Travel Alliance kicks off cross-border telco rewards programme with Grab, Trip.com

The Travel Alliance, comprising Singtel, AIS, Globe, HKT, Optus, Taiwan Mobile and Telkomsel, announced a strategic partnerships with leading ride-hailing, delivery, and travel brands Grab and Trip.com last month to enable savings for Alliance customers when they travel.

The Travel Alliance was formed in February 2024 with the aim of launching the first-of-its-kind cross-border rewards programme to enable its almost 300 million customers to enjoy a slew of incentives on transport, dining, merchandise, and lifestyle services when they travel to the markets where the operators are based. Trip.com and Grab are the first to join the ecosystem of partners to provide perks that can be seamlessly accessed by Alliance customers.

Anna Yip, CEO, International Digital Services (Designate), Singtel, said: “Digital tools and services have become an integral part of our lives and play a greater role when we travel as we rely so heavily on them to help us navigate new spaces and access experiences like tours, dining and more. We’re proud to have Grab and Trip.com join us as we build the programme to enhance our customers’ experiences and provide more value beyond connectivity.

"The Travel Alliance will continue to establish partnerships with key goods and service providers so we can continue to provide our customers with the best deals that support their evolving travel and lifestyle needs.” 

Source: Singtel. Announcing the Travel Alliance.

 

As part of the regional cross-border rewards programme, Trip.com will provide Travel Alliance customers with best-in-market concessions of 10% and 6% off hotel and flight bookings respectively. Eligible Alliance customers will also enjoy an instant upgrade to Trip.com’s top tier Diamond status and receive exclusive perks such as free access to airport VIP lounges and car model upgrades for airport transfers.

“As a customer-focused company, Trip.com is delighted to partner with the alliance of seven telcos to bring exceptional travel opportunities to their users across the Asia Pacific region. This collaboration reflects our commitment to making travel more accessible and rewarding by leveraging innovative partnerships. By combining the convenience of our platform with exclusive discounts for the telco customers, we aim to inspire more people to plan the perfect trip for a better world,” added Han Feng, Head of Marketing, Trip.com. 

The Travel Alliance and Grab will work together to create exclusive deals and discounts for Alliance customers, including a special Grab Tourist Pack, to be launched in early 2025. 

“With our presence in over 700 cities across 8 countries in Southeast Asia, Grab believes we can be the one app travellers need for hailing rides, ordering food, dining out or getting emergency supplies delivered to their doorstep. We are pleased to partner the Travel Alliance to support the travel needs of their vast combined customer base,” said Chuck Kim, MD, Group Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Grab. 

Pratthana Leelapanang, Chief Consumer Business Officer at AIS, stated: "We are excited by the successful collaboration between major Asian telecom providers. This partnership allows AIS to offer exceptional travel experiences to its customers abroad. Leveraging familiar and convenient services like Trip.com and Grab, along with the additional benefits from The Travel Alliance, AIS is confident this initiative will significantly enhance customer convenience while travelling, fulfilling its commitment to exceptional service.” 

Monita Leung, CEO of Digital Ventures at HKT, said: "The Club, our loyalty platform within the HKT ecosystem, is committed to enriching the cross-border travel experience for our customers. We're thrilled to join hands with leading telcos of the Alliance and international brands, like Trip.com and Grab, to offer delightful benefits and travel opportunities across the region. 

"Our travel agency, Club Travel, also provides a comprehensive range of travel services, including flights, accommodation, events and ticketing, to offer bespoke unforgettable journeys for our valued travellers." 

“We are always seeking bold, innovative ways to elevate our customers’ experiences, wherever they are. This partnership empowers our customers to travel smarter and more affordably, unlocking exclusive rewards that enhance convenience and connectivity. With Globe, every journey becomes seamless and truly rewarding,” said Darius Delgado, Chief Commercial Officer, Globe Telecom. 

Tony Lin, Chief Business Officer of the Consumer Business at Taiwan Mobile, stated that in this tech-savvy era, travellers seek personalised and convenient travel experiences. "With a user-centric approach, Taiwan Mobile strategically partners with renowned global travel brands to provide seamless services for programme members, encompassing everything from their doorstep and airports to their destinations and attractions, creating rich and diverse travel reward experiences. The Telecom Cross-Border Rewards Programme will continue to expand its partnerships, building a transnational rewards ecosystem that allows both business and leisure travelers to easily accumulate points and flexibly redeem rewards. 

"Looking ahead, Taiwan Mobile will continue to embody its Open Possible brand philosophy, combining its Telco+Tech strategy with global partners to jointly create a smarter and more convenient travel ecosystem," he said. 

Telkomsel’s CMO Derrick Heng said: "As the leading digital telco service provider in Indonesia, Telkomsel is committed to enhance customer journey and experiences through innovative and excellent connectivity, service, and solutions. This collaboration empowers our customers, particularly users of our all-digital telco product by.U, to redeem their loyalty points for services from Trip.com, Grab, and other partners, while travelling to seven participating countries. 

"We also welcome Travel Alliance customers to Indonesia, enabling them to redeem their points to explore the rich cultural heritage and unique beauty that Indonesia has to offer." 

The Travel Alliance programme will be progressively expanded to cover key travel corridors and popular destinations globally. Promotions on accommodations, flights, rides, and food deliveries will be progressively rolled out by the Alliance members in 2025. Details on the offerings from the first partners to join the programme include: 

Trip.com 

Over the next six months, Alliance members will be sharing discount codes that their customers can redeem for hotel and flight bookings on Trip.com. These are applicable for travel up to 30 June 2026. 

Customers can use these codes to enjoy 10% off hotel bookings. Subsequent campaigns will include 6% off flight bookings and other promotions. 

