Lindsay Nelson has joined TripAdvisor as president of its newly formed Core Experience (CoreX) business unit, as the travel giant evolves to become more social and personalised in its offerings.
In this role, Nelson will oversee the global TripAdvisor platform and brand, lead content development, and scale revenue generating consumer products and features that enhance the travel journey.
Prior to joining TripAdvisor, Nelson was the chief commercial officer for Vox Media. She also spent four years as Vox Media’s chief marketing officer.
Banyan Tree Phuket has appointed Shannon Creado as the new area director of sales and marketing.
Born and educated in India, Creado began his hospitality career in 1999, rising through the ranks until he became director of sales and marketing for Goa Marriott Resort in 2006.
He later took on sales & marketing director positions at other Marriott resorts, as well as Anantara and Minor Hotels, in South Korea, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Facebook's Meghan Joseph on the deeper role of messaging between brands and consumers
Messaging, or “conversational commerce”, is poised to be one of the hottest trends shaping travel in 2019, according to Facebook’s global travel strategy and planning lead, Nikhliesh Ponde.
At the Facebook’s APAC Travel Summit in Singapore, it was revealed that people and businesses around the world now exchange over 10 billion messages each month.
Facebook’s Meghan Joseph on the deeper role of messaging between brands and consumers
This preference for messaging is even more pronounced in Asia-Pacific, where 87 per cent of smartphone owners use a messaging app every month.
“We recently conducted a global survey and found that people in emerging markets are twice as likely as those in mature markets to message a business at least once a month. People increasingly expect businesses to be available via messaging apps. This is a dynamic that travel businesses in Asia-Pacific are poised to leverage, given these are mobile-first markets,” Ponde added.
Some leading brands have already taken the leap by using WhatsApp to send timely notifications and offer customer support. First movers include leading airlines such as Singapore Airlines and travel planning websites like MakeMyTrip.com.
Messaging can also play a much deeper role as it draws people and businesses together into an ongoing conversation, said Meghan Joseph, client partner, Facebook Singapore.
“Consumers today visit numerous travel-related touch points over a few weeks when making a travel purchase. It’s much easier to make travel decisions when you have a personal and direct conversation – this is something that messaging can enable,” Joseph said.
The insights carry greater weight considering the emergence of a new middle class in Asia-Pacific. Nearly one in every two Internet users in Asia travels abroad at least once a year, the highest proportion of any region in the world.
It’s not all bleak and gloom for Thailand’s tourism sector even as Chinese tourist arrivals continue to tumble in the wake of the Phuket boat incident in July.
As it turns out, a slump in Chinese arrivals in recent months is creating a silver lining for some inbound segments, as hoteliers roll out tactical measures and look to other markets to make up for the booking shortfall in 2H2018.
Some inbound segments are seeing a silver lining
“With Chinese business dropping off since the incident, hotels are throwing out tacticals for the entire winter, which is unusual,” noted Tobias Fischer, director of business development, Go Vacation Thailand, sharing his observations with TTG Asia at the recent ITB Asia in Singapore.
“DMCs are seeing a better chance of getting hotel bookings this period because hotels still have allotments, and we are still able to book rooms at static rates now,” said Fischer.
This is opposed to the usual BAR rates that DMCs are contracted to when hotels are running on high occupancies, particularly during the winter period, he added, with such strategies extending even to the typically high-occupancy months of February and March.
Shreyash Shah, cluster director of sales at Mytt Beach Hotel in Pattaya, is “filling up the vacuum this winter season by pushing for longhaul and regional markets”, including working with DMCs to target group series from South Korea, India and Japan, from where he has registered a “pick up” in bookings.
It would, however, take another six months for the Chinese inbound market to recover, predicted Shah, although he is already seeing “good demand from the Chinese market” for the Lunar New Year period in 2019.
Meanwhile, lagging Chinese demand in recent months has driven Matthew Hindmarch, director of hotels and resorts at Phuket-based Aksara Collection, to show “new markets more love”. These include Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, India and the Middle East.
Hindmarch is “already closing out April next year” with bookings from South Africa, a “bright, cheerful and friendly market” where he sees small groups of lady travellers an emerging trend.
