MARKETING Villas, a B2B marketing consortium dedicated to the luxury villa rental segment, is looking to engage more specialist luxury travel consultants in Asia to promote its products across the region.
A joint venture launched in 2010 by villa rental and management firms Elite Havens Group Bali and Private Homes & Villas Singapore, only a quarter of its 300 trade partners are based in Asia at the moment.
Jon Stonham, CEO, Marketing Villas said: “Unfortunately, a huge chunk of our customer base now derives from Europe and Australia. With the European economy in dire straits, we saw the need to attract more guests from the booming Asian economies, and hence the call for more partnerships with Asia-based travel firms.”
The company is offering a commission rate of 20 per cent to travel consultants, who are able to check inventory and make live bookings through the firm’s proprietary reservation system.
Meanwhile, Marketing Villas is embarking on an expansion spree to diversify its product base beyond its homebase of Indonesia. Some 90 per cent of its 88 properties are situated in Bali at the moment, with the rest located in Lombok and Sri Lanka.
The company aims to grow its portfolio to 200 villas by 2017. Thailand has been earmarked as the first destination for expansion.
Small leisure groups consisting of extended families and groups of friends, and wedding parties, typically in groups of ten, constitute the bulk of Marketing Villas’ bookings. Average occupancy rates stand at around 70 per cent.
