Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) has announced its decision to postpone plans to collect a tourism levy from foreign visitors, The Bangkok Post reported.
The levy could deter travel to Thailand among foreign visitors and further hurt the tourism sector, the report quoted permanent tourism secretary Chote Trachu as saying. Thailand’s tourism industry is seeing a challenging year, amid a strong baht and declining Chinese arrivals.
Thailand postpones plans to collect a tourism levy from foreign visitors for fear that it could hurt the economy
In May, Trachu announced that the ministry had considered the viability of imposing a tourism levy on foreign visitors, with the revenue collected to go towards the rehabilitation of tourism sites across the country, said the report.
At that time, he was convinced that tourist arrivals to Thailand during the last quarter of this year would accelerate to reach the targeted 40 to 41 million due to the government’s extension of the waiver of visa-on-arrival fees, added the report.
However, Thailand has since revised its projection for international tourist arrivals this year down to 39-39.8 million arrivals.
Last year, the country welcomed more than 38 million international tourists, which contributed more than two trillion baht (US$65.3 billion) to the country’s economic revenue. Combined tourism receipts, including domestic travel, totalled three trillion baht in the same year.
Luxury resort brand Aman has signed a long-term partnership with Nai Lert Group to develop a hotel and branded residences in Bangkok, Aman’s second in Thailand after Amanpuri in Phuket.
Under the terms of the agreement, construction of Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is scheduled to commence in the coming months, with the luxury hotel and branded residences project expected to open in 2022.
Luxury resort brand Aman to open its second property in Thailand in Bangkok, after Amanpuri in Phuket (Pictured: Amanpuri’s arrival pavilion)
Situated in its namesake central city parkland, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok will “further cement our vision to bring the Aman ethos to global cities”, Vladislav Doronin, chairman and CEO of Aman said in a statement.
Since its founding in 1988 with Amanpuri, Aman has grown its portfolio to 38 hotels and resorts in 22 destinations across the world. Future openings include Aman Kyoto (2019), Aman New York (2020) and Amanvari in Mexico (2020).
The upcoming mixed-use project in Bangkok also marks Nai Lert Group’s entry into the ultra-luxury segment.
The tourism industry has grown a lot over the years, especially over the last three decades. The ways people travel these days are also changing – or maturing – as people make more informed and deliberate choices when they travel, opting for immersive experiences over superficial ones. The search for culture – including in recent times, its intangible aspects – has emerged.
Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) refers to the non-tangible aspects of people’s cultures, including ideas, knowledge, music, food, way of life, as well as aspects of art and painting. This aspect of culture is important because it recognises the cultural identity of places and people, affirms the heritage value of cultures and retains the cultural identity of people.
Tourism can play a part in preserving intangible cultural heritage, an emerging tourist attraction at risk of vanishing due to factors like global warming, migration and food shortages (Pictured: An old lady making batik, the national dress of Indonesia, at her house in Yogyakarta)
There are increasing threats to people’s ICH, no thanks to global warming, migration, food shortages and other issues. This threatens to put ICH, an emerging tourist attraction, at risk of disappearing. The ways we travel perhaps need major changes. The things we do when we travel, and sometimes, the way we do the things, produce effects that can threaten the intangible aspects of people’s cultures.
How ICH can be lost or threatened
ICH is often found in places where there are poorer access to modern infrastructures, and where resource scarcity threatens local cultures’ use of materials that are considered authentic. Other times, ICH is found in places where traditional ways of living still dominate. At times, these are also places that have gradually come to experience tourism.
One possible cause for the loss of ICH is the movement of people from rural areas to the cities, which is one of the main reasons many countries started to promote their countryside as tourist attractions. In the countryside, food represents a vital example of ICH that could be threatened as people migrate to cities.
The tourism industry has a huge opportunity to ensure that culinary tourism is able to promote the economic development by building and supporting the tourism and agriculture industries, argues Gary Paul Green and Michael Dougherty in their book, Localizing Linkages for Food and Tourism: Culinary Tourism as a Community Development Strategy. Using local produce instead of imported food is a method of preserving ICH.
Promoting places with interesting and endangered types of ICH and promoting it responsibly can be another recommendation. The tourism industry can create tours where the experiences revolve around experiencing and being educated on the area’s ICH. Tourism companies need to work directly with local people and local businesses as much as possible.
To cater to large numbers of tourists every day means that the operators and producers of travel experiences have to think of ways to serve the masses, and as a result tourism products often become mainstreamed. The original product, which requires materials and ingredients that may not be available in large supplies, is no longer offered to the masses.
The number of flights that eventually add to global warming and climate change, the waste discharge from our cruise holidays can also worsen existing environmental problems. The pollution from our travels quietly but surely creates disappearance of the ICH by taking away traditional resources. And so we need to evolve in the way we think, consume and experience our holidays and travels. We need to adopt a new mindset, which could be partly driven by regulations and corporate best practices.
