Switzerland, Germany and Britain are all saying that customers want more immersive, individualised experiences, and are stepping up efforts to help tour operators and travel agencies cater to the new desire. By Raini Hamdi, Prudence Lui and S Puvaneswary
Swiss’ grand hopes
By Raini Hamdi
Switzerland Tourism’s latest effort to encourage overseas visitors to do a grand tour of the country (TTG Asia e-Daily, August 18) comes at a time when Swiss hotels – still suffering declining or stagnating arrivals from traditional sources – are keen to attract new markets. At the same time, Asia, especially the drivers China and South-east Asia, seem hungry for new products and destinations, according to Switzerland Tourism’s director global accounts and director Asia-Pacific, Simon Bosshart, who is urging the trade to respond with “new and deeper products in order to satisfy the customer demand”.
The Grand Tour of Switzerland, which the NTO has mapped, is launched to attract higher-spending FITs, get them to stay longer, spread demand to lesser-known destinations such as Valais, Ticino or eastern Switzerland, as well as spread the season, said executive vice president markets & meetings, Urs Eberhard. Traditionally, the winter season is peak; markets such as Asia can help fill the gap hotels suffer in summer.
The whole route covers 1,600km and is designed to make it convenient for the trade to promote self-drive or train journeys, not just through the entire tour but segments of it that fit clients’ duration or specific interests. With it, the trade can easily flesh out a tailored itinerary for clients, with rental car or Swiss train pass and hotel vouchers included, said Eberhard.
“We want to be the go-to destination for individuals seeking immersive experiences without worrying about safety issues or discomfort. Switzerland is easy to explore as it is well-connected. It may be small, but it has diverse attractions – no two places are alike. Visitors can have a safe, hassle-free and comfortable experience,” he said.
Swiss hotels in areas that are relatively new to Asians are starting to see the market’s appearance and are hoping to get more of these visitors.
Asia is “bubbling”, said Pierre Berclaz, general manager of the luxury wellness hotel, Les Sources des Alpes, in Leukerbad, the largest thermal spa resort destination in Valais boasting no fewer than 65 natural hot springs. “Leukerbad is synonymous with health, not just wellness, a place where you can have a rejuvenating holiday yearround in all sense of the word,” said Berclaz.
Art Furrer, who pioneered tourism in Riederalp and now owns a string of hotels there, has been tapping Hong Kong and Chinese visitors for three years, and is now receiving Asians in both summer and winter. Furrer is glad for them, saying business has changed, with the traditional markets such as France, Italy and Germany being “no longer here” as a result of the strong Swiss franc and other issues. Riederalp, also in Valais, offers different attractions compared to Leukerbad or famous Zermatt. Said Furrer: “Zermatt has the Matterhorn; we have the Aletsch glacier.” The 23km long glacier with 27 billion tons of ice is the mightiest glacier in the Alps and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Over in Arosa, in the canton of Graubunden in eastern Switzerland, the veritable Tschuggen Grand Hotel is also seeing more Asian tourists. The hotel used to operate only in winter but massive investment in the property in the past seven years (see article below), which include a CHF35 million (US$38 million) spa designed by Mario Botta, a CHF7.5 million private mountain railway for guests and a luxurious renovation of rooms and suites, has propelled the hotel to woo the summer business since 2008. The hotel is now open from July to April each year.
Said general manager Leo Maissen: “Since the investments, we have brought down the age of our clientele by 17 years to an average of 42 years old. Our clients are also more international now, with 50 per cent being Swiss and the rest from Germany, Benelux, England and Russia. New markets include China and Japan, especially during summer, and Brazil in winter.”
He added: “The Chinese visitors come for the spa as Mario Botta has done several work in China.”
A new cable car linking Arosa with Lenzerheide, home to Roger Federer’s new family chalet complex, triples the slopes for skiers to some 225km and opens more trails for walkers and hikers. “The coming winter is the first season when we’ll see the real impact from this. We are confident this will attract new clients to Arosa,” said Maissen.
Eventful Germany
By Prudence Lui
Germany is banking on several theme events, including the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this November 9, to further boost international arrivals.
In Berlin, a major highlight of the anniversary of German reunification will be a 12km light installation using thousands of illuminated white balloons running along the former course of the Berlin Wall through the city centre on the November 9 weekend, said Visit Berlin director of market management, Ralf Ostendorf.
