Online hotel booking sites may be duping travelers: Consumer rights group

A new study out of Britain shows that travelers could score better bargains if they go directly through the hotel rather than book with an online travel agent like Booking.com or Expedia.com.

That's according to Which?, a consumer rights group that found that when they contacted hotels directly they were able to score a better room rate compared to the prices listed on secondary travel websites or snag other incentives including free breakfasts or upgrades.

For the study, Which? contacted 10 hotels in Britain and asked if the hotels could offer a better deal than the ones posted by online travel agents (OTA) like Booking.com or Expedia.

In eight of the 10 cases, hotels offered discounts on rooms, food, spa treatments, or freebies like breakfast and parking. A hotel in Cornwall offered a discount of £20 (US$25.63), slashing the rate from £170 to £150.

"Customers shouldn't be duped into thinking they're getting the best price from a hotel booking site when more often than not, they can get a better deal by avoiding its commission and booking directly with the hotel," said Which? Travel editor Rory Boland in a press release.

"Hotel booking sites might be a good place to start your search, but you should always call or email the hotel for the best chance of getting the cheapest deal – even in cases where they can't offer a better price, there's a good chance they'll throw in a freebie or two."

Online travel agents typically charge commissions of between 15 percent to 25 percent on every booking, a fee that's often passed down to the consumer.

To get the best room rate, Which? editors recommend using an OTA as a starting point, and then calling the desired hotel directly. Quote the rate listed on Booking.com or Expedia.com, and ask if they can do better. A reasonable discount is between 15 percent to 25 percent. 

Source - TheJakartaPost

Travel giant Expedia says it will cut 3,000 jobs

Online travel giant Expedia will cut about 3,000 jobs after what the company described in a statement as "disappointing" performance last year.

The firm, which operates its flagship travel site as well as Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, Cheaptickets, Egencia and CarRentals.com, said on Monday the decision was made after determining it had been "pursuing growth in an unhealthy and undisciplined way."

"Great tech companies have walked this same path in order to come back stronger and more competitive than ever. We have restarted the journey and bringing the world within reach is in our hands," the company said.

Expedia's share price rose 1.4 percent after markets opened on Tuesday.

During a February 13 earnings call, Diller called the organization "bloated" and said many employees didn't know what "they were supposed to do during the day."

Diller also said he was aiming for savings of $300-500 million in 2020.

Over the course of 2019, sales increased by eight percent, net income by four percent and earnings per share by six percent.

By the end of December, the company had 25,400 employees around the globe. The job cuts will eliminate about 12 percent of the workforce.

But company leadership revealed that in the last quarter, net profit had gone down four percent and earnings per share had gone down one percent.

In early December, Expedia announced the immediate departures of chief executive Mark Okserstrom and chief financial officer Alan Pickerill after what the company termed "disappointing" third-quarter results.

Source - TheJakartaPost

A bat cave run by Thai monks shows it's hard to banish virus risk

Every Saturday morning, a dozen or so villagers from a province about 60 miles west of Bangkok creep into a bat-festooned cave to scrape up the precious fecal deposits of its flourishing inhabitants.

In three hours, they can amass as many as 500 buckets of bat dung. The guano is packaged and sold at an adjacent temple as fertilizer, reaping more than 75,000 baht ($2,400). Just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of the nutrient-rich material can fetch as much as the daily minimum wage.

Elsewhere in Asia and Micronesia, meat from bats is sometimes sold in markets or cooked at home after being caught in the wild. Although consumption is rare and limited to certain communities, it's considered a local delicacy in the Pacific island-nation of Palau, and areas of Indonesia, where meat from other mammals is scarce.

With growing awareness of bat-borne viruses -- from Nipah to coronaviruses linked to severe acute respiratory syndrome and the new pneumonia-causing Covid-19 disease that's killed more than 2,000 people in China -- human contact with the ancient flying mammal and their excreta is drawing closer scrutiny.

"Anything to do with bats, in theory, can expose yourself to potential viral transmission because we know bats carry so many viruses," said Linfa Wang, who heads the emerging infectious disease program at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School.

Bats contain the highest proportion of mammalian viruses that are likely to infect humans, according to research published in 2017 by disease ecologist Peter Daszak in the scientific journal Nature.

Still, very few bat viruses are ready to transmit directly to humans, said Wang, who has been studying bat origins of human viruses for decades and works with a group of researchers sometimes dubbed 'The Bat Pack.'

"I always say that if they could do that, then the human population would have been wiped out a long time ago because bats have been in existence for 80-to-100 million years -- much older than humans," he said.

While still relatively low risk, the possibility that a virus might cross the species barrier and cause disease in humans is enough to require all of Wang's lab and field researchers involved in bat sampling to take special precautions, including immunization against rabies -- the only vaccine available for a bat-borne virus -- and to wear personal protective gear, he said.

Danger doesn't stop with bats. Other mammals, such as civets and camels, have been found to act as intermediate hosts that can pass coronaviruses to humans. Undercooked meat and offal, milk, blood, mucus, saliva and urine of virus-carrying mammals can potentially contain pathogens.

