A2A Safaris has welcomed a new general manager, Faith Coetzee, to its team amid growing demand for luxury travel services to Africa and Latin America.
She joins from A2A in Hong Kong this month from Abercrombie & Kent, where she has been its sales and marketing director for Greater China since 2011.
Faith Coetzee
The South African brings more than 18 years of experience to the company, and is also experienced in the villa and luxury residence rental, and MICE segment.
Prior to moving to Hong Kong in 2004, Coetzee was a travel consultant at Wilderness Safaris in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ctrip and the Israeli Tourism Bureau have signed an agreement to strategically cooperate.
While the bureau wants to leverage on Ctrip’s advantages as China’s largest OTA, such as big data and precision marketing, Ctrip wants to see Israel relax visas.
Rapid increase in visitors from China to Israel looks set to continue; Jerusalem, Israel picturedCtrip’s CEO Jane Sun has called upon the Israeli government to introduce new policies to ease tourist visa access and build more awareness of Israel as a travel destination to Chinese tourists.
According to Israeli Ministry of Tourism statistics, Israel in July ushered in 271,100 global tourists, an increase of 17 per cent over the same period last year. In July, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Israel reached 64,000, an increase of 66 per cent, reinforcing Chinese tourists as the fastest growing source of inbound tourists to Israel.
Yariv Levin, Israel’s minister of tourism said in a statement: “I am delighted to have witnessed the rapid growth of Israeli tourism in the Chinese market, thanks to the innovative approach of the Israeli tourism industry’s rich marketing activities in China and the creation of a destination brand image.
“In addition, a new direct flight to Israel has also played a vital role in the growth of the tourism market, and the rapid increase in the number of tourists in China has made great contributions to the Israeli economy and the job market,” he added.
Israel’s Ministry of Tourism is also actively expanding its relationship with China’s tourism industry partners and actively seeking opportunities for cross-border cooperation, to ensure the best quality travel service and experience for Chinese tourists visiting Israel.
AccorHotels will introduce the Fairmont brand to South Korea in 2020 with the opening of the 326-room Fairmont Ambassador Seoul within an integrated development in Seoul’s Yeouido financial district.
From left: Accor Ambassador Korea’s Henry Cho; AccorHotels’ Chris Cho; Accor Ambassador Korea’s Vincent Lelay; Ambassador Group’s Jung Ho Suh; AccorHotels’ Patrick Basset; Parc1 Hotel’s Won Chae; Accor Ambassador Korea’s Taewook Kwon; Parc1 Development Hak-Song Kim and Jae-Young Kim; and Asia Asset’s Do-Hyun Chung
The Richard Rogers-designed property will have an eco-friendly positioning and feature a rooftop terrace, spa, fitness centre, pool, conference hall and four restaurants and a bar.
Fairmont Ambassador Seoul is located adjacent to Yeouido Park and is within five to 10 minutes’ walk to Yeouido and Yeouinauru train stations.
Brunei Tourism Board is initiating its first festival in collaboration with several stakeholders, offering a jam-packed programme of events and activities in the month of December.
Brunei’s Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism stated that the festival is expected to boost tourist numbers in the country and help achieve its target of air arrivals.
The month’s programme includes the International Food Fair; School Camping Special promoted by travel agents; Creative Arts Festivals including an art exhibition, graffiti showcase, street art demo and live mural painting; The Nyirik, offering the taste of Brunei in tour districts; and local product sales and exhibitions.
Other highlights include a Brunei E-Sports Tournament, a meeting point for the local and international gaming community, as well as a beach festival and seafood galore.
There are plans to make the festival a yearly affair, the tourism ministry said in a statement.
Pololikashvili with current secretary general, Taleb Rifai
Zurab Pololikashvili – current ambassador of Georgia to Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Andorra – has been appointed secretary general of UNWTO for the 2018-2021 period.
Pololikashvili was elected by consensus at the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly being held in Chengdu, China following the recommendation of the 105th UNWTO executive council.
