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By Manu Vardhan Kannan
Published on January 24, 2025
The Ascott Limited (Ascott), a wholly owned business unit of CapitaLand Investment (CLI), has achieved significant growth for its Oakwood brand, signing 16 new properties in 2024. This marks a 30% year-on-year increase and reflects the brand’s strong appeal to bleisure travelers seeking seamless blends of business and leisure experiences.
The new signings include four Oakwood Premier properties in Adelaide, Bali, Shenzhen, and Singapore. This growth is driven by Oakwood’s flex-hybrid model, which merges the comfort of serviced apartments with the luxury of hotels. With nearly 100 properties worldwide, Oakwood's portfolio spans 14 countries and 50 cities, offering diverse options for travelers in both key urban centers like Tokyo and resort destinations like Batam, Chongli, and Ha Long.
Key openings in 2024 include:
Oakwood Suites Chongli, a ski resort in Zhangjiakou City, China.
Oakwood Ha Long, an all-villa property near Vietnam's Ha Long Bay.
Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Grand Batam, located on Batam Island, Indonesia.
The brand also introduced the "All You Knead is Comfort" culinary campaign, celebrating comfort food as a universal language. This initiative includes a digital cookbook, Comfort, Curated, featuring recipes from Oakwood chefs worldwide. Guests can explore local cuisines through cooking classes, celebrity chef collaborations, and seasonal menus at Oakwood properties.
Ms. Serena Lim, Chief Growth Officer at Ascott, shared, “Oakwood’s strong growth reflects its ability to capitalize on the rising demand for bleisure travel. By delivering comfort and connection, we continue to expand into new markets and enhance our offerings for business and leisure travelers.”
As culinary experiences play a key role in travel, Oakwood properties emphasize interactive dining options. The campaign features special recipes such as Hainanese Chicken Rice Nigiri by Chef Nixon Low from Oakwood Studios Singapore and Haleem by Executive Chef Reagan Fernandes from Oakwood Residence Kapil Hyderabad.
For more information about Oakwood’s culinary activities and upcoming events, visit Oakwood’s campaign page.
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Published on July 22, 2025
Germany is considering a reversal of the air traffic tax hike introduced in May 2024, according to a report by Bild. The move comes amid growing pressure from airlines and concerns over high operational costs at German airports. The current coalition government plans to discuss the matter during the preparation of the 2026 budget.
The tax increase raised the surcharge for short-haul flights from €12.48 to €15.53 per ticket. This has been widely criticized by airlines, especially low-cost carriers like Ryanair, which claim that the added costs are making air travel to and from Germany less attractive. International airlines have also hinted at scaling back their operations in response to the high fees.
Christoph Ploss, the government's tourism policy coordinator, has been vocal in calling for a change. “The increase in air traffic tax must be cancelled, and charges at German airports must also be reduced,” he told Bild. He further noted that the tax hike made holidays more expensive for millions of Germans. “A well-deserved holiday in Mallorca must not become unaffordable,” he added.
Germany’s transport ministry reportedly supports the reversal and sees it as a step toward reducing financial strain on the aviation sector. The coalition government, led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, has expressed a commitment to easing the burden on the travel industry, although no official timeline has been provided yet.
The announcement briefly lifted Lufthansa’s stock by 2.2%, reflecting positive sentiment from the market. Ralph Beisel, head of the ADV airports association, also welcomed the potential policy change. “A reorientation of aviation policy is needed in our country,” he said, calling the reversal “a first and urgent step in the right direction.”
German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil is expected to present the draft budget for 2026 in the coming week. While economic challenges and increased defence spending are putting pressure on the national budget, businesses and industry watchers are closely monitoring the government's next steps in offering relief to the aviation sector.
By Nishang Narayan
Published on July 21, 2025
Emirates has unveiled 'Emirates First', a new premium check-in zone at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport, offering a private and elevated experience exclusively for its First Class travellers and Skywards Platinum members.
Just steps from the dedicated Emirates entrance, the new facility is designed to mirror the airline’s First Class luxury—with interiors featuring marble finishes, gold and bronze accents, and plush seating areas. The space is intentionally free of digital signage to maintain a calm, lounge-like atmosphere. Instead, the check-in process is handled via iPads or at elegantly crafted counters, providing a personalised, tech-enhanced experience.
The zone also includes family-friendly seating, allowing one member to complete formalities while others relax. Luggage is seamlessly routed through dedicated First Class belts for smoother transfers.
“Emirates First reflects our continued investment in luxury travel,” said Adel al Redha, Deputy President & COO, Emirates. “It offers privacy, efficiency, and comfort at every step of the journey.”
Post check-in, passengers can proceed directly to the First Class lounges for à la carte dining, spa treatments, shopping concierge services, and more.
This initiative is part of Emirates’ broader First Class upgrades, which include Robert Welch caviar bowls, curated wine pairings, and a more refined onboard service. With over 26,800 First Class seats available weekly, Emirates continues to set the standard for top-tier travel experiences.
Foreign travellers heading to Europe may soon have to pay nearly three times more for the region’s new digital travel permit. The European Union has proposed increasing the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) fee to 20 euros (approx. USD 23), a steep rise from the originally planned 7 euros.
This change, unveiled by the European Commission, comes as the EU aims to adjust for inflation, operational demands, and to better align the permit cost with global equivalents. For instance, the U.S. charges USD 21 for its ESTA, while the UK’s ETA costs 16 pounds (around USD 21).
Expected to roll out in the last quarter of 2026, ETIAS will be mandatory for travellers from visa-exempt countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, entering any of the 27 EU member states (excluding Ireland) as well as Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The permit will be valid for three years.
While travellers aged under 18 or over 70 will be exempt from paying the fee, others will need to apply online before their trip. The system is intended to enhance border safety by identifying security risks, irregular migration, and other concerns in advance, making travel both safer and smoother for eligible visitors.
The European Parliament and member states now have two months to review this fee adjustment. Once approved, it will go into effect with the launch of the ETIAS system, which has already seen multiple delays, largely due to its link with a yet-to-be-implemented automated border control system.
This proposal comes amid the EU’s broader financial plan, including a two-trillion-euro long-term budget (2028–2034), which aims to fund priorities like defence and agriculture. Brussels hopes to raise funds through new revenue tools such as a carbon border tax and an e-waste levy, targeting 58 billion euros annually.
As the EU moves to strengthen both financial sustainability and border security, the updated ETIAS fee stands as a key piece of its evolving travel and economic framework.
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