Klook's executive team comprising (from left) David Liu, Bernie Xiong, Anita Ngai, Eric Gnock Fah and Ethan Lin
Travel activities and services booking platform Klook has secured an additional US$200 million funding from investors to accelerate its global expansion to Europe and the US this year.
This also marks the biggest round of funds raised, bringing its total financing to date to US$300 million. The expansion will take place in two ways â geographical expansion and category growth.
According to COO and co-founder, Eric Gnock Fah, the company closed a US$60 million Series C funding last October, which enabled it to make its foray into Europe by opening offices in London and Amsterdam early this year.
Klook’s executive team comprising (from left) David Liu, Bernie Xiong, Anita Ngai, Eric Gnock Fah and Ethan Lin
Gnock Fah added: “We see potential in the US and Europe (markets), especially with outbound travellers coming to Asia as there are a lot of things happening in the region, for instance the Tokyo Olympics and the (recently concluded) World Cup in Russia.”
He remarked that while the last funding helped Klook to expand globally, the additional US$200 million funding now enables the company to beef up its growth plans.
“We are in the process of setting up offices on the US’ east coast now, (and they will be) most likely in Boston and New York. This global expansion not only targets travellers heading to Asia, but also Asia’s outbound travellers to longhaul destinations, for instance Europe, where we’ve received many enquires,” Gnock Fah shared.
As such, Klook is aiming to work with local merchants to design some itineraries and services that cater specifically to Asian travellers.
Aside from the global expansion, Fah pointed out that “more resources will be deployed to Asia for sure”, as there is still room to grow.
For example, Klook recently launched the Japan Rail (JR) Pass, with all JR passes consolidated into one redesigned page to make the booking experience more seamless. The company will also be making its debut in Japan soon.
More resources will also be allocated towards its back-end systems. Currently, the 200-strong innovation hub in Shenzhen houses the engineering data team, and Klook is on the lookout for another location in Asia to build an R&D hub. This is to support the growth of digital devices, where over 70 per cent of bookings happen on mobiles.
Gnock Fah opined: “I personally think that artificial intelligence such as voice search will be used to build businesses. If this trend takes off, there will be no need to (type or click) anymore. That is why the data team was formed, to research on this perspective.”
What does it take to win a millennial's heart, mind, and wallet?
The recently released publication, New Horizons IV: A global study of the youth and student traveller, has revealed six trends for the under-30 travel market, the millennials and Generation Zs.
The report is based on the New Horizons Survey, which is conducted by WYSE Travel Confederation every five years. In 2017, the survey had more than 57,000 responses from 188 countries and territories.
Travel splurging
When the New Horizons Survey asked millennial and Gen Z travellers what they were willing to splurge on during their trips, they were clear about their preference for experiential purchases.
Thirty-seven percent of respondents were willing to shell out extra cash for food and drink experiences. Traditional travel luxuries, such as airfare upgrades, were favoured least.
The 2017 New Horizons Survey also revealed a 26% jump from 2012 in the level of activities young travellers undertake while in a destination. As such, adding unique, one-of-a-kind experiential elements to the basic travel journey might be more productive than trying to develop premium travel products aimed at millennials.
Those who journey beyond their home region reported being happier than those travelling within
Growing information intensity and utilisation of OTAs
The number of different information sources used to research the main trip has climbed steadily, from three in 2002 to more than 10 in 2017. Friends and family were still the most used information sources in 2017, but the importance of social media and comparison or referral websites grew significantly from 2012.
A decade ago, physical travel agent offices took over 70% of youth travel bookings â in 2017 much of this business had shifted online, either directly to suppliers or via OTAs.
Hence, new media and booking platforms will be crucial travel planning resources for the next generation of youth travellers, Gen Z. These digital natives have grown up with smartphones and Wi-Fi and are significantly less likely to use tourist information offices or tour operator brochures. Nearly 75% of Gen Z respondents made at least one booking via smartphone in 2017.
Top destinations for young travellers
Although the top destinations remain largely the same as in 2012 and 2007, a few noteworthy shifts are revealed in the survey. While the US remains the top destination for young travellers, it lost some of its share from 2012. Also, Australia came back into the top 10 for the first time in a decade.
Young people are still interested to visit the US, but they are also deciding to explore other less-visited destinations. Given the slight decline in long trips of 120-plus days and an increase in shorter trips, longhaul destinations will need to rethink how to attract young travellers undertaking longer stays for study, working holidays, au pairing and other cultural exchanges.
Rise of digital nomadism
In 2017, only 0.6% of millennial and Gen Z travellers labelled their travel style as âdigital nomadâ over more traditional labels such as âbackpackerâ or âtravellerâ. However, 0.6% of all youth travel represents 1.8 million trips.
