Tag: Travel

Hong Kong – To make it easier for riders on the platform to plan their travels and have a ‘stress-free ride’ to and from the Hong Kong International Airport, Uber has announced the launch of its new feature, ‘Uber Travel’, along with its ‘Peace of Mind with Reserve’ campaign that offers trip promotions and travel amenities.

The new feature and campaign will help travellers from planning their trip, reserving a ride to the airport, to getting a complimentary travel kit including an eye mask and traveller sim card. 

With Uber Travel, Hong Kong travellers can plan on ground transportation ahead of important occasions. It will also enable riders to see all of their travel itineraries, such as flights, hotels and rides, all in one button.

In partnership with AwardWallet, Uber Travel also offers riders the option to manually import

and organise hotels, flights, and restaurant reservations into a single itinerary view. With this and Uber’s ride reservation feature Uber Reserve, the platform promises a ‘more reliable and stress-free ride experience.’

“We want every Uber trip experience to be comfortable and effortless. To celebrate the strong comeback of international travel and the government’s ‘Happy Hong Kong’ Campaign, we are offering travelers and our platform’s riders with trip promotions to try Uber Reserve – a feature that allows riders to book a ride through the app for up to 30 days ahead,” said Estyn Chung, general manager of Uber Hong Kong.

Chung added, “Whether at home town or overseas, Uber wants to make sure every trip of our riders is being well taken care of, and they can always count on the comfortable familiarity of an Uber experience.”

This follows Uber’s launch of Journey Ads in Australia, its first advertising option that is targeted for purchase-minded riders.

Melbourne, Australia – Creative agency Town Square crafts a new brand platform and integrated campaign for one of Australia’s leading travel and experience companies Journey Beyond to bring awareness about iconic rail journeys in Australia whilst inspiring tourists to visit the country.

Titled ‘Australia by Train’, this brand platform features iconic onboarding experiences of travellers who are riding the trains of The Ghan, Indian Pacific and Great Southern – which are included in the company’s portfolio of tour, cruise and destination brands – whilst showcasing tourist spots and activities that can be experienced in Australia.

The brand platform also encourages travellers to book reservations for the three train services to experience the memorable train journeys.

Brendan Day, creative director at Town Square, said that the brand platform shows a relevant and distinctive narrative that makes it different from other tourism products.

“This was about capturing the romance of a bygone era and the nostalgia that comes from it, but like the trains, always pushing forward in a progressive, considered and stylised way,” Day added.

Meanwhile, Justine Lally, general manager of marketing at Journey Beyond, said that she’s proud of the launching of Australia by Train integrated campaign.

“The trains are Australian icons and being able to evolve the brand to engage even more Australians and overseas visitors is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to share more of what these trains have in store,” she added.

Other works from the brand platform will run nationally across television, print, OOH, online and social.

Singapore – Singapore Airlines, the national air carrier of Singapore and the market’s most considered brand, has released its latest global campaign which spotlights the real meaning of world-class. 

In collaboration with agencies TBWA\ and PHD, the latest campaign is presented through the eyes of the airline’s cabin crew who, through travel, encounters people, cultures, and places around the world, reflecting that the airline can bring this kind of exceptional experience to their customers.

Lee Lik Hsin, executive vice president for commercial of Singapore Airlines, said that the airline is committed to giving excellent service, citing that the customer is the ‘heart’ of everything they do. 

Mandy Wong, president of TBWA\ Singapore added, “We needed the new narrative to be futureproof so it could maintain relevancy in the ever evolving travel landscape of consumers’ changing travel motivations. With Welcome to World Class, it wholly captures the Airline’s unparalleled service leadership, and digital experience offerings.”

Other works from the campaign are shared across global and local channels from mainstream broadcast stations to digital and print, and key OOH placements in London, New York, Tokyo, and Singapore. More materials will be released this year such as new innovative media in the pipeline, with key brand assets, and content series starring its cabin crew through an authentic lens.

In 2021, the airline also released a campaign titled ‘Look forward to flying again with Singapore Airlines’, indicating a significant step in its recovery when the borders reopened across the world.

Singapore – Due to concerns about inflation and rising costs, travel and leisure e-commerce platform Klook’s new survey results have unveiled that four out of five travellers (77%) in Asia are anxious about travelling next year.

However, despite these concerns, 81% of the respondents still plan to travel, with one-third of them wanting to make two to four trips in 2023. Meanwhile, 92% of travellers in Singapore are likewise eager to travel.

The study also revealed that 63% of travellers in Asia are worried about the increasing travel prices, with Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan travellers ranking the highest for cost as a concern. Amidst this, 80% are still planning to spend the same or more on travel. 

Moreover, Singaporeans are among the most excited to travel despite their worries, with 40% intending to spend more on travel in 2023. Meanwhile, concerns around COVID-19 still stand, with 39% worried about catching the virus while on holiday. 

