Dear friends and business partners,
I am elated to see borders reopening after two years. Inquiries and bookings are on the rise, and our teams primed to share their amazing destinations. Although some of our countries have not yet transitioned from pandemic to endemic status, strategies have been in place to adapt to the different scenarios across Asia so each country office is ready for a return to restriction-free travel.
We have scrutinised supplier transportation safety protocols and checked hotel quality controls – just some of the measures undertaken to ensure we are equipped to provide the best leisure and incentive products.
Nothing brings me more pleasure than to see messages of support from afar and an expressed desire from people in distant lands to resume exploration of our countries of operation. Asia is back and we are eager to share it with you!
Indonesia Targets Medical Tourism
Bali venue for international hospital
Bali is set to become a major medical tourism destination through the creation of a pioneering healthcare centre.
The island’s Sanur region is the site of the Bali International Hospital, a facility that is currently under development in partnership with the renowned US-based Mayo Clinic. Besides attracting foreign medical tourists, the initiative aims to reduce the number of Indonesians seeking treatment abroad so billions of dollars lost in annual medical spending overseas can be funnelled into the local healthcare sector.
The complex is due to open in mid-2023 and it will feature six healthcare centres, a convention centre and retail villages for small and medium-sized enterprises. An estimated two million Indonesians go overseas every year for medical treatment.
Asian Trails Backs Healthy Style
New certification for tourism sector
Our office in Laos is proud to announce that all in-house guides and drivers have been certified under the ‘Lao Safe’ health and wellbeing scheme. This approval is part of a national campaign to improve health and hygiene practices in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Instigated by the ministries of health, education, sport and information, culture and tourism, and supported by Swiss and Luxembourg agencies for development, the ‘Lao Safe’ programme aims to raise standards in line with global good practices. It is focused on accommodation providers, food and beverage outlets, airlines, tourist attractions, tour guides and drivers.
Over the course of two days, our staff were trained and certified on personal grooming, hygiene standards, staff and tourist safety and risk management.
Search For Leopards in China
Trip to the roof of the world
With over 60 per cent of the world’s snow leopard population living in the Tibetan Plateau, Asian Trails has devised a brand new two-week excursion to track this elusive animal.
The adventure is conducted under the guidance of local wildlife experts. Most of the snow leopard population roams the sparsely populated Yushu Tibet Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province. This remote and high altitude wilderness region rises to an elevation of 3,689 metres, and is packed with exceptional natural beauty, cultural significance, along with extensive flora and fauna. Snow leopards are elusive and referred to as ‘ghosts of the mountains’, by the locals.
Their territory typically covers a vast, rocky span of mountains above 3,000 metres in elevation and our trackers know this terrain intimately.
Singapore Hotel in Prime Spot
Convenient location for shopaholics
Voco Orchard Singapore is the hot new hotel in the heart of Orchard Road, the island-state’s leading shopping hub. This location provides exciting dining and entertainment options on the hotel’s doorstep.
Places further afield are also easily accessible by a nearby underground rail station. Besides browsing the glitzy stores of the island’s main shopping metropolis, attractions such as iconic Marina Bay are in close proximity. Hotel facilities include four restaurants, a two-storey shopping gallery, a rooftop pool and a fitness centre. The 423 guestrooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that provide amazing panoramic views.
Designed with sustainability in mind, the hotel provides bedding made from 100 per cent recycled materials and eco-friendly bathroom amenities. At the end of a stay, the airport is just a 20-minute drive away.
Heritage Break on Langkawi
Antique homes offer vintage vacation
Visitors to Langkawi are highly recommended to stay at the Temple Tree, an enchanting resort named after an on-site temple. The accommodation is a cross between a guest house and a luxury villa and it features restored antique houses of Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian origin.
The owners found the heritage buildings, most marked for demolition, across Malaysia and removed each wooden house, piece by piece, to their current location in order to preserve the unique 100-year-old properties. Comprising 12 rooms, 13 suites and eight villas, the interiors are styled with Asian antiques to create the ambiance of a private home.
While the character of the buildings has been preserved, there has been no compromise on comfort with in-room mod cons and two swimming pools.
First Eco-BrandOpens Off Bali
New resort champions sustainability
Swiss-Belhotel International has launched its first MĀUA branded hotel in Nusa Penida, a small island off the south-east coast of Bali.
The property features 25 villas, each with a garden, a private pool and a sweeping ocean view. The resort is situated on a hilltop off the popular diving spot of Gamat Bay. MĀUA is the brand name adopted from New Zealand Maori culture and it symbolises hotels that display a special relationship with the environment. The eco-friendly resort contains recycled ironwood furniture and rooftop gardens that provide a habitat for birds and insects.
These green roofs also provide a natural way to purify the air by lowering carbon dioxide and other pollutants and reducing energy consumption through decreased internal heat absorption.
Product Updates
Angkor discovery topped by sunset cocktails
A day of exploration of the resplendent antiquities of the Angkor Archaeological Park is taken to a higher level with sunset cocktails served in the historical setting of East Baray.
Among the most remarkable sites in the Angkor area – Baray are ancient rectangular artificial reservoirs. The East Baray is now dry and it is located just east of the walled city of Angkor Thom. It dates back to the 10th century, covers an area of 14 sq-km and is a perfect representation of an ancient engineering marvel.
Our new excursion takes guests to a venue that has a prime position to view the sun setting over the idyllic rural landscape. Our team will ensure that a selection of canapés and signature cocktails are served under an elegant shelter as a perfect day concludes.
Exploration of Vietnam has become easier
An abundance of newly created seat-in-coach programmes await discerned customers keen to explore Vietnam’s leading destinations. With a growing demand for more competitively priced touring programmes, Asian Trails’ product and contracting team has launched 12 new excursions, with six full-day and six half-day options.
These take in this amazing country’s premier cities, towns and rural hamlets. Included are half and full-day programmes in the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well the provinces surrounding these metropolises.
Boat tours through UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay and the water world of the Mekong Delta, as well as discovery of Hoi An’s rich architectural heritage and Phu Quoc island’s pristine white sand beaches are ready to be added to your client’s itinerary.
New airline due to take-off in Vietnam
The Sun Group, one of the biggest property and entertainment developers in Vietnam, has received a licence to launch their private airline, Sun Air.
Set to take-off in the third-quarter of this year, the new carrier will provide private jet management and air charter services, as well as sightseeing flights using helicopters and seaplanes. The airline is the perfect link-up with the group’s high-end resorts. Sun Air plans to operate two Gulfstream G650ER jets, one Gulfstream G700, one helicopter and two seaplanes, with ambitious plans to employ long-haul Boeing and Airbus jets in the future to widen their reach.
As a key partner, Asian Trails’ Vietnam office has already seen a surge in demand for flights for incentives and high-end travel.
Authentic insight into rural Cambodian life
To get the ultimate insight into an authentic Cambodian village we take guests to Preah Dak. Situated close to the provincial capital of Siem Reap, this destination represents the Cambodia of old, where people make a living from handicrafts and agriculture using age-old techniques.
The half-day excursion involves a walk around the community to interact with local residents and absorb a bucolic way of life. Activities include participation in rattan weaving and palm sugar production under the guidance of resident experts. Besides creativity, this tour involves a dose of spirituality with the option to partake in a very special Buddhist ritual with monks at a nearby pagoda.
This new excursion is highly recommended for those keen to see traditional life close to the magnificent temples of the Angkor Archaeological Park