Magdalena Martorell, a seasoned professional with two decades of hospitality experience in Europe and Asia has taken charge of Meliá Phuket Mai Khao.
The Spanish-born general manager comes to Meliá Phuket Mai Khao after successfully opening Meliá Shanghai Parkside in China, and SOL by Meliá Phu Quoc in Vietnam.
Martorell has worked with Meliá Hotels International for the entirety of her hospitality career, beginning 20 years ago when she was selected to join the leading Spanish hotel group’s internal development programme.
She steadily rose through the ranks, working as the operations manager at Tryp Rey Pelayo at Gijón in the north of Spain before becoming the resident manager at Meliá Barcelona. She then became the general manager at Tryp Barcelona Aeropuerto before moving to Asia in 2012 to assume the hotel manager post at Meliá Bali & The Garden Villas.
Opening soon, Meliá Phuket Mai Khao offers 30 suites and 70 villas, and facilities such as four dining outlets, a five-treatment-room spa, three swimming pools, a fully-equipped fitness centre, kids’ club, ballroom and two multifunctional rooms.
The rapid spread of Omicron infections across the world has forced Asian governments this week to reinstate even tougher border measures, with Thailand pausing her quarantine-free allowance for travellers and Singapore freezing new ticket sales for Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) flights and buses.
Thailand’s latest restrictions will be enforced until January 4, 2022, but the Kingdom will continue to accept Thailand Pass applications for visits with quarantine, with registrations required at least one week prior to travel. The Phuket Sandbox scheme will also continue to stand.
Thailand, which has been taking the lead in Asia’s post-pandemic reopening, has removed quarantine-free travel allowance for now to curb the spread of Omicron infections
Singapore’s VTL freeze, in effect from December 23 to January 20, will not impact travellers who have already obtained a flight or bus ticket. The latest decision will also see the Ministry of Health temporarily reducing the VTL quotas and ticket sales for travel after January 20, 2022.
The capacity and ticket sales for VTL land travel into Singapore or Malaysia from January 21 will be cut by half, with allowance for only 24 one-way bus rides per day.
Designated VTL flights into Singapore will also be halved from January 21.
Omicron fears have also led Japan to extend until January next year her ban on new entries by all foreigners and quarantine requirement for all returning Japanese nationals and foreign residents. These rules were supposed to have ended at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, stricter social restrictions have also been rolled out in some parts of the region. South Korea has reimposed a curfew, requiring dining establishments and bars to close by 21.00 and limiting gatherings to no more than four people, while Malaysia has axed all large New Year’s Eve celebrations, allowing only small and private gatherings – provided pre-event Covid-19 tests are conducted.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Amanda Hyndman as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, as well as area vice president of operations and group director of quality & rooms.
In addition to managing the group’s flagship property, she will also oversee operations at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou; Mandarin Oriental, Macau; and Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.
Hyndman’s corporate responsibilities extend to the group’s rooms division and quality service programme, managing all aspects of global operational standards as well as rooms division, including front office, housekeeping and guest services.
A seasoned hotelier, the British national joined the group in 2007 as general manager of The Excelsior, Hong Kong, before taking on general manager roles at Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok where she oversaw the historic Authors’ Wing renovation.
In 2018, she joined Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London as general manager and area vice president, operations and was responsible for the most extensive renovation in the hotel’s 100+ year history, while also overseeing Mandarin Oriental properties in Munich and Prague.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) of the United Nations has spoken out against new blanket restrictions on travel imposed by governments around the world in response to the Omicron variant.
The call echoes the concerns raised by UNWTO members during the recent 24th UNWTO General Assembly, where countries from all global regions expressed their solidarity with Southern African states by calling for the immediate lifting of travel bans imposed on specific countries and for freedom of international travel to be upheld.
Blanket travel restrictions ineffective and discriminatory, says UNWTO; passenger at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand pictured
UNWTO noted the recent declarations of the United Nations secretary-general and the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the unfairness and ineffectiveness of blanket travel bans in respect to the countries of Southern Africa.
In light of recent developments, UNWTO has once again reminded countries that the imposition of blanket restrictions on travel is discriminatory, ineffective and contrary to WHO recommendations. Blanket restrictions may also stigmatise countries or whole regions, it said.
