Service includes Wi-Fi connectivity for to up to 64 tourists via their guide's portable station, a directional finder device to locate specific tour members, and more
Travel technology suppliers are rolling out mobile Wi-Fi solutions targeting travel agents amid surging demand for on-tour connectivity.
“The first thing our customers want when they arrive for a tour is Wi-Fi or data connection, and it can be a hassle to purchase SIM cards,” shared Jarvis Fong, founder & director of Tripneasy, speaking to TTG Asia at the recent PATA Travel Mart in Langkawi.
More Internet on-the-go options for travellers
While youths make up most of his groups, Fong explained that elderly tourists are also shunning SIM cards because of the difficulties in communicating with local telecommunication shops.
“As tour agents, having a Wi-Fi egg is giving them a level of convenience and customer service,” he told TTG Asia.
Exhibiting at PATA Travel Mart are two mobile Wi-Fi providers: GlocalMe and iFree Group. Both players offer SIM card-free devices for 4G networks that can support multiple device connections.
iFree has been working with Malaysian travel agents and aviation partners – such as Hong Kong airlines, Tigerair, Thai Airways and China Airlines – to push its mobile Wi-Fi product. Its most recent office has opened in Jakarta.
Under its promotional campaign, iFree is distributing reusable SIM cards to its partners for their travellers. Partners can earn five per cent of the value topped up into each SIM card.
Hilton is ramping up its manpower and portfolio growth in Asia-Pacific destinations such as India, Myanmar and China.
The group has invested a full suite of staff – from new offices to leadership changes – to build up its base in India, and is planning to make further inroads with the launch of the Conrad brand in Bangalore and Pune, said Alan Watts, president, Asia-Pacific.
Watts: building up a base in India with plans to double footprint in the country
He shared that Hilton plans to double its footprint in the country within the next five years.
Christopher Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton, said: “We are going into very large business in India. We have 17 hotels open there and an equal amount in the pipeline.
“We’ve made some progress (since previously) we did not have the right relationships or leadership to be successful, but we have both of these right now. Although the economy is really good in India, it’s complicated (to open hotels), so we have to be disciplined and focused.”
In Myanmar, Hilton opened a third property in March this year, and reportedly has two more hotels in the pipeline for Bagan and Inle Lake.
Meanwhile, the group will launch a holistic strategy in China to meet the growing demand from the middle-class market.
Nassetta explained: “The emerging middle class around the world is indisputable. We still have a luxury strategy in China with Waldorf Astoria and Conrad, but the bulk of demand growth will be from the mid-market. We have extended-stay brands like Tru, which is in the US and will likely arrive in this part of the world in the not-too-distant future.”
Midscale brands already available in Asia are Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn. For the luxury market, Hainan and Sanya are soon to welcome a Waldorf Astoria property each, while 11 Conrad sites are now under construction in China.
In South-east Asia, where Hilton derives nearly 40 per cent of revenue from F&B outlets, the hotel giant has launched a training programme for F&B and culinary department staff across 37 hotels.
The F&B Operations Academy will run for seven months each year, and comprises a series of webinars hosted by seasoned F&B practitioners in Hilton, as well as a workshop facilitated by training provider TMI Consultancy.
In its inaugural year, the programme saw participants from six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The F&B Operations Academy workshops will continue to be rolled out across South-east Asia over the course of the year.
Asia DMC offers "sustainability-approved" packages
Asia DMC is making further strides in its carbon offset programme through a partnership with Carbon Trade Exchange (CTX).
The companies are working together to measure the carbon footprint that travellers are creating.
“Sustainability-approved” packages are also offered, providing responsible travel advice, and the option for guests to offset the carbon volume from their trip for just US$1 per person per day.
Asia DMC offers “sustainability-approved” packages
Furthermore, CTX enables buyers and sellers to transact carbon credits electronically in a transparent and secure environment. Each purchase will be attributed to the UN and/or Gold Standard certified projects such as solar energy, wind farms, reforestation and cook stove projects to counteract the emissions that cannot be avoided during the trips.
Through its HG Foundation, Asia DMC has endeavoured to reduce energy and water use, choose sustainable suppliers, eliminate the use of plastic and implement child and animal-welfare policies.
A part of the company’s carbon offset programme was launched in 2017 through the Roots and Fruits campaign, in line with its target to achieve carbon-neutral status by 2020.
“Alongside the rapid growth, the global travel and tourism industry is facing a number of complex social and environmental challenges,” said Linh Le, group managing director of Asia DMC. “Whether it’s the private, public or non-profit sector, we must all play a role, preferably in collaboration, to minimise the negative environmental impacts whilst maximising the positive ones.”
Skyscanner has developed a one-stop flight search service with Yahoo search that will enable Hong Kongers to simultaneously view flight details as they research a destination, introducing greater ease to their itinerary planning and budgeting.
The new service, currently only available in traditional Chinese, has been launched in Yahoo’s desktop and mobile website in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and is expected to be gradually rolled out across other regions.
