More than 80% of Chinese travellers plan to travel in 2H2020: Ctrip

July 7, 2020

Tourists visiting ancient chinese architecture. historic buildings Imperial Palace, the forbidden city with blue sky in Beijing, China

Chinese travellers display a strong desire to resume travel this year, with most preferring to travel domestically further afield due to uncertainty around the pandemic overseas, according to a recent Ctrip survey.

The 2H2020 Travel Sentiment Survey by Ctrip’s Tourism Big Data Lab, which polled several thousand Ctrip.com users hailing from more than 50 cities across China, showed that 82.6 per cent of respondents are keen to travel in 2H2020. Of these, 80 per cent signalled preference for longer-distance travel between provinces.

Most Chinese travellers willing to increase or maintain their travel expenditure on their next trip: Ctrip survey; a tourist visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing, China pictured

Similarly, 80.2 per cent of participants in a recent study by the China Tourism Academy (CTA) said they intend to travel in 3Q2020, marking a recovery of approximately 90 per cent compared to 2019 figures.

Ctrip’s Tourism Big Data Lab researcher Peng Liang said in a press release that pent-up market demand in 1H2020 will be progressively released in 2H2020, should the pandemic die out and cross-province travel open up. According to CTA, the travel market is likely to have a U-shaped recovery this year.

This bodes well for tourism companies and employees, especially as summer vacation and holidays such as Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day near.

Domestic travel reigns supreme

More than half of respondents (57.1 per cent) indicated that they would contemplate going on more domestic trips if outbound travel does not recover in the rest of 2020.

In line with summer holidays and the National Day holiday, results indicated that the peak travel periods will be July, October and August; with 43.1 per cent, 42.6 per cent and 41.9 per cent of respondents preferring these months, respectively.

Western provinces and Hainan province (which is near Hong Kong and Macau) are expected to become choice destinations. In fact, Yunnan, Hainan and Sichuan emerged as the top three most popular destinations. They were followed by – in order of popularity – Xinjiang, Tibet, Shaanxi, Guizhou, Shanghai, Chongqing, Beijing, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hunan, Guangdong and Shandong.

For domestic travel, particularly longer-distance travel within the country, most travellers favoured FIT trips (61.5 per cent) or group tours (51.6 per cent). Meanwhile, 25.6 per cent and 19.4 per cent of respondents indicated interest in customised tours and self-drive trips, respectively.

These trip type preferences were also reflected in Ctrip’s recent bookings, with the three most popular product types being FIT, intra-province group travel, and customised tours. Concurrently, car rental numbers were shown to have recovered to 2019 levels.

Meanwhile, a significantly higher proportion of participants in the CTA study indicated interest in self-drive trips (40 per cent), with the same percentage indicating a preference for trips to scenic destinations.

Departments of cultural and tourism across various destinations in China have also been pushing for plans to revive cross-province group tours, said a spokesperson from the CTA. These plans are set to be rolled out once market conditions are favourable.

Most to spend within RMB 5,000 to 10,000 per trip

Interestingly, a significant majority (70 per cent) of respondents said they intended to increase or maintain their travel expenditure.

Nearly 40 per cent of respondents indicated that they would set aside RMB5,000 (US$711) to RMB10,000 per trip, making it the most popular travel budget range in the survey. This was followed by a budget of more than RMB10,000 a trip, the choice of approximately 30 per cent of respondents.

Meanwhile, around three per cent of respondents said they would be willing to fork out RMB50,000 or more per trip.

OTAs most popular booking channel

While OTAs such as Ctrip were the most popular travel booking channel among survey respondents (45.3 per cent said they would make bookings via OTAs), 43 per cent of respondents said they would make travel reservations through traditional brick-and-mortar agencies.

Meanwhile, booking via offline retail presence of OTAs has emerged as a significant trend in recent years. This was reflected in the survey, with 41.9 per cent of respondents saying they would book through this channel.

