INDIAN consumers will soon be able to book hotel stays on TripAdvisor, a feature that has all along been available in the US and UK markets.

The company is currently testing the instant booking feature and has refrained from confirming the launch date.

“We will launch instant booking in India when we are ready with the perfect product and system,” said Helena Egan, director of industry relations at TripAdvisor. “We are hoping to be live in more markets very soon and in most of the 48 domains we have across the globe.”

Egan added that the product is slated to be available on mobile, desktop, or both platforms, and are in talks with hotel chains in India for possible tie-ups.

“We have received positive responses and feedback from the hotels in India. We are studying the needs of Indian consumers and may customise the product to suit their requirements should there be a need,” added Nikhil Ganju, the company’s country manager in India.

About 70 per cent of the company’s revenue today comes from advertisements, while the instant booking feature is the company’s second revenue generator.

Commenting on the need to introduce instant booking to its users, Egan remarked: “(It) is a friction-less way for consumers to book (a hotel) in two clicks and it does away with the middleman.

“A lot of hotels in India are highlighting that owning the consumer is important for them as some platforms only provide the names of the consumers, and details such as their emails and physical addresses are not shared.”

TripAdvisor is also looking to roll out this instant booking feature to other Asian countries, especially key markets like China and Japan.

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart 2015 Show Daily

THE weakening rupiah has put a damper on Indonesian consumers’ travel desires, causing outbound tour operators in the country to report a 20 to 25 per cent dip in travel bookings so far this year.

Rudiana, WITA Tour’s director of sales and marketing, told TTG Asia e-Daily that recent travel offers by airlines and tourism boards had failed to elicit much interest from customers.

“Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia will hold their travel fairs this month and they are the industry benchmark, so results from these shows will paint (for) us a clearer picture of how Indonesia’s outbound leisure market will perform for the rest of the year and during 2016’s low season,” commented Rudiana.

However, with the rupiah now valued at 14,000 to US$1, the lowest ever since 1998, Rudiana is bracing for poor outbound business, especially as consumers wait for the currency depreciation to stabilise.

Exacerbating the cautious buying sentiments among Indonesians is the new government regulation for all transactions and prices to be in rupiah.

“Travellers who are used to buying their trips in US dollars are taken aback by the number of digits represented in rupiah. It affects them psychologically,” he said.

Anthony Akili, president and CEO of Smailing , also observed a change in travelling patterns. “(The poor economic situation today) isn’t stopping travel altogether, as Indonesians regard travel as a need. There is however, a shift in travel patterns. Those who have budgeted for their trips will still travel, but they are choosing either to shorten the vacation or head to a destination closer to home,” Akili explained.

As such, Akili expects domestic and regional travel to do well while longhaul demand will languish.

But Rama Tirtawisata, group managing director of Panorama Leisure Group, has found a silver lining in the cloud.

Tirtawisata said: “The strengthening of the US dollar has affected many countries, and data from Bank Indonesia shows that there are many currencies that have dipped deeper than the rupiah.”

Bank Indonesia’s 52-week data compilation on currency performance since June 30, 2014 reflected a 49 per cent decline in the Russian rouble against the greenback, a 27 per cent dip in the Turkish lira, and a 22 per cent fall in the Australian dollar. Some European currencies like the Swedish krona and the Danish krone were down between 19 and 22 per cent.

“The rupiah was down 14 per cent so it is stronger (than these currencies), which makes travelling to these countries cheaper,” said an optimistic Tirtawisata, who revealed that Panorama Tours Indonesia will focus on promoting these destinations with special packages soon.

“We will also allocate more budget for promotions and educate the market which is currently in shock,” he added.

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart 2015 Show Daily

MALAYSIA Airlines’ decision to halve frequencies of air services between Kuala Lumpur and Delhi from September 1 has travel consultants in Malaysia and India fretting over the possible loss of business.

The beleaguered flag carrier, which had on August 28 undergone a rebranding and is being restructured into a new company, now flies daily on this route, down from twice-daily services previously.

Nanda Kumar, managing director of Hidden Asia Travel & Tours Malaysia, said this would slow down corporate incentive and group travel segments because clients would not be able to get seats for the entire group.

“Clients can still travel to Malaysia on premium airlines, via Singapore and Bangkok, but they may cut short their time in Malaysia. For instance, they may choose to stay two to three nights, instead of four,” he said.

Ganneesh Ramaa, manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, is bracing for a drop of at least 10 per cent in Indian arrivals from Delhi this coming travel season, which runs from mid-September to year-end.

He said: “If clients cannot get seats on Malaysia Airlines, they will simply go elsewhere. Singapore and Thailand will benefit.”

With capacity down, Rajesh Sethi, managing director of Carnation Holidays in Delhi, warned of likely fare hikes by Malaysia Airlines for this route.

There is, however, a spark of optimism in this situation, arising from Malindo Air’s plans to launch twice-weekly flights between Malaysia’s Penang and India’s Tiruchirapalli come September 26. As the only service that connects Penang with an Indian city, it is expected to boost Indian interest in Malaysia’s northern region and mitigate a major loss of Indian traffic to Malaysia.

Travel consultants from both countries told TTG Asia e-Daily that they are eager to create new itineraries that leverage the new airline.

Kumar said: “We will combine Penang with Bukit Merah Laketown Resort in Perak, and Penang with Langkawi.”

Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, said: “There are now options to do tours in the north or to sell Penang as a mono destination as it offers many attractions in the city, on the hills and along the beach that appeal to Indians.”

Meanwhile, Chennai-based Holiday 18 Leisure Services’ director & CEO, K Gia, is looking for Malaysian partners from Penang to work with him to build new programmes, as “suppliers from Kuala Lumpur charge more”.

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart 2015 Show Daily.