Vietnamese sustainable travel company Triip has launched a new global Stay Home Heroes initiative that allows homebound travellers to earn points by staying at home which can then be used for future travels.
With a third of the global population on lockdown, the rewards programme supports broader government-led initiatives calling on citizens to stay at home and practise social distancing to protect public health.
Triiip users who stay at home can accumulate points that could be used for future travel
From April 1, Triiip will reward users who use the startup’s Stay Home Heroes app feature to check in at their homes with a photo uploaded.
Payment will be made daily to homebound users with unique travel points, called TIIM. Users who check in at home will be offered 1 TIIM per day, which can then be used to redeem for later travels.
While sheltered, users can also earn TIIM by sharing Triip with their friends via a unique, personalised link; submitting photos of their past travels to the platform; and sharing their future travel plans within the app.
Triip said that it is making available 15 million points through the end of the lockdown orders to each of its users to incentivise them to stay home.
Agoda has launched EasyCancel which allows participating partner hotels and properties worldwide to offer their guests greater booking flexibility, with the option for free cancellations up to 24 hours before arrival.
This initial phase will apply to all bookings made until June 30, 2020 on the platform.
Agoda’s new EasyCancel feature allows participating hotels to offer their guests greater booking flexibility
Agoda unveiled the new product in response to customers’ desire for broader flexible booking solutions.
This differs from Agoda’s Book Now, Pay Later option because hotels, which normally only offer non-refundable options, can also opt in.
Hoteliers who sign on benefit from Agoda’s ability to capture what demand there is currently available, helping improve productivity.
Already, the programme, which launched last month, has seen strong support from hotels across South-east Asia, China, Japan, South Korea, India, the US, and the UK.
Agoda’s vice-president of partner services, Errol Cooke, said: “We want to help all our partners by attracting customers that still want to book a hotel, but are perhaps reluctant to do so because of uncertainty around evolving travel restrictions.”
All participating properties offering the EasyCancel flexible cancellation policy will benefit from onsite merchandising and highly visible Agoda EasyCancel icons.
However, any guest’s booking cancellation received within one day before arrival date will incur the full period charge, while failure to arrive at the hotel or property will be treated as a no-show and no refund will be given, as stipulated within the property policy.
As part of its Covid-19 response, travel intelligence company Adara has rolled out a new data product for destinations, which will provide the most up-to-date destination trends and projections by country and by state.
Integrated into the company’s new Covid-19 Resource Centre, the Adara Tourism Dashboard helps destinations and tourism marketers track how searches and bookings are trending and offers projected changes in behaviour in the future in order to accurately assess changes in demand and plan future visitation accurately.
Adara’s new platform provides a breakdown of current and future travel trends by destination
“Destinations everywhere are in a state of suspended animation as the coronavirus pandemic limits travel and tourism around the globe. The Tourism Dashboard is designed for destinations to have the real-time insights they need to assess changes in demand now and in the coming weeks, so that they act with full confidence,” said Piyush Shrivastava, director product management – analytics at Adara.
“With this new offering, destinations can see accurate timing in the inflection between downward and upward trends by origin, aiding both accommodation and marketing plans.”
The Tourism Dashboard helps destination marketers have a better grasp of global trends, including the volume of the rebound and the origins that are rebounding first, so that they can tailor their marketing plans accordingly.
For instance, current data indicates major decreases in search and booking behaviour to destinations affected by Covid-19 restrictions, with a rebound projected in the coming weeks.
In detail, bookings are down 89 per cent year-over-year for worldwide travel to the US from all global originations for the week of March 30, while demand for travel continues to decline week over week with searches down 37 per cent.
However, looking at the demand for the future 20 weeks, shows an uptick from week 10 onwards, indicating more confidence as the summer progresses.
Following the recent closure of Koh Lanta island in Thailand’s Krabi province, Pimalai Resort & Spa will be using this downtime to renovate 20 of its hillside ocean-view villas.
As well, the 20-year-old resort is also conceptualising the first wedding chapel on the island, which will be designed by Habita, which has previously taken on projects for Six Senses and Soneva.
Pimalai leverages temporary closure period to renovate its pool villas
To keep team morale up during this temporary closure, the resort is also offering staff training for professional development, such as regular English classes, folk-design tutorials, and music lessons.
