The Seychelles Tourism Board sees potential in South-east Asian markets based on interest received during the recent WTM Connect Asia in Penang.

The NTO is looking particularly at Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, having received “many enquiries and requests for contacts and packages” from these markets, according to its regional director Asia & Australasia, Jean-Luc Lai-Lam.

Jean-Luc Lai-Lam

Tourist arrivals to Seychelles totalled 106,623 last year, with arrivals from Asia (comprising the Middle East, India and the Far East) making up close to 25 per cent or 24,386 visitors.

Elaborating on plans to target South-east Asian markets, Lai-Lam said: “We have identified WTM Connect Asia and ITB Asia as the main trade fairs to attend in Asia. In 2H2017, we intend to do a B2B roadshow to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia together with our travel trade partners in the Seychelles, followed by sales calls to visit major outbound operators in these countries.”

Seychelles Tourism Board, the destination’s sole exhibitor at this year’s WTM Connect Asia, also plans to bring travel trade members to the show in future editions.

The tourism’s focus is on the travel trade for now, Lai-Lam explained. “We want to ensure our partners understand the needs of the market and are ready to cater to it before we embark on consumer programmes.”

Chris Bailey is back in tour operations as senior vice president of sales & marketing – longhaul of Tour East Holdings, effective June 1, filling the post left vacant by Judy Lum who joined Diethelm Travel Singapore in February as general manager.

The move comes as a surprise as Bailey had assumed the role of CEO of Royal Phuket Marina only in January, after more than 12 years with Centara Hotels & Resorts where he eventually rose to COO in August 2015.

Bailey, who became CEO of Royal Phuket Marina in January, joins Tour East Holdings

Contacted for comments, Bailey said he decided not to confirm the role in Phuket as there were significant delays in the project. The offer to join Tour East which he accepted came a few weeks later and “given it was Tour East that first brought me to Asia, it really feels like I am going home!”, he said.

In the earlier days of his career, Bailey was managing director of Tour East Hong Kong and Thailand. He also held senior management positions with UK longhaul specialist tour operators including Saga Holidays, Tradewinds and Colours of Asia.

After losing its long-time general manager Yvonne Wong, also to Diethelm Travel Singapore, Tour East Singapore is now being managed concurrently by Daniel Tam, general manager of Tour East Hong Kong.

One of Bailey’s challenges will be to rebuild the relationships Lum and Low had secured over the last 30 years for Tour East Singapore with international tour operators. Observers said while he is familiar with the business, much has changed – including the people behind the show – thanks to consolidation, disruption and other factors.

When asked about this, Bailey said: “Change in this sector of the industry is not unique to Tour East – indeed most of the major regional players have experienced, or are experiencing, acquisition, re-organisation and organisational management changes. There is nothing wrong with this – we see other sectors like airlines and hospitality doing it all the time.”

He added: “I decided to accept the opportunity for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have always believed Tour East, as a brand, is one of Asia’s most recognised and established DMCs. Its history, management past and present, market coverage and service levels are second to none.

“Its ownership status by JTB Group, and being apart of their Global DMC Network, uniquely positions the business for growth and expansion.

“This status gives all the benefits of strength and resource, which is critical in today’s business environment, yet does not come with the potential threats of other acquired and aligned companies from  the majority of their core source markets.

“I was particularly attracted by the enthusiasm and commitment of the current team as I spoke with management before accepting the role. There is a collective enthusiasm and drive to become Asia’s number one DMC and as you know I love a challenge and want to be a part of that journey.”

Tour East CEO & president Shigeyuki Suzuki said: “I’m very proud that Chris is joining us as SVP sales & marketing for longhaul market. He has extensive knowledge, expertise and business network in the industry which may support the expansion of Tour East business and overall inbound tourism to Asia-Pacific.

“I truly value his proactive, energetic and enthusiastic business mind and professionalism.”

UNWTO will launch the Measurement of Sustainable Tourism (MST) index as a holistic measure of tourism at its International Conference on Statistics in the Philippines next month, announced secretary general Taleb Rifai.

Speaking during the UNWTO/PATA Ministerial Debate at PATA Annual Summit at Negombo, Sri Lanka last weekend, Rifai said the MST will take a holistic look at tourism impacts and benefits to a country’s socio-economic wellbeing instead of relying on arrivals alone.

