Category: Latest Travel News

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – May 13, 2019 (travelindex.com) – A lot of talk about tourism everywhere. The discussions must always be concentrating at trying to consolidate the industry for all those who invested in the industry or who finding a living in that key industry that is today the pillar of the Seychelles economy. Only last week the President of South Africa said that Tourism is a new gold ready to be explored and that tourism is an industry that has tremendous potential for further growth and job creation. This industry is not an activity, but remains very much an industry that is private sector driven. Seychelles needs to continue respect and to also thrust those who sit on the frontline of the industry because any downward trend affects them first, the their staff. Let us understand the private sector who also leads the island’s Tourism Board.

9th edition Seychelles​ Guidebook for the year 2019 and 2020 is out and this again is a private sector led venture. We want to take this opportunity to congratulate Daniella Payet and her son Laurent, the producers of this Seychelles guide for this needed working tool for the islands tourism industry.

Nature Conservation Groups is the voice for nature in Seychelles

Great news this week to finally see that Preserve Seychelles has finally been registered as an NGO ready to take on those set to destroy the future of the islands by destroying nature and the natural beauty we have been blessed with. Preserve Seychelles, under the Presidency of Terry Sandapin with Julia Morin as Secretary stood firm when all was seen as a loss cause for the island of Assumption. Standing on the road Saturday after Saturday with only a small group of patriots.

The Assumption Island sitting just next door to Aldabra, the world Heritage Site had been promised to India for use as a Military Base. The fight to retain sovereignty of the Seychelles Islands ended up on the group Preserve Seychelles. The official registration of this NGO comes at the right time.

A local Seychellois hotelier sent me the following:- “I am copying you this mail because I appreciate your interest in everything terrestrial and marine. There are organisations all around the world from the Amazon to the Great Barrier Reef trying to convince politicians to save our planet instead of running after big money…”

The attached document forwarded to me speaks volume:-

Every three years, the NSW Environment Protection Authority releases a report card on the health of our wildlife, forests, rivers, ocean, air and climate. Late yesterday, it released the latest State of the Environment Report, and the results are damning.

In just three years, the number of critically endangered species has jumped 30%, approved land clearing has skyrocketed 244%, and 1025 native species are now threatened with extinction.

We know what the NSW Government needs to do to turn things around – it must end deforestation, protect koala habitat, return water to our rivers and tackle climate change – but they won’t act if we don’t push them.

As I write this email, MPs are setting priorities for this term, so it is the perfect time to tell them to take urgent action to save koalas, forests and our climate.

With a new parliament and a new team of MPs sitting on the benches, we have a fresh chance to push our leaders to act before it’s too late.

Alarm bells have been ringing loud and clear this week, here and around the world. A few days before the EPA released its report, United Nations scientists warned one million species would become extinct if we keep trashing the planet the way we have been, with catastrophic consequences for people everywhere.

Thanks to these two reports and recent opinion polling in the run up to the state and federal elections, MPs know the environment is a top priority for the community……..”.

Can Seychelles not see the need to protect what we have been blessed with and for each and every Seychellois to be seen as good custodians of what we have been blessed with. Any politician who has promised to hand over to India the Seychelles island of Assumption should be ashamed of himself.

Alain St.Ange to speak at the Resilience Council meeting at the 42nd World Tourism Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa

The ATA World Conference will be taking place in South Africa on July 24th as part of the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council forum. The organisers Naledi K. Khabo Executive Director Africa Tourism Association (ATA) and Duncan Horton Chief Executive Officer Jacobs Media Group have invited me in my capacity as the Head of the Saint Ange Tourism Consultancy to the 42nd World Tourism Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa taking place July 22 – 26, 2019 to speak at the Resilience Council meeting on July 24, 2019. This conference, hosted by ATA and supported by the South Africa Convention Bureau, will focus on innovative business models, best practices and strategic partnerships growing the tourism sector. The Conference will bring together government leaders, international investors, industry stakeholders, and travel professionals to discuss how tourism can be utilized as a platform for resiliency, an engine for economic growth.

