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Hong Kong scuttles Scoot flights

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HONG KONG, 23 February 2022: Scoot has halted seat sales on its flights to Hong Kong until 7 March following a flight ban after passengers disembarking in Hong Kong tested positive for Covid 19 last week.

Singapore Airlines’ low-cost carrier became the latest airline to have its flights banned for two weeks following KLM Royal Dutch Airlines currently banned by  Hong Kong’s Department of Health until 6 March.

The loss of the Scoot flight is a blow for Hong Kong and Singapore. Both are keen to revive business travel between the two aviation hubs.

Bloomberg said the move severs one of the last air links between the two Asian financial hubs. The route was one of the busiest in the world before the pandemic hit.

A check of Scoot’s website shows the earliest booking date is now 7 March. Scoot was operating a daily service.

The ban comes after Hong Kong authorities blocked Singapore Airlines from flying to the city for two weeks from 16 February after too many passengers tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival.

Cathay flew just one service to and from Singapore in February and will fly just one next month, on 19 March, according to its website. Before the pandemic struck, the two hubs mustered more than 250 monthly flights.

Centara rolls out Digital Guest Solution

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK 23 February 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, announces a partnership with True Digital Solutions, True Group’s fully-integrated digital solutions provider.

The partnership allows Centara to usher in a new era of hospitality with the latest touchless technologies to create an extraordinary experience for guests.

The Digital Guest Solution, a digital solution operating on one of the digital platforms for service-related business, True Hospitality Platform, is implemented in five Centara hotels and resorts in Thailand to offer a more convenient approach for guests looking to use a hotel’s services. Without the need to download any applications, guests can scan an Intelligent QR Code via their personal mobile phone or tablet to enjoy services at their fingertips, such as ordering in-room service, booking a spa appointment, or requesting housekeeping.

At Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket, Centara is also adopting trailblazing hospitality technology in the form of True 5G Robo-serve in its restaurant. The powerful 5G cloud-intelligent robot can perform tasks autonomously, including delivering food, welcoming guests and interacting with customers, increasing the speed of services and building customer trust and confidence.

Centara Hotels & Resorts deputy CEO, Markland Blaiklock said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with such a prominent player in the technology segment as True Digital Group in a partnership which will be a game-changer in the hospitality business. At Centara, we are always looking for new approaches to enhance our services and create a better experience for our guests, and we believe these innovations fit perfectly with the demands of the new generation of travellers.”

True 5G Robo-serve uses sensor navigation to help the robot avoid obstacles with intelligent mobility and complete tasks autonomously. Combined with the Digital Guest Solution platform, which also offers accurate insight to allow Centara to better understand guest behaviours, these innovations will play important roles to transform operational functions in today’s hospitality landscape.

The Digital Guest Solution from True Digital Solutions is available for guests to experience at Centara resorts across Thailand, including:

Centara Grand at Central World;
Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao;
Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya;
Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin;
Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket.

For more information, please visit https://www.truedigital.com/industry-based-solution or https://www.facebook.com/truedigitalso/

EU sanctions Myanmar military enterprises

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SINGAPORE, 23 February 2022: The European Union (EU) on Monday imposed sanctions on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) and on crony companies that could indirectly impact a hotel project in Yangon, Justice for Myanmar reported.

MOGE is the junta’s biggest single source of revenue, responsible for financing its terror campaign, the JFM statement alleged.

The move comes after TotalEnergies, Chevron, Petronas, Mitsubishi Corporation and Woodside announced plans to exit from their investments in Myanmar.

The EU has also imposed sanctions on the state-owned Mining Enterprise, individual members of the Myanmar military junta and the so-called crony conglomerates International Group of Entrepreneurs (IGE) and Htoo Group of Companies, FFM reported.

Describing itself as a “group of covert activists,” JFM noted that the “EU sanctions against IGE should send a strong message to POSCO International and Lotte Hotels & Resorts, which continue to partner with IGE in the Lotte Hotel project, on land leased from the Office of the Quartermaster General.”

Justice For Myanmar spokesperson Yadanar Maung said: “We welcome this new round of EU sanctions. The designation of MOGE is a historic win for grassroots activism throughout Myanmar and worldwide, after over a year of campaigning to stop oil and gas revenue flowing to the terrorist military junta. 

“Sanctions on MOGE are essential to deny the junta the funds it needs to finance its increasing and intensifying violent attacks against civilians, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the JFM statement read.

“EU sanctions send a strong signal that the Myanmar junta cannot continue business as usual, but it is not enough. Other governments, including the US and Japan, must now follow with sanctions on MOGE, other military-controlled businesses and their significant associates.”

(Source: Justice For Myanmar)

Emirates’ security chief honoured

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DUBAI, UAE 23 February 2022: Dr Abdulla Al Hashimi, divisional senior vice president of Emirates Group Security and chief executive officer at Transguard Group, has been recognised with the International Leader Award at the Intersec Awards, at the largest international trade show for security and safety organised by Messe Frankfurt.

Dr Al Hashimi was acknowledged for his contribution and commitment to the growth of the Aviation Security Industry.

The International Leader Award is handed out every year to political figures, C-level executives or military personnel who have spearheaded a company or team throughout the year, showing strong leadership skills and guidance.

This is the sixth accolade that Dr Al Hashimi has been awarded over the course of the last year, which includes the Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum (MRM) Award in three categories for Transguard Cash, the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award – SKEA Gold for Emirates Group Security and the Dubai Quality Award – DQA Gold for Emirates Transguard.

Dr Abdulla commented on being recognised for the International Leader Award, saying: “I sincerely feel that the work we’re doing brings value to countries and communities. It helps to keep people safe, and that has been a key driver in my motivation to keep doing better. I am thankful that I have a good team behind me in our pursuit of continuous improvement and excellence.”

He started his career as a police officer in 1989 and, since then, has taken on a number of roles and responsibilities in both the Dubai government and government-owned companies. He has been integral in the inception and development of Emirates Group Security and currently holds the role of Divisional Senior Vice President. He was also instrumental in the formation of Transguard Group and was appointed as the organisation’s chief executive officer by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Security plays a crucial role across numerous aspects of the business, which is what encouraged Dr Abdulla to choose and excel in this particular career.

“Security is a vital enabler of business success, from market access and regulatory requirements to the smooth running of operations to its influence on customer experience and brand reputation. Therefore, it cannot be reactive. It must be a strategic core function with appropriate levels of investment in technologies, capabilities and people.”

According to Dr Abdulla, success in the aviation security function is dependent not only on having excellent systems and the right human factors but also on great partnerships across the public and private sector ecosystem. Aviation security also operates in a dynamic environment and is complex due to its global nature and ever-evolving threats, both in the physical and the digital world.

Visit: www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)

AirAsia Super App slashes ex-KL fares

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 22 February 2022: AirAsia offers a 30% discount on all AirAsia Malaysia flights (code AK) from now until 27 February, which can be booked by clicking ‘Flights’ on the AirAsia Super App.

In support of efforts to further boost domestic travel and in preparation for the imminent reopening of international borders, the promotion is available for the travel period from 28 February to 30 September 2022.

AirAsia Super App users can use this opportunity to make domestic holiday plans to popular destinations such as Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri, Phuket and many more via the widest network in Malaysia with 45 domestic routes. Super App users can also pay with their AirAsia points by clicking on the option during checkout.

Passengers can also enjoy 10% off on AirAsia X Malaysia (flight code D7) flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney from now until 27 February for the travel period from 21 February to 22 March 2022.

There are also discounts of up to 50% when booking fares and hotels in a single transaction.

Travellers seeking accommodation deals outside of the airfare offer can also enjoy a 20% discount on any hotels booked on the AirAsia Super App until 27 February 2022.

