Photo credit: Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) recently held its 12th conference at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi from September 25 to 28.
Themed “Innovate-Transform-Disrupt: Redefining the Offline Travel World”, the event highlighted important issues faced by small and medium brick-and-mortar travel agents.
Photo credit: Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism
“Businesses that are able to connect, engage and drive belief in their products will be richly rewarded. The fact that even after the OTAs have grown their business, the majority of the airline ticketing is being done by offline travel agents in India. It shows that we are still relevant but need to innovate to survive in today’s world,” said Praveen Chugh, president, TAFI.
The event saw participation from more than 500 Indian and international delegates.
Senior officials from the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), including undersecretary Saif Saeed Ghobash, were also in attendance.
Among the speakers at the event were Otto De Vries, CEO, Association of Southern African Travel Agents; Hamzah Rahmat, executive director, Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations; and Jayson Westbury, CEO, The Australian Federation of Travel Agents.
In the business session “East Meets West”, the heads of international travel agents associations touched on the trends and challenges they are seeing in their respective markets.
The session also saw panelists sharing their views on the New Generation of IATA Settlement Systems (NewGen ISS) aimed to deliver faster, safer and more cost-effective and relevant financial settlement services and solutions to airlines and travel agents.
The conference was followed by sightseeing tours around Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra regions where the delegates had a chance to experience Abu Dhabi’s tourism offerings.
Greg Findlay has joined Makati Shangri-La, Manila as general manager.
Findlay brings with him over 18 years of extensive experience in hotel general management, having led five-star luxury properties and worked in countries throughout Asia Pacific.
Prior to joining the Shangri-La group, Findlay was the general manager of The Westin Bund Center in Shanghai.
Travel industry players raise issues ahead of Boracay's scheduled reopening later this month
It looks like Boracay’s reopening is going to be as chaotic as its closure six months ago.
With just 18 days to the announced reopening, the travel trade is bemoaning unresolved issues, among which are how to implement the island’s newfound carrying capacity, the absence of an official advisory, and unfinished construction of the main and other roads.
Jojo Clemente, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP), the only stakeholder to have been invited to the recent inter-agency committee meeting of the Departments of Tourism (DoT), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Interior and Local Government (DILG), expressed scepticism over the proposal to halve the existing number of hotel rooms.
Travel industry players raise issues ahead of Boracay’s scheduled reopening later this month
“There is no viable way to do that (as it will) restrain business and free enterprise. You cannot just arbitrarily do that”, Clemente said in response to DENR undersecretary Sherwin Rigor’s idea to reduce the island’s room count, based on 6,505 tourists a day, with the island’s carrying capacity capped at 19,000 tourists at any time.
Questions also surround how tourist numbers would be tracked.
Boracay’s road widening and the installation of drainage pipes are scheduled for completion in 2019 or early 2020. A travel consultant said it will be a “big embarrassment” as a number of resorts are along the main road and tourists would certainly be assaulted by mud, dust and drilling noise, apart from access and mobility problems.
A leading travel consultant favoured delaying Boracay’s opening beyond October 26 to when it demonstrates readiness to welcome visitors.
“Instead of the people being happy that the island is open, it will be negative. If you look forward to Boracay as it was, you will not get it….There will be some inconveniences and we still don’t know how many establishments will open, not only hotels and restaurants but other ancillary services. The restaurants also have to undergo accreditation.”
Photos of Boracay’s unfinished and muddy roads that went viral recently had turned off South Korean and German tourists and led to travel agencies losing confidence in marketing the island.
Mary Ann Ong, general manager of Luxus Pacific Travel and Tours, bewailed the absence of clear and official guidelines. “One of them (in the inter-agency committee) has to take charge and come up with advisory… Put it in writing…so we can make plans”.
Marjorie Aquino, senior sales and marketing manager of Blue Horizons Travel and Tours, agreed. “How come we who are selling the destination have no official advisory? I am getting news from the newspapers but there is nothing concrete. What are the procedures we should follow, the limitations of passenger per day capacity, where is the entry point while roads remain inaccessible. There’s no official list of hotels reopening.”
While the water is clean and illegal structures have been removed, there are still no public toilets along the beach, a travel consultant said. A priority, she stressed, is to make available an adequate number of toilets with working flush.
There is a cavalier attitude about rehabilitating Boracay, opined some tourism stakeholders, inflamed by the idea that the tourist island has been made a “guinea pig”.
