Starfish Travel Corporation Team

A public market offering may be possible for Red Sea Global, which is entirely controlled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and intends to begin operations as early as 2026. According to Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano in an interview with Bloomberg, the business is now considering different possibilities for a public market event, such as an IPO or the creation of a real estate investment trust (REIT). Pagano stated that the firm is now having early negotiations with banks and stakeholders, despite the fact that he did not disclose any information regarding advisors, banks, or valuation. After the hotels have been open for around two years, with a track record of demonstrated occupancy, cash flow, and profitability, he said the business expects to go public by 2026 or 2027. The company’s top objective right now is to develop an income source that will sustain its worth. According to Pagano, the idea of publicly traded real estate corporations has mostly vanished from the perspective of global real estate markets. Instead, because to their lower tax rates and accessibility to a larger variety of investors, real estate investment funds are growing in popularity. Vision 2030 flagship projects for Saudi Arabia In 2021, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund combined two state-controlled developers to create Red Sea Global, and Amaala was taken up by the Red Sea Development Company. The Red Sea Development Company, a leading developer of tourism-related projects in Saudi Arabia, changed its name to Red Sea Global last year. The Red Sea Project and Amaala are what Pagano, in a previous interview with Skift, referred to as the “flagship projects” for Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. He claimed that the new projects will be crucial to welcoming foreign tourists to the nation. The two projects are anticipated to generate 120,000 employment by 2030, including 70,000 direct jobs and 50,000 indirect jobs. Upon completion in 2027, Amaala is anticipated to cover an area of more than 4,000 square kilometres, have 25 hotels, and contain close to 900 luxurious villas, flats, and estate houses. It is estimated that the first phase of construction would offer more than 1,300 hotel rooms spread over eight resorts by mid-2024. The first three hotels at the Red Sea Project will open in 2023, followed by the remaining 13 in 2024, according to Nicholas King, group chief development officer of Red Sea Global, who made the announcement during the Skift Global Forum East in Dubai last year. Source: skift

Since March 15, Diamond Princess has offered travellers 5- to 19-day Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan cruise itineraries. HONG KONG Princess Cruises, the top-selling cruise line in the world, is renowned for its distinctive itineraries and personalised at-sea vacations. Princess Cruises has been working hard for three years to get back to sailing in Asia. Princess’s comeback heralds cruise travel for passengers unlike any other, setting the standard in Asia. From Japan, the first stop is made. As The Love Boat, Princess Cruises continues to offer customers top-notch cuisine, popular shows and activities, one-of-a-kind excursions, and relaxing experiences on board the Diamond Princess, a ship with Japanese influences that is specially designed for the Asian market. During this wonderful seaside vacation, guests will experience love all over again and scream “I Love This Boat” together. Since March 15, Diamond Princess has offered travellers 5- to 19-day Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan cruise itineraries. The reopening of the routes includes tours leaving from Kobe in addition to homeport trips from Yokohama. 57 departures, 43 distinctive trips, and 38 destinations. May is the month to celebrate “Love,” and Princess Cruises has a limited promotion for free upper beds from now through May 15 on new bookings for the third and fourth guests. This discount enables travellers to get together with family and friends on the Love Boat and have a good time at sea. May also marks the arrival of Mother’s Day, the Japanese Golden Week, and Korea’s family festivals. Intelligent ships, Endless Possibilities The Diamond Princess has the most Japanese influences. Mitsubishi built the Diamond Princess, which offers passengers a straightforward, cosy, and opulent cruise experience in true Japanese style. The 116,000-ton ship was built with Japanese ports in mind, but Diamond Princess also gives you a holiday that is uniquely yours with its Princess MedallionClass experience and next-generation technologies. The Diamond Princess offers its visitors the Lotus Spa, Sanctuary, bars, delicious sashimi at Kai Sushi, the tranquil IZUMI Japanese Bath, and more hidden gems. Diamond Princess now has Japanese bidets in public toilets and the opulent surround sound system of Movies Under the Stars following a significant makeover in 2019. The Princess Theatre, Explorers Lounge, and Club Fusion renovations give visitors an improved, more substantial Japanese-style experience. The main pool deck LED lighting has been improved for a more brilliant and colourful entertainment experience. The legendary Diamond Princess cruise line offers individualised holidays in addition to being a beautiful vessel. Your Medallion, a wearable gadget the size of a quarter that enables touch-free boarding, the ability to locate loved ones anywhere on the ship, and enhanced services like having everything you need delivered, is where it all starts. Ten Years of Carnival in Hong Kong Princess Cruises strives to grow the Asian cruise industry while giving customers the greatest experience possible. Princess Cruises will keep aggressively coordinating its preparations with those of the government and other authorities. “After putting a lot of work into starting up again in Japan, I think a lot of people are as thrilled as I am to see Princess Cruises make another trip to Asia. Gee Chan, the recently hired Regional Director, expressed optimism that more flights and homeports will restart in the near future. Source: traveldailynews