During the UNWTO General Assembly, member states and partners, including voices from international organisations and across the private sector, echoed WHO’s advice that travel restrictions should only be imposed as a very last resort in response to changing circumstances.
Furthermore, it was stressed that if restrictions are introduced, they must be proportionate, transparent, and scientifically-based. They must also only be introduced with a full appreciation of what halting international travel would mean for the most vulnerable, including those developing countries and individuals who depend on tourism for their economies and livelihoods.
Desaru Coast Destination Resort in Johor, Malaysia has launched MICE Reinvented, a new campaign that aims to inspire new ways of hosting business and social events at the destination.
It puts forth five distinct event pillars: Corporate events, reimagined; Future-proof conference and exhibitions; Wanderlust destination weddings & celebrations; Sports & such and, Nature & nurture.
Desaru Coast promises fully customisable events that will inspire, rejuvenate and reconnect people
Roslina Arbak, managing director and CEO, Desaru Coast Destination Resorts, said in a press release: “Just as the pandemic redesigned the way we live, it has driven us to relook and rethink how events will look like in the future.
“Leveraging our portfolio of assets as an international destination in the world where people seek inspiration, rejuvenation and reconnections, Desaru Coast has reimagined all possible spaces and experiences across the destination to offer a multitude of integrated indoor and outdoor programmes.
“Future (events) at Desaru Coast can be designed with an enchanting mix of indoor and outdoor experiences to include all five-star facilities along with curated activities at the beach, forest, mangroves, local villages, golf courses, ballrooms and conference centre.”
The destination offers four-, five-star international hotel brands with an inventory of close to 800 rooms, indoor event spaces that can accommodate more than 2,300 delegates, two award-winning golf courses, and the region’s largest waterpark.
Desaru Coast has a positive reputation among sporting events. In 2019 it hosted the Desaru International Bike Week, which drew over 45,000 bikers and visitors to the destination.
Come 2022, L’Etape Malaysia will be held in the destination on June 4 and Desaru Coast Ironman on July 24.
Star Cruises is set to become the first cruise line to resume operations in Malaysia, with Star Pisces offering domestic cruises from Penang starting December 22.
Parent company Genting Cruise Lines (GCL), together with Penang Port Commission and Penang Port, have been granted approval by the Malaysian government to restart cruises from Penang.
Star Pisces to offer safe cruises from Penang starting December 22
Star Pisces will have five departures every week, offering a series of roundtrip itineraries from Penang, including a two-night Langkawi Escape and a one-night Straits of Malacca cruise itinerary.
GCL also plans to launch more ships under the Star Cruises fleet.
Star Pisces will initially operate at a reduced passenger capacity of 50 per cent with strict enhanced safety and preventive measures. All individuals on board must be fully vaccinated for Covid-19. In addition, all embarking guests are required to present a negative test result after completing the mandatory pre-boarding antigen rapid test, which will be conducted at the cruise terminal on the day of the departure.
GCL president Kent Zhu said: “We hope to call on to more Malaysian destinations and to expand our itineraries with the inclusion of regional destinations like Phuket in the near future to spur the cruise tourism industry.
“We are also actively pursuing with the various port authorities to create a ‘Harmonize Cruising Standards’ for the region in the hope of gradually reopening international cruising in a controlled and safe manner, which will also bring inbound tourists to Malaysia, especially from our ship in Singapore.”
Star Pisces bookings will be open in mid-December and available to all Malaysian citizens, foreigners with valid Malaysian long-term visit passes, as well as international tourists who have completed and passed the quarantine and home surveillance order by the Malaysian authorities.
Since July 2020, GCL was the first international cruise company in the world to pioneer and successfully restart operations with Dream Cruises, starting in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Sri Lankan tourism officials are optimistic that inbound tourist arrivals for next year will bounce back to 50 per cent of 2018 numbers – the year where the country recorded the highest international arrivals to date – even as the Omicron variant threatens to hinder the sector’s recovery.
Kimarli Fernando, Sri Lanka Tourism chairperson, told a conference on Tuesday (December 7) that she is confident the country would record an average 100,000 arrivals per month next year, amounting to 1.2 million arrivals for the entire year – approximately half of the 2.3 million arrivals recorded in 2018.
Sri Lanka targets 1.2 million tourist arrivals for 2022 despite Omicron threat
While arrivals started as a trickle following the reopening of the country’s main international airport in mid-January 2021 after a 10-month pandemic closure, there has been a steady increase, with 44,294 arrivals recorded in November.
However, that is still a far cry from pre-pandemic figures. Arrivals from January to November 2021 totalled a mere 104,989. In comparison, there were 507,311 arrivals in the three months from January to March 2020, before the closure of the airport.
Currently, Sri Lanka is open to tourists across the world except visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe who have been banned since November 27 due to the Omicron variant.
All vaccinated travellers entering the country are only required to present a pre-departure negative PCR test result, with no quarantine requirement.
Meanwhile, outbound travel from Sri Lanka hasn’t picked up to pre-pandemic levels, with Omicron being a deterrent due to uncertainty over the possibility of sudden border closures imposed by countries.
The ever-changing travel restrictions have made people unsure about travelling out of the country, Mackinnons Travels CEO Trevor Rajaratnam said, adding that outbound group travel has completely stopped.
Still, travel agents in the country have been actively promoting overseas group tours to normally attractive locations like Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok.
Rajaratnam shared that most Sri Lankans were travelling to Dubai, said to have the easiest on-arrival travel requirements; while some individuals and even families were heading to Singapore and Thailand, but not on group packages due to a greater reluctance to make advanced travel bookings.
A new report from ForwardKeys, drawing on its collection of the latest and most comprehensive air ticketing data available, has identified some top developments of 2021 as the travel and tourism industry moves towards recovery.
Domestic travel has rebounded strongly, particularly in geographically large countries such as Brazil, China (pictured), Russia and the US
US leisure travel leads recovery
A comparison of the world’s top destination cities, before the pandemic in 2019 and throughout 2021, illustrates the strong trend towards leisure travel leading the recovery.
Several major cities have been pushed down or out of the top 20 rankings, whereas major leisure destinations, particularly for US holidaymakers, have climbed high. While Dubai – a major leisure destination as well as a substantial travel and commerce hub – remains at the top of the list, the most notable rises include Miami from 18th to 5th, and Madrid from 16th to 10th. New entrants are Cancun (Mexico) at 2nd, Cairo (Egypt) at 9th, Punta Cana (Dominical Republic) at 12th, San Juan (Puerto Rico) at 13th, Lisbon at 14th, Athens at 15th, Mexico City at 16th, Palma Mallorca at 17th, and Frankfurt at 20th.
The two highest risers, Cancun and Miami, are major leisure destinations popular with US holidaymakers. Most of the new entrants lower down the list are also leading leisure destinations, popular with European holidaymakers. Doha, which entered at 7th, has done particularly well as a hub for transits.
Major pre-pandemic destinations, which have fallen out of the top 20 list include Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Jeddah, Los Angeles and Osaka.
Paralysis of Asia-Pacific
A review of worldwide travel in 2021, broken down by region, reveals the extent to which international travel was paralysed. Overall, international air travel was just over a quarter (26%) of its pre-pandemic level. The Asia-Pacific region reached just 8%; whereas Europe achieved 30%, Africa & the Middle East 36% and the Americas 40%.
A comparison of travel between the first and second halves of the year shows that global international travel more than doubled from 16% of pre-pandemic levels to 36%. However, the recovery was extremely uneven. In the Asia-Pacific region, flight arrivals grew from 5% of their 2019 level in the first-half to 10% in the second-half. In Europe, they grew from 14% to 45%; in the Middle East & Africa, they grew from 24% to 48%; and in the Americas, from 30% to 52%.
Within the regions, some countries were much more resilient to the impact of Covid-19 on travel than others. The stand-out destinations which best maintained their visitor numbers were Central America, particularly El Salvador and Belize, and the Caribbean – all holiday hotspots for US tourists. Many of them managed to record visitation rates in excess of 60% of 2019 levels throughout the year. The same degree of travel resilience was true of around two dozen countries in Africa. However, their level of resilience is a little less noteworthy because many of them have economies which are much less dependent on tourism.
A Middle East revival
Travel to various Middle East destinations has exceeded the 60% benchmark in the second-half of the year. Most notably, travel to Turkey climbed from 33% in 1H2021 to 67% in 2H2021 of pre-pandemic levels and travel to Egypt grew from 37% to 72%. Dubai held its position as the top city destination; and Doha overtook Dubai as an air transit hub.