– Translated by Angela Teo; this article was first published in TTG China

Air tourism takes flight at LN Garden Hotel Nansha

By TTG Asia

July 7, 2020

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China’s tourism platform company LN Holdings has partnered Chinese air taxi maker EHang Holdings to turn LN Garden Hotel Nansha in Guangzhou into the world’s first urban air mobility (UAM) themed hotel.

The hotel will offer air tourism experiences to guests through aerial sightseeing, traveller transportation, air logistics, aerial media light shows, intelligent exhibitions and education.

LN Garden Hotel Nansha’s guests can enjoy an aerial tour of the hotel in EHang’s passenger drone

“We can fulfil guests’ travel demands in the air and on the ground by combining intelligent technology with exceptional tourist experiences. Eventually, we will provide new products and services across different sectors, business categories and regions in the country,” said Liang Lingfeng, general manager of LN Group and chairman of LN Holdings.

As part of the collaboration, EHang 216 AAV (autonomous aviation vehicle) services will be introduced at LN Garden Hotel Nansha, making it the world’s first hotel to offer such guest experiences. Guests will have the chance to enjoy aerial sightseeing in the two-seater passenger-grade AAV, as they cruise above the hotel grounds and its natural surrounds.

The hotel’s Ehang 216 AAV new service routes and packages will be announced at a later date.

This cross-sector collaboration paves the way for the integrated operation of air mobility solutions in the tourism industry, while establishing Guangzhou as China’s first and the world’s leading UAM smart city, according to Hu Huazhi, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang.

Lotte partners Sabre to build global presence

By TTG Asia

July 7, 2020

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Lotte Hotels & Resorts, South Korea’s largest hotel group, has embarked on a long-term partnership with Sabre Corporation to increase its visibility in global markets.

Under the agreement, the luxury hotel chain will be connected to nearly 900,000 travel agents across multiple GDSes and more than 600 online channels across the globe, through the GDS connectivity solution powered by Sabre Hospitality Solutions’ SynXis platform.

Lotte inks deal with Sabre to grow its global footprint; Lotte *City Hotel Myeongdong in Seoul,* South Korea pictured

Partnering with Sabre will heighten Lotte’s visibility to travellers worldwide, making it easier for travel agents to find content and book hotel stays and ancillaries using the hotel group’s unique private label chain code, LL, on Sabre’s GDS system. Lotte will migrate more than half of its hotels to the SynXis platform, starting from this year.

Frank Trampert, managing director and chief commercial officer, EMEA & APAC, Sabre Hospitality Solutions, said: ”With this announcement, we are empowering a new distribution strategy for Lotte, enabling increased exposure to global markets in line with their far-reaching expansion plans. Additionally, our solutions will enable Lotte to further grow brand awareness in new and existing markets, manage their portfolio revenue, provide future strategy planning opportunities and refine their distribution strategies to support their exciting business goals.”

Lotte has 20 properties in South Korea as well as hotels in the US, Russia, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar and Uzbekistan, and its latest hotel in Seattle will be its 32^nd opening.

Explorer Dream gets infection prevention certificate

By TTG Asia

July 7, 2020

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Genting Cruise Lines (GCL) has revealed that Dream Cruises’ Explorer Dream is the world’s first cruise ship to receive the Certification in Infection Prevention for the Maritime industry (CIP-M) by global healthcare and classification body DNV GL.

The CIP-M certification of Explorer Dream comes ahead of the cruise ship’s resumption of sailings in Taiwan from July 26, 2020.

Explorer Dream receives DNV GL’s infection prevention certificate as it prepares to resume Taiwan sailings

Explorer Dream will homeport in Keelung to operate a series of round-trip cruises, including a two-, three- and four-night itinerary to Penghu, Matsu and Kinmen islands, as well as Hualien in Taiwan.

Dream Cruises will be the first cruise line in the world to begin sailing after the global cruise industry was shut down due to the pandemic.

The CIP-M certification programme, which utilises DNV GL’s expertise in infection risk management, is paving the way in introducing new safety and preventive measures tailored for the maritime industry.