Alliance customers on loyalty programmes, such as Singtel Red and Prestige*, may be eligible for an additional perk of getting upgraded to Trip.com’s Diamond status membership. More details on these campaigns will be shared by the respective telcos. 

Grab 

The Grab Tourist Packs, which offer savings on rides and meals, can be easily accessed via Alliance members’ apps, starting with Singtel’s. The offers can be used when traveling to locations in Southeast Asia where Grab is available. The Alliance will be collaborating with Grab to develop tailored Tourist Packs for their respective markets to ensure added benefits and a more personalised experience for their customers when they travel.

*Singtel Red is an all-in-one rewards membership programme that offers subscribers vouchers, exclusive partner deals, and more data on Singapore's 5G network. Singtel Prestige is an exclusive membership that rewards customers on premium plans.

Ryotaro Muramatsu's DANDELION PROJECT on display in Osaka, Taiwan, Sharjah

Source: NAKED. The DANDELION PROJECT.

Tokyo-based creative company NAKED and its founder Ryotaro Muramatsu are at the 2023 Sharjah Islamic Arts Festival, which ends 21 January, 2024. 

The Sharjah festival, with artists from over 40 countries, showcases Muramatsu's DANDELION PROJECT. Launched in 2020 as a response to the pandemic-affected world, the project aims to unite divided people through art.
 
Selected for its theme of transcending differences and fostering global connection through prayers for peace, the DANDELION PROJECT involves planting dandelion-shaped installations globally. Participants blow on a dandelion, and their prayers for peace travel virtually as a dandelion seed through the project's network, blooming as digital art flowers at another location. This initiative has been implemented in 56 locations worldwide, including in Tokyo, Shanghai, and the G7 Hiroshima Summit.

"DANDELION is an art piece that connects people worldwide with a simple physical act of making a wish on a dandelion—a childhood memory that many of us share. I hope we can go beyond our differences to connect with one another through art and plant flowers of peace throughout the world," commented Muramatsu.

The project is also live at the Tower of the Sun in the Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Osaka and in Taipei.

Secrets of the Raknus Selu Trail delves into Hakka culture in Taiwan

Asian network KC Global Media has announced the world premiere of Secrets of the Raknus Selu Trail, an original multimedia production commissioned by the Hakka Affairs Council in Taiwan. The one-hour docutainment special chronicles the Hakka link with some of Taiwan’s most iconic exports and explore their cultural and industrial connections to the rest of the world.

Hosted by British photographer Chris Stowers and Taiwanese food and travel writer, Danny Wen Shi-Kai, the special takes viewers through Danny’s ancestral family’s journey through the forgotten paths of the Raknus Selu Trail, Taiwan's first long-distance trail network. In exploring the trail, which is 200 km long and covers the Taiwanese cities of Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Taichung, they uncover Hakka heritage, and reveal the culture’s impact on modern Taiwan.

Highlights of the docutainment special include visits to the iconic Sankeng Old Street in Taoyuan, a repository of Hakka culture and architecture; the starting point of the Raknus Selu Trail, which was used for transporting tea to the port; the Taiwan Black Tea company; the Lo Family House, traditional architecture which used to house early Hakka immigrants; and the Taiwan Thousand Miles Trail Association (TMI), which preserves Taiwan’s hiking trails. 

Secrets of the Raknus Selu Trail will also be featured as a four-part podcast series, hosted by Stowers and Wen. Guests include Radio DJ Andrew Zhan from Singapore’s UFM100.3 and Radio DJ Joseph Lin from Taiwan’s ICRT FM100. 

Episode 1 will feature Stowers and Wen sharing their experiences behind the scenes of the video, and what they learnt in their journey. In episode 2, the podcast covers the Hakka history and culture, with Wen sharing stories about his childhood. Episode 3 will discuss food, including some popular Hakka dishes, while episode 4 will explore the interesting flora and fauna found on the trail.

Derek Wong, VP & Head for Production & Creative for KC Global Media said, “Through this 'docutainment' special, we offer a wholistic learning experience which combines the elements of documentary film with an entertainment edge for our Asian audiences through the visual, online and audio space. We look forward to producing more of such meaningful projects in the future.” 

Source: KC Global Media. Set in Taiwan, the docutainment special Secrets of the Raknus Selu Trail will premiere across AXN’s various platforms, including their YouTube channel, from September 27.

Details

The series will premiere on AXN’s channel on September 27 across Asia and will see a worldwide release on AXN Asia’s YouTube channel on September 28. The complementary four-part podcast series with the same title will air on September 27 across leading audio streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Podcast, SPH Radio’s AWEDIO app, Astro Radio’s SYOK app, and International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) Radio’s app.

Get updates from @AXNAsia on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

Submissions are open for the 2020 Global Corporate Sustainability Awards

Source: GCSA organisers. GCSA winners for 2019 at the GCSF in 2019.

Companies with an outstanding commitment to sustainable development are invited to enter the 2020 Global Corporate Sustainability Awards (GCSA).

2020 GCSA is hosted by the Alliance for Sustainable Development Goals (A•SDGs), co-organised by Taiwan Academy of Corporate Sustainability (TACS), Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE), and Center for Corporate Sustainability (CCS). The awards embrace the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined in the UN’s 2030 agenda.

GCSA has four key objectives:

- Promoting corporate sustainability principles and SDG practices.

- Recognising corporate efforts toward sustainable development.

 - Honouring companies that provide complete disclosure of economic, environmental, social and governmental performance and clearly communicate sustainability performance and impacts through sustainability reporting.
 
- Encouraging individuals who contribute to positive impacts and accomplish outstanding successes in sustainability.

GCSA offers awards and recognition in three major categories: Outstanding Professional, Sustainability Reporting, and Best Practice.

