Scott Dunn ups Asia presence with Country Holidays acquisition

January 16, 2018

Luxury tour operator Scott Dunn has acquired Singapore-based tailor-made travel specialist Country Holidays as it pursues a global expansion plan.

Over the next 12 months, Country Holidays will be rebranded as Scott Dunn and Country Holidays’ founder, Theng Hwee, will become Scott Dunn’s new CEO – Asia, reporting to group CEO Simon Russell. The existing Scott Dunn Singapore and Country Holidays teams will also be merged and share a common headquarters in Singapore.

Scott Dunn now operates in San Diego, London and Singapore

With the deal, Scott Dunn will have a global team of over 300 staff offering 24-hour service, as well as an expected turnover of S$290 million (US$219.5 million) in 2018.

The London-based luxury travel company had kicked off its global expansion plan in April 2016 with the acquisition of Aardvark Safaris’ US operation, based in San Diego. In September 2016, it opened a sales office in Singapore to service the growing Asian market.

Commenting on the acquisition, Simon Russell, CEO of Scott Dunn, said: “Following our success in North America, we are turning our attention to Asia. Acquiring an operator as established… as Country Holidays step-changes our access to a market with a huge demand for luxury travel experiences.”

Country Holidays is based in Singapore with sales offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Dubai. The company offers tailor-made trips to over 100 destinations worldwide including to Iran, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mongolia and Madagascar.

AirAsia Philippines eyes millennial demand with maiden Indonesia service

By Ade Siregar

January 16, 2018

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AirAsia Philippines Indonesia — AirAsia Philippines inaugurated flights to Jakarta

AirAsia Philippines has launched its first services to Indonesia as part of its South-east Asian network expansion plans, eager to tap outbound demand from Jakarta’s millennial entrepreneurs.

The carrier on January 9 commenced daily flights between Manila and Jakarta, serviced by an 180-seater Airbus 320, while its Manila-Bali flights are scheduled to launch on January 19.

AirAsia Philippines inaugurated flights to Jakarta

With the Jakarta route, the airline will build demand by targeting Jakarta’s entrepreneurs, millennials and digital nomads, according to Jansen Aldrich T Ngo, marketing commercial of AirAsia Philippines.

As part of a promotional activity to kick off its maiden flight to Jakarta, the airline carried young entrepreneurs, startup communities and Philippine CEOs. Jansen added that more start-up events will be held in Manila to bring more CEOs from Jakarta to the Philippine capital.

However, Pauline Suharno, managing director of Elok Tour, urged stronger promotion of Philippine destinations to generate the anticipated demand on the new flights.

Beyond its inaugural flights to Indonesia, AirAsia Philippines is eager to expand to more South-east Asian cities, according to Dexter Comendador, CEO, AirAsia Philippines. He said: “After introducing Manila-Ho Chi Minh City (our first flights to Vietnam, and the two Indonesian services), we plan to launch a new route to Thailand this year and continue expanding to more South-east Asian cities.”

From adventure junkie to travel entrepreneur

By S Puvaneswary

January 16, 2018

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Ken Lau turned his passion into a business when he founded Adventoro, tapping on his dual role as adventure enthusiast and entrepreneur to solve the pain points of fellow travellers.

After checking eight of Malaysia’s 10 water rafting spots off his list and summiting Mt Kinabalu, Lau would in 2015 find his next big adventure in launching his own company, Adventoro Travel Technologies.

He then developed Adventoro, which went live in April 2017 as a portal for soft and hard adventure activities in Malaysia. To date, the portal lists over 500 activities, with the number continuing to grow as Lau teams up with more inbound agents and tour operators.

Much of the thought that went into the portal is based on Lau’s past experiences booking tours and activities online. He said: “I like doing detailed research online as I plan my itinerary. It took me six months of research when I was planning my itinerary to New York!

“What I find lacking on many online travel booking sites is information about the destination and the tours. Like any other (visiting) destination or experiencing an adventure (for the first time), they will always have questions while preparing for the trip,” he elaborated.