This year ATA has partnered with Jacobs Media Group through the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council. The Resilience Council, formerly the regional ITCMS, will operate a one-day event as part of the Conference focusing on recovery and resilience initiatives, the critical nature of crisis communications and planning for, during and after a crisis.

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 13, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The South East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit returns for its third edition in May and will again feature top executives from both hotel owning groups and management companies addressing issues facing the regional hospitality sector.

In Thailand, the past couple of years have seen a big rebound in the results of hotels, hostels and serviced apartments. Can it continue? There are some definite challenges ahead for the Thai owners and developers who build these properties:
• A slowdown in the growth of visitors from China, especially in Phuket
• Occupancy falling in some Thai markets, especially in Samui and Krabi and in the second half of the year across Phuket
• The rapid growth of Vietnam as a competing destination
• Competition from the sharing economy as more and more private homes enter the hospitality market
• The danger of debt costs rising as global easing is reduced
• The increasing cost of acquiring guests
• Possibilities that too many new hotels open, reducing occupancies and average rates – 12,000 new rooms to be absorbed in Bangkok

SEAHIS will examine all of these issues and look for solutions, with contributions from experts from among hotel owners, operators, consultants, law firms and participants in the new economy.

“Many hotel conferences are reluctant to put the real issues up front in order to avoid treading on sensitive ground, but at SEAHIS we believe our attendees want a very honest discussion about the prospects for the hotel sector in South East Asia” said Simon Allison, CEO of HOFTEL. “We have top executives giving real insights into how hotel owners and their key business partners can improve their profits.”

About HOFTEL

HOFTEL is the world’s leading association of hotel property investors. It is specifically designed to represent the disparate owners of hotels and provide them with a voice as a distinct industry sector.

HOFTEL provides an association and a forum for hotel real estate companies which receive rents or pay management fees as well as for hotel franchisees who both own and manage properties, but pay a third party to provide the brand and marketing. Its members range from multinationals to single-hotel companies and include institutional investors, private entrepreneurs and asset managers.

To date, HOFTEL has members and subscribers with hotels and serviced apartments in around 35 countries, which control between them hospitality real estate assets of around US$ 100 billion.

For more information, please visit www.hoftel.com.

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 9, 2019 (travelindex.com) – Best Western Hotels and Resorts has held a ground-breaking ceremony for its latest hotel in Bangkok, Best Western Nada Don Mueang, which is set to become one of the best-connected hotels in Thailand’s thriving capital city.

When it opens its doors in the fourth quarter of 2020, Best Western Nada Don Mueang will be one of the closest internationally-branded hotels to Don Mueang Airport, which handles more than 40 million passengers per year. It will also be connected by two brand new urban rail links, the Pink Line and Green Line, which will provide fast and efficient transport to downtown Bangkok and across the Thai capital. Bangkok’s elevated expressway network is also within easy reach.

Pictured at the ground-breaking ceremony: Rene Jewell, Cluster General Manager, Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel and Vīb Best Western Sanam Pao (far left); Olivier Berrivin, Managing Director of International Operations – Asia, Best Western (2nd left); Mrs. Wanna Thitipoonya, Managing Director, Nuchinporn Co., Ltd. (3rd left); Mr. Krisda Thitipoonya, Managing Director, Nuchinporn Co., Ltd. (4th left), accompanied by members of the Thitipoonya family

Positioned in the up-and-coming north of Bangkok, the new hotel is situated an emerging business and residential area which is also home to the Thai government complex, major universities and hospitals, IT Square, Central Plaza Ramindra, and IMPACT, Bangkok’s largest conference and exhibition center.

Best Western Nada Don Mueang Hotel is being developed by Nuchinporn Co., Ltd, a leading Thai real estate company. This will be the third Bangkok property operated in partnership between Best Western and Nuchinporn Co., Ltd, following Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel and Vīb Best Western Sanam Pao.