GCSA-Outstanding Professional highlights exemplary individuals who have made outstanding contributions to sustainable development within their respective organisations. Individuals can be nominated for this award by government agencies, corporations, or academic organisations.

GCSA-Sustainability Reporting rewards those corporations that disclose information in their corporate social responsibility reports that is complete, reliable, and transparent.

GCSA-Best Practice recognises outstanding performance in sustainable development business practices and projects.



Past winners have included Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) from the US, Siemens from Germany, ASUSTeK from Taiwan, GSB from Thailand, Vale Indonesia and JANAJAL from India.

Details:

Registration is currently open and closes on 10 August 2020. The results will be announced on 4 October 2020. The awards ceremony is planned for 18 November 2020 during the 3rd Global Corporate Sustainability Forum (GCSF) in Taipei, Taiwan.

Norwegian Cruise Line releases new APAC itineraries.

Source: Norwegian Cruise Line website. Norwegian Spirit.

Norwegian Cruise Line has announced new 2020 and 2021 itineraries for 12 of its 17 ships.

Within the Asia Pacific region, Norwegian Spirit will sail a variety of port-intensive itineraries within North Asia. 

Beginning May 9, 2020 and opening for sale on May 1, 2019, Norwegian Spirit will feature 11 to 15-day itineraries will feature bucket-list worthy destinations including calls to Shanghai and Beijing, China; Osaka, Okinawa, Mount Fuji (Shimizu) and Sapporo, Japan; and Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan.


According to the company's website there are also cruises available within Southeast Asia.

In early 2020, as part of the company’s Norwegian Edge programme, Norwegian Spirit will undergo an extensive multimillion-dollar revitalisation including new venues, updated staterooms and public spaces.

Explore:

For more information or to book a cruise, call +852 2165 6000 (English, Cantonese and Mandarin assistance), contact a preferred travel professional or visit the website.

Asia Miles introduces Facebook travel game for Hong Kong travellers

Hong Kong Asia Miles members could win 100,000 Asia Miles in a Facebook game this month just by creating a travel itinerary for Taipei, Taiwan.

On Facebook, check out social media guru Ming Jai (Ming 仔)’s recommended itinerary for a trip to Taipei. Name two of the Asia Miles categories in which you can earn through his itinerary, then plan an extra day's itinerary on top of Ming Jai’s trip within a budget of HK$5,000 with at least three different categories for miles accrual.

Add your planned itinerary under the Asia Miles Facebook game post and tag three of your favourite travel buddies to stand a chance of winning the game.

The game runs till 21 July 2018. Winners will be decided by the itineraries that earn the most miles and are the most creative. The top-earning itinerary will win 100,000 Asia Miles while the next five will each get 20,000 miles.

*Note: The Asia Miles Facebook page appears to be location-specific. Visitors from outside of Hong Kong will not see this post.

MICE package from Asia Super Team up for grabs

MEET TAIWAN, developed by Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), returns with business competition Asia Super Team,  which promotes Taiwan as a top-of-mind destination for incentive travel.

Themed Adventure to Dreams, the fourth edition of Asia Super Team invites companies from Singapore, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines to register online for the opportunity to travel to Taiwan and participate in the five-day competition, which will take place from 16 to 20 October 2017.

Eight finalist teams will be given the opportunity to travel through the country and visit MICE venues, festivals and major events. The winning team will be awarded a Taiwan incentive travel package valued at US$50,000.

Teams can share their Asia Super Team experience on social media, and invite their colleagues to vote for entries on the official website for a chance to win round-trip tickets to Taiwan sponsored by China Airlines.

For the first time in the history of the competition, three mentors from Taiwan will join the winning participants and guide them as they explore the beauty of Taiwan as a MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) destination. The international experts will share their past experiences, the teamwork behind their business success, how companies can utilise Taiwan’s rich and diverse resources to inspire and develop their teams, as well as their favourite MICE itineraries in Taiwan.

Two of the mentors who will be joining the event include André Chiang, a top chef from Taiwan and owner of Michelin two-star Singapore establishment Restaurant André, and Lin Hwai-min, Taiwan’s father of modern dance and founder of Cloud Gate Dance Theater.

Chiang believes that the key ingredients to success boil down to complete trust among team members, commitment, and the pursuit of a common goal—to transform public perception of French cuisine.

Chiang said, “Fearlessness, focus, trust, and mutual support are key for building a super team.” He attributes his success to his superb team who work behind the scenes in the kitchen, and the creative spirit and inspiration drawn from his hometown in Taiwan. He names the Shilin Night Market near his three-generation home in Taipei as one of his inspirations.

His multinational team was also able to achieve such heights of creativity due to the unique inclusiveness of Taiwanese culture. Even in the face of challenges, his team has demonstrated a strong ability to adapt. Some of his favourite locations in Taiwan include Keelung with its abundant marine resources, and Tainan for its rich local culture.

Lin highlights Taiwan as a continuous source of inspiration for his team. He said: “Taiwan’s freedom provides a unique breeding ground for artistic talent.”

Much of the world came to know about Taiwan because of his Cloud Gate Dance troupe and its distinctive choreography and artistic form, which has achieved recognition as the best contemporary dance troupe in Asia. Lin said Taiwan embraces freedom and the pursuit of dreams, and its culture and history are an endless source of creative inspiration. Lin highlighted Taiwan’s National Palace Museum, cultural heritage centres, and eastern Taiwan which borders the Pacific Ocean as particular sources of inspiration.


Interested?

Companies can simply fill in the online registration form by 31 July 2017 for a chance to win the grand prize, valued at US$50,000 in Taiwan.

Watch a video of Lin’s favourite MICE destinations 

Source: TAITRA. Representatives from finalist teams from each country at Asia Super Team 2016.

