Avis car rental unveils subscription service
Avis has launched a car rental subscription service called Avis Flex in Singapore, providing users with flexible, longer-term rental solutions.
The service allows customers to rent a car for a minimum of 28 days up to a maximum of 11 months. Customers are not required to pay any upfront costs nor sign any long-term agreements, and can swap cars thrice over the 11-month loan period.
The monthly fee covers all running costs like maintenance, servicing and replacement of tyres. Included also is basic coverage, such as basic collision damage waiver and theft protection, along with 24/7 mechanical breakdown assistance.
Tom Mooney, managing director, Pacific, Avis Budget Group, said: “From Avis Budget Group’s future of mobility research in 2019, we found that 73 per cent of residents in Singapore would consider giving up car ownership and rely on long-term car rental if it was convenient and easy for them, ranking second among 16 countries in Europe and Asia surveyed.
“Now with the uncertainty from the coronavirus, we are expecting even more people to look into rental solutions as a private and flexible transport alternative.”
New bespoke travel brand launches in India
A Travel Circle, a bespoke luxury travel brand offering curated experiences, has debuted in India.
Apart from customised travel itineraries, guests can also avail of the brand’s curated collection of private villas or small boutique hotels for buyouts.
In India, A Travel Circle has partnered a number of luxury hospitality brands, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. The agency is also part of the Traveller Made network and have access to some of the most prestigious travel shows worldwide.
Pritish Shah, its founder and CEO, said: “A Travel Circle is the newest addition to our experiential travel brands. During the past 10 years of successfully curating travel journeys for couples, we frequently received requests from numerous guests wanting tailor-made experiences for their varied holiday requirements.
“We conducted a comprehensive market research to better understand the evolving preferences of this ultra-wealthy segment. Spending quality time in a fabulous setting, and more importantly, to be able to bond with loved ones, emerged as the most prominent trends.
“This pandemic has fast-tracked us to launch A Travel Circle, as the changing travel expectations in the new normal world align very well with our product offerings – private villas for social distancing, private jets to avoid commercial airports, highest standards in safety with our carefully selected hospitality partners and other service vendors.”
Shah is also the founder behind two other specialised brands: A Travel Duet, an experiential travel brand targeting honeymooners; and A Travel Quest, catering to travellers seeking immersive and engaging experiences.
TakeMeTour takes Thai farms online to ride out tourism downturn
Peer-to-peer online activity marketplace TakeMeTour has established an online retail platform to help Thai farmers and gardeners, once dependent on tourist dollars, to better survive the current tourism crisis.
The LocalFarm online platform presently features agricultural products, such as seasonal vegetables and processed fruits, from more than 50 sellers across Thailand, with some of them being past Local Experts listed on TakeMeTour.
Taro Amornched, co-founder of TakeMeTour, explained that the other sellers on LocalFarm are those affected by declining tourism activities and have been unable to sell or export their products, or are no longer able to welcome visitors.
“We promoted LocalFarm through Facebook and other social media networks (and) proactively reached out to some of them that we see a fit,” added Taro.
TakeMeTour charges these suppliers no fees or commissions to access the LocalFarm platform. And the assistance goes even farther; the suppliers can avail to photography services for their products, banner design expertise, copywriting help as well as advertising and marketing activities – with all costs shouldered by TakeMeTour.
“We help to onboard them but do not micromanage their account unless they want us to do so,” shared Taro, who added that the LocalFarm platform was designed to be easy to use, even for non-tech savvy individuals.
In turn, TakeMeTour’s work on LocalFarm is financially supported by the Asian Development Bank’s impact investment platform, ADB Ventures, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). A seed grant of US$150,000 helps LocalFarm with product development and regional market validation.
ADB and TAT have supported TakeMeTour through technical assistance since 2017.
ADB Ventures senior investment specialist, Dominic Mellor, commented that “it is impressive to see how quickly and efficiently TakeMeTour has developed an innovative online platform to help frontline tourism workers earn alternative income streams” during what he described as an “unprecedented crisis”.
Just two weeks old at press time, LocalFarm has gained more than 100 transactions from across Thailand.
In the initial phase, LocalFarm targets only Thai residents due to logistical restrictions. However, translations are underway to prepare the website for the expatriate community and future travellers to Thailand.
Taro is working towards two plans: one, to facilitate orders by tourists during tour bookings and have the purchases delivered to their hotel; two, to curate a selection of farms that are ready for agritourism activities, such as fruit pickings and farm visits.
When asked if LocalFarm could be expanded to help local farmers in the Greater Mekong Subregion, where TakeMeTour is also present and supporting more than 25,000 local experts, Taro said: “Although this is possible technically, we want to focus on our largest coverage location, which is Thailand, at the moment. However, we are open to partnerships or software licensing if anyone is interested.”
Alma Resort welcomes commercial director
Newly-opened Alma Resort has tapped to join the team as commercial director.