A GPS-guided walking tour on the trail of the Berlin Wall, guided or self-guided bicycle tours on the Wall path, visits to former watch towers, Wall memorials or the GDR Museum and a drive into the east of the city in an original GDR Trabant car, are among immersive events clients could enjoy.
German National Tourist Board has also unveiled Beyond the Cities – Holidays in the German Countryside and Scenic Routes of Germany themes for 2015, and Holidays in the Heart of Nature for 2016.
Asian agency CEOs such as Beijing Bejoy International Travel Service general manager, Du Hai, welcome any move that focuses on German history, culture and heritage.
“Frankly, Germany can’t compete with the French beaches and Swiss mountains, however, its culture, particularly the UNESCO sites, make it stand out from the neighbours. That’s why I have focused on cultural tours for years as the Chinese have limited knowledge that there is much to offer in areas like north Germany,” said Du Hai.
Making it convenient for international visitors to explore picturesque small towns, Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide has launched Riverside Romance tours, cooperating for the first time with partners DB Bahn and Eurotours Deutschland.
Senior manager Stefan Kopp said: “Sightseeing destinations are quite spread out around Germany, so our aim is to promote unforgettable and romantic experiences starting from Frankfurt Airport, by rail, car or partly by boat or bicycle. It’s bookable from tour operators and we target agencies that do tailormade products.”
There are already plans to extend the tours and provide information in Mandarin. “The potential from Hong Kong and China is unbelievable as I observe more travellers from Shanghai and Beijing (30-35 years old) who speak perfect English and like individualised tours. They want to be free, for instance, to bike along the River Rhine. We hope to tap repeat visitors and will hold four roadshows in secondary Chinese cities next year. In June, China Southern Airlines inaugurated Guangzhou-Changsha-Frankfurt services,” said Kopp.
Visa rules for Chinese tourists have been further relaxed, with interviews no longer required.
Arrivals from Asia to Germany rose 6.8 per cent last year over 2012, with China/Hong Kong being the highest potential market with 870,748 arrivals, from 757,290 in 2012.
Britain steps up training and support
By S Puvaneswary
VisitBritain has taken training to the next level in Asia-Pacific, tailormaking its BritAgent programme to specific niches including shopping, heritage, music, sports, culture, countryside and food.
“Travellers are maturing and becoming very sophisticated, even in emerging markets. Thus, it is important to educate agencies to go beyond the generic multi-tours into specific offerings,” said VisitBritain’s regional general manager, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Sumathi Ramanathan (above).
The NTO has also been identifiying strategic partners since 2013 for jointly funded advertising and promotional campaigns in key markets such as Australia, India, China and Japan. These pacts are a step-up from previous tactical campaigns as they involve proper planning and commitment to build up a market over a three-year period, and include the sharing of databases and hosting of fam trips for media and travel consultants.
Among partners VisitBritain is working with thus far are Cox & Kings and Mercury Travels, India; CITS and Caissa Travel, China; and STA Travel, Australia.
VisitBritain’s travel trade website has also been revamped. The trade can now search for suppliers in the UK for specific products and services. Agencies also have a toolkit comprising sales collaterals, itineraries, images and posters for downloading.
Yuva Arumugam, sales manager-emerging markets, Apex Hotels UK, said Chinese guests to the group’s eight properties in the UK are growing in numbers and, to cater to this market, the hotels have welcome letters written in Mandarin. Agencies with clients who have special requirements or require halal food can also be catered for, if these needs are made known in advance.
Michael Bremner, managing director of Edinburgh-based Highland Experience Tours, said business from the Indian market has grown and his tours cater for Indian vegetarians. “Now we want to create halal tours to tap the Middle East and South-east Asian markets,” he said.
Tourists from Asia-Pacific, Middle East and South Africa (APMEA) to the UK rose seven per cent last year from 2012 to a record 4.3 million visits.
The top five APMEA markets in 2013 were Australia (1.1 million visitors, up 7.7 per cent); India (375,000, up 10.6 per cent); GCC (590,000, up 11.3 per cent); Japan (221,000, down 9.1 per cent); and China (196,000, up 9.7 per cent).
Ramanathan said APMEA is important for the UK as the visitors stay 12 to 16 nights.
This article was first published in TTG Asia, September 12, 2014 issue, on page 14. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe
