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The post Alila Kothaifaru Maldives opens in the Scenic Raa Atoll appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today the opening of Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, a private island retreat located in the picturesque Raa Atoll at the northern edge of the Maldives. The all-pool-villa resort offers a refreshing blend of serenity and discovery in a relatively untouched corner of the archipelago renowned for its abundant marine life.

“As countries continue to open up and travel confidence grows, we look forward to welcoming guests from all over the world to Alila Kothaifaru Maldives for a memorable getaway in what we hope will become the centerpiece of Raa Atoll,” said David Udell, group president, Asia-Pacific, Hyatt. “We are delighted to add this beautiful resort in the Maldives to our growing Alila portfolio, with new Alila hotels opening in sought-after destinations such as Suzhou and Shanghai in China and Nha Trang in Vietnam in the future.”

Surrounded by Nature’s Wonders

Housed on a 27.6 acre  (11.2 hectare) island, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives can be reached via a 45-minute seaplane journey from Malé. As one of the deeper atolls in the archipelago, the Raa Atoll offers abundant snorkeling and diving options to discover its rich marine life, from colourful corals to manta rays and sharks. The resort offers easy access to the famous Hanifaru Bay UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve and is close to Vaadhoo Island, one of the best spots to witness the spectacular ‘Sea of Stars’ phenomenon. Alila Kothaifaru Maldives features white-sand beaches overlooking the infinite expanse of ocean blue, a stunning house reef and lush greenery.

Private Island Sanctuary

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives offers 80 pool villas, of which 44 are along the beach and 36 are perched overwater with direct access to the sea. Guests can unwind in these understated, sophisticated spaces that balance privacy with openness to the outdoors. Each villa comes with a private pool and sun deck where guests can bask in picture-perfect views and enjoy personalized service whether they are staying steps from the beach or above the turquoise lagoon. The Sunrise Beach Villas offer early birds captivating views to start their day alongside quick access to the resort’s main facilities such as the infinity pool, Play Alila kids’ club, Seasalt restaurant and Mirus Bar.

The resort’s elegant minimalist architecture by Singapore-based Studiogoto encompasses terraced pavilions, villas and a treetop spa that are carefully integrated into the existing landscape to immerse guests in the picturesque natural surroundings. The low-rise structures and contemporary interiors feature open-air spaces and a calming palette of island-inspired colours and textures, creating an idyllic setting for complete relaxation and connection with nature.

Immersive Culinary Journeys

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives offers a delightful variety of culinary experiences including:

• Seasalt, the resort’s beachside all-day dining restaurant with an ocean view, serves coastal Mediterranean cuisine with Middle Eastern influences. Not to be missed are the restaurant’s signature salt-baked fish dishes.
• A spectacular Maldivian sunset alongside a refreshing selection of cocktails at Mirus Bar inspired by the region’s former spice trade routes and concocted with ingredients from the resort’s own herb garden.
• Umami offers Japanese-inspired menus prepared in a teppan theater with a premium selection of organically grown vegetables, Wagyu beef and sustainably sourced fish and seafood. The adjourning Yakitori Bar is the place to be to indulge in sundowners, from Asian-inspired craft cocktails and mocktails to fine Japanese sakes and spirits, amidst delicious smoky aromas from a robata grill.
• Pibati Café provides light bites and comfort food that are convenient for grab-and-go en route to an excursion.
• Guests dreaming of an ultimate castaway experience can set sail in a traditional Maldivian dhoni on a two to three-hour journey around the Raa Atoll before returning to the resort’s private sandbank, The Shack, a secluded spot for a gourmet picnic, a sunset barbecue or a romantic candlelit dinner under the stars.

Haven for Relaxation

Nestled just above the treetops, Spa Alila features four double treatment suites, all with a private bathroom, shower and a floor-to-ceiling window with verdant views. Guests can indulge in rejuvenating treatments and beauty rituals that put a contemporary spin on ancient healing techniques and draw on the benefits of natural ingredients. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary daily yoga session in a tranquil outdoor space within the spa. The resort also offers a 24-hour fitness centre and a beachfront infinity pool.

A wide range of water activities and excursions organized through the expert marine guides at the resort’s Water Sports and Dive Center is also available while Play Alila, a dedicated play and learning space for young guests will keep them entertained with toys, games and fun, supervised indoor and outdoor activities.

Bespoke Celebrations

From barefoot chic to elegant sophistication, couples can tie the knot or renew their vows with an enchanting celebration set in tropical splendour, whether on a pristine palm-fringed beach with the glistening ocean as a backdrop or on the private sandbank at sunset followed by a bespoke dinner under the stars.

“We are honoured to welcome guests to one of the world’s most blissful destinations and we look forward to sharing with them the awe-inspiring nature that surrounds us,” said Alexandre Glauser, general manager, Alila Kothaifaru Maldives. “Here at our all-pool-villa sanctuary, guests can unwind in peaceful seclusion with charming views while our gracious hosts deliver personalized experiences leading to unique moments and treasured memories.”