Rifai: move into green economy

“For years we have been relying on arrivals as (a measurement) but we need to examine the impacts in terms of the economy, jobs, society and communities,” he said.

“We need to move into a truly green economy. Growth and sustainability must go hand in hand,” he added. “We have to fight climate change; five per cent of carbon emissions comes from travel and of this two per cent is from transport.”

More destinations are now moving away from the ‘numbers game’ and instead are focusing on courting high-spending visitors who bring in more revenue and smaller carbon footprint, panellists at the session revealed.

Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of Nepal Tourism Board, said his country has restricted travel to certain sites due to over-visitation, while Mirza Mohamed Taiyab, director general of Tourism Malaysia, said the Malaysian government has identified ecotourism as a way to leverage the country’s rich natural assets and benefit local communities at the same time.

According to Hiran Cooray, chairman of Jetwing Hotels, Sri Lanka’s strict environmental protection laws has made it compulsory for every hotel to install a sewage treatment plant while renewable energy plants are encouraged.

Chartered flights to connect Guangxi province to Davao, Cebu and Clark are the latest in a series of new services mounted in support of the Philippines’ target for one million Chinese tourists this year, nearly 50 per cent higher than 675,000 in 2016.

The new charter flights, resulting from a deal between the Department of Tourism (DoT) and Guangxi Tourism Development Group, are expected to tap the city’s population of 55 million as well as “open up secondary gateways in the Philippines” to China, according to the Philippines’ tourism secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo.

Nanning city, Guangxi

Erwin Balane, routes development head at DoT, said “nearly all Chinese carriers (now) fly to and from the Philippines”, owing to improved political relations between Manila and Beijing since mid-2016.

As well, “more China-based airlines are launching commercial flights and more charter flights are being converted into (scheduled ones)”, he shared.

This month, Xiamen Airlines will add two new regular routes to Kalibo from Xiamen and Fuzhou, with other airlines expected to follow suit. Sichuan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines are anticipated to soon fly to the destination while Juneyao Airlines has applied to fly to Cebu from Shanghai.

Balane said DoT will also be courting West Air in Chongqing, Chongqing Airlines, Kunming Airlines and Lucky Air.

New destinations will be opened, Balane added, including the expanded airport in Kalibo – the gateway to Boracay, a favourite haunt among the Chinese – which can now accommodate bigger aircraft like Airbus A320.

Meanwhile, tour operator Sun Fair International, which has offices in Xiamen and Hong Kong, has already committed additional 10,000 Chinese tourists coming from the cities of Shanghai, Xiamen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Beijing, starting this month.

Ariva Hospitality’s acquisition by Singapore-listed real estate and investment company Rowsley in March has allowed both parties to expand their hotel business towards a target of 20,000 keys by 2020.

While Ariva Hospitality’s executive chairman Cameron Ong – an industry veteran who was last CEO and managing director of The Ascott Group – admits that the target is a “tall order”, it is also one that is achievable considering his company’s track record.

Ong: bringing Ariva deeper into South-east Asia

“Ariva was founded in 2008 but within these few years we’ve built a portfolio of more than 7,500 keys,” he remarked.

Ariva has been tasked with taking Rowsley’s Hotel Football brand – the first and only property sits across Old Trafford stadium and is developed in partnership with former Manchester United footballers – further in Asia and Europe, while being given the financial backing through equity funds to grow Ariva’s own brands.

Ong aims to bring Ariva “deeper into South-east Asia”. The company’s brands include Ariva Hotels, Ariva Serviced Residences, by Ariva, as well as two created through partnerships with real estate firms – Super City by Ariva in China and Louis Kienne Hotels & Services Residences in Indonesia.

According to Ong, Ariva Hotels, Ariva Serviced Residences and by Ariva will be the ones to be taken further into the region, particularly in secondary cities where tourism appeal has yet to be discovered and potential for growth is far stronger.

For Hotel Football, Ariva is considering possibilities of taking it to Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in China. In the near future, Ariva is readying for a signing ceremony for two Hotel Football properties – one in Bangkok and another in Kuala Lumpur.