In his role, Koerner is tasked with positioning the 30ha beachfront resort on a consistent growth trajectory, and overseeing sales, marketing, public relations, distribution, and reservations.
The German comes to Alma Resort after a four-year-stint at The Anam, another five-star resort situated in Cam Ranh. There, he first served as director of sales and marketing during The Anam’s pre-opening before being promoted to group director of sales, marketing and distribution.
Prior to joining The Anam, he was the director of marketing for HG Holdings, the parent company of Sens Asia Travel and Bhaya Group.
Bali’s tourism revival likely led by China market
Swelling interest among Chinese tourists in Bali could lead its initial recovery phase, with the popular Indonesian island expected to receive the first wave of Chinese travellers as soon as 4Q of this year, according to a C9 Hotelworks’ survey.
Out of the six million overseas tourists Bali hosted last year, China made up 19 per cent of the total.
Speaking at the Bali Tourism – The Way Back webinar last week, Bill Barnett, managing director of C9 Hotelworks, said that compared to Australia, which is also Bali’s top source market, he believed that China will come back earlier. “Over 50 per cent of the people (in China we surveyed) want to travel either late this year or early next year,” he added.
Barnett shared the results of the China Bali Travel Sentiment Survey 2020 that tracked Chinese travellers’ inclinations towards visiting Bali amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“About 35 per cent of Chinese travellers think that Bali is a safer holiday destination than other places during the present situation,” revealed Barnett, who surveyed 1,041 respondents in first-tier cities within China in June.
Some 86 per cent of respondents said that they would like to travel to Bali late this year or early next year, with youths likely to lead post-Covid-19 travel to the island as 43 per cent of the respondents are aged 20 to 29.
Barnett, however, highlighted the importance of air connectivity to make that happen. He said: “Airlift is everything. You can’t stay (in Bali) if you can’t get there. The LCCs and regional airlines can act quicker than the large legacy carriers. This is one of the reasons we think China market can potentially return by Q4 this year or 1Q2021.”
Jasper Palmqvist, area director Asia Pacific of STR Global, however, thought otherwise. He said: “I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think China will travel (to Bali) in 2020 given the fact that there’s no drive market in Bali, like in Bangkok, for example, where the domestic market will spur the reboot.”
“The best-case scenario is that demand could reach its previous high levels by 2022, but with all that new (hotel) supply, along with other contributing factors, performance-wise, it will take much longer.”
For Bambang Sugiono, director of marketing and overseas promotion of Bali-based RD Tours, the response from his business partners in China has stirred optimism.
He said: “The Chinese traveller’s desire to visit Bali remained high as they kept contacting me to ask for updated information about the Indonesian government’s policies. Once the travel corridor is opened, travellers (from China) will be able to fly directly to Bali. Now, we are waiting for that travel bubble (to materialise).”
He said that according to his business partners, Chinese travellers, especially those aged below 35 years, intended to visit Bali in October to celebrate China’s Independence Day, or January next year to celebrate Chinese New Year. Bambang said that he has launched promotions to recapture the China market.
In the meantime, the C9 Hotelworks’ survey also revealed that 24 per cent of those willing to fly to Bali are returning visitors, which is higher than repeat China business to other destinations like the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, Barnett said.
Majority of Chinese respondents said that they would like to stay for three days in Bali, as compared to 2.5 days for the average length of stay for the China market in Thailand, he added.
To reach more Chinese travellers during the post-Covid 19 era, Vanessa Zhu, China director of Delivering Asia Communications, encouraged travel trade players in Bali to retool their marketing strategy by utilising Tik Tok (Douyin) to gain mindshare and Fliggy to offer and sell products.
According to her, the duo are part of “a new pattern” in China’s travel booking ecosystem that has developed during the Covid-19 period.
“Young FITs (in China) are hooked on Fliggy. They tend to jump on Fliggy to look at the products. Fliggy is more like a department store so it allows hotels to (sell) products… to customers,” she said.
South Korean hotels ramp up focus on domestic honeymooners
Luxury hotels in South Korea are releasing honeymoon packages to attract newlyweds looking for domestic options to celebrate their marriage, in light of prevailing global travel restrictions amid the coronavirus.
The Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul, a downtown resort located in Namsan, is offering a limited-time Honeymoon Package, which includes a luxurious spa treatment, fancy dinner, and the use of its outdoor pool Oasis.
Elsewhere in Incheon, Paradise City has launched the Honeymoon Flight package, with two options: Economy Choice and Prestige Choice. Guests can enjoy amenities like club lounges, swimming pools, saunas as well as an in-room private dining experience that prioritises safety.
Since March, the Haevichi Hotel & Resort in Jeju Island has been offering the Romantic Honeymoon package for couples. Perks include an executive room with an ocean view that comes with a complimentary whipped cream cake and sparkling wine. Couples can also enjoy an outdoor swimming pool as well as the option of golfing in Jeju’s famous golf courses.
Efforts to attract newlyweds are made not only at hotels, but at travel agencies too. DMC Palm Tour has been hosting customised one-on-one consultations with couples who have troubles planning their honeymoons due to uncertainties related to the pandemic.
“We recommend our clients airlines that offer early bird discounts as well as a full refund in the event of unexpected occasions like entry bans. They will also be guaranteed a full refund if they cancel 48 hours before check-in,” said its CEO Kwon Il-ho.
He added: “Not only do we offer discounts for those who reserve in advance for their honeymoon in the spring of 2021, but we have a system in place to guarantee a full refund if they were to cancel hotel resorts located in Hawaii, the Maldives and Mauritius as well.”
Popular overseas honeymoon destinations like Bali and the Maldives were closed due to the virus, but they are slowly opening up, propping up expectations for new business opportunities come next year. Guam said it will lift quarantine procedures for South Koreans from July 1.
Brisbane Airport’s new runway ready for take off
To commemorate the opening of Brisbane’s new runway, Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) is creating a time capsule for future generations to look back on.
15 years in the making, Brisbane Airport’s new runway is a key milestone in propelling the city to new heights as an aviation hub and to facilitate recovery for both the city and state from the global pandemic.
With the cancellation of events planned for the runway’s opening due to Covid-19, BAC is inviting community members to contribute symbolic items for inclusion, creating a snapshot of 2020 for the unveiling in 50 years’ time – the same length of time the runway has been in the plans to be built.
The time capsule, to be opened in 2070, will be sealed during the official ribbon-cutting opening ceremony for Brisbane’s new runway on July 12, 2020. The sealed capsule will be housed in the Kingsford Smith Memorial at Brisbane Airport.
MITA holds e-travel fair to drive up domestic demand
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) will be holding an e-travel fair to boost recovery of domestic tourism, as well as to gauge travel trends among domestic consumers.
Its president, Uzaidi Udanis, said around 200 virtual exhibitors have committed to the MITA e-travel fair, which will run from July 1 to July 15.
The association will provide daily reports to participants on the products and services that have received positive response from the public. He said: “This is a way of finding out the interests of domestic travellers, and for our members to understand the market and travel trends better.”
A recent survey conducted by MITA revealed that the cost of travel packages, as well as travel expenses and proximity of the destination were the two most pressing concerns to travellers, Uzaidi said.
This is the first e-travel fair MITA is organising for its members, following the lifting of the ban on interstate travel on June 10.
Earlier in March, MITA’s first e-travel fair was cut short after three days, when the movement control order came into force on March 18.
This time round, the e-travel fair has an insurance component. For a RM4 (US$0.93) premium, the traveller will be covered up to RM10,000 for travel cancellations and medical expenses related to Covid-19. The insurance is underwritten by Senang Insurance.
Uzaidi said: “The insurance coverage is meant to restore confidence in travel which in turn, will help the local economy to recover.”
Tourism, arts and culture minister, Nancy Shukri, said in a recent announcement that the local tourism industry has lost around RM45 billion in the first half of 2020 due to the pandemic. She described tourism as being the hardest hit sector, and expected it to be the last to recover.
Tour operators cheer as M’sian theme parks gear up to reopen
The Malaysian government’s decision to reopen theme parks in the country from July 1 is a welcome move, said industry players.
The reopening comes after more than three months of closure, since the movement control order came into effect on March 18.
As part of the new normal, operators have to adhere to strict standard operating procedures (SOP), including taking visitors’ temperature, providing hand sanitisers, and ensuring visitors observe social distancing at all times.
Water park operators also need to follow the SOP and guidelines issued by local authorities pertaining to the management and maintenance of public pools as well as monitoring pool water quality. Health Ministry director-general, Noor Hisham Abdullah, advised operators during a recent press briefing to enhance cleaning measures in the pool.
Welcoming the reopening of theme parks, Nigel Wong, honorary secretary-general at the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, called it “a necessary step in reviving domestic tourism”.
Uzaidi Udanis, president, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, added: “The big theme parks in Malaysia are anchors in attracting tourists to the area. Retailers surrounding the theme parks such as food outlets and souvenir shops will benefit from the theme park traffic.”
Malaysia has 54 theme parks which employs around 10,000 people.
Cape Fahn Hotel, a private island luxury resort in Koh Samui, is marking its reopening with a buy-one-get-one-free offer for stays from now till September 30, 2020.
The offer starts at 26,000 baht (US$840) net per villa per night for a Tropical Pool Villa, including breakfast for two. Each guest can book up to six villas per night.
Perks include round-trip airport transfers, minibar (excluding alcohol), afternoon snacks, seasonal local fruits, complimentary jars of assorted sweets and savouries, and non-motorised water sports.