As well, Shah is finding cheer in the Russian market, which is “coming back in a good way”, with Mytt Beach Hotel hosting an average of 10 agent fam trips from across different Russian cities each week.
The aircraft was experiencing technical problems a day before take-off, before allegedly being cleared to fly according to procedure; pictured: a different Lion Air aircraft at the Husein Sastranegara International Airport
The cause of Lion Air JT 610 crash yesterday remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue around Tanjung Pakis, Kerawang, West Java.
The ill-fated Boeing 737 Max 8 plane lost contact 13 minutes after take-off yesterday morning from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It was bound for Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, carrying 189 people. All passengers are feared dead.
The plane was experiencing technical problems a day before the ill-fated take-off, but was allegedly cleared to fly according to procedure; pictured, a different Lion Air aircraft at the Husein Sastranegara International Airport
Apart from the plane’s captain Bhavye Harvino, an Indian passport holder, all passengers on board were Indonesians, more than 20 of whom were government officials returning to their posts in Pangkal Pinang after spending the weekend with families in Jakarta.
Search and rescue teams are currently working round the clock to locate the exact location of the wreck, and the search for the black box is also underway.
Technical issues were earlier reported for the plane during its Denpasar-Jakarta service on Sunday evening. However, Edward Sirait, CEO of Lion Air told the media that the airline’s engineers had fixed the problem and the flight was cleared to fly and landed safely in Jakarta.
Edward added that the plane was airworthy and pilot had taken all pre-flight inspections according to procedures.
Lion Air has just acquired the Boeing 737 Max 8 in August and has operated eight of 11 it has on order. The aircraft had only 800 hours of flight time recorded.
According to Reuters, this Lion Air accident was the first reported involving a MAX aircraft. Boeing has also issued a statement on its website that it was providing technical assistance at the request of the Indonesian authorities.
The accident may tarnish the image of the Indonesian airline safety, after ICAO awarded the Indonesia Ministry of Transportation the Council President Certificate, an award related to improvement on flight safety.
Earlier this year, the EU removed all Indonesian carriers from its air safety blacklist following improvements in their air safety.
Following the debut of Kafnu in Hong Kong, the Next Story Group is accelerating the brand’s Asian expansion, targeting 50 Kafnu premises within the next three years, predominantly in key capital cities.
The Kafnu concept is a blend of a private members club, shared workspace and boutique hotel.
According to group chief development officer, Andreas Flaig, the expansion will adopt a “hub and spoke” strategy, with “hubs” of 5,000-10,000m2 surrounded by “spoke” locations in smaller spaces of 2,000 – 5,000m2.
Kafnu Alexandria, Sydney
To date, there are three operating Kafnu properties, namely Hong Kong, Taipei and Bengaluru. By the end of 2018, Kafnu will add two more locations in Australia and Vietnam.
Projects in the pipeline are in Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City, Colombo, Mumbai and Bali, and the group is eyeing multiple locations within key cities such as Hong Kong, Mumbai and Delhi.
The group is also keen to step up its membership focus to drive loyalty across Kafnu properties in different cities.
Speaking to TTG Asia at the recent HICAP in Hong Kong, Flaig explained: “The beauty of the concept is that the membership is not bounded by geography; they can access the overseas premises and can network with local members there. As you see the intra-Asia traffic is growing, so we’d like to make sure when they travel, they stay with Kafnu. So far, Kafnu properties in Hong Kong and Taiwan have over 400 members altogether.”
Membership is on a selection basis, and is driven by members’ word of mouth and via the members’ own network, he revealed.
In terms of finding suitable locations, the group have looked at the commercial, retail and hotel spaces in three markets, namely India, Greater China and Australia.
Another aspect of the Kafnu strategy is conversion projects. Flaig added: “We can take an old, rundown, unprofitable small-scale hotel and convert it into a Kafnu. Take Greater China as an example. We are planning to have two to four in each cities like Shenzhen, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and potentially Chengdu. I lived in China for nine years and China has a lot of non-performing or over-built assets, which do not produce enough revenue.”
