Tourism suppliers are focusing their marketing efforts on a growing new breed of technologically savvy millennial travellers from China, by catering to their needs and making it convenient for them to book and pay on the go, and to experience travel in unique ways.

Sharing their experiences during a panel discussion during ITB China last week were senior representatives from Finnair, Genting Cruise Lines and Maritim Hotels.

Panellists (from left) Genting Cruise Lines’ Li;  European Travel Commission’s Frantisek Reismuller; Finpro’s Paavo Virkkunen; Finnair’s Öhrnberg; and Maritim Hotels’s Duan

Robert Ohrnberg, Finnair’s general manager for Greater China, said the company uses virtual reality (VR) to promote Finland, allowing customers to visualise the destination through VR headsets.

And when Finnair celebrated the first anniversary of its Helsinki-Shanghai flight in November 2016, it brought Santa Claus – an icon of Finland – onboard and streamed his movements including what he ate in business class, taking a nap and greeting our guests live through the popular Chinese Inke app. Santa’s life onboard the nine-hour flight generated 500,000 views on the app.

Finnair has also made it convenient for Chinese mobile users to make in-flight purchases by providing free Wi-Fi and facilitating payment through Alipay mobile solutions. First introduced on the Shanghai-Helsinki route in January, the service led to a spike in in-flight sales. This prompted Finnair to roll the service out on the Beijing-Helsinki route a month later, and to further introduce it to three more routes from China next month.

Recognising that “millennials cannot live without their mobile phones”, Christine Li, head of marketing senior vice president, Genting Cruise Lines, said her company has brought Alipay and UniPay as payment solutions on board its ships.

Huilian Duan, vice president of sales and marketing Asia with Maritim Hotels, shared that the company has built a large social media marketing team that has seen “huge success” in using WeChat to convert brand awareness into actual bookings made online.

Duan pointed out that studies have shown that mobile bookings incidences are high among the Chinese millennials.

Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand have signed an MoU worth up to NZ$20 million (US$13.7 million) to promote New Zealand in key offshore markets, with a focus on growing international visitation throughout New Zealand and during off-peak periods.

At the signing, the two organisations outlined their intent to invest up to NZ$10 million each over 12 months for joint activities in Australia, China, North and South America, Japan, Singapore, the UK and Europe.

Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

This is the fifth consecutive year Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand have coordinated their international market development and promotion, taking the total joint investment to NZ$100 million to date.

Air New Zealand’s CEO Christopher Luxon said the partnership aligns with the airline’s commitment to supercharge New Zealand’s success by growing tourism’s economic contribution to national and regional economies.

“Spreading tourists and their holiday spend more evenly throughout the year and beyond the main gateways is a clear way for our regions to share tourism’s benefits – such as increased year-round employment and trade opportunities,” he said.

“Working in partnership optimises our marketing spend and strategy, putting our strength behind campaigns to attract more premium travellers to our shores, who stay longer, explore more widely and enjoy our country in all seasons.”

Tourism New Zealand’s chief executive, Stephen England-Hall, added: “Our joint investment gives us greater impact on the world stage, as we share a consistent message about the ease of travelling here and the experiences on offer.

Air New Zealand and Tourism New Zealand’s collaboration in the past year includes increased marketing in the US, Argentina and Brazil, which saw success such as the airline’s addition of new services from Houston and Buenos Aires.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has created a new logo and slogan, “Tokyo Tokyo Old meets New”, which will be used in various promotional activities abroad.

The two fonts – one in brushstroke and the other in Gothic block typeface – are meant to impart an image of the city, where traditions dating back to the Edo period (1603-1867) coexist alongside the cutting-edge culture of today.

The logo also includes a traditional stamp that shows the one of Tokyo’s newest sightseeing landmarks, the Shibuya scramble crossing.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts will roll out its second property in Bangladesh in the north-eastern city of Sylhet when the Mövenpick Hotel Sylhet Bangladesh opens in 3Q2018.

