Mathias Gerds has been appointed general manager at Evason Ana Mandara in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Gerds brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position, having spent over 20 years in different roles across luxury city and resort properties across the globe.
The German first began his career in the F&B sector, and then worked in senior roles at hotels such as Anantara Siam Bangkok in Thailand, Kempinski Grand Hotel Heiligendamm in Germany, St Regis Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Relais & Chateaux Palais Coburg in Austria.
The St Regis Singapore has appointed Vincent Billiard as general manager, an experienced hotelier with over 18 years of hospitality experience in luxury properties.
Prior to his move to Singapore, Billiard held numerous key leadership roles in several Ritz-Carlton hotels, and was involved in the opening of 10 other properties across a portfolio of brands including Ritz-Carlton, Edition and Bvlgari.
Most recently, Billiard led the launch of the Bvlgari Hotel and Residences Shanghai as general manager.
Malaysia-based Apple Vacations & Conventions (AVC) has appointed Ngiam Foon as its chief transformation officer.
In this role, he has been tasked with enhancing AVC’s business processes including its digital platforms to ensure a consistent customer experience across all its distribution channels.
Ngiam has 30 years of experience in the travel industry, having served as president and executive council member of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, board member of the Malaysian Promotion Tourism Board, part of the leadership team for a digital marketing collaboration project with China’s Alitrip and Tourism Malaysia, and for a Malaysia-China joint venture sports project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Bayu Buana Travel Services Indonesia has formed a joint venture company with Sri Lanka-based DMC Apple Holidays to tap the fast-growing Indian market to the country.
The partnership will see Bayu Buana own a 51 per cent stake in Bayu Apple Holidays, the new Bali-based joint venture company which is trading as Apple Holidays Indonesia.
Bayu Buana Travel Services Indonesia has formed a joint venture company with DMC Apple Holidays to tap India’s fast growing tourism market (pictured; from left: Apple Holiday’s Pradeep Kumar, Bayu Buana’s Agustinus Pake Seko)
Agustinus Pake Seko, president director of Bayu Buana Travel Services, said: “The number of arrivals from India to Indonesia has been growing significantly. Data showed that arrivals from India between January and June 2019 were 188,095, the third biggest market to the country after China and Australia. Some 55 per cent of the Indian arrivals are to Bali.”
“India is currently the second biggest outbound market (in the world) after China, with numbers expected to reach 50 million next year. As such, the opportunity to grow the market is huge,” he said.
“We are optimistic that the joint venture will be able to boost arrivals and contribute to achieving the government’s target of 800,000 arrivals by the end of this year.”
India is already the biggest market for Apple Holidays, the inbound company of Sharmila Travels and Tours which also operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Forming a joint venture with Apple Holidays – which boasts a strong network across India with its eight offices – is hence a strategic way to grow Indian inbound business into Indonesia, said Agustinus.
And with cases of Indian agents failing to pay for rooms having marred the trust of some Bali hotels in the market, Agustinus believes that Bayu Buana’s long-standing reputation and extensive network as a 47-year-old Indonesian travel company will stand to benefit Apple Holidays’ foray and expansion into Indonesia.
Both companies are not strangers to each another, he added, as Sharmila Travels and Tours and Bayu Buana are the local partners of BCD Travel in their respective countries.
“Pradeep Kumar (Apple Holiday’s managing director) and I are both members of the advisory board of BCD Travel, too,” said Agustinus.
When asked if Apple Holidays Indonesia would form a threat to Bayu Buana Travel Services, which has its own inbound division with operational offices in Bali and Bandung, Agustinus replied: “We will let them compete. Without the new company, our inbound division is facing competition from others anyway.”
“For us, it is like having two vehicles (with the joint venture). If (the Bayu Buana division) loses against Apple Holidays Indonesia, we are not totally at a loss as we still have 51 per cent in the joint venture. We also see this as an opportunity for each party to benchmark against each other to grow,” Agustinus remarked.
In addition, the Indonesia joint venture is also deemed a launch pad to spearhead Bayu Buana’s regional expansion ambitions, Agustinus told TTG Asia.
“We have been planning to go regional for some time, but that does not mean that we have to do it alone, and for us it does not matter if we do not flag our own brand out there as long as we (partly) own the company,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bayu Buana aims to acquire around 50 per cent shares of Apple Holidays, which is currently in the process of moving its headquarters to Singapore.
The Kasikorn Bank (KBank) Research Center estimates that the closure of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) will affect Thailand’s tourism industry “by not less than 14 billion baht (US$454 million)”, according to a National News Bureau of Thailand report.
KBank Research Center deduced that the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which led to the shutdown of HKIA and flight cancellations, not only hurt Hong Kong’s economy but also tourism, particularly for inbound travel into Thailand.
