ScandAsia Singapore March 2013

MAR 2013

Singapore

Gudmund Erling a modern and creative priest in Singapore ScandAsia.dk

ScandAsia.fi

ScandAsia.no

MarchScandAsia.se 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 1

I like to try new foods and at Stamford, I know the food cooked by Chef Emmanuel Stroobant will be healthy and nutritious, helping me be the best student I can be.

Stamford is a world-class school with over 50 nationalities of students from 2 years old through High School, offering daily Mandarin and Spanish and the rigorous IB Program enhanced by American standards.

Open House on Friday, March 15th Register at www.sais.edu.sg

+65 6602 7247

www.sais.edu.sg

Stamford American International School CPE Registration Number: 200823594D Period of Registration: August 10, 2010 to August 9, 2014

Coming Events

Easter trip to Rawa

Open House at Stamford American International School Date: 15 March 2013 Location: Stamford American International School in Singapore Stamford American International School in Singapore will hold Open House featuring Stamford’s new, healthy and nutritious foods on Friday, 15 March 2013.

Chef Emmanuel Stroobant will prepare choices of good food for students, families and interested people to enjoy.

For more information, call +65 6602 7247 To register, visit www.sais.edu.sg

Date: 23 – 26 March 2013 Location: Rawa

The Script Concert in Singapore

Date: 29 March 2013 Location: Singapore Indoor Stadium

The Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Singapore is hosting an Easter trip to the beautiful island of Rawa. There will be activities for kids, morning prayers, evening activities and more. Participants will also have a lot of spare time to relax and enjoy the sun.

Tickets are limited. Interested people are suggested to register in church opening hours. Passport number and expiration date are required from all travellers.

There are three types of accommodations available: Hillside Deluxe at SGD 550, Beachfront at SGD 680, and Water Front at SGD 840. Prices include 3 room nights and 3 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 3 dinners.

For more information, contact 6775 7835 www.singaporeatsjomannskirken.com

Irish alternative rock band The Script will be back to perform in Singapore on March 29.

Based in London, the band released their eponymous debut album in August 2008, featuring the hit songs “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Breakeven”.

They were in the Lion City for an intimate acoustic showcase performance at Avalon back in September last year. In April 2011, the rock trio also treated fans at Fort Canning Park to their biggest hits.

This time, they will be performing at the Indoor Stadium for a proper concert in support of their recently launched album #3 which was released in September 2012.

For more information, visit www.sistic.com.sg

8 Women: Date: 29 March – 7 April 2013 Location: SOTA Drama Theatre Produced by Sing’ Theatre, the play embarks on a journey that explores the depths of the female psyche: seduction, love, hate, resentment, anger, despair, tenderness and jealousy. In line with International Women’s Day on 8th March, Sing’theatre celebrates WOMEN by staging this murder-mystery play turned into a critically acclaimed movie of the same name with Catherine Deneuve. This murdermystery dark comedy is directed by multi award-winner Samantha Scott-Blackhall (Freud’s Last Session, Lord of the Flies, The Physicists).

The show will start at 8.00p.m. on Tuesday to Friday. There will be two rounds on Saturday and Sunday which will start at 3.00p.m. and 8.00p.m.

For more information, contact 6594 8411

March Home 2013 Date: 29 March – 7 April 2013 Location: Singapore Expo Hall 7,

Convention and Exhibition Centre March Home 2013 is the ultimate home fair, featuring a variety of high quality furniture for all types of homes from a bachelor’s stylish studio apartment, a cosy condo for newlyweds, a five-room flat for a family with kids to a large bungalow for an extended family.

There will be something for everyone.

For more information, visit www.myhomeinternational.com.sg March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 3

Opinion

Mixed Marriages a Risky Business

M Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Singapore ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Singapore.

We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Thailand, and the rest of South East Asia.

Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukit 29 Prasert Manukit Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Assistant Editor: Wachiraporn Janrut wachiraporn@scandmedia.com Advertising : Frank Leong frank@scandmedia.com

y Thai wife and I participated last month in the wedding celebrations in Ho Chi Minh City of my good Danish friend and his Vietnamese fiancé. It was a beautiful wedding with a generous mix of Chinese-Vietnamese and Western-Danish traditions, sprinkled throughout with the great sense of humour that my friend is gifted with.

In the morning, we went to her father’s house to ask for his permission for our friend to marry his daughter. The ceremony was simple and still exotic and the father – supposedly with her mothers acceptance – gave the marriage his blessing.

At the dinner party in the evening, we were several foreigners - mostly Danish male friends of the groom. Looking around I noticed that we were all - except one bachelor - married to various nationalities of Asian women. I happened to know that for most of them, this was not their first marriage. The bride and groom, whose marriage we were celebrating, had also both been married before.

So, mixed marriages are risky business? Well, you could say that any marriage is risky business. But a few years ago an analysis from Denmark showed that the divorce rate for mixed marriages was close to double that of marriages between a Danish-Danish couple.

The analysis showed that of 10.000 marriages entered in 2000, eight years later 1.800 of the Danish-Danish couples had ended in a divorce. In comparison, 3.250 of the mixed marriages had ended in a divorce.

I am quite sure you could question how this analysis was done and if the difference is indeed that significant. I wonder also if other socio-demographic factors were considered. Like differences in age. But beyond that I have no doubt that mixed couples face a number of additional challenges that make them more prone to failure. Language and cultural differences being the two most obvious.

But let’s focus instead on the marriages that did survive the dreaded “seven year itch” and the mixed couples that did remain married. This was indeed the case with most of the mixed marriage couples we were gathered around the dinner tables that night. Maybe beyond the struggle of overcoming misunderstandings and forgiving disappointments there is a deeper affection. But now we are into the department of beliefs.

So what if some marriages are more risky to enter than other marriages? Love is risky!

Knowing that the road ahead may be bumpy should never stop anyone from setting out to travel it.

Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com Distribution : Wanvisa Rattanaburi wanvisa@scandmedia.com Printing : Advance Printing Services Co., Ltd.

Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com Front cover image courtesy of Maxima Lenik

Gregers Moller is the Editor-in-Chief of ScandAsia and the founder of the Scand-Media Group. He has lived in Thailand since 1988.