Beyond the Kafnu brand, the Next Story Group is also mapping expansion of its hotel brands. Among the upcoming openings are The Next Hotel Colombo, a 255-key property in Melbourne and a Sage Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, the group’s CEO Darren Edmonstone shared.
Bautista: currently no plans to add more flights to Europe
Philippine Airlines’ (PAL) network expansion will for now be hewn towards Asian and domestic routes, and less on longhaul.
PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista told TTG Asia, on the sidelines of the recent Association of Asia Pacific Airlines’ 62nd Assembly of Presidents in Jeju, of the airline’s expansion strategy amid the continued challenges of congestion at Manila’s international airport, high fuel prices and stiff competition.
Bautista: no plans to add more flights to Europe for now
While the flag carrier will replace the Manila-Vancouver-New York flight with nonstop Manila-New York service on October 29, Bautista ruled out opening new European routes apart from the existing daily Manila-London service.
Also not happening yet is the return of the thrice-weekly Cebu-Los Angeles service that it axed last year.
Since September 15, the Manila-London service has been using an aircraft with a smaller capacity of 295 seats, from the previous 370 seats.
It is understood that Middle Eastern and other carriers pose stiff competition along the routes to Europe from Manila. PAL also faces competition from Asian and American carriers alike on North American routes.
While PAL drastically reduced its flights to Kalibo and Caticlan with the six-month closure of Boracay, Bautista was looking forward to mounting more commercial flights as well as chartered flights from China and South Korea when more hotels open in Boracay next year.
Currently, PAL operates a daily flight to Boracay’s gateway Caticlan from Manila, Cebu and Clark, and a daily flight from Manila to another Boracay gateway, Kalibo.
“We will try to maximise the use of our airplanes operating in hubs where we are expanding, in Cebu, Clark and Manila,” said Bautista, detailing the airline’s Asian and regional expansion. “We have started flying from Clark to 17 major destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao.”
Grab will offer car rentals, with drivers and guides, to tourists visiting Indonesia
Now the mobile platform partner of Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism, Grab will promote the country’s destinations as well as roll out tourist-friendly initiatives such as a car rental service complete with a driver cum guide.
This follows a smart tourism MoU between Grab and the Ministry of Tourism signed in September in support of the Wonderful Indonesia campaign.
Grab will offer car rentals, with drivers and guides, to tourists visiting Indonesia
“Digital advances play an important role to promote our tourism sector. Therefore, we are delighted to partner with Grab on our smart tourism strategy for the Wonderful Indonesia campaign, and provide a seamless digital experience for tourists at our airports and leading destinations in Indonesia. We hope this collaboration will help us realise our target to bring in 17 million international tourists this year and 20 million international tourists in 2019,” said Arief Yahya, Indonesia’s tourism minister.
With the partnership, promotions of the country’s destinations will be able to reach approximately 125 million users across eight South-east Asian countries.
For Grab, this is an extension of the Grab 4 Indonesia master plan 2020, according to Ridzki Kramadibrata, managing director, Grab Indonesia.
The Singapore-based company – which is growing beyond its original ride-hailing focus into on-demand food delivery, payments and other areas – recently stated it would invest a “significant portion” of fresh funding in Indonesia.
Among the tourist-friendly initiatives are Rent a GrabCar, available in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Manado and Makassar. Tourists can book a car easily at official Grab booths once they land at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Tangerang), Halim Perdana Kusuma International.
Select Rent a GrabCar drivers will receive training to be tour guides, and will obtain Wonderful Indonesia certification from the ministry.
Meanwhile, tourists can browse restaurant recommendations and try signature local cuisines with GrabFood, in addition to accessing reviews and information about Indonesia’s cultural and tourism attractions through the daily news feed, available directly on the Grab app.
Users can also redeem GrabRewards loyalty points in the Travel category for benefits, such as GarudaMiles from Garuda Indonesia and also Joumpa Airport Assistance.
Through the Ministry of Tourism’s Hot Deals promotion programme, Singaporean and Malaysian tourists can further enjoy special prices when they order a Rent a GrabCar service within selected cities in Indonesia.