Mastercard brings Apple Pay to Taiwan

Mastercard has introduced Apple Pay in Taiwan.  Mastercard is working with major card issuing institutions, including CTBC Bank, Cathy United Bank, E.SUN Bank, Standard Chartered, Taipei Fubon Bank, Taishin Bank and Union Bank of Taiwan to enable their customers using Mastercard credit cards with Apple Pay,  which transforms mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient.

“According to our latest research, 61% of consumers in Taiwan are aware of near field communications (NFC) technology and contactless payments, with more than 80% of consumers willing to try or continue using contactless payments*,” said Eva Chen, Head of Mastercard Taiwan. “Mastercard is committed to enabling a seamless, faster and safer payment experience for consumers and with Apple Pay, Mastercard cardholders will experience an easy, convenient and secure way to pay in stores, on the go from apps and on the web.”

Security and privacy are at the core of Apple Pay. When using  a credit or debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, or on Apple servers. A unique "in between" device account number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in a secure part of the device. Each transaction is further authorised with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

Apple Pay is easy to set up and users will continue to receive all of the rewards and benefits offered by credit cards. In stores, Apple Pay works with iPhone SE, iPhone 6 and later, and Apple Watch.

Online shopping in apps and on websites accepting Apple Pay is as simple as the touch of a finger with Touch ID, so there is no need to manually fill out forms or repeatedly typing in shipping and billing information. When paying for goods and services on the go in apps or Safari, Apple Pay works with iPhone 6 and later, iPhone SE, iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation), iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 3 and later. Users can also use Apple Pay in Safari on any Mac introduced in or after 2012 running macOS Sierra and confirm the payment with iPhone 6 or later or Apple Watch, or with Touch ID on the new MacBook Pro.

Interested?

From now through 30 June 2017, when people pay with Apple Pay using a Mastercard credit card at restaurants and supermarkets in Pacific Sogo Department Stores, Far Eastern Department Stores and Breeze Center, they will get an immediate NT$30 rebate for a NT$150 purchase. The promotion is available once a day per credit card, per person, and is limited to the first 20,000 shoppers per day.

*MIC, Consumer Behaviors Analysis of Mobile Payment

KKday opens in Singapore, launches #taiwantrippin promotion

Source: KKday. Ming Chen, CEO of Asia’s leading travel experience e-commerce platform KKday celebrates Singapore launch, and the #taiwantrippin digital campaign.

Asian travel experience e-commerce platform KKday has been launched in Singapore. The Taiwan-headquartered KKday connects users to local tours from all over the world. Since its official launch in 2014, KKday has expanded to Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan, with Singapore its fourth stop.

“Setting up base in Singapore was a natural decision. Besides being the gateway to the rest of  Asia, the booming travel and tourism industry in the city has also put KKday in an ideal position  to launch here,” said Ming Chen, CEO, KKday. 

Chen's personal experiences with travel prompted him to start KKday, which offers more flexibility and accountability than the traditional travel agency. “Normally, consumers can’t choose the local activities they really want to experience because the tour packages are decided by travel agencies. Besides, traditional travel agencies have to go through a long supply chain so whenever problems emerge, it’s hard to trace (problems) back to the source.” said Chen.

“KKday aims to create an authentic and enjoyable travel experience. We create a customised itinerary for all our customers. For example, we know that Singaporeans love visiting Jiufen (九份), Shifen (十分), and Pingxi (平溪) so we coordinated a tour especially for Singaporeans to experience in a day,” said Chen. Jiufen, Shifen and Pingxi are popular tourist destinations on the outskirts of Taipei in Taiwan. Jiufen is known for its village - said by some to be the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away - while Shifen hosts a large waterfall. Pingxi is famous for sky lanterns.

Pingxi is known for sky lanterns (天灯). This picture was taken on a visit to Pingxi in 2002.

The company is also celebrating its debut in Singapore with the #taiwantrippin contest. One winner and three friends stand to win a holiday in Taiwan worth more than S$8,000 in January 2017. As Millennials aged 25 to 34 make up about 55% of KKday’s customer base, the campaign is designed to reach out to new users and 'wanderlusters' in Singapore who are active on social media.

KKday and Citibank have also joined forces to bring deep discounts off selected travel activities.

Interested?

Watch the #taiwantrippin campaign video

Participants to submit a 30-second video on Instagram explaining why they deserve to win the grand prize titled Reasons why I should go on this epic tripHashtag #taiwantrippin and #kkdaysg
Include contact details on a submission form on the website
The top five video entries will be shortlisted on 21 November.
Shortlisted participants are to share the campaign with their friends to garner votes. Forty percent of the votes will be determined by KKday panel of judges and 60% will be determined by online voting
The winner will be announced on 23 December, and named KKday's Travel Ambassador 2017. Together with three friends, he or she will enjoy an all-expenses-paid seven-day trip to Taiwan in January 2017 featuring more than 10 KKDay experiences across Taiwan such as

• Paragliding across mountain ranges of Puli (埔里). 
• Staying in Leofoo Resort Guanshi, the only safari resort in Asia, where giraffes hang out by room windows. 
• Contemplate life by Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), a popular honeymooner destination.

At the end of the trip, the winner creates a travelogue that can be shared by KKDay and its partners on social media.

Read the terms and conditions for #taiwantrippin

Book by 21 October for discounts of up to 75% on travel activities for trips till 31 December, 2016. Read the terms and conditions for the Citibank travel promotion with KKDay

posted from Bloggeroid

Thai ordinary passport holders can travel visa-free to Taiwan

Thai ordinary passport holders are now able to travel visa-free to 26 countries and three economies, namely Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Taiwan’s authorities have launched a one-year trial visa-exemption programme for Thai ordinary passport holders who wish to visit Taiwan for tourism, effective from 1 August.

