Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific will reduce its scheduled flights by an average of 12 flights a day between now and the end of February to ease operational pains during the Chinese New Year peak travel season.
The announcement came on January 7, with the airline saying it would focus on “routes with multiple daily frequencies, where possible”.
Cathay Pacific will reduce its scheduled flights between now and the end of February
According to news reports, flights to destinations like Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Shanghai and Dubai have been affected since Sunday.
The airline also cancelled 40 flights during the Christmas holidays and 28 flights on New Year’s Day due to staff shortages.
The Anam Cam Ranh has unveiled a programme for children to learn about sustainable farming on its onsite farm, and get a chance to interact with the friendly animals residing there.
The resort’s 8,500m² farm cultivates an array of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and eggs for meals served to guests at the Lang Viet Restaurant & Bar as well as at the staff kitchen.
The Anam Cam Ranh has introduced a new children’s programme to educate on sustainable farming
The farm harvest a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and even herbs. For livestock, there are ducks, chickens, geese, rabbits, goats, guinea fowls, turkeys and peacocks and their offspring.
Participants will learn tips about how to grow their own chemical-free herbs, veggies and fruits at home, and how to look after chickens and ducks, and their eggs.
Tourism is growing in Sri Lanka, after multiple crises in the past five years, and well on target to achieve the ambitious 2.3 million arrivals scheduled for this year, officials said.
“In fact, we are hoping to exceed the 2024 target with an increase in flights and new airlines coming in,” state-run Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) chairman Priantha Fernando told TTG Asia.
Sri Lanka is well on target to achieve the 2.3 million arrivals scheduled for this year
The country fell short of the 2023 target of 1.5 million with arrivals at 1,487,303 in 2023, sharply up by 106.6 per cent from 719,978 in 2022. Arrivals last month were 210,352, up from 91,961 in December 2022. This is still lower than 253,169 arrivals in December 2018, the highest month for arrivals recorded so far. Arrivals in 2018 at 2.3 million was the highest on record, thereafter the numbers fell due to Easter Sunday bombing attacks on three hotels in 2019, followed by the closure of the airport owing to the Covid-19 pandemic followed by an acute economic crisis in 2022.
Fernando said they should have exceeded the 2023 target if not for problems associated with two markets – Russia and Israel. “We were expecting two weekly flights from Israel from October which didn’t happen owing to the war, while another 2,000 arrivals from Russia was lost in December due to the dispute over a registration problem by budget carrier I-Fly, a Russian charter operator.”
The top source markets last year were India, the Russian Federation, the UK, Germany, China, Australia, France, Canada, the US and the Maldives. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in 2023 were expected to exceed US$2 billion, up from US$1.13 billion in the previous year. Fernando said limited seat capacities of key markets also resulted in the 2023 target being missed. The number of airlines flying into Sri Lanka in 2018 was 52, which has dropped to 38 today, but more airlines were expected to resume flights this year.
He said under a new programme launched in China, arrivals from there to Sri Lanka are planned to reach one million by 2025. “If we can hit 400,000-500,000 from China this year, we would well be on the way to achieve another good year,” he said. Arrivals from China, which have slowed down in the post-lockdown period, reached 68,789 in 2023. 2018 was the best year for Chinese tourists with 265,965 visiting Sri Lanka.
He said national carrier SriLankan Airlines, which accounted for 38 per cent of passenger capacity, should go up 45 to 50 per cent in the coming months with the induction of more planes.
The tourism landscape in the Philippines is poised for a prospective uptick in the year ahead with the anticipated series of extended weekends throughout 2024.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) is optimistic that these elongated breaks serve as a potential catalyst for a substantial boost to the country’s domestic tourism sector.
With more long weekends this year, Philippines anticipates a substantial boost to the country’s domestic tourism sector
“Amid the remarkable resurgence of our country’s tourism industry, characterised by 5.45 million international visitor arrivals in 2023, there’s an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm among travellers eager to make up for lost time, engaging in what has come to be known as ‘revenge travel’,” said tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
“We see these upcoming extended weekends as a timely opportunity, specifically advantageous in propelling our domestic tourism forward. (The) tourism sector remains a cornerstone in propelling our country’s economic resurgence by providing opportunities for livelihood and employment,” she added.