The tourism industry has the resources – be it financial, social, or others – to create change. And change is needed if we are to save or preserve intangible aspects of cultures. The tourism industry has the linkages, the systems, the history and the opportunities to create the mechanisms to promote change, and also what is required to overcome the obstacles.
China is an untapped market ripe for picking when it comes to adventure travel, with accommodation spend in adventure travel totalling US$$8.2 billion per year, according to findings from Bannikin Travel and Tourism.
The China Adventure Tourism Market Study, which surveyed more than 300 Chinese travellers over the age of 18 who had taken a trip in the past year, determined that 16.3 per cent of respondents, or 23.49 million people, chose an adventure trip for their last holiday.
There is a growing demand for adventure experiences among Chinese travellers, finds study
For a market with outbound tourism numbers that are still seeing double-digit growth, this means there are significant opportunities for adventure travel operators looking to expand into the Chinese tourism market.
The study, which aims to find out how many Chinese travellers actively seek-out adventure while on vacation, further revealed that 2.7 per cent of travellers were “hard adventure” seekers while 13.6 per cent pursued “soft adventure” experiences.
Though Chinese consumers do not necessarily associate adventure travel with risk-taking activities, such as rafting or mountain biking, they tend to associate it with remote destinations that could be perceived as exotic and potentially dangerous, said the report.
Here are the other findings of the report:
Adventure travel spend from China accounted for 0.6 per cent of total international tourism spend.
The top outbound destinations for adventure travellers from China were the US, Thailand, Australia and Japan.
Time in nature, camping and backpacking are some of the most popular activities for Chinese adventure tourists.
72 per cent of Chinese adventure travellers spend between four to 10 days abroad, lower than that of Western adventure travellers.
Oakwood has made its foray into Australia’s luxury hotel and serviced apartments segment with the signing of Oakwood Premier Melbourne.
Scheduled to open in 1Q2022 within a 40-storey tower, Oakwood Premier Melbourne will be situated along the Southbank of Melbourne city at Fishermans Bend.
Oakwood Premier Melbourne to open in 1Q2022
Oakwood Premier Melbourne will house 392 hotel rooms and serviced apartments, of which 154 rooms will cater to transient travellers on short stays, while the remaining 238 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, ranging from 35 to 65m2, will cater to guests looking to reside mid- to long-term.
Proposed facilities within Oakwood Premier Melbourne include an all-day dining restaurant, meeting venues, a sky lounge, a lobby bar and fitness centre, as well as upscale retail spaces.
Located along the southern banks of the Yarra River, Oakwood Premier Melbourne will be in close proximity the Melbourne Convention Centre, the Crown Casino and Entertainment Complex, Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium and the National Gallery of Victoria.
This signing follows the recent announcement of Oakwood Hotel & Apartments Dandenong in April 2019.
A Cascais street art tour hosted by local residents in Lisbon, a Refugee Voices tour led by a Syrian refugee in Berlin, a walking tour of Covent Garden guided by an ex-homeless Londoner and a reforestation project in Iceland’s Haukadalur valley are just among Contiki’s newest offerings of conscious travel experiences for Europe trips in 2020.
Those offerings are part of the travel provider’s new commitment to have a conscious travel experience on every single trip by 2021.
Contiki launches conscious travel experiences in Europe (Pictured: A group on a Contiki tour in Berlin)
The brand-new conscious travel experiences have been handpicked especially for travellers aged 18 to 35, aiming to give Contiki guests a fresh perspective while also giving something back to the communities visited on their trips, and delivering to the growing trend for conscious and ethical travel among Gen-Z travellers.
The Cascais street art tour in Lisbon showcases the culture of a Cascais neighbourhood that was historically regarded as dangerous and blighted by poverty. The local street artists knew the perceptions of the place were unfair, so they started a project of regeneration, creating a unique urban art gallery. Travellers will be taken on a walking tour through the neighbourhood to learn about the street art in the area, the residents who have created it and what they hope to change with their art.
Unseen London is a not-for-profit walking tour hosted by men and women who have experienced homelessness in London. The guides know the secrets of London’s winding historic alleys better than anyone, and will show travellers a fascinating city not usually seen by tourists. Travellers will be taken to Covent Garden in the heart of London’s theatre and arts district for a unique insight into the city’s culture.
The Berlin Refugee Voices tour, led by a Syrian refugee, take travellers to places of historical significance in Berlin. The guide draws parallels between Europe in the 20th century and what has happened to Syria in the 21st, using Berlin’s turbulent past to gain a new perspective into the attitudes that Syrian refugees face in today’s world. Travellers will hear first-hand the story of a Syrian refugee, the struggles of displacement and the experiences that come from creating a new home in a new city.