ATE24 will take place from May 19 to May 23, 2024, and representatives from 30 different nations are anticipated. The largest annual tourism trade show in Australia, the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), will be hosted in the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from Sunday, May 19, to Thursday, May 23, 2024, for the first time since 2015. On the trade floor of ATE23 on the Gold Coast, Phillipa Harrison, the managing director of Tourism Australia, confirmed Melbourne as the event’s new host city. This year, the ATE returned to the Gold Coast in its original format after a number of years of hybrid events. “We can’t wait to work with Visit Victoria to deliver another amazing ATE in 2024,” Ms. Harrison said. “Melbourne has proudly hosted our premier travel trade event on eight occasions in the past. We look forward to taking ATE, and more than 2,000 delegates, back to Melbourne to drive future tourism business across Australia.” “ATE brings together tourism businesses, wholesalers, and retailers from all over the world for four days of meetings, as well as networking events, which are more crucial than ever as competition for the tourism dollar increases.” Melbourne will host ATE24 for the eighth time; the city has held the event in 1991, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2015. 2020 was scheduled to take place in Melbourne, but the pandemic throughout the world prevented that from happening. ATE gives tourist businesses around the nation the chance to network with and conduct business with foreign buyers. ATE24 will take place from May 19 to May 23, 2024, and representatives from 30 different nations are anticipated. Tourism Australia will offer ATE24 in collaboration with Visit Victoria. Source: traveldailynews

