This summer, Hong Kong’s great outdoors will be very much within reach to those who reside abroad — thanks to a series of uniquely soothing sensory videos created under the 360 Hong Kong Moments initiative by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), which have managed to capture and bottle the city’s auditory essence into highly immersive and pleasurable viewing experiences. A highlight of the Great Outdoors Hong Kong (GOHK) 2021-2022 summer campaign, four distinctly themed Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) videos will each feature 30-second snapshots of dreamy environmental acoustics heard in far-flung corners of the city. The videos are designed to stimulate the senses and heighten one’s sensitivity to the harmonic countryside symphonies just like a stone’s throw from the city. ASMR in Peng Chau invokes a ship’s horn, a temple’s chimes and the hypnotic kau cim (shaking of fortune sticks). Swaying leaves, dripping waterfalls, chirping birds and flapping wings angle for attention in ASMR in Shing Mun Reservoir. ASMR in Stanley spans splashing in the ocean and swooshing open a paper fan, to biting into a piece of deliciously warm French toast at a local cha chaan teng diner. Finally, ASMR in Sai Kung delves into the myriad tones and timbres of the open sea, which can be encountered during a lone stand-up paddle-boarding session. Both calming and provoking, the video series stars curious individuals exploring the outskirts of Hong Kong through a hyper-focused lens and culminates in a three-minute magnum opus, which brings all the contrasting elements together into one beautifully euphoric whole. The ASMR videos form part of the broader GOHK summer campaign, which will also showcase 13 seasonal routes, covering hiking and sightseeing destinations, island-hopping …

In anticipation of the opening of international borders, Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) invites the global conventions industry to collaborate on activating an initiative called Regenerating Legacies Recovery Roadmap. The industry is now more attuned to new realities through its relentless efforts in adapting to change. TCEB Conventions Department leans itself into this shift in mindset and behaviour to embark on this collaborative journey. “TCEB’s advocacy for industry collaboration is one of the campaign cornerstones when we launched Thailand: REDEFINE Your Business Events in 2018. Now, the Regenerating Legacies Recovery Roadmap begins with a series of conversations that call upon that collaborative spirit to revive the business of global conventions with a future-shaping attitude,” said Nichapa Yoswee, Senior Vice President at TCEB. Covid-19 aggravated Associations’ concerns around succession planning, evolutions that honour legacies and profitable innovations. The Regenerating Legacies conversations explore fundamental beliefs with association experts and industry partners to identify growth accelerators that cultivate valid advancements for the convention business ecosystems. Yoswee explains, “We seek to understand Associations’ pain points, but we cannot resolve them in isolation. We have to move beyond rumination and spearhead effective changes that reinforce the value perception of our industry.” “Redefining the future is not just an outcome. It is a journey with unexpected changes. The road to recovery challenges our resilience, but the way we respond is what matters most. Our team at TCEB is here to support association professionals in making informed decisions. What we can spearhead are robust conversations that attract agents for change and spark new approach for future generations.” A series of activities are in the pipeline to engage the convention industry on this collaborative recovery journey. Join …

Lords Hotels and Resorts, a  leading mid-segment hotel chain with over  42 hotels across India and Nepal is looking further to expand its presence across India and beyond.  The hospitality industry is facing an immense challenge due to this ongoing pandemic. Lords Hotels and Resorts with its extensive portfolio of brands like Plaza, Resorts, Inn, Eco Inn is seeking partnership with standalone hotel owners to enter into a management agreement. Pushpendra Bansal, COO of the group stated “ This is a right time for standalone hotels to partner with us as we offer a pan India sales network, dedicated revenue and market intelligence team, deepest pool of talent, extensive pre-opening support. Rigorous checks and balances during operations to enable owners maximize their revenues.” “In the coming months, Lords Hotel will be opening their second property both at  Rajkot and also in Jammu, followed by new hotels at Belgaum, Lucknow, Karjat, Shikrapur and three hotels in Gangtok. We are poised to reach more than 60 Hotels by 2022,” stated Bansal along with further expanding internationally. “Our new safety and Hygiene guidelines, along with vaccinated staff ensures a safe environment for all our guests. Individual hotels aligning with Lords Hotels can also benefit from our enhanced SOP and safety Protocol. A partnership with Lords Group is best suited for Individual hotels in these uncertain times to grow their Corporate, Mice and Leisure business,” he further said.  

Vistara in its industry-leading efforts to ensure the highest standards of safety on board, today operated India’s first flight with pilots and cabin crew fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The special flight UK963 on 16 June 2021 departed Delhi at 0850 Hours and arrived in Mumbai at 1110 Hours, operated by the crew that have received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. The crew will also be operating the return flight, UK 960, which is scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 1155 Hours and expected to reach Delhi at 1405 Hours today. Vistara plans to operate more such flights in the coming days as their number of fully vaccinated staff increases. Vinod Kannan, Chief Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “Vaccination is the best known defence against the pandemic that is helping the world get back to normalcy, subsequently aiding the recovery of the aviation industry. We have been consistently getting our staff vaccinated in our endeavour to ensure safety for them, their families and our customers whom they serve. This special flight operated by our fully vaccinated cabin crew and pilots is a sign of our continued commitment towards making ‘flying feel safe again.” The airline recently announced that it had got nearly 100% of its eligible employees vaccinated with at least their first doses. This included Vistara’s airport and corporate staff, cabin crew and pilots. Vistara continues to ramp up its efforts to ensure all eligible employees receive their second doses as well in time and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the earliest.

With its nationwide vaccination campaign in full swing, South Korea will allow group tours for fully vaccinated people under travel bubble agreement with countries like Singapore and Taiwan to start with, revealed the transport and culture ministries. It is believed that an air bubble with India and Korea is on the cards too. Apart from Singapore and Taiwan, the Government is planning to sign travel bubble agreements with  Thailand, Guam and Saipan for the exclusive travel partnership that have been relatively successful in containing and combating the pandemic within their respective borders, according to the transport ministry. To know more, register for Korea Travel Expo, scheduled on 23-24 June. For registrations, contact Jaspreet Kaur at jaspreet.kaur@ddppl.com

Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways & Ministry of Civil Aviation have signed an MoU for the development of seaplane services in India. Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the MoU between the two ministries will help in expediting the development of new water aerodromes and also operationalisation of new seaplane routes. “It gives a big fillip to the provision of a new kind of tourism,” he said.

New research from GlobalData reveals that travellers prefer booking directly with companies, leaving Online Travel Agents (OTAs) behind. In a recent poll, a total of 39% of respondents said they would typically book directly, followed by 17% that said they opted for OTAs and price comparison sites. Flexible cancellation and straightforward refund policies offered by direct booking are the reasons stated by the respondents for choosing direct booking.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has asked officials to prepare a roadmap for reviving the tourism sector while utilising the budget allocated to the state tourism department. In a review meeting of the tourism department, Gehlot stressed on effective marketing and promotion of key tourist destinations, fairs and festivals of the state at international level.

Air travellers from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will no longer have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report when they land at the Delhi airport. Airlines have informed their passengers that no mandatory RT-PCR negative test report is required for passengers from these 3 states.

Sharing details of his meeting with Goa CM as well as its Tourism Minister, Nilesh Shah, President, TTAG, says, “Our team met the CM along with the Tourism Minister, Chairman GTDC, Chief Secretary, Tourism Secretary, and Director Tourism of GTDC. We have requested them to conduct an image-rebuilding exercise for Goa to undo the negative publicity received by the state during the last two to three months which has affected the image of Goa as a safe and secure destination.”