The 210-room hotel will feature a rooftop infinity swimming pool, spa, fitness centre, tennis court and bowling alley, complementing the adjacent shopping area offering 1,170.6m2 of retail space. It is touted to house the city’s largest meeting rooms, and will feature an all-day dining restaurant, speciality bistro and lounge.

Concept art for the upcoming property

Mövenpick Hotel Syhlet Bangladesh is located a few minutes from Sylhet Osmani International Airport. Syhlet is also home to Pangthumai Waterfall, Jaflong hill station, and the largest tea garden in the world.

“This is the second Bangladesh property we have signed in the last 12 months and we look forward to establishing ourselves as the first international hotel chain in Sylhet,” said Andrew Langdon, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts newly appointed chief development officer and senior vice president Asia, who added that the country’s developing economy will be an important driver to the group’s business.

According to the IMF, Bangladesh was the second-fastest growing major economy globally in 2016, at a rate of 7.1 per cent. The country recorded over 500,000 overseas arrivals last year.

While the official partner for the 2018 edition has yet to be confirmed, Malaysia has been confirmed as ITB Berlin’s official partner country in 2019 in an official signing of the contract at ITB China yesterday.

Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz, minister of tourism and culture for Malaysia, explained: “Our long-term target is to achieve 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion (US$38.6 billion) in receipts by the year 2020, based on the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan. Building up to this year will be very much like a ‘crescendo’, which is why we wanted to plan a major partnership with ITB Berlin in 2019.”

Kuala Lumpur

The 2019 Official Partner Country project is part of a much broader plan by Malaysia to increase awareness of the natural and human assets of the country over the next years. Kinabalu National Park and Gunung Mulu National Park in Malaysian Borneo and George Town cities and the archaeological heritage of the Lenggong Valley are four of the UNESCO designated World Heritage sites in Malaysia that will be highlighted.

In a statement, David Ruetz, head of ITB Berlin from Messe Berlin, said that negotiations are still under way with several “suitors” for the 2018 edition and the partner is expected to be announced shortly.

Having identified new media competency as a core need to “futureproof” asset owners, SilverNeedle Hospitality Group acquired Brand Karma and relaunched itself as the Next Story Group.

Its hotel management division has also been rebranded from SilverNeedle Hospitality to Next Hotels, which together with SilverNeedle’s existing in-house architecture and design agency Virsa and Brand Karma now form Next Story Group.

Anand Nadathur, CEO of Next Story Group, commented: “Over the past year we’ve developed in-house architecture and design capabilities via Virsa, identified new media marketing competency as a must-have which led to the acquisition of Brand Karma, strengthened our employees and board, and studied the impact of the sharing economy on urban spaces.

“We now have the right set of specialised services, and are ready to move forward to help asset owners futureproof their real estate by giving consumers something fresh and relevant.”

Added Morris Sim, previously CEO of marketing agency Brand Karma, now chief marketing officer for Next Story Group: “The hospitality and real estate industries are experiencing unprecedented shifts, with new consumer expectations giving quick rise to disruptors.

“It is difficult for asset owners to ensure what they have today will be relevant and monetisable for tomorrow’s consumers. Being a part of Next Story Group means asset owners can count on us to differentiate and respond to market changes faster.”

Along with the launch, the Singapore-based Next Story Group also appointed veteran hotelier Patrick Imbardelli to its board of directors.

Cambodia’s first Fairfield by Marriott hotel is expected to open in Phnom Penh in 2021.

Paul Foskey, chief development officer, Asia-Pacific, Marriott International, said: “As Phnom Penh continues to grow into a prominent destination in the region, we will cater to the robust demand from business and leisure travellers for reliable, mid-range accommodations in the bustling city.”

Owned by Royal Field Development Company, a subsidiary of Cambodian conglomerate Chip Mong Group, Fairfield by Marriott Phnom Penh will be situated in the Russian Boulevard within the administrative centre of the city and a 20-minute drive from the airport.

The site is minutes away from the Peace Palace, which serves as the office of Cambodia’s prime minister; the Office of the Council of Ministers; the Ministry of National Defense and various other government offices.

Facilities at the mid-range accommodation will include a restaurant serving local and international flavours as well as a fitness centre.