A ferry trip from Charleston International Airport in South Carolina to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi employed a combination of 30% SAF and 70% conventional jet fuel, which reduced CO2 emissions by around 1,50,000 pounds throughout the fuel’s lifetime. Gurungam – The best full-service airline in India, Vistara, a joint venture between TATA Group and Singapore Airlines, was the first in the country to fly a wide-body aircraft on a paid domestic route on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). On a brand-new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operated by Vistara, this incredible achievement was accomplished while flying from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), Delhi, to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, using a fuel mixture of 17% SAF and 83% regular jet fuel. On this journey, Vistara was able to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by almost 10,000 pounds. This innovative programme is a cornerstone of Vistara’s continuous efforts to reduce carbon emissions and promote the aviation industry’s transition to a sustainable future. For the first time ever by an Indian airline, Vistara flew a wide-body aircraft on a lengthy overseas flight last month using sustainable aviation fuel. A ferry trip from Charleston International Airport in South Carolina to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi employed a combination of 30% SAF and 70% conventional jet fuel, which reduced CO2 emissions by around 1,50,000 pounds throughout the fuel’s lifetime. “We have always been committed to driving sustainability and innovation in aviation, and are delighted to carry out yet another industry-first initiative of operating a commercial flight on a wide-body using SAF,” remarked Mr. Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer of Vistara, at this time. We appreciate the assistance from our partners and the appropriate authorities. Together with other TATA group airline businesses, Vistara has made significant efforts to lower carbon emissions via the application of green technology. In order to work together on the study, development, and use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs), they had signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Indian Institute of Petroleum last year. Vistara also works to reduce CO2 emissions for international flights and the industry’s contribution to climate change through the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). Vistara is the top-rated airline in India according to Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has won several ‘Best Airline’ accolades. It is also praised for maintaining high safety standards and providing world-class cabin cleanliness. In addition to being recognised as the “Best Airline in India and Southern Asia” for the second consecutive year, “Best Airline Staff Service in India and Southern Asia” for the fourth consecutive year, “Best Cabin Crew in India and Southern Asia” for the second consecutive year, and “Best Business Class in India and Southern Asia” at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards 2022, the airline has recently been listed among the top 20 airlines in the world. At the 2023 Regional Passenger Choice Awards, Vistara was also recognised as the ‘Best Overall Airline’ in Central/Southern Asia. Additionally, Vistara has just been recognised as Asia’s Third Youngest Airline Fleet for the second year in a row by ch-aviation. Club Big victories for Vistara at the 2023 Freddie Awards Additionally, Club Vistara, the airline’s frequent flyer programme, took up three honours at the renowned 2023 Freddie honours. Club Vistara won prizes for “Best Promotion,” “Best Redemption Ability,” and “Programme of the Year” at an event held at The Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Despite competing against some of the biggest and most established frequent flyer programmes in the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania, Club Vistara won the Freddie Awards with flying colours. With the sole purpose of guaranteeing an upgraded experience for its expanding member base, Club Vistara has continually improved the offers of its lifestyle programme in keeping with its customer-centric approach. The programme now provides simple flight and upgrade refunds starting at 2000 CV Points and 500 CV Points, respectively, and value-based earning. Recently, it offered free online extensions for vouchers and points that make it easier and more flexible to use CV Points to book upgrades or award flights. Additionally, Club Vistara has been offering its members a number of special promotions, such as the 100% Points Back offer, the Redemption Sale, the Incredible Premium offer, and the Points Transfer Fest. For example, Club Vistara Escapades gave participants the possibility to win rare vacations and immersive experiences as well as the option to share their experiences with the world on social media in order to further engage their member base. Deepak Rajawat, Chief Commercial Officer of Vistara, commented on the accomplishment, saying, “It is incredibly encouraging for all of us at Vistara to receive honoured at such a prominent worldwide platform. It also serves as motivation for us to keep providing the greatest incentives and travel experiences to our frequent flyer programme participants. We want to gratefully thank all of our devoted members for their continued support and thank the Freddie Awards for these honours. Voting for the 1988-established Freddie Awards, which are one of the most sought honours in the travel business, is done by regular fliers and hotel guests. Programme of the Year, Best Promotion, Best Redemption Ability, Best Customer Service, Best Elite Programme, and Best Loyalty Credit Card are among the six categories in which excellence is recognised. Club Vistara is a no-cost membership programme that provides its members with exclusive advantages and rewards including Upgrade Awards, Award Flights, and much more. Vistara is steadfast in its commitment to keep improving the programme and making sure that its customers enjoy themselves whenever and wherever they visit. Source: traveldailynews

Rentals United gives property managers access to more than 60 channels, including popular, niche, and location-specific websites, to manage listings. MakeMyTrip is now a channel partner of Rentals United, a well-known channel manager and vacation rental platform. By giving property managers the chance to diversify their listings and draw reservations from a quickly expanding market, this new agreement will help Rentals United establish itself as a major player in the Asian holiday rental industry. The largest online travel agency in South Asia, MakeMyTrip has operations in India, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. MakeMyTrip is a one-stop travel shop that offers services for all travel circumstances, whether domestic or international, including booking hotels, renting cars, organising holidays, and other travel-related needs. Property managers have a tremendous chance to reach millions of prospective clients thanks to MakeMyTrip. Rentals United CEO James Burrows expressed enthusiasm for the arrangement. “Integrating to MakeMyTrip, one of the most important channels in India, is consistent with our objective to give our consumers access to top-notch regional channels. Diversifying your listings, in our opinion, is essential for boosting bookings and earnings. Offering your homes on MakeMyTrip will provide visitors from Asia, the UAE, and other countries access to a new world. Customers of Rentals United may easily connect their calendars and reservations with all other channels in an established, safe, and trustworthy online environment. Users never have to be concerned about scheduling conflicts or price differences because to the seamless connectivity. Rentals United gives property managers access to more than 60 channels, including popular, niche, and location-specific websites, to manage listings. Along with the platform’s acclaimed channel manager, Rentals United users also have access to a guest communication tool, website builder, data platform, and automatic listing quality checker. Source: traveldailynews