Past Events

Danish Seamen’s Church occupied by ninjas and cowboys – Fastelavn reaches Singapore

By Anders Holm Nielsen

E

very Sunday on Mount Faber in Singapore, Nordic expats gather in the Danish Seamen’s Church for the weekly service. However, on this particular Sunday, February 24, many of them were forced from the front rows and pushed to the back as the church was occupied by ninjas, princes, princesses, cowboys and astronauts. “Fastelavn” had reached Singapore.

The Danish tradition of Fastelavn is a custom that dates back to the time before the Reformation. Fastelavn marked the entrance to the 40-day fasting before Easter.

In Denmark, just a few hundred years ago, the day was quite an ordeal if you were a cat. Many of them experienced the holiday from the inside of a barrel being beaten with sticks by children.

Today kids still dress up and swing bats, however, the poor cats have been spared and replaced by toys or candy. And just because you now live in Singapore, that does not mean you should be cheated out of dressing up like a princess or fireman and beating your way to some toys.

Nearly 300 people had turned up when the Danish Seamen’s Church in Singapore hosted Fastelavn. The church on the hill was swarming with kids in costumes along with their mothers and fathers snapping away on their cameras.

The day started out with a different kind of service. Hymns had been replaced by children’s songs and instead of wine and bread, lemonade and crackers were on the menu of today’s Communion. For most of the kids, the service was most likely more of a warm up for the actual action. The main event was waiting outside, as barrels filled with toys had been hung up and bats were ready to be swung.

One of first to approach the barrel was a ninja kid, masked and dressed in black. Bat in hand he confidently gave it the first crack of the day. Witches, knights and cowboys followed. Had there in fact been a cat inside it would soon be going deaf.

Knowing full well what was inside the barrels, just waiting to be released to its proper owners; it seemed that the kids had gotten superhuman strength along with their costumes. They gave it all they had and parents kept a distance as flying pieces of wood filled the air.

At around five o’clock the barrels had been diminished to stacks of firewood, and with sore arms and a new toy to bring home it had been an eventful day for the attending kids at the Danish Seamen’s Church in Singapore.

6 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

Past Events

First ScandBizBar of the season

By Anders Holm Nielsen

T

he Norwegian Business Association Singapore (NBAS) hosted the first ScandBizBar of the season on 7 February 2013 at The Cufflink Club in Jiak Chuan Road. It was a huge success with a crowd of 70 – 80 people.

Attendees on the first three ScandBizBar events of 2013 will be part of a grand draw for a gift voucher from Siri Mendira, Bali Beach Villas.

People who left their business card or contact details on the night would have the chance of winning a three day stay including breakfast at a villa in Bali. The lucky draw will be conducted on the ScandBizBar on 4 April 2013.

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 7

Past Events

Concert with Viggo Sommer at the Danish Seamen’s Church

By Anders Holm Nielsen

T

here is a first time for everything. Even jokes on masturbation and sex with animals being blasted from a pair of speakers in the Seamen’s Church in Singapore. Because that is what you get when you have Danish singer and comedian Viggo Sommer to fly in from his vacation in Thailand to perform.

The concert with Viggo Sommer was one of many unlikely acts to be seen at the Danish Seamen’s Church on Mount Faber which have arranged a number of concerts by snatching artists already in the neighborhood. The unlikely pairing of entertainer and venue happened through Sommer’s friend and soundmand, Johs, who supplied the church with other acts in the past.

Part of the night was also a lavish buffet that allowed people to enjoy the show with a full stomach. At the bar, the audience could supply themselves with beer, wine and water and the venue at Mount Faber along with the entertainment made for a cozy evening.

The 56-year-old singer and comedian is probably best known for being a part of the band and comedic trio, “De Nattergale” that among other projects had a huge success with the Christmas show, “The Julekalender” from 1991.

Viggo Sommer is from the western part of Jutland and a large part of his persona and act is performing his jokes and songs in a dialect that to Copenhageners, who are often part of his jokes, can be hard to understand.

Armed with a guitar and a unique dialect, Viggo Sommer supplied a large number of Danish expats with a piece of home. Part of the show were things like songs about his divorce, jokes on two lost sperm cells, Copenhageners wetting themselves at night and a bachelor party gone wild. It was certainly not the material you would normally find in a church, but like Sommer said: “Even the priest laughed.”

“It’s a special feeling being here because many of these people haven’t lived in Denmark for several years so I’m not quite sure how much they know of me or my songs. But they seemed happy and I think they bought it,” said Sommer.

And that they did. All night through the audience were singing along and chuckling as Viggo Sommer shared his semi dirty and Danish humor.

8 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

Past Events

Danish Embassy hosts networking event for young Danes

O

n 5 February 2013 in Singapore, the Danish Embassy held a networking night for Danish young professionals and students. 15 students and interns participated. They had defied the rain and when they arrived at the ambassador’s residence, rye, meatballs, “leverpostej”, champagne, beer and more were supplied.

They received a warm welcome from Ambassador Berit Basse who talked about the embassy’s work in Singapore and the region. EU Visiting Fellow, Michael Matthiessen of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy talked about his work in Singapore for the EU. After that, priest Kristen and church assistant Rasmus from the Seaman’s Church told about the work of the church and its meaning for Danes in Singapore. They also said that the students were always welcome to come and cook in their kitchen. Consul Rie Madsen told the participants about environment, safety precautions and gave travel advice. Finally Sara Grønberg-Jensen talked about being an intern at the embassy.

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GESS - Giving Children Roots and Wings International education in German and English from Pre-School to Grade 12, encouraging students to develop their strengths and become balanced, responsible and informed world citizens 1,500 students of more than 50 nationalities Authorized IB World School for PYP, MYP, and IB Diploma programmes taught in English (est. 2005) German curriculum with all school leaving certificates (founded 1971) Dedicated, caring international staff. Low student to teacher ratio 2 green, spacious campuses close to nature reserves Modern facilities and ICT, bright airy classrooms Wide range of co-curricular activities including vocal and instrumental programme C.A.R.E.@GESS uniting charity, community service and environmental projects offering students hands-on encounters and understanding of Asia.