The Iceland Reforestation programme is located in the Haukadalur valley, a geothermal wonderland on the popular Golden Circle route. Iceland has suffered intense deforestation throughout its history, with forest coverage dropping to as little as 0.5 per cent by the early 20th century. As part of a Golden Circle tour, travellers will get to reduce their carbon footprint and leave their mark in Iceland by planting five trees each in the valley.
Alongside the four new conscious travel experiences, the new Contiki trips also include a variety of foodie experiences that give back to the local community, like a Salzburg Farmers’ Dinner in Austria, where guests get to eat locally grown produce that supports local farmers; Dining with Locals in Bosnia, which features homemade dinners prepared with local produce that supports the Sarajevo community; a farm-to-table meal at Stella Croatica in Split, which boasts authentic Croatian family recipes and local ingredients with minimal environmental impact; and an Icelandic dinner at Efstidalur organic farm, where visitors can eat homemade delicacies like cheeses and skyr from local recipes.
The Okura Prestige Bangkok has appointed Dutch native Niek Hammer as its new general manager.
Hammer began his career at Hotel The Grand, a Westin Hotel & Resorts International property in Amsterdam, and later spent two years at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort, a Marriott International hotel in Braselton, Georgia.
Prior to his new role, Hammer was general manager of Hotel Okura Macau.
He also previously held the position of assistant F&B director at Hotel Okura Amsterdam, and subsequently, the hotel’s deputy general manager with F&B oversight.
Indonesia-based OTA Tiket.com has unveiled its ambitions to become a superapp in the travel industry, as the company keeps its sights trained on the millennial market.
Speaking at Tiket.com’s recent eighth anniversary event in Jakarta, Gaery Undarsa, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Tiket.com, said that the OTA will focus on becoming a superapp in the travel industry by developing features such as Flight Online Check-in and Access to WhatsApp – the latter allows passengers to use WhatsApp to communicate with the customer care staff for quick assistance.
(From left) Archipelago International’s Chris Legaspi, Tiket.com’s Gaery Undarsa and concert promotor Roderick Tjandra at Ticket.com’s launch of new millennial-centric features in its bid to become a superapp (Photo credit: Kurniawan Ulung)
With domestic users making up 90 per cent of Tiket.com customers and millennials comprising 60 per cent of them, Gaery said that the OTA aims to attract more youths with the addition of new features that cater to their demands and needs.
One of its new features is Tiket Anti Galau (which literally translates to “anti-anxiety”), which enables customers who have purchased tickets through Tiket.com to make cancellations and obtain a full refund.
Geary said that this feature suits millennials whom he observed could easily feel galau (Indonesian for “anxious”) when making decisions in many areas, including the booking of airline tickets. With Tiket Anti Galau, they have the option of cancelling their trip on the day of departure.
Recognising that cafés and coffee shops are among millennials’ favourite hangout spots, Tiket.com has teamed up with its merchant partners to push out promotions and discounts.
“If they use the Tiket.com app to buy Citilink airline tickets, they will get free meals onboard wherever they go,” Geary said.
Tiket.com allows travellers to search for nearby hotels and to quickly obtain information about attractions and destinations, including lesser-known Instagrammable spots usually sought after by millennials.
(From left) Legaspi, Tjandra and Undarsa share Tiket.com’s performance at the OTA’s eight anniversary in Jakarta (Photo credit: Kurniawan Ulung)
Gaery claimed that among online booking platforms in Indonesia, Tiket.com is in the top two in terms of growth of sales. But he refused to disclose the company’s revenue for this year, only revealing that it was 2.5 times that of last year’s, and a figure that reached tens of trillions of rupiah (US$1 is equivalent to 14,000 rupiah).
He added that Tiket.com’s users had doubled to 15 million this year, including six million who made transactions through the app.
Gaery said that airline ticket sales remained the biggest contributor to his company’s revenue this year, with 80 per cent of the ticket sales from inbound trips and 20 per cent from outbound trips. But, he added, the growth of sales from hotel bookings surpassed that from airfare tickets.
“We enjoyed a six-fold increase in the growth of hotel booking sales this year,” he said, adding that Tiket.com had experienced “massive growth” since 2017. Today, the OTA partners with around 11,000 hotels across the country, including 145 members of Archipelago International.
Gaery added that Tiket.com would deepen its market penetration in other South-east Asian countries, especially Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, as the trio were Indonesian travellers’ most-visited countries.
The company seems well-positioned to tapping the three markets given that they have offices and staff in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.
When asked about next year’s target, Geary said that he is confident that the new millennial-centric features, wider expansion and stronger partnership with various parties will result in a threefold increase in revenue in 2020.