Those eligible will now be able to travel and stay in Taiwan for up to 30 days. Thai nationals who wish to take advantage of this visa-free privilege must: hold a Thai ordinary passport with a minimum validity of six months; hold a return ticket or an onward ticket to another destination; and not be considered an inadmissible person.

Interested?

View the full list of countries and economies where Thai nationals may enter without a visa (in Thai)

Outdoor sports gear stores harbour high ranges of PFCs in the air

A Greenpeace investigation has found levels of hazardous polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in indoor air of sports gear stores in Europe and Asia that is up to 1,000 times higher than streetside air. 

According to Greenpeace, different kinds of PFCs are used in a wide range of consumer products, including carpets, textiles and leather goods as well as in fire-fighting foam and paints. A number of studies have shown PFCs such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) may have hormone disrupting properties that could impact both the reproductive system and the immune system of humans and animals. PFCs have also been implicated in cancers in humans.

Blueair, a mobile indoor air purification technologies provider, says the study provides yet more evidence of the surprising, often hidden dangers lurking in indoor air that endanger human health. “It is ironic that sports gear designed to help people stay healthy is helping to create toxic indoor environments that may make us sick by increasing our exposure to extremely high levels of airborne chemicals,” said Bengt Rittri, CEO of Blueair. The company's purification systems can purify the air in spaces up 100 sq m in size.

Titled Hidden in plain sight: Poly-fluorinated chemicals in the air of outdoor stores, the Greenpeace study involved taking air samples in 30 indoor locations, including 13 stores selling outdoor gear in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Norway, as well as in three stores in Taiwan. The store samples were compared to other samples taken at Greenpeace offices, seminar rooms and warehouses in Hamburg and Taipei as well as in other clothing stores not selling outdoor gear.

According to Greenpeace, concentrations of PFCs in the air in outdoor gear stores in Europe were 20 to 60 times higher than air samples collected in Greenpeace’s office and storage rooms in Hamburg and up to 1,000 times higher than urban outdoor air; with concentrations of PFCs in outdoor stores in Taiwan in the same range as those in Europe. "PFCs in significant concentrations were found in the flagship stores of all companies," the report states.

Earlier studies by Greenpeace discovered chemicals such as PFCs in waterproof outdoor gear including jackets and trousers, shoes, sleeping bags, backpacks, tents, in leather gloves, and in swimwear. In its latest study, Greenpeace said the air sampling found volatile PFCs. mainly fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOH), which are becoming increasingly common as substitutes for ionic PFCs in outdoor clothes and readily evaporate into the air.

“PFCs have been associated with numerous health effects in humans, including kidney and testicular cancer, and their use in consumer products such as clothing and other gear should be avoided if not totally eliminated so as not to put human health at risk by contaminating indoor air,” Rittri said.

Blueair suggests: 

Use an indoor air monitor to get continuous updates about the current quality of the indoor air and pollution outside on the street

Ensure a room is well ventilated at all times. If it is not possible to keep windows and doors open, create a safe indoor environment with an air purifier with filters that set industry standards for efficiency

Listen to what the body says: If a headache, unexplained cough or red and itchy eyes develop, it's possible the indoor air may be polluted

Interested?

Read the Greenpeace investigation report

Emirates flies the A380 into Taipei

Emirates has expanded the network of destinations served by its flagship A380 aircraft with the launch of new scheduled A380 services to Taipei, becoming the first and only airline to operate an A380 into the city.

Source: Emirates. The first Emirates A380 flight into Taipei was greeted with a water cannon salute on arrival. The A380 service from Dubai to Taipei landed at 16:50 local time on 1 May.

Emirates has seen growing demand for its services on the route and together with the increasing popularity of the Emirates A380 experience among customers, made the logical decision to deploy one of 77 A380 aircraft to Taipei. The Taipei route was introduced as a daily Boeing 777 service on 10 February 2014 and Emirates has since transported nearly 450,000 passengers between Taipei and Emirates’ Dubai home.

“Taiwan is a significant market for Emirates and we have witnessed a strong and steady growth in demand since our start of services in 2014. We are committed to cultivating the market through continuous investment and we are confident that the launch of our new A380 service will open up further opportunities in business and tourism between Taiwan and other countries,” said Thierry Antinori, Emirates Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer.

Interested?

For Taiwanese travellers, flights EK366 and EK367 will be served by the new two-class configuration offering a total of 615 seats: 58 in Business Class and 557 in Economy Class.

Try the street food of Taiwan at Tea Valley

The Tea Valley backdrop at their Downtown East outlet.

Tea Valley (茶食坊), a Taiwan casual diner in Singapore, is set to go places. At a food tasting session at its oldest outlet in Downtown East, Lawrence Lim, Director of the company, explained that the cafe chain would like to expand further - not just in terms of outlets, but also into the types of services Tea Valley can provide.

Lim.

"I want to bring value to my diners. Taiwan made a strong impression on me for its extensive street food offerings. I believe that good food should be enjoyed by one and all at affordable prices. We hope to open more outlets around Singapore in the near future to add another dimension to Singapore's exciting street food scene," he said.

Tea Valley began in 1999 as a bubble tea shop, but soon expanded into offering Taiwan street food as well. In Taiwan, street vendors often set up their portable stalls in the evenings along smaller alleys, or at regular night markets. The food is often fried or deep-fried for a quick, portable snack, and is especially satisfying on chilly nights.

Lim has transported dishes from Taiwan's street cuisine over to Singapore, taste-testing the recipes multiple times before introducing them to customers. He has found that popular snacks in Taiwan do not always tempt tastebuds locally - like the very chewy tianbula (甜不辣), which Tea Valley has reinterpreted as a fishcake, while others simply go out of fashion and end up being retired.