Lau tries to remove this pain point of users by incorporating detailed explanation of tours on the portal. Adventoro also offers concierge service, via email, telephone, WhatsApp and a web-based live chat for clients who have questions pre- or post-trip. All bookings also come with instant confirmation.

Going ahead, Lau wants to expand the business beyond Malaysian shores. He hopes to go regional by 1Q2018, but this all depends on getting the right suppliers.

His previous work experience has also proven useful, he told TTG Asia. He was formerly head of partnerships and offline marketing at e-retailer Zalora Malaysia. And at the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre (MaGIC), he served as acceleration director where his duties included mentoring and working with start-ups.

He revealed: “I used to mentor start-ups, but now I have started my own. It seems like I have gone through a cycle, but in reverse. If there is an important lesson I have learnt at Zalora, it is not to make assumptions and conclusions about the market. Always test the market through online campaigns, learn from it and move on. You’ll see us doing more of this in 2018.

“When we first started, I assumed clients were looking for half-day and one-day activities. I assumed gender would be balanced and the average client would be in their 30s and 40s. All these assumptions have proven false. Popular tours are three to five days, our clients are more males, and the average age of our clients are between 20 and 30.”

International tourists reach 1.3 billon, highest in seven years: UNWTO

By TTG Asia

January 16, 2018

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travel-generic2 — International travel saw strongest growth in seven years

International tourist arrivals grew by a remarkable seven per cent in 2017 to reach a total of 1.3 billion, well above the sustained and consistent trend of four per cent or higher growth since 2010 and representing the strongest results in seven years, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

Asia-Pacific recorded six per cent growth to see 324 million international tourist arrivals in 2017. Arrivals in South Asia grew 10 per cent, eight per cent in South-east Asia, seven per cent in Oceania and three per cent in North-east Asia.

International travel saw strongest growth in seven years

The year was characterised by sustained growth in many destinations and a firm recovery in those that suffered decreases in previous years, in part driven by the global economic upswing and the robust outbound demand from many traditional and emerging source markets, particularly a rebound in tourism spending from Brazil and Russia.

Led by Mediterranean destinations, the mature region of Europe recorded 671 million international tourist arrivals in 2017, a remarkable eight per cent increase following a comparatively weaker 2016.

The Americas saw three per cent growth to welcome 207 million international tourist arrivals in 2017, with most destinations enjoying positive results (seven per cent for South America, and four per cent for Central America and the Caribbean). In North America (+two per cent), robust results in Mexico and Canada contrasted with a decrease in the US, the region’s largest destination.

Africa consolidated its 2016 rebound with an eight per cent increase to reach a record 62 million international arrivals.

Meanwhile, the Middle East recorded five per cent growth with 58 million international tourist arrivals in 2017.

This current strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018 at a rate of four to five per cent. This is somewhat above the 3.8 per cent average increase projected for the period 2010-2020 by UNWTO in its Tourism Towards 2030 long-term forecast. Europe and the Americas are both expected to grow by 3.5-4.5 per cent, Asia-Pacific by five to six per cent, Africa by five to seven per cent, and the Middle East by four to six per cent.

Johor Bahru gets new indoor theme park

By TTG Asia

January 16, 2018

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capital-city-johor — Hollywood Citywalk, one of the attractions at Movie Planet

A new indoor theme park – said to be the largest in Malaysia – has opened within the upcoming Capital City shopping and entertainment hub in Johor Bahru.

The park concept features three main zones, including Music Planet, which developer Capital World believes is the first in Asia to combine an indoor circus with theatrical and musical performance spaces.

Hollywood Citywalk, one of the attractions at Movie Planet

In addition, Movie Planet will feature 10 main attractions, with themes including Dinosaur World, Hollywood Stars, Haunted House and Pink Valentine. Visitors will also get a sense of being in the featured movies through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology.

Also utilising AR and VR technology is Cartoon Planet, which aims to bring “classic cartoon characters” to life through its child-friendly attractions.

