SOON to open a third office in Asia-Pacific and making its debut appearance at PATA Travel Mart this year, Lowcostbeds is scaling up its presence in Asia to move away from being solely a UK brand towards becoming a global entity.

The bed bank planted its flag in the region through its office in Bangkok, where it is headquartered, and Sydney within the last one year.

Said Adam Alford, managing director Asia Pacific, Lowcostbeds, on the new direction: “We have opened two offices this year and plan to open a third in a few months. Our business is heavily geared towards our international expansion as we become less known as a UK bed bank (but) more a global business.”

He noted that the company’s UK business now constitutes less than 30 per cent of total business, compared to more than 80 per cent 18 months ago. Lowcostbeds has forecasted its growth rate to triple for 2015.

“We are committed to opening up Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. From a distribution point we are not identifying a single target market but rather expanding to markets where our products are welcome. For example, we have increased our total inventory by over 200 per cent since August last year. We have buyers in Asia now targeting individual contracts for best pricing to sell to more than 40,000 of our travel partners worldwide.”

But how does this bed bank ensure it stands out from the competition, amid a proliferation of other B2B websites and even peer-to-peer vacation rental channels each out for a bite of the accommodation market?

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart Show Daily

WITH voluntourism becoming a hot topic, travel consultants and visitors are urged to steer clear from orphanage tourism as it exposes children to exploitation.

Amy McLoughlin, responsible tourism awards manager & associate specialist, Wild Asia, said: “Orphanage tourism is most common in Cambodia, where tourists may be approached by children, asking them to make a visit to their orphanage (and make) a small donation towards the upkeep of their home.

“Most commonly the children in question are exposed to exploitation, and the begging culture does not equate to a sustainable future for the centre or its inhabitants.

“Shockingly, there have also been reports of some establishments where children have been bought from families to be placed in fake orphanages to work in heartstring-tugging roles to generate money,” she added.

While the number of orphans in Cambodia has declined over the past 10 years, orphanages have more than doubled, and almost three-quarters of “orphans” still have at least one living parent, according to UNICEF.

As a result of the controversy surrounding orphanage tourism in Cambodia, several tour operators are now adopting a no-go stance.

Despite receiving a handful of such requests each month, Cambodia-based A Touch Of Asia refuses to take any tours or individuals to orphanages or schools, revealed general manager, Steve Lidgey. “There is considerable evidence from international specialists that visiting an orphanage can do more harm than good,” he said.

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart Show Daily

AFTER three years at the helm, PATA’s CEO, Martin Craigs, is stepping down on November 1, leaving an association that has managed to shed some of its old boys’ image and create new value for its members.

Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily at PATA Travel Mart (PTM), Craigs cited personal reasons for not seeking a further three-year term. “I’ve never had three non-stop weeks at home for 30 years,” he shared.

In a memo to members, Craigs described what he called a hard year, “with three close family losses and an unrelenting travel schedule”.

“I’m leaving on a high note because I think PATA has significantly enhanced its offering to its members…(on another) high note, my last sales job was to secure PTM in Bengaluru next year,” he revealed.

“These three years have been about pioneering and changing mindsets. Now we’ve got so many programmes and activities; they need to be operationally perfected. And Mario (Hardy) is an excellent COO who can carry this forward.”

Hardy will become interim CEO, but PATA’s board will have to decide whether he eventually takes the top post.

When asked what areas the new CEO could work on, he remarked: “The internal process and constitution need to be radically updated. We cannot justify having an AGM that stretches out two or three days. IATA’s formal AGM takes 90 minutes.”

There also has to be more diversity on the PATA board, Craigs observed.

He said: “People who have served their time on the board should happily share their knowledge and hand over to the next generation, otherwise they are inevitably going to refer to their old experience.

“We’d like to see more Asian females on the board and people with specialist knowledge, e.g. a legal person or someone in IT, which is usually next-gen. We also discussed, and it’s been agreed in principle, that our Face of the Future (award winner) should come to an executive board meeting at least once, twice a year.”

