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

May 17, 2019

khiri-leadership — 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

May 17, 2019

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Croatian-National-Theatre — 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.

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

May 17, 2019

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asian-tourists-Riomaggiore_Cinque Terre_Liguria — 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 50^th 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 100^th 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

May 17, 2019

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Screen-Shot-2019-05-17-at-9.55 — 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.

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

May 17, 2019

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Finolhu-Maldives — 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

May 17, 2019

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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.

Ctrip signs multi-year deal for ATPCO’s retailing content

By TTG Asia

May 17, 2019

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Ctrip has signed a multi-year deal for ATPCO’s Retailing Solutions content, giving the Chinese OTA access to all Routehappy rich flight content for integration across Ctrip.com and Trip.com.

The deal covers content for Amenities, UTAs and UPAs. In a statement, Routehappy explained that Amenities provide at-a-glance information about flight features, while UPAs provide media to describe an airline’s products and services by aircraft type, cabin, time of day and more. UTAs provide information on benefits and restrictions, such as cancellation, refundability and boarding priority by fare. UPAs visually highlight in-flight features through descriptive text, photos, graphics and videos, showcasing relevant product and fare offerings.

The Chinese OTA will showcase Routehappy rich content in 19 languages – including English, Russian, traditional and simplified Chinese – leveraging ATPCO’s pre-translated content.

With Ctrip’s acquisition of Trip.com, Routehappy rich content will be accessible to travellers throughout Asia and in the 28 countries in which Ctrip has operations.

“With access to rich, descriptive, and user-friendly content, we can improve our shopping displays and ensure hundreds of millions of consumers throughout Asia and the world have access to universally understood shopping information they care about,” said Yudong Tan, vice president, CTO of the Flight Business Group at Ctrip.

“We… urge more Chinese and Asian carriers to also partner with ATPCO to create and distribute rich content that Ctrip can consume and showcase to travellers.”

ATPCO believes Asia is ready to take airline retailing seriously

Jonathan Savitch, chief commercial officer at ATPCO, added: “As the fastest growing travel market in the world, we know that Asia is ripe for innovation and ready to take airline retailing seriously. With Ctrip leading the charge in China and throughout Asia, flight differentiation will soon be a reality in these markets.”

ATPCO has been providing Ctrip with fare data and related information for more than six years. The new Retailing Solutions deal follows Ctrip’s data subscription renewal with ATPCO, which was signed in 2018 for another five years.

Next Story acquires Melbourne property for LinQ debut

By TTG Asia

May 17, 2019

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Next Story Group will debut LinQ Hotel in Melbourne’s waterfront hub of Southbank.

The new-build hotel will soft open with 162 rooms on September 1, 2019. After a complete fit-out, the hotel will officially launch its first upper midscale LinQ Hotels brand on November 1, 2019.

LinQ Hotel Melbourne Southbank is a short walk from the Southbank Promenade, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Crown Entertainment Complex.

The property is expected to complement the Next Hotel Melbourne at Collins Street, slated to open in 2Q2020 and the Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood, which has been in operations for over a year.

Next Story Group says this acquisition further reinforces the importance of Australia, where most of its hotel portfolio is located, as a key market. It is also aligned with Next Story Group’s expansion plans, which focus on strategic growth in Australia, South-east Asia and South Asia.

New hotels: MGallery Kyoto Yura Hotel, Pullman Nadi Bay Resort & Spa and more

By TTG Asia

May 17, 2019

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MGallery Kyoto Yura Hotel, Japan
The 144-room luxury hotel has made its debut in the country’s historic capital of Kyoto. Local fabric nishijin-ori can be found in each of its guestrooms celebrating a weaving heritage dating back over 1,200 years, while the seating area is furnished with traditional tatami mats. F&B options include the 54^th Station Grill, named after the route connecting Tokyo and Kyoto; and the Samurai-inspired 1867 Bar. Located within walking distance of the hotel are the famed geisha district of Gion, Yasaka Shinto Shrine, Kamo River and the downtown district of Kawaramachi.

Pullman Nadi Bay Resort & Spa, Fiji
The Pullman brand has made its debut in Fiji with this latest opening. Located on Wailoaloa Beach, the resort offers 236 rooms and suites, all of which come with balconies or patios, and stocked with Pure Fiji toiletries. There are four restaurants (one of which, Kah, is an adults-only bar and dining venue); three bars; Veikau spa; gym; two tennis courts; and four swimming pools (one of which is also adults-only). Families may also avail the water sports and activities centre; as well as a dedicated Kids Club or a Teens Retreat.

Function venues on the hotel grounds include two meeting rooms, and the Soqoni Ballroom which can cater for up to 500 people theatre-style. In addition, the resort’s private beachfront area, as well as its restaurant and bars also allow for private, catered functions.

Swiss-Belresidences Rasuna Epicentrum, Indonesia
Swiss-Belhotel’s latest opening in Jakarta stands close to the 53ha retail, lifestyle and entertainment complex – Rasuna Epicentrum. The four-star hotel features 269 Deluxe Rooms and Grand Deluxe Rooms, as well as 54 suites that come with a separate living room. Amenities include the Swiss-Café Restaurant; Lobby Lounge & Bar; outdoor swimming pool; spa; and fitness centre. The hotel also boasts 18 function spaces spread over four floors, all supported by the latest audiovisual technology.

Caravelle Saigon, Vietnam
The historic 335-key Caravelle Saigon hotel in Ho Chi Minh City has reopened with spruced-up guestrooms and function spaces after a nine-month-long renovation.

The new rooms in the Opera Wing on floors 8 to 12 start at approximately 38m², with soundproof windows, a 49-inch Samsung flatscreen TV, walk-in vanities and marble-clad bathrooms. Recreational facilities include six F&B options, Kara Spa & Fitness, a pool and a 24-hour gym.

The centrepiece of Caravelle Saigon’s event floor upgrade is the 4.7m-high, 300m² Caravelle Ballroom. The ballroom can cater up to a maximum of 400, can also be divided into two separate event spaces, and also has a 180m² pre-function area. The 10 function spaces on the second and third floor have also received a makeover.

Oakwood Hotel Journeyhub Phuket, Thailand
Marking Oakwood’s first entry into a resort location, Oakwood Hotel Journeyhub Phuket stands in Patong, featuring 171 rooms and suites across several categories ranging from the lead-in deluxe room to the two-bedroom suite. Other facilities and services include a fitness centre, rooftop infinity pool, Crossways Bar & Restaurant, and complimentary shuttle service to the nearby Jungceylon Shopping Centre, Bangla Road and Patong Beach.