Digital nomads manage their location independence by making extensive use of Airbnb (56% used on their last main trip). They are the most likely group to book their air travel via computer, smartphone or tablet (85%) and they often use OTAs to book accommodation (55%). Digital nomads are thrice as likely to use a co-working space than other travellers.
The digital nomad is beginning to transform some destinations. More co-working spaces are springing up and high-speed Wi-Fi is a given. Although still small in numbers, digital nomads have an influence on other young travellers through blogging travel and lifestyle advice.
The three keys to millennial and gen Z traveller happiness
Millennial and Gen Z travellers indicated three significant factors in their travel happiness: destination, trip length and activities.
Traveller happiness hits fever pitch at one month, however, travellers also reported an uptick in happiness on trips from three to six monthsâ duration. The 2017 New Horizons Survey found that the more in-destination activities and experiences people have while travelling, the happier they are. Trips to Mexico, Japan, Indonesia and Peru make millennial and Gen Z travellers the happiest.
Travelling to a different world region and for a longer period seems to lead to greater levels of happiness for young travellers. In general, those travelling outside of their home region reported being happier than travellers on journeys within their home region.
Generation Z is the future of youth travel
Gen Z is already on track to become the largest generation of consumers by the year 2020. These digital natives are bringing their own flavour to the youth travel market. For example, Gen Z is just as likely as Gen Y to make online bookings. However, they use OTAs and third-party websites less. Gen Z travellers are also more social than millennials and more likely to want to connect with locals.
Gen Z already seem to be more activity-focused than millennials. The use of social media for information searching and booking is also likely to increase and morph as new channels emerge.
Work is set to start on rebuilding an iconic floating resort in Cambodia that was recently devastated by heavy monsoon rains.
4 Rivers Floating Lodge â a luxury floating resort on Tatai River in Koh Kong province â was damaged last month when unusually heavy monsoon rains combined with excess water released from a nearby dam washed it away.
Repair works on the damaged floating resort have begun
Rising water levels of more than 1.5m caused currents to rip through the resort, with parts of the hotel, along with 40 staff, adults and children, carried eight kilometres downstream on drifting platforms.
No one was reported injured and initial assessments put the damage at several hundreds of thousands of US dollars. All of the resort’s floating platforms including 12 tents were torn, and water and electricity systems completely damaged.
Managing partner Valentin Pawlik said reconstruction work will start this week, with six units expected to reopen on November 1. The new resort will be redesigned to cope with excess flooding.
The resort will also be future-proofed against heavy floods
Pawlik, who built the original structure, said: âWhen we built the resort nine years ago, there wasnât this much rainfall and we didnât think there was this much potential for flooding.â
Several days after 4 Rivers Floating Lodge was destroyed by water, a dam in neighbouring Laosâ Attapeu Province failed, killing an estimated 30 people, with hundreds reported missing and thousands left homeless.
Stefan Scheerer, general manager of Khiri Travel Laos, said the disaster has not impacted the tourism industry, describing the region as âa sleeping beauty in the southâ and not yet a well-known tourism destination.
Malacca is expected to welcome a RM200 million (US$49.2 million) water theme park spanning 4.6ha, the largest in the Malaysian UNESCO World Heritage city.
A collaboration between Singapore’s Hatten Land, Samsung C&T Corporation â which also operates South Korea’s Everland Resort â and water slides designer Polin Waterparks, Splash World @ Harbour City is due for completion by end-2019 and expected to be opened to the public in 1H2020.
Hatten Land’s Colin Tan; Hatten Group’s Eric Tan; chief minister of Melaka Adly Bin Zahari; Hatten Land’s Edwin Tan; Everland Resort’s Tommy Byungsuk Jeong; and Polin Waterparks’ Emre BĂŒyĂŒkgĂŒngör
The partners said in a joint statement that the water park, located 14 floors above ground, will be “the world’s first ‘sky’ theme park”. Nestled between two 30-storey towers on the 14th floor deck of Harbour City @ Melaka, a mixed development shaped like a ship, the four-storey park will offer indoor and outdoor areas and more than one kilometre of water slides.
A man-made river will meander over two floors to intertwine more than 50 attractions, including 11 extreme slides for thrill-seekers, a Sky Beach and a dedicated childrenâs water play park. After dark, the Cosmic Waters light show will illuminate the park, accompanied by a water circus, trapeze stunts and other entertainment in an amphitheatre.
Splash World @ Harbour City hopes to attract 850,000 to one million visitors annually after the first year of operation. Malacca hosts nearly 17 million visitors a year.
Melaka chief minister Adly Bin Zahari commented: âSplash World @ Harbour City will bring a transformational new dimension to our travel and leisure landscape, and make Melaka an even more compelling international attraction.”
Both WeGoGo and KeyoCoin will use Ethereum-based tokens
A fresh cryptocurrency-based rewards model is emerging in the travel industry, touting potentials to shift the power from distribution giants to smaller travel providers.
