The post Allianz Partners lands two wins at TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia  appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

Allianz Partners, a world leader in B2B2C insurance and assistance, took home two major accolades at the prestigious TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia for successfully using innovation and technologies to reimagine its claims processes. The company’s endeavours have helped reduce its operating costs, increase employee productivity, and bring about significant improvements to its overall service levels.

Given Allianz Partners’ global presence in over 73 countries with over 72.9 million cases handled globally, one of the main challenges faced by the company is the rising claim expectations from customers. To achieve peak efficiency and effective customer service, Allianz Partner has reengineered their process and implemented automation in all customers’ touch points such as emails retrieval, claims registration, claims assignment, and document upload of its claims process.

Allianz Partners’ main goal for this implementation is to scale up productivity and capacity of the company’s claims assessors by simplifying, eliminating and optimising processes primarily focussing on productive and value-added processes that are beneficial to the customers.

The implementation of RPA within Allianz Partners’ claim process has demonstrated significant returns of efficiency within a short amount of time, bringing about an average time saving of 24 hours weekly since its inception. The technology has helped increase productivity by 50% whilst reducing overtime frequency.

For this remarkable innovation, Allianz Partners has clinched the Technology Innovation of the Year – Malaysia category awards.

Meanwhile, Allianz Partners has also launched its very own one-stop claims portal this year as part of its digital transformation efforts with the goal of providing customers a seamless and friendly claims journey. The implementation has empowered customers to self-serve and enabled claims submission with reduced document requirements, thus reducing 38% of the overall processing time. Allianz Claim Portal is equipped with robust security measures to authenticate and capture customers’ details, which eventually leads to speedier claims payout. In addition, the portal enables real-time updates on their claims’ status.

Since its implementation, this transformation initiative has brought about a positive impact on the claims experience of Allianz Partners’ customers. The company has successfully reduced the average claims lifecycle by 65%, steering to shorter waiting times and improving the overall claims payout experience. This is evident in the customer’s feedback as seen in their 94% decrease in claim complaints received and improvement in their travel customer Net Performance Score to above 90%.

Allianz Partners won the Digital Transformation of the Year – Malaysia category for the innovative platform.

“This is just the beginning of our transformation journey, as we have plans to explore AI implementation and further innovation in our customer care services in the near future,” said Allianz Partners’ Head of Operations Travel – Asia and Country Manager – Malaysia & Singapore, Winnie Wong.

The inaugural TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards – Malaysia honours top companies that have consistently pushed boundaries within the travel industry and elevated customer experiences through innovative technologies, sustainable practices, and unparalleled services.

The TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia is presented by Travel Daily Media. To view the full list of winners, click here. For more details, please contact Jane Patiag at +(65) 3158 1386 ext. 217 or awards@traveldailymedia.com.

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The post Japan’s Aomori Prefecture collaborates with Michelin-starred Arbor to promote its regional cuisine appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

Japan’s Aomori Prefecture, via Aomori Crafts, begins its gastronomic collaboration with Michelin-starred restaurant Arbor today, 22nd November.

During the three-week culinary event, Arbor will use impeccable local ingredients from Aomori Prefecture to create exquisite Japanese-French fusion dishes. 

Additionally, elements of traditional Aomori crafts will be incorporated into the dining experience, allowing guests to fully immerse themselves in this Japanese-French feast.

Following the event, Arbor will continue to incorporate Aomori ingredients into its signature dishes from 22nd November, including salmon, scallops, nagaimo (Japanese yam), burdock root, as well as the region’s famed apples.

The menu may change depending on the availability of ingredients, adding an element of mystery and surprise to the dining experience.

Exquisite local craftware

In addition to the delicious cuisine, the restaurant will also feature Aomori crafts as tableware and decorations, including Tsugaru glassware (津軽びいどろ) from Hokuyo Glass and apple wood products from Kimura Woodcraft Factory. 

This will enable guests to fully immerse themselves in the charm of Aomori, through the region’s traditional products.

Tsugaru glassware hails from the Tsugaru region of Aomori Prefecture. It is crafted using local sand and the challenging chu-buki (宙吹) glass-blowing technique, and was designated as a traditional craft of Aomori Prefecture in 1996. 