Commenting on Craigs’ departure, long-time PATA member and vice-chairman of the board, Kevin Murphy, told TTG Asia e-Daily: “Martin is leaving a legacy that PATA can build on. His background, particularly in airlines, has been of great value.

“But PATA is bigger than one person. PATA is still here after 63 years and will be in the future. We need to take it forward so that Martin’s efforts will not be lost.”

Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart Show Daily

WHILE the Ebola outbreak is thousands of kilometres and six hours by flight away from South Africa, the deadly disease is adversely impacting tourism there as travellers are avoiding the exotic destination.

Cooper Huang, CEO, Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, said: “People have cancelled travel to South Africa in September and October due to the fear factor. There is no point shouting about the destination when there is little demand.”

Dynasty Travel Singapore’s marketing communications director, Alicia Seah, said: “Although the distance between West and South Africa is quite far, travellers are opting not to (go) to these destinations if they have a choice, especially for leisure holidays.”

According to her, bookings to the traditionally popular South Africa have dipped by half for the year-end holiday period.

Kim Nixon, managing director at Asia of Africa Safaris, on the other hand, was more optimistic. Since the outbreak, her business has declined by only five per cent, largely in East Africa, and there have been “few cancellations” in South Africa.

Cherry Lee, executive director of Pacific World Travel, GSA for South African Airways in Malaysia, said: “We are trying to educate the travel trade in Malaysia that South Africa is far from the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and it is safe to travel there. Due to misconceptions, Malaysian travellers are avoiding South Africa, thinking it is close to West Africa.”

Thinta Zwane, first secretary, South African High Commission Singapore, said: “Potential travellers to South Africa should feel free to (visit) because Ebola has not spread into our country. We have put in place measures that could easily help us deal with any Ebola scare; there is no reason potential tourists should worry about contracting this virus in South Africa.”

According to South African Tourism Board’s latest media release issued on September 8, the South African National Department of Health has assured that there are no cases of Ebola in South Africa, but the country will remain on high alert for any potential threat or infection.

Read more stories in TTG-PATA Travel Mart Show Daily

Additional report from Paige Lee Pei Qi

RESPONDING to a shift towards selling experiences rather than destinations, PATA has, for the first time, launched a Responsible Travel Pavilion at the show.

A dozen exhibitors come under this business platform dedicated to responsible and sustainable travel including Khiri Travel, Wild Asia, Sampran Riverside, Global Sustainable Tourism Council and Messe Berlin.

Ivy Chee, the association’s regional director of East Asia, said: “This new pavilion will allow us to showcase organisations that deserve to be recognised for their efforts in sustainable tourism and socially responsible initiatives in their operations.

“(It) also provides a further opportunity for participants to network and do business with like-minded organisations – to share their knowledge, experiences and lessons learned in an informal setting.”

Seeking to address any misperceptions that travel agencies may have, Amy McLoughlin, responsible tourism awards manager & associate specialist, Wild Asia, said: “Occasionally travellers may consider responsible tourism as ‘slumming it’. Of course, there are many inspirational responsible tourism initiatives that are at a much more grassroots level than some may be comfortable to frequent.

“But responsible luxury is possible too. Delicious local produce, intricate handicrafts, welcoming staff and a clean environment are just some possible attractive benefits of a committed responsible tourism operator.”

Wild Asia conducts clinics and seminars that “aim to bring the agenda of ethical tourism to the mass tourism business players”, added McLoughlin.

Although responsible travel is not an afterthought for the DMC, Willem Niemeijer, CEO of Khiri Travel Group, said that it “continues to work on improving our footprint in our daily operations, and that of our suppliers”.

Khiri Travel’s charity Khiri Reach is another way that the company contributes to communities. He explained: “We leverage our business network to link donors and volunteers with NGOs and community service projects that need the help.

“The society has become aware of the enormity of global environmental and social problems. Responsible travel is a way to manage this stress on planet and people.

“To spread the bounty of the tourism boom, we need creativity and coordination between the public and private sector.”

Read more stories in TTG-PATA Travel Mart Show Daily