Domestic travel has been dominant, particularly in large countries
While many countries have been able to impose severe restrictions on international travel, citing the need to keep their own populations safe, imposing equally stiff constraints on one’s own populations is politically more challenging.
Consequently, there has been a relative rise in domestic travel, particularly in geographically large countries such as Brazil, China, Russia and the US, where it is possible to fly for a few hours without crossing the border.
In China, domestic travel volumes returned to pre-pandemic levels as early as September 2020; however, they fell back in January and again in August, owing to a resurgence in Covid cases.
In Brazil, Russia, the US and China, domestic travel rose respectively to 148%, 128%, 87% and 76% of pre-pandemic levels in 2H2021, compared to 50%, 28%, 39% and 1% for international travel.
Major European airlines have struggled disproportionately
Largely due to the trend towards domestic travel in large countries, airlines in those markets have managed to weather the Covid storm better than carriers whose business has been more oriented towards shorthaul international travel.
This is illustrated by an analysis of the top 20 airlines in 2021 compared to 2019. The major European carriers have all fallen down or out of the ranking; and they have been replaced by airlines which have substantial business in China and the US, which have been better able to maintain capacity.
For example, Ryanair and easyJet, the two largest European carriers, have fallen from 5th and 8th position respectively, to 7th and 16th. Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France, Europe’s largest legacy carriers, have fallen out of the top 20 list, as have Emirates and Air Canada. They have been replaced by Shenzhen, JetBlue, Spirit, Hainan and Xiamen.
Relative decline in longhaul travel
A comparison of international travel within the major world regions, intra-regional travel, and between world regions, extra-regional (or longhaul) travel, reveals a shift away from longhaul travel during the pandemic.
In 2019, the ratio of intra-regional to extra-regional travel was 56%:44%; but in 2021, that had changed to 62%:38%. The pattern has also changed, with a greater proportion of people within Europe and the Americas travelling intra-regionally rather than longhaul.
The trend can be explained by a combination of several factors, including the effective closure of Asia-Pacific, the increased cost and difficulty of travelling longhaul during the pandemic, and frequently changing pandemic travel regulations, which disproportionately deter people from booking longhaul travel, as it is typically booked and planned with much longer lead times.
Doha, Amsterdam advancing in the battle of the hubs
In the battle of air hubs, Doha overtook Dubai to become the preeminent hub airport in the Middle East, connecting air traffic between South Asia, Middle East, North America and Sub-Saharan Africa.
In Europe, Amsterdam closed the gap on Frankfurt for intra-European transits and connections with North America.
Pre-pandemic, the top 10 list of global hub airports was headed by Dubai with 7.7% market share of intercontinental flight connections. It was followed by Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Doha, Istanbul, Paris, Hong Kong, Munich, London and Abu Dhabi. In 2021, it was headed by Amsterdam, with 8.3% share of intercontinental flight connections. Amsterdam is now followed by Frankfurt, 8.2%; Istanbul, 6.8%; Doha, 6.7%; Dubai, 5.9%; Paris, 5.0%; Panama City, 3.5%; Addis Ababa, 3.1%; Munich, 2.9%; and Madrid, 2.4%.
Analysis of monthly traffic in 2021 shows that Amsterdam briefly overtook Frankfurt in September and October, but it fell back in November. In the same month, Dubai recovered its lead over Doha for the first time since February.
New variants continue to pose a potent threat
A chart plotting the recovery in air travel shows relatively steady growth from 1Q2021, when traffic was less than 20% of 2019 levels, to 4Q2021, when it had climbed to over 50%.
However, there were two setbacks. The first began during the week of March 12, when the growth in weekly bookings turned from +11% to -10%, as the Delta variant began to sweep around the world.
The second began in the last week of October, when weekly bookings reached their highest point, 64% of same week in 2019. Bookings have been slowing down ever since; and in late November, they were down to 54% of 2019 levels, which was closely correlated with a fresh rise in Covid-19 cases since late October. It is now likely that the emergence of the new Omicron variant, and the travel restrictions introduced in response, will inhibit demand for last minute travel over the Christmas period.