Pololikashvili with current secretary general, Taleb Rifai
He was formerly Georgia’s minister of Economic Development (2009-2010) and deputy minister of Foreign Affairs (2005-2006).
WTTC president & CEO Gloria Guevara extended her congratulations to Pololikashvili at the UNWTO General Assembly, and said: “The close collaboration between WTTC and UNWTO over the past eight years has resulted in a more unified and cohesive international travel and tourism sector, where understanding and cooperation between the public and private sectors has increased considerably. I look forward to continuing this path into the future.”
As hotels and tour operators in Malaysia rack up higher tourist receipts thanks to the competitive ringgit, they are rolling out upscale offerings targeted at Asian visitors.
Industry players note that Asian visitors are more willing to splurge, even upgrading their hotel rooms and purchasing more luxurious experiences.
Tan: more room upgrades
Sand & Sandals Resort & Spa, located on Desaru Beach, has seen an uptick in guests choosing larger and more plush room categories, said its director of sales, Owen Tan.
“Our guests are also spending more in restaurants and on spa treatments,” noted Tan. “We are now offering spa and water-sports packages to attract more visitors.”
The resort’s key markets are in Asia, including Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
Also identifying this trend, inbound tour operator Synergy Tours – which previously specialised in the European market – has developed packages specifically for Asian travellers that include shopping stops and upscale hotels.
“Asians prefer the city life and are more willing to spend on shopping, such as buying products unique to the destination,” said Kan Pooi Yew, business development manager of Synergy Tours. “Shopping is in high demand for this market.”
She added: “We’re not offering budget tours for the Asian market since everyone else is doing the same.”
Instead, it is targeting Chinese business travellers with packages that include value-adds like transportation, guided tours and translation.
Conversely, the European market prefers to spend less while on a longer trip in Malaysia.
“Even though their currency is much higher than the ringgit, Europeans are not willing to spend much,” said Kan. “We frequently receive requests for more budget-friendly options.”
However, longhaul markets stretch their vacation time longer, with Europeans touring Malaysia for one to two weeks with Synergy Tours or even staying up to a month in resorts on Langkawi, according to MK Hotels & Resorts’ group assistant director of sales, Mohd Ariff Mokhtar.
These markets often prefer value-for-money offers or completely relaxation without any extra activities or experiences, said Kan and Ariff respectively.
On the back of Qatar getting Approved Destination Status from China, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has opened representative offices in China, with headquarters in Beijing and supporting locations in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The offices will be operated in partnership with Preferred Hospitality Group’s PHG Consulting division, which provides representation and consultancy services for destinations and travel players.
Photo credit: Qatar Tourism Authority
According to Rashed AlQurese, chief marketing and promotion officer at QTA, Qatar´s marketing campaign in China will cover promotional initiatives, including workshops, sales visits, travel agents destination training through QTA´s online TAWASH programme, partnerships with tour operators, and innovative activities.
“China has risen rapidly as a major source of outbound tourists and we have identified it as a key source market for future growth, among both leisure and business visitors,” said AlQurese. “Our on-the-ground presence in China will enable us to actively promote Qatar to Chinese consumers, and develop relationships with members of the Chinese travel trade.”
He continued: “Now that Qatar has been granted Approved Destination Status, our work can begin immediately, and will culminate in a major campaign that will kick off in January, which will include advertising in major publications, key outdoor locations and fam trips for media.”
Moreover, QTA’s website is now available in Mandarin, giving Chinese travellers easy access to information about the destination´s tourism offerings, hospitality options and key tourism events online. Visit Qatar will also establish a presence across the most prominent Chinese social media platforms in the coming months.
Commented Sultan Salmeen Al Mansouri, Qatar´s ambassador to China: “Qatar has become an increasingly accessible destination for Chinese travelers, especially after Qatar waived entry visa requirements for Chinese citizens.
“At the same time, the Chinese outbound tourism market has been growing exponentially, making the time ripe for Qatar to establish a presence in China and actively engage with the domestic travel and tourism market.”