Yahoo users can more easily enjoy Skyscanner’s flight search and comparison features
The partnership will see Skyscanner flight search features embedded into Yahoo search pages on desktop and mobile devices. When users search with designated keywords on the page, flight search bars powered by Skyscanner will appear.
Users can then adjust a series of filters, such as round-trip or one-way flights, number of passengers, cabin class, origin city and destination, and trip dates.
Upon pressing the Search Flights button, they will be re-directed to the Skyscanner website, where they can proceed with the booking.
Lorraine Cheung, head of audience at Yahoo, said the search engine will continue to explore adding more features to support travellers in different aspects of their trip planning.
NokScoot to add Osaka to Japan network
From October 28, NokScoot will launch thrice-weekly Bangkok-Osaka flights, served with the Boeing 777-200 wide-body jet configured with 415 seats. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, flights depart Don Mueang International Airport at 23.50 for arrival at Kansai International Airport at 07.10 the following day. It then leaves Kansai International Airport at 08.30, arriving back in Bangkok at 12.45.
Phuket links to South Asia get a boost
GoAir will commence flights to Phuket from October 11, and to Malé, the capital of Maldives, from October 14. The carrier will operate thrice-weekly services from Mumbai to Phuket and Malé respectively, and twice-weekly flights to the two destinations from Delhi. It also intends to start flights to Phuket and Malé from Bengaluru in the “very near future”.
Vietnam Airlines to launch Danang-Osaka flights
Vietnam Airlines will launch the first non-stop flights from Danang to Japan on October 28, serviced with Airbus A321 aircraft. The seven return flights each week will depart from Danang at 00.20, and from Osaka at 09.30. The duration on each sector is estimated to be around four and a half hours.
Cebu Pacific takes off for Macau
Starting December 7, Cebu Pacific will operate four-times weekly flights between Cebu and Macau. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, flights leave Cebu at 18.50, and arrive in Macau at 22.00. Return flights leave Macau at 22.45, and arrive in Cebu at 01.45 the next day.
Hackers are stealing miles from frequent flier accounts
Stolen frequent flyer accounts and rewards points are a hot commodity on the dark web, according to a study by Comparitech.
Looking at listings on Dream Market, Olympus Market and Berlusconi Market, the research firm found that dark net prices of stolen frequent flyer miles are resold “at a fraction” of their real-world value.
Hackers are stealing miles from frequent flyer accounts
Airlines points are typically worth between one and two cents each, according to the Comparitech article, bringing the value of 100,000 miles to US$1,500-US$2,000.
This is compared to US$884 for 100,000 miles under the KrisFlyer, Emirates Skywards, ANA All Nippon and Asia Miles programmes, accurate at the time of Comparitech’s research.
Stolen miles are used for retail redemptions, resold to grey market mileage brokers, or exchanged for rewards such as flight upgrades, which are then sold on to unsuspecting customers on websites.
Unlike with flight purchases, “members are not required to enter a password or PIN number when spending points at retailers, and retail staff often don’t ask for an ID”, the article states.
It is this lack of verification that has made frequent flyer miles a profitable target for hackers and thieves.
“And because most of us don’t use or check our frequent flyer accounts very often, the theft can go unnoticed for months”, according to Comparitech.
While it’s against the terms of service for most rewards programmes, points are sometimes resold by grey market mileage brokers, who typically buy unused points and use them to get business- and first-class upgrades and other bonuses for their clients, stated the article.
Hackers steal miles by breaking into personal accounts. They obtain credentials through various ways, including breaching a data server or phishing individual account holders.
To prevent miles from being stolen, Comparitech has the following recommendations:
– shred your boarding pass after a flight
– never post a photo of your boarding pass online
– use a strong and unique password for your frequent flyer account.
– monitor your account for suspicious activity
– don’t put your airline account number on a baggage tag
– avoid using public Wi-Fi to access your account
MAH is trying to get more Middle Eastern airlines to fly to Langkawi; Langkawi International Airport pictured
Now in hot pursuit of foreign carriers, Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAH) is offering financial support for overseas airlines, as well as negotiating for the launch of flights along strategic routes.
Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah, general manager, airline marketing at Malaysia Airports, expressed hopes for Qatar Airways and one unnamed Indian airline to commence flights to Langkawi by this year-end.
MAH is trying to get more Middle Eastern airlines to fly to Langkawi; Langkawi International Airport pictured
MAH is in talks with Qatar Airways on launching flights to Langkawi, although the return route to Doha has not yet been decided. For now, Qatar Airways could either fly direct from Langkawi to Doha, or via Penang (Langkawi-Penang-Doha).
Enticing Middle Eastern airlines to fly direct to the island destination of Langkawi is in line with Langkawi Development Authority’s ambitions of growing foreign arrivals and attracting more high-yield tourists from the Middle East.
Currently, foreign airlines flying to Langkawi are limited to only five cities – Singapore, Chengdu, Kunming, Guiyang, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
Despite the lack of international air connectivity, Langkawi has proven a popular choice with travellers. In 2017, Langkawi International Airport registered 2.7 million passenger traffic movements with a 14.6 per cent increase in international passengers. From January to June 2018, international passenger traffic movements increased by 23.9 per cent compared with the same period in 2017.