GCL said in a press statement that CIP-M “is based on proven hospital standards and measures against infection risk and further tailored for cruise ships by experts from various fields including the maritime industry”.

The cruise company said that it is working with DNV GL to get CIP-M certification for all its other cruise ships “in the near future”.

Bali tourism operators get safety nod prior to reopening

By Kurniawan Ulung

July 6, 2020

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As Bali prepares to welcome domestic tourists back, tourism players in the destination are required by authorities to obtain health and safety accreditation, as part of efforts to regain traveller confidence.

According to Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati, vice governor of Bali, the Bali administration plans to reopen the island’s tourism facilities to local Bali residents on July 9, followed by Indonesian travellers on July 31.

Bali ramps up safety measures ahead of domestic travellers’ return; tourists at Seminyak Beach in Bali pictured

Prior to resumption of business, all tourism facilities, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, transports, and travel agencies, have to obtain certification to ensure compliance with health and hygiene protocols, he said in a statement on June 29.

A circular rolled out by Bali Tourism Agency on June 25 stipulates that tourism players looking to obtain a health and safety certification to resume operations must meet the following requirements: implementing a cashless payment system, providing hand sanitisers and thermo guns, checking the temperature of staff and visitors, declining visitors without a mask, and providing physical distancing markers.

The certification initially also required travel-related companies to conduct rapid tests for all staff on the company’s dime, but was scrapped following outcry from industry players.

Wisnu Arimbawa, managing director of Good Day Tour, said: “The fact that a rapid test costs at least 250,000 rupiah (US$17) for one person and the result would be valid for a maximum of 14 days posed an issue for travel agencies. I cannot imagine how big the expenditure will be when the result expires and we have to take the test over and over again.”

Tjokorda stressed that Bali has to apply strict health and safety measures, and punishment has to be meted out on fraudulent business players who fail to obey the protocols, not ruling out permit revocation for offenders.

Fransiska Handoko, general manager of Risata Bali Resort and Spa and government relations director of Bali Hotels Association, has, however, pointed out that the government’s circular lacked technical guidance on health and safety measures to be taken by trade players.

To ensure that hotels and resorts across Bali have adhered to safe management measures, Bali Tourism Agency head I Putu Astawa said he has formed a verification team of about 100 members to undergo spot checks during the certification process. The members hail from various associations, including the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies and the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurant Association.

The officers in the verification team will assess the readiness of the association members with regards to the new protocols.

“(Tourism players who manage to pass the health and safety accreditation) will sign a pact of integrity. After that, we will give them the certificate,” said Putu, adding that officers will check if measures are indeed taken onsite.

Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council to hold second virtual summit

By TTG Asia

July 6, 2020

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Following the success of the first virtual Resilience Council summit, the Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council will move to conduct its second series which will look into how destinations are dealing with new challenges and opportunities arising from the pandemic.

The second summit on July 8 will be held in partnership with Jacobs Media Group and FINN Partners.

There will be eight webinars available to access throughout the day, including sessions on Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas. Each panel will take an in-depth look into what is working and how each destination differs in their approach to recovery following the crisis.

A strong line-up of speakers will include PATA’s Mario Hardy; Jamaica minister of tourism Edmund Bartlett; Beautiful Destinations’ Jeremy Jauncey; Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority’s Raki Philips; and Intrepid Group’s James Thornton.

The virtual destination summit is one of a series of activities presented by Finn Partners and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, and is part of a succession of initiatives which include the launch of the Finn Partners Travel Recovery and Resilience Think Tank, a unique collection of some of the world’s best thinkers in health, technology, travel, sustainability, media and culture.

Laguna Phuket certified safe destination

By TTG Asia

July 6, 2020

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Banyan Tree Group’s integrated resort, Laguna Phuket, has been awarded the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration (SHA) certificates by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

The certificates were conferred upon the resort’s seven deluxe hotels and golf course by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Yuthasak Supasorn and the new Phuket governor Narong Woonchiew at an award ceremony held at the Angsana Convention and Exhibition Space. The event was attended by representatives from the Phuket Tourist Association, hospitality professionals and local media.