Each piece of handmade glass is unique, showcasing a variety of colour combinations that reflect the beauty of Japan’s four seasons. The aesthetically pleasing designs add a touch of elegance to everyday life.

With regard to applewood craft, Kimura Woodcraft Factory in Hirosaki City has specialised in it for over four decades.

Thanks to the local apple farming sector, abundant applewood resources have led to the creation of various crafts made from the material. In turn, this showcases Aomori’s upcycling-driven environmental culture. 

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The post Sarawak Tourism Board secures win at TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

Statutory body Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) was recognised at the coveted TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia for its successful hosting of the 2024 edition of the iconic annual Rainforest World Music Festival, which brings together local and international performers to put on a three-day music extravaganza.

The festival not only features concerts and performances, but also showcases various culture, art, crafts, and food of the 34 different ethnicities of Sarawak to the visitors, making it a highly anticipated event for both locals and international tourists.

STB has taken on the challenge to make this edition the largest show to date, as it has just returned to a full physical format in the previous year amidst the impacts brought by the recent global pandemic. This year’s event headlines Japanese recording artist, composer, record producer, and arranger Kitaro.

To successfully promote the event, the agency has taken advantage of digital media to engage younger crowds—a new target market for the festival—whilst traditional media presence is further strengthened to engage older audiences who are more familiar with “World Music.”

At the same time, STB has also partnered with online travel agents and online travel guides such as Traveloka, Klook, Tripzilla and Tripadvisor, to promote the event. As conversions are the key metric to the integrated marketing campaigns, the agency has partnered with data partners with first party data from Agoda, Singapore Airlines, and Trivago to retarget travellers who may be in the region during the time of the festival.

It has also leveraged on traditional online, press and broadcast mediums throughout the marketing phases of the event to ensure maximum reach and visibility to target markets such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. STB has engaged over 170 media to cover the event, as well as post promotions by informing their audiences of the dates for the 2025 festival.

The agency has also partnered with Malaysia Airlines, leading hotels and travel agents to provide packages at a discounted rate and additional incentives for international visitors joining the festival.

During the festival, attendees have been encouraged to utilise User Generated Content, wherein they have been urged to share their experiences online via highly Instagrammable locations and activities. The sustainable aspect of the event has also been given centre stage to further reinforce the importance of the festival as a vehicle for sustainability and responsible tourism.

STB has managed to record 30.3 million impressions on digital platforms, in addition to 10.6 million audiences on traditional media platforms, leading to a total of more than 26,000 festival goers for 2024.

For its 2025 edition, the festival will be held from 20 to 22 June 2025 at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching, Sarawak.

The inaugural TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards – Malaysia honours top travel companies that have consistently pushed boundaries within the industry and elevated customer experiences through innovative technologies, sustainable practices, and unparalleled services.

The TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2024 – Malaysia is presented by Travel Daily Media. To view the full list of winners, click here. For more details, please contact Jane Patiag at +(65) 3158 1386 ext. 217 or awards@traveldailymedia.com.

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The post Agoda: Asian travellers flock to the United States for Thanksgiving 2024 appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

Digital travel platform Agoda reports that many Asian travellers are eyeing a trip to the United States for Thanksgiving this year. 

The most recent report showed a 15 percent Year-on-Year (YoY) increase in accommodation searches for the United States by travellers from Asian markets this Thanksgiving. 

The increase in searches suggests a growing enthusiasm among Asian travellers to experience the Thanksgiving holiday in the US.

According to Agoda’s vice-president for supply Tarik Fadil: “Thanksgiving in the U.S. is a unique cultural experience, and it’s fantastic to see more travellers from Asia eager to partake in it this year. At Agoda, we’re thrilled to be the bridge that connects these curious explorers with their holiday adventures, ensuring they have everything they need for a memorable Thanksgiving feast stateside.”

Who’s flying in for the holiday?

South Korea leads the list of Asian markets showing interest in US Thanksgiving travel, followed by Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Singapore. 

The ranking differs from 2023, when Japan was the top point of origin, followed by South Korea, Taiwan, India, and the Philippines.

Agoda provides travellers from Asian markets with access to over 4.5 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and over 300,000 activities, making it easy to seamlessly plan a trip, for Thanksgiving or any other reason. 