Hong Kong’s airport closure and flight cancellations may dampen Thailand’s inbound tourism
The KBank report also stated that August is the peak period for tourists from Hong Kong travelling to Thailand, with an average of about 4,200 to 5,000 tourists per day.
Continued disruptions to HKIA operations could lead to a loss of 30,000 tourists travelling from Hong Kong to Thailand, with an estimated loss of “not less than 14 billion baht” – the figure excluding tourists from other countries who use Hong Kong as a transit point.
In 2018, there were about 1,015,000 tourists from Hong Kong to Thailand, accounting for 2.6 per cent of the total 38 million tourists, and generating about 40 billion baht. In 2017, there were 800,000 tourists from Hong Kong to Thailand, out of the total 36 million tourists.
During the first half of 2019, there was a positive expansion of 5.8 per cent of Hong Kong tourists to Thailand, as compared to the same period last year. Hence, the loss of Hong Kong tourists to Thailand could put a further damper on the country’s ailing tourism industry.
Thai Airways International (THAI) has announced strategies to step up efforts to reduce expenses and increase revenue as the carrier seeks to stem losses in the second quarter.
A slew of external crises, such as the strong baht, US-China trade war, sluggish global economic and the closure of Pakistani airspace, had affected the airline as tourists numbers declined and customer purchasing power reduced, in addition to delayed engine repairs by the manufacturer, the airline said in a statement.
THAI has come up with a strategic plan to cut costs and increase revenue
Even though THAI implemented cost-control measures that has brought down the total cost than the previous year, the aforementioned external factors caused the airline to incur an increased net loss in the last quarter similar to other airlines amid a competitive marketplace, according to THAI president Sumeth Damrongchaitham.
In response, THAI management has “brainstormed ideas to establish guidelines to increase revenue and reduce expenses quickly”, which are outlined as follows:
SaveTG co-creation: A cost-control strategy that allows THAI staff to propose ideas and suggestions to the management team, and grants passengers the opportunity to suggest solutions for the airline at mailto:customer@thaiairways.com.
Zero waste management: A project that helps save and creates a circular economy for both the organisation and the nation as a whole, starting from food waste. THAI is currently cooperating with FoodInnoPolis to develop an action plan.
In the fourth quarter, a new marketing strategy will be implemented to launch direct flights to Sendai, in the Tohoku region of Japan.
Strategy to increase revenue: Regular utilisation of digital marketing, such as online promotions, to better serve online customers through the Thai Airways mobile app. The mobile app helps to increase revenue by selling ancillary products, such as extra baggage allowance, travel insurance, airport limousine service, car rental and hotels, in addition to enhanced language features and an enhanced layout to cater to the younger generation. Customers will also be able to purchase products online through the eCommerce platform which is expected to launch in October.
THAI synergy strategy: THAI’s products and services can be offered through business alliances. Currently, THAI is poised to collaborate with Café Amazon to expand business in Thailand and the Asian region.
TG group strategy: THAI and THAI Smile will be stronger together with a route network that offers systematic connectivity for passenger convenience, which will be implemented regionally in 4Q2019. THAI Smile is set to become a Star Alliance connecting partner by year-end, which will strengthen the airline network in this region.
THAI also adjusted its work structure with THAI Smile Connectivity to be centralised in order to increase passenger convenience and implement corporate business ethics throughout the organisation as well as strengthen unity, which is part of the whole #SaveTG master plan.
Sumeth said: “With these afore-mentioned strategies, we believe that THAI will return to its position as one of the top world class airlines, although not as soon as we hoped.”
Amid its ongoing digitalisation efforts, Malaysia Airports will be implementing the Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS) at both terminals in the KL International Airport (KLIA) by this December.
This implementation is among several identified under the Airports 4.0 initiative, according to a statement.
Malaysia Airports will implement the Passenger Reconciliation System (PRS) at both KLIA terminals by this December (Photo Credit: Malaysia Airports)
Malaysia Airports COO, Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh, said that the PRS will improve the efficiency of KLIA and airlines operating at the airport, as it allows for real-time validation of passenger information at all screening checkpoints.
He added that airport and aircraft security will also be boosted as baggage belonging to no-show passengers can swiftly be identified and offloaded from the aircraft. This will also improve airline on-time performance.
“Implementing the PRS will enable passengers to experience a more seamless journey when passing through the various airport checkpoints. The enhanced security aspects from the PRS will also allow Malaysia Airports to implement the ‘open gate’ concept at all boarding lounges at klia2 terminal.
“Currently the boarding lounges are confined within glass walls for security reasons. We want to tear down the glass walls to create more space for passengers to sit comfortably while waiting for their departure,” he said.
Currently, passengers who arrive early at the gates need to wait for the airline’s staff to open the gates in order to access the ample seating provided at the boarding lounges. This is one of the recurring pain points highlighted by passengers in their feedback to the airport operator.
