There’s a slight glimmer of hope if you’re a Singaporean stuck at home getting a bit restless. Recent announcements seem to suggest that a potential Singapore travel bubble is on the horizon between the island and Indonesia’s Bintan and Batam islands.
These two islands depend heavily on tourism from Singapore for their local economy, so the pandemic has been difficult for them.
Though still not confirmed, it is a positive sign that something might be on the way. Besides the local authorities, hospitality and tourism-based businesses have championed the idea in order to get the local tourism trade restarted. One of the biggest champions of the Singapore travel bubble has been Club Med.
To find out what is really going on, we had a chance to interview Vincent Ong, Senior Vice-President for Commercial Southeast Asia (SEA) and Marketing Asia Pacific (APAC), Club Med. Having a resort on one of the islands Club Med Bintan, they are rooted in the local tourism economy as well.
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Vincent was kind enough to share details about the travel corridor and what it would mean to the region. He also shared how Club Med has kept its head above water, as this iconic holiday brand continues to stand tall despite the lockdowns.
Find out what else he had to share.
How important do you think the Singapore-Bintan travel corridor is going to be for Bintan’s tourism?
Pick up any article commenting on the state of the tourism sector today and it’s the same headline about how the pandemic has ravaged a US$1.7 trillion a year industry with over 100 million jobs lost.
Singapore has been a leading nation in introducing travel corridors with the numerous essential ‘green lanes’ established. We wait in anticipation for the announcement of leisure travel corridors.
Leisure travel corridors which enable safe travel to re-start are important to sustain livelihoods and to foster the physical and more importantly, the mental wellbeing of a population. Governments and health authorities have experimented with imposing restrictions and enforcing protocols to keep society safe.
As we see more relaxation of these restrictive policies, it is now time to also start experimenting with cross border safe passages.
While arrivals from Singapore into Bintan made up over 550,000 in 2019, this is relatively small as compared to other destinations with Singapore being a travel hub for the region. After a year of border restrictions, while it would be a significant milestone for travel corridors to commence, it’s still “baby steps” we take in the travel industry’s roadmap to recovery.
Creating jobs and preserving the livelihoods of communities is a necessity. We can learn a lot about what it takes to open up safely and be a template for the region there so many economies and livelihoods depend so much on tourism.
Could you share how Club Med is facilitating the travel corridor?
Together with NATAS and Banyan Tree, Club Med is one of three parties which submitted a joint proposal in December 2020 to the relevant ministries to safely create a “tightly-wrapped travel bubble” between Singapore and Bintan. We have also been collaborating with the SALIM Group and Bintan Resort Cakrawala.
Our proposition prescribes pre-departure health assurances, safe border clearances, transits to and from the resort, health screening assurances of staff, high-impact safety and hygiene resort programs and resort stays which are ring-fenced from the community.
Keeping people safe is a priority. All parties commit to complying with protocols endorsed and prescribed by International experts and Singapore standards.
How you managed to stay afloat given the current state of tourism in APAC?
Club Med entered the crisis with a strong business model generating profitable growth, a positive free cashflow and a solid financial position. Club Med also has the strong backing of the Fosun Tourism Group as an active and supportive shareholder.
Naturally, there has been deep costs and efficiency actions to protect employees and to keep Club Med strong over this period.
The focus in 2021 has shifted to be able to prepare for the rebound, swiftly, decisively and impactfully.
As travellers get ready to get back to their best selves and back to happiness this year, Club Med continually worked on engaging with our guests to stay top of mind. A couple of notable initiatives would include:
Thrive Again
Thrive Again by Club Med is a rallying cry and Club Med’s “motto” for this year to get people to thrive again and make 2021 count.
It consists of a travel content series, comprising a specially curated selection of digital content including never-before-seen local destination insights for keen learners, exclusive travel tips and advice to reach your potential, as well as special features of go-getters within the organization and esteemed personalities who have been an inspiration to us.
We aim to instill a new spirit of optimism in their guests, partners and local communities, helping to renew and ignite guests’ journeys to getting back to their best selves.
Body & Soul by Club Med activated in PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay
As part of our initiative to help people to get back to their best selves, we are partnering with PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay to bring our inaugural Body and Soul programming right to the heart of Singapore.
This partnership with the Pan Pacific Hotels Group is how Club Med is pivoting its business to bring the Club Med experience to a Singapore where there are no Club Med resorts.
It marries the best of Club Med’s extensive and expertly-curated schedule of fitness classes, wellness workshops, with the hotel’s lifestyle offerings of farm-to-table experiences, spin studio and more.
From yoga and barre, to urban farm tours, spin classes and Zumba, and a farm-to-bar cocktail making session – this one-of-a-kind wellness escape for those seeking an active staycation experience.
Travel Promise Vouchers
We also launched our travel promise vouchers where guests travel is guaranteed. Guests get to enjoy an additional 10% credit for the value that they purchase. The voucher is activated only from the day borders reopen and valid for one year.
Guests are able to decide when and where they want to go once they have the ability to. The vouchers are also fully refundable, with no questions asked.
How has the Club Med experience evolved since the start of pandemic as we look forward to the reopening of travel?
Firstly, the Club Med our guests will experience the next time they travel will remain the same pre-crisis all-inclusive formulae of great people (our G.Os), full-on activities, amazing destinations and the ‘secret sauce’ of how we enable people to truly let go, feel free and share genuine moments with others.
Even more appreciated would be the vast outdoors, spacious areas and that venture back into natural surroundings like beachfronts, forests and mountains that make up over 90% of any Club Med resort.
What’s new is Club Med’s Safe Together guest assurance program developed with the support of Ecolab, a global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and services.
Through a series of heightened hygiene and safety protocols implemented across all of Club Med’s resorts in Asia, Safe Together provides guests with the reassurance of a clean and safe environment when experiencing the resort.
Aligned with recommendations from the worldwide health authorities and local regulations, our guests will be met with a ‘new normal’ as health and safety expectations shift post-pandemic.
Club Med’s enhanced hygiene implementations will be communicated across various touch points throughout the resorts, delivering a safe and worry-free vacation experience for all guests.
What’s next for Club Med in Asia?
Whilst both our Maldives resorts and resorts with domestic markets have opened in China, Japan and Malaysia, we look forward to the reopening of all APAC Club Med resorts by the middle of 2021.
In the meantime, guests in Singapore can experience a slice of Club Med with our Body and Soul staycation package at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay.
One exciting project that we have been working hard on is a upcoming resort, Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu, opening in 2024. This highly anticipated resort will be our first greenfield of beach resort in South East Asia and will be the first beach resort we have opened in the region in the past 10 years.
Located in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Club Med Borneo Kota Kinabalu will boast 400 rooms within its property, including 40 luxury suites for the Club Med Exclusive Collection space, with occupancy of 1038 guests in total. The resort will also feature 3 restaurants, 4 pools, a spa, meetings and events spaces, a ballroom, as well as the first Club Med tennis academy in the Asia Pacific region.
Across the globe, we have recently unveiled Club Med La Rosière, our newest flagship resort in the French Alps, in December 2020 despite the current pandemic and we are also poised for continued global expansion with openings across four continents.
These include the brand’s first ever resort in Canada, Club Med Quebec Charlevoix, the recently opened Club Med La Rosiere, the highly anticipated Club Med Seychelles which just opened 2 weeks ago and a charming new resort in China, Club Med Lijiang opening in Q3 this year.