The post Alila Kothaifaru Maldives opens in the Scenic Raa Atoll appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Aussie business will increase their travel to pre-pandemic levels this year appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

New research from a leading travel management provider reveals good news for Australia’s travel industry: 54% of SMEs plan to increase their travel this year, to match or exceed pre-pandemic levels.

The finding was derived from a survey of an independent panel of 202 Australian SME business owners, commissioned by Corporate Traveller, Flight Centre Travel Group’s flagship specialist SME division.

Corporate Traveller found 46% of SMEs plan to increase their travel to the same level as 2019, and 8% will travel more than they before the pandemic. Nearly half (46 per cent) of SMEs said will be travelling less than they did before the pandemic.

A larger proportion of medium-sized businesses (41 per cent) plan to travel more frequently this year, compared with 29 per cent of micro and small businesses who plan to do the same.

Corporate Traveller also asked respondents about their international travel plans this year. Over half (54%) revealed they will travel internationally. Among these, half (52%) will travel to South-East Asia, 34 per cent to the UK, 32 per cent to North America and 28% to Europe.

Tom Walley, Global Managing Director at Corporate Traveller, says: “With borders open and quarantining requirements dropped, it’s a given that businesses are bringing back their travel this year. Our survey sought to find out how promising the bounce back will be.

“We’re pleased to discover that businesses continue to place importance on travel which, for many companies, is often essential for their growth, expansion, staff retention, recruitment, and sales.

“The keenness for SMEs to return to the skies will help the recovery of the travel industry, MICE industry, and the Australian economy as a whole.”

Respondents were also asked to select the percentage of their travel that will be to Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane.

Sydney proved to be a popular destination for travel, with 56 per cent of respondents planning to dedicate more than 30% of their travel to the major city. In contrast, 51 per cent will dedicate more than 30% of their travel to Melbourne and 44 per cent to Brisbane.

“Businesses are emerging from two years of restrictions and are now ready to thrive. I believe a healthy return to international travel will continue throughout the year, benefitting the business sector and the economy as a result,” Mr Walley said.

“Having a travel consultant as a business traveller has never been more critical. Things will continue to evolve for a while yet, but if you have an expert you can rely on, then the ‘new normal’ in the travel world really is nothing to fear because they are your eyes and ears.”

The post Aussie business will increase their travel to pre-pandemic levels this year appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Hong Kong Tourism Board launches Arts in Hong Kong appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Hong Kong comes alive this summer as HKTB launches ARTS IN HONG KONG, a year-long campaign to showcase the city’s extraordinary and enduring appeal as an arts and cultural hub on a global stage.

The ARTS IN HONG KONG campaign will support international events, in-depth community arts, cultural tours, interactive art tech experiences, art fairs, new openings and much more in celebration of the city’s incredible art scene. The programme launched in May, anchored by perennial stalwarts Art Basel and Christie’s Hong Kong Spring Auctions, plus a supporting cast of innovative new events and venues such as Palace Museum, which will open 2nd July 2022, as well as M+, French May and Art Central.

HKTB executive director Mr Dane Cheng comments, “In-depth travel experiences have become a major global trend, and arts and culture are a key driver of this trend. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has organised an ‘Art Month’ promotion for the past nine years when international events were held in town to generate city-wide art vibes. As well as the staging of large-scale events, new world-class art landmarks such as M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum are also opening their doors, boosting Hong Kong’s allure as an arts and cultural travel destination. As the city’s arts scene becomes richer than ever, the HKTB will make ‘Arts in Hong Kong’ a year-round promotional platform to raise awareness of the city’s always-on, diverse experience of arts and culture, and establish Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.”

MAJOR NEW ART VENUES OPEN IN HONG KONG

Hong Kong Palace Museum & M+ | West Kowloon Cultural District

The Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) has announced its opening on 2nd July 2022. It aspires to become one of the world’s leading cultural institutions committed to the study and appreciation of Chinese art and culture, while advancing dialogue among world civilisations through international partnerships.

The opening exhibitions of HKPM will be jointly curated by the HKPM and the Palace Museum in Beijing. 914 pieces of priceless treasures from the Palace Museum will be put on display, with some pieces being shown in Hong Kong for the first time. The artefacts will be exhibited alongside more than 100 exhibits on loan from local museums and cultural institutions.

M+, Asia’s first global museum of contemporary visual culture opened in late 2021, is a must visit destination for the international art enthusiast. Its building, designed by Herzog & de Meuron with TFP Farrells and Arup, is an iconic presence overlooking Victoria Harbour while the facade is embedded with LEDs for screening moving image works, which can be seen from the West Kowloon waterfront promenade and Hong Kong Island.

The North Roof Garden displays the M+ Playscape, a collaborative semi-permanent installation work with The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, New York. The exhibition programme explores works in all mediums from moving image, design, and architecture projects. Current exhibitions include Hong Kong: Here and Beyond, Things, Spaces, Interactions, Antony Gormley: Asian Field and The Dream of the Museum.