In May, WeGoGo launched an initial coin offering of WeGold, a digital token that users can earn through performing various actions, from making travel recommendations to travel do-gooding such as participating in beach cleaning on their trips or providing eco-tips to fellow users on the platform.
Both WeGoGo and KeyoCoin will use Ethereum-based tokens
By incentivising users to raise the visibility of longtail providers such as local surf and dive schools and integrating these providers into the travel rewards ecosystem, WeGoGo says it promotes a “fair share” model where smaller players are adequately rewarded rather than marginalised as in the case of traditional distribution systems.
Another rewards model has emerged as US-based KeyoCoin announces plans to launch what it says is “the world’s first universal travel rewards programme built on the blockchain”.
Similar to WeGogo, it says it is “on a mission to shift power from the few big players” and put it in the hands of travellers and travel providers.
Travellers will be able to redeem KeyoCoins for accommodation, tours and activities, tip staff or gift to friends and family heading off on trips of their own.
The platform is already supported by an app that features over 12,000 tours and activities products in four US markets and six Latin American countries, with hotels to be added soon.
The startup’s advisory team includes head of social media at Apple, Rick Savage; Ethereum investor, Federico Pistono; vice president at Oracle, Layla Revis; former vice president at Live Nation, Tamara Camp; SEO director at IGN, Marat Gaziev; and Les Clefs d’Or Concierge of the Year, Sarah Dandashy.
Matt Baer, CEO and founder of KeyoCoin, commented: “The travel industry is no stranger to loyalty programmes, but only airlines and large hotel chains have had the resources and reach to actually make them work for customers that are on the move. Even then, these programs are shackled by restrictions that make the rewards uninspiring to earn, a pain to manage, and frustrating to share or redeem.”
Sarah Dandashy, head of travel and hospitality for KeyoCoin, added: “The hospitality and tourism industry, now more than ever, is overflowing with innovative and unique travel experiences. These hidden gems are the exact experiences that today’s travellers so eagerly want to have, and yet there has always been a gap in connecting local experience providers with travellers. Eighty per cent of this exciting market has yet to make it online, and those that have are largely at the mercy of OTAs that charge high commission.”
LOCATION
The hotelâs convenient location between Cotton Tree Drive and Garden Road is a hard one to beat. This building situated in the CBD is a stoneâs throw from key tourism attractions like Hong Kong Park, Peak Tram Station and St John Cathedral.
The premises was converted from a government office block under a revitalisation project.
The Murray, Hong Kong
ROOMS
My N2 Grand room affords ample space at 50m2. I also appreciated the extra touches of luxury like in-room check-in rather than just a cold towel upon arrival.
I was also surprised by the turn-down amenities â a hydrating face mask made by the hotel. This will be changed regularly to items such as a chocolate bar and face mist.
Moreover, 75 per cent of rooms are 50m2 or bigger. All oversized accommodation features uniquely recessed windows allowing abundant daylight without direct heat from the morning sun.
F&B
While four outlets (The Tai Pan, Garden Lounge, Murray Lane and Popinjays) are managed by the Hotel, the 90-seat Cantonese restaurant Guo Fu Lou is a partnership with Fook Lam Moon Restaurant.
In July, Popinjays opened on the hotelâs topmost 26th floor, offering panoramic and spectacular views. The 355m2, 120-seat entertainment space includes an indoor dining area, a private dining room and a bar.
For an exclusive experience, The Aviary, a private dining room with a glass facade, will be available for intimate events for up to 14 guests.
FACILITIES
There are ample choices of indoor and outdoor venues for events. For instance, a dedicated MICE floor â Murray Room on 25th floor â provides 425m2Â space for small to mid-scale events. Though there are no windows on this floor, the space benefits from great lighting equipment and event-friendly set-ups.
The Arches is a semi al-fresco venue, and there are seven boardrooms on level two to suit different needs.
While the hotel pool will only be ready this month, the spa already has two couples rooms and three treatment rooms in operation. Half or full day customised spa rituals are available.
SERVICES
The hotel provides an in-house guide of hand-drawn maps to help you explore the district.
Or simply ask the concierge for recommendations of the cityâs best-kept secrets. I tested a conciergeâs knowledge on private clubs and temples. He demonstrated his expertise and patience, giving a rare insiderâs view rather than just mentioning off-the-mill touristy spots.
VERDICT
It was with mixed feelings revisiting what I once knew as an office block and place of work â now as a hotel guest. Still, a thumbs up to the architect who gave the historical building new life without stripping it of its timeless features.
No. of rooms 336 Rates From HK$4,800++ (US$612++) Contact details
Email: themurray@nicolohotels.com
Tel: (852) 3141 8888
One Farrer Hotel has appointed Freddy See as director of sales & marketing.