Sabah marks International Tourist Guide Day

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TTR WEEKLY
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KOTA KINABALU, 22 February 2022: Sabah tourism industry is reaching out to visitors providing them with a safe, entertaining, and high-quality travel experience through tourist guiding, it announced during celebrations of International Tourist Guide Day on Monday.

To remain relevant in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) has worked with Sabah Tourist Guides Association (STGA) to reinvent travel tours and experiences aimed at both local markets and broader audiences via the Internet.

This effort also includes providing local tourist guides with STB-sponsored Online Guided Tour (OGT) courses, which started in October last year, that will allow them to become proficient in leading virtual tours.

While travel information is readily available online, STB chief executive officer Noredah Othman believes tourist guiding is still necessary to give travellers a better understanding of places, people, and culture.

“The tourism industry has been hit hard by the pandemic. However, even in the absence of tourists, we must continue to look ahead and innovate to keep tourism activity going, and this is impossible without the assistance of our professional tour guides.

“As there are still restrictions on travel, Online Guided Tour (courses) are the best way to show the world what Sabah has to offer. Therefore, local guides are and have always been the perfect advocates for our tourism because they are remarkable storytellers with the ability to attract tourists to visit Sabah,” she said.

Noredah added collaboration in the ongoing virtual tour demonstrated the importance of their role in promoting Sabah by conveying stories about many topics like history, World War II, traditional plants, wildlife, and even ancient stone monuments, among others.

“As we celebrate International Tourist Guide Day 2022, Sabah Tourism expresses gratitude to local tour guides for their unending dedication and contribution to tourism promotion. At STB, we are always ready to support our guides and STGA.”

Such supports include backing STGA in recent bidding to host the 2024 World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations Convention.

Although lost to Italy with a mere four votes, STGA nonetheless has managed to put Sabah on the world tourism map.

Sabah has around 1,200 licensed tourist guides with 650 STGA members.

STGA president Grace Leong said tourist guides are instrumental in promoting tourism, stressing their commentaries or narration of destinations are critical in providing information to tourists while on a guiding assignment.

“In Sabah, our tourism is based mainly on Eco-Tourism. Without a tourist guide, tourists will not understand or have minimal knowledge of the destinations visited, including plants, wildlife, and culture.

“Tourist guides are indeed indispensable in Sabah tourism package…In collaboration with STB, the association has conducted virtual walking tours and the ongoing OGTs on Facebook.

“This will aid in promoting Sabah as the destination of choice globally. The OGTs have drawn thousands of viewers since the programme started on 21 January this year.

Additionally, she added STGA is helping to connect tourist guides with various online platforms to enable them to earn an income through OGTs and supplement this with in-person guiding when tourism doors reopen.

 “Yes, we are resilient. While many of our tour guides are now working full-time or part-time in other jobs, we are still waiting for our international border to reopen once the pandemic has passed,” said Grace.

In conjunction with the International Tourist Guide Day on Monday (21 February), STB and STGA are also collaborating with the University Malaysia Sabah on an online webinar focusing on “Recovery and Growth of Tourism: The Role of Tourist Guides.”

Visit the STB website: http://www.sabahtourism.com

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Busan: Three New Unique Venues

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TTR WEEKLY
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BUSAN, 22 February 2022: Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Tourism Organization selected new event venues through document screening and on-site inspection.

Busan’s leading MICE venues, Busan X the Sky, P.ARK and Busan e-Sports Arena, have been officially registered as the 2021 Busan Unique Venues.

Having conference facilities and infrastructure that can conduct MICE events of various sizes, the venues are expected to greatly contribute to attracting domestic and foreign MICE events to Busan.

Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Tourism Organization (BTO) received applications for 2021 Busan Unique Venue Recruitment from 24 to 31 December 2021 and conducted document screening and on-site inspection. and on 18 January 2022, The three selected venues are:

  • Busan X the Sky;
  • P.ARK;
  • Busan e-Sports Arena.

