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Asia/Singapore Tuesday, 16th December 2025
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Ctrip calls out pseudo bespoke agencies as customised luxury travel goes mainstream in China

By TTG Asia
0
Forward bookings for APAC growing slower than for longhaul desitnations

Ctrip is calling out Chinese travel agents for marketing ordinary small group packages as customised travel, as it unveils a joint report on Chinese high-end outbound customised travel with Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute.

The Chinese OTA giant says many agencies who claim to be offering bespoke services don’t in fact allow customers to shape the kind of travel they want, “nor do they explore supply-side offerings in depth”.

2019 is the year when customised travel goes mainstream in the Chinese market, Ctrip says

“Players in the Chinese travel industry have fallen into the trap of jumping on the customised travel bandwagon, in the hope of standing out in a homogenised market,” the OTA remarked.

Ctrip is calling out the bandwagoners on the heels of rolling out its own “high-end” customised travel platform 3.0 in March, having noted key differences distinguishing high-end customised travel, plus new trends pointing to the development of more mature demand.

According to the OTA, “high-end customised travel only targets seasoned travellers who can afford and appreciate such services, pricing their products extremely high, using very scarce resources and providing a top-grade experience”.

In 2018, the amount of orders on Ctrip’s customised travel platform increased 180 per cent compared to the year before, with the growth rate of orders from second and third-tier cities surpassing first-tier cities.

Meanwhile, demands for customised travel from customers in first-tier cities has developed to become more in-depth.

Ctrip says 2019 can be seen to be as the year when high-end customised travel goes mainstream in China, and forecasts that the sector will grow by 200 per cent over the next three years.

The top 10 Chinese markets showing highest growth in demand for high-end customised travels are Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Xi’an and Tianjin. Among them, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou showed a three-digit growth rate, according to Ctrip.

Ctrip’s data shows that the average expenditure per person on a high-end customised travel package is RMB23,800 (US$3,410), compared to the average per person expenditure of RMB5,500 for standard packages.

Through its new high-end platform, Ctrip is targeting China’s high-net-worth-individuals (HNWIs). In 2018, there were some 1.7 million HNWIs in China.

Ctrip’s customised travel platform was officially launched in January 2016. Currently, there are more than 1,500 suppliers available on the platform with more than 6,000 customised travel consultants facilitating the service. Ctrip claims its platform sets the service standards and manages quality control through supplier screening and ratings.

Chinese mobility startup now integrated into Amadeus Transfers

By TTG Asia
0
HeyCars provides a range of chauffeured vehicles ranging from economy five-seaters, to luxury sedans, and even 53-seater coaches

Chinese mobility startup Heycars has been integrated into Amadeus Transfers, allowing Amadeus travel agents to search and book chauffeured vehicles.

Heycars is available in 83 countries, 214 cities and 240 airports worldwide.

HeyCars provides a range of chauffeured vehicles ranging from economy five-seaters, to luxury sedans, and even 53-seater coaches

The collaboration gives the startup exposure to Amadeus’ global travel agency network. End users can also make bookings in advance through Check My Trip, enabling them to skip queues at airports and hotels.

Peter Altmann, head of mobility and insurance, Amadeus, commented: “We have been working with Heycars since 2018… Their content has been integrated onto the Amadeus Transfers Platform which brings together airline, hotel, alternative lodging, rail, ground transport and in-destination content all in one place. Since February this year, Amadeus travel agencies can search and book professional car services at competitive rates through Heycars. We are set on expanding the Amadeus Transfers Platform to encompass all content, meaning more choice and personalisation for travellers.”

Founded in 2015 with headquarters in Guangzhou, Heycars delivers a variety in chauffeured vehicles, ranging from an economy five-seater to a luxury sedan, and even a 53-seater coach for larger groups. Heycars has a round-the-clock customer service line currently available in Chinese, English, French and Japanese.

Kai Zou, CEO and co-founder of Heycars, said: “Heycars facilitates the booking of chauffeur driven cars by the hour, ideal for foreigners who are unable to rent and drive in a country such as China.”