Prior to joining One Farrer Hotel, See successfully helped to open the flagship property of Sofitel Singapore City Centre where he oversaw room sales, reservations, catering and conference services, as well as marketing strategies.
See has more than 24 years of hospitality under his belt, having worked as director of sales & marketing at Grand Copthorne Waterfront and hospitality companies like the InterContinental Hotels Group and Fairmont Raffles Hotels International.
Disaster mitigation agency says 'hundreds of smaller quakes to come', but Lombok and Gilis are 'safe'
Following the powerful earthquake that hit Lombok last Sunday, industry stakeholders in Indonesia are taking swift steps to facilitate the return of travellers home.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesiaâs disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), said: “Gili and Lombok are safe, and people are not required to leave. The seven-magnitude earthquake was the main shock. There will be hundreds of smaller quakes to come.”
He added that further big earthquakes in the near term are unlikely.
Disaster mitigation agency says ‘hundreds of smaller quakes to come’, but Lombok and Gilis are ‘safe’
The joint Search and Rescue Agency team managed to evacuate between 2,000-2,700 domestic and foreign tourists.
Muhammad Faozal, head of the West Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Office, said: “At press time, there are at least 600-700 people who have not been transported (out of Lombok). The number (is) still increasing as many more want to go home.”
Visitors from the Gili Islands were being evacuated through three ports in the Lombok region and transported to Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara.
There remains limits to ship capacity, Faozal pointed out, adding that transfers to Bali by sea was also not optimal due to the high waves.
Additional ships, including two navy ships, were deployed to facilitate evacuation. At press time, there remained around 200 tourists waiting to be transported, he said.
In the meantime, local tourism stakeholders have stepped in to shelter visitors awaiting evacuation and facilitate their transportation.
“For those whoâve left the Gili Islands but have to stay in Mataram because they cannot fly out yet, we provide free lodging at the tourism office. Meanwhile, for those who want to continue the journey to the airport, we will also facilitate free airport transfers,” said Faozal.
From Lombok, the Ministry of Tourism is providing free bus transportation for tourists to the port or directly to the airport, while the Association of The Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies (ASITA) and Indonesia Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) were also providing food and stay facilities free of charge.
On the Gili Islands, Dewantoro Umbu Joka, chairman of ASITA West Nusa Tenggara, added: âThe West Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Office immediately set up an (emergency) post in the office and provided shelter for visitors who do not have a place to stay. All facilities were provided free of charge.”
Austin Gusman, manager of Gili Amor Boutique Resort in Gili Trawangan, revealed that some local residents have jumped in to house stranded tourists in tents.
In anticipation of the movement of passengers in the wake of the disaster, Garuda Indonesia on Monday operated three extra flights on the Lombok-Denpasar route. More flights are expected to be added today.
The national disaster mitigation agency has stated that it is not necessary to leave the affected islands. DMCs Khiri Travel Indonesia and Asian Trails have also issued statements saying that changes to travel programmes were unnecessary.
But Khiri Travel is giving travellers the option to do so, or move guests scheduled to visit Gili Islands to alternative accommodations.
“Without any further incidents, Khiri Travel believes it will be possible to resume normal travel to Lombok in a few weeksâ time, especially the largely unaffected south and eastern areas of the island,” the DMC stated.
Hotel Nikko Thonglor among the handful of confirmed properties to rise in the neighbourhood
The serviced residence scene in Bangkok’s trendy Thonglor neighbourhood is transforming along with a marked shift away from the traditional Japanese long-stay segment, according to C9 Hotelworks.
The demand for serviced apartments in Thonglor is being driven by expatriates, the majority of whom are Asian.
Hotel Nikko Bangkok among the handful of confirmed properties to rise in the neighbourhood
Today, Thonglor continues to be the preferred location for the expatriate community in the Thai capital. However, where Japanese residents once accounted for 90% of the serviced residence market, today the number has reduced to 65%, C9’s market research shows.
In 2017, the number of Japanese expatriates grew marginally at 0.3%, in contrast to the 8% increase in Indian expatriates.
As well, the proportion of long-stay business “dropped dramatically” to 38%, while the short-stay ratio now dominates at 62%.
“Many serviced apartments, therefore, have adjusted their business model and designs to short/leisure-stay and transient focused guests versus the traditional Japanese long-stay business client,”said Bill Barnett, managing director, C9 Hotelworks.
Besides Japan, other key long-stay sources are Europe and Singapore, while many short-stay guests are from South Korea and China.
Meanwhile, C9 also notes that despite a 2.2% drop in occupancy, serviced apartment average rates bumped up 3.8% in 2017 and rose another 1.2% in 1Q2018.
There are three confirmed properties or 1053 keys in Thonglor’s pipeline, including Ascott Thonglor Bangkok, Hotel Nikko Bangkok and StayBridge Suites Bangkok Thonglor.