The tasting menu for the day included a single-portion seafood steamboat, hot and sour noodles, fried golden (enoki) mushrooms, deep-fried cuttlefish, crispy salted chicken, as well as a selection of the 40 teas that are on the menu at Tea Valley @Downtown East.

The jasmine passion tea has a strong hint of passionfruit, while the honey lemon tea is very sweet and redolent of lemon. All three of these teas are served chilled, and come with chewy white pearls. Rose honey tea was my favourite, as it is served warm in a glass teapot to show off the pink rosebuds, and barely tinged with the fragrance of honey.

The steamboat was a colourful mix of prawns and vegetables, cooked to tasty perfection, while the fried dishes combined crispy salty-sweet batter shells with succulent interiors. In Taiwan, the same type of food typically runs to being more strongly flavoured, but these were lighter and more suited to the local preferences for less oily food.

Lim imports high grade teas as well as other food ingredients from Taiwan to make sure the experience is as authentic as possible. His menu includes classics such as oyster meesua, plum sweet potato fries, and crispy salted chicken. He recently invested in a central kitchen to ensure consistently high-quality meals. Next steps, he said, include exploring the feasibility of catering and franchising, as well as opening a new outlet in Tiong Bahru.

Crispy salted chicken

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:22am PST

Seafood steamboat with teriyaki chicken on the side

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:34am PST

Hot and sour noodles

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:55am PST

Golden needle mushroom

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:23am PST

Deep-fried cuttlefish

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:27am PST

Rose honey tea at Tea Valley

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 12:19am PST

Jasmine milk green tea with white pearls. The tea is a high grade tea from Taiwan

A photo posted by J Tang (@shimmertje) on Mar 12, 2016 at 1:06am PST

Interested?

Tea Valley will be introducing fruit vinegars as well as selected menu items at a Taiwan fair at Isetan Westgate from 5th to 13th April, 2016.

Tea Valley @Downtown East is at The Alley, #01-05A, open 11am to 10pm daily; peak periods are typically weekday and Sunday lunchtimes as well as Saturday evenings. It is one of several outlets, all of which can be booked for functions. The others are at:

Chevron House #B1-04, 10am to 8pm weekdays except public holidays
Clarke Quay Central, #B1-47, 11am to 10pm daily
POMO, #01-26, 10am to 9pm daily, except public holidays.
An outlet is anticipated at Tiong Bahru Plaza.

The menu differs slightly from outlet to outlet - the Downtown East outlet features 19 mains and 21 snacks, as well as eight ranges of beverages. It is the only one which serves steamboat. Tea Valley @Chevron House and @The Central offer all-day set meals comprising a main dish, an appeteiser and a drink.

posted from Bloggeroid

A view of one of the most popular booths at Jao He night market in Taipei, Taiwan. Visit the Flickr album on night markets in Taiwan.

Cebu Pacific cleared for additional international routes

​The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) of the Philippines has granted additional entitlements to the Philippines carrier Cebu Pacific (CEB) for international routes from Manila to the UAE; as well as from various points in the Philippines to Taipei and Kaohshiung in Taiwan.

CEB was granted the right to operate additional seven flights weekly from Manila to the UAE, which would allow the airline to launch flights to any point in the UAE. Currently, CEB is fully utilising its entitlements with daily flights between Manila and Dubai.

CEB's request for rights to operate direct flights to Taipei from Caticlan, Clark, Davao, Puerto Princesa, and Tagbilaran, as well as direct flights to Kaohshiung from Caticlan and Cebu, was likewise granted. The airline is presently operating 10 flights a week between Manila and Taipei, and thrice-weekly flights between Cebu and Taipei.

CAB also approved CEB's request to be designated as an official carrier under the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on Air Services (MAAS). As soon as the Philippines completes the ratification of the relevant protocols of the MAAS, CEB will be able to operate unlimited flights between capital cities within the ASEAN region.

"We've always maintained that traffic rights are valuable resources that must be rationally allocated to carriers that are willing and able to utilise and operate flights. We look forward to mounting additional flights to meet the growing travel demand in communities we serve, and opening new routes to stimulate travel in emerging markets," said JR Mantaring, CEB VP for Corporate Affairs, who is also an attorney.

CEB offers flights to a network of over 90 routes on 60 destinations, spanning Sydney, Dubai, Doha, Bali, and Tokyo (Narita). On December 17, 2015, the airline launched three new routes: Manila – Fukuoka, Cebu – Taipei, and Davao – Singapore. 

Interested?

The latest seat sales can be found on CEB's official Facebook and Twitter pages. There is also a Cebu Pacific mobile app on the App Store and Google Play.

TAITRA announces finalists Asia Super Team Competition 2015

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has announced the finalist teams of Asia Super Team: Team Up for Good, the second edition of TAITRA MEET TAIWAN’s business competition, aimed at promoting Taiwan as a top-of-mind destination for incentive travel.

Kaimay Trading, a wholesaler and distributor for furniture, confectionery and beverages, will be representing Singapore in the finals of the competition. The other finalists are AFTR from Australia - a tech startup to find, book and pay for personalised, curated services on-demand; the BUN Corporation food franchise from Japan, Glam Lounge from Korea, Above Creative Events from Malaysia, which manages events, artistes, artwork and destinations, and Meeting Point Asia from Thailand, part of a global destination management firm. 

Asia Super Team: Team Up for Good attracted over 100 business signups across the Asia Pacific region in its online contest phase. In this first phase, participants had to submit an itinerary incorporating their understanding of Taiwan’s MICE offerings as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities. They also had to show how these activities can help preserve or revive local culture, serve underprivileged communities, and conserve the environment. Finalists were selected based on a combination of online votes and a professional judging panel which considered their proposals.