A travel consultant, from the start wary of plans to rehabilitate Boracay without proper planning and consultation with stakeholders, has not been accepting bookings to Boracay for fear that it won’t be ready by October 26. “Everything that we anticipate will happen is happening now,” he remarked.
A travel consultant who has a chartered flight from China in November and next year also expressed concern. On hearing that paraw (sailboat) and certain water sports, beach umbrellas and beach parties won’t be allowed anymore, she questioned, “So what will tourists do in Boracay?”
Aquino said that while Blue Horizons does not turn down bookings to Boracay, the company has been very careful in stating the island’s status and stressing that it cannot be held accountable, especially critical for certain source markets in Europe that are “very serious about consumer laws”. Travellers get instant compensation over complaints and they will get back at the travel agency, she added.
At the licence presentation ceremony (from left): TUI Group's Frank Puttmann and Tourism Malaysia's Abdul Khani Daud
Germany-based tour operating giant TUI Group will soon begin operations in Malaysia, its first South-east Asian office.
Marking the milestone, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture awarded a tour operating licence to TUI, which permits the group to operate inbound, outbound and ticketing activities in Malaysia as TUI International Holiday (Malaysia) at B-26-6, SOHO Suites at KLCC, No. 20, Jalan Perak, Kuala Lumpur.
At the licence presentation ceremony (from left): TUI Group’s Frank Puttmann and Tourism Malaysia’s Abdul Khani Daud
One of the office’s upcoming initiatives is the Fly & Cruise package to Malaysia, which will be implemented this winter. More than 7,000 tourists are expected to fly i to Langkawi from London, Birmingham and Manchester for a 7D6N cruise in South-east Asia. Langkawi will be the homeport for the two ships Marella and MeinSchiff over this campaign period.
Speaking on behalf of the tourism, arts and culture minister Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Tourism Malaysia’s deputy director general (promotion) Abdul Khani Daud expressed confidence that the TUI Group “will contribute to the increase of tourist arrivals to Malaysia and vice-versa”.
The market of European tourists to Malaysia, set back by the axing of Malaysia Airlines flights from the region, is expected to be further invigorated with Tourism Malaysia signed up as Preferred Destination Partner of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Association in 2018 and as Official Partner Country for ITB 2019.
TUI Group, operating mostly in Europe, has nearly 20 million customers with 300 hotels, 16 cruise ships and more than 150 aircrafts under its belt.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation is acquiring Two Roads Hospitality, taking in its lifestyle brands Alila, Destination, Joie de Vivre, Thompson and tommie.
Through the addition of Two Roads, its established lifestyle brands and the management agreements for the majority of its 85 properties in eight countries, Hyatt will expand its brand presence into 23 new markets.
Alila Yangshuo, China
The acquisition consists of a base purchase price of US$480 million, with the potential for Hyatt to invest up to an additional US$120 million in the aggregate, contingent on the outcome of certain terms to be individually defined after closing.
After the close of the transaction, which is expected later this year, Hyatt will create a dedicated lifestyle division as a catalyst to bring together the operations of Two Roads’ and Hyatt’s lifestyle brands.
Hyatt plans to integrate Two Roads brands into the World of Hyatt programme in 2019.
Said Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation: “Two Roads’ passionate team members, strong brands, global footprint and robust development pipeline will expand our lifestyle offerings and grow Hyatt’s brand presence in more places where our guests and World of Hyatt members want to travel.
“Importantly, combining Two Roads’ meaningful brand presence and development plans in Asia with Hyatt’s already strong position in this region will allow us to accelerate expansion in this critically important and fast-growing part of the world.”
Raini Hamdi, senior editor of TTG Asia Publishing division, is leaving the company to pursue a new opportunity effective November 5.
Raini has served TTG Asia Media for more than two decades.
Said Darren Ng, the company’s managing director: “We are sad to see Raini leave us, as she has contributed a lot to the company all these years. But we do understand her aspirations at this stage and we wish her all the success she deserves in her next journey.”
Raini said: “TTG has been my home all these years and will forever have a special place in my heart. I am so privileged to have worked with professionals who have a lot of passion in the business, in particular Darren and my whole team of editors and correspondents led by group editor Karen Yue, whom I know I will miss.”
GCP Hospitality will debut Hostel G in January 2019 in Perth, an “urban, lifestyle and community-led” breed of hostel designed with a similar philosophy to its existing Hotel G and Residence G brands.