GESS 72 Bukit Tinggi Road, Singapore 289760 www.gess.sg . info@gess.sg . Tel: +65 6469 1131 CPE Registration Number: N05-01-443, Period of Registration: 22/06/2011 - 21/6/2017

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 9

Past Events

Thaipusam evening with SWA

By Rose Jensen

O

n Saturday 26 January 2012, the Scandinavian Women’s Association (SWA) in Singapore organised an evening out in Little India (an ethnic neighborhood found in Singapore) to see and learn about the Hindu celebration Thaipusam. The event was fully booked and 40 persons participated.

Jan Lund from Asia Adviser told the attendees about the background of the ceremony. The documentary “Thaipusam”, which he produced together with Ib Søby from DK4, was screened at the event. Participants then enjoyed traditional Indian dinner, arranged by Kirsten Nordahl, at the “Choor Bazaar” Restaurant.

Guided by Jan and Kirsten, the participants left the restaurant at about 10pm for the Sri Nivasa Perumal temple, a little further up the Serangoon Road.

The street was already quite crowded with many people wearing orange robes and sarongs. It took a few minutes of pushing and shoving in an excited crowd before they were able to enter the chaos of the temple grounds.

The scene, with religious ecstasy, wild yelling, upturned eyes and piercing of chins and tongues, was a bit frightening, but also interesting. As there were smiles all around, much laughing and singing, the contentment and peacefulness of many of the participants also pointed at the proceedings being controlled and deliberate.

Once a year 20,000 Tamils in Singapore celebrate Thaipusam. The festival is a tribute and thanksgiving to the Hindu god Murugan who protect the religious and fulfill their wishes.

It was a night to remember for the participants.

Jan Lund talking to the audience

FBC’s Extraordinary General Meeting

By Rose Jensen

A

n Extraordinary General Meeting was held on 13 December 2012 at the Marina at Keppel Bay to address issues of immediate importance with the Finnish Business Council in Singapore’s (FBC) constitution and to elect committee members to replace those who have relocated or otherwise needed to step down from their duties.

The name ”FBC Committee” itself was changed to “FBC Board” to better reflect the type of work accomplished by the group. Also, now one Individual Member can be elected as a member of the Board, and Board members (if elected to do so) can hold their office for 5 consecutive years in row instead of three. Also, Corporate memberships were divided into Category A for companies with more than 5 employees in Singapore (fee SGD 700 per membership term) and Category B for companies with less than 5 employees in Singapore (fee SGD 350 per term). For individual members, it was decided to be kept unchanged (fee SGD 350 per term).

Mr. Arttu Salmenhaara from Kone Pte Ltd. was elected as a new Deputy Chairman to replace Mr. Mikko Lehtonen from Nordea who has repatriated to Finland. Seppo Leskinen from Karelia Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. was elected to replace Ms. Nathalie Ahlström from Amcor Singapore Pte Ltd who decided to step down due to work commitments. Mr. Jari Talvinen was re-elected to continue as a Board member, now representing Paradise Investment & Consulting Pte Ltd. instead of Aalto EE. After the EGM and a following lunch, well-known competitive sailor and Captain Ludde Ingvall gave an inspiring presentation called “Teamwork in a Competitive Environment”, in which he looked into how effective teams are created, what the benefits of teamwork are, and how teamwork is conducted in high pressure environments. After the presentation, FBC members visited Ludde’s AUDI Ultra boat moored in the marina.

10 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

Norwegian Kings of Convenience in Singapore

News Brief

By Rose Jensen

T

he Norwegian folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience kicked off the last weekend of January with a memorable concert at the 3rd Singapore Laneway festival. As the first band entering the stage, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe geared up the early bird hipsters in Singapore with an acoustic set of tunes that sent chills over the crowd out in the burning sun. Finishing up with their 2004 hit “I’d rather dance with you”, the duo left the crowd giggling after a swinging dance performance by Øye.

For the first time, Laneway Festival was held at the Meadows at Gardens by the Bay. The scenery of skyscrapers and the massive Marina Bay Sands in the background gave a powerful feel to a Saturday filled with modern rock, indie, folk-pop and electronic music.

Norgesskolen July 7 – 26, 2013 Norgesskolen is a three-week summer school located outside Oslo. This is a unique opportunity for youngsters between the age of 9 to 18 to learn Norwegian language, history and culture in an intensive yet enjoyable environment.

The vision for Norgesskolen is to give the children an opportunity to become secure about their Norwegians identity, learn as much Norwegian as possible and the culture as well as creating friendships and networks that last for a lifetime.

The program includes several hours of instruction daily.

In the afternoon there are various sports, cultural and recreational activities to choose from. During their stay in Norway, the students will enjoy camping, celebrating both the 17th of May and a Norwegian Christmas in the traditional way - but in mid-July.

Norgesskolen provides children with a wonderful Norwegian summer experience. Last - but certainly not least: participating in Norgesskolen is a small contribution towards globalization.

For more information: www.norgesskolen.no

Registration deadline: 1st of April 2013 March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 11

News Brief

Norwegian know-how contributes to underground oil storage in Singapore

F

aced with the growing demand for oil storage, coupled with the scarcity of industrial land, Singapore’s JTC Corporation ventured underground in search of an innovative solution for more industrial space. This resulted in a groundbreaking solution for oil storage with the gigantic underground rock caverns off Jurong Island. When completed, the first phase of the rock cavern project will hold approximately eight million barrels of oil and other petroleum product.

In this way, the petro chemical plants at Jurong can rely on a stable and uninterrupted supply. The underground solution is safe and durable, and saves approximately 60 hectares of surface land that may be used for other purposes.

While Norway is widely known for its maritime and offshore technology, the country’s competence in underground solutions and rock excavation has for many years been in international demand. At Jurong Rock Caverns, a Norwegian consortium consisting of Sintef, Tritech and Multiconsult is offering engineering solutions and project management to JTC, making sure that this gigantic, eight year project finishes on time and within budget.

Inspired by its involvement in the Jurong Rock Caverns project, Multiconsult, a leading Norwegian consultancy and engineering company, is now establishing itself in Singapore with the aim to help develop more space underground. To utilize the underground is an approach that is increasingly popular in densely populated areas, in Singapore and beyond.

Worldwide Cost of Living 2013

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hile Oslo ranked the forth most expensive city to live in among all cities in the world, Singapore ranked sixth, up 3 places compared with last year’s ranking, according to Worldwide Cost of Living Index 2013 conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit.