Based on insights from 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) noted a staggering 102 million domestic trips, contributing 1.5 trillion pesos (US$27.04 billion) to domestic tourism expenditure. Among the overall 1.87 trillion pesos in internal tourism expenditure, inclusive of spending by foreign visitors and Filipinos residing abroad, a substantial 1.5 trillion pesos was directly attributed to domestic tourism spending.
Frasco remarked: “The DoT’s optimism for a tourism resurgence fuelled by these extended weekends is underpinned by an unwavering belief in the Filipino spirit and the country’s inexhaustible selection of enchanting destinations. The invitation extended to all Filipinos is not merely to travel but to immerse themselves in the rich mosaic of experiences that the Philippines proudly offers.”
Flight operations have returned to normal on January 8 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, six days after a collision between a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a smaller Japan Coast Guard aircraft.
Runway C, site of the crash, has been closed since then, forcing the airport to cancel hundreds of mostly domestic flights.
Flight operations at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport have returned to normal today
Japan Airlines expects losses of about 15 billion yen (US$105 million) as a result of the accident, which could impact its earnings forecast for the financial year ending March 31.
The top five Asian cities where travellers chose to ring in the New Year include Tokyo, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Osaka, according to Agoda.
The list of the top five booked destinations was based on check-ins between December 29 and 31, 2023 on Agoda’s platform.
Many flock to Bangkok, Thailand to usher in the new year while enjoying the fireworks display
Once again Tokyo, Japan’s bustling capital, topped the list as the most popular destination to celebrate Ōmisoka (New Year’s Eve). Coming in second was Bangkok in Thailand, a city known for its spectacular fireworks display along the Chao Phraya River. Despite the cancellation of the fireworks display at KLCC Park, Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur secured the third spot.
Taipei, with its famous Taipei 101 New Year’s Eve Countdown, followed in fourth, while Osaka, known for its lively street parties and traditional bell-ringing ceremonies, rose from eighth to fifth place. Meanwhile, Thailand’s popular beach destination Pattaya was seventh on the list.
Omri Morgenshtern, CEO of Agoda, shared: “This New Year’s Eve, Japan’s popularity for domestic and international travelers continued, with not just Tokyo featuring in the top five destinations but Osaka too. People’s desire to travel and to learn about new cultures reflects the wide array of experiences people are seeking when celebrating the year end. From Tokyo’s traditional bell ringing to Bangkok’s stunning riverside fireworks, each of these cities offered unique ways to welcome the new year.”
Republic Polytechnic (RP) in Singapore has launched a first-of-its-kind Talent Advancement Programme (TAP) which will provide its School of Hospitality (SOH) students with a structured pathway enriched with education and career guidance, on-the-job training, and leadership development modules.
The structured TAP was developed in collaboration with 16 industry partners spanning the events, financial services, and hospitality sectors. These include Accor Asia Pacific; Capella Hotel, Singapore; Constellar Holdings; DHL Supply Chain Singapore; Hilton Singapore; InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG); Koelnmesse; Les Amis Group; Mandarin Oriental, Singapore; Marina Bay Sands; Marriott International; NowComms Asia; Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation; OUE Restaurants; Resorts World Sentosa; and United Overseas Bank.
Republic Polytechnic has teamed up with 16 industry giants for its new Talent Advancement Programme
The pilot run of the TAP targets an intake of 100 students who are keen to join the relevant industries upon graduation. The first batch of SOH students will undergo their work immersion programme in Academic Year 2024.
Full-time students will have regular engagements with industry partners and career counsellors through talks and events during the first year of their diploma. Upon successful placement into the TAP in their second year, students will receive support from a mentor appointed by the company. Mentorship will begin before the student’s early work immersion in their second year. This work immersion can range from part-time roles during weekends to full-time positions during semester breaks. The mentorship will continue during the 40-week structured internship in the student’s final year.
