Northstar

22 | www.travelweekly-asia.com 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. A 'one-in-a-million' celebration for Dream Cruises CORAL EXPEDITIONS FLAGS EPIC INDIAN OCEAN ADVENTURES Expedition cruise line, Coral Expeditions, is expanding its Australian-flagged fleet with a fifth ship, Coral Geographer, to be delivered in December 2020. The new build will be a sister ship to the company's recently launched Coral Adventurer. In January 2021, Coral Geographer will set sail on her inaugural voyage over 25 nights from Singapore to the Seychelles including the islands of Sumatra, Sri Lanka and numerous remote atolls of the Maldives before ending in the Seychelles. Her second sailing will be over 15 nights from the Seychelles to Mauritius, featuring an extensive exploration of the remote coastline of northern Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Aldabra atoll, named by David Attenborough as "one of the wonders of the world". The third voyage will see her traverse the Indian Ocean from Mauritius back home to Fremantle, Australia. Dream Cruises celebrated the arrival of Genting Dream's one-millionth passenger on June 14. The passenger, Wilianty Wilianty, is an Indonesian resident who had been on the ship's maiden five-night cruise to Kota Kinabalu and Puerto Princesa (Palawan), along with her brother and sister's families. Wilianty was welcomed at Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre with a celebratory ceremony attended by Michael Goh, senior vice president – international sales, Genting Cruise Lines, ship captain Magnus Gottberg and hotel director Mithun Shetty. Genting Dream's one-millionth passenger, Wilianty Wilianty, receiving her US$31,000 cruise prize from ship captain Magnus Gottberg. Aldabra, UNESCO World Heritage Site has a number of endemic species, of which giant land tortoise is the most distinct. THAILAND CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL HOTELS Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is leading a purge of illegal hotels across Thailand. It's estimated there are 20,000 illegal hotels and accommodation services nationwide and the PM wants them controlled to improve safety for guests. The illegal hotels are accused of abusing laws relating to land use, city planning, building control and hotel business registration. The PM's order notes that many people lease their buildings, houses or apartments in the same manner as hotels without permission or proper management. Cai Chien Island, which sits 350km north of Hanoi, was recently recognised as a new provincial destination, according to Vietnam News. The island is about 80km from other popular destinations like the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay. Local authorities have opened training courses on community- based tourism, with dozens of households on the island investing in opening homestays, providing hundreds of rooms to serve holidaymakers. The NZ$35 fee (about US$23) will be paid concurrently with visa fees. The tax is expected to raise over NZ$450 million for sustainability efforts over five years. Visitors from Australia and 16 Pacific island countries are exempt from the tax. Home owners on Cai Chien Island in Vietnam are being encouraged to embrace community tourism. PHOTO CREDIT: JANOS/GETTYIMAGES. FANC Y A HOMESTAY AT VIETNAM'S NEW ISLAND DESTINATION? A new island destination in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province has been earmarked for tourism development, with investment going into opening homestays. PHOTO CREDIT: IAN JARRETT NEW ZEALAND IMPLEMENTS TOURIST TAX New Zealand's legislature has approved a tourist tax effective July 1. According to a statement from the country's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, visitors will pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy "to enable our international visitors to contribute directly to the infrastructure they use and help protect the natural environment they enjoy". Chinese Garden, Dunedin, New Zealand. PATONG TUK-TUK DRIVERS URGED TO BE A 'GOOD HOST' The Chief of Patong Police in Phuket is heading up a project aimed at improving the behaviour and attitude of Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers towards tourists. The project, named 'Being Good Host', is backed by local business owners. Col Anotai Jindamanee told The Phuket News, "The main goal of the project is to address the issues that are impacting tourism in Patong and to promptly repair the area's image. "The negative impact that Patong's image is having on its livelihood is reflected in the decline in tourist numbers and revenue," Col Anotai stressed. "This is having a detrimental effect on people trying to make a living here." Phuket wants tuk-tuk drivers to be tourist-friendly. PHOTO CREDIT: SURASAKI/GETTYIMAGES

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