Interior of Beijing Capital International Airport. Credit: 123rf

CHINA has once again asserted its dominance as the largest tourist source market in the world, logging a record number of outbound visitors for the third consecutive year.

According to a 2015 report by the China Tourism Academy, the number of Chinese outbound tourists exceeded 100 million for the first time in 2014 to reach a staggering 107 million, a 19.5 per cent growth from the year before. A year-on-year growth of 16 per cent or higher is expected for this year.

Chinese outbound expenditure in 2014 also increased, totalling US$164.8 billion. The report also attributes the growing acceptance of UnionPay cards by overseas merchants, and thus the ease of access to finances for Chinese tourists, as a contributor to the outbound growth momentum and increased spending.

Favourite destinations for Chinese travellers include New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, Australia and the US, among others, in terms of customer satisfaction levels based on demands for conveniences such as Chinese tourist handbooks, Chinese restaurants, TV programmes in Chinese and UnionPay acceptance.

Artist impression of The Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran. Credit: Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts

INTERNATIONAL hospitality brands continue to expand their presence in Indonesia despite the country’s struggling economy.

Andreas Mattmüller, COO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East and Asia, said: “Indonesia is a key market for our expansion in this exciting region for the hospitality sector.”

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has announced its debut property in Indonesia, Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran, which is set for a 3Q2016 launch in the south of Bali.

Besides ongoing partnership discussions in Jakarta, Surabaya and Bandung, the Swiss hospitality group will be adding eight properties over the next three years in the region, including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, added Mattmüller.

Meanwhile, Plateno Hotels Group has made Jakarta its Australasia regional base with a pipeline of properties already in place.

Kevin Wallace, managing director Australia of Plateno Hotels Group, said: “Indonesia has a strong potential and we are looking at operating between 30 and 40 properties in the next three years.”

In Bali alone, besides the operational 75-room 7 Days Premium Kuta Bali, Plateno also plans to open other brands in Nusa Dua, Ubud and Denpasar between December 2015 and mid-2016.

In West Java, the group has taken over the management of The Mirah Bogor. The hotel is currently under renovation and is being upgraded to become a co-branded 7 Days Premium and James Joyce Coffetel property.

Apart from Indonesia, Wallace also expressed interest in expanding the Plateno brand to the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and India.

Credit: 123rf

TECHNOLOGY has a key role to play for travel players to successfully attract Indonesian Millennials, an emerging market segment which has displayed a penchant for taking holidays on impulse, a heavy reliance on word of mouth, travelling twice a year with each trip lasting an average of four nights.

These were the observations shared during TravelRave 2015: Capturing the Next Wave of Tourism Growth in Indonesia, a roundtable discussion organised by Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in Jakarta yesterday.

Andrew Phua, director, exhibitions and conferences at STB, said: “Millennials are a tremendous opportunity for the travel industry. To successfully capture this market, players will need to understand their preferences and deliver what they are looking for.”

He added: “The Asian Millennials are poised to be the main growth drivers in the tourism industry. They spent US$215 billion on travel in 2013 and are expected to increase their travel budget by 58 per cent by 2020.”

Danny Kim, analyst, travel team at Google APAC, said: “Millennials’ online behavior have changed significantly over the past few years. As mobile and Internet penetration continue to expand, people have greater access to information and options in each phase of their consumer journey.”

Concurred Gaery Undarsa, managing director and co-founder at Tiket.com: “Increasing internet coverage and the widespread use of smartphones has opened up a huge space in the online booking industry. It is thus the industry’s role to educate the market on the benefits that can be reaped.”

Recognising the need to stay competitive amid changing market demands, Indonesian travel players are increasingly integrating technology into their business operations.

Anthony Akili, group president and CEO of Smailing Tours and Travel Service, said: “In Smailing, 70 per cent of our market are business travellers and we’re focusing on the high-end segment for the leisure side. We are preparing our online platform for this and hopefully we will be able to launch next year.”

Adi Satria, vice president of sales, marketing and distribution for Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore at AccorHotels, revealed that they had just launched an online check-in function for hotels in Indonesia to provide a seamless travel experience for customers.