QTA´s office in China is the third to open in Asia and the ninth globally. It joins an international network currently covering the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, the US, the GCC markets and South-east Asia. QTA officials anticipate the opening of additional offices in Russia and India before the end of the year.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s restructure in January this year has resulted in the departure of several of its regional leaders, including its Asia-Pacific president, Thorsten Kirschke, and the group has just now has appointed Katerina Giannouka as Kirschke’s replacement.
The appointment is a rise for Giannouka, who was previously head of development for Asia-Pacific and China for Rosewood Hotel Group. Based in the Asia-Pacific regional office in Singapore, she will join no later than December 4 and will report directly to John Kidd, CEO and COO of Carlson Hotels.
Giannouka at APAC helm
Following HNA Group’s acquisition of Carlson Hotels in December 2016, which also resulted in HNA owning 51.3 per cent of Rezidor, Kidd leads Carlson Hotels while Federico Gonzalez Tejera is CEO of Rezidor. While they operate as separate entities, a global steering committee was set up with the aim of providing strategic direction to both companies. Tejera is chairman of the committee.
Giannouka will also be a member of Carlson Hotels’ Executive Leadership Committee where she will work in tandem with the global and Asia-Pacific leadership teams to drive success and growth for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, a statement said. In her role, she will be responsible in leading the Asia-Pacific executive committee and its corporate offices in Singapore, Shanghai and Delhi.
“Asia-Pacific is a key growth engine for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group as we expand our presence and develop our successes,” said Kidd. “Katerina’s dynamic and energetic leadership experience, complemented with business intelligence and a tenacious work ethic, are testament to her accomplishments in Asia-Pacific and EMEA. I am confident that she will propel our Asia-Pacific business to greater heights.”
Adding a beach club concept and a budget hotel brand to its hospitality portfolio
Formerly just a hotel management company focusing on art-inspired hotels, Artotel Indonesia has transformed into Artotel Group, a company with three businesses lines, namely hospitality, event management and curated merchandise.
Under its hospitality portfolio are four brands: Bobotel, Artotel Beach Club, a boutique Curated Collection with Canggu and Lombok properties in the pipeline, and Artotel which debuted in 2012.
Adding a beach club concept and a budget hotel brand to its hospitality portfolio
Bobotel is a budget hotel brand targeting mass market. With 15m2 rooms, Bobotel will typically be attached to commercial spaces like malls, airports, main train stations and office buildings. The first opening is expected in Kelapa Gading this year.
The first Artotel Beach Club will open late 2017 iin Sanur, Bali and will offer local cuisine and laidback beach vibes.
The group will soon launch its event management arm, Artotel Project Series, which will offer consultation services for the organisation of events such as art exhibitions and art workshops. It will also offer consultancy to businesses wanting to collaborate with local artists.
In May, Artotel Group also introduced Art of Life offering a collection of urban and hip merchandise featuring original arwork from emerging Indonesian contemporary artists. There’s a website for it to reach local and overseas markets and an Art of Life booth in every Artotel hotel.
Along with the expansion, former corporate general manager Eduard Rudolf Pangkerego has been promoted to COO of Artotel Group.
“We hope that with our transformation and expansion, the company is now able to accommodate all market demands in Indonesia and of course globally,” Erastus Radjimin, CEO of Artotel Group, said, adding that hopes are for its four hospitality brands to grow beyond Indonesia.
The DMC opened a sales office near Frankfurt and appointed a representative in the UK
Tour East Group, part of the JTB DMC network, has upgraded its UK, Europe and Russia sales infrastructure.
A sales office has been opened just outside Frankfurt to service the Continental Europe region, and is headed by newly appointed director of business development – Europe, Vishen Mootoo.
The DMC opened a sales office near Frankfurt and appointed a representative in the UK
In the UK, Select-Representative has been appointed to support sales activities in the UK, Ireland & Scandinavia.
Both join the existing Moscow office to deliver a market-focused support mechanism.
Shige Suzuki, president and CEO, Tour East Holding, said the changes come at a strategic time for the group as it rolls out its next generation of B2B booking engine for hotels and resorts.