For venues that passed the document screening, the MICE Industry Division of Busan and the Convention Bureau of BTO (CVB) conducted the on-site inspection. The evaluation criteria are Busan-related characteristics, event hosting experiences, suitability for unique venues, and foreign language capacity. To be selected as a Unique Venue, a score of 80 or more should be obtained from each of the two agencies.

Busan Unique Venue Selection Criteria

* Specific characteristics related to Busan, such as history, culture, and art

* Other than the existing MICE-specialized meeting facilities (except conventions, wedding halls, and hotels)

* Availability of hosting meetings of more than 30 people

* Availability of renting and eating indoors as well as operating at all times

Busan X the Sky received high marks from the reception capacity of fewer than 100 people and the experience of hosting various MICE events such as G-STAR 2021 Welcome Reception.

P.ARK got a pass for indoors and outdoors-combined facility capacity that can hold medium-to-large-scale events with more than 1,000 people.

Busan e-Sports Arena received high scores for its location in the old downtown area, which lacks meeting facilities, and the potential to attract MICE, reflecting interest in e-Sports, which has recently spread mainly in Greater China.

Busan Metropolitan City and BTO classified the Unique Venues into three stages of “new, growing, and matured” and plan to strengthen direct support through phased support, starting this year. The practical support measures are as follows:

Unique Venue’s self-promotion and marketing subsidy.
A support system through an open call for 17 existing venues and new Unique Venues in 2021.
Subsidy for publicity costs such as advertisement, promotion, and printed materials B-Unique Venue promotional content production including responsive e-book and Unique Venue promo video.
Providing education and consulting for each phase.

An official of BTO said: “In the contact-free society due to COVID-19, the demand for tourism and MICE for Unique Venue is remarkably increasing.” “They are valuable assets for attracting and hosting domestic and international MICE events in Busan. We will spare no effort to lay the foundation for holding events at Unique Venues and continuously discover new venues so that we can practically support them,” he emphasized.

Busan has been discovering unique facilities (Unique Venues) that present the unique characteristics of Busan and actively utilizing them to attract MICE events. In particular, 80% or more organizers of the international conference in 2021, participated in the Multiple District Unique Venue Competition Project, said that they were satisfied with the Unique Venues. This year, the Unique Venue support will be expanded.

In fact, 93% of the organizers of the international conference, participated in Haeundae International Conference Complex (HAEVENUE) Unique Venue Competition Project last year, said that they were satisfied with the 2020 International Symposium on Fish Nutrition and Feeding held at Nurimaru. And 92.5% of them were satisfied with the Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia-Oceania (FIMSA 2021) held at MUSEUM 1.

Also, the 128th Korean Chemical Society Symposium, General Assembly and Equipment Exhibition (Busan X the Sky Observatory), and the 98th Symposium of the Korean Society for Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine(BEXCO) recorded satisfaction of exceeding 80%.

(Your Stories: Busan Tourism Organization)

For the full report: https://bto.or.kr/cvbeng/CMS/Board/Board.do?mCode=MN040&mode=view&mgr_seq=84&board_seq=2144

For more information on Busan Tourism Organization
https://bto.or.kr/cvbeng/Main.do

Australia rolls out the welcome mat

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 22 February 2022: Opening its borders Monday, Australia welcomes back the world after close to a two-year hiatus on all travel to and from the country.

In response, Travelport, a global technology company that powers bookings for hundreds of thousands of travel suppliers worldwide, released the latest trend data highlighting how Australians and the rest of the world are celebrating the reopening.