The top five cities this year are Japan’s Tokyo, Osaka, Australia’s Sydney, Norway’s Oslo and Australia’s Melbourne, almost all cities in Asian countries or Australia.

The survey said “one of the features of the cost-of-living ranking over the last few years has been the rise of many Asian cities offsetting traditionally more costly European locations.”

Australian cities ranked high mainly due to inflation and currency swings, the survey added.

According to the survey, there are now 11 Asian cities and eight Eu12 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

ropean cities among the world’s 20 most expensive cities, while a decade ago “this was six Asian vs 10 European cities, with four cities from the U.S.” Singapore’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in 2012 registered at 4.6 per cent, while at the same time its currency also saw appreciation last year, which together make the city- state more expansive to live in.

Channel NewsAsia said China’s cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen have seen the cost of living continue to rise, due to the wage inflation, increasing demand for consumer goods and strict currency controls.

In contrast, Pakistan’s Karachi was at the bottom of the list and ranked as the cheapest city among the 131 cities surveyed.

The survey, carried out twice annually and for more than 30 years, collects over 400 individual prices across 160 products and services.

News Brief

Star Alliance introduced enhanced Asia Airpass

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tar Alliance has launched an enhanced Asia Airpass to serve growing demand of travellers for travel across the Asian continent.

Roundtrip for 52.000 THB An example of a trip put together

by ScandAsia went from Bangkok to Hong Kong to Beijing to Shanghai to Seoul to Taipei and back to Bangkok. The price was 52.000 Thai Baht. To create a trip like this, Star Alliance has developed a convenient online Airpass Planner tool.

Asia Airpass must include a minimum of three flights and a maximum of 10, with a choice of over 235 destinations. Countries and territories that can be visited on an Asia Airpass include: Cambodia, China including Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The enhancement of the Asian Airpass offers the following seven fare products: Africa Airpass, Asia Airpass, China Airpass, Europe Airpass, North America Airpass, Circle Pacific Fare, and Round the World Fare “These fares allow customers to maximise their travel opportunities on Star Alliance member airlines and demonstrate the value of a strong collective regional network”, commented Horst Findeisen, Vice President Commercial and Business Development at Star Alliance.

Airpass A Star Alliance airpass allows customers to travel across a geographic

region making use of flights offered by the various Star Alliance member airlines. The fares are calculated on a per coupon basis and offer better value for money than buying individual airline tickets. Airpasses can be purchased in conjunction with any international return ticket for travel into the area on a Star Alliance member airline.

Circle Fare The Circle Pacific Fare is designed to facilitate travel between destinations across the Pacific Rim using various Star Alliance member carriers.

Customers select the destinations offered to create a personalised circular itinerary. The fare is calcu-

lated by the total distance travelled and cabin class, whereby passengers have the choice of purchasing First, Business or Economy Class. Travel needs to begin and end in the same country.

on offer, which is only available for travel in Economy Class, has a maximum mileage of 26,000, needs to be purchased seven days prior to departure and permits three to five stopovers.

Round the World Fare

Star Alliance Book & Fly

In addition, Star Alliance will continue to offer its popular Round the World Fare, where customers can choose between three mileage levels 29,000, 34,000 or 39,000 miles.

The fare is available for travel in First, Business or Economy Class.

Tickets are valid for one year and permit anywhere between three and 15 stopovers. Additionally, a Round the World special fare is

“Star Alliance Book & Fly” is an online booking tool available at http:// www.staralliance.com/en/booking/ book-and-fly Bookings can be made anywhere in the world and tickets are automatically issued electronically.

For more information, visit http://www.staralliance.com/en/fares

International Baccalaureate

- an alternative to the Danish ‘Studentereksamen’ • internationally recognized • gives admission to universities all over the world • taught in English You can stay at Nyborg Gymnasium’s boarding school.

Contact us for more information about the programme and the boarding school.

Deadline for applications: 15th of March

Nyborg Gymnasium & Kostskole Skolebakken 13, DK-5800 Nyborg, tlf +45 65 31 02 17 post@nyborg-gym.dk, www.nyborg-gym.dk

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 13

Gudmund Erling

a modern and creative priest in Singapore

Godmund Erling, the Swedish priest in Singapore, spoke with Ika Forssell about his personal career and spirituality.

By Ika Forssell

T

he Swedish priest, Gudmund Erling, is walking around greeting everyone who has come to enjoy a superb lunch at the Swedish/Norwegian church in Singapore. Every Thursday the skilled kitchen manager Jon Inge presents a great meal for hungry people to enjoy at SGD 30 or SGD 15 for students. It is a popular event and conversations are merry and loud among all.

Exciting background As a theology student in the 1990’s, Gudmund decided he wanted to become a priest. He was attracted to the challenge of conveying the message of God in an inspiring way, and for many years he was active in various congregations in the Gothenburg region. The latest job that Gudmund had before transferring to Singapore was as a university priest at Gothenburg University. It was a huge task and highly important as well as challenging. It involved acting as a dialogue partner for students at an important stage in their lives which were filled with monumental changes and serious decisions. Gudmund also had students from other 14 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

religions seeking help from him. In which case, he found it not only challenging but also adding the excitement to the job.

The daily life of being a priest in a foreign country is vastly different from that back in Sweden. In the large organization that is the Swedish Church, there will always be somebody assigned to each task.

To name a few, there are positions such as a treasurer, a deacon, a secretary and a janitor– and the priest can concentrate on his task of being a priest. Here in Singapore, Gudmund is a little bit of everything, and he likes it. The church here becomes more like a social meeting place for members of the Swedish and Norwegian communities. A lot of different activities take place throughout the week for people of all ages.

You can check out the comprehensive weekly schedule at www. svenskakyrkan.se/singapore, where you click on “AKTIVITETER” in the navigation to see the schedule.

Nearly everything is integrated between Norwegians and Swedish at the church. So far, says Gudmund, it is only the baby play groups, where Swedish and Norwegian groups

The port cranes in the background reminds the Swedish priest Gudmund Erling and his wife Mia that they are in busy Singapore. But inside the fence, the Church is a peaceful oasis for the Norwegian and Swedish communities.

that are still held on different days.

Gudmund is happy to have had the opportunity to get to know Norwegian customs on a deeper level. The cooperation is definitely something that enhances the experience for everyone at the church.