Located in Northbridge precinct and the heart of Perth’s CBD, Hostel G will be situated at the centre of the city’s arts, heritage, culture, architectural and food scenes.
Hostel G
1 of 4
Shared Room
Private Room
Greatest Room with twin and bunk beds
Private bathroom
Hostel G will offer 296 guestrooms in two basic types – Shared Rooms and Private Rooms. Shared Rooms are available in configurations of four, six and eight bunk beds. All shared accommodations include individual lockable drawers for enhanced security as well as bedsheets.
Also available are four Glam Shared rooms, which are exclusive for female guests and come with carefully-selected extras such as hairdryers and bathroom amenities.
The Greatest Suite rooms include queen-sized beds and bunk beds, while Private Rooms come with double, twin, four or six beds and offer a suite of amenities such as a working desk, reading lights and toiletries.
Fresh linens will be changed mid-week for stays of seven nights or more, and there is also a self-service laundry area.
In addition, Hostel G will offer bicycle storage facilities, car sharing, as well as electric scooters and pedal-assisted electric bicycle rental services.
The on-site eatery Lazy Lee Urban Eatery is managed by R&B Lab – a dining group whose pedigree in Asia’s F&B industry includes Scarlett, Ginett & Babett restaurants in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Yangon as well as 25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bars in Bangkok and Singapore.
There will also be a co-working area featuring long communal tables, power sockets stationary and reading materials.
Another highlight is the Screening Room, equipped with its theatre-style seating, large projection screen and surround-sound system. The venue will play host to curated events, including screening sessions by local up-and-coming producers, mini concerts, advanced film screenings and creative discussions by expert speakers.
Finally, Hostel G will have a games area with pool and foosball tables, as well as group-oriented board games.
“Todays’ modern travellers, millennials and Gen Z are prioritising social interactions and shared adventures with newfound friends versus the more traditional travel experience,” said Marc Bichet, chief marketing officer of GCP Hospitality.
“As a brand, Hostel G is reimagining this trend, empowering these travellers by offering a balance of privacy, cool amenities that cater to their lifestyle, and social spaces that allow them to connect to the city like a local.”
PATA is set to organise the PATA Annual Summit 2020 from May 15-18, 2019 in Ras Al Khaimah, tipped to be one of the UAE’s fastest growing tourism destinations.
The four-day event, to be hosted by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), will bring together international thought leaders, industry shapers and senior decision makers engaged with the Asia-Pacific region.
Forty-five minutes from Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah boasts 64km of white sandy beaches, a range, outdoor attractions including the UAE’s tallest mountain
PATA CEO Mario Hardy said: “Ras Al Khaimah has committed to supporting cultural, natural heritage and environmental preservation across the emirate, activities which are aligned with PATA’s mission in acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia-Pacific region.”
Meant to serve as a global forum for enhancing the sustainable growth, value and quality of tourism, the summit includes a one-day conference, the PATA Annual General Meeting and the PATA Youth Symposium, which allows students and young tourism professionals the opportunity to engage with senior industry leaders.
As part of the event programme, PATA in partnership with UNWTO will also bring back the UNWTO/PATA Leaders Debate, which brings together senior executives from both the public and private sector to address thought-provoking issues currently affecting the industry.
Middle two: NSW minister for tourism and major events Adam Marshall (left) and SIA's Yeoh Phee Teik
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Destination New South Wales (NSW) have extended their partnership to jointly develop and promote activities that encourage travel to the NSW region through SIA’s services to Sydney.
Taking effect from July 1, 2019, the new two-year MoU will see both parties jointly fund advertising and marketing campaigns, as well as fam programmes for trade and media representatives, among other initiatives.
Middle two: NSW minister for tourism and major events Adam Marshall (left) and SIA’s Yeoh Phee Teik
NSW’s minister for tourism and major events, Adam Marshall said the new MoU would allow Destination NSW to work with SIA and travel trade partners to develop and promote itineraries that encourage visitors to spend time exploring both Sydney and regional NSW, making this a great win for the state’s accommodation providers, restaurants and tourist attractions.
“Visitors from Singapore are currently worth an impressive A$245 million (US$173 million) to our state’s economy,” Marshall said. “The NSW government recently announced the state’s new tourism targets including the first-ever regional target of A$20 billion in visitor expenditure by 2025, and investments in aviation partnerships help us to contribute to that goal.”
Yeoh Phee Teik, Singapore Airlines’ senior vice president customer experience, said the renewed partnership with Destination NSW reflected the airline’s long-term commitment to grow the tourism market in Australia.
“For more than 50 years we have invested in, and grown our operations to, NSW and now operate five daily flights between Singapore and Sydney. Extending our partnership with Destination NSW will allow us to continue to promote the variety of experiences that NSW has to offer and highlight Singapore Airlines’ convenient connections to Sydney,” said Yeoh.
In APAC, South Asia saw fastest growth in international visitors
Air passengers want new technology to give them more control and information, as well as to improve efficiency, IATA said in a summary of findings from its 2018 Global Passenger Survey (GPS) which sampled 10,408 respondents from 145 countries.
Real-time journey information wanted
The study found that passengers want to be kept informed throughout their journey, preferably via their personal device.
Receiving information on flight status (82%), baggage (49%) and waiting time at security/immigration (46%) were identified as passengers’ top three priorities after booking a flight.
Passengers want real-time information via mobile devices
Real-time baggage tracking throughout the journey was seen as a must for 56% of passengers. IATA pointed out that in line with the findings, airlines and airports are facilitating real-time baggage tracking by implementing tracking at major journey points such as loading and unloading (IATA Resolution 753). The industry is also working on developing a global readiness plan for the proposed introduction of RFID inlays in all baggage tags manufactured after January 2020 in order to meet passenger expectations for real time baggage tracking.
Passengers’ preferred option for receiving information on their baggage and other travel elements was via their mobile device, the survey revealed. Receiving information via SMS or smartphone app was preferred by 73% of passengers. Since 2016 there has been a 10% increase in passengers preferring to receive travel information via a smartphone app.
Digital is preferred but privacy concerns increase
The survey showed that the majority of passengers (65%) are willing to share personal data for expedited security, while 45% are willing to replace their passports with biometric identification.
While highlighting its One ID project, which aims to move passengers from curb to gate using a single biometric travel token, IATA also stressed that concerns over data protection must be addressed.
“As we move more and more towards digital processes, passengers need to be confident that their personal data is safe. IATA is working to establish a trust framework that ensures secure data sharing, legal compliance and privacy,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for airport, passenger, cargo and security.
Human touch still desired amid self-service trends
Passengers want more self-service options, IATA found, with automated check-in preferred by 84% of respondents. A significant portion (47%) prefer to check in online using a smartphone, and only 16% preferred traditional check-in.
Some 70% of passengers want self-service baggage check-in. Only one in three travelers prefers an agent to tag their bag. The electronic bag tag is growing in popularity – favoured by 39% of passengers (up 8 percentage points from 2017).
The overall experience with automated immigration procedures was rated favourably by 74% of passengers. A similar percentage (72%) believe that automated immigration processes are faster and 65% believe they enhance security.
Still, the human touch is preferred by some market segments and for certain situations. For example, senior travellers (65 years and older) have a strong preference for traditional check-in (25% vs global 17%) and bag-drop processes (42% vs global 32%). And when there are travel disruptions 40% of all age groups of passengers want to resolve the situation over the phone and 37% via face-to-face interaction.
Consistent shopping experience
Some 43% of passengers prefer to use a travel agency, TMC or corporate travel department to book their flights.
In light of this, IATA underscored the role of its Airline New Distribution Capability (NDC) in evolving the customer air travel shopping experience and closing the content gap between airline websites and travel agent systems through use of a modern (internet) data transmission standard for communications between airlines and travel agents. NDC will enable airlines to display and sell all of their products in the travel agent channel, including options to allow passengers to personalise their journey around their needs.
Border control process a pain
Passengers identified airport security/border control and boarding processes as two of their biggest pain points when travelling.
The top frustrations with security were the intrusiveness of having to remove personal items (57%), the removal of laptops / large electronic devices from cabin bags (48%) and the lack of consistency in screening procedures at different airports (41%).
To improve the boarding experience, the top three desires of passengers are more efficient queuing at boarding gates (64%), the availability of overhead space on the aircraft (42%) and not having to queue on the air bridge (33%).
“The GPS tells us that passengers want a seamless and secure travel experience from booking to arrival. Airports and airlines are eager to meet evolving passenger expectations. But making the right strategic choices among all the potential innovations is not an easy task. And aligning those choices into a seamless curb-to-gate experience needs a common vision. That’s why we have joined forces with Airports Council International (ACI) in the NEXTT Project (New Experience in Travel and Technologies),” said Careen.
