PARIS Convention & Visitors Bureau has stepped up its marketing efforts in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in order to tap the potential of these growing South-east Asian source markets.
Speaking at a sales mission to Kuala Lumpur yesterday, leisure marketing manager Patricia Barthelemy, described the three markets as ‘new’ for the French capital.
She said the purpose of the sales mission was “to learn the habits of people from these countries and what they sought when they visited Paris. This takes time. We want to adapt and respond to expectations (of visitors from these three markets).”
The bureau brought 13 exhibitors to Kuala Lumpur for a buyer-meet-seller workshop which was attended by 44 buyers from Malaysia, and will continue on to Jakarta and Bangkok this week for promotions.
This is the second consecutive year Paris Convention & Visitors Bureau is conducting sales missions to the three South-east Asian countries. On the other hand, Barthelemy noted that Singapore is a mature market that the bureau has been working on for 20 years.
Thierry Vannier, head of international sales promotion at Galeries Lafayette, Europe’s largest department store in the heart of Paris, also reiterated South-east Asia’s importance to Galeries Lafayette, saying visitor numbers from the three markets are growing.
He was participating in this sales mission as he wanted travel consultants to be aware of the department store’s offerings such as a dedicated counters for tax refund, and counters and staff specifically to welcome Malaysians, Indonesians and Thais.
Galeries Lafayette early this year introduced a new website in Thai and Malay and will roll out a mobile application in May to help visitors navigate the store, added Vannier.