In addition, a full deep-cleaning and maintenance programme is in progress across all 48ha of the resort including accommodation, public areas, restaurants, spa and gardens. Alternative energy programmes, composting and organic growing are all in full swing.
Meanwhile, to ensure they stay top of mind with guests, Pimalai is offering free online yoga classes three to four times a week.
Ayana Hotels has made three appointments to its executive committee covering the Indonesian islands of Bali and Flores.
Stefan Fuchs has been named general manager of Ayana Hotels in Bali. His new role involves projecting the company as a strong and reliable luxury hospitality service provider on a local and international scale.
From left: Stefan_Fuchs; Christian Jacquier; Michi Sonoda
Fuchs headed operations for the Islamic Conference and Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and was part of the opening team of several Ritz-Carlton hotels in Russia, Japan, China and Bahrain. Between 2006 and 2014, he was with the Jumeirah Group.
The German native was in charge of diverse F&B projects such as the Expo 1998 in Lisbon and at Formula 1 Grand Prix events.
Next, Brazilian Swiss-Chinese Christian Jacquier has been hired as hotel manager of Ayana Hotels in Bali. Previously executive assistant manager of rooms in 2015, he will now support Fuchs in overseeing 775 guestrooms, suites and private villas.
Lastly, Michi Sonoda will assume the position of executive assistant manager sales and marketing at Ayana Hotels in Bali and Komodo.
The Japanese was promoted from director of sales and marketing to her current role, where she will be responsible from initiating to managing the sales and marketing strategy for Ayana Hotels and also aligning all strategic activities of sales, marketing communications and events and reservations with that of the owning company.
Sonoda traces her hospitality roots to a career in spa and retail with The Ritz-Carlton Bali in 1997.
Brand presence over sales, continued customer engagement, and care for employees are among the things hotels need to do for survival and recovery, shared hoteliers during a webinar last week.
Organised by Bidroom on April 8, the Meet Hotel webinar featured a panel of speakers including Santikos Collection, managing director, Konstantinos Santikos; A.D.A Lombardia president and Hotel Dei Cavalieri & The Square – Milano Duomo general manager, Sara Abdel Masih; and Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Dubai, director of sales & marketing, Dharmendra Sharma.
(From left) Santikos Collection’s Konstantinos Santikos; A.D.A Lombardia and Hotel Dei Cavalieri & The Square – Milano Duomo’s Sara Abdel Masih; and Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Dubai’s Dharmendra Sharma
It was moderated by Bidroom, director of operations, Marcin Wesolowski.
During the session, the three hoteliers provided crisis recovery advice to an audience of 125 hospitality professionals, covering hotel branding, operations, guest relations, communications, finance and human resource management.
The panelists believe that decisive action and due diligence in these six areas will pay dividends.
In terms of guest relations, the panelists suggested that the hotel brand should take on the role of sales, through useful tips that the public could use. For instance, hotel departments could give advice on subjects such as house cleaning and sanitising for home, yoga stretches to keep fit in confined spaces, and recipes to eat well on less.
Sharma emphasised the need to “serve first, then sell later”.
Along the same lines, communications with clients should continue even when the hotel has temporary shuttered. Sharma advised against discussing business. Instead, the emphasis should be on empathy. Communications should be positive and supportive, and not exploitative.
Santikos urged hotels to be confident in their processes. He said returning guests would want to see enhanced hygiene efforts in housekeeping, and hotels need to demonstrate their full commitment to a reopening through thorough processes.
For hotels that are still open or will reopen in phases, standards need to be upheld. To do so, the panelists suggested reopening limited facilities and boost cash flow by optimising facilities that are opened. For instance, the single restaurant that is open could provide F&B delivery to the local community.
In terms of financial trimming, the panelists advised cuts in back office expenses to protect the hotel brand. Examples include closing hotel floors to improve energy efficiency, and reducing waste to keep F&B costs down.
Sara recommended eliminating investment plans, where necessary, while Sharma advised against a “carpet bombing” approach to room rates as hoteliers would face credibility problems when trying to reinstate normal rates later.
And finally, on human resource, Sara said hoteliers need to take care of their staff, and pay attention to their mental health and social-psychological needs. Hoteliers can help their staff serve customers from anywhere – on property, online, or in the community.
For staff working from home, full virtual access needs to be granted and companies need to invest in software and training to keep in contact with staff.
Bidroom will host its next Meet Hotel webinar on April 15, and the session will address the opportunities and challenges of finding new revenue streams through partnerships.
Skye Suites is fast-tracking the opening of its third hotel in Zetland, New South Wales, which is located within the US$575 million architectural precinct, Infinity by Crown Group, in response to the surge in demand from the long-stay market.
Skye Suites Green Square is set to officially open as a hotel in July, but from next week, Skye Residences will offer luxurious serviced-apartment stays of three months or more to long-stay residents.
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The other two Skye Suites hotels opened in Parramatta in 2017 and in Sydney’s Arc by Crown Group on Clarence Street in late 2018. All three properties offer a range of studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments.
Amenities include kitchens which boast SMEG cooktops, microwave ovens and a fridge, a washing machine and dryer, an enclosed balcony or courtyard, and second wall-mounted flat-screen TV in the two-bedroom apartments.
Keyless entry and “virtual concierge” tablets in each suite allows guests to access hotel services, with an option for mobile check-in.
With virtual travel rapidly gaining steam in light of the coronavirus pandemic, home-sharing giant Airbnb has unveiled a suite of Online Experiences, allowing communities globally to continue immersing in handcrafted activities worldwide from the comfort of their homes.
Online Experiences connects virtual tourists to local hosts from more than 30 countries, and was launched to help Airbnb’s hosts to continue earning an income despite Covid-19 disruptions, while enabling guests to learn a new skill, safely connect with others, or pursue an interest.
A guided meditation with sheep in the Scottish countryside is among Airbnb’s Online Experiences offerings
Guests can choose to meditate with a Japanese buddhist monk in Osaka, take coffee-making classes from a national judge in Mexico City, or go on a virtual bike tour with Olympian Alistair Brownlee in Otley, the UK.
With Planet Earth on lockdown and people’s movements severely restricted, Airbnb said that Online Experiences provides new activities for families to explore like learning the secrets of magic; options for work colleagues who want to bond with team activities like making coffee with a professional coffee taster; and features for groups looking to celebrate birthdays or get togethers privately, with the option to request specific dates for Experiences like bartending with experts.
“Human connection is at the core of what we do. With so many people needing to stay indoors to protect their health, we want to provide an opportunity for our hosts to connect with our global community of guests in the only way possible right now – online,” said Catherine Powell, head of Airbnb Experiences.
To help those who are most isolated, like older adults, Airbnb has also curated a set of free Online Experiences for them, in partnership with local organisations around the world, including SAGE, National Council on Aging in the US, Associazione Nazionale Alpini – Sezione di Milan in Italy, and Amigos de los Mayores in Spain.
Booking opens immediately with more than 50 virtual Airbnb Experiences available at airbnb.com/online-experiences, with thousands more coming online in the coming months.
Online Experiences will be hosted on Zoom, and Airbnb is providing hosts access to Zoom free of charge along with personalised support services for curating, capturing and sharing their Online Experience.
The travel and tourism industry will play a pivotal role in Asia-Pacific’s economic recovery, once the Covid-19 pandemic resolves, according to a new report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
In its latest annual Economic Impact Report (EIR), WTTC shared that in 2019, travel and tourism generated US$2,971 billion towards GDP, or 9.8 per cent of the region’s economy, representing a 5.5 per cent growth from the previous year. This figure puts it ahead of the overall regional economy for the fifth consecutive year, which grew by 4.2 per cent.
Tourism receipts in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for nearly 10 per cent of the region’s GDP last year; Universal Studios Theme Park in Osaka, Japan pictured
International visitor spend totalled a staggering US$548 billion, representing 6.6 per cent of the region’s total exports.
This surge in tourism receipts was driven by the continued growth in middle income households, visa facilitation, improved connectivity and government prioritisation of the sector.
In addition, WTTC’s study also showed that over the last five years, the travel and tourism sector created more than 21 million new jobs in the region, accounting for 56 per cent of all new jobs globally.
