#Indonesia - Govt seeks to create ‘travel bubbles’ to help tourism recover

The government is seeking to create “travel bubbles” with China, South Korea, Japan and Australia, which are known for their achievements in handling the COVID-19 outbreak, as the nation enters its so-called new normal period.

The term “travel bubble”, or “travel corridor”, refers to an agreement in which countries succeeding in containing the outbreak open their borders to each other to allow free movement within the bubble.

The Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister’s undersecretary for tourism and the creative economy, Oto Manuhutu, said his office was discussing the matter with the Foreign Ministry as well as the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry.

“The four countries were chosen because many tourists and foreign investors in Indonesia come from those countries,” Oto said on Friday, as quoted by Antara.

Despite the plan, he added that business-people would probably be the first and only ones to travel to and from those countries in the near future. “Hopefully, tourists will gradually follow to visit [Indonesia] after the investors.”

Oto went on to say that the Foreign Ministry was discussing the requirements for travel bubbles before signing agreements with the four countries.

“The travel bubbles would open two to four weeks after the agreements are signed while taking into consideration health, security and technical aspects,” said Oto.

Experts have said that the government’s move to ease COVID-19 restrictions might worsen conditions, as the country has yet to reach its peak in the epidemiological curve.

Source - TheJakartaPost

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Three #Cambodian cities chosen for Asean urban planning scheme

Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siem Reap have been included in the Asean Smart Cities Network, and will benefit from the assistance of the Japanese government in creating technologically advanced urban spaces.

The Asean Smart Cities Network (ASCN) is a collaborative platform where cities from Asean member states work towards the common goal of smart and sustainable urban development. The project is supported by the Japanese government.

The chosen Cambodian cities will benefit from Japanese investment into modern facilities to improve the lives of their citizens, according to representatives of the Japanese government who yesterday attended the first meeting of the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’.

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The forum – attended by 58 Japanese delegates and companies as well Cambodian officials and members of the private sector – served to introduce ASCN to local authorities and companies.

Yuki Fumihiko, Japan’s Vice Minister of Land, said that given Cambodia’s rapid development, careful urban planning must be prioritised.

He said the ‘Public-Private Platform for Urban Development between Cambodia and Japan’ will allow Cambodia and Japan to keep an open line of communication to discuss urban development.

Ozawa Kazuo, counsellor for global strategies at Japan’s Ministry of Land, said ASCN allows the region to benefit from Japan’s experience in urban planning.

“Our goal is to help Cambodia and Asean avoid the same mistakes that we made in the past in urban development.

“We want to create smart cities that use modern technologies to tackle planning, development, management and operation issues.

“The ultimate goal is to create better spaces for future generations so that they can live comfortably and sustainably in urban spaces,” he said, adding that the programme focuses on key issues like traffic, green spaces, energy efficiency, and recycling systems, among others.

“Today we seek your support and cooperation to bring what we have already achieved in other countries to Cambodia. Together we can make this project a success,” he told his audience.

Chea Sophara, the Cambodian Minister of Land Management, said, “The platform today seeks to boost investment opportunities in urban development for Japanese businesses, including residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, as well as infrastructure.

“This first platform is a very good initiative and shows the confidence Japanese investors have in Cambodia. I believe this programme will further strengthen the relationship between our nations.

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“The ministry is ready to support Japanese investors who want to participate in the programme. The government supports this initiative of the Japanese government which will benefit Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Battambang,” he added.

Mr Fumihiko invited all Cambodian officials and businesspeople at the event to participate in ASCN’s next high-level meeting, which will take place in Tokyo in October.

Source - Khmer Times

Strongest typhoon in quarter century batters #Japan

The strongest typhoon to hit Japan in 25 years made landfall Tuesday, killing two and injuring dozens, as it battered the west of the country with violent winds and heavy rainfall. 

 The strong gusts ripped sheeting from rooftops, toppled trucks on bridges and swept a tanker anchored in Osaka bay into a nearby bridge running to the Kansai International Airport.

    High waves whipped up by the storm also flooded parts of the seaside airport, where all flights were cancelled, and the severe weather caused power outages and travel chaos across much of the country.

 Typhoon Jebi made landfall around noon local time, slamming into the west of the country packing winds of up to 216 kilometres (135 miles) per hour.

    The fast-moving storm quickly crossed the country, and by nightfall was on the verge of leaving land and heading out to sea from Ishikawa in central Japan.

    Local media reported two deaths in the storm, including a 71-year-old man killed in western Shiga prefecture after being trapped under a warehouse that collapsed in strong wind. 

Public broadcaster NHK said 97 people had been injured across the storm's path, none of them seriously.

