LOW-COST packages launched by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to woo Filipino travellers back to the country are seeing low take-up rates, but local trade players predict traffic will recover eventually.

TAT’s Explore Thai Wonders packages bundle Bangkok with other popular destinations such as Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, a consortium of seven travel agencies are selling them to the Philippine market between May 15 and September 30.

An all-in 6D5N package including airfare, accommodation and tours to Phuket and Bangkok costs US$598; to Chiang Mai and Bangkok, US$688; and to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Bangkok, US$798.

Consortium member Rajah Travel Corp’s tour coordinator, Celine Arcadio, said: “Demand will improve and will depend upon the situation in Thailand, which seems to be normalising. No Filipino got hurt or harmed in Thailand.

“Travellers realise now is a good opportunity to visit – very affordable rates, not too crowded, the curfew was lifted so they can already go to the night market.”

Meanwhile Francis Jamias, sales manager at another consortium member Ark Travel Express, expects traffic will bounce back. “Tour packages make Thailand even more affordable and value for money. There is no more negative news from Thailand. The curfew was lifted and things are getting back to normal.”

He also noted that TAT has been supportive in terms of holding dialogues with travel agencies, giving them regular updates on the situation in Thailand.

FRANCE will issue visas to Indian travellers within 48 hours of application starting from January 1, 2015, announced its foreign minister Laurent Fabius in Mumbai last week.

Travellers will no longer have to wait seven days for their visas, and the move is the latest attempt to enhance France’s image as a travel destination to Indian citizens.

France will also open visa application centres throughout India, beginning one for Kochi within the month.

Madhavan Menon, managing director of Thomas Cook India who was present at the meeting between Fabius and India’s tourism industry, said: “We applaud this strategic move on the part of the French government. Our research has highlighted the emergence of an impatient last-minute traveller and hence the launch of our 48-Hour Holidays product; the 48-hour processing time for a French visa makes it an amazing fit. We anticipate an increase not just from our leisure segment but equally, the business travellers and MICE segment.”

Rajeev Wagle, managing director of Kuoni India, added that it is a “great” move as visa acquisition is a “problem area”.

Meanwhile travel app Chalo Paris or Go Paris will be launched in September catering to the needs of the Indian traveller and containing information such as the location of Indian restaurants and prices in rupees, with more Indian languages to be added over time.

THE Nepal Tourism Board will issue free mobile SIM cards along with permits to solo trekkers as a stronger safety precaution beginning March 2015.

First proposed in 1Q2014, the initiative was formally announced last week. SIM cards will be issued to trekkers visiting during the peak climbing season between March and early June each year.

About 14 per cent of 800,000 tourists a year visit Nepal for mountain climbing, with solo trekkers making up 30,000 of this number.

Said Subhash Niraula, CEO of the NTO: “It is easy for us to locate individuals if they are lost by tracking the SIM card. If in distress, they can call us on some pre-loaded numbers for rescue or help.”

Bijay Amatya, COO of Kora Tours Kathmandu, welcomed the move, saying: “Safety is a major concern that we as host nation must address when we welcome guests. This connectivity will assuage fears of availability of help options in emergencies. I believe that adventure travel will rise by at least 10 per cent because of this.”

TOURISM New Zealand (TNZ) is forging ahead with its targeted marketing initiatives for the South-east Asian MICE market in the belief that it will be able to solidify New Zealand’s position as a global MICE leader despite numerous challenges (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 1 2014).

TNZ has chosen to concentrate on courting Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand – three of their biggest sources of leisure traffic from South-east Asia – having held a roadshow in Singapore last week and hosted five South-east Asian buyers at the annual MEETINGs tradeshow in Auckland last month.

It also hosted a fam trip for 10 Malaysian travel companies in April focusing on incentive experiences. TNZ’s manager for South & South-east Asia, Mischa Mannix-Opie, said: “Whether it is alpine resorts, historic towns or southern charm, themed incentive experiences create a different and unique atmosphere for corporate events.

On top of the initiatives above, TNZ also manages the Conference Assistance Programme offering a full spectrum of services including evaluating the financial feasibility of conferences, air travel arrangements and provision of promotional material about New Zealand.

A dedicated business events team based in Singapore undertakes sales calls, training, fam trips for decision-makers, and the development of online content and sales tools.

The NTO’s efforts are seemingly paying off – TNZ recently won an 850-delegate incentive from Thailand for September.

ABERCROMBIE & Kent (A&K) has recently established a destination management company in Vietnam, driven by the rising potential and demand of the country as a luxury travel destination.

Nguyen Tuyet Lan, country manager and director of A&K Vietnam, said: “A&K in South-east Asia started with the Thailand office in the 1980s and we quickly established ourselves in the region with the opening of more DMC offices in more countries.