Olivier Ponti, vice president, insights, ForwardKeys, said: “2021 has definitely been a year of travel recovery; but that recovery has been bumpy and patchy, with many established destinations displaced and several tourism-dependent destinations making valiant efforts to retain the patronage of leisure travellers. It has also been a tug of war between a strong pent-up demand to travel on the one hand and travel restrictions, imposed by governments to inhibit to the spread of Covid-19 on the other.”
With Queensland fast approaching 80 per cent of fully vaccinated residents, the Australian state has decided to reopen its borders to fully vaccinated interstate travellers from Covid-19 hotspots from December 13 at 1.00 – four days ahead of initial schedule.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told local media that “nominating a time and date provides travellers and business with certainty to make their plans”.
Queensland state eases border restrictions as vaccination rates soar; Port Douglas, Queensland pictured
Fully vaccinated interstate travellers can arrive by road or air, and must provide a negative Covid test in the previous 72 hours. They will not need to serve quarantine.
Fully vaccinated International arrivals must provide a negative Covid test within 72 hours of departure for Queensland, and fulfil a test on arrival. These travellers are required to serve a 14-day home or hotel quarantine.
Travellers no longer have to wait two weeks to be considered fully vaccinated; one is enough. However, all travellers from hotspots must get a test on day 5 after their arrival.
Vaccinated border zone residents will also be allowed to move freely across the border without the need for a PCR test.
Unvaccinated residents will continue to face travel restrictions.
“We will live with Covid – but on our terms,” Palaszczuk said.
Only fully vaccinated people will be permitted to enter pubs, clubs, cinemas, festivals and theme parks in Queensland from December 17.
Laguna Phuket integrated resort will deliver three major international beach volleyball tournaments before the year is out, further solidifying its reputation as a destination for sports tourism.
The AVC 2021 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships was held November 23 to 27, drawing athletes, coaches and officials from 10 countries in Asia-Pacific. Organised in partnership with the Sports Authority of Thailand – Phuket province, Thailand Volleyball Association (TVA), Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) and PPTV HD, the occasion highlighted the ability of Laguna Phuket to stage exceptional events and accommodate international visitors for safe, seamless and salubrious seafront stays.
The AVC 2021 Asian Senior Beach Volleyball Championships is the first of three major beach volleyball tournaments coming to Phuket this year-end
The FIVB Beach Volleyball U19 World Championship is ongoing this week, and the FIVB Beach Volleyball U20 World Championship will follow on from December 14 to 16. Both events feature 28 male teams and 28 female teams from 48 countries and five continents.
The three events were hosted at Angsana Laguna Phuket.
Sports tourism has helped to put Phuket on the global map in recent years, and it will play a key role in the island’s recovery in the post-pandemic era.
Notable sports events hosted in the destination include the Asian Tour golf tournaments, the Laguna Phuket Marathon and Laguna Phuket Triathlon – the latter two will return in 2022.
Ravi Chandran, CEO of Laguna Resorts & Hotels, said: “Phuket is a global hub for sports tourism. With the island’s outstanding infrastructure, year-round outdoor climate and world-class hospitality, we have proved that we can stage any size of event, from small groups of active travellers to major international competitions.
“Laguna Phuket is at the heart of this sector, so we are delighted to have been able to welcome the AVB and FIVB back to the island for these important tournaments. I am confident that this will help to kickstart the recovery of Phuket’s tourism industry in 2022 and beyond.”
Major European airlines have struggled disproportionately
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has appointed Amanda Hyndman as general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, as well as area vice president of operations and group director of quality & rooms.
In addition to managing the group’s flagship property, she will also oversee operations at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou; Mandarin Oriental, Macau; and Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.
Hyndman’s corporate responsibilities extend to the group’s rooms division and quality service programme, managing all aspects of global operational standards as well as rooms division, including front office, housekeeping and guest services.
A seasoned hotelier, the British national joined the group in 2007 as general manager of The Excelsior, Hong Kong, before taking on general manager roles at Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C., and Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok where she oversaw the historic Authors’ Wing renovation.
In 2018, she joined Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London as general manager and area vice president, operations and was responsible for the most extensive renovation in the hotel’s 100+ year history, while also overseeing Mandarin Oriental properties in Munich and Prague.