WYNDHAM Hotel Group today announced its entrance into Australia’s Northern Territory with the inking of a franchise agreement for Ramada Suites Zen Quarter, Darwin.

Owned and managed by Zen Quarter Management, the hotel is located just five minutes away from the city’s CBD and offers 218 apartments with a mix of one-bedroom executive and deluxe rooms as well as two-bedroom suites.

Ramada Suites Zen Quarter, Darwin features a pool with harbour views, gym, café, secure parking, outdoor entertainment area, and free Wi-Fi and on-demand TV. All apartments overlook the city or water, with many offering views over both.

The franchise agreement follows recent announcements from Wyndham Hotel Group for new Ramada resorts in Christchurch, Queenstown and Rotorua in New Zealand, as well as in Shoal Bay, New South Wales and Hope Harbour on the Gold Coast in Queensland.

“We are excited to introduce the Ramada brand to Darwin as we continue to expand Wyndham Hotel Group’s portfolio throughout South-east Asia and the Pacific Rim,” said Barry Robinson, Wyndham Hotel Group’s president and managing director, South-east Asia and Pacific Rim.

THE Greek economic drama is continuing to unfold, with news out on limits being placed on ATM withdrawals and bank tranfers, and retailers rejecting payments by credit cards, but travel specialists in Singapore and Malaysia that retail tours to Greece have declared that business is on as usual.

Robin Yap, president of The Travel Corporation Asia, which has several global travel brands under its belt including Insight Vacations, Trafalgar and Uniworld River Cruise Collection, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the company has not received any cancellations on Greece-bound programmes across all its brands.

“We have a group that just returned and they found the destination to be most enjoyable,” said Yap.

The Travel Corporation has also sought to reassure its clients through a travel advisory that went up on its website on July 7. It announced that “the destination is very much open for business” and that all its guided programmes to Greece are functioning as planned.

The statement also pointed out that issues related to currency access “are relevant only to local residents and are not impacting international visitors”.

Dynasty Travel Singapore’s director of marketing communications, Alicia Seah, also reported zero impact.

“The peak season for tours to Greece runs from April to October. We will have another 250 travellers to Greece over the next three months,” said Seah.

That said, Dynasty Travel is keeping a close watch on travel advisories issued by relevant ministries and advises its travellers to “bring sufficient cash as we anticipate that some small shops may not accept credit card payments at this juncture”.

Singapore’s Chan Brothers Travel has also not seen any cancellation or postponement, shared spokesperson Rebecca Chia.

“We have one group departing in mid-July although new enquiries for Greece will (slow down by now) as its peak holiday season is almost coming to an end,” Chia said.

Over in Malaysia, travel specialists say demand for the historical destination is still strong.

Holiday Tours is maintaining weekly departures to Greece, while Parlo Tours will have two departures this month.

Parlo Tours general manager, Kerry Tam, said there have been no cancellations, and operators in Greece are providing support and updates.

“So far, there is no problem,” Tam remarked, adding that the company has also been receiving forward bookings for the September school holidays.

Additional reporting from S Puvaneswary

TOURISM New Zealand’s new Every day a different journey campaign, which seeks to showcase the destination’s diverse attractions and activities throughout the year, is expected to help spread arrivals to other months besides the peak summer season.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily in an interview, Tourism New Zealand’s CEO, Kevin Bowler said arrivals were highest during the summer months of December to February, with European and Chinese travellers dominating the numbers as the season coincides with the Christmas and New Year holidays, as well as the Chinese New Year.

In 2014, New Zealand welcomed 292,446 and 301,165 international travellers in January and February respectively, and 402,518 in December. These months registered a year-on-year growth of 12.2 per cent, 7.1 per cent and 5.4 per cent respectively.

Besides using the campaign to educate the travel trade and travellers on the destination’s year-round appeal, Tourism New Zealand has also tweaked its media activity schedule to arouse interest at different times of the year.

“While we usually begin our media investments in September, this year we are running it from July to promote the shoulder season or spring and autumn. In fact, 80 per cent of our (marketing) efforts will now focus on the shoulder season. Previously it was about 20 per cent,” Bowler said.

“I think it is the natural things that will also help us (better manage the summer arrivals and achieve more footfalls in the other months). Prices will be more reasonable during the shoulder seasons and availability will be much better as well,” he added.