As well, leisure travel makes up the majority of total travel and tourism spend (81 per cent), with only 19 per cent being attributed to business travel. When considering domestic and international spend, the numbers skewed similarly, with domestic visitor spend comprising 74 per cent of the total, and international making up 26 per cent.
China led the region in 2019 in terms of GDP and employment size, with strong performances in other major Asian markets such as Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
The travel and tourism industry supports more jobs in China than in any other country in the region, accounting for nearly 80 million jobs, or 10.3 per cent of total employment. Last year, the travel and tourism economy in the country grew by 9.3 per cent and is the second largest in the world, making up 11.3 per cent of China’s overall economy.
Malaysia and Vietnam also witnessed significant growth, up 6.6 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively, with both displaying an even split between domestic visitor spending (49 per cent) and spend from international (51 per cent). The majority of the travel and tourism spending in both countries overwhelmingly came from leisure travel, with Malaysia attributing 86 per cent of visitor spend to leisure, and Vietnam attributing 90 per cent.
The Philippines also saw significant growth by 8.6 per cent once again, making up 25.3 per cent of the total economy in the country and supporting 24.1 per cent of total employment, the equivalent of more than 10 million jobs. Leisure spending made up 66 per cent of total visitor spending, and 85 per cent was made up of domestic visitors.
Gloria Guevara, WTTC president & CEO, said: “WTTC’s 2019 EIR shows how intrinsic travel and tourism was last year to the economy in Asia-Pacific, making it the fastest growing region in the world in terms of its contribution to GDP, supporting more than 182 million jobs or 9.6 per cent of the total number of people employed.
“Our report underscores how vital travel and tourism will be in powering the recovery of the region’s economy, generating new jobs and driving visitors back to Asia-Pacific, having a positive economic domino effect on suppliers large and small throughout the industry.
“Until then, it is crucial that all governments throughout the region help to protect travel and tourism as the backbone of the regional and global economy, which is currently in a fight for survival. Our research shows that up to 75 million jobs globally are at immediate risk, with more than 48 million at risk across the Asia-Pacific region alone, highlighting how critically the sector requires support.”
On a global level, the travel and tourism sector outperformed the 2.5 per cent rate of global GDP growth for the ninth consecutive year in a row, thanks to an annual GDP growth rate of 3.5 per cent. This made it the global economy’s third highest sector in terms of GDP growth.
The EIR shows the sector supporting one in 10, or 330 million, jobs; making a 10.3 per cent contribution to global GDP and generating one in four of all new jobs.
A breakdown by WTTC shows Asia-Pacific to be the top performing region worldwide, with a growth rate of 5.5 per cent, followed very closely by the Middle East at 5.3 per cent. The US and EU both demonstrated a steady growth rate of 2.3 per cent, while the fastest growing country was Saudi Arabia, growing four times than the global average.
The Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations (FATA) has raised concerns that many passengers and travel agents are not getting refunds from flight cancellations as a result of the pandemic.
In response to an open letter circulated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to the travel agency community on April 2, FATA president, Tan Kok Liang, shared that airlines should issue refunds instead of vouchers which have little or no value should they be liquidated.
FATA says airlines should hold customers’ deposits in a designated or trust account until services are rendered
He said: “As (air) services are (halted) due to the current circumstances, it is a matter of principle to return payments that have been collected from customers.”
He warned that lawsuits might result if the matter was not resolved.
Tan stressed: “IATA has a duty to include traveller claims as a component of its members’ responsibilities with respect to existing Resolutions and ensure those are respected by airlines in terms of fulfilling contractual obligations with both passengers and travel agencies. Without this action (taken) now, the collapse of the distribution channel is inevitable.
“IATA recently estimated the industry liability in this area is at US$35 billion and stated that airlines’ most urgent need is to keep their remaining liquidity to pay salaries and face their fixed costs. While we are sympathetic, we remain in our position that taking deposits for future services and the inability to provide refund is poor financial management. Customers’ deposits should be placed in a designated or trust account until services are rendered.”
Tan added that FATA is ready to engage in an open discussion at the respective countries Agency Program Joint Council (APJC) or through Passenger Agency Program Global Joint Council (PAPGJC) to resolve the issue.
FATA also calls on government worldwide to provide financial resources and reliefs to the aviation and travel industry which is crucial to facilitate industry recovery.