Heycars emerged from the Amadeus Next start-up programme. Amadeus Next has been up and running since 2015 and expanded into China in 2018.

Airbnb and Thai bank partner to support local homestays

By TTG Asia
0
Airbnb's Mike Orgill and GSV's Chatchai Payuhanaveechai

Airbnb and Thailand’s state-owned Government Savings Bank (GSB) have partnered to promote and empower Thai hospitality entrepreneurs, starting with local homestay owners.

The global leader in short-term rentals last year joined forces with the Thai government to onboard local homestay providers.

Airbnb’s Mike Orgill and GSV’s Chatchai Payuhanaveechai

Through the new partnership, GSB will help ensure better funding for hospitality entrepreneurs by providing flexible-interest rate loans and installment plans. Airbnb will work with GSB to help build capacity through hospitality and hosting training while connecting homestay owners to its network of over 500 million guests.

Chatchai Payuhanaveechai, GSB president and CEO, and Mike Orgill, Airbnb general manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, jointly launched the partnership last week.

As part of the launch pilot last week, the partners committed to training GSB officials and 29 local homestay groups, including the participants of GSB’s Smart Homestay 2018 Competition, which recognised outstanding homestays in different provinces across Thailand.

The partnership will support local sustainable tourism while diversifying income distribution to communities across Thailand, in line with the Thai government’s initiative to drive local economic growth in secondary cities through tourism.

Specifically, both GSB and Airbnb pledged to expand business opportunities for Thai hospitality micro-entrepreneurs to help generate income for local communities.

GSB will provide a special loan package – providing grassroots customers with smaller, flexible loans – to hospitality micro-entrepreneurs who meet the bank’s requirements. Airbnb will conduct a series of train-the-trainer model capacity building sessions to equip GSB officials with the skills to navigate and utilise Airbnb’s global platform efficiently, and cascade this knowledge to homestay owners under GSB’s programmes.

At the launch, participants also took part in a series of sharing sessions about Thai tourism and its opportunities, as well as an Airbnb host onboarding and activation workshop for homestay owners.

Travel Meet Asia 2019

By TTG
0

Brought to you by Messe Berlin

The inaugural Travel Meet Asia is a week-long series of one-day country-focused B2B events held in Southeast Asia – Indonesia (Jakarta), Philippines (Manila) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). Across the week, the action-packed event featured more than 100 buyers and exhibitors, average > 180+ confirmed meetings and 360+ networking time in every city.

Miss out on Travel Meet Asia 2019? Don’t forget to register at our next event at ITB Asia 2019!

Key leadership changes at Khiri as Niemeijer focuses on Yaana Ventures; Hoven to become CEO

By TTG Asia
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From left: Niemeijer, Hoven and Willemsen

Khiri Travel has announced several senior executive changes, with CEO Willem Niemeijer moving into the non-operational responsibility of chairman to focus full time on his current role as CEO of Yaana Ventures, Khiri’s parent company.

Effective July 1, Herman Hoven will become the new CEO of Khiri Travel. Hoven, who has been with Khiri for five years, is currently general manager of Khiri Travel Indonesia.

With Niemeijer (far left) devoting full time focus to being CEO of Yaana, new CEO Hoven (middle) will work closely with Willemsen to lead Khiri

Prior to his current role in Khiri, Hoven served as branch manager for Khiri Travel Indonesia 2014-15 in Yogyakarta, then as general manager from 2015 in Lombok, then Bali. Over his 18 years in the travel industry, Hoven has also served as a resident manager at a resort in Phuket, in the cruise services and hotel sector in The Netherlands and as a winter sports guide in Austria.

“Herman (Hoven) will bring new energy and a full-time focus to leading Khiri Travel,” Niemeijer said. “He has a proven track record in creating great travel experiences, is service-minded and a caring leader with strong cross-cultural skills.”

“Khiri management and staff will be empowered to take their passion for discovery to new heights, which will be evident in continuous innovation of product, service delivery and sustainability.”

Expressing excitement to lead Khiri teams around Asia, Hoven said: “The aim is to grow our reputation for innovation and authenticity in responsible tourism.”

