Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com | 27 GLOBAL WRAP THE BEST OF TRAVEL WEEKLY ASIA'S GLOBAL WRAP e-DAILY Travel Weekly Asia writers and correspondents wrap up the best of the news from across Asia. The world's most liveable city: Vienna CELEBRIT Y CHEFS LINEUP FOR RAFFLES REOPENING Raffles Singapore has unveiled its new line-up of dining experiences. After months of refurbishment, the iconic heritage hotel is now in its final phase of a restoration by owners Katara Hospitality and will remained fully closed for a reopening that is planned for the first quarter of 2019. The 122-year-old Bar & Billiard Room will see acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse present his first Mediterranean sharing and grill concept in the world, titled BBR by Alain Ducasse. One of the world's top female chefs with three Michelin stars, Anne-Sophie Pic, will debut her entry into Asia with La Dame de Pic. Local celebrity MasterChef Jereme Leung returns home to Singapore with yì by Jereme Leung. "While I have lived abroad for most of my career, the formative years which I spent working in Singapore and Hong Kong were so important to defining my approach and style of cooking," he elaborated. Vienna has topped the Economist Intelligence Unit's global liveability index, replacing Melbourne, which drops to second place. At the other end of the table, Damascus retained last place, followed by the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, and Lagos in Nigeria. Following on from Vienna and Melbourne, Osaka in Japan came third followed by Calgary in Canada, while Sydney is fifth. In Asia, Hong Kong, whose ranking fell dramatically in 2015, now comes in at 35th place, two spots ahead of Singapore. Other ranking in Asia: Seoul (59), Kuala Lumpur (78), Shanghai (81), Manila (103), Hanoi (107) and Jakarta (119). Vienna – one of the safest cities in Europe, says The Economist. AIRLINES TO MAKE BOARDING WHEELCHAIRFRIENDLY From October, Japan will require airlines to board disabled and elderly passengers seated in wheelchairs as part of a push to make hotels, transportation and other services more accessible. The authorities are working on legal changes to oblige airlines to introduce wheelchair lifts, ramps and other equipment. identical sister ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler, and Crystal Ravel — will sail the waterways of Europe, with an array of seven to 16-day itineraries. "With every voyage, our priority remains to present our guests with the most immersive experiences possible, allowing them to discover each place in an authentic way," says Walter Littlejohn, Crystal River Cruises' vice president and managing director. WHERE TO FIND THE WORLD'S BEST FOOD Lonely Planet has just released a new food-based travel guide called Ultimate Eatlist, which lists the top 500 best food experiences in the world. Topping the list was pintxos, a small Spanish snack from the Basque coastal city of San Sebastián. Asian delicacies are well represented. Singapore's beloved chilli crab ranked 17th, while Malaysia's curry laksa ranked a lofty second. Also on the list are sushi from Tokyo (third), som tum (papaya salad) from Bangkok (fifth) and bibimbap (a mixed rice dish) from Seoul (eighth). FAR OUT, FAR EAST Far East Hospitality has unveiled four exclusive Made-In-Singapore rooms at each of its Village Hotels. These rooms will serve to connect travellers with Singapore's varied culture, history and heritage, and provide an interpretation of Singapore-inspired hospitality. The project began in early 2018, when students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) submitted their interpretation of 'Singapore-inspired hospitality'. In March 2018, Far East Hospitality then took inspirations from the four winning entries and turned them into reality with the help of the hotel's in-house design team. PHOTO CREDIT: TOMASSEREDA/GETTYIMAGES. PHOTO CREDIT: SCYTHER5/GETTYIMAGES. TravelClick gives Amadeus access to mid- chain and independent hotels. Best Western Senayan Hotel is close to all the action in Jakarta. BEST WESTERN GETS TO THE HEART OF JAKARTA Best Western Hotels & Resorts has opened a new hotel in Jakarta's downtown district, the mid-scale Best Western Senayan Hotel. Its location is close to multinational companies and luxury lifestyle malls, will be a key selling point for the property. CRYSTAL RIVER CRUISES GOES TO BAVARIA AND BEYOND Crystal River Cruises has unveiled its collection of voyages for 2020. The fleet of five all-suite luxury river ships — Crystal Mozart and the four AMADEUS CLICKS IN WITH HOTEL TECH Amadeus is acquiring hotel tech company TravelClick from private equity investment firm Thoma Bravo for US$1.52 billion. Amadeus said TravelClick has about 25,000 customers in 176 countries. It solutions include a central reservations system for independent hotels and small chains, a guest-management solution and business intelligence and media solutions. The acquisition will enable Amadeus to offer a range of solutions to hotel companies of all sizes.

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