The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by senior executives from both companies, including Olivier Berrivin, Managing Director of International Operations – Asia, Best Western; Rene Jewell, Cluster General Manager, Best Western Plus Wanda Grand Hotel and Vīb Best Western Sanam Pao; Wanna Thitipoonya, Managing Director, Nuchinporn Co., Ltd; Krisda Thitipoonya, Managing Director, Nuchinporn Co., Ltd; and other members of the Thitipoonya family.

“This is a key milestone for Best Western Hotels & Resorts, as we continue to expand our collection of hotels in Bangkok. As tourism to Thailand continues to surge, Best Western is excited to provide yet another outstanding hotel that will keep guests completely connected, both in terms of its convenient transport links and state-of-the-art amenities. We are also delighted to strengthen our relationship with Nuchinporn Co., Ltd and the Thitipoonya family, our esteemed partners,” Olivier commented.

Upon opening, Best Western Nada Don Mueang will offer 270 contemporary guest rooms, all equipped modern amenities and complimentary Wi-Fi. The hotel will also feature a restaurant and meeting facilities.

Home to many of the region’s low-cost carriers, Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport offers direct connections to and from many of Asia’s largest cities, including Hong Kong, Jakarta, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. With further expansion planned and the launch of the new urban rail links, the airport will play a key role in the growth of Thailand’s tourism industry and economy in future.

The launch of Best Western Nada Don Mueang marks the latest step in the strategic expansion of Best Western’s Thai portfolio, which now covers key business and leisure destinations such as Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Buriram and Prachinburi.

About Best Western Hotels & Resorts:
Best Western Hotels & Resorts headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a privately held hotel brand with a global network of approximately 4,500 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories worldwide*. Best Western offers 16 hotel brands to suit the needs of developers and guests in every market. Best Western branded hotels include Best Western®, Best Western Plus®, Best Western Premier®, Executive Residency by Best Western®, Vīb®, GLō®, AidenSM, SadieSM, BW Premier Collection®, and BW Signature Collection®. Through recent acquisition, Best Western now also offers WorldHotels® Luxury, WorldHotels Elite and WorldHotels Distinctive brands. Completing its portfolio, Best Western offers SureStay®, SureStay Plus®, and SureStay Collection® franchises**. Now celebrating more than 70 years of hospitality, Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales and marketing support, and award-winning online and mobile booking capabilities. Best Western continues to set industry records regarding awards and accolades, including 66 percent of the brand’s North American hotels earning a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award in 2018, Business Travel News® ranking Best Western Plus and Best Western number one in upper-midscale and midscale hotel brands respectively for two consecutive years, and Fast Company honoring Best Western Hotels & Resorts with a spot in the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality category. Best Western has also won 10 consecutive AAA®/CAA® Lodging Partner of the Year awards, recognizing the brand’s commitment to providing exceptional service and great value to AAA/CAA’s nearly 60 million members in the U.S. and Canada. Best Western-branded hotels were top ranked in breakfast (food and beverage category) by J.D. Power’s 2018 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study – ranking first for midscale; and second for upper midscale. Nearly 40 million travelers are members of the brand’s award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western-branded hotel worldwide. Best Western’s partnerships with AAA/CAA and Google® Street View provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. Through its partnership with Google Street View, Best Western is the first major company of its size and scale to launch a virtual reality experience for customers, setting a new industry standard and reinventing how guests view hotels.
* Numbers are approximate, may fluctuate, and include hotels currently in the development pipeline.
**All Best Western, WorldHotels and SureStay branded hotels are independently owned and operated.

Contact information:
Sirimanas Maungrod (Cake) | Senior Regional Marketing Communications Manager | Asia
Email: sirimanas.maungrod@bestwestern.com

Phanintorn Tangtrongjit (Dream) | Assistant Marketing Communications Manager | Asia
Email: phanintorn.Tangtrongjit@bestwestern.com

Best Western® Hotels & Resorts
BWI (Thailand) Co., Ltd.|Unit 5A-2 | 5th Floor Gaysorn Place Office Building
999 Ploenchit Road Lumpini Phatumwan | Bangkok | 10330 | Thailand
Phone: +662.656.1260 | Fax +662.656.1252| www.bestwesternasia.com

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 9, 2019 (travelindex.com) – Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant in Phuket was recently the venue for a press conference to announce the upcoming, two-day Peranakan inspired “The 9th Phuket Baba Wedding” package which will take the lucky couple to various prominent locations in Phuket between 14-15 June 2019.   The Thai-Chinese Peranakan community is predominantly of Hokkien ancestry and has long held on to its unique culture and traditions for over 100 years, remaining a stronghold in the Phuket community.  “The 9th Phuket Baba Wedding” offerings which include amongst others accommodation, photoshoot and a bridal luncheon party at the Blue Elephant Restaurant costs @Baht 49,900 per couple.