A pivotal TAP aspect is the co-development of a training blueprint with industry partners, outlining key milestones and competencies. Students will rotate across two to three roles within the company and will attend a leadership development workshop designed to equip them with the mindset and skills necessary to lead teams and peers within the industry.
SOH graduates may receive offers of bond-free, full-time employment at a higher position, along with up to 10 per cent additional remuneration, from their internship companies. This initiative ensures graduates are competitively compensated and aims to bolster a talent pipeline to meet the post-lockdown surge.
Jeanne Liew, principal & CEO, Republic Polytechnic, said: “The hospitality sector is a highly contact-intensive service industry, and we have a collective interest with our esteemed partners to reimagine a vibrant learning ecosystem, tapping on the polytechnic’s strength in hospitality to position Singapore as an exciting tourism hub. (TAP) will equip our students with both hard and soft skills to stay ahead of the curve.”
Onyx Hospitality Group will be adding three new properties – Ozo Medini, Shama Medini and Shama Suasana Johor Bahru – to its Malaysian portfolio in 2024.
This expansion will result in a total of seven properties in Malaysia by the end of 2024, making Malaysia the first country, outside of Thailand, to host all three Onyx brands: Amari, Ozo and Shama.
From left: Amari Spice Penang, Amari Johor Bahru, Amari Kuala Lumpur, and Ozo Georgetown Penang
Onyx currently manages four properties in Malaysia: Amari Johor Bahru, Ozo Georgetown Penang, and the recently inaugurated Amari Spice Penang and Amari Kuala Lumpur.
The new hotels in Malaysia form part of the group’s strategy to drive significant expansion in the hotel, resort, and serviced apartment business in South-east Asia. Onyx targets to operate over 50 properties by 2025, up from 44 at present, with an even more ambitious target of 70 by 2028.
Korean Air has released a new inflight safety video featuring a virtual Korean Air flight attendant giving safety instructions within a virtual setting.
The airline seeks to reach out to its diverse customer base of all ages and cultural backgrounds with this new concept, and hopes to garner passengers’ attention and increase viewers’ engagement levels.
Virtual flight attendant Rina demonstrates how to put on a life jacket in Korean Air’s new safety video
The video covers topics that passengers must know such as how to store carry-on luggage, wearing a seatbelt, prohibited items during the flight, cabin smoking regulations, procedures in the case of cabin pressure abnormalities, locations of the emergency exits, and how to put on a life jacket.
This is the first time an airline has created a safety video featuring virtual humans. Taking place in the Korean Air Safety Lounge, the virtual space was created to make it easier to explain and understand the inflight safety rules as presented by flight attendant Rina, a virtual human who has completed safety training at Korean Air’s Cabin Crew Training Center and was appointed as an honorary flight attendant. MAVE, a four-member virtual girl group that debuted in January 2023, play the role of passengers following the safety instructions.
Korean Air will begin to play the new safety video on all flights starting from January 4, and the video has also been released on the airline’s official YouTube Channel.
“This will become a great example of the synergy created between the aviation industry and digital technology. We intend to change perceptions of inflight safety videos with these new ideas, and make them more relatable and engaging for passengers,” said a Korean Air representative.
Silversea has officially named Silver Nova during an intimate ceremony in Fort Lauderdale on January 4, honouring maritime traditions to welcome the Ship of Light to its fleet.
As a customary tradition of Royal Caribbean Group (RCG), bagpipes resounded through Silver Nova’s theatre to mark the commencement of the ceremony, followed by a performance of the US national anthem and an exclusive screening of a commemorative video to honour Silversea’s 30th anniversary, which the brand celebrates this year.
Nina Compton (middle) has been named as godmother for Silver Nova
After the vessel received blessings from Reverend Sanford Sears and Rabbi Adam Watstein, Silversea’s president Barbara Muckermann and RCG’s president and CEO Jason Liberty announced Silver Nova’s godmother, Nina Compton, a celebrated chef, restaurateur, and television personality.
Rounding out the ceremony, Compton – accompanied by captain Cosimo Pontillo – officially named Silver Nova and triggered a magnum-sized bottle of champagne to smash on the ship’s hull, before Liberty led guests in a toast to mark the momentous occasion.