Reps from Laguna Phuket’s seven deluxe hotels and golf course receiving the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration certificates from TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn and Phuket governor Narong Woonchiew

Banyan Tree Holdings executive vice president and Laguna Phuket managing director, Ravi Chandran, said: “Now reopened with enhanced protocols for safety and trust, we have launched #StaySafeWithLagunaPhuket to promote our destination as a safe sanctuary. Among the first in Thailand to receive the SHA certificates, we are uniquely placed to ensure total safety within our destination.

“All hotels in Laguna Phuket have implemented global safety programmes while the non-hotel resort facilities and services have enhanced safety measures. This makes Laguna Phuket the biggest and most inclusive destination resort that is fully certified – the safest destination to welcome our guests.”

Last month, the group launched the SafeSanctuary Programme in partnership with Bureau Veritas to co-develop a proprietary label and certification system comprising over 40 new safety protocols, which was rolled out across all its properties including Laguna Phuket.

TripAdvisor enhances listings with travel security features

By Pamela Chow

July 6, 2020

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With cleanliness becoming the most important consideration in travel planning, TripAdvisor has enhanced its existing ratings and review system through its new Travel Safe features, which include user reviews on safety measures, health and hygiene checklists for hotel and restaurant owners, as well as a safety precautions search filter.

David Vu, associate director, APAC commercial strategy & operations, told TTG Asia that Travel Safe was created in response to a recent study by TripAdvisor, which found that of the consumers thinking about future travel, 92 per cent said cleanliness is the most important factor in selecting accommodations; 84 per cent said sanitisation certificates are important when booking a travel experience; and 79 per cent said it is important to publicly display compliance to government safety standards.

TripAdvisor’s Travel Safe Tools allow users to find health and safety information about hotels and restaurants; a technician sanitising a hotel room using steam and ozone amid Covid-19 pictured

Nearly three-quarters regarded a checklist of safety measures on TripAdvisor listings as being very or extremely helpful.

Vu said: “Consumer expectations are changing and there is now a clear demand for more detailed information about the cleanliness and sanitation practices at individual businesses. Sixty-five per cent of travellers will not travel until they see physical changes at businesses that make them feel safer.”

To produce the hygiene checklists for hotel and restaurant owners, TripAdvisor roped in experts from world health and safety organisations and backed it up with consumer research on safety measures that matter most.

Further, to ensure health and safety measures are indeed taken by properties, TripAdvisor has added a verification element that requires guests to provide specific information based on their experience of visiting the property. Should guest feedback reveal that properties have not complied with the promised measures, TripAdvisor would correct the information published for travellers’ consumption.

TripAdvisor’s Travel Safe features offer one-stop solution for travellers: Vu

When asked if TripAdvisor would bring its Travel Safe checklists and reviews to other tourism services on its platform, such as tours and attractions, Vu said: “More than 70 per cent of TripAdvisor listings fall into hotels and restaurants, but we will continue to expand the feature to other important travel verticals.”

Vu believes that the Travel Safe checklists and reviews will offer convenience to consumers in their travel research, as they no longer need to consult multiple sites for information. “Now, they can easily view a list of sanitation procedures, get validation from real travellers, and ask questions online to the business owner,” he said.

Luxury travel set to rebound in 2021: ILTM

By TTG Asia

July 6, 2020

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ILTM — Holiday Weekend relaxing in luxury with tropical Jungle villa resort luxurious swimming pool Bali , Indonesia

The global luxury travel market is expected to rebound within a year, with most wealthy travellers planning their next vacation in 2020, according to a survey by the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM).

The survey, which polled over 1,000 personal travel advisors worldwide, aimed to understand the key drivers and early travel trends of wealthy consumers, as countries around the world start to ease lockdowns.