Pictured (4th from right) is Kawee Tansuktanon Phuket City Deputy Mayor; Kanokitika Kit Vutthikorn (3rd from left) Director/General of Toursim Authority of Thailand in Phuket; Ratanada Shuban (2nd from left) Vice President Phuket Tourist Association; Chef Nooror Somany Steppe (2nd from right), owner of Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant; Doctor Kosol Taenguthai (4th from left) President of the Thai Peranakan Association; and Thanarat Kityakarn (far right) Executive Director of Hivetel.

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 9, 2019 (travelindex.com) – Chatrium Hotels and Residences is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Rene Balmer as Group General Manager.

Book your Chatrium Hotel and Residence in Bangkok and around the world at best rates available. Earn HolidayClick Points and pay at the hotel. Book now at HotelWorlds.com!

Mr. Balmer, as Group General Manager, will work closely with the General Managers and leaders of various departments of each of our hotels and residences to maximize their potential.  He will also be responsible for launching new properties for Chatrium Hotels and Residences as the group expands, with Chatrium Hotel Siam Bangkok, Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection and Maitria Residence Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection all opening soon.

“I am delighted to join the Chatrium family and am thrilled to be given the opportunity to assist in building Chatrium Hotels & Residences into one of the most well-known independent hotel groups internationally in the near future”, said Mr. Rene Balmer.

“I will draw on my experience and leadership to drive Chatrium’s talented teams to achieve even better results in terms of guest experiences and ensure that every person staying with us at Chatrium will truly ‘Feel the Remarkable’”.

Mr. Balmer has widespread and extensive experience in the hospitality industry and started his career in Food & Beverage Culinary Operations in 1986. He worked in this area for 19 years before accepting the role of General Manager Operations at a hotel/resort in Bangkok in 2005.

Prior to joining Chatrium Hotels and Residences, Mr. Balmer was a Senior Vice President Technical Services and Pre-Opening of a Thai-based hotel group.  In this pivotal role he was involved in developing and expanding a variety of hotel brands over the past decade throughout Thailand as well as throughout South East Asia, with properties in Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Oman.  Under his leadership and direction, over 30 hotels in the group have been successfully opened.  Most recently his focus has been on refining and enhancing the processes of hotel development, from the initial conception stage to the final handover of a new property to the operation teams.

Book your Chatrium Hotel and Residence in Bangkok and around the world at best rates available. Earn HolidayClick Points and pay at the hotel. Book now at HotelWorlds.com!

About Chatrium Hotels and Residences:
Chatrium Hotels & Residences is comprised of seven properties across two distinct brands; our signature distinctive brand, Chatrium, and our lifestyle collection, Maitria. Both are born from a passion to provide uncompromising, warm service and a truly captivating experience. Discover 5-star services with a charming personal touch at properties located with comfort, convenience and stunning surroundings in mind. From cosmopolitan city centre living in Bangkok to the breathtaking scenery of Chanthaburi or the relaxing beauty of Royal Lake in Yangon, whether on business or leisure, long stay or short; when you stay with Chatrium or Maitria you are exactly where you want to be. Coming soon are two new Maitria properties; Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection and Maitria Residence Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection. Join us today and Feel the Remarkable.

Victoria, Mahe (Seychelles) – May 8, 2019 (travelindex.com) – A recent the quote from President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa during the closing ceremony for the Durban Indaba last week marked many in the tourism industry when he said:- “Tourism is a new gold ready to be explored in Africa. Tourism is an industry that has tremendous potential for further growth and job creation”. The big question do we have the political will in Africa explore fully that new gold.

