The ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) Board has made an unusual move of bringing together several travel industry associations at ATF 2018 to facilitate a more coordinated approach to resolving issues such as market penetration and courtship of Muslim travellers.
Cheah Swee Hee, ASEANTA president, pointed out that this decision has resulted in a “merrier” ASEAN airlines meeting on Monday, as three member airlines – Thai Airways, AirAsia and Philippine Airlines – are joined by NTO representatives from Indonesia and Thailand as well as ASEANTA Board members.
Explaining the benefit of bringing all parties together, Cheah said: “Member airlines target different market segments and can contribute to our plans. Philippine Airlines, for example, is strong in North America, so we can work with it should we hope to grow that market.”
He added that NTO presence was also valuable as they were the ones to bring travellers into their destination and garner critical support from their governments and airport authorities to expand an airline’s network.
Airline, NTO and ASEANTA Board members also discussed on Monday ways to improve intra-ASEAN travel for Muslims, an increasingly attractive segment in the region.
Desiree Bandal, Philippines AirAsia’s head of government policy & ASEAN, told TTG Asia: “AirAsia hopes for the tourism industry in South-east Asia to create increased awareness about halal-compliant products and services, and make them more readily available across the region.
“South-east Asia’s population comprises around 40 per cent Muslims, with Malaysia and Indonesia being the biggest tourist source markets. As we continue to promote intra-ASEAN travel, it is important that the needs of Muslim tourists from the region are met.”
Cheah is engaging his peers from the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association (AHRA) and the Federation of ASEAN Travel Associations as well, through separate meetings during ATF 2018.
He noted that stakeholders within South-east Asia’s tourism sector were dependent on each other and only by helping each other – such as through the sharing of business information – would they meet their business objectives.
For example, he believes that the ASEANTA Board can share knowledge on halal tourism with AHRA members to enable more hotels to be Muslim-friendly.
Cheah acknowledged that a single meeting would not bring about immediate solutions, so numerous and regular meetings with various travel industry associations in this region would be arranged going forward.
The HSBC World Singapore Rugby Sevens is pushing beyond its sporting roots to become a family-friendly festival that hopes to pull in travellers from around Asia.
Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and government agency Sport Singapore, event organiser Rugby Singapore has been increasing outreach efforts to tie up with attractions and travel agents.
“We see the Singapore Sevens as one of the tentpole events that can bring fans and people from around the world to Singapore. We are currently in talks with agents, family-friendly attractions and retail options for partnerships”, shared David Lim, chairman of the board, Rugby Singapore.
He added that there has been a “rise in popularity” for rugby in Asia, particularly driven by Japan’s recent victories in the sport. Last year, 24 per cent of Singapore Sevens attendees were foreign visitors, and the event generated a total economic impact of S$23.5 million (US$18 million).
As the only South-east Asian host in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Singapore aims to “draw more visitors from proximity markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia”, by delivering a memorable fan experience that differs yearly, STB’s sports director Jean Ng told TTG Asia.
For the third edition this year, Rugby Singapore is stepping up the programme with the Singapore Rugby Carnival, an event with activities such as face painting, themed challenges, inflatable stations, photo booths, local bands and food.
“We want that diverse variety of activities – not just sports – that will engage and bring people (together) here. This is something we want to use to distinguish ourselves from every other stop in the World Series,” explained Lim.
The Singapore Sevens is the eighth leg – out of 10 – in the Series, and is one stop after the sell-out Hong Kong Sevens.
Agents feel that having the event as a destination lure is a plus for Singapore. General manager of Diethelm Travel, Judy Lum, described the initiative as “good news”. She said: “The organiser should consider having a dialogue with local DMCs. I am sure there are some of us who can help to promote it to overseas tour operators.”
Samson Tan, founder/CEO of GTMC Travel, suggested maximising marketing distribution by using the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore as a communication platform with agents.