Hoven will work closely with Keagan Willemsen, who will become CFO on July 1. Willemsen has been Khiri Travel’s international efficiency head for over a year. His experience include serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in eastern Ukraine, studying consumption and development patterns in emerging economies, and working for international development companies.

Richard Brouwer will continue as chief commercial officer of Khiri Travel, which was founded by Niemeijer in 1993 and now has over 200 staff in 17 offices in seven countries in Asia.

Meanwhile, founder Niemeijer will devote his energies full time to Yaana Ventures, where he and CFO Mark Remijan are developing new projects in the responsible tourism and hospitality sphere.

Apart from Khiri Travel, Yaana Ventures includes Cardamom Tented Camp in Cambodia; Anurak Lodge in southern Thailand; Ground Asia, which creates education travel programs for students; and Visama Lodges, a turn-key solution for luxury eco-lodges in remote parts of Asia.

“I’m very proud of what the team at Khiri Travel has achieved in the past 26 years, and confident that Herman, Richard and Keagan will continue to add many more years of growth and success to Khiri Travel’s triple-bottom line,” said Niemeijer. “These are exciting times for all of us.”

Mediterranean Luxe adds members, launches new products through Kuoni

By Karen Yue
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Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

Kuoni Global Travel Services has been roped in to craft two special itineraries featuring select Mediterranean destinations for the Mediterranean Luxe campaign, a partnership of tourism boards and travel providers aimed at promoting the region’s best experiences to South-east Asia’s well-heeled travellers.

The two nine-day itineraries, created under Kuoni’s Small Group Travel speciality product line, offer an option that begins in Valencia, Spain and ends in Monaco, and another that starts in Nice, France and concludes in Zagreb, Croatia.

Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

Some of the unique experiences promised include a self-drive from Venice, Italy to Rovinj, Croatia with support from Avis, a visit to the renowned Torres Vineyard in Barcelona, and bouillabaisse discovery at La Miramar, home of the traditional French fish stew.

Reto Kaufmann, vice president, South and Southeast Asia of Kuoni Global Travel Services, who unveiled the new products at a media event on Tuesday, ahead of their launch to trade buyers on May 29 during the week of ILTM Asia Pacific in Singapore, told TTG Asia: “These are very unique programmes that we have made possible by using our strong network in these featured destinations to get exclusive prices and access (to experiences travellers cannot buy on their own).”

A spokesperson with Mediterranean Luxe emphasised that the itineraries demonstrate experiential and off-the-beaten-path possibilities in the Mediterranean destinations.

While travellers can preview itinerary details and send their enquiries via Kuoni’s website, the tours can only be booked through Kuoni’s travel agent partners.

Now into its second year, Mediterranean Luxe has also welcomed Croatian National Tourist Board and Zagreb Tourist Board into its fold, joining other partners Atout France, Avis, Catalonia Tourism Board, The Leading Hotels of the World, Monaco Government Tourist Authority, Rail Europe, Spain Tourism Board and Turkish Airlines.

The spokesperson expects membership to grow, with the successful campaign likely to “attract more destinations, cruises and iconic brands of the Mediterranean to come onboard”.

As well, Mediterranean Luxe foresees the development of more itineraries for the Mediterranean region.

The spokesperson said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with Kuoni this year in creating these itineraries to show that a joint itinerary, consisting of coastal cities of Spain, France, Italy and Croatia, are as – or if not more – interesting and definitely profitable for travel agencies in the region. We hope to keep this momentum going, and to attract more operators and agencies to show their creativity, consult our website, and enquire with our partners to design newer and better itineraries.”

Meanwhile, partners of Mediterranean Luxe are optimistic about the business potential that South-east Asian luxury travellers bring. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia have been identified as the six main markets of the region, with “untapped potential for luxury holidays”.

“Experienced travellers (there) have already been to capital cities and want to experience something different. This was the reason why the regional tourism offices of France, Monaco and Spain, with the region of Catalonia, started the first Mediterranean Luxe event last year. We expect that the two new itineraries will bring us greater visitor arrivals to the coastal cities,” added the spokesperson.