The final stage of the competition, consisting of a five-day-four-night tour of Taiwan and a final press conference, will take place from October 12 to 16, 2015. The finalist teams will visit Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, and Tainan for an immersive experience where they will get to interact with local communities, farmers and fishermen as well as traditional performance artists in an adventure race setting akin to Korean game show Running Man. The activities will allow all six finalist teams to not only contribute to environmental sustainability, serve the community as well as experience the local culture and warm Taiwanese hospitality.

Twenty-four representatives from Australia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand will take part in the final leg of the competition in Taiwan. At stake is an incentive travel package to Taiwan worth more than US$50,000, plus charity funds donated to a non-profit organisation of their choice.

This year, China Airlines will sponsor 12 round-trip air tickets to Taipei to encourage participation in online voting and to promote Taiwan as a MICE destination. The 12 ticket winners will be selected via a lucky draw and announced at the final press conference on October 15, 2015.

Interested?

Vote for your Asia Super Team (voting begins October 12)

View a video of the 2014 competition

Asia Miles adds Miramar Hotel Group offer

Source: Miramar Hotel Taipei website.

The Miramar Hotel Group has joined the Asia Miles travel and lifestyle rewards programme. Members earn 250 Asia Miles for each eligible stay at the Miramar Garden Taipei or Miramar Hotel Hsinchu. 

Members should quote their Asia Miles membership number when making a reservation for a deluxe room and present your membership card at check-in.

The Miramar Garden Taipei opened in 2006, while Miramar Hotel Hsinchu was launched in 2013.

HTC debuts 'Butterfly' handset in selected Asian markets

HTC has unveiled the HTC J Butterfly HTL23 handset through KDDI to the Japanese market. It will also be marketed under the name HTC Butterfly 2 through Chunghwa Telecom in Taiwan, CSL in Hong Kong and significant carriers in South Asia.

Source: HTC.

Featuring the HTC Sense 6 experience, a HTC Duo Camera and the Motion Launch advanced sensor, the new HTC Butterfly 2 makes everyday tasks easier. 

Offering au carrier aggregation*, the HTC J Butterfly HTL23 supports communication download speeds of up to 150Mbps, in addition to supporting WiMAX2+.

Japanese female idol group Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46), the product ambassadors of HTC J Butterfly HTL23 said, “It was love at first sight for the HTC J Butterfly HTL23. Its gorgeous colours, rouge, indigo and canvas, enable the younger generation to showcase their fashion sense confidently and to stand out from the crowd.”

Takashi Tanaka, President, KDDI said, “KDDI knows that our consumers always pursue perfection. Therefore, we chose the partner that we know will offer the best smartphones in the market. Since the HTC J series was released, it has become the most popular phone in our product portfolio. It is exciting that our consumers can experience the HTC J butterfly HTL23 with our advanced network service, such as WiMAX 2+ and 4G LTE carrier aggregation, which can use two frequencies at the same time.”

Peter Poh, Senior Managing Director, Ingram Micro Mobility said, “The Butterfly 2 is a waterproof phone with some very special and unique features that I am confident will meet the needs of the customers. The HTC Sense 6 UI is easy and intuitive to use, the duo camera takes good photographs and the unique materials used on the surface of the HTC Butterfly 2 make this phone one of kind.”

HTC Butterfly 2 brings a totally different dimension to mobile imaging by combining Japan’s first smartphone with a Duo Camera that features a 13 megapixel camera, a dual flash and Full 1080p HD video recording. The Duo Camera boasts a depth sensor, allowing detailed depth information to be captured from a scene. 

The new phone also features the Zoe social network, based on media sharing and collaboration. A collaborative video editing tool, it enables people to create, share and remix beautiful highlight videos with others. 

Delivering sound that is 25% louder than the HTC One, without compromising quality, HTC Butterfly 2 has dual frontal stereo speakers with a new amplifier, redesigned speaker chambers and a tailored audio profile for a high definition experience.

HTC BlinkFeed is now more intuitive, with continuous scrolling for a fluid browsing experience, adaptable tiles and a new layout that presents articles in a clean, easy-to-read way. With the introduction of a new software development kit (SDK) that allows partners to integrate their own content, users can more easily find and subscribe to new media sources, in addition to instantly creating custom feeds on any topic. The News Bundles feature brings all articles and tweets on the same topic together for easy reading, so users get the information most relevant to them.

With the introduction of HTC Sense 6, HTC Butterfly 2 boasts capabilities that give the product a sixth sense. For example, Motion Launch is immediately able to detect its position and movement, thanks to built-in motion sensors that allow users to interact with the phone without turning on the screen. A simple swipe will activate the device, Auto Answer allows you to answer a call by putting the phone to your ear without touching the screen, and a double tap turns the lock screen on and off.

HTC is also changing how people use their phone battery. HTC has optimised power consumption with an Extreme Power saving mode. 

HTC Butterfly 2 will be available in Taiwan on September 2, and sold through major wireless carriers and retailers in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. As of September 6 it is also available in Singapore.

*Carrier aggregation provides high data rates through aggregating several frequency bands. The technique is supported by the Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) specification, which is the next generation of LTE (4G) mobile broadband to be introduced.

United expands trans-Pacific routes with Taipei, Tokyo connections with in-seat power

United Airlines is expanding its trans-Pacific network with the connection of its San Francisco hub with Taipei, Taiwan, beginning March 29, and launching a second daily flight between Houston and Tokyo on March 30. Services to China and Australia are in the pipeline.
  

"With the most extensive route network, the broadest alliances and hubs in the largest US cities, United offers travelers more choices to more of the world than any other US airline," said Jim Compton, United's Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer. 