Gudmund has lived abroad before. As a young child he lived for six years in Ethiopia in Africa with his family. His father worked as a missionary priest and his mother as a school teacher during a time of great unrest in the region. Thanks to Sweden’s benevolent relations with Ethiopia and SIDA’s emerging involvement in the region, the family enjoyed protection and a relatively calm life. Gudmund has inherited a great deal of his parents’ adventurousness, which naturally has helped pushing him onto this Far East adventure where he has taken his own family on now.

From seamen to residents Originally, the Swedish/Norwegian church in Singapore was only the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission. It was established to offer an alternative to the vice that seamen often used to spend their time at when ashore.

The church was much needed and

it attended to those who were passing by. Nowadays, the situation is very different. The church is a natural meeting place for Norwegian and Swedish residents, students and tourists in Singapore. It was only as late as 1984 that the Swedish church joined in and formed the successful partnership that we know today. Gudmund also talked about their cooperation with local churches, in which they offer services to seafarers inside of the restricted zone in the harbor. A number of churches have joined together to always provide a listening ear to those who need to talk to a caring human being, without the hassle of passing through immigration.

Speaking about religion in multicultural Singapore, Gudmund says that he is impressed with the Singaporean way to handle the different religions. “Here, they are always very aware of the consequences that religions have on different circumstances,” he comments.

Spirituality in modern life In the pleasant atmosphere of the church room our conversation moves to a more philosophical discussion about spirituality in general.

I try a hypothesis on Gudmund, which I have been thinking about lately. I have a feeling that we are becoming more and more spiritual as human beings – even if not completely aware of it – and I wonder if he agrees. More and more people seek simpler life styles and less materialism. We are constantly bombarded by little words of wisdom through viral videos or pretty pictures posted on social media and blogs. A story of courage and warm compassion will make a greater impact on our emotions than a traditional success story on fortune and fame. Gudmund gives this a thought and then refers back to the 1990’s in the post bubbleera, when people fed up with a hysterically expanding economy and a tireless race after more and more money in the 80’s. People yearned for more thoughtfulness and contemplation. It was a natural reaction against the shallow values that reigned during those days.

Bookshelves were filled with titles on self-help and personal psychology. Famous musicians and artists pioneered the movement and created songs of compassion.

Next shift in spirituality for

Swedes came in the 2000’s with the emerging “multi-religious” Sweden.

With the influx of most significantly Islam, many people found themselves reflecting over their faith.

All of a sudden there was another viewpoint on religion that people were not familiar with. Many people wondered what to believe in, and wanted to find out whether they were really religious or not.

Teenagers at the church One of Gudmund’s favorite tasks is to lead the monthly meetings the confirmation group. The teenagers are a fresh breeze of contemporary spirit. They often come as more or less totally clean slates, and some have not heard the various stories from the Bible before. Gudmund considers it a privilege to be the one to tell the story first. It is otherwise a great challenge to always be creative and find new ways to convey the message of the Bible in order to reach out to people’s minds. With the teenagers he seeks to find what is relevant, in the old stories, to us in today’s society. Often it is about drawing parallels – to extract the archetypes of good and evil, and to make them think.

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 15

Giving back to Singapore

16 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

Lisa Thrane is the new President of the Scandinavian Women’s Association (SWA) in Singapore.

She plans to introduce new events and activities to SWA members, expanding the expats gatherings while increasing the association’s support for local charity projects.

By Sofie Lisby

I would like SWA to become a gathering point where people know there are activities they can attend and where they can find different information and learn about other people’s experiences of being expats here.

A

fter the departure of SWA’s former President Lis Heisselberg, Lisa Thrane stepped in as Acting President in December last year. The long-time Singapore resident and mother of two has spent the last couple of months laying out the Association’s new strategy.

As an expat in Singapore herself, Lisa knows that you can easily get isolated if you don’t know anyone whom you can pick up a phone to call and arrange to go out with. So part of the new strategy is to make SWA more visible and accessible for new as well as old members.

Lisa has added the activity calendar on the website, which now features an updated calendar where people can get on overview of what is offered and when. The reason is for us to be more accessible and to make that initial contact easier, she says.

“I would like SWA to become a gathering point where people know there are activities they can attend and where they can find different information and learn about other people’s experiences of being expats here,” explains Lisa.

In addition to SWA’s wellknown and popular activities such as Walk’n’Talk, where members and non-members meet on Wednesday mornings for a walk of around two hours, and Ladies’ Lunch, usually held on the last Thursday every month, Lisa is using her background as a swimming teacher to offer more recreational activities such as body toning and boot camp classes which will be added to the calendar on Tuesdays and Fridays, depending on attendance.

Also on the drawing board are guided tours of Singapore with Kirsten Nordahl, the owner of a tours and events company, www. mitsydøstasien.dk, where attendees can learn more about the history and

culture of specific areas of the island.

With the plans to introduce more events and activities, Lisa hopes to increase the number of SWA members from 90 to 150.

“If our members like the activities we offer they are more likely to invite their friends who will then hopefully invite their friends. That way it will spread like rings in the water,” says Lisa.

Charitable endeavours While a goal in itself, growing member numbers through more events and activities is also part of a larger strategy to improve SWA’s finances in order to increase its donations to charities. Through membership and activity fees as well as donations from the Scandinavian community, SWA supports various charitable causes in Singapore. The Marit Thome Scholarship, named after SWA’s founder, supports two students at Singapore Polytechnic with S$2,500 each which goes towards tuition fees and books.

“We have supported these charities for many years and as long as we have any money in SWA we will continue to give out the Marit Thome Scholarships,” says Kirsti Wisloff, SWA’s Charity Officer. “We hear feedback that we are really making a difference with this scholarship.”

SWA also supports families on a yearly basis through Breadline Group, a community service of volunteers registered with the Societies Act/ Charities Act. One of the biggest charity organisations in Singapore, the Breadline Group supports more than 200 families, recommended to them by social workers.

Every month the Breadline Group meets and decides which families to support and they then recommend families to SWA who makes the final decision on who to support with anything between S$100-300 per month based on the Association’s values.

“We prefer to help families with children if possible,” says Kirsti Wisloff. “And we have actually had to say goodbye to some families because they had been receiving the support for more than six years.” Kirsti explains that most of the families are supported for a short time only, as a help when they are really down and not as part of their regular income.