This distinctive festival of Loei province in Thailand’s northeastern region is also known as the Ghost Festival and is bursting with colour, culture, and tradition. The Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival, commonly known as the Ghost Festival, will take place from June 23 to June 25, 2023, in the Dan Sai area of the northeastern province of Loei, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). The magnificent Phi Ta Khon procession of residents who dance and strike postures while wearing enormous masks imaginatively constructed from carved coconut-tree trunks, topped with wicker sticky-rice steamers that make them look taller and more hideous, is the most recognisable aspect of the three-day celebration. On the first day (Friday, June 23), there will be stage performances, a cultural ritual, a spirit-calling ceremony, and food offerings to the temple’s monks. The festival’s formal opening ceremony will take place in front of the Dan Sai District Office on day two (Saturday, June 24). This will be followed by a summoning of spirits, the great Phi Ta Khon procession, the creation of merit, and the firing of bamboo rockets. On the third day (Sunday, June 25), Phon-Chai Temple will host 13 consecutive Buddhist sermons, as well as a parade of successive sermons from every hamlet in the Dan Sai District. Source: traveldailynews

This year, Airbnb anticipates a record number of visitors despite escalating economic uncertainty, with a renewed focus on renting single rooms. Airbnb is confident about consumers’ appetite to travel despite increased living expenses; the business anticipates hosting more than 300 million visitors this year. According to the short-term rental website, nights stayed in private room listings in Australia increased by over 50% last year as tourists looked for more economical lodging choices. According to data given by Airbnb, private room hosts in Australia made $92.3 million in total, with the average private room host making more than $4160. According to Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb’s national manager for Australia, the company remains confident in clients’ willingness to travel despite shifting economic difficulties. More individuals are using Airbnb to travel; as of today, there have been 1.4 billion total guest arrivals worldwide. We observe more visitors visiting over a larger range of dates and locations, and guests now possess a previously unattainable level of flexibility. While Australians are keeping a tight rein on their money, Ms. Wheeldon said there is still a strong desire to travel, which is primarily motivated by the need for connection. She told news.com.au that according to an Airbnb worldwide study, more than 60% of travellers thought that using Airbnb allowed them to connect with the local culture more closely than doing so by staying in a hotel or resort. Since Airbnb’s launch, “more than 14 million guests have returned to the same host for a subsequent stay.” The most popular categories for visitors to Australia are beach, incredible pools, surfing, national parks, and tropical. Since we launched Airbnb Categories in May of last year, rooms have remained one of our most popular accommodation options, ranking as the third most booked category worldwide, according to Ms. Wheeldon. “Millennials and solo travellers are most likely to book a private room,” says Expedia. People want vacation to be inexpensive in the present economic climate, she claimed, and private rooms are one such choice. According to her, the average cost of a private room in Australia is $104 a night. With the easing of the pandemic travel restrictions, Airbnb anticipates receiving over 300 million visitors this year. “To get ready, we’re making the most comprehensive set of improvements across almost every aspect of the Airbnb experience, and we’re doing it based on direct feedback from our community,” said Airbnb. Starting with the launch of Airbnb Rooms, Airbnb has revealed 50 new features and enhancements as of Thursday. “Airbnb Rooms is a whole unique spin on Airbnb. According to her, Airbnb Rooms are more reasonably priced for visitors and provide them the chance to make new friends and explore the area like a native. For around $100 per night, guests can rent a room in the same house or flat as their host. Despite the fact that Airbnb has long featured single rooms in homes and flats, the business claims the new service will provide additional biographical information about hosts. Additionally, customers may search listings to find out information like whether the toilet is private or shared and if the bedroom door locks. “We’ve heard from guests that they want to know more about who they’re staying with, which is why we’ve introduced Host Passports, a fun way for hosts to share additional details about themselves, including what they do for work, fun facts about themselves, and much more,” said Ms. Wheeldon. In order to improve our service, “we’ve taken a design-driven approach, storyboarding the entire guest and host journey, and analysing thousands of pieces of community feedback.” In addition to the 25 host-focused changes, Airbnb is introducing new pricing tools to assist hosts establish reasonable charges as part of the new features and upgrades. Source: escape