“While Thailand used to handle Vietnam in the early days, Vietnam has grown and warrants its own offices…we have realised the need to raise our service standards to the next level by expanding our local operations.”

A&K Vietnam officially launched its new outfit two weeks ago but had started operations on May 1 with a total of 15 staff based in its Ho Chi Minh City head office plus branch offices in Hanoi and Danang.

A&K’s latest expansion in South-east Asia is expected to boost inbound demand to Vietnam, said Nguyen, who added that the country has yet to reach its full potential in the development of high-end travel.

“As the market grows, we have seen an optimistic rise in the demand for ultra-luxury and affordable luxury travel in Vietnam. We’ve seen this demand rise first-hand, having had several distinguished guests – including a Saudi Arabian prince and princess and the founder of Orient-Express, for example – travel with A&K Vietnam,” she revealed.

The Vietnam office will keep its focus on providing high-end touches, such as providing a fast-track service at international airports to allow customers to breeze through visa, immigration and customs formalities in less than 15 minutes upon arrival, according to Nguyen.

The luxury travel company has strengthened its Asian presence in recent years, beginning operations in Sri Lanka last year, which, together with Vietnam, brings its global portfolio of DMCs to 50 offices across 25 countries.

Come November 2014, the A&K group will commence luxury cruise journeys aboard Sanctuary Ananda, a 21-suite, 48-passenger vessel, on Myanmar’s Irrawaddy River.

CRUISE Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Philippines Department of Tourism (DoT) have committed to cooperating for a more robust cruising environment in the Philippines, offering education initiatives for the trade and strategic insights.

The two organisations organised the Philippine Cruise Industry Workshop held at the Makati Shangri-La last week, during which CLIA outlined the Philippines’ top priorities for the industry.

According to a DoT statement, these include streamlining entry requirements and addressing passenger mobility, creating a smooth but safe tourist experience of cruise travel, developing and expanding port infrastructure, and implementing strategic cruise itinerary planning.

CLIA has also identified five to six ports that will be central to leveraging infrastructure investments to meet cruise tourism demand, after inspecting the ports of Manila, Cebu, Puerto Princesa, Caticlan and Subic, and meeting local port authorities.

The DoT statement also indicated growing demand for non-traditional cruise destinations such as Kalanggaman Island in Leyte and Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, providing another avenue for potential development.

The cruise workshop was first mooted on the sidelines of this year’s ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting in Kuching, Malaysia and realised with assistance from the United States Agency for International Development under its Advancing Philippine Competitiveness Project.

Commenting on the potential for cruise tourism in the Philippines, tourism secretary Ramon R Jimenez, Jr, noted that cruise arrivals to the country shot up 48 per cent between 2011 and 2013, with 20,000 cruise calls last year.

“We are expecting some 18 cruise ships this year that should bring in more than 20,000 tourists. Our country’s proximity to major cruise source markets like China, Japan, and Hong Kong positions us at a competitive and comparative advantage in the Asia-Pacific region. This should give industry stakeholders greater prospects and our local communities new jobs and opportunities,” he said.

FAR East Orchard (FEO) group CEO and managing director Lucas Chow, 61, is retiring with effect from September 1 and will be succeeded by Lui Chong Chee, 54, a director at FEO since June 1, 2008.

The move surprised some people in the industry, who thought Chow would lead FEO for longer than two years, although Chow told TTG Asia e-Daily: “It is always my plan to retire before I turn 62.”

In the two years, Chow led FEO through a successful restructuring exercise that diversified the company’s income stream by going into hospitality and healthcare real estate (TTG Asia, April 25, 2014) and expanded FEO’s portfolio with two mergers and acquisitions, The Straits Trading Company and Toga.

Chow will also retire as executive director of Far East Organization, a position he has held since June 2011.

New CEO Lui, a well-regarded leader, brings extensive financial and management leadership experience from major listed companies, including as CFO of Raffles Medical Group and CEO of CapitaLand Financial Limited.

SINGAPORE-based Crescentrating has launched a Travel Agent Partner Programme that will identify and promote travel agencies that are part of its network to Muslim travellers.

Travel agencies that sign up for the programme will have their profiles displayed as an accredited partner on Crescentrating.com, have tour packages rated by Crescentrating and showcased on the website.

They will also be promoted as a member of Crescentrating’s partner network of travel agencies on social media channels.

Accreditation reassures the Muslim traveller that the travel agency is reliable and understands his or her needs and requirements.

The programme is open to all licensed travel consultants who “have a thorough understanding of the needs of Muslim travellers and are able to provide tour packages which caters to the needs of the Muslim travellers”, according to Crescentrating.

The annual fee for accreditation is US$500.

For more information, visit www.crescentrating.com.