“The message we give out to families is: we are going to help you with this amount of money for a certain amount of time and after that we’re going to re-evaluate the situation,” adds Lisa.

“The hardest part is to tell them that: sorry, now we can’t help you anymore. But if they know from the start that they have six months

to work something out, it can help motivate them.”

80 dollars can make a difference After joining SWA for a short period of time when she first came to Singapore 12 years ago, Lisa took a long break from the Association before joining as a board member one and a half year ago.

“For many years, SWA just didn’t appeal to me,” she says. “There was a lack of visibility, which I think was the main reason why I wasn’t a member for so long. I didn’t know exactly what the point of being a member was because I could still attend the activities if I wanted. Then a year and a half ago, I read an article in ScandAsia about Lis Heisselberg and SWA’s support for charity projects, and I remember thinking it was a good cause. For a membership fee of 80 dollars I could make a difference for a family out there for an entire month. So I became a member again.”

The lack of information about the work and objectives of SWA is something that Lisa Thrane sees as one of the biggest hindrances to recruiting new members.

“If you are aware of what 80 dollars can do, then you are likely to stay because it is a good cause that you can support for a reasonable amount of money,” she reasons. “But if you don’t know about the charitable aspects of SWA you may decide to save the 80 dollars because you don’t know what it will go towards.

So it is also important for me to keep the costs down. The annual general meeting for example is being held at the Seamen’s Church and we are going to buy coffee and cake from them. We hope that many would like to bring a friend or two along to hear about and support our work.”

In addition to the Marit Thome Scholarship and the Breadline Group families, SWA supports The Tent, a girls’ home, with S$300 per month.

Home to girls aged between 12 and 18, some of whom have been abused and some of whom are convicted of petty crimes, The Tent provides each girl food and shelter and a small amount of money per day, which is just enough to buy school lunch.

The SWA donation is meant to be pocket money for the girls to spend on private things like clothing.

“That is just something that speaks directly to my heart,” said Lisa. “How many parents would not be moved by that? We live quite privileged lives as expats in Singapore and we have so much more than we asked for. Could we not share a little bit with those who are actually from this country?”

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 17

Dotcom bust to dotcom boom Meet the Icelandic website developer who made a digital comeback in Thailand.

By Wachiraporn Janrut

T

hordur Adalsteinsson is among very few Icelanders in Thailand. What brought him here? Not the hot weather nor the spicy food – but a chance to start a business creating top quality websites for companies all around the world.

Thordur certainly has experience: When the internet was exploding in popularity in 1995, he was among the brave men tapping the business opportunities. He started a company, Icon Media Lab, with his partners in Denmark.

“There was a lot of internet hype and it was expensive to have a homepage at the time. And our company grew to be quite big,” says Thordur.

How it all began Leaving Iceland aged 21 to study Arts and Graphic Design in Denmark, Thordur is fluent in Danish and well integrated with the Danish culture.

After school he worked at an advertising agency and later learned to create website designs. And Icon Media Lab Company was established following the hype. From five staff in

18 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

1995, the company grew to include over 200 staff in 2002. It expanded to serve a large number of clients in Scandinavia.

However, the heyday came to an end for Thordur in 2002 when the dotcom collapse hit the internet industry badly, leaving thousands of people unemployed.

According to Thordur, prices collapsed “big time.” The company could not market a homepage for a million baht like before as the price came down to just about 100,000 baht.

“My company also collapsed. I lost everything at the time. I went bankrupt and had to sell my apartments and two boats,” says Thordur

costly to produce in Denmark. And we got an idea we wanted to come to Southeast Asia,” says Thordur.

Area Digital was then established in 2007 in Chiang Mai with a team of three Scandinavian friends. Instead of outsourcing Thais, Indians, Asians from Denmark, they came to outsource these talents in Asia. Nevertheless, the three partners continued to serve clients in Denmark, Sweden and Iceland.

“We can still deliver the services and quality designs like when we were in Scandinavia but at the Asian prices. That’s what established our edge and brought us up again,” says Thordur.

A new start in Asia

Soon after setting up their office in Chiang Mai in 2007, Area Digital decided to temporarily relocate their operations to Bangkok because the air pollution in Chiang Mai caused by a yearly crop burning became unbearable to Thordur and his team.

“The fire took us here. We were planning to go back but we met a lot of interesting people in Bangkok and decided to move our base here permanently,” says Thordur.

With extensive experience in the industry, Thordur and his Swedish friends whom he worked with in Denmark met in Chiang Mai in 2007 to discuss possible business opportunities. We needed to rethink the price concept, he says.

“We still wanted to produce quality web designs and graphic designs but we couldn’t compete with the price. It was and still is so

Moving to Bangkok

Since 2008, Area Digital has been located at BB Building in Asoke, one of the central business districts in Bangkok.

Competitive services Specialising in providing homepages and content management system (CMS), Area Digital offers graphic designs, web designs, and online branding/marketing consultancy services.

Thordur says that for a homepage to be successful on the internet, it needs to be maintained and updated on a regular basis, and thus most Scandinavian clients request for CMS. The system also provides security that there is very small chance for a website to be hacked.

The company can also create websites which require advanced systems such as API Connection – the communication between two systems. With the API connection, for example, a hotel booking website can link users’ requests to the booking system of participating hotels instantly.

According to Thordur, prices depend on complexity, different demands in designs and functionalities.

The company’s prices are considered very competitive in Scandinavia.

However, they are considered expensive for many Thai-Thai companies.

“We have clients in Thailand but they are western-owned companies.

Thai-Thai companies tend to have different understandings in regard to designs and price,” says Thordur.

Client Profiles Apart from clients in Scandinavia, the company has expanded to include high profile clients in the region such as Medeguide, Sunway Healthcare and one of the biggest companies in Malaysia, Sime Darby.

“We target high-profile clients but we also serve small clients who want quality websites and are OK with our prices and most of them are westerners,” says Thordur.

Sime Darby is one of the largest companies listed on Bursa Malaysia and, according to its website, has a market capitalisation of RM57.63 billion (USD19.13 billion). Area Digital has created a website for Sime Darby healthcare and its colleges.