Meanwhile, the tourism bureau is connecting with travel agencies and airlines to share assets under the new campaign and to support these partners in their advertising and promotion.

AMADEUS and UNWTO have agreed to work together to improve the use of innovative technology in tourism in areas such as education and multi-modality.

The two parties signed an MoU to consolidate their collaboration in several areas, including the development of a UNWTO prototype on multi-modality to integrate different means of transport between destinations around the world.

Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of UNWTO, said in a joint statement: “Innovative technological solutions are fundamental for the tourism sector’s competitiveness and ability to create jobs and inclusive development worldwide.”

Both UNWTO and Amadeus are also set to work together on other issues facing the travel industry including sustainability, corporate social responsibility and education.

This will be done through Amadeus’ participation in the UNWTO Talent Development in Tourism pilot project and various UNWTO capacity-building initiatives.

DESPITE the ailing ringgit, travel agencies in Malaysia are predicting that outbound travel to India in 4Q2015 will not be affected.

As of today the ringgit has depreciated to 3.8 against the US dollar from 3.6 six months ago, bumping up ground prices for Malaysian outbound travellers.

KG Krishna, managing director of Ganesh Travel Agencies, said: “People who want to travel will still travel. November and December have always been a peak travel season to India and this year will be no different. With the weakened ringgit, what we have seen is early booking patterns, as travellers aim to get better airfares.”

Based on bookings received by Ganesh Travel, South India and the Golden Triangle – Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, are popular destinations.

Nanda Kumar, managing director of Hidden Asia Travel & Tours, said the bulk of bookings received are for South India, mainly for pilgrimage tours, the backwaters of Kerala, and Ayurvedic treatments.

“We have gotten a number of bookings from Malaysians of non-Indian origins for visits to Kerala. It is still early days, and we expect to see a lot more bookings coming in from August,” said Kumar.

Similarly, Grandlotus Travel Agencies’s outbound manager Ananthi Sengalaneyi said demand received so far is mainly for South India, mainly Cochin, Chennai and Trichy.

“Ground prices may have increased by 15 to 20 per cent due to currency exchange, but this has not deterred those who have made plans to travel to India.”

The relative ease of getting a visa for travel to India has also helped fuel demand for the destination.

K Thangavelu, country manager of India Visa Centre, said there are now nine India visa centres in the country, from three prior to June 2014.

He added: “This makes it very convenient for Malaysians to apply for visa to India. We have visa centres in every state except for Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah.”

A TOTAL of 78 recommendations to help rebuild Nepal have been put forward in the PATA Nepal Tourism Rapid Recovery Task Force report, which PATA presented to Nepal late last month.

The country is still reeling from the effects of the devastating earthquake on April 25 this year, although 90 per cent of hotels are now operational and attractions have reopened, said the Nepalese government.

PATA vice chairman Andrew Jones helmed the PATA Nepal Tourism Rapid Recovery Task Force, aided by Bert van Walbeek, the vice president area business development, Safehotels Alliance AB, who took up the role of coordinator.
Said Jones in a statement: “The PATA Nepal Tourism Rapid Recovery Task Force was made possible by the contributions of a group of International and Nepalese volunteer tourism professionals to help and support their industry friends and colleagues during this time of crisis and, in doing so, also achieve a core aim of PATA – the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia-Pacific region.”

Recommendations are categorised into three sections and eight areas:

– B2B: International recovery sales; Asia recovery sales; Nepal Tourism accessibility
– Media: social media, traditional media
– B2C: promotion on social media, redefine brand Nepal, traditional promotions

View the PATA Nepal Tourism Rapid Recovery Task Force Report here.

Meanwhile, the PATA Foundation is still accepting donations for the Nepal Earthquake Tourism Recovery Fund.

GDS operator Travelport Worldwide has acquired MTT and will run it as a wholly owned subsidiary as part of its ongoing strategy to get into the mobile commerce sector, with a particular emphasis on the rapidly growing digital economy.

MTT’s current CEO, Gerry Samuels, and his senior team will remain in their existing positions to maintain the customer relationships that have been forged prior to the acquisition.