Pandemic isn’t stopping luxury travellers from satisfying their wanderlust in 2020; *couple* enjoying a *luxurious* holiday in a villa resort in Bali, Indonesia pictured

Two-thirds (64 per cent) of those surveyed said they had taken travel bookings from their clients amid Covid-19, with more than 50 per cent of those bookings due to take place before December 2020.

Some 72 per cent of concierge companies received substantial bookings. Of the air travel already booked, 39 per cent is domestic and 27 per cent is longhaul trips.

More than 50 per cent of all the planners and agents surveyed said they were confident the industry will rebound within a year. Of those yet to take a booking, 72 per cent anticipate a climb in bookings within three months.

The way luxury consumers travel are also set to change, with 59 per cent respondents saying that luxury automobile travel have emerged as their clients’ preferred choice for their first holidays.

Brittney Magner of Royal Travel & Tours in the US commented: “My clients are in contact constantly to ask what is open and what is safe – they are keen to go where and when they can as soon as possible. As the luxury travel market rebuilds outside the US, many of my clients are flying domestically, but also driving to explore their own country in the most affluent way.

“These first trips will be closer to home as families start to come together again, and the research also showed a preference for private villas too. Shorter trips were also preferred, meaning there could be more of them as the opportunity to ‘catch up’ occurs. The use of private jets is also high up on preferences so that their trips can be taken at short notice and allows for group travel to be within their own family and friends.”

The survey also found that of those considering other kinds of travel, 25 per cent are looking at river, sea and international cruises.

High-end travellers are also opting to spend their first leisure trips with family – more than half having already booked family travels, with almost 73 per cent planning to stick closer to home.

Greece, Italy, the Maldives and the Caribbean have emerged as hot options among the affluent.

Top choices for respondents’ next leisure trips are beach escapes, family travel, private villas, natural wonders, road trips, cruises, cultural and unique excursions/experiences.

At the same time, over 20 per cent showed preferences for sustainable and conscious travel, with health and wellness related itineraries coming in as a first choice.

Philippine travel agents plagued by refund demands

By Rosa Ocampo

July 6, 2020

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Travel agents in the Philippines have been left high and dry fielding refund demands from angry customers, after those in general community quarantine areas were allowed by authorities to resume operations.

The approval, which came last week from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), stipulates that the agencies’ operations are to be limited to a “skeleton workforce and primarily to do administrative works such as processing of refunds and payments to suppliers”. The IATF-EID was acting on the recommendation of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry.

Philippine tour operators left helpless by customers demanding refunds amid travel slump; security guard in front of the closed Antipolo Cathedral during the pandemic-induced lockdown pictured

However, in an open letter to the public, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) highlighted that travel agents “still cannot generate income to sustain even minimal skeletal operations without travel demand and with zero revenues”, and are unable to refund customers as they have yet to receive refunds from similarly situated partners.

As such, PTAA wrote that “a lot of our member travel agents have been insulted, harassed, cursed and threatened by clients (demanding refunds) following the announcement (of the IATF)”.

It continued: “While the government has allowed travel agents to operate, the problem and issue remain the same. Travel agents are still waiting for refunds from suppliers such as the airlines, cruise lines, hotels, tour operators, and travel consolidators.

“The IATF announcement did not change or hasten this refund process in any way. Without receiving the amount from our suppliers, we are hindered from returning these to you as well.”

These customers have been requesting their refunds from as early as March or April, according to the PTAA letter.

It added: “Most of our key people have been working hard from home processing refunds and coordinating with suppliers remotely to make sure you get your refunds back as soon as possible.”

More than 80% of Chinese travellers plan to travel in 2H2020: Ctrip

Air tourism takes flight at LN Garden Hotel Nansha

Lotte partners Sabre to build global presence

Explorer Dream gets infection prevention certificate

Bali tourism operators get safety nod prior to reopening

Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council to hold second virtual summit

Laguna Phuket certified safe destination

TripAdvisor enhances listings with travel security features

Luxury travel set to rebound in 2021: ILTM

Philippine travel agents plagued by refund demands

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