Following the commencement of their partnership, Emirates and flydubai announced that Emirates will expand its network to 29 flydubai destinations across three continents.
The new partner network, through its codeshare, will offer greater frequency and easier access to more global destinations with the advantage of connecting baggage to the final destination.
Passengers now can book on Emirates.com, through the Emirates Contact Centres or the travel agents network for all journeys starting from October 29.
“This is an exciting first step in unlocking the benefits of the partnership for passengers who will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique advantages each airline offers as well as greater choice and flexibility when connecting via Dubai. This is just the start and as we expand the partner network in the coming months we will open up more opportunities for our passengers to explore the world,” says HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Group and chairman of flydubai.
When booked together, as part of the codeshare, Emirates passengers will receive complimentary meals and the Emirates checked baggage allowance on flights operated by flydubai in both Business and Economy Classes.
Connecting in Dubai’s aviation hub offers a smooth transfer experience and under the new partnership passengers will benefit from a reduced minimum connection time (MCT) between Emirates’ home in Terminal 3 and flydubai’s in Terminal 2 of 120 minutes.
In this first phase of the partnership, Emirates Skywards members can earn Skywards miles and Skywards Tier Miles on codeshare flights as per the existing Skywards mileage programme.
In addition to the Emirates free checked baggage allowance, Skywards Premium members can also enjoy their extra checked baggage allowances of 20kg (Platinum members), 16kg (Gold members) and 12kg (Silver members) on codeshare flights operated by flydubai.
Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members travelling on codeshare flights can access flydubai’s Business Check-in counters and receive priority tags.
Further benefits for members of each airline’s frequent flyer and loyalty programmes will be announced in due course.
SpongeBob Gold made its debut fashion runway appearance in Asia at the Plaza Indonesia Men’s Fashion Week 2017, showing rising designer Tities Sapoetra’s pret-a-porter collection with her signature brand of fashion that is fun and modern.
In a nod to SpongeBob’s cheeky style, Tities interpreted the essence of SpongeBob Gold in a 32-look urban collection that combined print and pattern. Comprising both male and female looks, it also wove in a colour palette that transitioned SpongeBob from the bright colours of the ocean, to the glittery lights of the city. The outfits reflected the influence of design cultures in Indonesia – a blend of traditional crafts and global fashion trends – and showed how everyone’s favourite sponge could be a part of daily lives through fashion.
Claire O’Connor, vice president of consumer products and retail marketing, for Viacom International Media Networks, said, “The pairing of a well-loved character and a classic timeless colour, into the concept of SpongeBob Gold, is a mark of how endearing and enduring this global icon is. In particular, this fashion partnership shows SpongeBob’s relevance and how he appeals to audiences of all ages, and across product categories, as he never fails to surprise and delight.”
As part of the SpongeBob Gold campaign in Indonesia, seven popular fashion influencers, nanely Anastasia Siantar, Patricia Devina, Ana Octarina, Cindy Karmoko, Jovi Adhiguna, Sonia Eryka and Alika Islamadina, walked the designer’s runway, and brought a fresh perspective to the fashion show.
This fashion collaboration is part of the SpongeBob Gold international campaign from Nickelodeon, and marks the latest iteration of the concept this year. To-date, SpongeBob Gold fashion activities have been introduced in the United Kingdom (London), Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and now Indonesia. Nickelodeon is celebrating everything that makes SpongeBob one of the most iconic animated characters in the world: his humour, optimism and heart of gold. In Indonesia, the campaign featured teasers on social media and will include another fashion show at the Ciputra World Fashion Week 2017 in Surabaya, and culminate in a SpongeBob Gold photo exhibition in October.
Ground Asia, an educational travel organisation, is launching GroundRocks.com, a new online platform that’s dedicated to providing easily booked, affordable and constructive experiences for young people who want to give back when they visit Southeast Asia.
The platform is an extension of Ground Asia, which specialises in creating and operating development trips in Asia for institutions such as schools, colleges and universities. Young travellers can choose to come alone, or with couples and groups of friends and book online from options in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Bali and Jogjakarta in Indonesia.
The GroundRocks programmes run for 18 days and are designed as transformational experiences for both the traveller and the host community. The local community benefits from projects such as school construction and maintenance, English lessons and agricultural work. The process builds leadership values, resiliency and cross-cultural understanding on both sides.
“Our journeys are developed with the objective of transforming young travellers through hands-on, positive experiences in Southeast Asia,” says Jack Bartholomew, the Vietnam-based general manager. Bartholomew is attending the World Youth and Student Travel Conference in Montreal this week, where the new platform will be unveiled and promoted.
