OLD rivals Bali and Phuket are seeing that their competition for Australian travellers is now not one another but longhaul destinations such as Hawaii and South Africa.
“Bali and Phuket are usually competitors when it comes to attracting the Australian market, but due to aggressive marketing by the US and competitive promotions from Hawaii, we are seeing more Australians heading to Hawaii instead,” said Allamanda Laguna Phuket general manager, Femke Beekers, who sustained a 20 per cent drop in Australian business last year.
The Samaya Bali still sees “good” business from Australia, with increasing traffic from Melbourne and Perth although business from Sydney and Brisbane dipped slightly by three to four per cent last year, said general manager Ray Clark.
“For a few years in the past, we were running head to head with Thailand, but it’s no longer the case now – competition (for the Australian market) is no longer regional but worldwide,” said Clark. “Australians are getting more adventurous and travelling further afield to Europe, plus with more flight connections such as South African Airways, more Australians are heading to South Africa too.”
Likewise, Ron Nomura, director of marketing at Grand Hyatt Bali, said: “We are seeing more meetings and incentives from Australia heading to Hawaii; planners will often reveal they are considering Hawaii too.
“Australians have been to Bali too many times, plus they want to make use of the current favourable exchange rate of the Australian dollar versus the US dollar. Longhaul destinations always pick up (in demand) among the Australians when the Aussie dollar is strong,” he said.
Bali’s proximity to Australia is a double-edge sword as it is typically viewed as a “common” destination among Australians, opined Dewi Trisnawati, vice president sales & marketing of Waka Hotels & Resorts. “Australians look at Bali as their own backyard,” she said.
“Hence it’s more important for Bali to maintain its uniqueness and novelty for the Australians.”
Asked if longhaul destinations will lose its appeal among Australians, Nomura quipped: “When China stops buying raw materials from Australia.”
For other stories, go to TTG Official Daily – ITB Berlin 2014