Based in Dublin, MTT provides an industry-leading mobile travel platform and product set that allows airlines, hotels, corporate travel management companies and travel agencies to engage with their customers through the use of individually tailored services like mobile apps, mobile web, and messaging.

Its clients include companies such as Singapore Airlines, easyJet, Saudia, BCD Travel, Capita Travel and Events, and the Latam Airlines Group.

“MTT will benefit from the network effect of Travelport in terms of infrastructure, our relationships with additional prospective clients and access to our industry leading content,” said Gordon Wilson, Travelport’s president and CEO, revealed in a press release announcing the acquisition.

MTT’s Samuels believes that the acquisition will enable MTT to accelerate and bring cutting-edge mobile innovations to its clients.

“MTT has experienced very significant growth as the market and demand for mobile travel has expanded and there is enormous potential to grow further. Now with the support of a global industry leader such as Travelport, we will be even better placed to capitalise and expand into the considerable opportunities we see ahead of us,” added Samuels.

BEACH getaways and upscale hotels are the top vacation destinations for well-heeled Asia-Pacific families, according to a Visa survey.

Researching the travel patterns of 500 affluent consumers in Asia-Pacific, the Visa Affluent Study 2015 found that 82 per cent of respondents have travelled with their families in the past 12 months.

Over the same period, respondents rank Japan, Hong Kong and Australia as the most popular destinations. The region’s most frequent wealthy travellers are from Singapore and China, with 3.1 trips each, followed by Hong Kong with 2.8 trips and India with 2.0 trips.

When asked about their main activities when travelling abroad, 44 per cent of respondents said their top pick was relaxing on a beach, followed by 36 per cent choosing to shop in popular or large shopping centres and 35 per cent wanting to explore landmarks independently.

But there were differences according to source markets – relaxing on a beach was the most popular activity among respondents from China, Indonesia and India, while the rich from Hong Kong and Japan are the most likely to have travelled to explore landmarks independently. Those from Japan, China and Singapore tend to follow the food trails to local restaurants.

When it comes to accommodation, wealthy travellers prefer upscale hotels (48 per cent) and luxury hotels (39 per cent) over mid-scale hotels (35 per cent). Chinese holidaymakers topped the list of being the swankiest stayers, with 67 per cent choosing upscale hotels and 55 per cent picking luxury hotels.

The survey also found that boutique hotels are the most popular with respondents from Australia (49 per cent), followed by Hong Kong and China at 24 per cent each.

SUMMER is here and the timing is ripe for travel marketers who want to make the most of this peak season to engage customers.

In a summer-themed op-ed entitled Get ready for the Grand Wanderlusters this summer, Collinson Latitude draws on its six traveller profiles to highlight the opportunities for travel marketing and highlights three personas in particular.

The first are the Nesters. These family-focused, time-starved travellers are looking for value in terms of cost and experiences. Summer is the key holiday period for them due to the school holidays.

To reach this group, include built-in experiences in their packages to achieve value, offer flexible and long-term rewards they can share or use this summer or next. Once marketers have claimed the Nester’s loyalty, they are likely to become repeat customers.

The second group are the On-Demanders, usually aged between 20-34. Instant gratification and stylishness are crucial to winning the hearts of these career-oriented introverts, who are also most likely to take spontaneous trips.

Target this demographic with last-minute price deals and getaway offers, but keep them happy lest they take to social media to vent their frustrations. On-Demanders use aggregator sites and are twice as likely to include wellness activities as part of their itineraries, so it is good to highlight these when targeting this group.

Last but not least are the time-rich Safeguarders who tend to splash out on one main holiday during the year in the summer on high-value and high points-value trips. Preferring traditional methods of engagement, they are most likely to book offline.

To reach this group, allow them to redeem their reward points throughout the year and offer them the chance to tailor-make their trips.

The Collinson Latitude op-ed stated: “The need for brands to understand their customers has always been true. But even more so now, is the importance for brands to translate this understanding into the products, services and offers provided. Not understanding your customers and using a blanket method could not only reduce effectiveness, but actually damage their perception of your brand and reduce the likelihood of them choosing you as their travel provider in the future.”

Collinson Latitude identified six distinct traveller profiles in the report The Grand Wanderluster: A New Perspective for the modern day travel reward programme.