The price of each 18-day trip varies from US$1,000 (Bt34,000) to $1312, including supervised community work, sightseeing, meals, and home-stay accommodation. Each trip is a structured balance of community work, organised days of cultural sightseeing and hiking to local nature attractions with a few days off as leisure included.
Each participant receives a certificate of participation at the end and has the option of joining flexible, guided extension trips. These are priced at $640 t$750 per person for eight days, with cheaper prices for shorter trips. Activities typically include hiking, sightseeing, snorkelling, bicycle rides and the like, and are more akin to a standard backpacker experience.
Both the 18-day community trips and the leisure extension trips run on guaranteed fixed departure dates, which are clearly shown on the website.
“GrondRocks.com makes it easy for young people wishing to spend time in Southeast Asia and give something back at the same time,” said Bartholomew. “The new website allows young people – or their parents – to book no matter where they are in the world. We make community-based trips in Asia simple and stress free.”
Onyx Hospitality Group is now offering three unique hotels in Colombo, Kandy and Galle under its two brands – Amari and OZO. With the hotels spread across some of the island’s most beautiful destinations, the group presents a guide of how best to take it all in when visiting Sri Lanka.
Start the trip in the capital city
Make Colombo your quick introduction to Sri Lanka. This port city offers a variety of experiences ranging from a spiritual break in the temples, exploration of culture in the museums, taking the vantage point from rooftop bars to a wide range of markets and retail options. The local team at OZO Colombo recommends a late morning visit to Pettah Market to enjoy he energy of the historic streets crammed with fresh fruit, daily supplies and fabrics. This bustling area provides an adrenaline filled discovery through the city’s busiest neighbourhood. The dynamic arrangement of heritage buildings, makeshift stores and generations-old shops is like a living museum, offering authentic insights into the local lifestyle and culture, as well as providing a unique backdrop for your photo gallery.
Take a scenic train ride
The three-hour train journey connecting Sri Lanka’s capital to Kandy, the cool city located in the inland hills, is a scenic delight. This train ride is not just a mode of transportation to OZO Kandy, but the highlight of the visit itself. The train leaves from the coastal lowlands and chugs up through the hill country past rolling and lush green rice fields, local communities, forests, gurgling rivers and tea plantations. All scenes provide snapshots of Sri Lanka’s dramatic scenic contrasts. For the best views, locals recommend sitting on the right side of the train while en route to Kandy.
Explore the birthplace of Ceylon tea
Crucial to the nation’s economy, Ceylon tea is renowned worldwide and has an interesting 150-year history that can be traced back to the period of the British Empire. The first successful experiments in tea cultivation were made and the first tea plantations were established in Kandy, making the city a great destination for tea lovers. To learn about the production of tea, marvel at the old machinery, and taste the various blends, the team at OZO Kandy suggest a visit to the Ceylon Tea Museum, located three kilometres from the hotel, or a venture into the countryside to the Geragama Tea Estate.
Wander through time in a beautifully preserved colonial towns
Be transported back to colonial times at Galle Fort, a Unesco World Heritage Site and the largest remaining European fortress in Asia. The fort was first built by the Portuguese in the 1500s and later fortified by the Dutch. Wander around impressive monuments and museums from Dutch Reformed Church to the iconic Galle Light House. Today the fort is no less vibrant with chic boutiques, cafes and galleries. Destination Amari, a local guide prepared by the team at Amari Galle, recommends Stick No Bills, a poster gallery featuring a rare variety of vintage movie posters as well as retro postcards depicting the vibrant colours of Sri Lanka.
Lounge around the beach
Sri Lanka is well known for its beaches. For beach enthusiasts, seeking a day at a beachfront retreat in Galle is recommended. From Amari Galle, which offers an expansive beach-facing pool and guaranteed sea views from every room and suite, take a tuk-tuk ride to the shores of nearby Unawatuna and get active with watersports such as diving, fishing and boating. To laze the day away, head to the stunning, intimate and isolated Jungle Beach to take a dip in the Indian Ocean. No trip to Galle would be complete without checking out the traditional stilt fishermen at the Ahangama and Koggala Coasts, the best places to catch this centuries-old activity in full action.
Until December 31 OZO Colombo and OZO Kandy are offering 15-percent off on room rates when booking a minimum stay of three consecutive nights. Get 15per-cent off when booking at least 45 days in advance or 10-per-cent off when booking at least 14 days in advance, along with free early check-in for stays until December 31. For details, visit http://www.Onyx-Hospitality.com.
MILL6 Foundation in Hong Kong presents “TECHSTYLE Series 2.0”, the second in a series that explores the significance of textiles in contemporary society.
The event features a two-day discussion forum on December 9 and 10 and the first retrospective exhibition of internationally acclaimed textile artist Junichi Arai from December 11 to February 28.
