INBOUND tour operators in mainland South-east Asia are benefiting from cross-promotion of the Mekong subregion, according to delegates at last week’s International Tourism Expo in Ho Chi Minh City (ITE-HCMC).

The exhibition, which took place last Thursday through Saturday, featured the theme Five Countries, One Destination, highlighting cooperation between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

According to Hoang Tich Hong Hai, accounts manager at SaigonTourist, travellers from Oceania, Europe and North America tend to visit more than one country in a single trip to South-east Asia.

“I sell many combined tours between two or three countries, for example, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos,” he said.

Syphone Keomanivong, an officer at the Laotian Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, told TTG Asia e-Daily that a majority of travellers to Laos also visit neighbouring countries.

Keomanivong said the Laotian government cooperates closely with other tourism ministries, but feels that the private sector needs to work more closely with providers in other countries to develop new products.

Aye Thuzar Thant, deputy managing director of Interconnection Travels in Yangon, said Myanmar sees fewer multi-country visitors than the other four nations, in part because hotel prices there are higher.

“Myanmar is growing its (tourism) industry cautiously,” said Aye Thuzar Thant, as they want to avoid a mass-tourism crush similar to places such as Bali.

She added that “it is best if we can offer combined deals so Western clients can come to South-east Asia as a whole package.”

Reporting by Dave Fox

WITH London remaining a prime attraction for 65 per cent of visitors from India to the UK, VisitBritain is keen to change that by promoting travel to other destinations in the country.

“We are trying to educate Indian travellers that there is more for them than just visiting London and its surroundings,” said Shivali Suri, India country manager at VisitBritain. “We are trying to encourage them to go to places like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Indian travellers should explore the rest of the UK.”

To that end, VisitBritain is using digital media channels and trade engagements to spread the message. During Great Tourism Week, the British NTO’s ongoing roadshow that began last month and ending on September 18, it will be visiting nine Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Delhi, Lucknow, Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

India is currently Britain’s largest source market among the BRIC countries, recording 390,000 visitor arrivals to the country in 2014, up four per cent from 2013. VisitBritain is aiming for 500,000 Indian arrivals by 2020.

Apart from the traditional visiting friends and relatives, leisure and business market segments generating Indian arrivals to the UK, Indian outbound players are seeing new segments.

“A lot of companies are offering incentive tours to the UK. In summers, we used to handle about three MICE groups, but this year we have already handled seven such groups,” said Hemal Majithia, marketing manager at Golden Tours.

Non-metro cities in India are also seeing more traffic to the UK. “The majority of our business is from metro cities and (nearby) cities because of air connectivity. However, demand has now picked up from the north-eastern region as well,” said Abhishek Singh, senior manager, sales and marketing, Lets Travel.

HONG KONG will stage a large-scale cyclothon from October 10 to 11 to lure more tourists to the destination. Organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon will consist of cycling races and a range of fringe activities such as a street carnival.

Peter Lam, chairman of HKTB, hopes to expand the scale of the event so that it becomes a major annual event in the Pearl River Delta region after the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is completed.

However, operators such as Tomco Incentive & Travel Service find the notion a hard sell. Said Kevin Leung, the company’s marketing director: “To be honest, cycling is an uncommon sport and it is difficult to promote. Consultants specialising in sports may sell it but we may not.”

Wing Wong, managing director at W Travel, agreed: ”It’s a very small and niche market that we don’t (sell). Compared to neighbouring destinations like Taiwan, Hong Kong is a bit behind in developing this segment. The city is equipped with nice bicycle tracks but no one promotes it.”

Paul Etherington, owner of Kayak and Hike, offered a more pragmatic view: “I don’t think people will come to Hong Kong to go cycling like Europe and New Zealand, but if Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan can organise good cycling events then Hong Kong should be able to as well.”

Others like Tim Obendorf, director of International Cyclists to Asia, are more sanguine. “This event will serve to put cycling in Hong Kong on the radar…and (stir up) curiosity in many tourists to ask the question, ‘Cycling in Hong Kong? Really?’”

DESPITE Thailand’s political turmoil in 2014, Samui saw an increase in number of visitors in 1H2015, leading to a boost in the resort island’s occupancy, average room rate (ARR) and RevPAR, according to research by C9 Hotelworks.

This is in contrast with Phuket, which saw a similar increase in visitor numbers but did not record a surge in either room rates or RevPAR.

Spurred by increasing direct international airlift, Samui Airport saw 873 total international flights in 1H2015, amounting to a four percent year-on-year growth in overseas passenger arrivals during the same period.

With the exception of budget and economy hotels, all tiers logged improvements. Midscale hotels grew ARR by 25 per cent and occupancy by four per cent; the upscale segment grew ARR by 18 per cent and occupancy by four per cent; and luxury tallied in with a nine per cent growth in ARR and one per cent growth in occupancy.

Meanwhile, upscale and luxury tiers increased RevPAR significantly by 27 per cent and 12 per cent respectively. In contrast, the midscale segment retracted by two per cent.

According to the report, Samui plans to expand Samui Airport in 2015, although details have not been made public.