Longhaul travellers into Asia are showing growing demand for mono-destination and in-depth holidays, according to buyers TTG Asia spoke to at WTM Connect Asia in Penang last week.

Pawel Tysa, product manager of Krakow-based Prestige Tours & Incentive, said: “We have seen this trend over the last two or three years. There are still clients who want to visit five countries in South-east Asia during one trip, (as) it’s a long flight and they want to see more. But we try to convince them that such ‘fast-food tours’ are tiring and don’t make sense.

Tourists at Angkor Thom, Siem Reap

“We recommend two countries at most, and for our clients to focus on certain areas, like culture or local food for instance.”

He added that demand for such holidays in Poland also come with greater knowledge and awareness of destinations such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Another buyer, Andy Ling, president of CanadaOne Travel, based in Winnipeg, observed that millennials and the well-to-do clients “want to stay put in one place and really get to know the local culture of a destination”.

Travellers who already have some knowledge of a destination also show desire to get a more thorough experience of a destination, Ling pointed out, adding that China, Hong Kong, Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia are some choice destinations.

“We have clients who spend up to a month in Bali only, experiencing the local culture. During their stay, we organise for them to visit a local family to learn more about their lifestyle and living. They are also keen to learn about local cuisine and how local dishes are made.”

Elisa Picazo Moreno, Asian manager, product development at UK-based Brown + Hudson, whose FIT and high-end clients enjoy Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand for in-depth travel, said: “The motivation is to experience the local way of life and discover local communities.”

Interest in Myanmar as a mono destination has picked up since the country opened up, she added.

Following its foray into Vietnam last month, Malaysia is now the latest destination to be added to Rove’s adventure tour portfolio.

The Bangkok-based operator has launched a new 11-day through Malaysian Borneo, focusing on trekking through some of Borneo’s most remote wilderness, with some water-based activities added for variety to the itinerary.

Rove now boasts nine destinations altogether, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.

Langham Hospitality Group has signed an agreement to manage Cordis, Hangzhou, which will become the brand’s first hotel in Hangzhou and the fourth in China after two in Shanghai and one in Ningbo.

Slated to open in 2019, Cordis, Hangzhou will feature 200 guestrooms and suites, plus over 1,500m² of dedicated event space including an 800m² Grand Ballroom, spa, fitness centre and indoor pool. Dining experiences will include a Chinese restaurant, all-day dining restaurant with buffet stations and lobby lounge.

Cordis, Hangzhou

The hotel will form part of a mixed-use development in the Future Technology City in Hangzhou, comprising offices, an integrated shopping complex and residences developed by Hangzhou Baoli Kanghua Real Estate Company.

Robert Warman, CEO of Langham Hospitality Group, said: “This project will play a key role in growing the Cordis brand in China. Hangzhou’s heightened popularity as an economic hub will stimulate demand for business travel in the long run. In addition, the Asian Games 2022 will be a catalyst in spurring Hangzhou’s city development and raising its city profile.”

Medical tourism is a budding segment for VisitBerlin, which this year started targeting the Chinese market, following similar initiatives to lure visitors from Russia & CIS countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE last year.

Last year, Berlin attracted some 21,000 medical patients from Russia & CIS countries, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. “This year, by entering the Chinese market, we expect a big growth,” said VisitBerlin’s director market management Asia, Australia and the Middle East, Ralf Ostendorf at WTM Connect Asia held in Penang last week.

Chinese tourists in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate

“These countries show a special interest in medical tourism and those seeking treatments for simple and complex procedures are willing to travel to seek treatment. The governments of some countries in the Middle East also provide support for their citizens to do so,” said Ostendorf.

A dedicated English language website, www.berlin-health-excellence.de, was launched in March 2017 to provide information on medical facilities in Berlin, and a Chinese version was rolled out this month. The site offers details on hospitals, doctors and their specialisations and maps that show the closest pharmacy and accommodation providers.

Similar websites were previously developed in Russian and Arabic languages.

VisitBerlin promotes medical tourism by organising roadshows and inviting foreign tour operators handling medical tourists to meet with hospital representatives. It also attends medical trade shows together with inbound tour operators in Berlin and medical departments in the countries targeted.