The 2017 discussion forum will be titled “Fabpublic – Talking about Textile, Community and Public Space”. Internationally renowned artists, designers, textile specialists, curators, scholars and cultural practitioners from a wide range of disciplines and expertise will gather in Hong Kong to discuss the role of the community within contemporary living, exploring the value and impact that textiles, and their related production, can bring to traditional “brick and mortar” neighbourhoods. Speakers will also engage in and learn about the challenges in energising and reactivating communities through art and textiles
Keynote speakers include Spanish designer Alvaro Catalan de Ocon, founder of PET Lamp, an upcycling anthropological project accentuating preservation of craft knowledge and tradition; and Dutch designer Petra Blaisse, founder of Inside Outside, who works at the intersection of architecture, interior design, textiles and urban landscaping, including collaborations with Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Piper Auditorium Harvard University and Shenzhen Stock Exchange.
The discussion forum will take place at Lu Guan Qiu Lecture Theatre inside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It will be conducted in English. Seats are limited and registration must be completed by November 28.
The second part is the first retrospective exhibition of the textile Japanese master Junichi Arai (1932 – 2017) in Hong Kong. Titled “Self-Organisation: Junichi Arai’s Textile Anthology”, this is dedicated to honouring and presenting Arai’s lifelong efforts and achievements. The venue is the Fashion Gallery at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Deploying traditional textile-making techniques into experimental production processes, Arai is known for creating pieces that combine contemporary Western technologies with Eastern methodologies. The quality of Arai’s avant-garde craftsmanship has been recognised and led to significant collaborations with Issey Miyake and Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garçons) among others.
This month and next, the Armani Hotel Dubai is playing host to the Golden Week & Diwali Celebration, offering guests a luxury dining experience they’ll never forget.
Part of the annual Gourmet 1010 showcase, guests can enjoy signature flavours from India, Italy, Japan and Europe through an epicurean grand tour of four-course set menus that include masala partridge and haryali sea bream at Armani/Amal, zesty marinated mackerel and braised veal belly courtesy of Armani/Ristorante, Armani/Hashi’s Chilean seabass with ginger and shishito, and a spectacular chocolate wasabi delight dessert as well as chestnut and taleggio mantecato risotto and beef tartar with black truffle at Armani/Deli. The set menu is priced at AED 350 (Bt3,180) per person.
This month too, Armani/Mediterraneo joins China’s National Day celebration with a banquet of traditional dishes fused with international flavours. The menu includes Szechuan chicken with asparagus, Peking duck, chicken noodle soup, delicious dim sum, green tea cheesecake and traditional Chinese cookies. It’s available until October 8 at AED 280 per person.
Over at Armani/Ristorante, meanwhile, resident chef Alessandro Salvatico will conduct a monthly series of half-day master classes. Guests can learn how to cook a citrus-inspired menu of regional classics featuring mackerel, risotto and braised veal belly paired with various zesty flavours. The class is available on October 21 and priced at AED 600 per person or AED 1,000 per couple, including three-course lunch.
The resort pays homage to the Italian alpine region of Piemonte in November with a hearty trio of dishes including anchovies in green sauce, cheese fondue and braised Barolo beef, while the festive menu rounds out the year with classic shrimp and ricotta appetiser, oyster and sea urchin risotto and grilled Angus beef tagliata.
Afternoon tea follows high fashion at Armani/Lounge also in November with a menu straight from the culinary catwalk. Take a front row seat for a stylish three-tiered sweet and savory collection of haute couture-inspired patisserie creations including a dark chocolate and raspberry shoe, hazelnut gianduja purse and passion fruit with white chocolate mousse hat.
Guests can also enjoy an elegant selection of finger sandwiches, homemade cakes and classic scones served with homemade preserves and clotted cream. The afternoon tea set costs AED 170 per person or AED 300 per couple.
เราใช้เวลาอีกหนึ่งวันเต็มๆ ในการเดินทางกลับสู่มาร์ราเกซ ครั้งนี้เราเลือกเส้นทางที่ไม่ซ้ำเดิมเพราะจะได้ไปแวะเมืองเก่าที่ได้ยินมาว่าเป็นสถานที่ถ่ายทำฉากสู้รับในหนังเรื่อง Gladiator กับ Games of Throne ที่ชื่อว่า Ait Ben Haddou ซึ่งเราต้องเดิน ข้ามสะพานที่มีร่องรอยของแม่น้ำเป็นกรวดหิน ในช่วงที่มีน้ำจะมีทางเข้าด้านหนึ่งที่นักท่องเที่ยวสามารถนั่งลาเพื่อข้ามฝั่งไปยังเมืองเก่าได้