Photo: news.sky.com

Returning to Australia

  • On 7 February 2022, Australia announced that it would reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers as of 21 February 2022. On that day, international flight bookings to Australia increased by 93% compared to the same day the week prior.
  • 75% of international inbound bookings are for leisure travel.
  • Solo travellers made up 35% of all Australian-bound flight bookings, the largest traveller segment. It may largely be comprised of Australian ex-pats eager to return home, no longer needing to endure a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
  • Of all future inbound bookings, February 2022 is the most popular month to travel to Australia, making up 45% of all reservations.
  • The top three Australian destinations for international travellers areSydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

The top countries for Australian bound travel

  • United Kingdom
    • India
    • Nepal
    • USA
    • New Zealand
    • Singapore
    • Sri Lanka
    • Germany
    • Philippines
    • Canada

Eager to travel overseas

  • Australians are also excited to start travelling abroad. The top 10  international destinations for Australian travellers to visit are:
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • USA
    • Fiji Islands
    • Sri Lanka
    • Philippines
    • Canada
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • Pakistan
  • Travellers are looking to stay longer as well. The average length of an international trip from Australia has increased to 32 days in 2022, ten days longer than the 22-day average in 2019.

About Travelport

Travelport connects buyers and sellers of travel by the company’s next-generation marketplace, Travelport+. It simplifies how brands connect, upgrades how travel is sold and enables modern digital retailing. Headquartered in London, UK, Travelport operates in more than 180 countries.

Thai Vietjet adds Phuket – Udon Thani flight

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK 22 February 2022: Thai Vietjet introduced a new cross-country service from Phuket to Udon Thani at the weekend.

Passengers on the inaugural flight VZ453 from Phuket International Airport had a chance to win a complimentary domestic air ticket from Thai Vietjet.

The flight was welcomed at Udon Thani International Airport, by Siam Sirimongkol, the governor of Udon Thani province; Umaporn Pasuknirant, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Udon Thani Office; Sawat Teerarattananukulchai, senior president of the Udon Thani Chamber of Commerce; Wanchai Anutarachatchawan, president of Udon Thani Chamber of Commerce; Ruangyuth Luong, chairman of the Overseas Vietnamese Association; and  Anantachai Wannaphan, deputy director of commercial, Thai Vietjet.

Anantachai commented: “Today marks another great milestone for Thai Vietjet, with the successful commence of new direct service connecting the southern and northeastern Thailand. We strongly believe that the new direct cross-regional service will positively contribute to the development and recovery of domestic tourism, offering passengers a more convenient, flexible, and affordable choice of travel as we have always done.”

Initially, the new cross-country service Phuket – Udon Thani will operate with three flights weekly on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Flight time is one hour and 55 minutes.

Flight Schedule

Flight No.OriginDestination Departure time Arrival time
VZ453 Phuket Udon Thani 13:50 15:45
VZ452 Udon Thani Phuket 16:15 18:10

To launch the new route, the airline offered a special fare of THB449 (inclusive of taxes and fees, but excluding add-on services) valid for travel up until 18 September 2022.

Bamboo Airways flies to Melbourne

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TTR WEEKLY
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HO CHI MINH CITY, 22 February 2022: Vietnam’s fledging airline, Bamboo Airways, introduced return flights (QH88 and QH89) to Melbourne, Australia, at the weekend, the airline reported on its Facebook page.

The airline’s deputy general director Truong Phuong Thanh said establishing the new service coincided with Australia reopening its international borders for vaccinated travellers on 21 February.

The new Ho Chi Minh City-Melbourne route is part of a wider expansion that sees the airline establish flights to Europe – the UK and Germany using Dreamliner 787-9 aircraft.

Earlier in December, Bamboo Airways announced the launch of the Vietnam-Australia direct air route and signed agreements with Melbourne airport and Victoria State.

According to data cited by the Vietnam News Agency, more than 383,000 Australians visited Vietnam in 2019, and around 300,000 Vietnamese students are enrolled in higher educations colleges and universities in Australia.

Bamboo Airways confirmed in a Facebook post plans to expand its international network to nearly 40 routes in 2022, including the Hanoi-Narita (Japan), Hanoi-Taipei (Taiwan, China) and Hanoi-Incheon (Republic of Korea). Routes such as Hanoi-Frankfurt (Germany) and Hanoi-London (UK) routes are scheduled for launch this March. Flights are already operating from Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt and London and to the US. In Southeast Asia, the airline currently serves Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand.

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