Encouraging Seychellois Islanders to be part of the tourism industry

Seychelles has some excellent hoteliers and they are shining as they work to claim back their industry that has become the pillar of the island’s economy. Seychellois, our very own islanders must be seen as key assets in the industry that remains their country’s economy. Restrictions and delays to embrace such a notion is detrimental and a real let down. Another carrying capacity study for La Digue has been launched that will bee touching Seychellois entrepreneurship and livelihood. We need instead to work to raise standard, work to better service, work to increase yield from tourism but we must remove obstacles that enable our islanders to reap the benefits from the island’s only economic driver.

Bureaucracy bears little to no direct benefits to the country and working with the private sector trade is the safest approach for long term consolidation of their industry. As La Digue Island is being told that another carrying capacity is needed, Silhouette Island’s second hotel at Grand Barb is again on the table. This one on an island deemed to be a nature park and island after island (from the Seychelles outer island group) has tourism developments going up that is announced only after the project is up and running. Seychellois involvement often ‘Nil By Mouth’ in these projects.

Guests investors will always be welcomed, but islanders and their interests must and should always be first because they alone will be here when and if the going gets tough. It is the Seychellois Islanders who will stand to speak up to defend and protect their industry they have invested in.

Seychellois employees are also the often unseen asset of the industry that has the Government as its biggest and most important shareholder. It continues to collect taxes and other fees as it also benefits from the performing industry with a solid economy. The Government of Jamaica has just announced a tourism industry staff insurance to ensure that employees in their needed industry are safeguarded and protected. Are we doing enough or are we only depending on the smaller partner, the private sector trade?

Human resources key to tourism’ success said the 6th World Tourism Forum Lucerne ended on Friday 3rd May with experts and travel and tourism professionals hailing the role of human capital as essential in the age of disruption in tourism. Over 550 participants from 80 countries took part in the discussion, which clearly demonstrated that digital transformation is leading the tourism industry into the future.

Finding the rightful place for culture

Arterial Network Seychelles has announced that they are presenting to Seychelles the eagerly anticipated solo exhibition of Praslinoise artist Sheila Markham at Eden Art Space Gallery, Eden Island on Friday 17th May at 6 pm. This is indeed good news for the continued cultural development of our islands. Culture in all its form must remain at the centre of our development.

The announcement of Sheila Markham’s solo exhibition arrives as new reaches Seychelles that the island’s pavilion at the Biennale in Venice is taking shape.

Seychellois artists George Camille and Daniel Dodin are presently in Venice creating the national pavilion for Seychelles. The exhibition will open on May 10th in the historic Palazzo Mora in the presence of Designated Minister Macsuzy Mondon, PS Cecile Kalebi, CEO of CINEA Galen Bresson (who is also the exhibition Commissioner), Curator Martin Kennedy, Administrator Ilaria Isola and the artists themselves. The delegation also includes Johnny Volcere, who is recording every stage of the pavilion’s construction with still and video images. The footage will be edited into a documentary film upon our return from Venice and we hope that this will be broadcast on national television as well as stand as an important archival document of the 2019 exposition.

Spread over two adjacent exhibition spaces the work – entitled DRIFT – explores issues of contemporary life in Seychelles and internationally. The overall Biennale theme, ‘May You Live in Interesting Times’ encourages artists to respond to issues around ‘fake’ news and the power of both social and mass media.

Camille has responded to this theme by creating a tsunami of more than 60 metres of subtly embossed heavy duty watercolour paper. The paper rises and falls dramatically, with the installation requiring visitors to bend and crawl inside the space in order to access the imagery which has been created by impressing the paper with metal forms. Camille’s trademark iconography is present, but here humans, fish, leaves and coco de mer are being relentlessly swept along on 1.5 metre wide channels of paper.

There is a tension between surrender and resistance which mirrors the way in which many of us respond to the tsunami of information which enters our lives through our ‘phones, computers, radios and televisions.