There is also untapped potential in the Indian market. At present, no India-based airline flies to Malaysia, with existing routes served only by Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and Malindo Air.
K Thangavelu, Grandlotus Travel Agencies managing director, believes that the destination as well as Indian travellers stand to benefit from having an Indian airline, with its strong domestic network, fly to Malaysia.
He said: “Passengers will benefit from better airfares if they take a connecting flight from the same airline. Currently, the Malaysia–India route is served by scheduled airlines from Malaysia flying to the main cities in India. Indians travelling from smaller cities will have to travel to metro cities and the main capitals of India to take these flights.”
To sweeten the deal for new foreign airlines, MAH has a support programme for new airlines flying to Malaysia which includes landing fee waiver for a year.
Furthermore, Malaysia Airports together with Tourism Malaysia will continue to offer funds supporting airlines’ promotion of Malaysia in overseas markets through the Joint International Tourism Development Programme. The programme, which was introduced this year, will be extended into 2019.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated that Qatar Airways was looking to commence flights to Malaysia by this year-end. The airline already has flights to including cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Penang. The story has been updated.
From left: IHG's Kenneth Macpherson and Clarence Tan; and Siam Sindhorn's Chalaluck Bunnag and Chonpreya Pacharaswate
Bangkok will welcome a Kimpton hotel when InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) brings the boutique brand, which it acquired in January 2015, into the Thai capital come 2020.
Kimpton Bangkok will mark the brand’s first in Thailand, and second in South-east Asia after Bali.
From left: IHG’s Kenneth Macpherson and Clarence Tan; and Siam Sindhorn’s Chalaluck Bunnag and Chonpreya Pacharaswate
The outcome of a management agreement between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Siam Sindhorn, Kimpton Bangkok will feature 349 guestrooms, including 124 serviced residences.
The new-built property will offer two dining establishments, a hotel swimming pool, gym, spa and seven meeting rooms. Serviced residence occupants will have access to the executive club.
It will be located an hour’s drive from Suvarnabhumi Airport, in the heart of Bangkok’s Langsuan area and beside Lumpini park, and will form part of the 8.9ha Sindhorn Village mixed-use development with retail and dining options.
Malaysia Airlines, together with Amadeus, has launched MHchat, a new feature which helps travellers book flights and pay through Facebook Messenger.
Jointly developed with Malaysia Airlines as its pilot customer, the Amadeus Chatbot for Airlines is a new solution designed to make it easier for travellers to book flights, retrieve bookings and ask questions through a social media messaging platform customers are already familiar with.
Malaysia Airlines’ latest digital development is a 24/7 available chatbot via Facebook Messenger
On Facebook Messenger, Malaysia Airlines’ customers can use MHchat if they want to look up flights or ask a question related to a booking. The bot will search, locate and push offers or information using artificial intelligence.
Travellers can even complete a transaction, make a secure payment and receive the travel itinerary all within the same app.
The Amadeus Chatbot for Airlines can be customised for any airline, delivering customer satisfaction, more revenue opportunities as well as cost-savings around customer care, according to the launch partners.
Amadeus said it will continue to drive technology improvements and bolster the chatbot with new features including multi-language support, adding ancillary services to an existing booking, and integration with Amazon’s Alexa for voice capabilities.
The PATA Recovery Advisory Group is calling attention to itself to help ensure members are aware it can help in times of crises; the 2015 Nepal earthquake pictured
With the frequency and severity of natural disasters occurring around the world, PATA is calling attention to its Recovery Advisory Group as an avenue affected destinations can look to for tourism recovery assistance.
According to PATA, the advisory group assists member destinations in identifying key challenges facing the sector and providing turnaround strategies during periods of sudden decline in tourism arrivals and earnings as a result of natural or man-made disasters.
The PATA Recovery Advisory Group is calling attention to itself to help ensure members are aware it can help in times of crises; the 2015 Nepal earthquake pictured
The members of the PATA Recovery Advisory Group are formed on a skill-based volunteering basis, leveraging the specialised experience and expertise of individual PATA members to spearhead recovery efforts in the fields of marketing, branding and media, budgeting and financing, and safety and security.
PATA says previous recovery efforts have been successful in such destinations as Nepal, after the devastating earthquake in April 2015, and following the Bali bombing incident in 2002.
“The effects of global warming have only increased the severity and frequency of devastating weather events around the world and we have already seen this take place in India, the US, Puerto Rico, Japan, Hong Kong, and Macau, China, to name a few. As PATA has often talked about the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia-Pacific region, it is our duty to provide assistance when needed,” said PATA CEO Mario Hardy.
“The PATA Recovery Advisory Group is in line with our activities on advocacy, human capital development and sustainability, but one which we would rather not have to call upon. Nevertheless, PATA will always continue to advocate responsible tourism development that benefits, rather than destroy, our communities.”