"Viruses evolve all the time -- there's no way to know when it will mutate and become dangerous to humans," said Supaporn Watcharaprueksadee, deputy chief at the Center for Emerging Infectious Disease of Thailand, who has studied bats for two decades. "The best prevention is to avoid the risk and reduce all risky behaviors," she said.

At the Khao Chong Phran bat cave in the Thai province of Ratchaburi, where the bat dung is mined, there are an estimated of 3 million wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bats, an insect-eating species that produces high-nitrogen guano, essential for boosting plant growth.

Guano collectors usually enter the cave with long sleeved shirts and long pants, with a T-shirt wrapped around their head as makeshift cover -- in contrast to how disease ecologists investigate caves in a full-body suit with masks and gloves. Although dry guano has low risk of infection, miners or cave visitors can potentially be exposed to viruses through the fresh saliva and urine of bats.

It's not a concern foremost in the minds of the cave's guano collectors, even weeks after Thailand reported the first of its 35 Covid-19 cases.

"We've done this for a long time, for many generations," said Singha Sittikul, who manages the business and fields orders. It's a small operation trading guano locally, but such fertilizer is also sold by companies and via online commerce platforms, such as Amazon.com Alibaba Group Holding. "We carry on as usual."

Bats are highly valued in Ratchaburi, where they not only produce a potent fertilizer, but also play a role in pollination and pest-control by feeding on insects that ravage rice and other crops. Their cave has been declared an animal sanctuary. Killing or eating them is prohibited.

In other places, bat consumption is more common. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, for example, fruit-eating bats are sold by market vendors and their meat is used in a soup-based dish with vegetables, chili paste and coconut milk. In Palau, a whole bat is served in a soup of ginger, coconut milk and spices -- a dish that gained notoriety on social media during the early weeks of Covid-19.

In southern Vietnam, a local newspaper reported Friday there were vendors serving bat porridge and bat blood cocktails, which they believe have aphrodisiac properties.

The trade and smuggling of wild mammals, including ones that may act as intermediaries of bat-borne viruses, poses a risk. Carcasses and parts of pangolins, lions, rhinos and elephants are routinely being trafficked through Southeast Asia.

Bat expert Supaporn is expanding her research to look at pangolins as well as horseshoe bats, which may have played a role in the emergence of the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19, she said.

The Freeland Foundation, a counter-trafficking organization, has alerted Asian nations to the direct virological threat wildlife smuggling poses to "wider human populations."

Closing markets and refraining from consumption of the animals is the only sure way to prevent the spread and recurrence of outbreaks, it said.

"There are so many bat-borne diseases that we have yet to discover, and they can be dangerous," said Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, a senior adviser to the Thai Ministry of Public Health. "Now is the time to discourage eating and trading them."

Source - TheNation

'Business as usual': Singapore tourism persists amid coronavirus outbreak

Singapore is among the countries that have been affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, as the country's Health Ministry announced on Monday that there were 77 confirmed cases of the virus and 24 people had been discharged from the hospital.

The outbreak has also affected the country’s tourism. The Singapore Tourism Board reported that 19.1 million tourists visited the country in 2019, a 3.3 percent increase from 2018. However, the number is forecast to drop about 25 to 30 percent this year.

“Every day, Singapore loses 20,000 tourists from all entrances [following the virus outbreak],” said John Gregory Conceicao, Southeast Asia executive director of the Singapore Tourism Board, during the Year-in-Review 2019 and Media & Trade Gathering event on Tuesday in South Jakarta.

China, where the outbreak first emerged, contributed to 20 percent of the country's international tourist arrivals. Indonesia ranked second after China with 3.11 million tourists traveling to Singapore last year.

Mohamed Firhan Abdul Salam, Indonesia area director of the Singapore Tourism Board, said at the same event that Singapore currently applied travel restrictions for tourists from China, including on direct flights to and from China. “It’s among the measures to contain the situation in Singapore,” Firhan said.

Despite the outbreak, Firhan said Singapore still continued with “business as usual”. He explained that thermal scanning had been performed in all entrances to Singapore and surgical masks were provided for the public, especially for those who are sick.

The country also has implemented contact tracing, meaning that those who have interacted with a coronavirus-infected person will be traced for further check-ups.

“We suggest travelers practice personal hygiene: wash your hands, wear masks if you’re sick and go to the doctor if you feel any symptom of fever and coughing,” Firhan said, adding that all tourist destinations in Singapore were still open to the public.

In fact, the country has new tourist attractions, including a new tower at the Marina Bay Sands, a rejuvenated Orchard Road and Jurong Lake District and the newly opened Magical Shores at Siloso in Sentosa Island that offers interactive beach light art.

In regard to the country's recovery, Conceicao said it would take longer than the recovery period from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, which took around five months.

“Maybe it will take five to six months. We’ll see whether we can recover by then,” he said, adding that the board planned to team up with travel agents, airlines and online travel agents to promote Singapore when the recovery period ends.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Not just Chinese travelers staying away as virus shakes Asian tourism

As a driver of one of Thailand's renowned "tuk tuk" motorized rickshaws, Amonchai Laodoungdee is used to busy days ferrying tourists around Bangkok, but on Tuesday he waited for four hours at a shopping mall without a single customer.