Shukrie added: “As we aspire to create happy airport guests by becoming a caring host, many of our improvement initiatives are implemented based on passenger feedback. Together with AirAsia, we have started to pilot this ‘open gate’ concept at one of the domestic boarding lounges and passengers have been appreciative of this initiative.”
Oyo Hotels & Homes has rolled out a complimentary insurance cover for guests as part of the booking price for its properties across India.
Launched in partnership with Insurtech company ACKO General Insurance, the complimentary insurance package offers Oyo guests insurance coverage up to one million rupees (US$14,000) for protection against accidental death, baggage loss and accidental medical expenses for the entire duration of their stay in a city.
Oyo has launched a complimentary insurance cover for guests staying at its properties across India
This insurance cover will be valid for guests’ full period of stay at Oyo Hotels, Oyo Home, Oyo Townhouse, Collection O, SilverKey, Capital O and Palette. The programme will also be applicable to bookings made via the Oyo app, website, mobile website, direct bookings and walk-ins, with the offering soon to be extended to other categories and booking channels.
Gaurav Ajmera, COO, India & South Asia, Oyo Hotels & Homes, said that the insurance cover “aims to cater to the unexpected, unplanned and isolated situations” that guests across some 300 cities in the country could face.
Varun Dua, CEO & founder at ACKO General Insurance, expects the offering, which is delivered entirely digitally, from issuance to claim, “to solve key pain points in the hospitality sector”.
Today’s travellers crave flexibility, personalisation and a seamless shopping experience, according to Sabre Corporation’s recent consumer trends study.
The global travel tech provider partnered with TrendWatching to release the study explaining the consumer trends powering the “retail revolution” in the hospitality industry.
Sabre Corporation released a report on consumer trends fueling transformation of hoteliers into retailers
Clinton Anderson, president of Sabre Hospitality Solutions, said: “Technology is changing the expectations of today’s traveller. They demand flexibility, optionality and a seamless shopping experience that goes beyond booking a guest room. This presents exciting opportunities for hoteliers to extend far beyond their traditional offerings. Hoteliers must pay attention to the consumer behaviours driving this retail revolution and capitalise on the possibilities.”
The report details how innovative retail and hospitality players are harnessing six key consumer trends to drive innovation and improve their guest experience. It includes actionable insights to fuel creativity and gain a deeper understanding of how concepts can be applied to provide guests with convenience, relevance, fun, recognition and support – the things they crave in today’s retail-driven environment.
The three top trends are as such:
Trend 1: Sentient spaces
Travellers are increasingly aware of an ever-growing ecosystem of cameras and sensors. Although sensitive to security concerns, they crave personalisation and are willing to share their data to get it. Truly smart physical spaces – retail stores, hotel rooms and more – are now built with technology ranging from facial recognition to robots that create experiences tailored to the guests moving through them.
Trend 2: A-commerce
Retailers have mastered the use of algorithms and smart devices to increase convenience and serve up intuitive recommendations at crucial moments. Busy travellers will increasingly expect the same experience from their travel providers. Developing capabilities to automate shopping, selecting and purchasing activities will allow hoteliers to deliver increased simplicity – and a more meaningful experience – to their guests.
Trend 3: Village squared
Smart retailers are responding to society’s increasing sense of isolation by transforming their spaces in new ways to foster connections and promote social wellbeing. Hotels, with a myriad of unique and functional spaces at their disposal, have significant – and relatively untapped – potential to maximise their properties and provide unique experiences to their guests.
Asia’s largest festival at sea, It’s The Ship, has announced its full artist lineup for its 2019 edition, which will take place from November 13 to 15, onboard the Genting Dream.
This year’s lineup of artists include headliners Ben Nicky, Darren Styles, Nervo, Ookay, Quintino and What So Not.
Asia’s largest festival at sea, It’s The Ship, sets sail into its sixth edition this year
The massive roster of other acts include heavy-hitters across the spectrum of genre, such as Sam Feldt, Dannic, Joe Flizzow, Alex MORPH, Kaku, Jordan Suckley, Kill The Buzz and DJ HYO of Girls’ Generation fame.Cruise
The newly-added Fyre Fan Club theme party with hip hop acts amping up the stage will feature Singapore’s own Fariz Jabba and Yung Raja, along with Malaysia’s Joe Flizzow. Urban fanatics can fuel up on the trap, hip-hop and bass with Malaysian DJs Jhin and NAHSYK along with a soon-to-be announced “special guest”.
Reservations for the 3D2N experience are now open, with the Early Duck 3 cabins still available until mid-August with savings of up to US$249 per person. Cabin prices are inclusive of complimentary dining at selected restaurants, selected non-alcoholic beverages and free access to most of the ship’s facilities and events.