    In Osaka, television footage showed a large tanker that smashed into the bridge connecting the city of Izumisano with Kansai airport, with the top part of the ship knocking away a part of the bridge. There were no reports of injuries.

    The airport was closed after runways and parts of its basement were flooded by high waves, a transport ministry official confirmed.

    NHK also showed footage of a 100-metre (328-feet) tall ferris wheel in Osaka turning furiously in the strong wind despite being switched off.

    "I'm surprised that the switched-off ferris wheel began to move with the strong wind. I've never seen such a thing," a 19-year-old boy at the scene told the public broadcaster.

    Elsewhere, the winds whipped away part of the ceiling from Kyoto station and peeled off multi-storey scaffolding attached to a building in Osaka.

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Pedestrian-friendly cities where you can walk for fun

English Garden in Munich

 

Munich in Germany, Kyoto in Japan and Bordeaux in France have been named some of the most beautiful, pedestrian-friendly tourism destinations in a new list compiled by Booking.com.

For the selection, the online reservation site teased out trends from the reviews of their 26 million travelers, who praised the walkable neighborhoods of cities with ample green spaces, quaint and charming streets, and village-like feel.

Here are the selections:

Munich

The biggest pedestrian-friendly feature going for Munich is its English Garden, a sprawling park in the center of the city that’s among the biggest in Europe, with its own lake, beer garden and Japanese tea salon. 

Kyoto

Headed to Kyoto? Visitors recommend planning extra stroll time around the temple Kiyomizu-dera, where ancient sanctuaries and food stalls create a dynamic, animated street scene.

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Helsinki

One of the best ways to take in the minimalist beauty of Scandinavian design is to stroll through the streets of Helsinki, a tribute to Finnish heritage.

Bordeaux

Along with the city’s neoclassic architecture and majestic Pont de Pierre bridge, Bordeaux boasts the largest reflecting pool in the world at Place de la Bourse, the Water Mirror.

Florence

With its ancient cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways, off-limits to mobility of the motorized kind, the Italian city invites visitors to amble slowly and enjoy its distinctly Florentine beauty. A particular favorite is Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge that was spared during the German occupation of World War II.

Others on the list are New York (US), Perth (Australia), San Francisco (US), Vancouver (Canada) and Montevideo in Uruguay.

Source - TheJakartaPost

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More flight options between Bangkok and Tokyo

Thai AirAsia X affirms its commitment to the Japanese market by increasing its frequency of flights from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Tokyo (Narita) from two to three flights per day, allowing travellers to fly in the morning, afternoon and at night just in time for Sakura season.

Nadda Buranasiri, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia X, said Tokyo is the number one destination for Thai travellers to Japan and predicts that the number will grow as this year continues. The city has high potential for repeat visits, group tours and Fully Independent Travellers (FIT) as it serves as a jump off point to the World Heritage City of Nikko and the natural splendour of Nagano, both of which are becoming increasingly popular. The trend unlocks new travel opportunities, indicating that Japan truly offers boundless tourism experiences.

“Meanwhile, Thailand has also grown its popularity among Japanese visitors. According to 2017 statistics, the number of Japanese travellers to Thailand rose seven per cent from the previous year and we believe we can contribute more to the growing proportion of both Japanese and foreign travellers. As a leading low-cost airline in the region, we are proud to be supporting the growth of tourism and the economies of both Thailand and Japan.

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 “We are committed to improving our services and maintaining our record set last year of being consistently reliable in terms of On-Time Performance, averaging as high as 92 per cent on all the routes combined. This accomplishment signifies our strength beyond being a low-cost carrier but demonstrating high quality services which helps us grow constantly,” Nadda said.

The AirAsia brand is becoming better received in the Japanese market and Thai AirAsia X is determined to continually promote its routes from Don Mueang to Tokyo, Osaka and the newly added Sapporo. The airline is supported by flights from its fellow AirAsia group members operating out of Kuala Lumpur, Bali and Hawaii as well as AirAsia Japan which operates domestic flights in the country.

The new XJ602 flight will depart from Don Mueang at 5.05 am in the morning and arrive at Tokyo (Narita) at 1.10pm while flight XJ603 will depart Tokyo (Narita) at 2.25 pm to arrive in Don Mueang at 7.10 pm. The route will be serviced by an Airbus A330-300 and is being introduced with promotional fares starting at Bt3,333 one way (for the added flight). Bookings can be made from now until February 4 for travel from March 25 to October 27. Details and booking are available at www.AirAsia.com

 

Source - TheNation

H.I.S. to open 10 more robot-staffed hotels in #Japan

Japanese travel company H.I.S. Co. said Monday it will open 10 more hotels staffed by robots in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and Kyoto by March 2019.