ARTS IN NEIGHBOURHOODS: SUPPORTING LOCAL TALENT

As well as its programme of major international events, the HKTB’s ARTS IN HONG KONG programme also aims to inspire residents and tourists to discover hidden gems of culture in neighbourhoods across the city, and experience incredible artworks off the beaten track.

Explore Five Cultural Themes on the Streets of Hong Kong

Across Old Town Central, Sham Shui Po and West Kowloon more than 20 cultural discovery hot spots have been curated under five major themes: Architectural Expression, Innovating Traditions, Cultivating Creativity, Urban Street Art and Arts Above. The HKTB has created an interactive map with arts and cultural guides for every location. The map includes fascinating anecdotes, like the mystery behind the embroidery of Chinese wedding gown tailor Koon Nam Wah Bridal. It offers a chance to get to know the burgeoning Hong Kong cultural scene inside out.

Hong Kong: Where Art Meets Technology

Hong Kong is at the forefront of the growing impetus for the integration of arts and technology. Widely considered one of the world-leading destinations for the NFT trade the city is bringing international events online in new and innovative ways.

HKTB has supported and produced three videos of technological artistic spectacles currently taking place in Hong Kong, allowing visitors to re-watch the experience.

The first is French May Arts Festival’s highlighted programme feature Intraverse, an interactive digital artwork by French artist, Ophelia Jacarini. The piece sees the artist’s dance performance captured in the Metaverse using virtual reality technology. The interactive digital artwork will be shown in Hong Kong till the 30th of June 2022 and can be viewed here.

The second video features a moving image work by artist Ellen Pau entitled The Shape of Light – a joint presentation by Art Basel and M+. The Shape of Light intertwines live-action performance and spectacular sci-fi sequences, delivering an awe-inspiring animation on the M+ Façade until the 17th of July 2022. This site-specific work explores the possibilities of the immaterial and the material, transforming light into digital objects. Featuring a popular scripture in Buddhism, The Heart Sutra, it draws upon new connections between the sutra and the energies of Hong Kong. The Shape of Light meditates on the spiritual concept ‘form is emptiness, emptiness is form’, expressed through sign language and other ritualistic gestures. Natural phenomena like fire, water, and light are all rendered in striking computer-generated animation.

Hong Kong Museum of Art’s (HKMoA) newest outdoor artwork installation, Resonance-In-Sight, co-created by local artists Kristof Crolla and Garvin Goepel explores the blurred boundaries between virtuality and reality. The piece invites members of the public to interact with the museum’s collections through augmented reality (AR) technology.

The artwork comprises physical and virtual components. The physical component, the outdoor artwork installation Resonance-In-Sight, is finely constructed with two streamlined metal structures in the outdoor area of the museum. The virtual component is a tailor-made AR application, through which visitors can connect with a special selection of the HKMoA’s four core collections (Chinese Antiquities, Chinese Painting and Calligraphy, China Trade Art, and Modern and Hong Kong Art) on their smartphone or tablet. Visisotrs can try to catch the birds in the painting Birds by 19th-century painter, Guan Lianchang, or admire a dynamic version of a landscape in Landscape after mi fu by Wu Changshuo of the Qing dynasty. They can also be a part of the ink painting Zhuangzi by Hong Kong ink painting master, Lui Shou-kwan. The old and the new coalesce through technological means in this unique artistic intervention, quintessential of the innovative cultural experiences Hong Kong has to offer.

From summer 2022 onwards, HKTB’s ARTS IN HONG KONG initiative will light up the city with cultural features, major events and more spotlighting Hong Kong as one of the foremost destinations for amazing artistic and cultural experiences.

The post Hong Kong Tourism Board launches Arts in Hong Kong appeared first on Travel Daily.

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The post Thailand’s hotel booking volumes reach 28-month high during summer, led by Koh Samui appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily.

Open hotel commerce, SiteMinder, shows that hotels in Thailand are now having highest volume of bookings since February 2020. The data displays that the hotels in Thailand are receiving 85% of the bookings they were in June of 2019 — a figure driven by the stability of the domestic market and the return of international guests.

In June 2022, over 60% of all bookings made to Thai hotels have come from international travelers, an increase of 12% since April, yet still down on the 69% in January of 2019. Almost 70% of all Thai hotel reservations made in the last two weeks of May for either a June or July stay.

In Thailand, Koh Samui has the highest booking increase, receiving over 125% of 2019 volumes, more than double of the beginning of March 2022. In second place is Phuket, which is receiving 90% of the volumes of this time in 2019. In third place is Huahin, which received 86% of the volumes in 2019.

Bradley Haines, SiteMinder’s Market Vice President of Asia Pacific says, “According to our data, Thailand is slowly returning to becoming a top destination for international travelers. We are also witnessing more local hoteliers turning to technology ensuring they are marketing and selling their properties in a holistic fashion.”

The post Thailand’s hotel booking volumes reach 28-month high during summer, led by Koh Samui appeared first on Travel Daily.

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