Upon completion later in the year, the Capital City integrated project is expected to also feature a shopping mall, the 315-room Hilton Garden Inn, 630 units of hotel-style serviced suites and 690 units of serviced apartments.

CLIA to dish out tips on selling cruises at SATTE

By TTG Asia

January 16, 2018

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cruise-in-singapore — CLIA to offer tips on selling cruises to Indian agents

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Asia will offer cruise sales training to Indian travel agents during its inaugural participation in SATTE 2018, taking place in New Delhi.

At the conference, CLIA’s head of international training and development, Peter Kollar, will showcase the latest innovations from the cruising industry and share tips on how to use these in selling cruise for today’s market. CLIA will also be at SATTE booth D85 in Hall 10.

CLIA to offer tips on selling cruises to Indian agents

CLIA launched training in 2016, before rolling out the Learning Academy to India last year. The association has since observed a steady increase in Indian travel agent members.

“To support the development of cruise in India, CLIA’s mandate is to provide essential training, resources and support to Indian travel agents,” Australasia & Asia managing director Joel Katz commented. “SATTE 2018 held in New Delhi has an impressive attendance of 12,000 trade partners and provides an excellent platform for CLIA to promote our cruise training and membership.”

Luxuriate for less with The Residence Bintan’s opening offer

By TTG Asia

January 16, 2018

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The Residence Bintan, scheduled to open on February 8, is offering 10 per cent off room rates for guests booking 14 days in advance, along with other perks.

Eligible for stays at Garden & Vista Terraces and Beachfront Villas, the offer includes daily breakfast, shared land transfer from the ferry terminal, as well as complimentary dining for one child (under age 12) with an accompanying adult.

Rendering of Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts’ first property in Indonesia

The Residence Bintan is also providing a one-time complimentary set lunch for two for stays in its Garden & Vista Terraces; and a set dinner or in-villa dinner for two for stays in its Beachfront Villas.

Rates start from S$251.41 (US$189.46) per night, excluding taxes and fees.

Dwindling Indian arrivals into Malaysia worries trade

By S Puvaneswary

January 15, 2018

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batu-caves-temple — Entrance to Hindu temple at Batu Caves, a popular tourist attraction in Selangor

Arrivals from India to Malaysia are continuing on the downward trend that began since 2015, despite Malaysian-based airlines adding routes to India in recent years.

Members of the Malaysian travel trade told TTG Asia that this is mainly due to the lack of an Indian-based airline flying to Malaysia since Air India Express and Jet Airways suspended services to Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and 2012 respectively.

Entrance to Hindu temple at Batu Caves, a popular tourist attraction in Selangor

Malaysian Indian Tour and Travel Association (MITTA) president, K Thangavelu, said: “Indian nationals from small cities in India will have to travel to metro cities and the main capitals of India to take a connecting flight to Malaysia on Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Malindo Air, the only three airlines currently connecting (the two countries).”

Such route options are not ideal for passengers as they tend to be costlier, he explained. “If it is on the same airline, passengers will benefit from better airfares.”

Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, added: “We are barely scrapping the volume of travellers from smaller cities due to the lack of air connectivity. Though visa requirements for Indian nationals have been relaxed, we are not attracting last-minute travellers from smaller cities as it is still a (hassle) to take a flight to a larger city and then connect to Malaysia.”

While Malaysian-based airlines are expanding their Indian network, this has not resulted in an increase in Indian arrivals, which saw a 11.6 per cent decrease in 2016 from 722,141 in 2015. From January-October 2017, 449,559 Indian tourists arrived in Malaysia, a decrease of 16.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2016.

AirAsia recently launched a new service from Johor Bahru to Kolkata in November 2017. But with arrival statistics for the whole of 2017 not available at press time, it remains to be seen if this will significantly boost outbound Indian traffic into Malaysia.