Since word of the new coronavirus spread from China last month, he's seen his daily income drop from about 1300 baht ($41) per day to around 400 baht. At first, he noticed not as many Chinese tourists were around. Now, there are few tourists from any country.

"Not too many foreigners come to visit Thailand now," Amonchai said. "Now is very difficult."

Such laments are becoming more common across Asia's tourism industry, from street food hawkers to luxury tour operators, as more countries advise citizens to be cautious as the coronavirus toll surpassed 1,000 deaths, most of them inside China.

Many Asian tourism professionals say the drop in tourism has spread from Chinese tourists to visitors from other Asian and Western countries now also staying away, raising fears that much of the 2020 travel season may be severely diminished.

"It's not just China. Travelers from other countries are also postponing or canceling visits not just to Singapore, but we are seeing evidence across Asia,” Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, told reporters.

Some tourism officials says the market is resilient and may well bounce back once the virus is contained.

Still, as the number of total confirmed cases surpassed 40,000 this week, many worried that the slump would continue for months.

"We forecast an overall decline of up to 50 percent in the number of bookings for the first half of the year, compared with same period last year," Alicia Seah, director of communications at travel agency Dynasty Travel, based in Singapore.

Sharp decline

Tourism-heavy economies like Thailand, which derives around 12 percent of its GDP from foreign visitors, are especially affected by travel restrictions and warnings.

"Today the impact has not been just on Chinese tourists but on all tourists," Chairat Triratanajaraspon, president of the Tourism Council of Thailand, told Reuters.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand has predicted a revenue loss of 95 billion baht ($3.05 billion) from fewer Chinese tourists from January to April, but that number could rise higher as travelers from other countries are now staying away.

The decline has been swift and sharp. From Feb. 1 to Feb. 10, arrivals booked by the Association of Thai Travel Agents dropped by were down 71 percent from last year overall and 99 percent from China, according to the associations.

Chairat said 50-60 percent  of the usual 3 million expected tourists for February are expected to now stay away, adding "This situation is likely to continue into March."

In Indonesia, the tourist island of Bali alone has seen 20,000 cancellations, said Hariyadi Sukamdani, head of Indonesia’s hotels and restaurants association.

He did not know how many were from Chinese tourists or from other countries, but he said there is concern of a sustained slump because from now until April is usually when bookings for summer holidays usually are made.

"In the toilet"

In Vietnam, cancellations are coming in for well into the year.

The official state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said last week that many inbound tours to Vietnam scheduled for March and April had been canceled.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism estimated the damage to Vietnam’s tourism sector from the virus will range from $5.9 billion to $7.7 billion, VN Express reported on Friday.

A tourism source in Hanoi, who did not wish to be identified given the sensitivity of the situation, said hotels were suffering from a 20 percent drop in budget in terms of occupancy.

"It's really pretty bad. We are re-forecasting now. But February and March are of course in the toilet.”

Thai tour operator Virat Chatturaputpitak, managing director of Marwin Tours (Asia) Co. Ltd., said he has seen a reduction of tourists from Canada, the United States, and also the United Kingdom.

"For me, the Easter outlook in April is also not good," Virat said.

"We simply don't know how long it will take to contain this virus and every day the news of more infection mean more people are reluctant to travel," he added.

Source - TheJakartaPost

Cambodia - Hun Sen welcomes stranded cruise ship passengers

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 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen this Friday (February 14) travelled to Preah Sihanouk Port to welcome MS Westerdam cruise ship’s passengers who disembarked.

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 The cheerful atmosphere was broadcast via BTV Cambodia television station and the official Facebook page of the Cambodian leader.

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The 1,455 passengers include tourists from 41 countries, including 651 Americans, 271 Canadians, 127 English and 91 Dutch.

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A spokesman for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation of Cambodia said that charter flights were ready to take passengers from Sihanouk International Airport to Phnom Penh International Airport. Five to six flights were expected since each flight would be able to pick up around 180 passengers.
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The decision allowing Westerdam with more than 2,000 passengers and crew to dock at Sihanoukville, after being rejected by five countries, earned Cambodia appreciation from the World Health Organisation, the ambassador of the United States to Thailand and the European Union.

Source - TheNation

Thailand - The joy of the Tat Wiman Thip waterfall in Bueng Kan

 The Tat Wiman Thip waterfall situated in Phu Langka National Park is one of the major tourist attractions in Bueng Kan province, which is under the management of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

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The rich white waterfall cascading down a large cliff is also made memorable by the resonance of the water pouring onto the rocks below.

Apart from its pristine beauty, the experience is made wonderful by the coolness of the water. People can splash about in the pool and have a good time in the lap of nature.

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Generally, the weather in the national park is similar to other areas in the northeastern region of Thailand. The temperature on the park’s hilltops is around 0 to 5 degrees Celsius in winter, with an average of 25 to 36 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

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Those interested in visiting the Phu Langka National Park and its attractions can take Highway No 212. The place is about 220 kilometres from Nong Khai province and six kilometres from Ban Phaeng district of Nakhon Pathom province.

Source TheNation