Moreover, various digital facilities have been arranged for tourists including lounges, tourist information centres, charging stations, free Wi-Fi and rest areas for driver-partners in selected tourist destinations. Grab is in partnership with tourist attractions in Indonesia including Borobudur and Prambanan Temple, Jatim Park Group, Istana Maimun Medan and Garuda Wisnu Kencana Bali.
Fusion will add a third brand to its portfolio with the opening of the first hotel under the personality-driven Originals concept in Ho Chi Minh City next year.
Each Originals hotel will bear the name of a pioneering artist, inventor, scientist or social leader. For the inaugural member of the collection, they’ve selected Charles Darwin, the British botanist, scientist and naturalist who redefined mankind’s place in the universe.
Darwin - a Fusion Original
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Hotel reception
Darwin – a Fusion Original is currently under construction in the heart of Saigon’s District 1, less than 200m from the city’s iconic opera house and close to shops, restaurants, cafés, bars and tourist hotspots.
The 88-room hotel will pay homage to its namesake by creating an air of 19th-century discovery and adventure. Fusion’s designers have focussed on Darwin’s studies of plants, animals and people from all over the globe and will honour this by featuring botanical motifs, super-sized extracts of Darwin’s manuscripts, and a palette of all-natural tones and textures in the interiors.
There will also be a copy of Darwin’s most famous publication, On the Origin of Species, inside every bedside unit.
The ground-floor lobby, named Beagle Bar, will host regular live music and spoken-word events lubricated by old-school rum cocktails and local craft ales.
Meanwhile, Origins Restaurant, home to a re-imagined breakfast concept known as T.O.A.S.T. (The Original Answer to Snooze Time), will serve dishes inspired by Charles Darwin’s global journeys.
“With Darwin and every Fusion Original that comes after it, you’ll never quite know what to expect,” added Remco de Hoog, Fusion’s chief architect. “We love shaking things up, and we think our guests will really enjoy the feeling of entering the unknown each time… in a good way, of course!”
Since its launch in 2008, Fusion has worked to marry hotels with wellness-inspired resorts. The company has opened five resorts and hotels in Vietnam so far, with a team now boasting more than 1,500 employees, including 300 spa specialists.
The Experience Mekong Collection showcases tourism-friendly practices that are sustainable, responsible and innovative
The Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO) is calling for public nominations for responsible and sustainable travel experiences in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as the second annual Experience Mekong Collection Showcase approaches.
MTCO is inviting the public to nominate their favourite GMS small businesses on www.experiencemekong.org to determine the 2019 Experience Mekong Collection Showcase. The nomination deadline is December 1, 2018.
The Experience Mekong Collection highlights tourism-friendly practices that are sustainable, responsible and innovative
According to MTCO, results gleaned from this year’s collection showcase revealed a strong rooting interest from the public with nearly 80 small-business nominations collected in total.
“The importance of responsible tourism cannot be underestimated and the ‘Experience Mekong Collection’ is a wonderful way of highlighting examples of good practice,” said MTCO executive director Jens Thraenhart.
“This sets several benchmarks to further improve travel experiences in the GMS. We hope this motivates other operators to become more involved and do their part for responsible tourism,” he said.
During the earlier Mekong Tourism Forum (MTF) held in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, MTCO announced its inaugural showcase selections (one per GMS country). The first-ever showcase featured small businesses committed to sustainable and responsible practices with each of them categorised under Do, Shop, Stay, Tour/Cruise or Taste.
In addition to being honoured at this year’s MTF, representatives of the showcase selectees had a chance to speak to delegates about the positive impact their experience has impressed on not only tourists but also on local residents.
The 2018 showcase attractions were each examined on practices, tangible impact on the environment and social climate, and financial viability. Case studies on each of the 2018 experiences were developed by students of the Mahidol University International College in Thailand.
All members of the Experience Mekong Collection are highlighted on a feature page within www.mekongmoments.com in addition to being recognised by a certified badge reflecting its responsible and sustainable practice.
Other benefits for members include a free booth at next year’s MTF and discounted rates on sales and marketing services from industry partner Oriental Hospitality Solutions.