It also found that despite the anxiety over the global recession, Asians are still not giving up on travel as 35% of the respondents plan to opt for a nearer destination or travel during off-peak seasons, while 34% are willing to cut back on other expenses in order to save more for travel.

Marcus Yong, vice president for global marketing at Klook, predicts travellers will remain resilient against all odds in 2023. “After two years of being grounded, travel is now an experience that people treasure more than ever before, and this is clear from our survey data.”

He added, “Although travel behavior and attitudes have evolved in the past few years, we still see that travelers are ready to adapt and determined to travel no matter what it takes in search of the joys and rewards of travel.”

Yong also mentioned that 2023 is the year of ‘Travelsilience’, which stands for travel and resilience. This means that travellers pursue travel to create new experiences despite all struggles and hindrances.

The survey was conducted in November 2022 via Stickybeak, drawing 902 respondents across nine markets including Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, and Korea.

Klook has previously partnered digital travel agency Booking.com to enable travellers to access Klook attractions directly on the latter’s platform.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – airasia Super App’s SUPER+,  its flight subscription offering, is now made available for purchase worldwide, enabling its subscribers to fly further and enjoy more perks across the whole airasia ecosystem.

SUPER+ will be offering two options for subscribers with different destination preferences: the SUPER+ Lite which covers all ASEAN countries, and the SUPER+ Premium which covers all countries operated by airasia including destinations in Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Maldives, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Saudi Arabia. 

Both subscription plans include unlimited 10% off for airasia rides and an unlimited 5% discount on all hotels on the airasia Super App.

“For the first time, we are opening up the new SUPER+ for everyone across the globe to buy, even those in the US, Europe and all other regions. For travellers from the West, this SUPER+ product is the best flight and lifestyle subscription for them to fully maximise and obtain the best value to rediscover the beauty of Asia,” said Amanda Woo, CEO of airasia Super App.

She also shared that the initial launch last March gained more than 100,000 subscribers across Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines with over half a million flights already redeemed.

“We are excited to be the only super app platform in the market to bring a product such as SUPER+ to the world and for more to enjoy the airasia way of life with this subscription,” she added.

Meanwhile, Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, also commented, “The SUPER+ subscription captures the beauty of our airasia Super App platform ecosystem, which brings together all of our airlines and travel products and services like hotels, along with our e-commerce offerings such as airasia ride, which is also included as a SUPER+ benefit.”

The airasia Super App has also previously launched the in-app e-wallet feature ‘airasia pocket’, which enables users to reload and make payments for all products and services the app offers.

Singapore – Travel service provider Trip.com has launched a new interactive social campaign called ‘Just Like That’, which leverages the latest traveller preferences and insights to make it easier than ever for consumers to meet loved ones abroad and explore the world again as borders reopen and restrictions ease.

With many COVID-related travel constraints removed, Trip.com continues its journey to make reconnection and rediscovery a snap – especially with many avid travellers already setting out for their next adventure and exploring global destinations ‘Just Like That’.

As part of Trip.com’s first social campaign in Southeast Asia post-pandemic, the innovative travel service provider is collaborating with over 100 KOLs in markets across Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to storytell the emotional aspects of travel, such as reconnecting with loved ones as well as showcasing the ease of using Trip.com for travel bookings. 

The KOLs include @adirasalahudi, @syarif.ig, @widsawaphatiew. The campaign will demonstrate how simple it is to book a fulfilling travel experience that fits each consumer’s needs, be it planning a romantic honeymoon in the Maldives, having an inspiring off-site meeting in Bali, or a culinary trip in Tokyo.

In addition, Trip.com will be running a #MyTripJustLikeThat giveaway on social media from now to 20 November 2022. Trip.com users from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand stand to win prizes worth up to S$1,200, MYR 4,200 and THB 35,000 respectively, including Trip coins, hotel vouchers, tickets and more.

Singapore – Digital travel agency Booking.com has announced a long-term strategic partnership with Klook, a travel and leisure e-commerce platform, to enable travellers to access Klook attractions directly on Booking.com.

The new global partnership will connect travellers on the go with seamless access to an even greater range of attractions and things to do, all instantly bookable on Booking.com. 

Booking.com said that Klook is the latest attractions partner to integrate with the platform. Klook experiences are now live in over 175 cities, across over 30 markets on Booking.com, and the majority of these are available in Asia and Oceania.

Matthias Schmid, SVP for the trips division at Booking.com, shared that this year was an important year for travel, as borders are opening up, restrictions are easing, and travellers are once again travelling – and showing more enthusiasm and vigour than ever before.

“What a time to be partnering with Klook, a well-known, highly respected household name for travel and experiences, particularly in the Asia Pacific, where this new partnership will significantly increase our coverage and offering within the region. We’re very excited about this collaboration and all the new attractions and experiences we can now provide,” said Schmid.