"Henn-na Hotel," or "strange hotel," featuring dinosaur or female humanoid robot receptionists and cleaning robots, will be opened in downtown areas of the cities, targeting the booming foreign tourist market in Japan, the company said.

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 Currently, H.I.S. operates three similar hotels near theme parks in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture and Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture.

The company plans to open six branded Henn-na Hotels in Tokyo between December and September next year, one in Fukuoka and two in Osaka in December 2018, and another in Kyoto in March 2019, with the investment estimated to total approximately 20 to 30 billion yen ($180-270 million).

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Source - TheJakartPost

#Thailand - PTT seeks to diversify from oil

PTT president and chief executive officer Tevin Vongvanich visits Global Power Synergy Plc first 20.8 megawatt solar power plant in Ichinoseki, Japan

 PTT, THAILAND’S leading energy conglomerate, announced it will invest more than Bt50 billion in a strategic expansion from this year until 2021. 

Auttapol Rerkpiboon, senior executive vice president of the oil business unit, said that of the Bt50 billion investment, about 70 per cent would remain in the oil business, including expanding its oil stations and improving the company’s warehouse system, logistics and transportation. The remaining 30 per cent would be equally divided between overseas investments and non-oil businesses.

PTT is reshuffling its business direction towards potential non-oil businesses, which will be expanded not only in Thailand, but also in other potential markets in Asia and around the world. They include a solar power plant, energy storage systems, Caf้ Amazon coffee houses, and an electric vehicle charging network.

The key directions of future business expansion will be strategic shifts from oil to retail business as a new growth engine, from product to business platforms, and from domestic to regional and global markets.

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 PTT president and chief executive officer Tevin Vongvanich said that the solar rooftop market has strong potential for growth as the Ministry of Energy encourages people to install such electricity generating equipment at home. However, people who install solar rooftops will still need to buy electricity from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand during the night time when they cannot produce their own electricity from solar rooftop panels. Storing solar energy captured during the day to provide electricity for use at night could solve that issue. 

“We are studying investing in the production of energy storage equipment and systems, which are now in the development stage,” said Tevin.

 He said that PTT’s flagship for electricity and utility, Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC), recently signed an agreement with 24M Technologies for the exclusive right to produce lithium-ion batteries in Thailand starting in 2019. The batteries would be used as backup storage for the energy grid, supporting alternative energy such as wind and solar.

GPSC had made its first expansion of energy business in Japan with last year’s development of a 20.8 mega-watt solar power plant in Ichinoseki at the cost of 10 billion yen (Bt3.011 trillion). The plant is scheduled for commercial operation in the fourth quarter this year and will supply electricity to Tohoku Electric Power under a 20-year contract.

Auttapol said that PTT planned to increase the number of its oil stations from 1,544 at the end of last year to 1,852 oil stations by the end of 2021. The company would also increase the number of oil stations in overseas markets including Laos, Cambodia, -the Philippines, and Myanmar from 183 stations at the end of last year to 535 stations by the end of 2021.

He said that the company also wanted to increase the number of PTT oil stations installing electrical vehicle chargers from six stations currently to about 20 by the end of this year. He believes the move will be in line with the increasing number of electric vehicles on the road in the future.

Meanwhile, they will increase the number of Cafe Amazon coffee houses from 1,667 stores at the end of last year to 2,000 stores by the end of this year. Of these, about 1,700 stores will be owned and operated by small and medium enterprises under licences granted by the company.

 Caf? Amazon currently employs 12,000 skilled staff in Thailand. PTT also opened Amazon outlets in Laos (21), Cambodia (26), the Philippines (1), and Myanmar (1). The first Caf? 

Amazon coffeehouse in Japan opened in Kawauchi in November last year. Japan is one of the top three coffee consuming nations in Asia. Japanese people consume between 3.5 and 4 kilograms of coffee per capita yearly.

“We plan to open 2,700 Cafe Amazon coffee-houses totally in Thailand, and another 400 coffee-houses in overseas markets by 2021,” said Auttapol. Oman will get its first coffeehouse this year, and the company is in negotiation with potential partners in many target markets, including Malaysia, Singapore and Shanghai,” said Auttapol.

Auttapol said that PTT had also strengthened its back-end facilities by developing its own distribution centre for the supply of coffee ingredients and equipment to Caf? Amazon outlets. The company last year also opened its own coffee roasting plant on 20 rais land plot (3.2 hectares) in Wang Noi, Ayutthaya, with current capacity of 2,700 tonnes yearly. The capacity is projected to triple by next year.

 Auttapul said Cafe Amazon served 140 million cups in 2016 with sales posted at US$229 million (7.78 billion baht), up 30 per cent over the previous year. He expects Cafe Amazon to serve 180 million cups this year with sales reaching U$285 million.

Source - TheNation

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