Visitors experience the installation aurally as well as visually and tactilely, as a specially created soundtrack of politicians and news broadcasters plays against a background of crashing waves.

Camille is asking important questions; How do we know what we know? How can we discriminate between the truth and lies? How can we authenticate and validate incoming data on such a huge and relentless scale? The work stands as a provocative instrument, with the artist hoping that viewers will see it as a starting point for reflection and discussion about some of the key issues of our time.

Daniel Dodin’s installation fuses film, sculpture and painting and addresses the lives of ordinary working Seychellois people. As part of this process the artist has focussed upon the bottle collectors – people who many would disregard in terms of contributing within ‘normal’ society, but who Dodin respects and, to an extent, valorises through his work. Young men loaded with gunny bags feature throughout his installation. They are repeating motifs in each of the three films being shown. They populate his painting (the largest canvas ever created by the artist) and they are painted in stylised figurative form on the sides of the three gunny bags which form part of the installation and which respectively contain plastic, salt and rice.

The salt represents the toil and sweat of the young (mostly) men who collect the waste plastic and metal from public refuse bins. In appearance it also resembles heroin, and references the challenges facing many young Seychellois. The rice represents the fruit of labour – basic food. The bottles represent the focus for their work. The Seychelles pavilion is gathering international attention, with interviews lined up with Arabic, British and French media outlets and a visit from the Biennale jury scheduled for the 9th May.

We are also taking the opportunity through the exhibition and related texts and catalogue, to promote our main economic pillar – tourism. The Seychelles Tourism Board has supported CINEA in mounting this pavilion and Eden Island has sponsored our unique catalogue.Both are to be applauded for supporting the promotion of contemporary Seychelles art at the world’s most prestigious exhibition. We hope that visiting the pavilion will encourage some of our visitors to plan trips to Seychelles in the near future.

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 10, 2019 (travelindex.com) – For those looking to get away for the weekend in the heart of Bangkok. The award-winning lifestyle wellness, Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 invites the health-loving travelers for an extra day to enjoy the staycation with Stay Three Pay Two – Book three nights and pay for two.

The fabulous stay/pay deal includes a 3-night stay in Superior room at 3,252 Baht, Deluxe room at 3,761 Baht and Executive room at 4,286 Baht.   This package also includes additional amenities to make a glorious weekend away such as daily buffet breakfast for a maximum 2 persons, complimentary 15-minutes Well Classic Partial Massage, credit voucher 500 Baht at The Twist Bar & Bistro. Free room upgrade with late check-out until 4 pm and so much more!

Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 is located in the heart of the city and within 10 minutes walking distance to BTS Asoke and MRT Sukhumvit. It is comprised of 235 rooms and suites, with five room types including Superior, Superior Corner, Deluxe, Executive Room and Executive Suite. The two latter room types are equipped with an exercise bike, yoga, Pilates and resistance exercise set.

Stay Three Pay Two Package is available for booking and stays from now until 31 October 2019.

About Well Hotel Bangkok
Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 is managed by Well Hotels & Resorts, a Thailand-based hotel management company. Well Hotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 is a lifestyle wellness destination that is not only aiming to deliver urban lifestyle experience and relationship with the nearby neighborhood but also being dedicated to well-balanced combination of comfort and style as well as friendly and warm welcome service.

The hotel is comprised of 235 rooms and suites with 143 Superior Rooms, 7 Superior Corner Rooms, 75 Deluxe Rooms, 6 Executive Rooms, and 4 Executive Suites. All rooms and suites are featured with mini-bars, personal electronic safety box, 46-inch smart TV, complimentary Wi-Fi throughout and LAN cable in room. Each of the Executive Room and Executive Suite is fitted with a private exercise bike, Well Fit Box providing yoga and stretching exercise equipment and electronic weight scale to accommodate health loving travelers. A Microwave and printer are available in the Executive Suite.

Singapore (Singapore) – May 10, 2019 (travelindex.com) – Indulge in the very best of contemporary Japanese cuisine. Take delight and relish in quintessential modern Japanese fine dining. Renowned for their delectable dishes and signature blend of flavours, RIZU is launching its new Spring season Omakase menu that features the freshest prime seasonal ingredients.

