Letter from Tokyo: A date with destiny in a place called Kabukicho
From Godzilla to Indiana Jones, ancient theatres to art-themed hotels, to embracing change and the human imagination, Yeoh Siew Hoon finds it all here.
Outside HOTEL GROOVE SHINJUKU, where I am staying on the 36th floor, is Toho Cinemas where a huge replica of Godzilla looks like it’s trying to [...]
Letter from the Priorat, Catalonia: Listening to the wines, and the silence
To be honest (and I’ve always been told to be wary of people who start their sentences with those three words but in this case, it’s sincere), I had never heard of Priorat until, well, this year when I started planning for my Catalonia holiday.
I had asked ChatGPT to recommend the top three d [...]
Letter From Langkawi: Luster Lost, Paradise Found
The last time I was in Langkawi, it was for a year-end trip with fifty friends and (ex) colleagues from a previous company. We wined and dined, soaked in the sun, and celebrated a good financial year for the brand. We partied. The holidays were upon us and the new year seemed pretty exciting.
Goo [...]
Letter from Barcelona: From Gaudi dreams to Dali metaverse, a whimsical journey through old and new
My first night in Barcelona after having spent a week traipsing around the coast of Costa Brava and rambling through the vineyards and isolated, mountainous villages of Priorat without encountering many tourists, indeed many humans, was a bit of a shock.
Back in this big, busting, beautiful city, [...]
Letter from Girona: The stuff of legends and travellers’ dreams
I suppose it is fitting that I should be staying in the Hotel Museu Llegendes in Girona because this ancient Catalonian city is so full of legends that even the locals have trouble keeping up with the stories.
The family-owned 15-room boutique hotel, opened 12 years ago, is like a homage to saint [...]
Letter from Phuket: A destination for all seasons, all tastes, Zombies included
As I boarded my Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Phuket this week, I couldn’t help but reflect on that first flight I took to New York back in November 2021 when travel was still largely restricted in Asia, and I was literally crying over my satay from the emotion of being at 30,000 fee [...]
Goodbye, Hugo Burge, a gentle soul who made a difference
I was first introduced to Hugo Burge by Rod Cuthbert. It was sometime 2011. Rod said to me, “You know that debate you run, you need someone English to do it, someone who can do a proper debate in proper English.”
In the end, Hugo did not take part in the debate – he was way too gentle a sou [...]
Changing of the guard at STB as it prepares for a new future
Keith Tan leaves on a high, Melissa Ow returns to the fold
I remember commenting to someone at the recent Tourism Industry Conference in Singapore that it sounded like Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, was making his farewell speech to the industry.
There was something [...]
Letter From Sydney: A city that hides its secrets in plain sight
Like the rest of the world, Australia is gearing up for an interesting year in travel and hospitality. The Australian Tourism Exchange or ATE23 is back in full force for the first time since 2019, welcoming travellers both international and domestic to an array of new attractions in the colossal cou [...]
From Thailand to Singapore to Malaysia: Of farming tips, colonial tales and curated experiences
I don't know much about farming or gardening. The closest I came to either was listening to my father talk about his time hiding amongst the sweet potatoes during the Japanese invasion of then-Malaya and oh yes, just to name drop, when Prince Charles (soon to be King) took me on a tour of his garden [...]
