NTOs, tour operators and attractions across Asia-Pacific reveal what they will be calling attention to in 2013
From left: Johor’s Legoland Malaysia; elephants in Khao Yai; Marine Life Park’s SEA Aquarium; Coron, Palawan
Malaysia: Johor
Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager, New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel, Malaysia
We are promoting Johor as a theme park destination for families as there are two new theme parks – Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park. They will attract families travelling with young children.
We have come up with Twin Theme Park tour packages combining accommodation, transfers and entrance fees to the parks, and will promote them to the regional market.
We are also selling optional tours to Endau Rompin National Park and Sibu Island, both of which are near Johor.
Thailand: Khao Yai
Santi Sawangcharoen, chief – ASEAN, South Asia and South Pacific marketing integration section, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
TAT will promote Khao Yai more aggressively to the international market next year. The area, in the north-east of Thailand, has yet to receive much international attention despite being a popular weekend getaway among Thais and home to one of Thailand’s oldest and best-known national parks.
We will bank on Khao Yai’s wide range of attractions – vineyards and wineries, golf courses, dairy farms, soft adventure options, resorts and shopping outlets – to appeal to diverse travel segments.
Singapore: Marine Life Park
Clement Ng, spokesperson, Resorts World Sentosa
Newly opened on November 22, Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) Marine Life Park (the last of the integrated resort’s facilities) has been billed as the largest oceanarium in the world. It houses over 100,000 marine animals from across 800 species in more than 60 million litres of water. The park comprises two key experiences, the Adventure Cove Waterpark and the SEA Aquarium.
RWS also plans to unveil a brand new ride within Universal Studios Singapore next year, as well as a new theatrical performance, to be staged at the Festive Grand Theatre, which is currently unnamed.
Indonesia: Muslim travel
Rizki Handayani, director, MICE and special interest marketing, Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy
While Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, not all products are halal or in accordance with Muslim laws.
Next year, we will launch syariah (Muslim) travel products together with Indonesia’s tourism stakeholders. Tourism players have called for a way to identify, package and market Muslim travel to earn the full confidence of Muslim travellers coming to Indonesia. A standard for such products and services is in the making.
The Philippines: Palawan
Hazel Tan, marketing executive, Pacific Leisure Marketing for Department of Tourism Philippines
We’re pushing for Palawan, where the Puerto Princesa Underground River is located. It is something new, following its recent achievement as one of the New7Wonders of Nature. It is still a living cave – inhabited by birds and bats, and there is no artificial light – so it’s very unique. There are already airlines flying into Puerto Princesa, and we’re hoping there will be more direct flight connections.
We’ll also be focusing more on niches such as diving and cuisine.
South Korea: Jeju Island
Caitrin Moh, MICE manager, Korea Tourism Organization Singapore
One destination we will be promoting next year is Jeju Island. It features 27 golf courses and three UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites, including Mount Halla, Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone and Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, as well as haenyeo, or sea women, who earn a living by diving and harvesting products from the sea.
The island is also perfect for hosting conferences since it offers visa-free entry to 180 nationalities, and has an abundance of direct air connections from Japan, China, Taiwan and the Philippines.
China: Eastern Yunnan
Julien Monnerie, product manager, Exotissimo China
We plan to highlight remote and lesser-known destinations in Eastern Yunnan through our new 8D/7N Yunnan, Photographer’s Paradise tour. The package spans places like Luoping, Puzhehei and Yuanyang, spotlighting the area’s diverse range of colourful landscapes, from the patchwork of oxidised lands to fields of canola flowers and karst peaks dotted among rice terraces.
Japan: Ibusuki, Kagoshima
Hiroyasu Konishi, manager – overseas division, Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization
We would like to promote Ibusuki in Kagoshima prefecture, which is famous for sunaburo, sand baths that are said to provide a range of health and beauty benefits. Bathers put on robes and are buried along the shores of Ibusuki’s beaches, where geothermal forces warm the sand to 40°C.
Sunaburo can be found on public beaches for about 1,000 yen (US$12) but they are free for guests at hotels such as the Ibusuki Hakusuikan ryokan.
Australia: Ayers Rock Resort
Ray Stone, executive general manager for sales & marketing, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia
Having noticed a steady growth in visitors from Asia to Ayers Rock Resort in Northern Territory, operator Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia is making an unprecedented push to grow its client base from the region.
A recommended experience is Tali Wiru, which sees guests dining under the stars with Ayers Rock as a backdrop. Guests are treated to champagne and canapés around a firepit, followed by a four-course dinner, matched with premium wine. After dinner, a local storyteller will relate Aboriginal tales that showcase the language, spirituality, land and culture of Australia’s indigenous people.
Additional reporting from Mimi Hudoyo, S Puvaneswary, Linda Haden, Hannah Koh, Gracia Chiang and Brian Higgs