Owner of RIZU Hisamizu Takahashi comments, “What separates a good restaurant from a great restaurant is more than just taste. It is the experience. At RIZU, we make sure every customer feels satisfied and comforted by our top- quality Japanese food, warm ambiance and stellar service.”

RIZU’s Head Chef Noboru Shimohigashi has culinary experience in renowned Michelin-starred restaurants, where he gained expertise and a keen passion for crafting memorable Japanese dining experiences fused with French flavours.

Located in Duxton Hill’s eclectic neighbourhood, diners will be charmed at RIZU, whether seated in the intimate indoors or the spirited outdoor alfresco area. The newly revamped interior provides more space for each table to enjoy a more intimate, relaxed dining experience. More than just a tasteful offering, but an experiential one as well.

Dedicated to provide a gastronomical journey, RIZU’s team of selected chefs aim to constantly surprise, impress and exceed their patrons’ expectations. The commitment to excellence is evident in every meticulously crafted dish, perfectly paired with sake and wine or Royal Blue Tea for non-alcoholic diners.

The new menu is carefully crafted to cater to various dining purposes, all the while ensuring an authentic gastronomic experience. The Signature Omakase is RIZU’s trademark offering, an exquisite 8 course tasting menu handcrafted by head chef Shimohigashi. For those looking to elevate to an unforgettable dinner experience, enjoy the Premium Omakase that can be specially tailored to your palate and taste buds. 3 days advanced booking is required. Lastly, the A La Carte menu is perfect for patrons who are more interested in a night of drinking, and wish to pair it with a selection of fresh sushi and sashimi flown in from Japan.

About RIZU
RIZU is a modern Japanese restaurant located in the heart of Duxton Hill. With an omakase menu that changes with seasonal offerings, every visit to RIZU is a new one. Helmed by Michelin-trained Chef Noboru Shimohigashi, embark on a journey of authentic Japanese cuisine with a refreshing modern twist.

Chill out to relaxing jazz in an intimate indoor and al-fresco setting that seats
just 30 guests inside and 16 guests outside – perfect for all occasions, small or large. RIZU offers a selection of top-notch sake, wine and champagne as an Omakase pairing option, or exclusive Royal Blue Tea specially imported from Japan.

Contact information:
RIZU
39 Duxton Hill
Singapore 089617

New Opening Hours:
Every Tuesday – Saturday
Lunch 12pm to 230pm
Dinner 630pm to 1030pm (Closed on Sunday and Monday)

For reservations, call +65 6904 8880

Lucerne (Switzerland) – May 8, 2019 (travelindex.com) – In light of the recent terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka, the Board of World Tourism Forum Lucerne (WTFL) made a last-minute decision to change the agenda and highlight how with these attacks the terrorists have struck the heart of Sri Lanka’s vibrant tourism industry, a sector of critical importance to the country’s economy.

Martin Barth, President & CEO said, “We want everyone in Sri Lanka to know that the whole of the World of Tourism family stands with Sri Lanka. Hence the change in our agenda. Our resolve will only strengthen with these attacks.”Aradhana Khowala, Member of the Advisory Board and Steering Committee, World Tourism Forum Lucerne, moderated a high-powered panel discussion on the topic of crisis preparedness and resilience building in destinations with Gloria Guevara CEO of WTTC and H.E. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism Egypt.

A recorded video message from H.E. Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunications was also telecast. Khowala said of the panel “Sri Lanka needs our solidarity in this difficult time but they also need to learn from those who have been there before to minimise the damage to the sector in the months ahead. Tourism is worth almost $4.5 billion to the economy each year accounting for 5% of the country’s annual GDP and 10% of total employment which is more than 800,000 jobs.”

The WTFL has once again proven to be a unique platform where the world’s leading com-panies from the tourism, travel and hospitality sectors meet to shape a more sustainable future. The World Tourism Forum Lucerne not only successfully organizes these events, but also generates content and creates value based on the themes of talent, innovation, sustainable development and diversity. Over the past ten years, the platform has evolved into a year-round network of leaders and innovators from a variety of backgrounds (busi-ness, education, politics, finance and society) who are driving positive change in travel, tourism and hospitality.