"The new Taipei and Tokyo services strengthen our commitment to the Pacific, where United is already the leading US carrier, and to the San Francisco and Houston hubs."

With the addition of Taipei, the airline will offer nonstop flights between San Francisco and eight cities in the Asia-Pacific region. United will operate the Taipei and Tokyo services with Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The aircraft flying San Francisco-Taipei will offer 269 seats – eight in United Global First, 40 in United BusinessFirst and 221 in United Economy, including 113 extra-legroom United Economy Plus seats. The aircraft flying Houston-Tokyo will offer 267 seats – 50 in United BusinessFirst and 217 in United Economy, including 72 United Economy Plus seats. 
 
United is the only US airline to offer flat-bed seats in its premium cabins on every long-haul, international flight from the continental United States. The airline also offers more extra-legroom economy seating than any US airline. The United Global First and United BusinessFirst classes offer seats that recline into fully flat beds, personal on-demand entertainment, in-seat power and USB ports. Customers in United Economy also enjoy in-seat power and personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat.

These Taipei and Tokyo additions come as United plans to introduce three-times-weekly Boeing 787 service June 9 between San Francisco and Chengdu, China, pending government approval. This nonstop service would be the first by a US airline from the United States to mainland China, beyond Beijing and Shanghai. 

The company also plans to offer, subject to government approval, nonstop Boeing 787 service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, six times weekly beginning October 26.

San Francisco-Taipei Service

Flight 871 will depart San Francisco daily at 1.50 pm and arrive in Taipei at 6.30 pm the next day. Flight 872 will depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport daily at 11.10 am and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 7.30 am the same day (all local times).

United is the largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, offering nearly 300 daily flights to more than 90 destinations worldwide, more than any other airline from the Bay Area. From its San Francisco hub, United also offers more nonstop trans-Pacific service to and from the United States than any other airline, with nonstop flights to Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Sydney. 
 

Houston-Tokyo Service

Beginning Sunday, March 30, Flight 1 will depart Bush Intercontinental at 9 am and arrive at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 12.35 pm the next day. The return flight 2 will depart Tokyo at 6.55 pm and arrive in Houston at 4.55 pm the same day (all local times).

The second Tokyo flight complements United's existing daily Houston-Tokyo service, which began in 1999. The Tokyo flights offer convenient round-trip connections at Narita to the airline's flights to Guam, Seoul and Singapore, as well as to flights operated by United's joint-venture partner ANA to 19 destinations in Asia, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Taipei.

This additional flight to Japan's capital is timed to provide travellers with a new option for travellers shuttling between Japan and Central and South America. From Houston, United and United Express offer nearly 560 daily flights to 176 destinations around the world, including top business and leisure travel markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

DHL launches Taiwan-to-Austria freight service for less than a container load

DHL Global Forwarding has launched a new weekly LCL (Less-than-Container-Load)* service from Taiwan to Austria. The new service, which arrives in Vienna via Koper, Slovenia, enables Taiwanese exporters to ship their cargo every Monday from Keelung or Kaohsiung, for arrival in Vienna 35 days after.

"It is imperative that as a company, DHL Global Forwarding has its finger on the pulse of the industry and can identify the needs of exporters. Specifically we must focus on helping to strengthen cross-border trade partnerships. With the Eastern Europe states expanding their appetite for Asian products, this new service supports the needs of Taiwanese traders to perform more efficient and speedy services to their customers there," said Kelvin Leung, CEO, Asia Pacific, DHL Global Forwarding.

Offered through Danmar Lines, DHL Global Forwarding's in-house carrier, the new service drastically shortens shipping time by 8 days, close to 25%, as it bypasses LCL trans-shipment hubs and reduces time spent on facility handling. The service is also over 3% more CO2-efficient than traditional routings.
"Taiwan exports are reaching farther and wider than ever before and Austria is an important trading partner of Taiwan and a key gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. According to the Bureau of Foreign Trade, plastic articles, electrical equipment and machinery account for nearly 50% of our overall exports," said Kenny Mok, Managing Director, Taiwan, DHL Global Forwarding. 

"We realise that Taiwan-based traders want to extend their product footprint and supply chains to the Eastern Europe markets of Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Macedonia. With our latest LCL service launch, we are fulfilling their demand for faster speed-to-market services to that region."
"Following well-established weekly LCL services from Taiwan to Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Finland and Lithuania, this new service marks the most recent European route that DHL Global Forwarding has launched out of the Asia Pacific. DHL currently operates the world's largest in-house LCL network with more than 2,000,000 cubic metres of LCL freight handled annually and more than 2,500 weekly point pairs from 45 Asia Pacific terminals sailing to 56 destination terminals in Europe," added Marc Meier, Global Head, LCL, DHL Global Forwarding.

All LCL services are accompanied by DHL's IT solutions, including DHL Track & Trace, which allow full visibility throughout the whole supply chain. DHL also provides insurance services to customers as a value-added service. DHL's Shippers Interest Insurance (SII) covers loss or damage of all cargo transported by DHL, as well as transportation costs.

DHL carries more than 97% of its total volumes in-house. The in-house systems and strong global network enables the control of cargo and information flow, increasing speed, accuracy, cost efficiency and reliability. The DHL team manages traditional LCL as well as LCL/FCL** or 'buyer's consolidation', offering localised expertise ensuring timely, secure and cost-effective services at both ends of the supply chain.
*Less than Container Load (LCL) refers to smaller amounts of ocean freight cargo that are insufficient to fill a Full Container Load on their own. The service is widely used by customers across many industries as it offers greater flexibility in the management of supply chains by being able to ship smaller quantities on a timelier basis.
**Full container load (FCL)