INDONESIAN hoteliers are putting on their thinking caps to find ways to keep business afloat amid a challenging year that has seen the continuous development of new hotels and a dampened meetings sector.
Recent government regulations to cut officials’ travelling budget and limit the number of meetings held in hotels has taken its toll on the hospitality sector, and forced hotels to rethink strategy.
East Java hotels that participated in B2B tabletop sessions at Majapahit Travel Fair (MTF) in Surabaya last week told TTG Asia e-Daily they were looking at growing their share of leisure market from neighbouring countries.
Oval Hotel Surabaya, for whom a major source of revenue is the meetings business, is one of them. Said executive assistant manager Lenna Martika: “The dip in the government meetings (business) has made us turn to other markets instead, leisure being one of them.”
She said participating at MTF was one way to achieve the target.
Similarly, JW Marriott Hotel Surabaya is diversifying into areas through partnerships with tour operators, OTAs and corporate travel sources. Satriya Tanuwidjaya, the hotel’s director of sales, said: “We are coming up with special offers for tour operators and corporates at this show.”
In the nation’s capital, Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (IHRA) Jakarta Chapter is planning to join forces with the Jakarta City Government Tourism Office and other parties to create special programmes for tourists.
Linda Muchlis, IHRA Jakarta board member, explained: “Jakarta does not have a stop-over package and we need to create some.
“The city has the Jakarta Great Sale festival, which is gaining popularity not only among Indonesian travellers but also among those from neighbouring countries. We will tie up (with the retail association or shopping malls) for additional programmes.”