“We deliver outstanding Scandinavian graphic designs and outstanding programming capabilities. Our quality is at such level that we have

We deliver outstanding Scandinavian graphic designs and outstanding programming capabilities. Our quality is at such level that we have attracted clients like Sime Darby, one of the biggest companies in Malaysia.

attracted clients like Sime Darby,” says Thordur.

According to Thordur, Area Digital also provides consultancy services to Sime Darby.

The company also serves a number of Scandinavian companies in Thailand such as Hyde and Seek – a stylish gastro bar owned by two Swedish brothers – an Icelandicowned travel agency called Oriental and a Danish-owned travel website called Visit Beyond which features six destinations including Thailand, Vietnam, China, India, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Business expansion After the economic collapsed in Iceland in 2008, Thordur says that he lost all of his clients there and the company has changed its focus to the markets in Denmark and Sweden.

And since markets in Asia are now growing very fast, Area Digital also aims to expand its client base to more countries in the region.

“It’s clearly happening in Asia.

We are looking for sales representatives and opportunities to set up offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Hong Kong,” says Thordur.

Even though Thordur visits Sime Darby and Sunway healthcare frequently in Malaysia, he says it’d be

valuable to have an office in KL where his clients could just walk into and have a cup of coffee and discussion together.

“In this ever more digital climate, we want to offer a personal touch that clients can come in to shake our hands and talk to us on a personal level,” says Thordur.

The future Though most of Area Digital’s clients are western-owned companies, Thordur says that he can see changes in the perception of website quality in Asia.

“Awareness is growing in Asia in regards to quality web designs and programming including CMS and security,” says Thordur.

When asked about his views on the future of the internet and web design industry, the experienced Icelander reckons that the desktop computer is going to be disappearing.

“Right now it has been evolving a lot. Everything is going to come down to iPhone, Android phones, Tablets and so forth. So now it is about creating a website that is responsive,” says Thordur.

“Responsive design is the hype now. At the moment, most of our clients request for the website designs that are responsive to different

media platforms,” he adds.

Thordur says that he also wants to create more awareness about Green hosting because traditional hosting methods require lots of energy, generate a lot of heat, and have a detrimental impact on the environment.

“Now we are working on a partnership with GreenQloud, the Icelandic company which offers a public compute cloud and data storage services that are hosted at renewable energy-powered facilities.

We see a great opportunity in utilizing Iceland’s abundant 100 per cent renewable geothermal and hydro energy infrastructure, naturally cool climate and strategic location as a means to clean up IT and greatly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint.

We, therefore, offer our clients a choice to host their websites on this truly green and 100 per cent renewable energy server,” he says.

The company is looking to expand in Asia and hope to raise awareness of Green hosting and its effects on global warming among Asian companies.

“I’m excited about the expansion and I have great hopes for it. However, if this doesn’t work with Area Digital, I’d become a captain sailing a boat,” he says with a smile.

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 19

Aava Resort & Spa named one of the best hotels in the world Praised for its unique Scandinavian and Thai fusion design and superb location on an unspoiled beach in Khanom, Aava Resort and Spa was voted one of the best hotels in the world by TATLER Travel Guide 2013.

By Wachiraporn Janrut

F

innish entrepreneurs Atte Savisalo and Kati Hakkinen received a great Christmas present in December last year when their Aava Resort & Spa was voted one of the 101 Best Hotels in the World in the globally acclaimed ‘TATLER Travel Guide 2013’.

“After we heard about it, it was difficult to keep it a secret. The Guide was published just before Christmas and it was our best Christmas present ever,” says Kati Hakkinen with excitement.

Making the grade Located in Khanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat province in Southern Thailand, Aava Resort & Spa was one of the five hotels and resorts in Thailand included in the top list of the 2013 TATLER Travel Guide.

Focusing on glamorous lives and lifestyles, TATLER has been around for more than three centuries, making it one of the oldest magazines in the world. The magazine publishes various supplements including the world renowned Travel and Restaurant Guides. Being voted as one of the best hotels in the TATLER Travel Guide was a proud moment for the Finnish couple.

For reservations, contact +66 824199617 or visit www.aavaresort.com 20 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

“We are proud of ourselves and our staff. This is the biggest achievement in our career in the hotel business. And the fact that no other Finnish-owned hotel has ever received a similar recognition makes it even more special to us,” said the Finnish couple.

In the review, Aava was praised for its unique design - Scandinavian and Thai fusion - and its location on white powdered 9km stretches of the stunning and deserted Nadan beach in Khanom where you only have the odd fisherman for company.

“I love seeing genuine smiles from locals here. It’s something that is very rare in touristy places,” says Kati.

Khanom – pristine destination Virtually unheard of by most people, Khanom is a tranquil, pristine and unspoiled destination with an authentic backdrop of Thai provincial life. There are also many beautiful waterfalls in the hills, huge limestone mountains pocketed with mossy caves, pods of pink dolphins in the sea, and a vast national park with the oldest evergreen forest in the world.

“Khanom is what today’s holidaymakers are looking for – naturally beautiful beaches, authentic Thai atmosphere,

no hustle of street/beach vendors, and stunning nature on your doorstep. They are looking for new destinations and somewhere neighbours or colleagues have not yet been,” says Atte Savisalo.

Despite it quiet location on the placid Na Dan beach, the resort is just an hour and a half drive from the two major airports: Surathani and Nakhon Sri Thammarat. There are several daily flights from Bangkok to the two provinces. Transfers between the resort and the two airports, plus Koh Samui, Phuket and Krabi can also be arranged.

Unique design Designed by Finland’s leading interior designer Mr. Vertti Kivi, Aava Resort & Spa consists of 28 bungalows, two restaurants and a spa. Mr. Kivi won ‘Interior Architect 2011’ award for his work for Aava. The award was given by Finnish Designers association ‘ORNAMO’.

“Since the beginning, we had a plan to build something that will be seen, something unique and different,” says Kati.

On top of its design and destination, Aava Resort & Spa was also praised for its facilities for children and incredible food at its fine dining restaurant ‘Aalto’.

Delectable food The resort’s beachfront Aalto restaurant offers Euro-Asian fusion dishes and an extensive wine selection in a stylish and romantic ambience.

Although seafood is popular, Kati says that most of the visitors tend to go for classic steaks. Since November last year, the menu has been extended after a visit of the Guest Chef Petri from Finland. The restaurant is recognized as serving the best international cuisine in Khanom.

The resort also has another restaurant ‘Aava Pizzeria & Bakery’, offering traditional wood fire oven pizzas, freshly baked breads and pastries.

Wellness activities Since there are more tourists looking for wellness activities on their holidays, Aava Resort & Spa offers a weekly wellness schedule to healthconscious guests, featuring various classes such as Anapanasati meditation, Flow Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Stretching and Pyanayama (breathing exercises). The latest addition to the wellness schedule is Kids Muay Thai which has been well received by families with young boys.

Wellness Coordinator Khun Chack teaches daily. The individual wellness

holiday packages can also be created catering to specific needs of customers. However, Kati says that the resort doesn’t offer detox and weight loss programs as it focuses mainly on overall health and wellbeing.

In September this year, American yoga guru Gabriel Azoulay will visit the resort to host a special yoga retreat.

For more information about Mr. Azoulay, visit www.gabrielazoulay.com.

Expansion Since its grand opening in September 2010, the resort has been growing fast in popularity. According to Kati, the biggest clientele are Danes and Thais, followed by Finns, Swedes, Britons, Italians and Germans.

“We had nine nationalities at our Christmas dinner. During Christmas, New Year holidays and in February, we had more booking requests than what we could accommodate,” says Kati. “We’ve noticed that we need more room capacity and we would like to expand. The resort has always been our own project but this year we plan to look for investors.”

Though the high season is from December to March, Kati says that the best time to travel to Khanom is from March to October because the weather is fantastic and prices are lower.

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 21

Medium

Danish Meatloaf (Forloren hare)

By Anders Holm Nielsen

Evil

I

t hardly gets more Danish than this. The Nordic version of meatloaf is the signature dish of any grandmother who’s trying to fatten up a skinny grandchild. Take a break from your diet and gorge on pork, veal potatoes and gravy.

Ingredients: • 500 g minced veal and pork • 2 Eggs • 50 g bread crumbs • 2onions,blended • 50 g wheat flour • Salt • Pepper • Half a decilitre whipped cream, 38% • Half a decilitre sparkling water •125 g bacon, sliced For frying • 2 decilitres whole milk • 2 decilitres pork broth Gravy • 1 decilitre cream, 18% • 2 tsp corn starch • Salt • Pepper • 1 tbsp Currant Jelly Accessories • 1000 g potatoes, peeled weight

Are you done?

W

hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt.

Name:

___________________________________________________

Age: ________________________

Mobile:

___________________

Address:

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

Email:

__________________________________________________

Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 April 2013 22 ScandAsia.Singapore • March 2013

Directions Stir meat with salt and mix in eggs and cream, then add onions, flour and breadcrumbs and finally sparkling water.

When mixed together, form it and wrap it in bacon.

Give the “hare” 15 minutes at 225 degrees. Reduce heat to 160 degrees and pour the milk and broth by. Leave in the oven for about half an hour at 160 degrees until the stuffing is cooked.

Sauce Take all the roux from the pan and sift it into a pot. Warm it up and smooth with cornstarch stirred into cream. Warm the sauce and season with salt, pepper and jelly.

Who would want to stay in a hotel without free Wi-Fi?

I

n a modern world where smart phones, tablets, and laptops have become indispensible items for many people, access to online or free Wi-Fi offer is a top priority for global travellers when choosing a hotel both for business and leisure travel, according to the latest research from leading online accommodation booking service, Hotels.com®.

Also high on the priority list are free food and beverages, and the technological creature comforts of home such as high-end coffee maker.

And here is the report summary.

Staying Connected… for Free • 34 per cent say free Wi-Fi is the number one factor in choosing a hotel even on leisure stays.

• 56 per cent of respondents said free Wi-Fi was their number one must-have when travelling for business.

• 66 per cent indicated free Wi-Fi is the amenity they most wish would become standard at all hotels in 2013.

Only 11% of global travellers said they would be willing to pay for Wi-Fi

when staying in a hotel.

The Perk of New Technology – Favourite “Modern” In-Room Amenity It would seem that the technological creature comforts of home are also high on the priority list for travellers with 23 per cent choosing high-end coffee makers as their top modern in hotel room amenity. Totally wired rooms which are completely controlled by one remote for any need took 20 per cent of the vote. Guests also indicated they would like to enjoy that much-wanted free Wi-Fi on hotel-provided tablets for guest information, room service and local guides (15 per cent). Parallel

It’s the Little Things that Count – Most Appreciated Simple Amenity Keeping hydrated when travelling is important to hotel guests with 43 per cent choosing complimentary bottled water as the most appreciated simple amenity. Only respondents from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Brazil rated free power adaptors above bottled water.

The Way to Hotel Guests’ Hearts – Through Their Stomachs!

• Free breakfast ranked as the

favourite (31 per cent) non-tech item global travellers want to see become standard at all hotels in 2013.

• Happy hours, wine tastings or any other time with free food and drinks is 42 per cent of global travellers’ favourite newly offered hotel service amenity, with international breakfast options coming in second (19 per cent).

• Travellers cite unlimited free food and beverages as their most (23 per cent) missed comfort from home when travelling. Another 14 percent said they miss access to cooking in their kitchen the most.

Five-Star Life – The Highs and Lows of Luxury Perks • 26 per cent say their favourite amenity while staying at a luxury hotel is the high end fitness centre and/or spa, while designer toiletries also rank highly (21 percent).

• While travellers enjoy their time living the highlife, the promotion of bath menus/bath butlers (26 per cent) and turn down service (24 per cent) as amenities simply

aren’t of interest according to survey respondents.

• More than half of respondents (54 per cent) chose the complimentary use of a Rolls Royce Phantom as the “outrageous” luxury hotel amenity they’d most like to experience. No real surprise there!

• The surreal car ride beat out access to a tea sommelier (nine per cent), in-room mixologist (nine per cent), and fragrance butler (five per cent) among other lesser desired extreme amenities.

Through Hotels.com, travellers can book the type of accommodations with amenities they want, making it easier for them to find the home away from home experience they desire.

The survey was conducted in January 2013, using a weighted average based on a sample size of more than 8,600 respondents across 28 countries/cities: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UK, USA.

March 2013 • ScandAsia.Singapore 23

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