Meanwhile, Wilfred Fan, chief commercial officer at Klook, commented that they are delighted to partner with Booking.com, connecting their user base to the amazing and unique experiences that the Asia Pacific region has to offer. 

“Cross-border travel in the Asia Pacific is just taking off, and this partnership will enable our merchants to reach an even larger customer demographic globally and accelerate travel recovery in the region,” said Fan.

Singapore – Online travel agency Booking.com was revealed as the best-perceived travel brand amongst responsible travellers in Singapore with 21.3 scores, according to market research company YouGov.

The report also found that the fellow travel booking platforms Agoda with 18.7 scores, Expedia with 17.6 scores, and Klook with 17.6 scores were closely behind the top spot.

Meanwhile, hospitality companies Shangri-La and Marriott ranked fifth and sixth, with consideration scores of 17.0 and 15.3 respectively. This was followed by online travel agency Trip.com with 14.2 scores, accommodation booking platform Hotels.com with 14.0 scores, and Airbnb with 13.5 scores. And lastly, the Luxury hotel Grand Hyatt rounded off the top ten with a consideration score of 12.8.

“The YouGov Travel Brand Rankings 2022 is aimed at understanding how travel brands differentiate in the eyes of responsible travellers – defined as those who self-identify as being wellness-focused, culturally minded, and caring about environmental impact. The rankings spotlight the brands that score higher in terms of consideration amongst this audience group, based on YouGov BrandIndex Consideration scores from July 2021 to June 2022,” said YouGov.

Singapore – Online travel agency and reservations company Booking.com has launched the second edition of its ‘Booking Explorers’ campaign, where it features more inspiring travel stories from leading personalities across Asia-Pacific.

This year’s campaign features five new personalities from Australia, India, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. They include Former MasterChef Australia grand finalist Simon Toohey, upcoming Bollywood actor and Mumbai native Shanaya Kapoor, multidisciplinary artist MY Q, nature-loving lifestyle personality Tran Quang Dai, and Japanese supermodel Ai Tominaga.

Through this year’s Explorers, Booking.com aims to continue to celebrate the relentless spirit of travel, and their desire to keep experiencing and exploring all things new and familiar, whether it’s in their own backyards or around their home countries. 

“However, as much of the world seeks to travel again, we also recognise the need for sustainability: from avoiding single-use plastic and making smart, responsible choices when choosing stays, to transforming how and where we travel to so that we minimise our impact on the destinations we visit; and hopefully leave our destinations better than when we first arrived,” the company said.

Laura Houldsworth, managing director for Asia-Pacific at Booking.com, said, “As the world returns to travel with great enthusiasm, we want to inspire travellers in Asia Pacific through the rich stories of our explorers. They are truly inspirational with their desire to keep exploring despite the challenges faced — and now they invite us to dig deeper into the sights and cultures of the countries they call home and the destinations we likely have yet to discover. I hope these stories stir travellers everywhere to open their hearts and minds to new experiences and put sustainability at the forefront of all they do.”

The first ‘Booking Explorers’ campaign was first launched in August 2021.

Mumbai, India – Marriott Bonvoy, a travel programme and marketplace under Marriott International, has brought its ‘Here’ campaign videos alive, with an immersive anamorphic installation at Cyber Hub, Gurugram, and Phoenix Mills (Palladium) in Mumbai until 26 September 2022. This installation was created by Inventech, a Laqshya Media Group company.

The ‘Here‘ campaign, which was created in collaboration with Singapore-based creative company, The Secret Little Agency, and was launched last August 2022, builds on Marriott Bonvoy‘s global tagline ‘Where Can We Take You’, with ‘Here’ as an expression for revelling the authentic, relatable little moments missed by travellers. These videos celebrate the power of travel with moments everyone can relate to; from trips to beach destinations or mountains, the local videos capture cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Mussoorie, Gurgaon, Kochi, and Goa.

Khushnooma Kapadia, Marriott International’s senior area director of marketing for South Asia, noted that as an organisation, they are constantly innovating to find new-age communication vehicles customised for an audience that has the appetite to consume narratives that appeal to their evolved sensibilities. 

“Our members are now eager to travel and get back on the road, and with this immersive activation, we want to help them discover all the places and experiences our hotels have to offer. This is an attempt to engage with our audience in a high-impact visible format with the travel content we have developed,” said Kapadia.

Meanwhile, Sommnath Sengupta, CEO of Inventech, a Laqshya Media Group company, shared that the 3D DOOH format is extremely dynamic and engaging, and it changes the relationship with the recipient as it is impossible to go by without noticing it, as well as it is changing the way people interact with advertisements – it’s futuristic. 

“With the right amalgamation of art, science, and technology, our super-skilled, experienced, passionate team has created this best-in-the-class user experience for Marriott Bonvoy TG. Our immersive content ideas and interactive storytelling solutions for our clients with cutting-edge, next-generation technology differentiate us from the others,” said Sengupta.