Reto Wittwer, Chairman of the Board, WTFL closed the forum with a message to Sri Lanka with all the participants in attendance and added, “If we give into our fears and never leave our homes, we give into the terrorists’ goal of crippling tourism in a city which is totally reliant on it thereby undermining its economy.”

A recorded video message from H.E. Harin Fernando, Minister of Telecommunications in Sri Lanka was telecast at the World Tourism Forum Lucerne, to watch it, please click here…

Reto Wittwer, Chairman of the Board, WTFL closed the forum with a message to Sri Lanka with all the participants in attendance, to watch it, please click here…

About the World Tourism Forum Lucerne
The World Tourism Forum Lucerne is an exclusive platform where the world’s leading tour-ism, travel and hospitality companies meet to shape a more sustainable future for tourism. It provides decision-makers with in-depth insights into the core themes of the tourism industry and a unique global network. The World Tourism Forum Lucerne is the only plat-form to integrate start-ups, young executives and students into one program. Over the past ten years, it has evolved into a year-round network of leaders and innovators who are driving positive change in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. This includes an influential network of leaders from the business, education, politics, finance and community sectors.

Bangkok (Thailand) – May 7, 2019 (travelindex.com) – The South East Asia Hotel Investors Summit returns for its third edition in May and will again feature top executives from both hotel owning groups and management companies and a range of cutting-edge topics.

SEAHIS focuses heavily on the issues facing hotel property investors.  What topics are top-of-mind at the moment?  Simon Allison, Chairman of hotel owners’ alliance HOFTEL which organizes the Summit notes:

The market in South-East Asia is generally booming, but investors in hospitality properties still face numerous challenges.  These include:

• The need to pay numerous fees and taxes, to the online travel agents, to the brands and to the governments which between them can take almost half of what a guest pays the hotel.
• The challenge of the sharing economy and of new forms of accommodation.
• Oversupply as new properties get built.
• The one-sided contracts which some hotel brands impose on them.
• The dangers of relying too heavily on a single inbound market, like China – as the fall-off in demand in Phuket after the boat disaster showed last year.

These issues will be addressed at SEAHIS by many of the region’s most senior hotel and travel executives including Suchad Chiaranussati, CEO of SC Capital; Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor International; Thomas Willms, CEO of Deutsche Hospitality; Brian Williams, Deputy Chairman of Swire Hotels; Aron Harilela, CEO of Harilela Hotels; Stephan Vanden Auweele, Chief Hospitality Officer of Asset World Corporation (TCC); Piyaporn Phanachet, CEO of U City; Andrew Langdon, SVP Development Asia, Accor; Mike Orgill, Director, Public Policy, Airbnb and Jake Stein, Senior Director, Owner Relations at Expedia.

“Last year almost 50% of all attendees were from groups which own or develop hospitality real estate, said Simon Allison, CEO of HOFTEL. “They want exciting and sometimes controversial content and we aim to deliver that. Our speakers are senior and so are most of the audience, so it’s a highly informed debate.”.

More information about SEAHIS 2018 is available at www.seahis.com.

Enquiries about the summit can be directed to Simon Allison, CEO of HOFTEL, at: Tel: +44 7771 762274 Email: simon.allison@hoftel.com

About HOFTEL
HOFTEL is the world’s leading association of hotel property investors. It is specifically designed to represent the disparate owners of hotels and provide them with a voice as a distinct industry sector.

HOFTEL provides an association and a forum for hotel real estate companies which receive rents or pay management fees as well as for hotel franchisees who both own and manage properties, but pay a third party to provide the brand and marketing. Its members range from multinationals to single-hotel companies and include institutional investors, private entrepreneurs and asset managers.

To date, HOFTEL has members and subscribers with hotels and serviced apartments in around 35 countries, which control between them hospitality real estate assets of around  US$ 100 billion.