Italy tourism players make big strides in Chinese market

By Prudence Lui
0
Tourists in Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy

Italy has risen to the second most popular European destination for Chinese after Russia, having welcomed 3.1 million mainland Chinese visitors in 2018.

The number is expected to continue to grow next year, the 50th anniversary of diplomacy between the two countries, which will see greater cultural and tourism exchanges stemming from various bilateral cooperation agreements.

Tourists in Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy

Italy’s ENIT (National State Tourist Board) is stepping up efforts in China. According to Maria Elena Rossi, marketing and promotion director, ENIT will next year open a tourism office in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

It has also inked an agreement with Chinese OTA giant Ctrip to tap into the market. “This was signed shortly after president Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Sicily recently. We identified the high-end segment, Generation Z and millennials as core targets,” Rossi shared, speaking to TTG Asia at ITB China in Shanghai.

Moreover, as ENIT is celebrating its 100th anniversary in November, the NTO is expecting additional sales and marketing activities such as roadshows to take place next year.

“In terms of travel trends, we are seeing a desire for Italian lifestyle, fashion, wine and cuisine as well as interest in (honeymoon trips and destination weddings),” Rossi added.

Ctrip figures indicate the top five popular cities for Chinese travellers include Milan (30 per cent), Rome (26 per cent), Florence (15 per cent), Venice (seven per cent) and Mestre (four per cent).

While the NTO courts Chinese travellers, Rossi emphasised that it continues to seek value, coming from experiential travel and longer-staying visitors, over volume growth.

Last year, Chinese travellers made five million overnight stays in Italy. Rossi estimates arrivals would grow by 10 per cent this year thanks to the increase in direct air connections. For example, Rome Airport announced three new direct flights from Chengdu, Shenzhen and Hangzhou starting late May.

So far, Rome Airport operates direct connection to 12 cities in China. It expects 20 per cent growth in Chinese passengers to 900,000 at the end of 2019. The airport has also made some changes to be Chinese-ready including signages and airport apps in Chinese, free hot water at airport restaurants and bars, its own WeChat account, as well as mobile payment through Alipay and WeChat Pay.

The Italian travel trade is also doubling down in the Chinese market.

For the first time this year, new destinations like Sicily and Piemonte joined the Italy Pavilion in ITB China. NeedItaly, project manager, Beatrice Aondio said: “We collaborate with local tourism stakeholders like tour guides and drivers to form a platform with a focus on high-end hotels and winery tours. In 2019, we hope to drive the implementation of WeChat payment in Sicily to provide convenience to Chinese visitors.”

Said Annalisa Sacco, CFO of Allegroitalia Hotels and Condo, which runs 13 luxury and four-star hotels in Italy: “We started tapping Chinese FIT and group markets three years ago. Our properties in Torino and Pisa are popular choices. Efforts has been made to ensure a pleasant stay, e.g. Chinese translation of hotel materials and recruiting Chinese chefs.”

Google unveils slew of travel planning features under Trips

By TTG Asia
0
A screenshot from google.com/travel

Google will soon automatically save hotels and activities viewed by users to its trip planner, among the many new features that it says will simplify travel research and planning.

The site Trips is where Google stores users’ research and reservation. Last year, Google started automatically adding reservations for hotels and flights to a trip timeline for upcoming trips. This applies to reservations made when users are signed into their Google account, and after a confirmation email.

A screenshot from google.com/travel

Users can now make edits directly to their Trips timeline, and in a few weeks will be able to manually add new reservations as well.

In addition, recent searches, saved places and flights that users are tracking are added automatically to Trips whenever they are signed into their Google account.

Soon, Google will add viewed things to do and viewed hotels to Trips. When users want to continue planning, all their research will be waiting for at google.com/travel.

Users can opt out of having their travel research history automatically stored to Trips by adjusting their results and web & app activity settings.

Google is also allowing users to more easily navigate between Google Flights, Hotels and Trips when on desktop. This was first introduced last year for smartphones.

Meanwhile, Google has added nearby neighbourhoods and the corresponding information to Maps. In the next few months, Trips – including reservations for things like hotels and restaurants – will be accessible in Google Maps too.