Avis Budget Group has appointed Keith Rankin as president of the international region, which includes Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA), Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
In his new role, Rankin will be working towards digitising Avis Budget Group’s business and revolutionising the future of mobility.
“The world of mobility is changing, heightened by advancing technology and the consumer need for a more on-demand and personalised experience. Across the international region – and globally – we are transforming as a business to not only be a part of this shift, but to be a leading voice in the future of mobility,” said Rankin.
He added: “We’re making the overall customer journey more transparent, convenient, personalised and seamless. From our Avis and Zipcar mobile apps to connected cars and new offers and processes, we’re focused on providing mobility on-demand where and when you need it.”
Prior to his new role, Keith was CEO for the automotive division at Barloworld in South Africa – a licensee partner of Avis Budget Group.
Keith started his career at Avis in 1998 where he led the financial planning department. In 2000, Keith was involved in the purchase of Avis businesses in Norway and Sweden. He was later appointed as CEO of Avis Car Rental Southern Africa in 2004.
The global passenger demand growth has slackened in July due to tariffs, trade tensions and uncertainty surrounding Brexit, according to the IATA.
Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) rose 3.6 per cent, compared to the same month in 2018, but down from the 5.1 per cent annual growth recorded in June. All regions posted traffic increases. Monthly capacity increased by 3.2 per cent and load factor rose 0.3 percentage point to 85.7 per cent, which is a new high for any month.
IATA: Global passenger demand growth has slowed down in July, down from the 5.1 per cent annual growth recorded in June
“July’s performance marked a soft start to the peak passenger demand season. Tariffs, trade wars, and uncertainty over Brexit are contributing to a weaker demand environment than we saw in 2018. At the same time, the trend of moderate capacity increases is helping to achieve record load factors,” said Alexandre Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
This July, international passenger demand rose 2.7 per cent compared to July 2018, which was a deceleration compared to the 5.3 per cent growth recorded in June. Capacity climbed 2.4 per cent, and load factor edged upward 0.2 percentage point to 85.3 per cent. All regions reported growth, led by airlines in Latin America.
Asia-Pacific airlines’ July traffic rose 2.7 per cent over the year-ago period, a slowdown compared to June growth of 3.9 per cent and their weakest performance since early 2013. Capacity increased 2.4 per cent and load factor rose 0.2 percentage point to 82.6 per cent.
US-China and Japan-South Korea trade tensions as well as political tensions in Hong Kong have all weighed on business confidence, said IATA.
European carriers registered a modest 3.3 per cent annual growth in July, down from a 5.6 per cent year-over-year increase in June. This was the slowest rate of growth since mid-2016. According to IATA, continuing uncertainty over Brexit and slowing German exports and manufacturing activity contributed to a weakening in business and consumer confidence. Capacity rose 3.2 per cent, and load factor climbed 0.1 percentage point to 89.0 per cent – highest among the regions.
Middle East carriers had a 1.6 per cent increase in demand for July, well down on the 8.3 per cent growth recorded for June, after the end of Ramadan. Weakness in global trade, volatile oil prices and heightened geopolitical tensions have been negative factors for the region, said IATA. July capacity climbed 1.0 per cent compared to a year ago and load factor rose 0.4 percentage point to 81.3 per cent.
North American airlines’ traffic climbed 1.5 per cent compared to July a year ago. This was down from 3.5 per cent growth in June, reflecting the slowdown in the US and Canadian economies and the trade disputes. July capacity rose 0.7 per cent with the result that load factor climbed 0.7 percentage point to 87.9 per cent – second highest among the regions.
Latin American airlines experienced a 4.1 per cent rise in traffic in July, which was the strongest growth among the regions but a decline from 5.8 per cent year-over-year growth in June. It occurred amid continued disruption following the demise of Avianca Brasil and more challenging business conditions in some key regional economies. Capacity rose 2.7 per cent and load factor climbed 1.1 percentage points to 85.6 per cent.
African airlines’ July traffic rose 3.6 per cent – a significant decline from the 9.8 per cent growth recorded in June, as weakening business confidence in South Africa offset solid economic conditions elsewhere on the continent. Capacity rose 6.1 per cent, and load factor slipped 1.7 percentage points to 72.9 per cent.
Domestic travel demand outperformed international growth in July, as RPKs rose 5.2 per cent in markets tracked by IATA, up from the 4.7 per cent growth in June. Domestic capacity climbed 4.7 per cent, and load factor rose 0.4 percentage point to 86.5 per cent.
China’s domestic traffic rose 11.7 per cent in July – an acceleration over the 8.9 per cent growth recorded in June and the strongest domestic performance. Growth is benefitting from lower fares and more connections.
Japan’s domestic traffic climbed 4.7 per cent in July, up from 2.6 per cent in June. Business confidence and economic growth are relatively positive at the moment.