The entire airport is covered by a recruiting effort for open vacancies. Prague Airport is getting ready for a busy summer, when it anticipates handling more than three million passengers, based on current projections. Travellers should prepare for their travel in advance and go to the airport at least two hours prior to takeoff. The busy summer season has returned. We have spent a lot of time preparing for this. We started a recruiting effort and invited potential candidates to two recruitment events at the airport, where we presented them with a range of career opportunities. We collaborate closely with tour operators and give travellers advice on how to be ready for trip. Ji Pos, Chairman of the Prague Airport Board of Directors, said, “We are also starting measures that will ease the challenging summer traffic for us in the coming years, such replacing X-rays at security screening locations. The entire airport is covered by the recruiting drive for open posts. “Providing travellers with information on how to be ready for their trip far in advance has proven valuable for us. Therefore, we are continuing our broad education effort this year and urging travellers to get to the airport early—at least two hours before departure. Additionally, after checking in, we ask them to proceed directly to passport control or security,” said Eva Krej, director of communications. Source: traveldailynews

At the moment, Vilnius Airport’s commercial area is roughly 3,300 square metres (warehouses, technical facilities, and offices not included). In addition to the 11 other retail and service establishments, there are 6 Duty Free stores. The Lithuanian capital’s Vilnius Airport is catching up to pre-pandemic records and anticipates continued steady expansion. The biggest civil airport in Lithuania is currently building a new departure terminal, which should be finished in 2025. The terminal will greatly enhance commercial space for merchants, caterers, and other service providers in addition to increasing the airport’s capacity by more than 14,000 square metres. A record 5 million passengers passed through Vilnius Airport in 2019, and in 2022, following the epidemic, travellers are travelling once more; 3.9 million people travelled to and from Vilnius last year. Forecasts from Lithuanian Airports state that during the following ten years, the number of travellers will increase to about 7.5 million annually. “Based on our projections, the number of passengers at Vilnius Airport is anticipated to increase on average by around 8% annually. Gintar Norvilait-Tautevi, chief commercial officer of Lithuanian Airports, says, “We are geared up for this and growing to be able to meet the needs of our passengers and to offer them more high-quality places to shop, eat delicious and speedy meals, and receive other services that are pertinent to travellers. The amount of commercial space will increase by 1.5 times. At the moment, Vilnius Airport’s commercial area is roughly 3,300 square metres (warehouses, technical facilities, and offices not included). In addition to the 11 other retail and service establishments, there are 6 Duty Free stores. The commercial area will rise to 5,000 square metres when the current infrastructure is rebuilt and connected to the new departure terminal. This will include up to 1.9 thousand square metres of Duty Free stores. Twelve more retail and service establishments, including a pharmacy and a service for packing bags, will be available, and a comparable space will be set aside for cafes and restaurants. Lithuanian Airports will also allow market participants from outside to take part in the bids; for instance, the Duty Free tenders will only be open to enterprises from abroad. “Two sizable Duty Free outlets are in the works for the airport. Instead of having numerous tiny stores, a huge space for one is considerably more appealing. The merchant may utilise it more effectively, customise it, and incorporate more intriguing, original ideas. According to Norvilait-Tautevi, passengers also like shops with more space. Planned are 13 eateries and cafés There will be 13 more dining options at Vilnius Airport than the current nine. The goal is to accommodate all of the passengers’ wants; some are in a rush and want something cheap and quick to eat, while others have more time and prefer scrumptious, maybe upscale, fare. “We want to be able to provide passengers with a wide selection of food and beverages in Vilnius, so that all visitors may find what they desire. The Chief Commercial Officer of Lithuanian Airports adds, “We also anticipate that there will be individuals prepared to develop a brand or restaurant concept just for our airport. The first of the anticipated 2024 bids for the supply of commerce and services in commercial spaces at Vilnius Airport is anticipated to be released at the start of the year. The rehabilitation process will determine the timetable, but it is anticipated that the first stores will open in early 2025 and that all commercial spaces will be occupied and operating within a year or two. Source: traveldailynews