Maldives hotel transactions to hit record high as investments pour in from outside Asia

By TTG Asia
0
German-based Seaside Hotels & Resorts acquired Finolhu Maldives, a resort in Baa Atoll, for approximately US$90 million. JLL Hotels & Hospitality acted on behalf of the seller, Coastline Group of Companies.

Having seen significant increase in investment from new sources, Maldives’ hospitality industry is on course to see its most active year with more than US$450 million worth of resort transactions either completed or under offer, according to real estate consultancy JLL.

Traditionally dominated by Asian investors, the Maldives is now attracting new sources of cross-border capital from Europe and the US. In the past six months, investments from new sources of capital represent US$300 million, compared to the annual average deal volume of US$120 million per year.

German-based Seaside Hotels & Resorts acquired Finolhu Maldives (pictured), a resort in Baa Atoll, for approximately US$90 million

Nihat Ercan, managing director and head of investment sales, Asia, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, said: “The tightening of yields in core markets across the globe, particularly in Europe, is causing investors to look further afield in search of higher yielding opportunities. Our clients outside of Asia are starting to show increasing interest in the Maldives, given its reputation as a sought-after tourist destination. We’re confident that investor demand will continue to rise and lift market sentiment.”

The Maldives tourism market continues to grow, with the first quarter of 2019 experiencing a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in visitor arrivals, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Growth in Europe, the largest regional source market, accelerated as arrivals rose by nine per cent in January alone. Other notable source markets include India and the US, with increases of 86 per cent and 44 per cent respectively year-on-year.

In April 2019, German-based Seaside Hotels & Resorts acquired Finolhu Maldives, a resort in Baa Atoll, for approximately US$90 million. JLL Hotels & Hospitality acted on behalf of the seller, Coastline Group of Companies.

Charlie MacIldowie, vice president, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, added: “The sale of Finolhu Maldives to Seaside Hotels & Resorts is our first transaction of a Maldivian resort to a European buyer. With a 12 per cent year-on-year increase in European visitor arrivals last year, European hoteliers see an opportunity to capitalise on the familiarity of their brands with these travellers and tour operators. In the next nine to 12 months, we expect more of our European and American clients to enter the Maldives hospitality market.”

This is the second transaction by JLL Hotels & Hospitality in the Maldives this year. In February, the real estate firm was involved in the sale of Conrad Maldives Rangali Island resort, part of Hilton Worldwide Holdings, to American investment firm Blackstone.

TripAdvisor introduces safety filters

By TTG Asia
0

TripAdvisor is introducing new features that allow users to more easily view safety information, soon after a resort was accused of extortion in a widely-circulated account of a couple’s nightmarish holiday in Bali.

The travel review website announced it was rolling out a filter that allows travellers to more easily surface:

  • reviews posted in the past year concerning sexual assaults and sexual misconduct by employees of a business, with reviews about other safety categories added on a rolling basis; and
  • all new reviews concerning safety issues including sexual assault, death, drugging, sex trafficking, armed robbery, and physical assault
TripAdvisor says it is committed to providing travellers with better access to critical safety information

In addition, a notice now appears at the top of each review that contains safety information to make it easier for travellers to distinguish these from other reviews.

Business owners are encouraged to use TripAdvisor’s management response feature to publicly convey what they have done to address travellers’ concerns.

In the coming months, TripAdvisor says it will be conducting extensive user research to understand what features will provide the most benefit to our global community (e.g. whether a hotel has 24/7 security or the surrounding neighbourhood is walkable at night), and will work with the global tourism industry to highlight safety as a basic human expectation for travellers.

“We understand that traveller needs and safety concerns will continue to evolve, and our platform will, too. We also recognise that we won’t always get it right, but we will continue to ask for feedback from our community and make changes as we go,” Lindsey Nelson, TripAdvisor’s president, core experience wrote in a blog post on the platform.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | InterContinental Halong Bay Resort presents Hidden Wonders experience
TTG Asia | Lufthansa Group unveils new brand identity
TTG Asia | Taiwan sets new course for tourism sector