These options can be combined in the same booking, allowing travellers to tailor their holiday experience.

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The post Federico Tidu appointed executive chef at COMO Cocoa Island appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

COMO Cocoa Island has appointed Sardinian-born Federico Tidu as its new executive chef.

With a career rooted in Michelin-standard establishments, award-winning restaurants, and luxury resorts, Tidu brings a wealth of experience and creativity to COMO Cocoa Island. 

At the resort, Tidu brings his Sardinian influence to Ufaa, the resort’s restaurant, where the menus are inspired by International and Mediterranean flavours that showcase the fresh bounty of the Maldives. 

Dinner menus are changed every evening to highlight the locally sourced Maldivian fish and seafood, while reflecting the seasonality and freshness of each ingredient at the same time.

Cuisine is a core pillar at COMO Hotels and Resorts whose culinary philosophy centres on creating holistic nourishment that energises the body and satisfies the senses. 

Tidu’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for COMO Cocoa Island, promising guests a memorable culinary journey that honours both tradition and innovation.

Michelin-level credentials

Hailing from the Italian island of Sardinia located in the Mediterranean Sea, Tidu began his culinary journey at the age of 13, cultivating a deep appreciation for the fresh, local produce of his homeland. 

The balanced, vibrant flavours of Mediterranean cuisine continues to influence his cooking style and philosophy to this day. 

His achievements include the prestigious Chef Hat Award from the Australian Good Food Guide in 2022, earned during his tenure at Jonah’s Restaurant in Australia. 

This accolade, awarded under criteria comparable to the Michelin rating system, reflects excellence in ingredients, taste, presentation, technique, value, and consistency.

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The post Cathay Pacific releases October 2024 traffic figures appeared first on TD (Travel Daily Media) Travel Daily Media.

Cathay Pacific revealed its traffic figures report for October 2024 on Thursday, 21st November.

This latest report shows how the airline reached the milestone of operating more than 10,000 passenger and cargo flight sectors in a single month for the first time this year. 

Cathay Pacific carried a total of 2,014,105 passengers in October, marking an increase of 19.6 percent compared with October 2023. 

The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 19.1 percent year on year while its passenger load factor decreased by 1.6 percentage points to 83.1 percent, and  available seat kilometres (ASKs) increased by 21.3 percent year on year. 

In the first 10 months of 2024, the number of passengers carried increased by 27.4 percent to a total of 18,567,818, against a 32.7 percent  increase in ASKs and a 26.8 percent increase in RPKs, as compared with the same period for 2023. 

With regard to cargo operations, the airline carried 142,323 tonnes of cargo throughout last month, an increase of 14.3 percent compared  with October 2023. The month’s cargo revenue tonne kilometres (RFTKs) increased 9.8 percent year on year. 

The cargo load factor increased by 0.8 percentage points to 61.5 percent, while available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 8.4 percent year on year. 

In the first 10 months of 2024, the tonnage increased by 10.4 percent to a total of 1,245,899 tonnes, against an 8.8 percent increase in AFTKs and a 4.1 percent increase in RFTKs, as compared with the same period for 2023. 

Outlook for the coming months

Cathay’s chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau is optimistic about the airline’s performance as the year draws to a close.

According to Lau: “We are projecting a strong Christmas travel peak, with Japan anticipated to be a top destination for outbound travel from our home market. We are also expecting  considerable inbound demand from North America, the United Kingdom and other destinations  in Europe as customers travel to visit friends and relatives.” 

With regard to new destinations, Cathay Pacific’s seasonal service of three flights per week  between Hong Kong and Cairns is slated to launch on 17 December 2024. 

Lau added: “We also announced the resumption of Cathay Pacific’s non-stop passenger services to and from Hyderabad  starting from 30 March 2025, further enhancing our network presence in India. Additionally, HK  Express launched thrice-weekly passenger flights between Hong Kong and Hiroshima at the  start of November, increasing to four return flights per week in January 2025.”  

In terms of cargo, the robust demand seen by the airline of late is expected to continue throughout the rest of the peak season, driven by e-commerce, high-tech and electronic goods from the  Chinese Mainland, Southeast Asia, as well as perishables from South West Pacific and the  Americas.

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