacious, fully-enclosed private suites are laid out in a 1-1-1 configuration for six suites.
Visit this page to learn more about the Emirates Boeing 777 Game Changer.
In addition to Tokyo-Narita, the airline’s flagship A380 is deployed to 40 destinations, including London Heathrow, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Houston, among others.
Visit this page to learn more about the Emirates A380.
Travellers flying with Emirates can enjoy the best experience in the sky with an unmatched culinary experience, regionally inspired multi-course menus developed by a team of award-winning chefs complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can sit back and relax with more than 5,000 channels of carefully curated global entertainment content featuring movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, games, audiobooks and more with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.
*From 2 June 2023 until 1 October 2023 – EK313 will depart Haneda at 0005 and arrive in Dubai at 0550.
TAMPARULI, Sabah, 17 January 2023: The Monggiland cascades, which stand 121 feet tall, make one of the best canyoning trails in Sabah for hiking enthusiasts.
Situated near Kampung Kelawat village (west coast Sabah), the Monggiland Waterfall Eco-Tourism trails opened for curious hikers in 2019. It’s popular for hiking and canyoning.
The loop trail takes hikers on a leisurely descent down a hill, past village farms and houses, before merging with forest routes.
Hikers can enjoy the sights of eight different waterfalls, namely Bermusim,Tutuhunon, Munduk Sirung, Pangoh, Nagas, Monggiland, Taralasak and Dupil.
Monggiland Waterfall Eco-Tourism chairman Rubby James said the Taralasak and Dupil cascades were only discovered early this year. He estimated that there are at least 20 hidden waterfalls in the lush forest.
“People come here to experience hiking and navigating the exhilarating descent of the challenging 40 metre-high Monggiland waterfall. For easier canyoning experiences, they descend the Nagas waterfall, about 18 meters tall.
“Foreign travellers had also come to explore the Monggiland trail in 2019. However, just as it was beginning to gain traction, we had to close the trail because of the pandemic,” he said.
Since the trail’s reopening in August last year, James, who is also a member of the Mountain Search and Rescue (MOSAR) team, visitor arrivals are picking up once more.
He said they had guided hikers as young as six, so the trail is suitable for all skill levels.
The name Monggiland originates from timber trees that grow in the area. If they are lucky, hikers may get a glimpse of bears perched on trees and even elusive deer.
On Saturday (14 January), Assistant Tourism, Culture, and Tourism Minister cum Sabah Tourism Board Chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai flagged off about 100 hikers to launch the Monggiland Waterfall Eco-Tourism.
He said Sabah’s abundance of hiking opportunities made it an ideal destination for eco-tourists and adventurers.
He added the Monggiland hiking route was a welcome addition to the area because the trail is connected to other established paths, such as the Murug Turug waterfall trail.
“Hiking is growing in popularity, and the Sabah Tourism Board have been making efforts to promote it because of the revenue it could potentially bring to the local community.”
“While we encourage outdoor exploration, we must also make sure our travellers feel comfortable and ensure they have access to facilities like restrooms and shelters along the hiking trails,” he said.