For Thailand, a ‘Go Local’ move to spread tourism benefits

By TTG Asia

January 15, 2018

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loie-walking-street-tourists — Tourists at Chiang Khan Walking Street in Loei province, one of the selected provinces to benefit from TAT's new initiative

The Thai government has approved a series of tax deduction measures to promote seminars, leisure travel and MICE events in 55 second-tier tourist provinces nationwide all through 2018.

These will support the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s latest Go Local campaign, a landmark project to promote the kingdom’s secondary destinations, spread tourists between urban and rural areas, and even out traffic between peak and non-peak periods.

Tourists at Chiang Khan Walking Street in Loei, one of the selected provinces to benefit from TAT’s new initiative

Go Local targets to improve the ratio of visitors – both domestic and foreign – to main cities vs secondary cities from 64:36 to 60:40. The aim is also to bring 10 million tourist arrivals into secondary cities and communities, generating an estimated 10 billion baht (US$312 million) in tourism revenue in 2018.

As part of the campaign, TAT will cooperate with domestic tour operators and travel agents to offer incentives such as discounted meals when buying local tour packages covering secondary destinations. Travellers will also be exempt from personal income tax for the amount paid out to tour operators, hotel operators or homestay operators for domestic tours to the 55 provinces, but not in excess of 15,000 baht.

Moreover, TAT will target Stock Exchange of Thailand-listed companies with a corporate tax exemption on income equal to 100 per cent of expenses for seminars and accommodation rooms, transport and other expenses incurred for conducting staff training seminars in the 55 provinces.

TAT will also introduce the TAT Plus discount card, which can be used in participating retail and dining merchants in secondary destinations as well as domestic airlines.

Other efforts include cooperating the Thai Restaurants Association, chefs, credit card companies and provincial authorities to promote the consumption of local food and purchase of local raw materials; as well as partnering attractions such as museums and theme parks to organise activities that celebrate the local culture.

Yuthasak Supasorn, TAT governor, said: “When local communities grow, the country grows. With travel and tourism now widely recognised as a major contributor to grassroots economies, job creation and income distribution, we are now taking specific measures to ensure that the benefits are better distributed across the breadth and depth of the entire kingdom.”

A Go Local Directory will be launched to provide specific information on dining, travelling and accommodation for getting tax deductions.

China suspends Marriott’s website over geography gaffe

By TTG Asia

January 15, 2018

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beijing-marriott — Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement ; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured

Marriott recently caused an outrage in China when it was discovered that it had listed Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as separate countries, resulting in the US hotel giant’s Chinese website and mobile app being shut down for a week by the Chinese authorities.

The saga began last Tuesday when a Chinese-language questionnaire Marriott emailed to customers referred to Tibet, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan as countries.

Marriott swiftly issued apology and statement ; Beijing Marriott Hotel City Wall pictured

One of the hotel’s official Twitter accounts was found to have “liked” a Tibetan separatist group, further adding fuel to the fire.

Marriott last Thursday issued a swift apology for the gaffe, which had attracted accusations of disrespecting Chinese sovereignty and calls of boycott by angry netizens on Weibo.

“We don’t support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups. We recognise the severity of the situation and sincerely apologise,” Arne Sorenson, president and CEO of Marriott International, said in a statement.

Marriott was not alone in causing furore for geographical inaccuracies.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said it had found Delta Air Lines to have listed Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries on its website and had asked the airline to rectify its mistake.

Delta on Friday also issued an apology for the website mistake and had taken immediate steps to resolve it.

Scott Dunn ups Asia presence with Country Holidays acquisition

AirAsia Philippines eyes millennial demand with maiden Indonesia service

From adventure junkie to travel entrepreneur

International tourists reach 1.3 billon, highest in seven years: UNWTO

Johor Bahru gets new indoor theme park

CLIA to dish out tips on selling cruises at SATTE

Luxuriate for less with The Residence Bintan’s opening offer

Dwindling Indian arrivals into Malaysia worries trade

For Thailand, a ‘Go Local’ move to spread tourism benefits

China suspends Marriott’s website over geography gaffe

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